The 0708 NHL Regular Season officially began last Saturday but lets be honest the season doesn't really begin until The Montreal Canadiens play their first game. Last time we chatted, I said I really liked Kyle Chipchura to make the team and he did. Im happy for him. As for Carey Price, I would have put him on my team as well, but I am surprised that he'll start the season with the Canadiens. Two weeks ago, head coach Guy Carbonneau said Price would be #1 somewhere, needless to say this was Bob Gainey's decision and I applaud it. Im still not sold on Grabovski making the team, but if the line of Grabovski, Kovalev and Kostitsyn produce than thats all that matters. On the surface, it just seems like another small player on a small team. All that being said, I do think the Canadiens are slightly better than last year. Below are 5 reasons y:
1) better goaltending duo
2) coach is no longer a rookie
3) hamrlik upgrade defensively over souray
4) smolinski better all round than bonk
5) i expect more point production from young players and vets too (kovalev)
But even though I think The Canadiens are slightly better. For now, I dont have them in my Top 8. Here are my predicitions.
1- OTTAWA
2- NY RANGERS
3- CAROLINA
4- PITTSBURGH
5- BUFFALO
6- NEW JERSEY
7- PHILADELPHIA
8- TAMPA BAY
NB. The Habs will be 1 of those teams battling for the 8th spot. Its not impossible.
In the West:
1- DETROIT
2- SAN JOSE
3- VANCOUVER
4- ANAHEIM
5- MINNESOTA
6- CALGARY
7- COLORADO
8- DALLAS
For all you poolers; PJ Stock and I had a hockey pool on-air earlier today. We picked 15 different players each. All players points will be accounted for: Here it is:
My Team
1- SIDNEY CROSBY
2- DANY HEATLEY
3- JASON SPEZZA
4- VINCENT LECAVALIER
5- MARIAN HOSSA
6- EVGENI MALKIN
7- OLLI JOKINEN
8- ILYA KOVALCHUK
9- PAVEL DATSYUK
10- HENRIK ZETTERBERG
11- MARTIN ST LOUIS
12- BRAD RICHARDS
13- ERIC STAAL
14- JAROME IGINLA
15- SCOTT GOMEZ
PJ's Team
1- JOE THORNTON
2- JAROMIR JAGR
3- JOE SAKIC
4- ALEXANDER OVECHKIN
5- MARC SAVARD
6- DANIEL BRIERE
7- MICHAEL NYLANDER
8- DANIEL ALFREDSSON
9- RYAN SMYTH
10- ALEXANDER SEMIN
11- SIMON GAGNE
12- MARIAN GABORIK
13- THOMAS VANEK
14- MARTIN HAVLAT
15- MIKE CAMMALLERI
Honestly, I like my team....barring injuries; I will prevail.
By now you have probably heard of the programming change at THE TEAM 990. Over the past year, the station has received many emails from listeners who wanted more local programming and more hockey talk. Well, starting Monday, October 8th I will be on 1 more hour per day and so will PJ. The Montreal Forum will be on weekdays between 10am and Noon. Furthermore, PJ and I will be on-air together between Noon and 1pm. And, PJ will host The Stock Exchange weekdays between 1pm to 3pm. Basically, we eliminate ESPN Radio for now, and have 2 more hours of hockey talk.
I also wanted to add that I will host @18 Mtl Canadiens Week in Review Shows (Saturdays between 4pm and 6pm) and co-host The Montreal Canadiens Pregame Show on Saturdays as well. Last but not least, I will host and co-host @ 70 of 82 Montreal Canadiens Postgame Shows. Lots of work ahead....put Im very much looking forward to it.
Thanks for all your emails....talk to you soon.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Chipchura looking good.
The Montreal Canadiens have a few more Pre-Season games left. So far, a few youngsters have caught my attention. Below, I have taken a look at 6 players that played with the Champion Hamilton Bulldogs last season. I have broken it down into 3 categories. (A) Very Good (B)Good (C) Not good enough.
Let's begin with:
Very Good
Forward Kyle Chipchura. He's a smart player. The kid has NHL poise. He works hard and conducts himself like a professional already. Not too mention, he has been a Captain at every level. He will never put up bigtime numbers, but he will be a 3rd liner for a decade; barring injury of course.
Another forward, Matt D'agostini, continues to find the back of the net. The last time I saw a kid at camp score like that, it was Michael Ryder four years ago. Ryder, made the team that year; I don't think D'Agostini will because he still needs to work on his overall game. All that being said, he will be a good player at RW next season. And, if by chance Ryder is traded at the deadline (he's UFA in July 2008), then D'Agostini could take over.
Good
Goaltender Carey Price has given up 5 goals in just over 4 and a half periods of play. Price, has made some big stops and he handles the puck very well. I also like his size, demeanor and his talent is cleary undeniable. All that being said, he has got to be even better. Will be interesting to see if Jaroslav Halak lets the pressure get to him the rest of the way. Last week, head coach Guy Carbonneau said Price will be #1 somewhere; something tells me its Hamilton.
Defenceman Ryan O'Byrne skates really well for his 6ft5 235 pound frame. He has a good first pass and will be a good shot blocker. However, when I look at all the bodies available at D and all the guaranteed contracts, it makes me believe O'Byrne will have to do something special the rest of the way. He had an opportunity to accept a challenge from Gordie Dwyer on Friday nite but he backed down. IMO, He would have left a more favorable impression had he accepted the challenge.
Not Good Enough
Jonathan Ferland, has good size at 6ft 2 and 212 pounds. He shoots Right at would be a candidate to be the 12th or 13th forward. Ferland, was born in Quebec and you would think he would do everything possible to make the big club, especially since he's 24 and should be ready for primetime. He's not. He has shown little or no emotion. He's lack of desire and lack of competitive fire has been disappointing.
24 year old Duncan Milroy, is a Canadian boy and also a right winger. He played 1 game in the NHL last season. If he wants to have an NHL career he has to work on his skating. Truth is he cant skate at the NHL level. He's another guy who has done nothing to impress.
I know you're wondering about Corey Locke and Mikhail Grabovski, IMO they are too small on an already smallish team. In ending, Im not sure how many youngsters will make the Montreal Canadiens; but I was one of the decision makers, Kyle Chipchura would be one of them. Only time will tell. Stay tuned.
Talk to you later...
Let's begin with:
Very Good
Forward Kyle Chipchura. He's a smart player. The kid has NHL poise. He works hard and conducts himself like a professional already. Not too mention, he has been a Captain at every level. He will never put up bigtime numbers, but he will be a 3rd liner for a decade; barring injury of course.
Another forward, Matt D'agostini, continues to find the back of the net. The last time I saw a kid at camp score like that, it was Michael Ryder four years ago. Ryder, made the team that year; I don't think D'Agostini will because he still needs to work on his overall game. All that being said, he will be a good player at RW next season. And, if by chance Ryder is traded at the deadline (he's UFA in July 2008), then D'Agostini could take over.
Good
Goaltender Carey Price has given up 5 goals in just over 4 and a half periods of play. Price, has made some big stops and he handles the puck very well. I also like his size, demeanor and his talent is cleary undeniable. All that being said, he has got to be even better. Will be interesting to see if Jaroslav Halak lets the pressure get to him the rest of the way. Last week, head coach Guy Carbonneau said Price will be #1 somewhere; something tells me its Hamilton.
Defenceman Ryan O'Byrne skates really well for his 6ft5 235 pound frame. He has a good first pass and will be a good shot blocker. However, when I look at all the bodies available at D and all the guaranteed contracts, it makes me believe O'Byrne will have to do something special the rest of the way. He had an opportunity to accept a challenge from Gordie Dwyer on Friday nite but he backed down. IMO, He would have left a more favorable impression had he accepted the challenge.
Not Good Enough
Jonathan Ferland, has good size at 6ft 2 and 212 pounds. He shoots Right at would be a candidate to be the 12th or 13th forward. Ferland, was born in Quebec and you would think he would do everything possible to make the big club, especially since he's 24 and should be ready for primetime. He's not. He has shown little or no emotion. He's lack of desire and lack of competitive fire has been disappointing.
24 year old Duncan Milroy, is a Canadian boy and also a right winger. He played 1 game in the NHL last season. If he wants to have an NHL career he has to work on his skating. Truth is he cant skate at the NHL level. He's another guy who has done nothing to impress.
I know you're wondering about Corey Locke and Mikhail Grabovski, IMO they are too small on an already smallish team. In ending, Im not sure how many youngsters will make the Montreal Canadiens; but I was one of the decision makers, Kyle Chipchura would be one of them. Only time will tell. Stay tuned.
Talk to you later...
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Kudos to Kovalev and Beckham...
It seems more often than not we always hear the bad stuff about athletes (ex: michael vick); but rarely do we hear people talking about athletes going above and beyond the call of duty.
Take you back to last March. Alex Kovalev, receives a letter from Jocelle Cauvier, a resident of Grande Riviere in Gaspesie. Cauvier, tells Kovalev that she is his biggest fan and has all of his jerseys and other memorabilia. Kovalev immediately invites her to the Bell Centre to watch the morning skate vs the Capitals and meets Cauvier, her husband and her parents after the skate. Kovalev, then invites them to the game, giving them 4 spots in his ''Kovy's Kids Loge.'' Not only that but Kovalev promises Cauvier a goal. He delivered scoring 2 goals and picking up the puck of his 1st on the nite and gave it to Cauvier personally after the game. Before Cauvier left that nite she invited Kovalev to visit her in Grande Riviere and Kovalev agreed to do so. Last week, Kovalev did just that. But the only thing that made the headlines was that Kovalev scrapped the mayors 1992 Harley. My colleague Genadi Boguslavski, is a Russian Reporter who works for Sovietsky Sports. He was in Grande Riviere with Kovalev. Kovalev didnt scrap the bike....what happened was he was sitting on it and lost his balance and the motorcycle fell on him. The wheel of the bike got caught in a railing and the wheel got deformed. Thats it. Just so you know, the mayor paid the bike $12,000 back in 1992 and sent Kovalev a repair estimate of about $10,000....a little much dont you think? As a matter of fact, the accident was such a non-issue that Genadi Boguslavski, didnt even write about it. Mind you somebody leaked the so called accident story to Radio Canada. I tip my hat to Alex Kovalev; he doesnt owe anybody anything and its awesome that he went to visit the Cauvier family. If you want a great read on Kovy's visit to Grande Riviere..check out this link.
http://www.rushockey.com/events.php?i=nhl&stream=nhl_news&id=609
Thumbs up also goes out to David Beckham. It will be almost impossible for him to live up to his $250 million dollar pricetag awarded to him by AEG, owners of the LA Galaxy. However, Beckham has been everything I wanted him to be and more. In his first appearance, he comes off the bench and the visiting team applauds him. He distributes 2 great passes but unfortunately they weren't capped off. After the game, he gives his jersey to an opposing player. Next game, he scores a vintage Beckham goal on a free kick. Next up, his Galaxy play the Red Bulls in New York. Beckham arrives in NY a couple of days before and shows up to the Harlem FC Academy and tells the kids to stay off the streets. His message was go to school and play soccer. He spent the day with them. Come gametime Beckham picks up 3 assists and more importantly in front of over 66,000 fans. Thats what I call an impact player. Want to hear another good one? A fan asked Beckham to autograph a soccer cleat the fan brought from home; instead Beckham removed his own cleat, autographed it and gave it to the fan. Thats awesome stuff I think. Beckhams latest injury is unfortunate because the MLS was gaining so much momentum. IMO, so far he has done everything asked of him and much more. I admire what he's done.
In ending, Martin Rogers from Yahoo Sports wrote an interesting article of the possibility of more stars coming to the MLS. He put together his Top 10 Wish List. Check out the link.
http://sports.yahoo.com/mls/news?slug=ro-mlstargets082207&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
thats it for now...talk to you soon.
Take you back to last March. Alex Kovalev, receives a letter from Jocelle Cauvier, a resident of Grande Riviere in Gaspesie. Cauvier, tells Kovalev that she is his biggest fan and has all of his jerseys and other memorabilia. Kovalev immediately invites her to the Bell Centre to watch the morning skate vs the Capitals and meets Cauvier, her husband and her parents after the skate. Kovalev, then invites them to the game, giving them 4 spots in his ''Kovy's Kids Loge.'' Not only that but Kovalev promises Cauvier a goal. He delivered scoring 2 goals and picking up the puck of his 1st on the nite and gave it to Cauvier personally after the game. Before Cauvier left that nite she invited Kovalev to visit her in Grande Riviere and Kovalev agreed to do so. Last week, Kovalev did just that. But the only thing that made the headlines was that Kovalev scrapped the mayors 1992 Harley. My colleague Genadi Boguslavski, is a Russian Reporter who works for Sovietsky Sports. He was in Grande Riviere with Kovalev. Kovalev didnt scrap the bike....what happened was he was sitting on it and lost his balance and the motorcycle fell on him. The wheel of the bike got caught in a railing and the wheel got deformed. Thats it. Just so you know, the mayor paid the bike $12,000 back in 1992 and sent Kovalev a repair estimate of about $10,000....a little much dont you think? As a matter of fact, the accident was such a non-issue that Genadi Boguslavski, didnt even write about it. Mind you somebody leaked the so called accident story to Radio Canada. I tip my hat to Alex Kovalev; he doesnt owe anybody anything and its awesome that he went to visit the Cauvier family. If you want a great read on Kovy's visit to Grande Riviere..check out this link.
http://www.rushockey.com/events.php?i=nhl&stream=nhl_news&id=609
Thumbs up also goes out to David Beckham. It will be almost impossible for him to live up to his $250 million dollar pricetag awarded to him by AEG, owners of the LA Galaxy. However, Beckham has been everything I wanted him to be and more. In his first appearance, he comes off the bench and the visiting team applauds him. He distributes 2 great passes but unfortunately they weren't capped off. After the game, he gives his jersey to an opposing player. Next game, he scores a vintage Beckham goal on a free kick. Next up, his Galaxy play the Red Bulls in New York. Beckham arrives in NY a couple of days before and shows up to the Harlem FC Academy and tells the kids to stay off the streets. His message was go to school and play soccer. He spent the day with them. Come gametime Beckham picks up 3 assists and more importantly in front of over 66,000 fans. Thats what I call an impact player. Want to hear another good one? A fan asked Beckham to autograph a soccer cleat the fan brought from home; instead Beckham removed his own cleat, autographed it and gave it to the fan. Thats awesome stuff I think. Beckhams latest injury is unfortunate because the MLS was gaining so much momentum. IMO, so far he has done everything asked of him and much more. I admire what he's done.
In ending, Martin Rogers from Yahoo Sports wrote an interesting article of the possibility of more stars coming to the MLS. He put together his Top 10 Wish List. Check out the link.
http://sports.yahoo.com/mls/news?slug=ro-mlstargets082207&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
thats it for now...talk to you soon.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Im back from vacation
I have been on vacation for the past 2 weeks. Usually I take 2 weeks off during the hockey season and 3 weeks off in the summer. We have 4 weeks in total but by working stat holidays or by replacing others when they're off, we can accumulate more. This was the first year that our family didnt have a vacation planned out at all. The first week we just stayed home and took it easy. Week 2 we stayed 3 days in Mont Gabriel in a beautiful resort like hotel. Check it out: www.montgabriel.com. From there, we went to Toronto and Niagara Falls. The kids loved Paramount Canada's Wonderland; Marineland however is very overrated. As for ''The Falls''; I have seen them 4 years in a row and everytime, I am more and more fascinated. Now that I am back, I took the day off today to catch up on everything sports.
NHL:
Mtl re-signs M.Ryder at 2.95m; which is a good deal for the Habs. Trust me the arbitrator would have given him more. The bad news is Ryder, will be UFA one year from now and will be gone. Should the Habs falter; don't be surprised if Ryder is moved in February 08. As for Bob Gainey making Patrice Brisebois an offer....Bob, please....let's get real.
Crazy money offered by Edmonton to Anaheim winger Dustin Penner. Kevin Lowe, isnt making many friends....BUT, its allowed....
CFL:
The Als have injuries and are 1 game below .500. They need a spark and his name may be Jarrett Payton.
BOXING:
I watched Vernon Forreast pick apart Carlos Baldmir. I know Joachim Alcine was watching too....he will likely face one of those guys. With all due respect to Alcine, I dont think he can beat Vernon Forrest right now.
BASEBALL:
5 out of 6 divisions have really tight races; which is great for baseball. As for Barry Bonds....any day now, he will become the new Home Run King. Who will catch that ball???
CYCLING:
more positive tests; nothing new...
USL: The Montreal Impact are in the middle of the pack. Disappointing season so far; but I love the trade they pulled off with Vancouver. Mtl acquired forward JOEY GJERTSEN; he will add puch to a lackluster offense. As for midfielder DAVID TESTO; he can do the job. Next position to fill is at Right Back. I know the Impact were interested in re-acquiring Adam Braz; but it didnt work out. Braz, left the Impact last year to join Toronto FC; but he hasnt been able to perform at that level. His association with Toronto FC, is all but over.
WORLD UNDER 20 CHAMPIONSHIPS:
I very much enjoyed the tournament. The atmosphere at the BIG O was electric. My son and I attended 3 games; good times. Congrats to Argentina. The do some things I don't like such as diving; BUT they do a lot more good things. Argentina played the best and they deserved to win. That Sergio Aguero is a special player; he'll have a fine career.
In ending, I was shocked to hear about the passing of John Gilman, CEO and Founder of FieldTurf. Noel Butler and I, spoke with him on air about 3 weeks ago. John, was a hard working man; he believed in his product and was very successful with it. The Under 20's was the perfect example. R.I.P.
I will be back on air tomorrow; between 11am and Noon with PJ and solo between Noon and 1pm; talk to you then.
NHL:
Mtl re-signs M.Ryder at 2.95m; which is a good deal for the Habs. Trust me the arbitrator would have given him more. The bad news is Ryder, will be UFA one year from now and will be gone. Should the Habs falter; don't be surprised if Ryder is moved in February 08. As for Bob Gainey making Patrice Brisebois an offer....Bob, please....let's get real.
Crazy money offered by Edmonton to Anaheim winger Dustin Penner. Kevin Lowe, isnt making many friends....BUT, its allowed....
CFL:
The Als have injuries and are 1 game below .500. They need a spark and his name may be Jarrett Payton.
BOXING:
I watched Vernon Forreast pick apart Carlos Baldmir. I know Joachim Alcine was watching too....he will likely face one of those guys. With all due respect to Alcine, I dont think he can beat Vernon Forrest right now.
BASEBALL:
5 out of 6 divisions have really tight races; which is great for baseball. As for Barry Bonds....any day now, he will become the new Home Run King. Who will catch that ball???
CYCLING:
more positive tests; nothing new...
USL: The Montreal Impact are in the middle of the pack. Disappointing season so far; but I love the trade they pulled off with Vancouver. Mtl acquired forward JOEY GJERTSEN; he will add puch to a lackluster offense. As for midfielder DAVID TESTO; he can do the job. Next position to fill is at Right Back. I know the Impact were interested in re-acquiring Adam Braz; but it didnt work out. Braz, left the Impact last year to join Toronto FC; but he hasnt been able to perform at that level. His association with Toronto FC, is all but over.
WORLD UNDER 20 CHAMPIONSHIPS:
I very much enjoyed the tournament. The atmosphere at the BIG O was electric. My son and I attended 3 games; good times. Congrats to Argentina. The do some things I don't like such as diving; BUT they do a lot more good things. Argentina played the best and they deserved to win. That Sergio Aguero is a special player; he'll have a fine career.
In ending, I was shocked to hear about the passing of John Gilman, CEO and Founder of FieldTurf. Noel Butler and I, spoke with him on air about 3 weeks ago. John, was a hard working man; he believed in his product and was very successful with it. The Under 20's was the perfect example. R.I.P.
I will be back on air tomorrow; between 11am and Noon with PJ and solo between Noon and 1pm; talk to you then.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
2007 NHL Draft Recap
The big question in Montreal going into the draft was, ''If Angelo Esposito is available at #12 will the Canadiens draft him?'' I thought the answer to that would be Yes; that being said I didn't think Ryan McDonagh would be available at #12. The majority of teams had MacDonagh in their Top 10. He is the best puck moving d-man in the draft and he has NHL size and strength. Those are 3 key attributes. I am not surprised the Canadiens selected a defenceman and a forward in Round 1. Thats the direction I thought they would take. But like I said, since I thought MacDonagh would be selected early; I thought Montreal would take Esposito at #12 and defenceman Tommy Cross at #22. The Canadiens scouted Cross a lot and he was on their list. But their #1 choice was Ryan McDonagh and I agree with their pick.
As for Angelo Esposito; my heart went out to the kid when the Canadiens passed on him at 12. There were a lot of reasons to draft him: local kid, habs fan, wanted to play here, already 6ft1 185, centre, talented, etc....etc...Once again, I wont blame the Canadiens for passing at 12; but I believe they should have done everything possible to make a move to grab him right after. We're hearing the Canadiens tried to make a move but couldnt find a partner. I think they waited too long. I will give you an example. Edmonton had the #15 pick. They selected d-man Alex Plante from the WHL. The Canadiens could have offered Pick #22 and #43, in exchange for Edmonton's #15. Chances are Edmonton would have made the trade. Why? Because Plante was rated #28 by ISS; chances are he would have been there at #22. One day, if Esposito has success the Canadiens will tell you that he wasn't available at #22. The fact of the matter is the Canadiens didnt want him bad enough. If they did, they could have swung a deal. What's funny is Esposito wasn't good enough for Montreal, but he was for Pittsburgh, who already has Crosby, Malkin and Staal. Angelo, congratulations! Going to Pittsburgh will be great for your career. One day, you will win a Stanley Cup. Good Luck.
On another note, the Toronto Maple Leafs continue to make the wrong choices. The Leafs were looking for a goalie. They swung a deal with San Jose and obtained goalie Vesa Toskala and forward Mark Bell. In return, they gave up their 1st round pick and other picks. Think of this: Toskala makes 1.4 this year and is UFA after that. Mark Bell, is a problem player and expensive at 2.2. Thats a total of 3.6 for a problem player and a goalie you might only hold on to for 1 year. Later in the day, the Florida Panthers obtained goalie Tomas Vokoun, in return they gave up a 1st round pick in 2008 and 2 other picks. Whats important here is that Nashville didnt want a 1st round pick in the O7 Draft. Vokoun, is one of the best goalies in the league. He has a contract for the next 4 years at a cap hit of 5.7 per season. Basically, instead of picking up 3.6M in Salary; Toronto could have traded for Vokoun, only costing 2.1M more per season. Toronto, would keep their #13 pick and could have selected Russian winger Alexei Cherepanov. Think of it: Toskala and Bell or Vokoun and Cherepanov. Toronto blows it again!
Speaking of Cherepanov. This kid has unbelieveable skill and the NY Rangers got an absolute steal at #17. This kid will make a lot of teams regret their selections.
Im filling in for Mitch Melnick on Monday, June 25th between 4pm and 7pm; we'll talk more about the draft then.
Enjoy your day...
As for Angelo Esposito; my heart went out to the kid when the Canadiens passed on him at 12. There were a lot of reasons to draft him: local kid, habs fan, wanted to play here, already 6ft1 185, centre, talented, etc....etc...Once again, I wont blame the Canadiens for passing at 12; but I believe they should have done everything possible to make a move to grab him right after. We're hearing the Canadiens tried to make a move but couldnt find a partner. I think they waited too long. I will give you an example. Edmonton had the #15 pick. They selected d-man Alex Plante from the WHL. The Canadiens could have offered Pick #22 and #43, in exchange for Edmonton's #15. Chances are Edmonton would have made the trade. Why? Because Plante was rated #28 by ISS; chances are he would have been there at #22. One day, if Esposito has success the Canadiens will tell you that he wasn't available at #22. The fact of the matter is the Canadiens didnt want him bad enough. If they did, they could have swung a deal. What's funny is Esposito wasn't good enough for Montreal, but he was for Pittsburgh, who already has Crosby, Malkin and Staal. Angelo, congratulations! Going to Pittsburgh will be great for your career. One day, you will win a Stanley Cup. Good Luck.
On another note, the Toronto Maple Leafs continue to make the wrong choices. The Leafs were looking for a goalie. They swung a deal with San Jose and obtained goalie Vesa Toskala and forward Mark Bell. In return, they gave up their 1st round pick and other picks. Think of this: Toskala makes 1.4 this year and is UFA after that. Mark Bell, is a problem player and expensive at 2.2. Thats a total of 3.6 for a problem player and a goalie you might only hold on to for 1 year. Later in the day, the Florida Panthers obtained goalie Tomas Vokoun, in return they gave up a 1st round pick in 2008 and 2 other picks. Whats important here is that Nashville didnt want a 1st round pick in the O7 Draft. Vokoun, is one of the best goalies in the league. He has a contract for the next 4 years at a cap hit of 5.7 per season. Basically, instead of picking up 3.6M in Salary; Toronto could have traded for Vokoun, only costing 2.1M more per season. Toronto, would keep their #13 pick and could have selected Russian winger Alexei Cherepanov. Think of it: Toskala and Bell or Vokoun and Cherepanov. Toronto blows it again!
Speaking of Cherepanov. This kid has unbelieveable skill and the NY Rangers got an absolute steal at #17. This kid will make a lot of teams regret their selections.
Im filling in for Mitch Melnick on Monday, June 25th between 4pm and 7pm; we'll talk more about the draft then.
Enjoy your day...
Friday, June 8, 2007
Stanley Cup and Canadian Grand Prix....
I went against the Ottawa Senators for the first 3 rounds of the playoffs. In the Final, I paid them the ultimate respect by saying they would lose to Anaheim in 7. To be honest, I am not surprised that Anaheim won as easily as they did. For one I was not sold on Spezza and Heatley; they made me eat my words for 3 rounds and when the going got tough; they collapsed. Im not surprised. The two players are talented but the jury is still out on them. To be honest, I am not surprised that Anaheim won as easily as they did....Don't believe me? Checkout my playoff hockey pool. www.officepools.com (login: team990)(password: montreal).I have believed in Anaheim for a long time. They had all the right ingredients and elements. They worked hard and stuck to the gameplan. The 2nd line of Getzlaf, Perry and Penner is so good and they'll be together for a while...The year Pittsburgh won the Crosby Sweepstakes; Anaheim got the 2nd pick and drafted Bobby Ryan. Imagine if they would have won the Draft Lottery? Think for 1 second....Crosby on Anaheim,,,,scary isn't it. Speaking of Crosby, I think his Penguins will be a force in the East for the next 2 years. In the West, I think Anaheim will be the best team for the next two years as well. Message to Teemu Selanne: Congrats on the Cup; well deserved. If thats your last game its fitting that you go out a Champion.
On the show today; Pj and I debated whether F1 Drivers are athletes. PJ said they weren't; I disagreed. Of course they are. Their fitness is impeccable; their eye-hand coordination is unreal; their focus is superb; their mental toughness is tremendous. For all those reasons and more; F1 Drivers are definitely athletes.
After the show; I went to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Ile Notre Dame to take in the 2nd free practice session....I saw Michael Schumacher; he was visiting. Tried to get a quote or two from him; he's not a jovial guy...at least not with the media...other celebs included: Max, who supposedly plays the role of Tony Soprano's driver. Former Habs GM Serge Savard visited with Ferrari as well....
As much as I appreciate F1...its not fun working this event. We get extremely little cooperation from the teams. For one; Ferrari only spoke to Italian and Brazilian media at Pit Lane. And, over at Mclaren there was 50 reporters tackling each other to get a few clips...I got hit in the head from a few television cameras and it wasn't fun. Not too mention the 38 degree temperature making it tough....Im hoping for a good race on Sunday....not expecting any surprises...it will be McLaren or Ferrari again....
In ending, last week I was given an assignment by our GM at the station. He asked me to write a piece titled, ''If I were Bob.'' referring to Canadiens GM Bob Gainey and what moves I would try to make to revamp the Habs over the next month. The article will be posted on www.team990.com
On Monday, I am filling in for Mitch Melnick between 3pm and 7pm. It will give us a chance to discuss the article and talk about the Canadian Grand Prix. Enjoy the race everybody. Talk to you then.
On the show today; Pj and I debated whether F1 Drivers are athletes. PJ said they weren't; I disagreed. Of course they are. Their fitness is impeccable; their eye-hand coordination is unreal; their focus is superb; their mental toughness is tremendous. For all those reasons and more; F1 Drivers are definitely athletes.
After the show; I went to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Ile Notre Dame to take in the 2nd free practice session....I saw Michael Schumacher; he was visiting. Tried to get a quote or two from him; he's not a jovial guy...at least not with the media...other celebs included: Max, who supposedly plays the role of Tony Soprano's driver. Former Habs GM Serge Savard visited with Ferrari as well....
As much as I appreciate F1...its not fun working this event. We get extremely little cooperation from the teams. For one; Ferrari only spoke to Italian and Brazilian media at Pit Lane. And, over at Mclaren there was 50 reporters tackling each other to get a few clips...I got hit in the head from a few television cameras and it wasn't fun. Not too mention the 38 degree temperature making it tough....Im hoping for a good race on Sunday....not expecting any surprises...it will be McLaren or Ferrari again....
In ending, last week I was given an assignment by our GM at the station. He asked me to write a piece titled, ''If I were Bob.'' referring to Canadiens GM Bob Gainey and what moves I would try to make to revamp the Habs over the next month. The article will be posted on www.team990.com
On Monday, I am filling in for Mitch Melnick between 3pm and 7pm. It will give us a chance to discuss the article and talk about the Canadian Grand Prix. Enjoy the race everybody. Talk to you then.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
My heart says Ottawa...my head says Anaheim.
I am 0 for 3 against Ottawa in this years playoffs. Those are my only wrong predictions. I think I know why I went against them too. I have no Sens in my playoff pool. As a matter of fact it was my intention to take some but it just didnt work out that way...when that happens you need to change your strategy. I liked Buffalo and Anaheim for the longest time and thought Buffalo would win in 7. Not because they were better but only because the past couple of seasons have shown us that Western teams run out of gas in the end. This year the crazy schedule saw Anaheim get 6 days off before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final....Ottawa got 9 days off. Its insane. ATTENTION GARY BETTMAN: I love Hockey....I can guarantee you, I love it more than you do. All that being said, hockey should not be played in the month of June. Either start the regular season 2 weeks earlier OR cut down divisional games for 8 to 6. That leaves you with a 74 game season. Neither will happen, but it should. Hockey played in June just doesnt make sense.
On the ice: I think its Anaheim year. I have always questioned the character and backbone of Spezza and Heatley. So far they have made me eat my words. But, this time around the challenge is particularly big. They will go up against PAHLSSON, R.NIEDERMAYER and T.MOEN; they're the best shutdown line in the league....not too mention PRONGER & S.NIEDERMAYER on D against them....these guys are 2 of the TOP 3 D-Men in the world....and should they make it past all of these guys they still have to beat JIGGY...who'se as hot as a firecracker right now in goal for Anaheim. The Sens will need their 2nd line to step up...I think they can BUT I love Anaheims 2nd line of Getzlaf-Perry and Penner...they can cycle like no other line can.
I will be in Ottawa covering game 4 and game 6 if necessary....Im pretty excited. Not everyday a reporter has the chance to work the Cup Game. Would be awesome if the series ends in 4 or 6 so I can be a part of it.
Ottawa has a great group of guys....its a terrific organization, they have an awesome locker room and an extremely sympathetic coach....My heart says Ottawa BUT I have liked Anaheim's team for the longest time. IMO, Anaheim has the best package of skill, size and grit.....Anaheim in 7.
Enjoy the Final everybody.
On the ice: I think its Anaheim year. I have always questioned the character and backbone of Spezza and Heatley. So far they have made me eat my words. But, this time around the challenge is particularly big. They will go up against PAHLSSON, R.NIEDERMAYER and T.MOEN; they're the best shutdown line in the league....not too mention PRONGER & S.NIEDERMAYER on D against them....these guys are 2 of the TOP 3 D-Men in the world....and should they make it past all of these guys they still have to beat JIGGY...who'se as hot as a firecracker right now in goal for Anaheim. The Sens will need their 2nd line to step up...I think they can BUT I love Anaheims 2nd line of Getzlaf-Perry and Penner...they can cycle like no other line can.
I will be in Ottawa covering game 4 and game 6 if necessary....Im pretty excited. Not everyday a reporter has the chance to work the Cup Game. Would be awesome if the series ends in 4 or 6 so I can be a part of it.
Ottawa has a great group of guys....its a terrific organization, they have an awesome locker room and an extremely sympathetic coach....My heart says Ottawa BUT I have liked Anaheim's team for the longest time. IMO, Anaheim has the best package of skill, size and grit.....Anaheim in 7.
Enjoy the Final everybody.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Sabres can thank Ryan Miller
Good to talk to you again....as you know my predictions for RD 3 were Buffalo in 7 and Anaheim in 7.....of course both are still possible.....but lets face it; it doesnt look good.
Anaheim has trouble scoring and have lost 1st liner Chris Kunitz.....to boot they have lost Chris Pronger for Game 4 and that wont help. I thought Pronger should be suspended....was somewhat surprised that the NHL indeed suspended him,,,,,but if the NHL wants to make a real statement they have to start making the punishments a lot heavier,,,,,one day; and hopefully that day never comes; someone will die on the ice.....at which point the NHL will wonder where it all went wrong.....start with longer suspensions and costlier ones....if u do that, players will think twice.
i was in ottawa last nite....the atmosphere was much better than game 3....but still not good enough....everyone was waiting to celebrate.....unfortunately for them it didnt happen.....but the Sens are playing so well right now that they can celebrate soon......as for The Scotia Bank Place, that arena is so quiet compared to The Bell Centre....here in Montreal the building is buzzing and rocking 20 mins before the game...in Ottawa, the most noise takes place when a fellow named Bobby Lalonde plays his violin or whatever instrument it is.....Stanley Cup Playoffs...Semi Finals...Game 4.....1 win away for a Stanley Cup Final.....and people only make noise for Bobby Lalonde.....r u kidding me? i mentionned this to a few people in Ottawa and they dont appreciate it....an Ottawa resident asked me last nite, ''How loud has The Bell Centre been lately?''....u know what, let them take shots at Montreal...they have suffered and waited a long time...its their turn.
i do want to take this opportinity to tip my hat to the entire Ottawa Senators Organization....the players and media have a tremendous relationship....its so laid back, it realy is a pleasure covering that team,....quick story: when Antoine Vermette was drafted, he was given a quick course on Relations with the Media....the course was given by Roy Mlakar (CEO of the Sens). Mlakar, told Vermette be good to the media, this is the way we do it in Ottawa,.....i hope the execs with the Montreal Canadiens read this.....trust me its nite and day.....
I have a lot of admiration for Sabres Goalie Ryan Miller. He continues to battle and give his team a chance.....this guy is an incredible goaltender.....i no longer like Buffalo's chances, but with Miller standing on his head,,,,,the Sabres and their fans can still believe.....this guy is that good.
Been a fun past 2 days....yesterday, Randy ''The Natural'' Couture, UFC Champion was in studio...today, we were visited by Sylvain Grenier of WWE and former Olympian Bruny Surin....It was great to have them; 3 stand up individuals.....its always nice having the guys visit us.
back on air tomorrow....im going to do some prep work now,.,,,watch the game tonite and talk to you tomorrow between 11am and 1pm. Ciao!
Anaheim has trouble scoring and have lost 1st liner Chris Kunitz.....to boot they have lost Chris Pronger for Game 4 and that wont help. I thought Pronger should be suspended....was somewhat surprised that the NHL indeed suspended him,,,,,but if the NHL wants to make a real statement they have to start making the punishments a lot heavier,,,,,one day; and hopefully that day never comes; someone will die on the ice.....at which point the NHL will wonder where it all went wrong.....start with longer suspensions and costlier ones....if u do that, players will think twice.
i was in ottawa last nite....the atmosphere was much better than game 3....but still not good enough....everyone was waiting to celebrate.....unfortunately for them it didnt happen.....but the Sens are playing so well right now that they can celebrate soon......as for The Scotia Bank Place, that arena is so quiet compared to The Bell Centre....here in Montreal the building is buzzing and rocking 20 mins before the game...in Ottawa, the most noise takes place when a fellow named Bobby Lalonde plays his violin or whatever instrument it is.....Stanley Cup Playoffs...Semi Finals...Game 4.....1 win away for a Stanley Cup Final.....and people only make noise for Bobby Lalonde.....r u kidding me? i mentionned this to a few people in Ottawa and they dont appreciate it....an Ottawa resident asked me last nite, ''How loud has The Bell Centre been lately?''....u know what, let them take shots at Montreal...they have suffered and waited a long time...its their turn.
i do want to take this opportinity to tip my hat to the entire Ottawa Senators Organization....the players and media have a tremendous relationship....its so laid back, it realy is a pleasure covering that team,....quick story: when Antoine Vermette was drafted, he was given a quick course on Relations with the Media....the course was given by Roy Mlakar (CEO of the Sens). Mlakar, told Vermette be good to the media, this is the way we do it in Ottawa,.....i hope the execs with the Montreal Canadiens read this.....trust me its nite and day.....
I have a lot of admiration for Sabres Goalie Ryan Miller. He continues to battle and give his team a chance.....this guy is an incredible goaltender.....i no longer like Buffalo's chances, but with Miller standing on his head,,,,,the Sabres and their fans can still believe.....this guy is that good.
Been a fun past 2 days....yesterday, Randy ''The Natural'' Couture, UFC Champion was in studio...today, we were visited by Sylvain Grenier of WWE and former Olympian Bruny Surin....It was great to have them; 3 stand up individuals.....its always nice having the guys visit us.
back on air tomorrow....im going to do some prep work now,.,,,watch the game tonite and talk to you tomorrow between 11am and 1pm. Ciao!
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
L'affaire Shane Doan and Previewing RD3
This past week I listened to the other guys on french radio and watched the show at 11pm, just to get a feel for what people were saying regarding the Shane Doan Affair. I cant believe all the garbage I heard. Take you back 17 months, 4 french officials are working the Phoenix-Montreal game at the Bell Centre. Midway thru the game, Ladislav Nagy refers to the officials as F'in Frenchmen. At which point, the refs say no more of this stuff or you're in trouble. Late in the game, Coyotes goaltender Curtis Joseph argues over a penalty; Shane Doan comes over and says ''Cuje, four french refs in Montreal....what do you expect?'' After the game, the NHL referee report states Shane Doan used the slur F'in Frenchmen. The slur, was indeed said; but Shane Doan didnt say it. Next thing you now, a bunch of clowns in The House of Commons are upset that Shane Doan was named Captain for Canada at The World Hockey Championships. I worked that Phoenix-Montreal game and a couple of months ago, I talked to Mike Johnson about it. Johnson, was on the ice for Phoenix at the time. Johnson is a straight arrow. He swore to me that someone did indeed say it; but it wasnt him nor was it Shane Doan. The guys know nothing about Shane Doan. The guy is as good as it gets. Its sad to see they are guestioning his character and bringing him down just for the sake of trying to get a few votes down the line. It was nice to see some NHLers from Quebec like Daniel Briere and Denis Gauthier state there was no way Doan would say such a thing. In the meantime, Im hoping for 3 things to come out of this. (#1) the guy who said it, stand up and admit it. (#2) shane doan gets a public apology. (#3) they talk about bettering education and healthcare at The House of Commons.
As for the NHL Playoffs, I went 3 for 4. Only mistake was NJ. Ottawa was clearly better....cant believe Ray Emery outgoaltended Martin Brodeur, but he did. Brodeur, let in many bad goals. Next year, the Devils should think twice about using the 35 year old as much as they do. Simply put, he seemed like a tired goalie down the stretch. Going into the playoffs, my prediction was Buffalo over Anaheim for the Cup. I wont sway away from that. Buffalo beats Ottawa in 7. And, Anaheim will down Detroit in 7 as well.
Some final words on Mayweather - De La Hoya. I am a huge De La Hoya fan. But, I disagree with those who think he should have earned at least a draw. Mayweather, landed a lot more and his defense was inpenetrable. A lot of people dont like Mayweather because he's arrogant and he doesnt get into wars in the ring. The bottom line is he boxed intelligently. Was Oscar De La Hoya the aggressor? Yes. But, the rounds arent scored on whose more aggressive; they are scored on who landed punches. I had it 116-112 Mayweather. And, yes..there'll be a rematch!
Enjoy RD 3 of the NHL Playoffs. Ciao for now.
As for the NHL Playoffs, I went 3 for 4. Only mistake was NJ. Ottawa was clearly better....cant believe Ray Emery outgoaltended Martin Brodeur, but he did. Brodeur, let in many bad goals. Next year, the Devils should think twice about using the 35 year old as much as they do. Simply put, he seemed like a tired goalie down the stretch. Going into the playoffs, my prediction was Buffalo over Anaheim for the Cup. I wont sway away from that. Buffalo beats Ottawa in 7. And, Anaheim will down Detroit in 7 as well.
Some final words on Mayweather - De La Hoya. I am a huge De La Hoya fan. But, I disagree with those who think he should have earned at least a draw. Mayweather, landed a lot more and his defense was inpenetrable. A lot of people dont like Mayweather because he's arrogant and he doesnt get into wars in the ring. The bottom line is he boxed intelligently. Was Oscar De La Hoya the aggressor? Yes. But, the rounds arent scored on whose more aggressive; they are scored on who landed punches. I had it 116-112 Mayweather. And, yes..there'll be a rematch!
Enjoy RD 3 of the NHL Playoffs. Ciao for now.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
I still like Buffalo......
Since our last post, nothing surprising to report.....no real upsets in Round 1...I picked the NYR to beat Atlanta, but didn't think they would sweep them in 4. Atlanta is a mess. They have a bunch of individuals there; its not a team. Too many me, myself and I players....with Kovalchuk leading the way in that category. I wasn't high on the trading for Tkachuk and Zhitnik either. Surely, GM Don Waddell regrets acquiring those 2 players....
As for the other series, I was hoping Pittsburgh would have made it tougher for Ottawa....The Penguins I believe, along with Buffalo, were the most exciting teams during the NHL Regular Season and I wanted to see more of them. Clearly Ottawa was just too deep and too strong. For the Pens, not enough experience. They will be back and their time will come. Word has it, Ray Shero is hoping to extend the contract of coach Michel Therrien and you know what......Michel Mon Belle deserves to be back....I have to admit, I never thought I would say this after the whole Bill Lindsay taking the faceoff mess in 2002 vs Carolina. Nor, did I think I would say it after his Montreal team constantly gave up 35+ shots per game.....Nor, did I think I would say it after Therrien said his team needed to give up less than 15 scoring chances per game....And finally, I never thought I would say this after Therrien crushed his players with a 1 minute rant last year following a loss in Edmonton. BUT, here goes....Therrien, has grown as a coach. He is a better tactician and a much better communicator. He handles himself a lot better and is much more composed. Does he still have some things to learn? YES. To start, he has to give Crosby more icetime...makes sense, he's the best player in the league. But like I said, he's growing and deserves to be back behind the bench. All that being said, I would give him a 1, maybe 2 year deal.
Here are my Round 2 predictions (with certainty): Buffalo and Anaheim. (not certain): NJ and Detroit......the opposite result (Ott & SJ)wouldnt surprise me one bit....what I can tell you is I have liked Buffalo to win the Cup for months and Im not changing my mind. They have coaching, solid goaltending, 6 D that can move the puck and 4 line depth with quick strike offense.
Here in Montreal,,,,,same old....same old.....Kovalev not happy; complaining about his situation to a Russian Daily Paper.....Mind you, a lot of the things he said were true. HOWEVER, if Kovalev wants to be true to himself; he should take 1 long look in the mirror and blame himself for not delivering the goods....It just seems like AK27 is trying to jet from Montreal to another destination next year....If he needs a lift to the Airport, ''Fillipo the Taxi Driver'' has already volunteered.....
Talk to you in a bit.
As for the other series, I was hoping Pittsburgh would have made it tougher for Ottawa....The Penguins I believe, along with Buffalo, were the most exciting teams during the NHL Regular Season and I wanted to see more of them. Clearly Ottawa was just too deep and too strong. For the Pens, not enough experience. They will be back and their time will come. Word has it, Ray Shero is hoping to extend the contract of coach Michel Therrien and you know what......Michel Mon Belle deserves to be back....I have to admit, I never thought I would say this after the whole Bill Lindsay taking the faceoff mess in 2002 vs Carolina. Nor, did I think I would say it after his Montreal team constantly gave up 35+ shots per game.....Nor, did I think I would say it after Therrien said his team needed to give up less than 15 scoring chances per game....And finally, I never thought I would say this after Therrien crushed his players with a 1 minute rant last year following a loss in Edmonton. BUT, here goes....Therrien, has grown as a coach. He is a better tactician and a much better communicator. He handles himself a lot better and is much more composed. Does he still have some things to learn? YES. To start, he has to give Crosby more icetime...makes sense, he's the best player in the league. But like I said, he's growing and deserves to be back behind the bench. All that being said, I would give him a 1, maybe 2 year deal.
Here are my Round 2 predictions (with certainty): Buffalo and Anaheim. (not certain): NJ and Detroit......the opposite result (Ott & SJ)wouldnt surprise me one bit....what I can tell you is I have liked Buffalo to win the Cup for months and Im not changing my mind. They have coaching, solid goaltending, 6 D that can move the puck and 4 line depth with quick strike offense.
Here in Montreal,,,,,same old....same old.....Kovalev not happy; complaining about his situation to a Russian Daily Paper.....Mind you, a lot of the things he said were true. HOWEVER, if Kovalev wants to be true to himself; he should take 1 long look in the mirror and blame himself for not delivering the goods....It just seems like AK27 is trying to jet from Montreal to another destination next year....If he needs a lift to the Airport, ''Fillipo the Taxi Driver'' has already volunteered.....
Talk to you in a bit.
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Canadiens didnt deserve to make playoffs!
Back in 2005-06, the Montreal Candiens finished 7th in the Eastern Conference with 93 points. Come Late-September, many people believed the Canadiens would be better with Samsonov, Johnson, and Latendresse than they would be with Zednik, Bulis and Sundstrom. Although, the Canadiens looked sexier on paper, I said they would finish 8th, this time around. I remember going to the Bell Center later that day. As soon as I entered the Media Room, Mtl Gazette Columnist Pat Hickey looked and me and said, ''How can you pick them to finish 8th, they're a lot better team than they were last season. I looked at him and said, ''Im not sure about that, Pat.'' He said why not? I replied, three reasons Pat. (1) I needed to see if Huet could repeat (2) I wasn't sold on the coaching staff, two of which were rookie coaches and (3) I thought other teams got better. When all was said and done, I was wrong about the 8th spot, they finished in 10th (2 points out of 8th); however, I was right about the Habs not being better than they were in 05-06.
This past Thursday on the Montreal Forum, I was asked to predict the final 2 games, Mtl in NY and Mtl in Toronto. I predicted the Canadiens would lose both. Had the games been in Montreal, it would have been a different story. Montreal had won 9 straight at home. However, ''Road Warriors'' the Canadiens are not. They went into their game against the NYR with only 2 wins in their last 9 road games. Meanwhile, NYR were 12-2-2-2 in their past 18. Toronto had won 8 straight at home. I said it before, and I will say it again. The Montreal Canadiens are a Homer Team. They had a chance to get rid of that label and make the playoffs by winning their last game. Despite being up 5-3, they failed to do so. BTW, I flew to Toronto on Saturday afternoon to cover the game. Out of all the players I talked too after the game, the guy that really took the loss badly was Chris Higgins. He was holding back tears....he my friends, is ''The Real McCoy.''
Want an interesting stat? Going into the last game in Toronto, the 1st line duo of Koivu and Ryder had 1 even strength goal on the road since December 1st. The duo of Downey and Murray (a couple of 5th liners) had 2 goals. Pathetic. This team DEFINITELY didnt deserve to make the playoffs.
So lets look at the Good:
markov, komisarek, souray on the PP, ryder when he shoots and does nothing else but shoots, plekanec, streit, halak, lapierres energy, flashes of kostitsyn's ability, 16 goals from latendresse , higgins dominating before the ankle injury and dominating again in the final game, koivu's career high 22 goals, and huet for a couple of months.
The In-Between:
bonk, johnson, perezoghin, begin (only because his Hits Per Game stats are up there)
The Ugly:
Samsonov (bust) , Kovalev (no longer a clutch performer), Niinimaa (damaged goods), Aebischer (a technical disaster in goal), the d-men struggling to get the puck out of the zone (with the exception of markov), the dumb penalties they took in the final game (johnson, begin, koivu), the not showing up for the start of the game (8 out of 10 games) The Minus Stats from their top players...
As for The Management Team and Coaching Staff:
Two weeks prior to the trade deadline, I said the Canadiens should be ''Sellers'' and never changed my mind. The organization decided differently. Six weeks later their season is over and they are left with bigtime off-season decisions. The Mangement Team & Coaching Staff, did some good things and some not so good things. But, at the end of the day when the goal is to make the playoffs and you don't; you have failed.
Congrats to the NYI for making the playoffs. Good to see a team rewarded for pulling the trigger on Feb 27th the way they did; and for not giving up when their #1 goalie got hurt. And, btw Ted Nolan could coach my team any day! Unfortunately for the NYI, their season won't last much longer. I'm picking BUFFALO to win the Stanley Cup.
Playoffs start Wednesday. Enjoy.
This past Thursday on the Montreal Forum, I was asked to predict the final 2 games, Mtl in NY and Mtl in Toronto. I predicted the Canadiens would lose both. Had the games been in Montreal, it would have been a different story. Montreal had won 9 straight at home. However, ''Road Warriors'' the Canadiens are not. They went into their game against the NYR with only 2 wins in their last 9 road games. Meanwhile, NYR were 12-2-2-2 in their past 18. Toronto had won 8 straight at home. I said it before, and I will say it again. The Montreal Canadiens are a Homer Team. They had a chance to get rid of that label and make the playoffs by winning their last game. Despite being up 5-3, they failed to do so. BTW, I flew to Toronto on Saturday afternoon to cover the game. Out of all the players I talked too after the game, the guy that really took the loss badly was Chris Higgins. He was holding back tears....he my friends, is ''The Real McCoy.''
Want an interesting stat? Going into the last game in Toronto, the 1st line duo of Koivu and Ryder had 1 even strength goal on the road since December 1st. The duo of Downey and Murray (a couple of 5th liners) had 2 goals. Pathetic. This team DEFINITELY didnt deserve to make the playoffs.
So lets look at the Good:
markov, komisarek, souray on the PP, ryder when he shoots and does nothing else but shoots, plekanec, streit, halak, lapierres energy, flashes of kostitsyn's ability, 16 goals from latendresse , higgins dominating before the ankle injury and dominating again in the final game, koivu's career high 22 goals, and huet for a couple of months.
The In-Between:
bonk, johnson, perezoghin, begin (only because his Hits Per Game stats are up there)
The Ugly:
Samsonov (bust) , Kovalev (no longer a clutch performer), Niinimaa (damaged goods), Aebischer (a technical disaster in goal), the d-men struggling to get the puck out of the zone (with the exception of markov), the dumb penalties they took in the final game (johnson, begin, koivu), the not showing up for the start of the game (8 out of 10 games) The Minus Stats from their top players...
As for The Management Team and Coaching Staff:
Two weeks prior to the trade deadline, I said the Canadiens should be ''Sellers'' and never changed my mind. The organization decided differently. Six weeks later their season is over and they are left with bigtime off-season decisions. The Mangement Team & Coaching Staff, did some good things and some not so good things. But, at the end of the day when the goal is to make the playoffs and you don't; you have failed.
Congrats to the NYI for making the playoffs. Good to see a team rewarded for pulling the trigger on Feb 27th the way they did; and for not giving up when their #1 goalie got hurt. And, btw Ted Nolan could coach my team any day! Unfortunately for the NYI, their season won't last much longer. I'm picking BUFFALO to win the Stanley Cup.
Playoffs start Wednesday. Enjoy.
Friday, April 6, 2007
Habs horrendous in the Big Apple
Its been a while....worked a lot more on-air over the past week and didnt have much time to update my blog.....apologies. Busy week,,,,,on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, I was on air from 11am to 3pm; not to mention 2 postgame shows during that period. Furtermore, I am working on a hockey project (will give you details in near future). And, when I wasn't involved with that, guess what I was doing??? yep, you guessed it,,,,,i bought a horse. Ok, not just me. Along with 42 other people I bought a 3yr old racehorse....she's beautiful. Her name is Sumwonlovesyou and she will race in Kentucky next week. If all goes well, I will visit her at Saratoga in August. Im starting to get hooked on horseracing....if I can ever witness her win a race, that will be truly something special.
Speaking of winning, thats something the NYR did earlier this evening. Credit to The Blueshirts, they dominated and were deserving of the win. As for the Canadiens.......they were awful. Before leaving for NY, rookie goaltender Jaroslav Halak said he was too young to feel any pressure. Was he serious?
1st period: Less than 3 minutes in, Mtl is down 1 zip. For NY, 1 shot 1 goal. On the play, Janne Niinimaa was outskated by Petr Prucha down the right side and his shot from the right faceoff circle beat Halak. Janne Niinimaa, is a great team guy.....he has experience and he plays his heart out, BUT Carbonneau has to realize that Niinimaa's best just isn't good enough. It's mind boggling that Josh Gorges was the #5 d-man in San Jose, but can't crack the Habs Top 6. I would have Gorges in there,,,,weeks ago. No doubt it was Niinimaa's mistake, BUT I also think Halak could have done bettter on this one too. I know,,,,I know, people will say it was a good shot, BUT in the biggest game of the year, you have to stop that shot IMO.
Onto Period #2: Bouillon can't get the puck out of the zone....it's picked up by Shanahan who dishes it to Nylander, he feeds Jagr and its 2 nothing NYR. Kudos to Tom Renney for inserting Shanahan on that line and catching the Canadiens with Bouillon and Souray out there, instead of Markov and Komisarek. Great coaching. Tom Renney did real well and his team followed the gameplan perfectly. The Canadiens couldn't gain speed through the neutral zone and their inability to get pucks deep cost them. On the other hand, NY pressured the Mtl d-men and forced turnovers.......Mtl had a few chances to narrow the lead but Ryder couldn't lift the puck over Lundqvist and Koivu picked up the loose puck and missed. With only 94 seconds remaining in the frame, Marek Malik's point shot beat Halak short side. That one was clearly a shot Halak should have stopped....HOWEVER, I would also like to add that had it not been for Halak, it could have been at least 5-0 NYR after two.....It was that ugly.
3rd Period: Cristobal Huet starts the 3rd which was the right move for a couple of reasons. (1) sometimes goalie changes can a give a team a spark (2) Huet needed to shake off some rust (3) he might be needed on Saturday, either to start or come in at some point. Only guy to get the Canadiens on the board was Sheldon Souray, he scored his 26th goal of the season, it was a PP marker. Too little, too late. Rangers win 3-1.....the only good news is Toronto also lost in NY, 5-2 to the Islanders....
Next up, final game of the season for the Habs. Game #82; Montreal in Toronto. Huge game; 1 point for Mtl eliminates Toronto, but might not be enough because if the NY Islanders beat Philly and Jersey, then Ted Nolan's club would make the playoffs and Mtl and Toronto would not....unreal. So, what will happen? Who will start in goal? Guy Carbonneau faces a difficult decision. On one hand, Huet was stellar during the midway point of the season. On the other hand, Halak did the job down the stretch. Even though Huet wasn't tested much, my gut feeling tells me Guy Carbonneau may sense that Halak is nervous and he'll start Huet. As for the result, anything can happen. But, lets face it. The Montreal Canadiens are a ''Homer Team'' At the Bell Centre, they have won 9 straight, but on the road they have won only 2 times in their past 10 games. Thats not very re-assuring heading in to the ACC.
May the team that works harder and wants it more be compensated on Saturday nite. I'm off tomorrow.....talk to you soon. Ciao.
Speaking of winning, thats something the NYR did earlier this evening. Credit to The Blueshirts, they dominated and were deserving of the win. As for the Canadiens.......they were awful. Before leaving for NY, rookie goaltender Jaroslav Halak said he was too young to feel any pressure. Was he serious?
1st period: Less than 3 minutes in, Mtl is down 1 zip. For NY, 1 shot 1 goal. On the play, Janne Niinimaa was outskated by Petr Prucha down the right side and his shot from the right faceoff circle beat Halak. Janne Niinimaa, is a great team guy.....he has experience and he plays his heart out, BUT Carbonneau has to realize that Niinimaa's best just isn't good enough. It's mind boggling that Josh Gorges was the #5 d-man in San Jose, but can't crack the Habs Top 6. I would have Gorges in there,,,,weeks ago. No doubt it was Niinimaa's mistake, BUT I also think Halak could have done bettter on this one too. I know,,,,I know, people will say it was a good shot, BUT in the biggest game of the year, you have to stop that shot IMO.
Onto Period #2: Bouillon can't get the puck out of the zone....it's picked up by Shanahan who dishes it to Nylander, he feeds Jagr and its 2 nothing NYR. Kudos to Tom Renney for inserting Shanahan on that line and catching the Canadiens with Bouillon and Souray out there, instead of Markov and Komisarek. Great coaching. Tom Renney did real well and his team followed the gameplan perfectly. The Canadiens couldn't gain speed through the neutral zone and their inability to get pucks deep cost them. On the other hand, NY pressured the Mtl d-men and forced turnovers.......Mtl had a few chances to narrow the lead but Ryder couldn't lift the puck over Lundqvist and Koivu picked up the loose puck and missed. With only 94 seconds remaining in the frame, Marek Malik's point shot beat Halak short side. That one was clearly a shot Halak should have stopped....HOWEVER, I would also like to add that had it not been for Halak, it could have been at least 5-0 NYR after two.....It was that ugly.
3rd Period: Cristobal Huet starts the 3rd which was the right move for a couple of reasons. (1) sometimes goalie changes can a give a team a spark (2) Huet needed to shake off some rust (3) he might be needed on Saturday, either to start or come in at some point. Only guy to get the Canadiens on the board was Sheldon Souray, he scored his 26th goal of the season, it was a PP marker. Too little, too late. Rangers win 3-1.....the only good news is Toronto also lost in NY, 5-2 to the Islanders....
Next up, final game of the season for the Habs. Game #82; Montreal in Toronto. Huge game; 1 point for Mtl eliminates Toronto, but might not be enough because if the NY Islanders beat Philly and Jersey, then Ted Nolan's club would make the playoffs and Mtl and Toronto would not....unreal. So, what will happen? Who will start in goal? Guy Carbonneau faces a difficult decision. On one hand, Huet was stellar during the midway point of the season. On the other hand, Halak did the job down the stretch. Even though Huet wasn't tested much, my gut feeling tells me Guy Carbonneau may sense that Halak is nervous and he'll start Huet. As for the result, anything can happen. But, lets face it. The Montreal Canadiens are a ''Homer Team'' At the Bell Centre, they have won 9 straight, but on the road they have won only 2 times in their past 10 games. Thats not very re-assuring heading in to the ACC.
May the team that works harder and wants it more be compensated on Saturday nite. I'm off tomorrow.....talk to you soon. Ciao.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Do Habs deserve to make the playoffs?
Its Monday nite 11:58pm. I haven't posted a blog in a while; figured its a good time.
Let me take you back to last Monday. 10:50am: I call PJ Stock and advise him Christobal Huet has been involved in on-ice training at Concordia. PJ, tells me he heard that already and hangs up.....nice guy that PJ. I enter the studio 5 minutes later and say why did you hang up? PJ laughs and says, ''Tony just because he's training doesn't mean he'll be back, he's out for the season.'' I look at him and say, ''No, he's not, I have been told that he'll be back.''
Next day: Tuesday, March 13th. Huet, tells the media at the Bell Centre that he was at Concordia for a few days and didnt face any shots. I know for a fact that Huet trained there for 5 days and faced a lot of shots. I know that because I found out on Monday that a buddy of mine took some shots on him. Anyway, the Montreal Media continues to say Huet is unlikely to come back. At 12:10pm, I say, ''If the Canadiens are still in the playoff hunt, Huet will start vs the NYR on March 27.'' I was sure of that as well because someone close to the situation told me Huet would be 100% by then. Now, Im hearing that a fellow member of the media said over the weekend on the CBC that Huet will probably start Saturday, March 24 vs Washington. Folks, just remember where you heard it first that Huet would play again this season.
Friday nite: I thought the Canadiens blew a great opportunity to make up some ground. After 2 periods of play, Toronto trails Washington 3-1 and Tampa is losing by the same score to Buffalo. Meanwhile, Montreal is tied at 2 with Pittsburgh. The Habs needed to take advantage but gave up 4 goals in the third. Once again, David Aebischer was simply horrendous. He's played his last game for Montreal. Nice young man, awful goaltender.
Saturday nite: Big character win for Montreal beating Toronto 3-2 in a shootout. The catalysts: Everybody. Especially, Francis Bouillon, Jaroslav Halak, Saku Koivu and Andrei Kostitsyn. Bouillon's fight with Darcy Tucker lifted the team. As for goalie Jaroslav Halak if it wasn't for him Montreal would have lost in regulation. And, Koivu and Kostitsyn, got the job done in the shootout. The win was huge, but if the Canadiens want to make the playoffs, they cant give teams they're battling with a point.
9 games to go; Canadiens are 2 points out of the playoffs. Of course, it would be great for the city if they make it to the dance; but to tell you the truth, I dont think the Canadiens deserve to make the playoffs. Why not, you ask? Simple. (a) They have conceded more goals than they have scored. Goal differential of -17. (b) 6 of their top 7 point getters are minus players, accounting for -89 and (c) when you are scoreboard watching this time of year hoping for help its because as a team you didnt get the job done. Add it all up, its not playoff worthy.
Sunday afternoon: I dropped by La Pizzeria Etc in Blainville. Sheldon Souray is one of the owners. Great pizza; check it out. Sheldon was there and so were about 500 Canadiens fans. They were chanting, ''Go Habs Go'' and ''Souray Souray Souray''. It was nuts. Sheldon was there for quite some time and signed hundreds of autographs and took hundreds of pictures. I have seen him do this more than once. He is an awesome person and IMO the ''Real Captain'' of the team. Thats not a shot at Koivu, either. Everywhere I go, people ask me will Souray be back next year? Sheldon has never told me this, but my gut feeling is as much as he loves it here, he's done his time and he will move on. Only time will tell.....
In ending, I want to say what a great time I had when I took part in the 1st ever Bell Centre Challenge courtesy of Molson Export. I thought we had a great team. In goal, Leo Luongo (Roberto's younger brother), Defence Pair 1 was composed of Arduino Patulli and Dennis Kwan, our other pairing was Sean Campbell and Giorgio Porcari. Up front, Line 1: Lucio De Martinis, Ben Raspa and Tony Aversano. The second line had Anthony Giambagno centering Jimmy Papapostolou and Billy Karagiannitis. And, the 3rd line had myself on Left Wing with Aldo Polisena on the right side and Domenic Sollazzo in the middle. Our first game was a hard fought win over PJ Stock's team. PJ, did a lot of trash talking before the game, but I warned him my team would do our talking on the ice and we squeaked out a 3-1 victory. We then played the Morning Show and I picked up a goal. We were up 3 nothing when i was awarded a penalty shot. I dont think too many people expected me to score, but I did my best Jussi Jokinen impersonation and it worked. As a matter of fact, everything went my way in that game. We beat them 5 nothing and I was on for every goal. Unfortunately, we lost our last game to Melnicks team. I wont make escuses BUT I will say that it was our second straight game, meanwhile Melnicks team had just over 30 mins rest before the game. We played hard, we were down 1 nothing with 3 minutes left and eventually lost 3 zip. They were good, but I wouldn't mind playing them again. I have too, I haven't digested that loss.
Getting late, Im going to hit the sack.......big show tomorrow,,,,its Gameday. Boston visits Montreal. Enjoy the game everybody. I will talk to you in a couple of days. Peace.
Let me take you back to last Monday. 10:50am: I call PJ Stock and advise him Christobal Huet has been involved in on-ice training at Concordia. PJ, tells me he heard that already and hangs up.....nice guy that PJ. I enter the studio 5 minutes later and say why did you hang up? PJ laughs and says, ''Tony just because he's training doesn't mean he'll be back, he's out for the season.'' I look at him and say, ''No, he's not, I have been told that he'll be back.''
Next day: Tuesday, March 13th. Huet, tells the media at the Bell Centre that he was at Concordia for a few days and didnt face any shots. I know for a fact that Huet trained there for 5 days and faced a lot of shots. I know that because I found out on Monday that a buddy of mine took some shots on him. Anyway, the Montreal Media continues to say Huet is unlikely to come back. At 12:10pm, I say, ''If the Canadiens are still in the playoff hunt, Huet will start vs the NYR on March 27.'' I was sure of that as well because someone close to the situation told me Huet would be 100% by then. Now, Im hearing that a fellow member of the media said over the weekend on the CBC that Huet will probably start Saturday, March 24 vs Washington. Folks, just remember where you heard it first that Huet would play again this season.
Friday nite: I thought the Canadiens blew a great opportunity to make up some ground. After 2 periods of play, Toronto trails Washington 3-1 and Tampa is losing by the same score to Buffalo. Meanwhile, Montreal is tied at 2 with Pittsburgh. The Habs needed to take advantage but gave up 4 goals in the third. Once again, David Aebischer was simply horrendous. He's played his last game for Montreal. Nice young man, awful goaltender.
Saturday nite: Big character win for Montreal beating Toronto 3-2 in a shootout. The catalysts: Everybody. Especially, Francis Bouillon, Jaroslav Halak, Saku Koivu and Andrei Kostitsyn. Bouillon's fight with Darcy Tucker lifted the team. As for goalie Jaroslav Halak if it wasn't for him Montreal would have lost in regulation. And, Koivu and Kostitsyn, got the job done in the shootout. The win was huge, but if the Canadiens want to make the playoffs, they cant give teams they're battling with a point.
9 games to go; Canadiens are 2 points out of the playoffs. Of course, it would be great for the city if they make it to the dance; but to tell you the truth, I dont think the Canadiens deserve to make the playoffs. Why not, you ask? Simple. (a) They have conceded more goals than they have scored. Goal differential of -17. (b) 6 of their top 7 point getters are minus players, accounting for -89 and (c) when you are scoreboard watching this time of year hoping for help its because as a team you didnt get the job done. Add it all up, its not playoff worthy.
Sunday afternoon: I dropped by La Pizzeria Etc in Blainville. Sheldon Souray is one of the owners. Great pizza; check it out. Sheldon was there and so were about 500 Canadiens fans. They were chanting, ''Go Habs Go'' and ''Souray Souray Souray''. It was nuts. Sheldon was there for quite some time and signed hundreds of autographs and took hundreds of pictures. I have seen him do this more than once. He is an awesome person and IMO the ''Real Captain'' of the team. Thats not a shot at Koivu, either. Everywhere I go, people ask me will Souray be back next year? Sheldon has never told me this, but my gut feeling is as much as he loves it here, he's done his time and he will move on. Only time will tell.....
In ending, I want to say what a great time I had when I took part in the 1st ever Bell Centre Challenge courtesy of Molson Export. I thought we had a great team. In goal, Leo Luongo (Roberto's younger brother), Defence Pair 1 was composed of Arduino Patulli and Dennis Kwan, our other pairing was Sean Campbell and Giorgio Porcari. Up front, Line 1: Lucio De Martinis, Ben Raspa and Tony Aversano. The second line had Anthony Giambagno centering Jimmy Papapostolou and Billy Karagiannitis. And, the 3rd line had myself on Left Wing with Aldo Polisena on the right side and Domenic Sollazzo in the middle. Our first game was a hard fought win over PJ Stock's team. PJ, did a lot of trash talking before the game, but I warned him my team would do our talking on the ice and we squeaked out a 3-1 victory. We then played the Morning Show and I picked up a goal. We were up 3 nothing when i was awarded a penalty shot. I dont think too many people expected me to score, but I did my best Jussi Jokinen impersonation and it worked. As a matter of fact, everything went my way in that game. We beat them 5 nothing and I was on for every goal. Unfortunately, we lost our last game to Melnicks team. I wont make escuses BUT I will say that it was our second straight game, meanwhile Melnicks team had just over 30 mins rest before the game. We played hard, we were down 1 nothing with 3 minutes left and eventually lost 3 zip. They were good, but I wouldn't mind playing them again. I have too, I haven't digested that loss.
Getting late, Im going to hit the sack.......big show tomorrow,,,,its Gameday. Boston visits Montreal. Enjoy the game everybody. I will talk to you in a couple of days. Peace.
Friday, March 9, 2007
Habs in trouble...I saw it coming
Friday morning: I'm making breakfast for my youngest son; I will leave for work soon. Past couple of days have been crazy. When the Canadiens lose, the callers can get pretty emotional. However, no solution seems to drastic right now to get the team back on track. The team has been talking the talk for the past week promising to make a push to get them into the playoffs. If you haven't figured it out yet, talk is cheap if you can't back it up. Tomorrow the Canadiens will play Game 5 of their 5 game road trip. After 4 games, 4 losses and outscored 21-8. Ouch, thats really ugly! After the whole Kovalev-LaPresse saga, the team still didn't rebound. Alarming, to say the least. Before we move on, I still would like to hear the tape......
Now, I want to take this opportunity to paste some statements from my previous blogs below.
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
1) Folks, what happened in the first half was a ‘mirage’ because the team overachieved.
Friday, February 9, 2007
2) The dressing room is not what it used to be. IMO, Things started to "unravel" when Guy Carbonneau made Craig Rivet a healthy scratch. That, was a damaging strategy to date. Rivet, was indeed struggling on the ice, but he has alot of credibility in the dressing room. Why? Because he gives you everything he's got every night, night after night, season after season. That means alot to teammates.
3) Im not going to blame just the coach for the Habs struggles. Its time for the leaders to step up and for the guys to pull in the same direction. There is not enough scoring and raw talent on this team for guys to take nites off.......Once again, remember what I have told you since October 1st; this team will battle for a playoff spot.....
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
4) The System: The Transition Game, is non-existent because most of the defencemen can't make a tape to tape pass. As for the forecheck: where is the speed everyone talks about? The problem is the team is playing a 1-2-2 system. Carbonneau, prefers this system because it insulates the defence and better protects the goaltender. However, when you have fast players, you should adopt a 2-1-2 system and be more aggressive on the forecheck. This system will help you create more turnovers and help create offense.
5) Management: Last year when Claude Julien lost 18 of 25; Gainey fired him. One year later, Gainey now knows it wasn't the coaches fault. This team just doesn't have the horses and there are 3 areas the GM needed to improve: Size, Depth at Center and Scoring.....3 years later, those 3 things are still missing.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
6) I guess you are wondering if Bob Gainey is talking to other teams? The answer is YES. Gainey, talked to Minnesota two weeks ago and has been talking with San Jose this week. But, Gainey won't make a deal just to shut people up. If he does pull the trigger, I think it will be with a western conference team.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
7) It's official, Bob Gainey didn't make a move. I wasnt really surprised; but if i was in his shoes, I would have been a seller.
8) In the meantime, the players were all coming down and went outside, where they waited for the team bus, set to leave 15 minutes later.....the players seemed down......they said they didnt expect the team to make a move, but deep down I believe they were hoping GM Bob Gainey would have added a player or two. Outside the players were split up in many groups....the whole time I was thinking where is the team spirit here? The players were talking with the media and the fans and signing autographs. Where is the focus? The guys were on their way to play Game #66 of the season and you would never know it.
9) Canadiens lose 4 nothing vs NYR. The guys werent very happy, especially Koivu. He was still disappointed that Rivet left.....it will take a while for him to get over that one. I can understand his disappointment, but at the same time, he's the Captain and he has to lead the team.
10) I asked another player if he was confident the team could finish strong. The player said, ''We are batttling for our playoff lives. There is pressure from the city, the fans and pressure we put on ourselves. Some players can handle it, it's obvious other players cannot.''
Ok, let's recap my 10 points above from my previous blogs.
1) No question; the 1st half was definitely a mirage.
2) The dressing room did start to crumble when Rivet was scratched.
3) The Canadiens best players have to be their best. It hasn't happened and thats why they're losing.
4) They still play the 1-2-2 and don't impose their footspeed or their rythm at all.
5) GM Bob Gainey didnt address the weaknesses of his club and they are paying for it.
6) Gainey did talk to San Jose, he traded Rivet there.
7) I definitely would have been a seller and would have tried to move Souray, Markov, Bonk and Kovalev. The first 3 are UFA's and you still have a chance to sign them if you want them back. As for Kovalev: they could do better things with the money. And, I would buy out Samsonov's contract at 66%.
8) The players were dejected and have been for a while. And, the focus clearly is not there.
9) Koivu hasnt been the same since Rivet left; it's about time he steps up. But, he'll need some help.
10) It's obvious this team has a lot of players that either dont care or cant play under pressure.
I am not here to toot my own horn, but I think it's obvious my points have been, as Pierre McGuire says, ''Bang On.'' The only mistake I made was when I said, ''This team will battle for a playoff spot.'' Sure, they are still in the hunt, but they are definitely not, ''Battling.'' Pretty sad, if you ask me. Be well everybody.
Now, I want to take this opportunity to paste some statements from my previous blogs below.
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
1) Folks, what happened in the first half was a ‘mirage’ because the team overachieved.
Friday, February 9, 2007
2) The dressing room is not what it used to be. IMO, Things started to "unravel" when Guy Carbonneau made Craig Rivet a healthy scratch. That, was a damaging strategy to date. Rivet, was indeed struggling on the ice, but he has alot of credibility in the dressing room. Why? Because he gives you everything he's got every night, night after night, season after season. That means alot to teammates.
3) Im not going to blame just the coach for the Habs struggles. Its time for the leaders to step up and for the guys to pull in the same direction. There is not enough scoring and raw talent on this team for guys to take nites off.......Once again, remember what I have told you since October 1st; this team will battle for a playoff spot.....
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
4) The System: The Transition Game, is non-existent because most of the defencemen can't make a tape to tape pass. As for the forecheck: where is the speed everyone talks about? The problem is the team is playing a 1-2-2 system. Carbonneau, prefers this system because it insulates the defence and better protects the goaltender. However, when you have fast players, you should adopt a 2-1-2 system and be more aggressive on the forecheck. This system will help you create more turnovers and help create offense.
5) Management: Last year when Claude Julien lost 18 of 25; Gainey fired him. One year later, Gainey now knows it wasn't the coaches fault. This team just doesn't have the horses and there are 3 areas the GM needed to improve: Size, Depth at Center and Scoring.....3 years later, those 3 things are still missing.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
6) I guess you are wondering if Bob Gainey is talking to other teams? The answer is YES. Gainey, talked to Minnesota two weeks ago and has been talking with San Jose this week. But, Gainey won't make a deal just to shut people up. If he does pull the trigger, I think it will be with a western conference team.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
7) It's official, Bob Gainey didn't make a move. I wasnt really surprised; but if i was in his shoes, I would have been a seller.
8) In the meantime, the players were all coming down and went outside, where they waited for the team bus, set to leave 15 minutes later.....the players seemed down......they said they didnt expect the team to make a move, but deep down I believe they were hoping GM Bob Gainey would have added a player or two. Outside the players were split up in many groups....the whole time I was thinking where is the team spirit here? The players were talking with the media and the fans and signing autographs. Where is the focus? The guys were on their way to play Game #66 of the season and you would never know it.
9) Canadiens lose 4 nothing vs NYR. The guys werent very happy, especially Koivu. He was still disappointed that Rivet left.....it will take a while for him to get over that one. I can understand his disappointment, but at the same time, he's the Captain and he has to lead the team.
10) I asked another player if he was confident the team could finish strong. The player said, ''We are batttling for our playoff lives. There is pressure from the city, the fans and pressure we put on ourselves. Some players can handle it, it's obvious other players cannot.''
Ok, let's recap my 10 points above from my previous blogs.
1) No question; the 1st half was definitely a mirage.
2) The dressing room did start to crumble when Rivet was scratched.
3) The Canadiens best players have to be their best. It hasn't happened and thats why they're losing.
4) They still play the 1-2-2 and don't impose their footspeed or their rythm at all.
5) GM Bob Gainey didnt address the weaknesses of his club and they are paying for it.
6) Gainey did talk to San Jose, he traded Rivet there.
7) I definitely would have been a seller and would have tried to move Souray, Markov, Bonk and Kovalev. The first 3 are UFA's and you still have a chance to sign them if you want them back. As for Kovalev: they could do better things with the money. And, I would buy out Samsonov's contract at 66%.
8) The players were dejected and have been for a while. And, the focus clearly is not there.
9) Koivu hasnt been the same since Rivet left; it's about time he steps up. But, he'll need some help.
10) It's obvious this team has a lot of players that either dont care or cant play under pressure.
I am not here to toot my own horn, but I think it's obvious my points have been, as Pierre McGuire says, ''Bang On.'' The only mistake I made was when I said, ''This team will battle for a playoff spot.'' Sure, they are still in the hunt, but they are definitely not, ''Battling.'' Pretty sad, if you ask me. Be well everybody.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
My New York Road trip
This past Monday, I was on-air between 11am and 3pm. After work, I ran a few errands and watched the Canadiens-Leafs game at nite. Following the game, I co-hosted the Habs PostGame Show with Picard. I then took a 90 minute nap. At 12:30am I left my house to pickup Noel Butler and we were off to New York. If i wanted too, I could have gone by plane, but Im not crazy about flying; so i drove instead. The only thing I asked of Noel was to stay awake and talk to me because I was scared to fall asleep at the wheel. Noel said it would be no problem. We were ready. We had chips, chocolate and energy drinks. On the can it said consumption was 2 cans per day. By the time we reached the U.S. Border, Noel Butler had already drank 3 of them. I have tried many energy drinks, but this one tastes great. It's called Beaver Buzz......ok, ok.....don't laugh....Anyway, if you want to pick some up call my friends at Q-Bec Cafe, they are the distributors in Montreal. (514) 365-2111.
We finally left Montreal at 1am and checked in to the Doubletree Guest Suites at 9am. The Hotel is on Broadway and W47, the Montreal Canadiens were staying at the same hotel. I was on the 22nd floor, the players were on the 27th. I washed up and went to the 6th floor about half an hour later. The players were to meet for breakfast at 10am in a meeting room on the 6th floor. There were about 7-8 players there, one of which was newly acquired d-man Josh Gorges. Josh, is a great kid. He approached every guy and introduced himself. Almost every guy, shook his hand and 1 second later, they either turned to their left or their right, or placed a call on their cell. It wasn't the warmest of greetings. Now, I didn't see all the players meet him. Like I said, I only saw 7-8 players meet him; I can't tell you who they were, but I will say it Koivu and Souray weren't there when I was. Those two are leaders, I imagine they greeted him well. Of the 7-8 that were there, the warmest welcome came courtesy of Janne Niinimaa. He went over and said, ''Hi Josh, Im Janne. Welcome to the team. I think you will like Montreal. The whole process bothered me. When a player joins a new team, what great organizations do is: send his wife flowers, help them find a home, make sure the fridge is full, the groceries done, etc.....Now, as far as Josh is concerned, he's not married and doesn't have any kids. In that case, IMO the Canadiens should have sent a team rep to NY and that person should have introduced Josh to the guys........it all just didn't seem right. A former NHL executive, told me this is a management issue and management should make sure these situations are handled better in the future.
10am: I setup my laptop on the 3rd floor, in the lobby area. Some players (Johnson, Bouillon and Komisarek) came by and asked if any trades were made. Most of the guys however went out for a walk.
1:30pm: Some guys are still going out for walks....i thought they would be taking a nap instead.
4PM: the deadline ended at 3pm, but some trades were announced as late as 4pm. It's official, Bob Gainey didn't make a move. I wasnt really surprised; but if i was in his shoes, I would have been a seller. Moments later, I get word that Gainey will not answer questions from the Media at the Bell Center. Personally, I don't think thats right. Gainey, is like a CEO of a big company and the fans are the investors. The fans pay the players salaries,,,,,they had the right to know why the GM didn't improve the team. I believe it was part of Gainey's GM responsibilities to talk and I find it unfortunate that he didn't.
4:30pm: Guy Carbonneau shows up in the lobby area and takes a seat next to Pat Hickey and myself. Guy, told us they didn't make a move because the management team and coaching staff decided to give the players a vote of confidence. Carbo, went on to mention that in the East, besides Martin Brodeur, all the other goalies were equivalent. He said if the Habs make the playoffs, anything is possible. YEAH....YEAH....YEAH.....the team said the same thing last year.
In the meantime, the players were all coming down and went outside, where they waited for the team bus, set to leave 15 minutes later.....the players seemed down......they said they didnt expect the team to make a move, but deep down I believe they were hoping GM Bob Gainey would have added a player or two. Outside the players were split up in many groups....the whole time I was thinking where is the team spirit here? The players were talking with the media and the fans and signing autographs. Where is the focus? The guys were on their way to play Game #66 of the season and you would never know it. I talked to a former NHL Coach this morning about these issues. He told me that unfortunately cell phones and ipods are the story of the new NHL. However, he did say that the Coaching Staff can change all of this if they want. Think of it, you meet in the lobby at 4:30pm; you dont talk to anybody and when the bus is set to leave, the players are then escorted out by security. Honestly, the minute the players left for the rink, I knew they were going to lose...and lose big.....The guys need to be a team again. They need to get their game faces back on. Things have to change,.,,,I find it sad that The Montreal Canadiens, considered to be the best organization in all of hockey, are in reality very far from it.
Game over, Canadiens lose 4 nothing. Enter the room and 5 players are available: Halak, Streit, Komisarek, Souray and Koivu. The guys werent very happy, especially Koivu. He was still disappointed that Rivet left.....it will take a while for him to get over that one. I can understand his disappointment, but at the same time, he's the Captain and he has to lead the team.
Wednesday morning: a lot of players go for walks. I cross paths with many of them. Its on off day, the guys are relaxed and when that happens, you can get some good stuff off the record.
I asked one player if the team played badly because they were disappointed they didnt add a player at the deadline. I was told No; it was more a matter of the team being tired because they checked in at 2:3oam on Tuesday, following the Toronto game....
I asked another player if he was confident the team could finish strong. The player said, ''We are batttling for our playoff lives. There is pressure from the city, the fans and pressure we put on ourselves. Some players can handle it, it's obvious other players cannot.''
12:45pm: I am about ready to leave NY to come back home. I make my way to the Business Center, to print some directions; there I meet up with Chris Higgins. He's a true professional. He was on the TSN website, taking a look at all the trades and analyzing them. Chris and I had a great conversation. He told me he loves Montreal, he loves playing for the Habs and he hopes to be here for a very long time. Finally, some good news....
Here's the bad news, it's 1pm and I am ready to leave to come back home. But, I have to wait until 3pm before doing so because Noel Butler had to send emails and text messages. At which point, I look at him and say, ''Great Noel, it's 3pm and now we're stuck in traffic.'' He looks back at me and says, ''It's NY mate, there's traffic 24 hours a day.'' You can never win with this guy....
I am happy to be home! I was gone for only 45 hours, but I missed my 2 boys a lot...... and before my wife freaks out.....YES Honey, I missed you too. Hopefully, I can talk her into watching the Rangers-Penguins with me and the kids tonite on TSN.
Talk to you later......
We finally left Montreal at 1am and checked in to the Doubletree Guest Suites at 9am. The Hotel is on Broadway and W47, the Montreal Canadiens were staying at the same hotel. I was on the 22nd floor, the players were on the 27th. I washed up and went to the 6th floor about half an hour later. The players were to meet for breakfast at 10am in a meeting room on the 6th floor. There were about 7-8 players there, one of which was newly acquired d-man Josh Gorges. Josh, is a great kid. He approached every guy and introduced himself. Almost every guy, shook his hand and 1 second later, they either turned to their left or their right, or placed a call on their cell. It wasn't the warmest of greetings. Now, I didn't see all the players meet him. Like I said, I only saw 7-8 players meet him; I can't tell you who they were, but I will say it Koivu and Souray weren't there when I was. Those two are leaders, I imagine they greeted him well. Of the 7-8 that were there, the warmest welcome came courtesy of Janne Niinimaa. He went over and said, ''Hi Josh, Im Janne. Welcome to the team. I think you will like Montreal. The whole process bothered me. When a player joins a new team, what great organizations do is: send his wife flowers, help them find a home, make sure the fridge is full, the groceries done, etc.....Now, as far as Josh is concerned, he's not married and doesn't have any kids. In that case, IMO the Canadiens should have sent a team rep to NY and that person should have introduced Josh to the guys........it all just didn't seem right. A former NHL executive, told me this is a management issue and management should make sure these situations are handled better in the future.
10am: I setup my laptop on the 3rd floor, in the lobby area. Some players (Johnson, Bouillon and Komisarek) came by and asked if any trades were made. Most of the guys however went out for a walk.
1:30pm: Some guys are still going out for walks....i thought they would be taking a nap instead.
4PM: the deadline ended at 3pm, but some trades were announced as late as 4pm. It's official, Bob Gainey didn't make a move. I wasnt really surprised; but if i was in his shoes, I would have been a seller. Moments later, I get word that Gainey will not answer questions from the Media at the Bell Center. Personally, I don't think thats right. Gainey, is like a CEO of a big company and the fans are the investors. The fans pay the players salaries,,,,,they had the right to know why the GM didn't improve the team. I believe it was part of Gainey's GM responsibilities to talk and I find it unfortunate that he didn't.
4:30pm: Guy Carbonneau shows up in the lobby area and takes a seat next to Pat Hickey and myself. Guy, told us they didn't make a move because the management team and coaching staff decided to give the players a vote of confidence. Carbo, went on to mention that in the East, besides Martin Brodeur, all the other goalies were equivalent. He said if the Habs make the playoffs, anything is possible. YEAH....YEAH....YEAH.....the team said the same thing last year.
In the meantime, the players were all coming down and went outside, where they waited for the team bus, set to leave 15 minutes later.....the players seemed down......they said they didnt expect the team to make a move, but deep down I believe they were hoping GM Bob Gainey would have added a player or two. Outside the players were split up in many groups....the whole time I was thinking where is the team spirit here? The players were talking with the media and the fans and signing autographs. Where is the focus? The guys were on their way to play Game #66 of the season and you would never know it. I talked to a former NHL Coach this morning about these issues. He told me that unfortunately cell phones and ipods are the story of the new NHL. However, he did say that the Coaching Staff can change all of this if they want. Think of it, you meet in the lobby at 4:30pm; you dont talk to anybody and when the bus is set to leave, the players are then escorted out by security. Honestly, the minute the players left for the rink, I knew they were going to lose...and lose big.....The guys need to be a team again. They need to get their game faces back on. Things have to change,.,,,I find it sad that The Montreal Canadiens, considered to be the best organization in all of hockey, are in reality very far from it.
Game over, Canadiens lose 4 nothing. Enter the room and 5 players are available: Halak, Streit, Komisarek, Souray and Koivu. The guys werent very happy, especially Koivu. He was still disappointed that Rivet left.....it will take a while for him to get over that one. I can understand his disappointment, but at the same time, he's the Captain and he has to lead the team.
Wednesday morning: a lot of players go for walks. I cross paths with many of them. Its on off day, the guys are relaxed and when that happens, you can get some good stuff off the record.
I asked one player if the team played badly because they were disappointed they didnt add a player at the deadline. I was told No; it was more a matter of the team being tired because they checked in at 2:3oam on Tuesday, following the Toronto game....
I asked another player if he was confident the team could finish strong. The player said, ''We are batttling for our playoff lives. There is pressure from the city, the fans and pressure we put on ourselves. Some players can handle it, it's obvious other players cannot.''
12:45pm: I am about ready to leave NY to come back home. I make my way to the Business Center, to print some directions; there I meet up with Chris Higgins. He's a true professional. He was on the TSN website, taking a look at all the trades and analyzing them. Chris and I had a great conversation. He told me he loves Montreal, he loves playing for the Habs and he hopes to be here for a very long time. Finally, some good news....
Here's the bad news, it's 1pm and I am ready to leave to come back home. But, I have to wait until 3pm before doing so because Noel Butler had to send emails and text messages. At which point, I look at him and say, ''Great Noel, it's 3pm and now we're stuck in traffic.'' He looks back at me and says, ''It's NY mate, there's traffic 24 hours a day.'' You can never win with this guy....
I am happy to be home! I was gone for only 45 hours, but I missed my 2 boys a lot...... and before my wife freaks out.....YES Honey, I missed you too. Hopefully, I can talk her into watching the Rangers-Penguins with me and the kids tonite on TSN.
Talk to you later......
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Blog 4
I want to start off by welcoming my buddy Daniel Iorio, a new regular guest on my show, The Montreal Forum. He is a singer and song writer and may I add, a very talented one. Until the end of the NHL playoffs, Daniel will produce at least 1 song per week. His first hit, which played earlier today was titled ''Big Sheldon Souray.'' The song was well received.....almost 100 emails to prove it. If you haven't heard it yet, email me and I will forward it to you. We should have it on The Team 990 website shortly. Check out Daniel's website at www.danieliorio.com
I have been monitoring The Sheldon Souray situation very closely. Last Saturday nite, I was at the Bell Centre and came across a headline on Sportsnet. The headline stated Bob Gainey assured Souray he wouldn't be traded and they were working on a long term deal. After the game, Souray said it was totally false. I don't like being critical of anyone in this business because it's not an easy business we're in. HOWEVER I will say this, I commend TSN for their work. TSN doesn't always get it first, but they almost always get it right.
Trade deadline day is quickly approaching and I have been working the phones, sending emails and texts, trying to find out who's talking to who. I guess you are wondering if Bob Gainey is talking to other teams? The answer is YES. Gainey, talked to Minnesota two weeks ago and has been talking with San Jose this week. But, Gainey won't make a deal just to shut people up. Lately, many Canadiens fans have started to question the job Gainey has done here for the past 3 years....After giving out some big contracts to several underachieving players and signing what has turned out to be a free agent bust (Samsonov); Gainey must make sure his next deal is a good one. If he does pull the trigger, I think it will be with a western conference team.
Recently, I have received many emails re: The Salary Cap. Here's 3 things you need to know.
1) You can't exceed the cap. The NHL won't let you make a move that would bring your payroll (projected until the end of the season) above the cap. Unless, you use a long-term injury exemption, in which case there is no penalty.
2) If a player is sent to the minors, his salary does not count against the cap. If a player clears waivers and isn't assigned to the minors, his salary does count against the cap as long as he is on the NHL roster. There are exceptions for players that are 35 years old or older that signed multi-year contracts.
3) A players salary is pro-rated based on the number of days the player is on your roster. At the deadline, there will be 40 days left out of 187 days in the season. So remember this formula when trying to figure out what the cap hit will be if a deal is done on Feb 27th.
(players annual salary / 187 x 40)
Hope you have it all figured out now. I will check back in a couple of days. Take care.
I have been monitoring The Sheldon Souray situation very closely. Last Saturday nite, I was at the Bell Centre and came across a headline on Sportsnet. The headline stated Bob Gainey assured Souray he wouldn't be traded and they were working on a long term deal. After the game, Souray said it was totally false. I don't like being critical of anyone in this business because it's not an easy business we're in. HOWEVER I will say this, I commend TSN for their work. TSN doesn't always get it first, but they almost always get it right.
Trade deadline day is quickly approaching and I have been working the phones, sending emails and texts, trying to find out who's talking to who. I guess you are wondering if Bob Gainey is talking to other teams? The answer is YES. Gainey, talked to Minnesota two weeks ago and has been talking with San Jose this week. But, Gainey won't make a deal just to shut people up. Lately, many Canadiens fans have started to question the job Gainey has done here for the past 3 years....After giving out some big contracts to several underachieving players and signing what has turned out to be a free agent bust (Samsonov); Gainey must make sure his next deal is a good one. If he does pull the trigger, I think it will be with a western conference team.
Recently, I have received many emails re: The Salary Cap. Here's 3 things you need to know.
1) You can't exceed the cap. The NHL won't let you make a move that would bring your payroll (projected until the end of the season) above the cap. Unless, you use a long-term injury exemption, in which case there is no penalty.
2) If a player is sent to the minors, his salary does not count against the cap. If a player clears waivers and isn't assigned to the minors, his salary does count against the cap as long as he is on the NHL roster. There are exceptions for players that are 35 years old or older that signed multi-year contracts.
3) A players salary is pro-rated based on the number of days the player is on your roster. At the deadline, there will be 40 days left out of 187 days in the season. So remember this formula when trying to figure out what the cap hit will be if a deal is done on Feb 27th.
(players annual salary / 187 x 40)
Hope you have it all figured out now. I will check back in a couple of days. Take care.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Blog 3
Its 11:30pm, I'm at the station.....just finished watching the Canadiens lose......again. I figured Florida would give Mtl a tough time because they are big, and they work hard. However, after the famous 29 minute players only meeting, I thought the Canadiens would be hungrier. Anything can happen in a game, but Mtl had to absolutely come out on top vs 40 yr old Ed Belfour, 40 yr old Gary Roberts and 40 yr old Martin Gelinas....I want to touch on: The system, the game plan, and Bob Gainey.
The System: We'll start with the Transition Game. Unfortunately, it's non-existent because most of the defencemen can't make a tape to tape pass. As for the forecheck: where is the speed everyone talks about? The problem is the team is playing a 1-2-2 system. Carbonneau, prefers this system because it insulates the defence and better protects the goaltender. However, when you have fast players, you should adopt a 2-1-2 system and be more aggressive on the forecheck. This system will help you create more turnovers and help create offense.
The Game Plan: The Florida Panthers came in with 1 line: Jokinen-Gratton and Roberts....Jacques Martin threw his number 1 line out there and Guy Carbonneau answered with Bonk-Begin and Murray......From that point on, Martin dictated the game and Carbonneau followed. Guy, put some trust back in your players....you cant be scared of the Florida Panthers, especially on your home ice.
Management: Last year when Claude Julien lost 18 of 25; Gainey fired him. One year later, Gainey now knows it wasn't the coaches fault. This team just doesn't have the horses and there are 3 areas the GM needed to improve: Size, Depth at Center and Scoring.....3 years later, those 3 things are still missing. When you keep losing games, your players lose value. I don't know what type of trade Gainey can pull off right now, but you get the feeling he has too because both the coach and the players are waiting for some new blood to help them out.
11:57pm, i'm outta here, going home to bed,,,,,i'll be back in studio tomorrow at 11am.....talk to you then.
The System: We'll start with the Transition Game. Unfortunately, it's non-existent because most of the defencemen can't make a tape to tape pass. As for the forecheck: where is the speed everyone talks about? The problem is the team is playing a 1-2-2 system. Carbonneau, prefers this system because it insulates the defence and better protects the goaltender. However, when you have fast players, you should adopt a 2-1-2 system and be more aggressive on the forecheck. This system will help you create more turnovers and help create offense.
The Game Plan: The Florida Panthers came in with 1 line: Jokinen-Gratton and Roberts....Jacques Martin threw his number 1 line out there and Guy Carbonneau answered with Bonk-Begin and Murray......From that point on, Martin dictated the game and Carbonneau followed. Guy, put some trust back in your players....you cant be scared of the Florida Panthers, especially on your home ice.
Management: Last year when Claude Julien lost 18 of 25; Gainey fired him. One year later, Gainey now knows it wasn't the coaches fault. This team just doesn't have the horses and there are 3 areas the GM needed to improve: Size, Depth at Center and Scoring.....3 years later, those 3 things are still missing. When you keep losing games, your players lose value. I don't know what type of trade Gainey can pull off right now, but you get the feeling he has too because both the coach and the players are waiting for some new blood to help them out.
11:57pm, i'm outta here, going home to bed,,,,,i'll be back in studio tomorrow at 11am.....talk to you then.
Friday, February 9, 2007
Blog 2
Im feeling better today, not 100%, but better than the Habs thats for sure....Canadiens practiced at 12:15pm in Verdun today......most of the time Andie covers practice because Im usually on air when the players are on the ice. But, seeing as the players arrived at the Bell Centre at 2pm and the Samsonov saga going on, I decided to drop by......Being in the room is great; you really get a feel for the atmosphere and by asking a few good questions, you can get the answers you are looking for....here goes....
The dressing room is not what it used to be. IMO, Things started to "unravel" when Guy Carbonneau made Craig Rivet a healthy scratch. That, was a damaging strategy to date. Rivet, was indeed struggling on the ice, but he has alot of credibility in the dressing room. Why? Because he gives you everything he's got every night, night after night, season after season. That means alot to teammates.
Im disappointed with the head coach right now......Carbo did the right thing by saying he didn't use Samsonov properly early on. But, when the coach says that he should have talked to Samsonov back in November....i ask the question: why didn't he? I have been hearing for a while that the lines of communication are not great with the Head Coach. This is a perfect example.
IMO, Carbonneau completely botched the Samsonov issue. Yesterday, Carbo said he and Samsonov cleared the air and that they were starting from scratch. Today, Carbo was asked if he thought of playing Samsonov last nite in Ottawa. Carbo replied ''No, it never crossed his mind.'' If thats the case, then why did he send Samsonov out there for the pregame skate? The answer is simple, he was trying to teach him a lesson and show him who's boss. That's not the right approach. All it did, is deject Samsonov even more.....when a player is struggling a head coach has to put him in a position to get himself out of it. Samsonov, will play tomorrow and in my world he would line up alongside Koivu and Kovalev.....The line probably doesn't have the ingredients to succeed longterm, but it can give a short-term spark and thats what this anemic offense needs right now.....56 games in, these 3 players have only played 1 shift together and produced a goal in Pittsburgh. Hey Carbo....Put them together and for more than just a shift.
Maybe Carbo isn't ready to Coach in Montreal. Regardless, he's Gainey's guy and players will be moved before Carbo is let go. Im not going to blame just the coach for the Habs struggles. Its time for the leaders to step up and for the guys to pull in the same direction. There is not enough scoring and raw talent on this team for guys to take nites off.......Once again, remember what I have told you since October 1st; this team will battle for a playoff spot.....
My lines (for now):
samsonov-koivu-kovalev
higgins-plekanec-ryder
begin-bonk-johnson
latendresse-lapierre-streit
In ending; awesome news with George Gillett buying Liverpool FC. I want to tip my hat to my colleague Noel Butler.....over the past month, he has been on the case like no other member of the media worldwide.....Noel, has also been instrumental in putting together ''The 2006 Sports Personality of the Year.'' Great job Mr Butler!
The dressing room is not what it used to be. IMO, Things started to "unravel" when Guy Carbonneau made Craig Rivet a healthy scratch. That, was a damaging strategy to date. Rivet, was indeed struggling on the ice, but he has alot of credibility in the dressing room. Why? Because he gives you everything he's got every night, night after night, season after season. That means alot to teammates.
Im disappointed with the head coach right now......Carbo did the right thing by saying he didn't use Samsonov properly early on. But, when the coach says that he should have talked to Samsonov back in November....i ask the question: why didn't he? I have been hearing for a while that the lines of communication are not great with the Head Coach. This is a perfect example.
IMO, Carbonneau completely botched the Samsonov issue. Yesterday, Carbo said he and Samsonov cleared the air and that they were starting from scratch. Today, Carbo was asked if he thought of playing Samsonov last nite in Ottawa. Carbo replied ''No, it never crossed his mind.'' If thats the case, then why did he send Samsonov out there for the pregame skate? The answer is simple, he was trying to teach him a lesson and show him who's boss. That's not the right approach. All it did, is deject Samsonov even more.....when a player is struggling a head coach has to put him in a position to get himself out of it. Samsonov, will play tomorrow and in my world he would line up alongside Koivu and Kovalev.....The line probably doesn't have the ingredients to succeed longterm, but it can give a short-term spark and thats what this anemic offense needs right now.....56 games in, these 3 players have only played 1 shift together and produced a goal in Pittsburgh. Hey Carbo....Put them together and for more than just a shift.
Maybe Carbo isn't ready to Coach in Montreal. Regardless, he's Gainey's guy and players will be moved before Carbo is let go. Im not going to blame just the coach for the Habs struggles. Its time for the leaders to step up and for the guys to pull in the same direction. There is not enough scoring and raw talent on this team for guys to take nites off.......Once again, remember what I have told you since October 1st; this team will battle for a playoff spot.....
My lines (for now):
samsonov-koivu-kovalev
higgins-plekanec-ryder
begin-bonk-johnson
latendresse-lapierre-streit
In ending; awesome news with George Gillett buying Liverpool FC. I want to tip my hat to my colleague Noel Butler.....over the past month, he has been on the case like no other member of the media worldwide.....Noel, has also been instrumental in putting together ''The 2006 Sports Personality of the Year.'' Great job Mr Butler!
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Samsonov struggling...Habs are too
This past Sunday I accompanied my wife Angie and my son Anthony to the Bell Centre to watch the Habs vs Sid the Kid and the Pittsburgh Penguins…….As the game went on Anthony started sneezing and coughing ….....After the game, my wife wanted to take some pictures with some of the players…….I said no problem as long as Anthony doesn’t sneeze on any of them. As he’s about ready to take a picture with Mike Johnson, what do you think happened? Yep, you guessed it,…..he sneezes right in Johnson's face……my wife and I felt terrible; but being the gentleman that he is, Johnson looked at us and said, ‘‘don’t worry my kids do the same thing to me all the time.’’ Gotta love Mike Johnson…..he’s a class act.
3 days later, the good news is Anthony feels a lot better, bad news is I have been in bed for the past 2 days with the flu…..thats ok I needed a break from PJ; I’ll be back Thursday.
OK; lets talk about Sergei Samsonov….5 things you need to know.
1) In the offseason; a free agent Centreman was priority # 1; not a winger
2) Canadiens overpaid for Samsonov; he’s not the player he used to be.
3) 9 games in, he had 2 goals and Carbo wanted to relegate him to the 4th line. Carbonneau should have been more patient.
4) It was obvious the line of Plekanec, Samsonov and Kovalev couldn’t play together;
why did it take 50 games to split them up?
5) Carbo should have given Samsonov an opportunity to play with Koivu.
Bottom Line: Early in the season, Samsonov and his agent let their displeasure be known to everybody; add to that Samsonov didn’t produce. Those two things don’t mix well, especially in Montreal.
As for the Habs, going into the season, I predicted them to finish 8th in the East. Their start surprised everybody; but since January 4th, the Canadiens have lost 10 of 16. During that span, they have scored 38 goals and have given up 52 goals. Their #1 goalie, Christobal Huet has been struggling with a save percentage of .883. As for their PK; it has dropped 6 percent going from 2nd best in the NHl to the #10 ranking. Folks, what happened in the first half was a ‘mirage’ because the team overachieved. This team will once again battle for a playoff spot.
3 days later, the good news is Anthony feels a lot better, bad news is I have been in bed for the past 2 days with the flu…..thats ok I needed a break from PJ; I’ll be back Thursday.
OK; lets talk about Sergei Samsonov….5 things you need to know.
1) In the offseason; a free agent Centreman was priority # 1; not a winger
2) Canadiens overpaid for Samsonov; he’s not the player he used to be.
3) 9 games in, he had 2 goals and Carbo wanted to relegate him to the 4th line. Carbonneau should have been more patient.
4) It was obvious the line of Plekanec, Samsonov and Kovalev couldn’t play together;
why did it take 50 games to split them up?
5) Carbo should have given Samsonov an opportunity to play with Koivu.
Bottom Line: Early in the season, Samsonov and his agent let their displeasure be known to everybody; add to that Samsonov didn’t produce. Those two things don’t mix well, especially in Montreal.
As for the Habs, going into the season, I predicted them to finish 8th in the East. Their start surprised everybody; but since January 4th, the Canadiens have lost 10 of 16. During that span, they have scored 38 goals and have given up 52 goals. Their #1 goalie, Christobal Huet has been struggling with a save percentage of .883. As for their PK; it has dropped 6 percent going from 2nd best in the NHl to the #10 ranking. Folks, what happened in the first half was a ‘mirage’ because the team overachieved. This team will once again battle for a playoff spot.
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