The Sad Spiral of the Montreal Canadiens - Something has to change

The Montreal Canadiens are the New York Yankees of hockey.  They have won more championships than anyone else and they are the heart and soul of the original NHL.

This hockey tradition of excellence has been respected by players, coaches and hockey people for decades.  This storied franchise has given the game high quality superstars like Richard, Beliveau, Cournoyer and Lafleur.  Names like Patrick Roy and Bob Gainey were the faces associated with Habs teams which ended up Cup champions in the 80s and 90s.  

These superstars played for the Canadiens and excelled in the toughest hockey market in the world.  That tradition of excellence is under threat with this latest edition of the Habs.  Montreal has gone into a tailspin which seems to gaining speed.  The team is disorganized and they lack direction.  Management seems out of touch.  They haven't been able to draft and keep the team deep in talent but they did succeed in saddling the team with over priced players like Markov and Gomez.  

Carey Price is losing his edge as one of the best goalies in the league.  Who can blame him ?  He doesn't really have anyone playing in front of him.   The youngsters on the team are getting rattled in frequent blowouts. Players don't seem to realize that wearing the Habs jersey is a responsibility and that staring at your navel has no place in the NHL; let alone while you are playing in Montreal.

On top of the bad play on the ice; the Habs are dealing with the language issues which are too familiar for anyone living in Quebec.  The recent hiring of Randy Cunneyworth as the Habs' coach has set everyone into hysterics because Cunneyworth doesn't speak English.   

French nationalists should not be worried about the Habs' coach's language skills.  Hockey is a business and a tradition in Montreal; not a political football.  These clowns have to realize that the furor over Cunneyworth's inability to speak French has to reflect on Gill, Gionta, Gomez, Eller, ect.... You get the picture.  If they are dumping on Cunneyworth; how do you think the other guys feel representing the city and the team?

Management is on the clock.  They have to make tough decisions here.  Gauthier has to go and the rebuilding has to start.  It would be a very sad day to see the Habs at the very bottom of the league but it could happen if something doesn't change fast.

The Maple Leafs are for real - Loosing is in the past in Canada's biggest city !!!

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been an integral part of the NHL since the days of the Original Six.  There have been highs and lows but the fans of the Buds  have been patient and they want a winner.  During the last the last few years, Toronto has watched the playoffs on TV.  Things are changing , though, and we expect they will only get better.

The Maple Leafs beat the New York Rangers  on Monday night and kept climbing the ladder of legitimacy.  The team which is led by Joffrey Lupul, Phil Kessel, and Dion Phaneuf has gelled into a cohesive unit which seems to get better with experience.  Their ability to bounce back from the recent blowouts to the Bruins and beat a strong competitor like the Rangers is a sign of character and professionalism.  

Losing is a thing of the past in Toronto.  The team which has suffered through serious injury problems has found ways to win against all comers.   Many in Toronto shuddered when James Reimer was injured in a collision with Brian Gionta of the Habs.  In true "championship" fashion, the team pulled together and played hard in front of Jonas Gustavson. Winning when it's hard is a sign of potential and it Toronto there is a ton of potential.  If you take out the three games against the Bruins ; the Leafs have a scary good record.   If they figure Boston out; Toronto could have a real chance to challenge for the Cup in the next few years.  Brian Burke is a hockey genius.  He turned this team around and we think it is only the start of the fun.  We expects some late season moves from the man at the helm and a strong showing for the Buds in the finals.  It is good to see  a winning team in TO.  The fans deserve it and the NHL will benefit from it.

Shootout Hockey Gives the Bruins and Habs a Notch in the Victory Column

Shootout hockey is the great equalizer.  Winning a game is always better than the old fashion ties.  Shootouts build character for NHL squads since they have to play to the bitter end.  Shootout hockey allowed one team to extend their massive winning streak last night and another to comeback when fans assumed they were done.

The Bruins winning streak extended one more game to ten last night with a 4-3 shootout win over the Sabres.  The Boston Beast is on the loose in the NHL and they are crushing opponents left, right and center. The Sabres were out for revenge for the Bruins hit on Ryan Miller but they were unable to contain the offensive monster called "Bruins Hockey".  The Sabres had led this affair 2-0 but quickly faded as the Bruins started to pound away led by the likes of Tyler Seguin. The game was intense but the outcomes seemed to never been in question.  Benoit Pouliot scored the winner for the Bs and they look ready to extend the streak to 11 after disposing of the Sabres.  This team looks and feels like a repeat winner of the Stanley Cup.  They are just too strong and too committed.   

The Habs also picked up a win in a shootout by an identical 4-3 score. Veteran Brian Gionta scored the winner for Montreal as the Hurricanes fell yet again.  The Habs were in the familiar position of having to come from behind but this victory tasted a little different.  Getting the winner from Gionta is a good sign and hopefully the goal from Lars Eller is a sign of things to come.  The Habs have been run through the injury grinder and every win is a testament to team play.  If they get offense across the board and grow the kddie corp defense ; they could surprise with a few more victories than losses.  This team is rebuilding on the fly and you got to respect that if you are a true hockey fan.  GO HABS GO !!  and good luck.    

Historic Rivalry Renewed As Leafs Take A 5-4 OT Win Away From Les Canadiens.

In one of the most storied rivalries in professional sports, the Toronto Maple Leafs (5-1-1) travelled to ‘La Belle Province’ to battle the Montreal Canadiens (1-4-2).

 

1:15 into the game Gionta was called for goaltender interference after running right through Reimer knocking off his mask and leaving him looking visibly shaken. This would eventually lead to a short handed goal by Moen as he out muscled Steckel to the net.  Roughly five minutes later Steckel made up by tipping a nice point shot from rookie bright spot Jake Gardiner.

 

Jonas Gustavsson began the second period in place of Reimer as the concussion rumours begin to swirl.  He was tested 29 second in but was unable to stop a Kostitsyn wrister.  Shortly after Kessel continued his hot start by potting his eighth of the year. Then Dion Phaneuf scored for the Leafs as a busy first five minutes to start the second left the score at 3-2 Toronto. A chippy period led to continued penalty trouble for both teams.

 

Montreal began the third strong with a goal by Toronto area native Michael Cammalleri, blasting a shot past Gustavsson. Montreal then took the lead 4-3 with a savable shot from Gorges. The Habs dominated the first half of the period as it looked like a Montreal win was becoming the more likely scenario. Then at 13:07 Mikhail Grabovski cleaned up a rebound in front giving the Leafs life. Originally the goal was given to Kulemin but upon further review Grabo beat his teammate to the puck.

 

At 1:23 into OT Grabovski completed a skilful backhand to forehand spin move to beat Price top corner blocker side from a nice feed by Liles.  A special goal from the former Hab who has grown as a player and person since his move to Toronto.

 

By: Liam Niven

THE PROBLEM WITH MONTREAL - EXPECTATIONS ARE HIGH FOR THE HABS

The pressure with playing for the Canadiens is no secret to any one to have ever set foot in the league or the city. The problem with playing here is not only the fans, but also the team itself. The Montreal Canadiens pride themselves on success. The problem is that the success that is ridden is from a minimum of 18 years ago, in the summer of 1993. The team celebrates continuously the past success of their team, and yet managemnt is quite okay with that. The Canadiens have not had a real superstar since 1989, when Larry Robinson left Montreal, and that’s a stretch. Look at teams such as Pittsburgh, Edmonton, and Chicago. These teams have all had a great past, winning a minimum of two Stanley Cups in each of the teams’ histories. But then each team had a downward spiral, in which they were not able to produce a winner. They sent out most of theyre “key players” but kept the core of their team. From there, the team drafted and traded for superstars. The Penguins now have Crosby (drafted 1^st overall), Malkin (drafted 2^nd overall) and Fleury (drafted 1^st overall). The Oilers have Hall (drafted 1^st overall), Nugent-Hopkins (drafted 1^st overall), Eberle (drafted 22^nd overall). Chicago’s two biggest stars have also come through the draft, with Toews and Kane being picked in 2006 and 2007, respectively. Look at the trades, and the best examples are James Neal and Patrick Sharp being traded to teams that are now Champions. Look around the league, and you’ll see tons of teams doing it. Ottawa’s in the middle of a rebuild, Washington did it to get Ovechkin and company, and even Toronto did it to get Phil Kessel (trade) and Bozak and Kadri (draft). The Canadiens have to open their eyes and realize that this is what works. Either having great GM’s that can pull off great deals come deadline (Bourke) or rebuild through the draft after a disastrous first half of the season. Its time that they out a contender on the ice if they want what the fans want: a Stanley Cup. Here’s how it works:

After a dismal first half to a season, the Canadiens would trade away scoring forwards to a team that has a decent 1^st round pick. Then they trade away what looks to be their best forward (Cammalleri). Then comes the little trades that get you high draft picks (1^st or 2^nd round) and role players that are usually 2^nd and 3^rd line players on other teams. Perfect example is last years Senators. They were able to get draft picks and send away trouble players like Alexei Kovalev and Brian Elliot away to teams for very cheap. The Canadiens would then be left with a core group, who would be role models and lead the team through their success. Those players for Montreal would be Tomas Plekanec, Scott Gomez (contract too big to move), Brian Gionta, Josh Gorges, PK Subban and Carey Price. Through the next 3 years, the Habs would be drafting higher and higher in the league, and developing high quality players. The core of the team would stay the same, and talented players would be brought in. Even though most fans expect the team to be contenders every year, they have to realize that if the team starts losing a lot, this is what they should expect to happen.

Article by Noah Goren