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.

Jacques Martin Falls in Montreal but Markov, Gomez, and Kaberle Remain ??

Looks like the curtain has finally fallen on the Habs circus; at least for coach Jacques Martin.  The beat goes on in Montreal and the unusual moves by Pierre Gauthier continue.  Just a short time after getting Tomas Kaberle in an unexpected trade from Carolina; the Habs put the coach on the chopping block and Martin is history.   

The move to fire the coach was not unexpected but questions remain.  The trade for Kaberle and the fact that Gomez and Markov are still riding the pine with their big salaries calls into question the management skills at the top level in Montreal.  Management never owned up to mistakes that were made with Markov and tried to mask it by getting the highly paid but under performing Kaberle. The ship is sinking fast in Montreal and Gauthier is hiding behind PR stunts to shield the obvious.  This guy is not being upfront with Habs fans.  The Habs have officially entered a rebuilding period and chances of real competitiveness are years away.  Salary cap issues have got this team tied in knots thanks to the three horsemen of the financial apocalypse (Markov,Gomez,Kaberle) the Habs face the real possibility of losing Georges, Eller and others.  That's right; they will be losing the young guys who can win games and be stuck with a team of oldies but goldies who watch most of their games from the press box.

Carey Price and PK Subban are brilliant young players but they are not and cannot be an entire team.  Molson has to clean house and get rid of  Pierre Gauthier before it is too late.  Maybe Martin, Gauthier, Gomez, and Markov can form their own golf foursome.  Hmmmm....Habs on golf carts.  I think it is funny (sad) but I am not laughing. 

Habs Drop Another One to the Blue Jackets - This is Getting Old

The Habs suffered another humiliating loss at home to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The  Canadiens have the worst home record in the NHL at home so the loss to the Blue Jackets should come as no surprise.  What is a surprise is the lack of action in the GM's or management group's office in Montreal.  The team may not have money or room to make moves but they certainly owe it to fans to change the coach or the GM.  The players on the ice are not responding to Jacques Martin's leadership on the bench and it is starting to be reflected in their play on a nightly basis.  

In the post game interview with TSN, Carey Price looked lost.  He was talking about the Habs' quest for the Cup yet they can't seem to find enough gas in the tank to beat the dormat Blue Jackets.   The team has no focus.  You have to walk before you run.  If they could string wins together like the Bruins then they could talk about winning the Cup. 

Habs fans are loyal but not stupid.  This team is going nowhere.  There , I said it.  The Markov and Gomez fiascos have tattooed this team as basement dwellers.  If they don't get their act together; the Habs will be looking back to the Alex Kovalev days with fondness.  The team has some talent but they need leadership.  A move to replace Gauthier and Demers is a good start for the rebuilding process.  Time to bite the bullet Mr.Molson and get this ship moving in the right direction.  The story with the Habs is getting old and no one likes an old story.

Carey Price can't do this #### all alone !!! Come on Habs, WAKE UP !!!

November is behind us now and unfortunately for Montreal Canadiens it is the same old; same old. The team has really struggled this year.  It was easy to blame Carey Price out of the gate for the early season problems but it has become evident to everyone in the NHL that the issues in Montreal have nothing to do with the play of their star goalie.  

A quick look at team stats gives you a good indication in terms of what is ailing the Habs.  If you looks at the NHL leaders in plus/minus; you can't find a Hab until you hit 15th with Josh Georges at +12.  On top of that there are no Habs in the top 30 for league scoring.  The soft hockey in front of Price has to be playing with Carey's head.  Every time Carey Price goes to the rink he knows that he is going to be under the gun.  If you watch the Habs in action; Price is often out of the net playing the de facto third defenseman.  This unneeded play leads to bad goals which saps everyone's confidence on the ice and in the stands.   

Habs fans have blind faith in their team but the screams for change will start to be heard before the end of the year. The Habs have made some very bad decisions in the last few years.  They signed Markov to a massive contract despite his history with injuries and they failed to make a splash in terms of trades.  It is incumbent on management to shake things to at least remain even in the newly competitive NHL.  Montreal's GM has backed the team into a corner. They are saddled with the Gomez and Markov contracts and it would not surprise us to see Price ask to be traded.  Price would be a big asset to any team making an end of year run for the Cup. It could be fire sale time in Montreal if the Habs don't make the playoffs. Everyone loves the boys in red, blue and white but even but you have to feel sorry for them a little bit.  They are bending under the pressure of playing in Montreal and it doesn't look like it will get any better soon.

HABS IN TAILSPIN - NO SOLUTION IN SIGHT

So it is finally official.  The Habs are in free fall and no one know where the bottom might be.  The young group of players for the Canadiens have to be scratching their heads after their latest 2-1 loss to the Florida Panthers.  Montreal put in Peter Budaj in to replace Carey Price in this game and they still lost.  I would argue that the score might have been worst if Price had been allowed to play.  The team played alright in front of Budaj and if Martin has the guts to stick with the goalie; we should see improvement in the team's play in the next game with Budaj.  

Habs management is under the gun to make some changes.  The contracts with Markov and Gomez will be put under the microscope in order to see if they can  be moved to get some salary cap room to make some changes on the roster.  Center ice and defense are at the top of the Habs wish list and it would seem to us that the best trade bait that the Habs can dangle is Carey Price.  Many fans are afraid we are reliving the Patrick Roy situation.  I think this is more like the Richard Sevigny or Jose Theodore situation.  The Habs need to get what they can for Price and stop the bleeding now.  If the Habs turn into an NHL version of a pee wee hockey team.  These guys are lost and they need some guidance and change.  Give them hope with a big change and we might find leadership with new players who can lead them back to at least .500.

THE HABS - A TEAM WITH HEART

 The Montréal Canadiens might not have the best team in the league on paper. They might not have the best players on paper, with the most goals and assists in the league. What they have is heart and a motivation to win the big prize. Their goal is the Stanley Cup and they will do anything to win it. They have a team of young players who are developing more and more every season. Their veterans are there to help teach the rookies, making the atmosphere in the dressing room a great one. It almost all starts with the dressing room. If the team is getting along together, they will have a good run. If they are fighting and there is drama in the room, it will show on the ice. The boys on this team work together as a unit, not as individuals. Although they haven't had the best preseason, we see rookies who are putting their all on the ice. Some of them will make the team, some will not. By seeing these rookies, we see that if we get injuries (which happens to every team but even more to this one), we don't have to be worried because the relève (don't know the word in English) is there and ready to go. In nets, we are solid with Carey Price and Peter Budaj. Carey Price had an excellent run last season, after an upsetting one in 2010. Some fans have been saying that he is shaky this preseason but if we look at last season, it was the same thing and he ended up having a stellar year. We have a goalie who could easily be a Vezina contender and we have a second goalie who has had many good seasons in the past. If anything were to happen to Carey, we have a veteran goalie who will be ready to play. Up front, we have some depth, especially with new arrival Erik Cole. Our first line should have a great season and we have other players who can make strong lines. If Scott Gomez and Andrei Kostitsyn decide to really give it their all, it will be amazing. Michael Cammalleri is already showing that he is ready for the start of the regular season and Max Pacioretty has shown us that his injury hasn't had an effect on his play. At the blue line, we have far from the best players in the league but we have players who when they work together can make strong pairs. P.K Subban, who although some people say is arrogant, shows confidence in himself and can play the position well, as well as create some offence. With Josh Gorges back, we have some consistency back. Hal Gill may not be the fastest player out there but he is consistence and plays his position well. Yannick Weber can play both up front and back, which is great. The weaker link of our D would be Jaroslav Spacek but he can be paired up with someone in order to make his line stronger.

This team has depth, motivation and heart. This trio makes a teams chances of winning the big prize a lot bigger. This may not be THE year, but be sure to keep an eye on the Habs because their time will come soon. The fans believe. People say that this team doesn't have a chance but that's what they said in 2010 and look where they got to. If every player puts in the effort, they can make it far. We just need to look at the comments said by players during their annual golf tournament to see that this team is ready for the start of the season and wants the Stanley Cup more than anything.

The Montréal Canadiens have the support of their fans (some of them not always) but those ones who are loyal will support them and cheer them on no matter what. We believe.


Joanne Wafer

Marky Markov and the Habs' Funky Short-on-Defensemen Situation

Everything was going so right for the Montreal Canadiens... the team was winning, Scott Gomez finally put himself on pace for a seven-goal season, and even everyone’s favourite whipping boy in Carey Price was stringing together a few performances worthy of the NHL’s first star of the week (which he got awarded on Monday). And then this.

Now comes news that Andrei Markov will be out anywhere from one game to three months to the end of time, which, if you haven’t seen the movie, is apparently in just two years’ time (and the Toronto Maple Leafs were sooo close to winning it all again!).

Now, Markov hasn’t been the team’s best defenseman in a good, long while (that distinction probably belongs to Josh Gorges), especially with the recent rash of lower-body injuries, but he is its most talented, and to lose him for three months would be a huge blow to a team that has gotten a lot of heads shaking so far this year (shaking as if saying: “No. NO! There’s no way in hell this run of luck will continue all-season long for this team of dwarves! There’s just no way!”).

However many non-believers are shaking their heads, the Habs have found themselves in a very difficult predicament. I’m not going to get into how they traded away Ryan O’Byrne last week, because let’s face it: implying O’Byrne could come in cold and even carry Markov’s jock is like saying Brent Gretzky could have put on his brother’s jersey way back when and no one would have been able to tell the difference. O’Byrne’s size (6’5”, 234 pounds) is not a factor, because the two are very different players. One is a good all-around defenseman, unfortunately entering the twilight of his career a few years too early, while the other is barely worth the amount of money it takes to put his name on the back of a jersey.

As such, rumours have been swirling that the Habs are in the market for Vancouver Canucks defenseman Kevin Bieksa. While I would have been the first to discredit these rumours last week with the Habs boasting an unflashy, but solid top-six, I will also be one of the first to admit that things have changed drastically. So, the Canadiens are in a position where they need a defenseman, any defenseman... sorry, any capable defenseman (to exclude O’Byrne), to take Markov’s place, and if Bieksa is that guy (not even close, but for the sake of the argument let’s assume he is), so be it.

It’s no secret that the Canucks have a surplus of defenseman with an otherwise top-pairing guy like Keith Ballard being a healthy scratch last week (ironically against Montreal). Of course, Ballard hasn’t been good enough thanks to recent surgery and will reportedly sit again tonight for the fourth-straight game on Monday. This again changes things, with the Canucks perhaps no longer willing to let Bieksa go.

If that is the case, other possible avenues are in short supply, with Marc-Andre Bergeron representing the most viable option, with him having signed last year for $750,000 and the Habs now having over $1.5 million in cap space. Of course, this is a less-than-ideal scenario with Bergeron being a one-trick pony that has been so ineffective at selling his services on the street corner that he probably couldn’t give it away at this point. But it is something. And then there’s Mathieu Schneider, who at this point is like Bergeron but with even less mobility... clearly a free-agent purchase aimed towards the fickle consumer in your life who has a fetish for golden-agers... and not the Habs, who are searching for a way to replace arguably their best player.

"It's alright dude (patting him on head). You'll get one soon."

So, where does that leave the Habs? Either putting their season squarely on the shoulders of Carey Price, which is a bad idea, or making an ill-advised trade with the Edmonton Oilers for Sheldon Souray, which is a worse bad idea. But, as for the salary going the other way, I do hear Gomez will still probably end up with fewer goals this season than the injured AHLer. Bottom line: I wouldn’t want to be Pierre Gauthier right now (but, really, when have I ever?). Good luck, dude.

Alberts Takes Two Penalties, Leaves His Mark on Game, Darche's Face

There were many possible storylines that could have potentially shaped the Montreal Canadiens' 2-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday.

For example, on the Canadiens' side of things, you had the fact that Montreal's $8-million-man Scott Gomez was mired in a slump and on pace for 18 points this season, or $444,444.44 per point, for all you math whizzes out there. So bad had it gotten that Maxim Lapierre was put on Gomez's line yesterday to help get him going, with head coach Jacques Martin clearly trying to employ the old "Do you want to turn out like him? Do you?" approach as a way of hitting home and sparking an epiphany of sorts deep within his oversized paper weight.

You also had the newly formed PhD line of Benoit Pouliot, Jeff Halpern, and Mathieu Darche, which was aptly named not only for the three members' initials but also because it takes a doctorate to understand just how the three have been able to develop scoring chemistry with one another when one member is a career minor-leaguer, another would be well on his way to becoming one were it not for the fact that there appears to be a shortage of lanky, lazy, and inconsistent scoring wingers in Montreal, and a third whose days of scoring at an other-wordly pace of 0.50 points per game are well behind him.

As for the Canucks, they were looking for their seventh-straight win, goalie Roberto Luongo was returning home, and head coach Alain Vigneault was in search of his 300th career win against the team that first hired him.

As it happens, Gomez didn't get a point, neither did Lapierre (big surprise on both fronts), the PhD line was held off the scoresheet for the second-straight game, thereby restoring some sense of normalcy to the line-up, the Canucks and Vigneault lost, and Luongo got outshone by former-Jaroslav Halak-understudy Carey Price. Did I leave anything out?

Oh, and it was the least likely of culprits, Canucks defenseman Andrew Alberts, that actually had the biggest impact on the game, making this hit on Darche and later taking another dumb penalty that allowed the Canadiens to actually leapfrog over the New Jersey Devils for the honour of not having the league's worst power play. That's right, the Habs now have scored an amazing four times on 51 opportunities to move ahead of the 3-for-46 Devils. Way to go Alberts. Is it too late to get Shane O'Brien back from the Nashville Predators?