Habs make depth moves so far…

Well fellow Hab fans, what do we make of our latest roster moves?

Sad to see Steve Begin go, he played with heart and when he was on the ice he did a lot of the little things we need more of our players to do, don’t you think? Gritty, hard working, but unfortunately, our youth movement caught up with him. As it concerns Doug Janik on defence, a depth move at best, some say he is ahead of O’Byrne on the team’s depth chart, which does not say much.

(On a side note, was watching Mark Streit roam about the ice for the Islanders the other night against the Leafs, and boy, I miss him playing for us.)

Glen Metropolit claimed off of waivers- let’s plan the Stanley Cup route! Seriously though, a depth move again, what else can you say about a player who now has been claimed off waivers for the third time in his career (three times in the last eight years actually) and has been traded once.

The genius move of course was reacquiring the old warhorse, Matthieu Schneider to help out our blueline. His wicked shot and savvy experience more than make up for his age. Twenty-two long years ago he was drafted in the third round by Montreal and here he returns again, a blueline saviour. His impact has been immediate, especially on the powerplay.

I’m still waiting for a big centre, without one, we are toast. Boston and Philly proved last year that we can be ground down to ice chips down the middle with our small centres. We need a skating presence of some kind. Screw the Lecavalier rumours, even a second tier centre who can skate and has size will do.

We are missing Lang large and Tanguay as well, but Lang down the middle really did help us.

Come on Bob, spin some magic and make it happen.

Should Kovalev and Habs part ways?

I would really love to hear from fellow Habs fans on what to make of the current state of Alex Kovalev and our team.

I am not going to rag heavy on the guy, I am just going to say he has been disappointing and his play his maddening. Most of us figured he was due for a down year since he excelled so well last year- following his usual rollercoaster ways throughout his career- one good year followed by one bad year.

I feel for Carbo and Captain Kirk behind the bench. Those guys must be pulling at their last hairs behind closed doors. They would have killed for the God-given talent Alex has but boy, what they lacked on that end they made up in heart over the sublime Russian. How do you get Kovalev going?

What kind of realistic return is there for Kovalev on the market now? The recent games against Toronto, Buffalo and Florida have been maddening as well. His effort, let alone a heartbeat, is barely noticeable. We need him to get going and then the other sub-performers will follow.

Losing Lang is going to hurt. The loss of Tanguay is evident as well.  Until Price gets his confidence back, we are in dire need of Kovalev waking up.

Stop the Pogge pogo stick action

So, what is a Habs fan to do when he is stuck with tickets to six Toronto Marlie games? Scream and curse why I have been punished this way? Or, just realize, it is karma for slagging on Maple Laugh Nation all these years.

In the end, as a fan of hockey, whether it is in Montreal, Toronto, Nashville or Phoenix, I have started to attend the games. Of course, a nasty twist as well with the tickets I got saddled with, I had no choice in picking the games, none of them are games against the Hamilton Bulldogs, the Habs AHL affiliate. Karma is indeed a kick in the jewels.

The Marlies are a fun hockey experience in the end, the real Toronto hockey fans seem to be there, simply because they can afford the tickets. Ricoh is loud, the fans chant and scream, there are a lot of families and kids are smiling, laughing and happy and that is what really counts in the end.

Speaking of kids, Justin Pogge, I have seen him defeat the Chicago Wolves and look solid in the process and then stink up the joint against the Rockford Ice Hogs last Saturday.

In his last two NHL call-ups, eight days apart, he has been bombed for 11 goals in two games. Pogge needs to stay with Leafs and get the seasoning and fair shot he needs to prove value. The team is going nowhere anyway, so they might as well roll the dice and start him or dress him as a backup so he can get a feel of being a pro in the NHL.

The kid has obvious weaknesses, easily exposed in the NHL, with the Marlies, his size and athleticism allows him to get away for a lack technique and focus…most of the time. In the NHL, it simply does not, he seems to be unsettled, then again, he has no defence in front of him when he does start and he has this pressure to prove himself in “one-offs”.

Keep the kid up in NHL and get him to settle his feet and put that stick down on the ice, and in front of him,  to cover the massive five-hole he has. He needs to decide, or have it decided for him, that he will be a butterfly goalie or a standup, aggressive goalie.

His physique reminds of J.S. Giguere of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks but this yo yo, pogo-stick  action the Laughs put him through may end up creating Toronto’s version of Andre “Red Light” Racicot.

What do the NHL standings really mean?

Here is an excellent analysis by Alan Ryder of the Globe and Mail.

He breaks down how deceiving the NHL standings currently are based on their point breakdown, especially for overtime losses and shootouts.

A good piece of work which gives us some insight on which teams really are the better ones thanks to their regulation time performances- which should translate to playoff success since OT goes on forever and there are is no skills competition called the shootout.

Hockey Hall of Fame Montreal Canadiens exhibit

What a treat. The Montreal Canadiens exhibit currently on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF) is a wonderful collection not just for Habs to immerse themselves in but for any true hockey fan as well.

Sticks, gloves, pucks, sweaters, programs and photos of legendary Habs of years past are right there to soak in and enjoy. Richard. Lafleur. Robinson. Gainey. Beliveau. Dryden. Plante.  Joliat. Roy. These were just some of the greats recognized and celebrated at the HHOF exhibit.

100 years. 100 years of history and excellence. The display establishes what cannot be disputed, even here in the heart of Leaf Nation, there is only one true “Cathedral of Hockey” and it is Montreal, not Toronto. 24 cups are hard to ignore. A long list of true, revolutionary hockey greats is hard to ignore. The fact the team has won cups after the league expanded beyond six teams, while two other Orginal Six teams …ahem Toronto and Chicago…have not is so easily forgotten.

Love or hate them, the Canadiens are synonymous with greatness in hockey. Forget the flash and media hype elsewhere, only one team can boast three dynasties, a list of goaltending greats that cannot be replicated and enough hockey icons to fill out two teams rosters.

From humble beginnings the Habs began and the build up to their excellence did take time but this team has never looked back. This exhibit helps us, the hockey, the Hab fan, to take a look back and appreciate exactly how much greatness has worn the colours of Les Glorieux.

Thank you HHOF.

Get Vinny but Markov & Komisarek stay

Like most Habs fan, I want to see Vinny Lecavalier in a Montreal uniform, he would look awesome and is the extra superstar firepower we need but the price to pay should not include Andrei Markov or Mike Komisarek.

I am ok with losing Higgins and Plekanec, heck even the young P.K. Subban (loved him at the World Juniors) for Vinny. But rumours that any deal Tampa wants to do must involve either of Montreal’s two best defenceman are frightening. Bob Gainey is way too smart to make such a deal and bow to the pressure..I hope.

Let’s face it, our defence is weak already beyond our top two guys. Patrice Breeze-by? Josh “Oh-Gosh” Gorges?-( we gave up Rivet for him), Roman “The Rusted Hammer” Hamrlik, Francis Boullion (I love the little guy’s fight and spirit but he is no shut down D)? You lose either of Markov or Komisarek and that just means more minutes for those guys- really how much more Patrice Breeze-by does a Hab fan have to endure??

If Vinny is out of the question, lets just give up Higgins or Plekanec for Tomas Kaberle – a smart, wonderful passing D wasting his time in Toronto Maple Laugh Nation.

When we lost Souray, it was disappointing but the team actually got better. Now look after losing Mark Streit- our power play truly went in the crapper. Kaberle on the point, with Markov on the other during a PP?..now that would be something to see.

From the Slot: All stars and Wankers

Here are some quick shots From the Slot about recent development in the NHL, Habsland and Maple Laugh Nation:

- Grabovsky gets three games for shoving  a linesman- well deserved, the idiot needs to have his big mouth shut. Kostitsyn vows the feud will continue. Good.

- still think Crosby is a pansy for jumping that Panther player off the faceoff circle. At the moment, i just don’t like the kid, all that talent but man, the hype and that pansy move just does not sit right. However, his punk ass better lead us to a gold medal in Vancouver..lol

- Sundin in a Canucks uniform just does not look right. Good on the Oiler fans for giving it to him, saves the Leaf fans from doing so. Mats, you needed to come to the Habs

- Bryan McCabe’s Toronto, boo-filled return, that was sweet. The fans just gave it to him and he just laughs it off…and his team beats the Leafs

- Kovalev, Markov, Komisarek and Price get voted to the all-star team- SWEET!

- Phoenix Coyotes are set to lose $80 million! $80 flippin’ MILLION! And why is it Hamilton and the RIM-king cannot have a team in a market that would LOVE hockey?

6-2 – sweet win, Grabovsky is a loser

Mikhail Grabovsky is a loser and deserves to get his ass kicked. The stunts he keeps pulling against his former team are ridiculous. If it was not for the linesmen, Kostistyn would have kicked his ass, sooner or later big mouth is getting his.

On another another, it is pretty easy for Deveaux to act like the big man when there is no George Laraque in Montreal’s lineup. The Leafs were pathetic tonight, they could not even “out-tough” a team full of more talented players than meatheads. Montreal answered every challenge and the Leafs ran from more too.

Hurry up Kaberle, tell Burkey you want a trade and hopefully we will see you soon in a Habs uniform.

Ultimately, a great 6-2 win. Can’t wait until we wrap the season series up and help the Maple Leafs move higher in the Tavares sweepstakes.

Get a grip Leaf fans

Dear Leaf fans:

Get a grip. Your team is a bad team, plain and simple. There is no point in booing them and acting like you expect more than they can really deliver.

As a Habs fan, I should be loving this season seeing your futility but here is the interesting twist, I actually like the grit and effort your team tries to play with. They know they are not great but they do try, better than a bunch of primadonnas you had before who should have been playing harder and did not.

Yes, they suck but you were told they would suck in order to keep your expectations low. They will start rebuilding and Brian Burke is a lynchpin on which that will begin. When the Canadiens stumbled along in the wilderness for a bit, collecting strong picks, the turn around did not come until Bob Gainey came onboard, a strong captain for the Good Ship Habs. You now have that in Burke.

So be patient and enjoy the effort, whatever it is and stop acting like its the end of the world or like you expect more. Hope for a top three draft pick, hell, even a top five one.

Lastly, do not boo Mats Sundin, the dude was a class act while here after putting up with a pile of bullshit from some of you upon his arrival. Sure, what he did to you last year is not cool but the guy wanted control after years of seeing his good efforts wasted.

Rebuilding takes time and shoot for the bottom!

Sincerely,

Habs Fan in Toronto

Time to put down Cujo

Face it Leaf fans, Cujo does not have any bite anymore.

Interesting chattering among Maple Laugh fans here at work today, the topic twisting their minds, “What to do with Cujo?”

After another tough loss with Curtis Joseph in the nets, the fate of fan favourite Cujo is tough to face for some, likely himself too.

The Leafs brought him in more for PR this year than anything else. They new they were going suck ass this year, big time, so why not make Maple Lost Nation feel good, with an icon from the last time they were relevant (and still won jack squat).

If they are serious about getting younger and better, it is time to let him go and get Justin Poggee big league ice time. Why protect this kid any further? Either he has it, or he does not. At least give him the playing time in the bigs to prove himself.

Cujo recently got his 450th milestone career win and now it is time to demote him to third string or ask him where else he may want to play. But quite frankly, he should not see the inside of a Leaf crease ever again….

…unless they really want to make a run for the top draft pick and they can keep running him out there to get crushed again and again, and let them sink further down the standings.

No one can dispute how charitable and nice Cujo is.  He is an awesome pro athlete, a great example off the ice for other athletes to follow. In the end though, hockey is about winning, it is about development and the Leafs will not get that with their beloved Cujo guarding their crease.