Training camp recap, and Captain Gio.

The Pre-Season is almost over and my pre-exhibition predictions were pretty bang on. The team we thought would start the season against Toronto is intact, save for a banged up Roman Hamrlik.
Max Pacioretty is also hurt, which adds to an already disappointing training camp. Ryan White has really impressed with his grittiness and is making every case possible to earn a spot with the big club and with three assists against the Panthers, Lars Eller showed why he was the real deal. As for the Defense, it looks like Spacek, Gill, Gorges, O'Byrne and Subban are healthy locks, while Hamrlik will recuperate eventually, and one of either Henry, Picard or Weber will start the year as the 7th defenseman.
Carey Price is good, so shut up. There was almost minimal reason to worry about his sub par play, and if it were not for some wide open rebounds, he would have shut out the Panthers on Monday night.

So it is official. Finally, after two weeks of speculating Brian Gionta has been named captain of the Montreal Canadiens. Great choice, great guy, this year will be fun, so sit tight and enjoy the ride.
Peace,
E

WE ARE DOOOOOOMED

IT IS OVER LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.
WE SHOULD HAVE NEVER DEALT JAROSLAV HALAK, I MEAN, HE ONLY LET UP THREE GOALS LAST NIGHT. CAREY PRICE LET UP FOUR. HE IS GOING TO BE SO BAD. WE CAN TELL FROM THE PRE-SEASON. THATS HOW WE KNEW GUILLAUME LATENDRESSE WOULD BE SO GOOD. THATS HOW WE KNOW WHO THE NEXT CAPTIAN OF THE MONTREAL CANADIENS SHOULD BE, MAXIM LAPIERRE!!! PIERRE CURZI MUST BE SMOKING SOMETHING, WE HAVE A PLETHORA OF GREAT FRENCH CANADIANS. IF IT WERE UP TO ME THE STARTING LINE UP WOULD BE:
LAPIERRE-POULIOT-LEBLANC
ST. DENIS - MATHIEU CARLE
AND OUR GOALIE.....
LOIC LACASSE!
I MEAN, I THINK HE'S STILL IN THE SYSTEM, AND I'M SURE HE IS BETTER THAN PRICE!
I'M SO SURE THAT THIS GAME WILL BE AN ACCURATE REPRESENTATION OF EVERY GAME IN THE REGULAR SEASON THAT I'M WRITING IT ALL IN CAPITALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!








shut up
E

Training Camp Opens.

Here we goooo again.
The 2010-2011 edition of the NHL season kicks off in a way today with the opening of Habs training camp, and already journalists have found a way to stir some trouble up.
Yesterday La Presse reported that Brian Gionta would be named team captain, fans rejoiced at the prospect of the team being formally led by a bona fide winner who struck gold at both the NHL and NCAA level. So of course Mr. Gionta has no idea, and management refuses to say anything.
I love when things are just so damn clear.
Anyway, the team is almost 100% set from the get go, as Cammalleri, Gomez, Gionta, Plekanec, Pouliot, Kostitsyn, Pyatt, Boyd, Halpern, Moen, Lapierre, Eller and Darche should make up the forwards. Gill, Gorges, Hamrlik, Spacek, O'Byrne, Subban and an injured Markov should make up the defensive corps and Price and Auld will be in nets.
Fringe players like Pacioretty, Maxwell, White and Desharnais should fight for a reserve spot on the team while young guys like Leblanc and Tinordi will be sent to their junior teams to hone their skills.
I do not think there will be any major surprises, as no one else really has NHL caliber talent. One player who might surprise minimally could be Alexander Avtsin, a highly talented Russian who fell to the fourth round because of the inconsistency of Russians coming to North America. Do not think he is some Guillaume Latendresse type guy who will become a exhibition fan favorite, but he should have a very good year in Hamilton.
In other news, former Habs coach Pat Burns is fighting for his life at home surrounded by Family and my thoughts go out to him. He is a class act who has been one of the most succesful coaches of the last 25 years.
Good luck Mr. Burns.
Peace,
E

Oh yay...

This guy gets resigned for 2 years, 5.25 toal, my math isn't great but I'm preeeety sure that doesn't add up to $3M a year so I guess Michel Godbout's "very very close source" was "very very stoned".

Thank hashem we signed him, but this got tiresome very very quickly.

Let's get ready for training camp.

Carey, you better not have gotten fat.

Peace,

E

Screw Michel Godbout. I'm back.

I was trying to think of a reason to get back into the Blogosphere. People had been pushing me to write about something, and I replied "What the hell is there to write about?" After this whole stupid Carey Price non-issue, I feel like maybe I should get back in the saddle and give my two cents.

So, Montreal is having heart palpitations after "Sports" correspondant Michel Godbout tweeted that Carey Price was "striking" until he was offered a deal worth $3 M. He said it was according to a very reliable source close to the Franchise Saviour. This gives me to hypotheses to this issue. Either the source was just wrong, or the source was hanging out with Carey one night in Anahim Lake and due to his absoloutely constant deadpan expression, he did not get the joke when he said "Man, man... seriously.... I should just go on like, a strike!"

My expert advice, chill out. It my firm belief that the Canadiens will sign Price and he will be ready for training camp. Although, if by some unfortunate turn of events, Price does not sign and we have to start with out roster of two old backups and a Finn in the KHL, god have mercy on out souls.

Training camp better come soon, or else I might die of boredom.

Peace,

E

PRE SUMMER RECAP

So let's go over what the Habs have done so far this off season before I head up to the exotic Laurentians for two months.

A) Playoff hero Jaro Halak was dealt to the St. Blues for elite prospect Lars Eller and Calgary Hitman Ian Schultz. The deal means that Carey Price has once again been given the drivers seat in Montreal while the team looks for a veteran backup Goalie.

B) The Canadiens surprise some and move up from 27th to 22nd in order to select behemoth and possible future captain Jarred Tinordi. He is the son of former NHLer Mark Tinordi and was the captain of the US U-18 National Development Team, called by many the best development team ever with 9 players drafted this year including two other first rounders, Goalie Jack Campbell and Defenseman Derek Forbort.

C) Pierre Gauthier solves a season long problem by dealing clubhouse cancer Sergei Kostitsyn far far away to Tennessee as the Habs acquire heart and soul grinder Dustin Boyd and soon to be UFA netminder Dan Ellis from the Nashville Predators. If the team can ink Ellis to a deal it will give them the seasoned vet they wanted to back up Carey Price.

Now what?

Well we should not assume that we're going to make another giant splash come free agency a la 2009, but it would be nice to build on some youthful depth. As shown by Stanley Cup Champions Chicago, four line depth is key in being successful.

That's all for now, can't wait for September.

Peace,

E

THE SKY IS NOT FALLING.

Okay, so right now seems like a perfectly good time to panic, in the words of Rex from Toy Story.

Jaroslav Halak, our "franchise savior" who singlehandedly took down powerhouses like Washington and Pittsburgh and got the Canadiens to within 3 wins of the Stanley Cup Finals, has been dealt to the St. Louis Blues for Danish Blue Chip Prospect Lars Eller and Ian Schultz, who is just plain chippy for the Calgary Hitmen.

WE'RE DONE, GAME OVER MAN, GAME OVER. HALAK WAS OUR MOON AND OUR SUN, WITHOUT HIM WE'RE DONE.

So, you guys can continue to run round like decapitated chickens, I am going talk to the rational people here.

Jaroslav Halak put in an show stopping performance this year in the playoffs, he wanted to prove he was our starting goalie, but what now? Halak's play has given him something for his negotiating cause, he was at liberty to demand over 4 M a year when the Canadiens brass would approach him to re-sign him. What then? How would we re-sign Tomas Plekanec, our most consistent forward this year? And although Carey Price now looks like a cold commodity, would you really be ready to part ways with our 5th overall pick from 2005? A guy who had been hung out to dry more this year than a pair of Granny Panties, a player who when given reins all by himself, like he did in 2008 after Cristobal Huet had been traded, went 12-4 down the homestretch en route to 1st place in the East. The NHL is a goal tending carousel, Dwayne Roloson led the Oilers to the finals in 2006, only to be the backup on the Islanders, do you honestly think that Michael Leighton or Anti Niemi are going to have long distinguished NHL careers? Jaroslav Halak showed his worth, but can you really say that he would be in our plans for the future?

Lars Eller is a top notch prospect, he was an AHL all star last year, and was the 13th overall pick in 2007. He could come in and challenge for a spot on the top 6 next year. He is 21 years old. Before you state that all is lost, give this deal time, because in 3 years I have a feeling Lars Eller will be a big part of this team. Jaro, I wish you luck and want to thank you for the superhuman feats you performed for this team. I hope you get the starting job you deserve.

Peace,

E