Habs Eyes On The Prize: FanPosts

Reinforcing history, saving one's face.

2010-09-09T13:31:31Z

Jaroslav Halak's New Mask might be of interest to Habs faithful. A little tribute to Jacques Plante reinforces the history between the Canadiens and the Blues. He's not the first Canadiens' goalie to mind the net for St. Louis and this tribute is something I'm really happy to see. This is one of the things I like about goalie masks; there's always a story behind the designs and heraldry placed on them.

(Found originally through St. Louis Game Time)

Happy Birthday Pierre Turgeon!

2010-08-28T15:05:34Z

The former Habs Captain turns 41 today. Unfortunately his time in Montreal was just one full season, and his time as captain was less than a year.

Here's a quick look back at the career of one of a series of Habs captains caught in the revolving door if the mid to late nineties.

Robert has a great look back at that era, which saw six captains over a 10-year span, during one of the more darker/frustrating periods in the franchise's history.

Ticket info for the Habs road warrior faithful

2010-08-24T23:52:58Z

I've collected some information on ticket sales for some of the Habs road games this season.

As more becomes available, I will update it, but a few games (Buffalo, St. Louis) already have tickets on sale.

The complete list can be seen here.

Ken Dryden's Comments On Larry Robinson

2010-08-21T02:57:53Z

"He was the rare player whose effect on a game was far greater than any statistical or concrete contribution he might make. When he came onto the ice, the attitude of the play seemed to change. Standing in back of him, I could feel it. I could see it, change, growing more restrained, more respectful, as if it was waiting for him, to see what he would do.

"Nowhere was this more evident, or more important, than against the Flyers or the Bruins. They held him in such awe, treating him with an embarrassing, almost fawning, respect, that they seemed even to abandon their style of play when he was around, and with it any hope of winning."

Full comments at GreatestHockeyLegends.com

Any word on Price's contract talks?

2010-08-07T02:32:03Z

I've heard squat.

Curiously, when Neimi was awarded 2.75 million a year, I was rather pleased for him. I was surprised that Chicago didn't make other provisions rather than get rid of him. I believe Turco has needed a change of location for many years - after they got schooled by Pittsburgh and Mario. As much as he may have a lot left in the tank (or not, he's got some mileage) I don't know if Chitown will manage another cup run with Turco.

I wonder now if this becomes the number Price and Agent are looking for? I hear the Agent is focused on getting Carey more years than the Habs, at this point, are offering. I would like for Carey to be the man and show all the maturity and humility he obtained last season, sign for 2 yrs at 2 mill with escalators/bonuses. Anything more than that I think feeds an ego... on any player... not just Carey.

Poll

What's Carey Worth? How long a contract will he get?

more than 2 mill/season for 3-5 season?

11 votes

2-3 mill for 2 seasons?

34 votes

More than what he's worth

12 votes

less than what you'd think?

5 votes

who cares, lets start the season already

7 votes

69 votes | Poll has closed

Bob Gainey - The Last True Hero

2010-07-09T17:32:37Z

Tiger Woods renewed my faith in professional athletes when he putted onto the world's green stage more than fifteen years ago. He appeared to be everything that the boy inside me wanted in a hero.

He was talented, good looking and most importantly - he performed miracles! Time after time, Woods not only won - it was the way he won. In the first ten years of his career he dominated, and when he was not dominating with his play, he was dominating mentally in the minds of his opposition. They knew and we all knew that if Tiger was within six strokes going into a final round that the "hero" inside of him would forever save the baby from the burning building and win the tournament.

Now that we have discovered that Tiger is Peter Parker on crack, I have reflected on the times and searched in vain to discover a hero. One by one, they have fallen. Roger Clemens, Lance Armstrong, Barry Bonds, Kobe Bryant ....the list goes on and on. Sure there are some athletes that perform and appear to have impeccable lives, yet even Wayne Gretzky's legacy has been tainted due to his affiliation with Rick Tocchet and Bruce McNall. Then suddenly, after many sleepless nights wrestling with the moral decay of the sporting world, my aging memory came to a sudden stop when it happened upon the name of Robert Michael Gainey.

Bob Gainey.

Most of the sporting world knows him by this name if they know him at all.The younger generation of hockey fans know him as the recently resigned general manager of the Montreal Canadiens and former GM of the 1999 Stanley Cup champion Dallas Stars. Older fans will recognize that he coached and was the GM for the Minnesota North Stars and more wrinkled fans will know him as a former Captain and Stanley Cup winner with the Habs.

True hockey fans know that he won five Stanley Cups as a player in the bleu, blanc et rouge colors of Le Club de Hockey Canadien. Fans who are not seen by their wives or husbands between September and mid-June every year are aware that Gainey was the reason for the invention of the Frank J .Selke award, the trophy handed out for the league's best defensive forward each season and that Mr. Gainey was also the winner of the Conn Smythe trophy as the playoff M.V.P in 1979.

Puck fans that reside in a basement apartment and have been relegated to paying a healthy alimony payment each month are aware that Victor Tikonov, the former coach (general) of the Soviet Red Army team named Gainey as the most complete player to play the game at the time.This from someone who has coached some of the finest talent in the history of hockey - Kharlamov, Tretiak, Fetisov, Larionov and Krutov to name a few.

The "Swanson dinner crowd" also know that Gainey's "student" in Montreal - former line mate Guy Carbonneau, also went on to win the Selke trophy three times and win three Stanley Cups - one as the Captain of the Montreal squad.

All these accomplishments without a single blemish on or off the ice. No drug arrests, no drinking and driving charges, no spousal abuse and no escorts to be seen. Does this make Mr.Gainey a hero? Not at all.

In 1995, after endless operations and radiation treatments, Cathy Gainey, Bob's wife died at the age 39 of a brain tumour leaving Gainey to raise four children on his own. Colleen and Laura, the two youngest were most affected as Colleen battled depression and spent some time in a clinic while Laura, the elder of the two also battled depression and eventually lost herself in a cocaine crowd. Bob Gainey, twice, in one weekend said he had dragged his daughter out of a house where he thought drugs were being used.

In an age where drug use among teens is rampant as absent parents work long hours to finance SUV's and big screen TV's, Bob Gainey made sure that his daughter received the tough and tender love she needed to beat the demons all the while dealing with the daily responsibilities of the Dallas Stars and the trials and tribulations of his other children. In a way, he had thirty children to raise and most men would crumble. If anyone had a reason to lose it and go out drinking or pick up a drug habit , it would have been Gainey then. Instead his daugher won the battle and his Stars won the Cup. Does this make Mr.Gainey a hero? Not at all.

In December 2006, in the middle of turning the Montreal Canadiens back into a contender - the family suffered a second tragedy when Laura Gainey died. She was twenty - four years of age. Laura, the young teen who was most affected by her Mother's death. The child who Bob Gainey refused to hand over to the dark side that kidnaps thousand of children each year with it's twisted claw filled with cocaine, heroin and crack.

Laura, who had regained her "self" after a decade of soul searching had discovered a passion in sailing and was aboard the ship Picton Castle when a wave swept her to her death. Another tragedy for Mr.Gainey and his family. He took some time off and considered ending his reign as the General Manager of the Montreal team. In press conferences you felt for the man, tears were behind those stoic, proud eyes. Men wanted to reach out and hug him, an entire hockey loving nation wanted to bring the guy home, feed him and put him to bed in a warm and comfortable place.The man surely needed some rest. Instead he carried on with his hockey duties and created The Gainey Foundation to honor Laura and her late mother, Cathy. The foundation is dedicated to funding environmental and arts programs for youth, two passions shared by Mother and Daughter. The foundation’s goal is to raise $2 million by 2010 in support of this objective, building a lasting legacy for two special people.Does this make Mr. Gainey a hero? Not at all.

In March 2008 - a Montreal team, built mostly by Gainey in the five years since he became GM , jumped to first place in the East, marking the first time they have led the conference since 1993. The same year that Gaimey's prize pupil Carbonneau captained the team to it's last Stanley Cup. Then on April 6, Les Habitants claimed their first Conference title since the 1988-89 season and for the first time in many years they were favored going into the first round. After a hard fought series win against the Bruins the Habs succumbed in five games to the Flyers in round two. The future seemed incredibly bright as Montreal entered its 100th birthday season, yet too many of it's young stars succumbed to the tempting Montreal nightlife and the on ice club suffered as the off ice clubs prospered through a highly disappointing season. Gainey stepped in and replaced his buddy Carbonneau as head coach toward the end of the year, but the combination of tough and tender love did not work with this batch of Gainey's "kids". Gainey had enough and preceded to replace ten of his mostly young players with older and much more character players. Players who were cut from the same cloth as him in the likes of Gionta, Gomez, Gill and Metropolit. The "new" team soared to the final of the Eastern Conference this past season, three wins away from Stanley Cup final and although Gainey resigned his post after Christmas - this was Gainey's team. Does this make Mr.Gainey a hero? Not at all.

On May 21,1979, Les Canadiens defeated the New York Rangers four games to one to claim their twenty second Stanley Cup Championship. I was fifteen years old. It was a Monday and the following morning I received a call from a buddy of mine asking if I wanted to go to Bob Gainey's home and congratulate him on his victory. Gainey lived in Kirkland, Quebec at the time as did my friend Mike and I. We were not invited as I soon found out, and preceded to let Mike know that the idea of intruding on the Gainey household the morning after a Cup win was crazy and that he was even crazier for concocting such a hairbrained scheme. I went on to inform him that a) Bob Gainey will be hungover from the previous night's celebrations or b) he will not be there from the previous night's celebrations and c) his wife will not be too happy to see us at 9 a.m. in the morning. Mike had the gift of gab and twenty minutes later I found myself on Gainey's doorstep. We knocked and I was on my way toward the driveway and a quick getaway to avoid embaressment when the door opened up. It was Cathy Gainey and she had a beautiful smile when she asked if she could help us. We informed her of our motives and instead of being told to go home - she asked us to wait as she entered her house only to re - appear three minutes later asking us to follow her. She led us through the house and into the backyard where we were greeted by Bob Gainey and a trio of kids. Bob graciously asked us to sit at the patio table and several seconds later Cathy appeared with a pitcher filled with Kool-Aid. For the next half hour or so - Bob, Cathy, Mike and I talked about hockey as Mike and I took every word that Bob spoke as the Word of God. Then Gainey stood and annonced that he had things to do and politely asked us to leave. We thanked them and left the house in a state of awe and confusion.The entire thirty minutes were like a dream that lasted for days. Does this make Mr.Gainey a hero? Not at all.

Robert Michael Gainey was mowing his lawn when we arrived in his backyard. That's what makes him a hero.

The Price to Pay...

2010-07-02T13:49:35Z

For those of you who keep preaching “patience”(including Habs management) I have one question: How long do you keep wet-nursing Carey Price? He’s been given ample opportunities(plural) to prove himself and yet he keeps showing an inability to learn discipline, concentration, fundamentals of good goaltending… He consistently lets in weak goals in bunches. He hasn’t proven himself in the playoffs(his performance 2 years ago against the Bruins was ABYSSMAL!) And yet Habs managment is willing to hand him “the keys to the kingdom” yet again without properly EARNING THAT RIGHT. Why should Price make a serious effort to improve himself if he ends up being named the number one goalie anyway? Halak EARNED the right to be number one and gets traded. Price has a losing record and gets the top spot. Really logical?!?! I know Price won a junior Gold medal for Canada and that’s a big deal north of the border but it really doesn’t mean squat in the NHL. Canadiens management is dazzled by the visions of what Price COULD BE as opposed what he is(and has shown so far). They keep hoping for Patrick Roy but they have ended up with a bad penny(kind of like STEVE PENNEY)…

Auld??!?!

2010-07-01T18:15:32Z

When Gauthier traded away Halak I was steamed… until he swung the deal with Nashville and got Ellis… now he doesn’t even sign him but gets Alex Auld for $1 million?!?!?! AULD?!?!? A mediocre backup for ONE MILLION?!?! Has he played more than 30 games in a season??!! PRICE AND AULD?!?!? Is this really the goalie tandem next year in Montreal??!!?!? I think I’m going to be sick to my stomach… the Habs won’t even make the playoffs next year. Great going Gauthier and Gainey… why don’t you just take that one million and flush it down the toilet!!!

Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole....

2010-06-10T03:22:53Z

How did that sieve keep Montreal off the scoresheet for a couple of games, but continuously let in weak goals against the Blackhawks...including the Stanley Cup winner. Apparently Leighton was this years Umberger, great against the Habs then...were you even on the ice?

I love that the 'Hawks won in Philly just so they have to watch their dreams die. Something tells me Pronger didn't get that puck!

Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole...Ole, Ole!

Plekanec vs Lombardi

2010-06-03T19:42:13Z

http://www.hockey30.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1124:lombardi-vs-plekanec&Itemid=18

The radio station, Team 990, propose to hire Matthew Lombardi as a free agent instead of signing Tomas Plekanec.

http://www.hockey30.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1124:lombardi-vs-plekanec&Itemid=18

I Think it's a good idea, Lombardi is underated et will be les scostly than Plekanec. Fast, crafty hands and a good vision, Lombardi would be a good fit fro the Montreal Canadiens! Plekanec will cost too much money and h'es not a playoffs guy!

Leighton's Long Journey in N.H.L comes to an apparent end...?

2010-05-30T20:15:01Z

The Chicago Black Hawks managed to score five times against the Philadelphia Flyers or more precisely against Micheal Leighton in game one of the Stanley Cup final.That is the exact number of goals the Montreal Canadiens netted in a their five game series against the same Leighton.Somehow I believe that the Hawks will surpass that number enroute to their first Cup win since 1961 unless Brian Boucher - the Flyers number one goalie by default is not brought back into the mix and salvage what could be an embarassing final for the Philadelphia squad.

The Hawks' shooters did what everyone fan in Montreal screamed at the hometown Habs whenever they had the puck...'Shoot!Lance la Rondelle!" It seemed a no - brainer to test a career minor league and major league castaway in Leighton and when the Canadiens did precisely that,they scored and scored often in an easy 5 - 1 victory.The Chicago squad are not the Canadiens and have the youth,firepower and hunger to move within twenty -one Cups of the Habs' all time record.(Toews,Sharp and Kane are all young Chicago fans - there may be more to follow.)

Leighton's magic has worn off although I am not sure there was magic at all.The Bruins were cocky after going up 3-0 in their Eastern semi-final matchup and by the time they realized that they were in up to their heads in beans,it was too late as Boston hands began gripping sticks too tight as is the case with any hockey player who forces a result.Then Leighton came up against a Montreal team that was fuelled offensively through two seven games series by three players. Geez,the Flyers figured that out faster than it takes to eat a poutine and checked the three guys into submission.This left the Habs with nine forwards who couldn't score in a Brothel filled with sightless whores. Leighton was spared and had two shutouts to prove that the Canadiens were in the words of Red Fisher - "The gang that couldn't shoot straight'.

Now Leighton is facing a rested 'real' team in Chicago and his true colours are the same as the Hawks home Jerseys and the goal light that lit up the back of his mask last . The N.H.L has an opportunity to sell the game once again to the Americans and given last night's ratings - the highest in 11 years for a Stanley Cup final game,let's hope that Boucher is healthy enough to backstop the Flyers to a respectable backseat to the Cup winning drivers - The Chicago Blackhawks.

Habs bow out to their missing pieces

2010-05-27T18:43:12Z

R.I.P Montreal

The Habs were the only team in League History to win two rounds of play -offs without a second or third line.

Beating the best team in the league (the Caps did play in the Eastern conference and avoided the good teams in the West with the notable exception of Edmonton),was and remains a footnote in history.

The Montreal team then dispatched Baby Crosby and his partner in cryin - Malkin. Hal Gill, a write, sometimes left -off in the regular season proved to one and all that there is no performer like a inside informer who apparently had the goods and size to keep the dynamic diaper duo off the scoresheet.

The Habs relied on three players to carry their offence - Mike (the Octopus) Cammaleri ,Scott (the Taco) Gomez and Brian (the Pocket Taco) Gionta. The only problem with any of these three players was their inability to relay the message to Tomas Plekanec, Andrei Kostitsyn and Benoit Pouliot that yes indeed, the play - offs were underway!

Halak, having just rid himself of a Slovakian team off of his shoulders understandably picked up the Habs who - given Gionta's height and weight, were much less heavier than his fellow countrymen and proceeded to lug them into the City of Brotherly Love.

Something happened. Jacques Martin decided that a french defenceman with a fear of defence should play in the first two games against the (insert corporate name here) Street Bullies and in doing so - left Gill's basketball partner Ryan O'Byrne alone to block baskets and protect Steve Nash's eye\nose from big African American men. Bergeron went on to become more negative than a Jewish P.O.W during the Second World War although, just like Plekanec, some would say did not exist.

The Habs are in good shape with a solid first and fourth lines as book - ends now they must fill in the gaps with a Dostoyevsky, a Steinbeck, a Hemmingway, a Kerouac, a Williams and a Dr.Seuss just to keep things loose.

They have an ace in their sleeve by the name of Halak who must be signed then before he has time to taunt Price, be traded away for the missing books.

Price has shown since the yuletide season that he has tired of the little miss can't be rights on Crescent Street and was actually filmed giving the young Sergei (Belarusian for AWOL) a piece of his Native American charm during a hasty retreat that the younger Kostitsyn made before the Zamboni driver started his engine after a Habs practice. Price will be fine - Halak will be fine wherever he goes and then finally the Habs may have the big center and two power forwards that they have endlessly searched for in the past two decades. Power forwards are after all what Philly used to oust the Montreal squad in five.

Martin either did a fantastic job or a pitiful job depending on your point of view...

Was he able to motivate or did he fail to motivate.? Gomez, Gionta and Cammaleri dont seem the type to need

motivating so if you look at the glass half empty and not full - then Martin did a bad job and was luckier than

Markov. The latter once again proving that book - ends were the theme this year in Montreal. Markov would

have made a tremendous difference against Philadelphia and we still might be watching Gill et al wearing

glass skates but we will never know so there is next year and if the Habs listen to me - we will be in the play

offs five games before the end of the season instead of one.

Poll

Should the habs trade Halak?Yes or No?

Yes or No?

7 votes

7 votes | Poll has closed

I'm proud of our boys!

2010-05-25T02:23:21Z

This team reminded everyone how a team wins in hockey. Absolutely, positively proud of the accomplishment yet disappointed that the run is over.

Tonight the Flyers played their best game of the series (they played much better against the Bruins and were iffy all series, but they were opportunistic against us and we ran outta gas)and we just didn't have enough. Gomez was our best player all night and our core isn't going anywhere for the next 5 years. We have some questions to be answered, but how positive an offseason are we about to go in to...not Stanley Cup good, but very optomistic.

I am enjoying a cigar, whiskey and a Guinness to celebrate the accomplishments and the future. Go Habs Go!

Halak says NO!

2010-05-16T15:37:16Z

Hey, these are just 2 images I thought you guy would like to see.

...Maybe it's more of my dislike of Crosby, but I find it a nice tribute to your team and Halak's accomplishment this Postseason. Of all the 4 teams left in the Postseason I think your team deserves it more for taking down 2 top teams, the Flyers will be a challenge for you guys with their Hunger for goals they bring every game. But as long as Halak says "NO!" your team is in good shape.

Congratulations to the Habs!!

2010-05-11T17:07:30Z

Although there is still a game seven to be played I would like to be the first to congratulate the Habs on defeating the President’s Cup winners then upending the defending Stanley Cup Champs. The Penguins are done…. Stick a fork in them.

They will not be given a better chance to close out a series. Gill was out of the line-up and Halak gave up a "soft" goal. In a series that is this tight and scores this close, to be a champion you MUST capitalize on these situations. After Pittsburgh went up 2 – 1 they hit the post three times, in situations that could have probably "put the nail in the coffin", another opportunity missed.

Not only have the Habs played a brilliant series in front of the best goaltending performance I have seen in many years, the Hockey Gods seem to be shining on Montreal.

Has Lapierre ever scored such a beautiful goal? How many times has a juicy rebound been sitting on the doorstep with no Penguins able to push it home? How many times has a rookie D-man been called into action and performed as well as P.K. Subban? Who predicted that Cammalerri would have found the back of the net so many times? Who would have thought that Montreal would have the offensive firepower to win two games in this series that they were losing in the second period?

I would like to once again congratulate the Habs on making the Eastern Conference Finals, and wish them well. I will be cheering for you the rest of the way!!

I would also like to take a minute to thank all of you Habs fans. I always take the time to read the blogs of whom ever my beloved Penguins are playing and I have yet to run across fans that are as gracious in a loss as they are a win, and who have the ability to look past their fandom and appreciate both teams on the ice.

P.S. Please stop booing Sid Crosby, I don’t think it has nearly the affect on him as Hall Gill and company do, and it doesn’t represent you in the way you deserve to be.

Complaining about non-calls

2010-05-07T13:47:54Z

I am tired of hearing fans of any NHL team complain about officiating during an individual game or series. Face it, as fans of the NHL it is one of those things that you will just have to accept. There are rules on the books and although there really is no room for interpretation, each official looks at the rules a bit different. They look at the situation in the game, which team has had the last penalty called on them, and the consequence of the players infraction before determining if they should raise their arm.

Hooking should be the same in the first period when the score is 5 – 0 as in the third period when the score 0 – 0. Boarding should be the same regardless of the extent of the injury / non – injury it causes.

I have been watching the NHL for the better part of 30 years and in that time I have seen it time and time again that the calls that are made in the regular season have changed come playoff time. Please complain about the officiating in the NHL, I will gladly join you, but complain about the officiating as a whole otherwise you are wasting your time. I take that back you are probably wasting your time anyway as Gary Bettman could care less what the fans think.

They played us 1-0

2010-05-05T01:51:29Z

It was painfully obvious that the pens wanted to try and win 1-0 in the second period after being throttled in the first...but scoreless. Somehow the Habs didn't realize what they were doing. As good as the coaching has been in the post season, they never adjusted to what was changed on the part of the Pens. Great shot by malkin, and I thought that you should give that shot, so oh well with the PK. 5 on 5 we were average, very good in the first, but crappy in the second...and impassionate in the third. Sure there were a few good chances, but no urgency at all. I know their shooting percentage all year has been good, but with only 18 shots, while some were good, that simply isn't enough. Not the end of the world until Guerin and Stall come back and Markov is still out. I still believe they can win the series, but they may have really hurt their chances by no taking advantage of the Pens injuries.

The Home of Hockey

2010-04-29T04:02:03Z

There was talk about DC vs Montreal, no comparison. The home of hockey has returned to the center of the hockey universe. This is why we love Montreal:
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven

I hate the fact I live in Tampa while in Montreal it looks like New Orleans during Mardi Gras! All Montreal fans can be proud tonight, the boys played like we all knew they could. Go Habs Go!!!

On to Pitt...

Here's to Habs Eyes on the Prize!

2010-04-18T23:53:12Z

Looking at the last two posts here, I gotta say that the professionalism (I know that's a term that's lacking to describe Robert L, but its what I can come up with right now) that this blog is conducted with is impressive.

I won't add to these blogs, for I believe all of what had been said needed to be, but I missed the opportunity to add, and I am ok with that.

I just wanted all of us to take a step back and to see the diplomacy that Robert uses in sharing his insights, while listening to all, and still managing to keep the issue about the game, the topic etc and not about the person's writing. I have been reading here for a couple of years now, gladly, and I will continue to do so. I don't always agree with Robert, but, we as fans of teams and bloggers alike, don't need to be smitten with what is done by either of them.

To the Caps fans who added their two cents worth, thanks for the lively banter and your viewpoint. We, as Habs Fans may not appreciate the overall point, but that's ok. This is a forum to share your thoughts. Which you clearly did.

Looking forward to watching the games on home ice, wishing Bob Cole was commentating on CBC... but I'll be fine with Pang, Maguire and the crew at TSN

Key to the series?

2010-04-15T02:01:08Z

From Japers' Rink:

I agree, Montreal was 2 for 8 on the PP against us when they played at the Verizon Center this year. They were also 3 for 9 in Montreal. Most of the goals they scored against us were on the 5 on 5…

So we can score 5 on 5 AND on the power play?!?! The achilles heel of the Habs has been the offense, and that is a stat that actually gives me some hope the we can compete with the high powered Caps.