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Saturday Habs Links: Early season success and stumbles

Here are your daily links, including the Habs early season surprise, Lars Eller's polarising effect on fans, more on the Alexei Emelin hit, and more.

By Sam Li
Oct 13, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Montreal Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien on the bench against the Tampa Bay Lightning
Oct 13, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Montreal Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien on the bench against the Tampa Bay Lightning
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Montreal Canadiens

  • Despite a lackluster roadtrip, Canadiens are still the top team in the NHL as of yesterday night, making them one of the 8 early season surprises.[Grantland]
  • (French) What is the Habs' front office's stance on fancy stats? Marc Bergevin used to hire a small firm (Coleman Analytics), but starting this season has shifted the responsibility to members of personnel already in place. Michel Therrien says that he's been looking at them for two years now, but also relies on "gut feeling". [La Presse]
  • Listen to this podcast about Eller's polarising effect on fans. On one hand, he seems to be the latest Habs scapegoat. On the other, he doesn't have the best of line-mates, and Therrien keeps him in limited minutes. [TSN 690]
  • (French) The Sochi gold medal probably gave a huge boost to Carey Price's confidence, says retired goaltender Kirk McLean. Also, read more about Therrien's offensive style and dangerous "unfinished" hits here. [RDS]
  • Alex Burrows will be suspended for three games, following his hit on Alexei Emelin. [EOTP]
  • Rewatch the hit and Therrien's reaction here: [Sportsnet]

Around the League and Elsewhere

  • Thomas Vanek has been linked to a money laundering case involving gambling debts. A bookmaer pleaded guilty to laundering $230,000, which was paid off using an Islanders cheque. No word is the cheque belongs to Vanek or not. [CBC]
  • George Parros, Scott Stevens, and Owen Nolan were interviewed for a job with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety. All three are noted for their physicality, but Parros leads the pack with actual being a career enforcer. [Puck Daddy]
  • Scott Harnell's Larry Bird costume is uncanny. [SB Nation]
  • Philadelphia Flyers also sign Carlo Colaiavoco, formerly of the St.Louis Blues. [Broad Street Hockey]
  • Profile of author Howard Shapiro, who just wrote his first graphic novel "The Hockey Saint", about a young player coming to grips with his new stardom. [NHL]
  • There's no such thing as "just a fourth line" anymore for the New York Rangers, as teams discover that having four consistent and specialised lines is one of the keys to success. [Blueshirt Banter]

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