Montreal Canadiens
- Elliotte Friedman: “You wonder if both the coach and the players are adjusting to the loss of Gerard Gallant on the bench. Gallant was an important conduit between Therrien and the dressing room. Therrien, who wields a hammer, needs that buffer.” [Sportsnet]
- Jarred Tinordi to the AHL – is Montreal handling its young defensemen correctly? [TSN 690]
- At least Jiri Sekac is still in the lineup. Habs also went through a tough practice on Friday, with emphasis on individual battles with P.K. Subban and Alex Galchenyuk. [La Presse] (French)
- Guy Lapointe career rundown. This guy seems to be okay at hockey. [RDS] (French)
- The jersey retirement ceremony will begin at 6:30 P.M. tonight. If you’re going, get there early. [Canadiens]
- Top three Guy Lapointe practical jokes. This one’s my favourite, but the Pierre Trudeau one comes close: [Montreal Gazette]
He once pranked his own coach, Scotty Bowman, at a Verdun Auditorium practice, tucking a whistle into his glove and skating in the pack, secretly blowing it to cut short skating drills. After a few aborted sprints, Bowman had gone from puzzlement to confusion to anger and soon was scanning the stands for a troublemaking fan with a whistle. Who didn’t exist.
Around the League and Elsewhere
- Here’s a mock up of Eastern Conference NHL jerseys with ads on them. (It’s terrible.) [EOTP]
- Are we actually going to get ads? According to a NHL spokesman, jersey ads are not a priority for the league right now. Bob McKenzie says it’s inevitable, just not for a few years yet. [CBC, TSN 690 (skip to the 5:00 minute mark)]
- Same Elliotte Friedman article as above, but worth reading for a separate section on infra-red chips on athletes. A Florida State football coach claimed that tracking players “virtually eliminated soft-tissue injuries”. Using this could have huge effects on coaching, training, player trades, and league discipline. [Sportsnet]
- Daniel Winnik took a nasty fall to the ice on his head. He was stretchered off, but reports say he is 100% fine. [SB Nation]
- How not to defend your own net, a saga in three seconds by Brandon Bollig and Raphael Diaz. Good though for Tampa Bay rookie Cedric Paquette, who scored his first NHL goal. [SB Nation]
- Connor McDavid’s point streak stopped at 14 games and 42 points, in a 5-2 loss to the Niagara IceDogs. [NHL]
