Habs rookie camp opens today (and other links)

With rookie camp opening today at 4:00 PM, we are mere hours away from the first on-ice action of the 2013-2014 season. If you want to kill some time before the birth of another Canadiens campaign, check out these fine links from around the hockey world.

Habs News and Analysis

• Marc Bergevin was pretty candid at Montreal's preseason golf tournament on Tuesday, meaning that I have some genuine roster news to pass on to you. The most pertinent stuff is listed below.

Brian Gionta is still in the process of rehabbing from surgery on his left biceps tendon and may not be ready to go on opening night.

Bergevin reckons that December is the earliest we will see Alexei Emelin following his knee surgery.

George Parros had off-season surgery on his rotator cuff, which could hinder his ability to sit in the press box on opening night.

Alex Galchenyuk's golf swing is upsetting.

• With a ring on his finger, new pads on his legs, and a new goalie coach at his side, Carey Price hopes for a fresh start after struggling last season. Dave Stubbs has the scoop.
• Christopher Boucher graphs the rate of successful offensive and defensive "touches" in the offensive zone for Montreal's 2013 season. Offensive touches include "shots on net, completed passes, and successful dekes." Defensive touches include "successful stick-checks, successful body checks, and blocked opposition passes or dump-outs." One performance worthy of note is Lars Eller's, who led Montreal's centre group in both successful offensive and defensive touches per minute of ice time.
• Habs third round pick in the 2013 draft Connor Crisp was dealt from the Erie Otters to the Sudbury Wolves. He hasn't let that bother him though:

Despite everything that's happened in the last 24 hours, still focused and excited to be heading @CanadiensMTL rookie camp today!

— Connor Crisp (@connorcrisp23) September 4, 2013

General News and Analysis

• The Nashville Predators misspelled their own nickname in an email to season ticket holders, drawing sniggers from around the sports world. Much like Pitbull, Nashville's PR department took this negative and turned it into a positive, winning the day with a new and improved email.
• Here's a collection of humorous tweets assembled by Battle of California's resident goof Megalodon.
• The first regular season game of the 2013-2014 KHL season is in the books, with Dynamo Moscow defeating Traktor Chelyabinsk 5-1. Chunklets has the scoop on the game as well as a bevy of team previews for your enjoyment.

Archive Material and EOTP News

• In a CBC Radio interview from 2012, Chris Nilan talks about being the subject of an autobiographical documentary called The Last Gladiators.
• I'm in love with this headline: Latest U.N. Report Shows Raider Nation At Bottom Of Human Development Index Rankings. I know it's completely irrelevant to hockey and the site, but it's so wonderful that I had to include it here anyway.