Montreal Canadiens
- Marc Bergevin either has perfect recall for hockey minutiae, or just uncanny supernatural powers. Also, the guy has undeniable style. [The Globe and Mail]/
“[Montreal Canadiens coach] Michel [Therrien] can’t get over it – I remember every kid I played with when I was 12 years old. He’ll throw out a name and I’ll tell him, ‘Sure, I played midget AAA with that guy.’ You wore number 23, right Michel? [Habs assistant coach] Jean-Jacques [Daigneault] wore 15, [Pittsburgh Penguins legend] Mario [Lemieux] had 27 or 12, depending on the year,” says Bergevin, the Habs’ third-year general manager and one of hockey’s most fascinating executives
[…]
Recently, Bergevin ran into a minor-hockey teammate at Méchant Boeuf, a restaurant he’s been known to frequent in Old Montreal. Bergevin hadn’t seen the man in three decades, but he identified him by the number he wore at age 11.
-
Devante Smith-Pelly joined a very young team for his first game versus the Maple Leafs. A bright sign of the future to come? [The Montreal Gazette]
-
Andre Savard talks about being a Montreal GM, from his experience back in 2001. Fun fact: Savard was the GM who fired then-coach Michel Therrien from the Canadiens, but then later worked as an assistant coach to Therrien with the Penguins. [RDS] (French)
-
John Lu on Montreal trade rumours: “Their biggest need continues to be goal production.” [TSN]
-
Check out this fantastic drawing of #31 in action.
Around the League and Elsewhere
-
Kyle Dubas, assistant GM to the Toronto Maple Leafs, recently presented “How Analytics has Limited the Impact of Cognitive Bias on Personnel Decisions” at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, ie. why math proves your gut instincts aren’t always right. [NHL]
-
Dany Heatley, a veteran with thirteen years of NHL experience (and 50 in ’07, I know), adjusts to a life in the minors with the Norfolk Admirals. Does anyone else find this story really subtly sad, and they can’t explain why? [New York Times]
-
After having his HHOF career snapped short by a concussion, Mike Richter is still doing his part to raise awareness for brain injuries. [New York Times]
On one hand, Richter sees the numbers of concussions rising, as players get bigger and faster and the game’s speed continues to increase, leading to bigger collisions. On the other, the understanding of concussions that has evolved since he last played in the N.H.L. — he still plays recreationally in a men’s league, as a forward — is comforting.
- Brad Marchand went for a spectacular dive on the Bruin’s Friday game versus New Jersey. [The Score]
