Montreal Canadiens news and notes
- Around Christmastime, David Savard realized that his body was failing and the end of his career was approaching. On Friday, he announced that he will be retiring at the end of the Canadiens’ playoff run. [La Presse]
- The situation will provide extra motivation for the team. [Montreal Gazette]
- “For us, the focus is on winning the first game,” Savard says of the team’s approach to playing the Washington Capitals. [TVA Sports]
- Breaking down the Canadiens-Capitals matchup. [TVA Sports]
- “You can’t be a thermometer, you have to be a thermostat,” Martin St-Louis says about handling the emotional aspect of the post-season. [TVA Sports]
- Juraj Slafkovský and Lane Hutson were focused on making the playoffs right from the start of the season. [TVA Sports]
- Montreal has the ability to pull off an upset. [Montreal Gazette]
- A couple of NHL.com writers pick the Habs to beat the Capitals. [NHL.com]
- The price of pre-sale tickets is sky-high for Games 3 and 4 at the Bell Centre. [La Presse]
- The biggest and best goals of the season. [TVA Sports]
- Montreal’s power play will be a key component versus Washington. [Sportsnet]
- Martin St-Louis says it may not be long until Ivan Demidov joins the top power-play unit in the post-season. [RDS]
- The Canadiens currently have a $1.7-million bonus overage for next season, which could increase if Demidov hits any of his bonuses. [PuckPedia]
- Yvan Cournoyer discusses his post-playing career as a cabinetmaker and other topics. [Journal de Montreal]
- Ken Dryden always looked forward to the constant excitement of the NHL’s opening round. [NHL.com]
- The Lions de Trois-Rivières got a win in their first game of the ECHL playoffs. [Journal de Montreal]
- While the Montreal Victoire’s stars are participating in the Women’s World Championship, the depth players are practising daily to better support the top players in the lead-up to the PWHL playoffs. [La Presse]
Around the league and elsewhere
- Gabriel Landeskog will be an option for the Colorado Avalanche after recently making his comeback in the AHL. [NHL.com]
- Jason Robertson is week-to-week for the Dallas Stars. [NHL.com]
- Sidney Crosby wants the Pittsburgh Penguins’ veteran core to “find a way” to get back to the playoffs. [NHL.com]
- Rick Tocchet says Elias Pettersson’s preparation needs to improve. [NHL.com]
- The sexual assault trial for five members of Canada’s 2018 National Junior Team is about the culture of hockey in Canada as much as the players charged. [The Athletic]
- Vancouver will receive the first PWHL expansion team, with reports that the neighbouring Seattle won’t be far behind. [CBC]
