Montreal Canadiens news and notes
- Dennis Bernstein believes the Canadiens will break the 100 point plateau this year. [TSN 690]
- Andrew Berkshire walks us through the top 23 wingers in the league based on statistics. Spoiler alert, the Habs’ captain is number five. [Sportsnet]
- Too many players have fallen short at camp this year, says François Gagnon. [TSN]
- Will Jonathan Drouin be able to make Habs fans forget about Alexander Radulov? [RDS]
- Things seem to be in a steady state of decline for Alex Galchenyuk, who finished his last playoff game on the fourth line, and may just start the season there too. [La Presse]
- There are some aspects of life in a hockey team that aren’t obvious to outside observers. Rookies, it seems, are not above being star-struck. [John Lu]/
#Habs Hudon says he finally got over his “nervousness” around Plekanec and “learned how to say ‘hello’ properly”. Rookie reverence of a vet.
— John Lu (@JohnLuTSNMtl) September 29, 2017
- Paul Byron is a handyman, both on and off the ice. [Montreal Gazette]
- One day after the Canadiens’ coach suggested the team may need to acquire more help on the blue-line, rumours continue to swirl about the team’s interest in depth-forward and character guy Chris Neil. [La Presse]
- Here’s a photo of the legendary Jean Béliveau that you may not have seen before. /
How about
Jean Beliveau in a curling sweater with his dog and daughter pic.twitter.com/ba4PShxpgP— Jen (@NHLhistorygirl) September 29, 2017
- Jared Book takes a look back at the rise of women’s hockey icon Charline Labonté from scrappy young hopeful to an Olympic champion and inspiration. [EOTP]/
Around the League and Elsewhere
- One of the marks of greatness is to never settle, never be satisfied. That certainly describes the attitude of superstar forward Vladimir Tarasenko, who expects more from himself this year. [NHL]
- Jaromir Jagr will not dress for Kladno in the KHL, possibly by request of an interested NHL club. [Zdenek Janda]
- In fact, there could be as many as three teams in the mix for Jagr’s services. [NBC Sports]
- The Ottawa Senators have signed goaltender Craig Anderson to a contract extension. [Senators]/
Pierre Dorion confirms that the #Sens have extended Craig Anderson for 2 years (4.75 AAV).
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) September 29, 2017
- Pierre LeBrun believes this year could see more trade action from the NHL’s General Managers. [FRS]
- The NHL is the least diverse of the major four pro sports leagues in North America, leaving its 30-odd african-american players isolated. Now the spotlight is on them as everyone tries to get a soundbite regarding anthem protests. [The Star]
- Retired former Habs player Eric Chouinard has been introduced as the new Director of Player Safety in Quebec’s major-junior hockey league. [QMJHL]/
