Have you ever wondered why certain players won’t sign in Montreal? Some people chalk it up to the intense media scrutiny, but I think that is a much weaker argument than the always ever so important money issue. In this modern age of the NHL, most players have extremely savvy agents who have a team of well versed lawyers and accountants working for them non-stop to make sure that their players get to take home as much of their salaries as possible. The city of Montreal, however, as you can read here, makes that extremely difficult, and the players know it. [TSN]
Club 1909 is here. Club what? Club 1909, you know, the new Montreal Canadiens “SuperFan” club that launched on Wednesday that you will definitely want to be a part of. This new club, initiated by owner Geoff Molson, is designed to make the Montreal Canadiens synonymous with hockey around the world much like other global brands like Manchester United in soccer, the New York Yankees in baseball, the Los Angeles Lakers in basketball, etc. It’s only fitting that the most storied franchise in hockey history be at the center of the global hockey world right? Read all about it and get the details on membership right here. [Globe and Mail]
Eric Engels gives us his take on the first four games played by the Habs this season and what they need to work on moving forward. [Hockey Buzz]
Michael Bournival, who has yet to play a game for the Habs in 2014-2015, was sent down to the AHL Hamilton Bulldogs on Wednesday to get some playing time in. He will be back next week, don’t worry. [EOTP]
Get ready everybody, Quebec legend and Habs’ good luck charm Ginette Reno, will be back to sing the national anthem’s on opening night. [CJAD]
Are you excited for tonight’s home opener against Boston? Remember the infamous “handshake incident” involving Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic and the Montreal Canadiens after the Habs eliminated the Bruins in Game 7 in May? Lucic was asked about it on Wednesday, get ready for the game tonight and listen to what he had to say about it. [TSN]
Around the league
The Philadelphia Flyers are off to a really bad start (0-2-2) to the 2014-2015 season. In a city that is sports crazy, that will not “fly” (sorry that was really corny), but it might have to do this year as some would say that the Flyers just are not a very good team. [Broad Street Hockey]
FANTASY ALERT: Check out NHL.com’s “Top 60” defensemen rankings after week 1. It looks like Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman is making a big move up the ladder. [NHL]
The Los Angeles Kings have announced the signing of Corsi dynamo Jake Muzzin to a five-year extension worth $20M. The defenseman was drafted in 2007 by the Pittsburgh Penguins, but was never signed. He signed on with the Kings in 2010 and was a big part of the 2014 Stanley Cup championship team. He was slated to become a RFA after this season. [Yahoo]
Some were saying that Anaheim Ducks rookie goalie was going to make a push for the Calder Trophy this season, but after allowing 6 goals to the Penguins to begin the season last week, he has since not started and one Wednesday was sent to the AHL to get a little sharper. [ESPN]
It looks like Rogers is off to a great start with over 10 million viewers in just the first week of action. [National Post]
