Flyers play nice, do Pens a big favour

Briere and Crosby relax after a game

Ever the team to uphold the high morals of good sportsmanship, the Flyers won game four of the series, which now allows the Pengiuns to bask in the feel-good moment of winning the series on home ice.

Jeff Carter, Daniel Briere and Joffrey Lupul acted nice and scored first-period goals, hanging on for a 4-2 win Thursday night and forcing a fifth game in the Eastern Conference final. Jordan Staal had two third-period goals as the Penguins made things interesting but still lost for only the second time in the playoffs.

Lupul also added an empty netter while Martin Biron did his share for the Sunday's Pittsburgh ticket holders with a 36-save effort.

Pittsburgh will have another crack at clinching their first Cup berth in 16 years Sunday afternoon in the friendly confines of Mellon Arena, where the Penguins are a perfect 7-0 in the playoffs.

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Team Canada realizes that Norway is... well... Norway

They like their Norwegian wood

Granted, it took until about the mid-point of the game before someone on the Canadian bench had a revelation: "Hey, we're not playing the Russians... this is f'n NORWAY. They've got, like one city and a population of something like 32-thousand. Granted, Norwegian chicks are primo, but a hockey power thay ain't."

And with that, Team Canada woke up and decided to play some hockey, eventually running away with an 8-2 win in their quarter-final game.

Derek Roy scored two of his three goals in a span of 2:42 late in the second period to turn a close 3-2 game into a 5-2 runaway to help Canada to an 8-2 quarterfinal victory over Norway on Wednesday and set up a semi-final date with Sweden at the 2008 IIHF World Championship.

The Canadians and pesky Norwegians were knotted at 2-2 when the defending world champions sealed their seventh straight win on home soil by scoring three unanswered goals in the second period.

Johathan Toews put a quick wrist shot past goalie Pal Grotnes at 9:57 of the second, beating him high to the glove hand while Canada was on the power play.

Roy made it 4-2 at 14:08 on another power play, beating Grotnes from close in, and the Buffalo Sabres forward capped a great effort at 16:50 with another close-in shot that beat Grotnes, who again was Norway's best player. Grotnes caught Canada's attention six days earlier in a 2-1 loss to the home side, a game in which he made 50 saves.

Roy completed the hat trick at 11:40 of the third period, swinging around in front of the net and tucking a wrist shot under the crossbar for his fifth goal of the tournament.

Dany Heatley scored his 10th goal in seven game 37 seconds after the game’s opening face-off, giving Canadian fans visions of a runaway victory, much like the 10-1 win over Germany on Saturday.

But the Norwegians play a gritty style of hockey, and gave the Canadians all they could handle for the first half of the game, pulling even at 2-2 on a Mathis Olimb goal 5:32 into the second period.

But the Canadians kept coming in waves and wore down their opponents, controlling the play for much, if not all, of the second half of the game. Rick Nash, with a pair of goals, and Ryan Getzlaf also scored for the Canadians, who now head to Quebec City for Friday's semi-final against the Swedes, who beat the Czech Republic 3-2 in overtime.

The Getzlaf-Nash-Heatley line combined for seven points and now has 39 points in seven games.Cam Ward made 22 saves in goal for Canada. The Canadians take a 16-game winning streak into Friday’s game and are looking to become the first host country to win gold on home soil since the Soviet Union in 1986.

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As far as the Canadien content in yesterday's action, TurtlePlek had an assist for the Czech Republic in their 3-2 loss to Sweden.

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Stars prolong the inevitable

Those undertakers and their crazy sense of humour

"Inevitable? Even with the Stars' first win against the Wings, are you saying that they still have a snowball's chance in hell of advancing to the Stanley Cup final?"

Why yes, I am. Or to be more exact, my dog says that even with this potential last gasp, the Stars are still finished. If you've been following Centre Hice, you already know that my dog is never wrong. And TSN's Maggie the Monkey can go to hell for all I care.

The low-down on last night's game, courtesy of the good old AP:

"DALLAS - Maybe it was payback, maybe it was just good fortune. The Dallas Stars aren't going to quibble.

All that matters is Tomas Holmstrom's rear end - and possibly his reputation - cost the Detroit Red Wings a goal and the Stars took full advantage, avoiding the humiliation of getting swept out of the Western Conference finals.

Minutes after Detroit's lead was taken away, Dallas took its first lead of the entire series thanks in part to an officiating non-call. Then, Mike Modano and Brenden Morrow added third-period goals, sending the Stars past the Red Wings 3-1 on Wednesday night. 

Detroit lost for the first time since April 16, ending a nine-game winning streak that was the franchise's longest in a single post-season. Yet the Red Wings can always wonder how differently this game might've played out if they kept the 1-0 lead they appeared to have taken when a shot by Pavel Datsyuk hit the back of the net.

The goal was waved off immediately, with officials telling Detroit captain Nicklas Lidstrom that Holmstrom's backside interfered with Turco in the crease. Replays didn't necessarily confirm that, but it didn't matter because it's not a reviewable play. Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said Holmstrom's history of crowding and bumping goalies - as he did to Turco earlier this series - likely factored in. 

Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg tied it just 49 seconds into the third period, but the Stars weren't about to go away that easily. Mike Modano's one-timer on a power play put Dallas back in front, then some great stops by Turco kept it that way. 

Turco beat Detroit for only third time in 21 career starts. But say this about him: He's tough when facing playoff elimination, improving to 5-4. The bigger challenge comes at Joe Louis Arena, where he's 0-9-2.

But Detroit came out defensive, taking only five shots while concentrating on defence. The Red Wings flipped over to an offensive mindset in the second period, but just couldn't get the breaks - or the official's rulings - that they needed."

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Habs add another one to the fold

Welcome, Ryan

Habs sign prospect Ryan White to a 3-year deal. 

From today's press release, issued by the Hamilton Bulldogs:

CANADIENS SIGN FORWARD RYAN WHITE TO A THREE-YEAR CONTRACT

MONTREAL, QUEBEC - Montreal Canadiens General Manager Bob Gainey announced today that the Club has signed forward Ryan White to a three-year contract (2008-2009, 2009-2010, 2010-2011). As per club policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

White, 20, ended his four-year junior career with the Western Hockey League’s Calgary Hitmen with 237 points (91 goals, 146 assists) and 411 penalty minutes in 275 regular season games. The 6’0”, 213 pound native of Brandon, Manitoba led his team in scoring in each of the past three seasons. In 59 career post-season games with Calgary, White amassed 41 points (17 goals, 24 assists) and 88 penalty minutes.In 2007-2008, White recorded 72 points (28 goals, 44 assists), 98 penalty minutes, 8 power-play goals and had a plus-24 rating in 68 games and was named the Canadian Hockey League Player of the Week on two occasions.

Selected in the third round (66th overall) by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2006 National Hockey League Entry Draft, White also had two assists in as many games for Team WHL at the 2007 Canada-Russia Challenge.

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The only person more important than the Habs

Yes, you do *ducks*

Your Mom.

She kept you warm and wet for nine months, only to endure excruciating pain to bring you into this world. She may have even taught you to be a Canadiens' fan. You owe her... big time. Go do something nice for her today.

Happy Mother's Day!
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That sound you heard was the Flyers coming back down to earth

This one might go four.

Last night the Penguins showed why they deserve to be in the Stanley Cup finals, and the Flyers do not. My obvious bias against the Broad Street Wannbes for disposing of the superior Canadiens has nothing to do with either.

Evgeni Malkin scored twice, including one on a short-handed breakaway slapshot to show why he's the most dangerous Penguin in the lineup, Sid the Bib included. He also had an assist. Moments later, Malkin clobbered Flyers defenceman Braydon Coburn with a clean but thunderous hit. Final score: 4-2. And it wasn't that close.

The Flyers lack of overall team speed was very apparent. They showed the Pens way too much respect, and they got burned. And Martin Biron looked human.

Not a great combination if you're a Flyer's fan.

Mike Richards scored both goals for the Flyers, who didn't look like they could cope with the loss of Kimmo Timonen. The Flyers' top defenceman is out for the series to a blood clot. Considering the way that his team played last night, he should consider himself lucky.

In the World Championships, Team Canada returns to the ice this afternoon against Germany. Canada has owned the Germans at past IIHF World Championships, winning 37 of 40 games and outscoring them 234-61. That's what we said about Norway, too.

Canadien content in the tournament yesterday:

Andrei Markov had 1 shot and 4 PIM in a 4-3 win vs. Belarus;
Saku Koivu had 3 shots and 2 PIM in a 2-1 win over Latvia;
D-Cup had 3 shots and 2 PIM, B-Cup had 1 shot, and Mikhail Grabovski had 2 assists and 1 shot in their 4-3 loss to the Russians.

TurtlePlek's Czech Republic didn't play.

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They're still playing hockey? Really?

The NHL playoffs finally got back underway with the Western Conference finals last night.

And just to prove that my dog does indeed know all, the Wings jump out to the early lead by taking the opener 4-1. Ex-Hab and former Boston gunshot victim Mike Ribeiro was serving a penalty when the Wings scored their third to pull away. Looks good on you, Mikey... especially considering your latest comments regarding your former employer. What a knob...

Team Canada scared the crap out of me, and no doubt many other Canadians, as they almost fell to Norway yesterday in the World Championships. Yikes! Team Canuck had previously run roughshod over the Norwegians. 2-1 was the fingernail-biting final. Good thing I was drinking for most of the game.

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At least Centre Hice will be able to sleep tonight

In what might be the most anti-climactic announcement ever (ok, maybe not ever), Swedish phenom Fabian Brunnstrom has apparently chosen Dallas as the team that he will make his NHL debut with next season.

Um... if he's that good, then why was he passed over for the Swedish national team at the World Championships?

Here's the skinny coutresy of tsn.ca.:

The 23 year old Swedish forward officially made his decision on Thursday with Dallas edging out Montreal, Detroit and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
"In the end there was no wrong decision for Fabian," his agent J.P. Barry told The Canadian Press... Brunnstrom chose Dallas based on his belief there a combination of both roster depth and opportunity will exist when he arrives on the scene for training camp."

Brunnstrom will have a two-year entry-level deal signed within the 24 hours and will be paid in a similar fashion to a top 5 draft pick, which could translate into a cap hit of over 2 million dollars per season.

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Where would you attach the strings?

He's pretty shocked by the latest turn of events, if his photo is of any indication.

Unless you've been hiding under a rock, the big news for the Centre of the Universe yesterday was the Maple Laffs firing of coach Paul Maurice. Give the guy a crummy bunch of players to work with, then blame Maurice for the team's failure. Classy. Trust me: Maurice was not part of the problem. Toe Blake couldn't have gotten more out of the one-trick pony that was the 2007-08 Laffs.

Now it's being reported that they've approached the Canucks to ask for permission to speak with recently fired GM Dave Nonis. Nonis would be brought in to handle the Leafs' managing duties through next season. In other words, they'd be replacing interim GM Cliff Fletcher with... another interim puppet.

The reason for the short-term "solution"? Could they be hoping that Nonis would simply be keeping the seat warm for Brian Burke until his contract with the Ducks runs out next year? I hope that Burke re-ups with Anaheim for a long, long time.

On to some real hockey news:

Canada will kick off the qualification round of the 2008 IIHF World Championship against Norway this afternoon after the Norwegians fought back from a 2-0 second-period deficit last night to shock Germany 3-2 and grab second place in Group C. The Canadians have dominated Norway at past world championships, winning 14 of 15 games and outscoring the Scandinavians 96-18. Look for more of the same to continue.

Other results form yesterday:

• The neutral Swiss were anything but as they doubled up Sweden 4-2. Oh Mats, where are you now?
• Finland downed Slovakia 3-2. A well-rested Teemu Selane with the winner.
• For some Canadien content, the Kostitsyn brothers each assisted on Belarus' first goal, victimizing former teammate Cristobal Huet. Do you think that thay might have an idea how to beat the guy? Belarus over France, 2-1.

Today's remaining games: Sweden/Denmark, Switzerland/Czech Republic, and U.S.A./Germany.

And (yawn...) after a few days rest, the NHL playoffs resume in Detroit today where the Dallas Stars meet the Red Wings in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. My dog says Wings in six. FYI, my dog is never wrong.

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If he knows, he ain't saying much

I can't believe that I almost forgot to post this. Then again, I didn't have a decent autopsy drawing before now, either.

GM Bob Gainey and coach Guy Carbonneau gave their post-mortem on the Habs' 2007-08 season in a Bell Centre press conference.

In case you're interested, you can listen to the audio here. Not much new/unexpected info if you've been following the team all season, though a focus on the forwards appears to be the mandate for the offseason.

Speaking of...

That Swedish kid that's supposed to be the next coming of, well, EVERYONE... Brunnstrum... Burnsgum... Barrnstorrming... whatever the hell his name is, has apparently whittled down the choice of teams that he'd like to start his NHL career with to four. And you guessed it, the Habs are one of 'em. The kid was in the Bell Centre last Saturday night to witness the demise of their season, so I guess that we can cross Montreal off the list. Unless, of course, his tour of the city included some of the choicier strip clubs and a side trip to Schwartz's.

Other teams in the running appear to be the Laffs (puke!) Dallas, and Detroit.

Something tells me he's going to me wearing red and white next year.

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"Clunk" is the sound that the other shoe makes

Just because we like to poke fun at the guys down the 401 whenever the occasion arises:

It looks like the Laffs have done the expected and have fired now former coach Paul Maurice. Strange timing, though, considering that interim GM Cliff Fletcher had said that Maurice's employement status would be the decision of Fletcher's replacement.

Then again, nothing surprises me when it comes to MLSE.

There's even a report that Bobby Clarke may be interested in the Toronto GM job.

I hope he takes it. They were made for each other, and it will guarantee that the Laffs will be cup-less for another 10 years.

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What? Someone's still playing hockey?

The Habs may be on horseback staring at the sunset (not the best analogy, but it allowed me to use the cool cactus photo), but there's still plenty of hockey action out there:

• In the World Hockey Championship, Danny Heatley scores the winner in the final minute as Team Canada defeats the U.S.A... just as it should be;
• Russia takes out Denmark 4-1;
• The Czech Republic lays a back alley beating on Italy, 7-2, and shows them how the game is really played;
• And in the "I didn't even know these guys had a team" game, Latvia beats Slovenia 3-0.

The good news if you're still looking for a Hab-related fix: Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn and Mikhail Grabovski are wearing the world-championship jersey of with their native Belarus. Tomas Plekanec has answered the call for the Czech Republic, as has Canadiens' captain Saku Koivu (Finland) and Andrei Markov (Russia).

This gives us lots of options to hopefully be able to call at least one Hab a champion this year.

And I'm pretty sure that the NHL semi-finals are set in stone, not that we really care. Go Red Wings, I guess...

Moving sucks without the beer

Ok, I'll come right out and say it: moving sucks. Or more specifically, it's the packing before the moving that I don't have a fondness for.

As you go through the pile of crap that you've accumulated since your last move you end up having to ask yourself, "Is this worth spending the time end effort packing, or would it simply be easier cutting the ties and tossing it in the trash?"

Yesterday was moving out day for the 2007-08 version of the Montreal Canadiens. Players packed ther belongings and got ready to leave the Bell Centre for the last time this season. Most will be back next season.

Some will not.

During this off-season, Habs GM Bob Gainey and his staff will have to decide whose getting kicked to the curb. Michael Ryder, Bryan Smolinski, Pratrice Brisebois and Mark Streit are the unrestricted free agent roster players, while Mikhail Grabovski, Andrei Kostitsyn, Ryan O'Byrne, Maxim Lapierre, Joroslav Halak, and Josh Gorges are all restricted free agents.

Considering that he was all but ignored by coach Carbo down the stretch and the playoffs, Ryder seems like a forgone conclusion for a ride on the last garbage truck out of Montreal, and Smolinski might soon follow. Smols had a decent stretch run, but was it worth re-upping for another two million per? Sorry, Bryan. You've been nominated to drive the truck that hauls Ryder's ass out of town.

Favourite fan whipping boy Patrice Brisebois will be interesting. While the popular thought is that he will retire before next season, he proved himself a valuable enough veteran presence on the blue line that fans actually -- gasp! -- demanded his inclusion in the lineup. Should he decide that he'd like one more kick at the can, another one year contract as a depth defenceman for insurance might not be out of the question. A more desirable scenario? The Breezer moves off the ice to coach the upcoming crop of young defensive talent that appears ready to make the leap to become full-time NHL'ers.

Mark Streit seems to be the only real question mark. He was third on the team in scoring with 62 points behind Kovy and the TurtlePlek, and proved himself to be a valuable and flexible asset during the regular season. Defence? No problem? Forward? No problem. Quarterback the powerplay? Got that covered, too. And at $600,000 a tremendous bargain. Unfortunately he disapeared like a magician's bunny during the playoffs, though a back injury no doubt hampered his play. Apparently the Swiss Mister's desire is to remain in Montreal, playing defence, for a while to come. Now all he and Gainey have to do is figure out for how long and for how much. Details, details.





As far as the restricted free agents go, both Andrei Kostitsyn and Josh Gorges had breakout years. Bob should do himself a favour and lock up the D-Cup before the Russian super league comes sniffing around and makes an offer that Andrei can't refuse. Georges started the year a little shaky, but quickly matured as the season progressed. Though not the biggest of blueliners, the kid can skate and can move the puck smartly out of his own zone. I'd take him on the Centre Hice team any day.
Ryan O'Byrne got his first taste of Hab action this year. Look for next season to be his breakout. I'm getting more than a little excited thinking about the twin towers of the Komisaurus and the Rhino crushing those foolish to go wide on them when entering the Habs zone. Sign him for a long, long time.
Will Jaro Halak be back next year? He's got the talent to be a starter in this league, but with Carey Price having staked claim to that position for the next, oh, 20 years or so, Halak seems to have it the glass ceiling in Montreal. If he can't find a starting job in the NHL, he might split for Europe along with Mikhail Grabovski. That said, I just can't see Yann Danis at Price's backup. Cedric Desjardins, anyone?
Anyone?
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Just another reason to drink

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

I know that it has nothing to do with either the Canadiens or hockey, but Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "5th of May") commemorates an initial victory of Mexican forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín over French forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. The date is observed in the United States and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride... and a reason to drink Mexican beer!

It also times nicely with this year's exit of the Habs from the NHL playoffs.

Too bad we couldn't make it to the Cayman Islands for their annual Cinco de Mayo air guitar competition. Oh well, pass me another Corona instead. Una cerveza, por favor!!!

Carbo announces "therapy day" for certain players

In somewhat of a surprise move, Coach Carbonneau today announced that a portion of the squad will be given the day off to help heal their bumps and bruises.

"It'll be a long summer," said Carbonneau. "We need the guys ready in time for training camp, which is only four months away. And believe me, not playing hockey can take a toll on you. People say that swinging a golf club or gardening is recreation. We know different."

Players receiving the therapy day include Alex Kovalev, Saku Koivu, Tomas Plekanec, Andrei Kostitsyn, Sergei Kostitsyn, Patrice Brisebois, Chris Higgins, Tom Kostopoulos, Andrei Markov, Mark Streit, Bryan "with a y" Smolinski, Roman Hamrlik, Steve Begin, Francis Bouillon, Mike Komisarek, Josh Gorges, Maxim Lapierre, Guillaume Latendresse, Mathieu Dandenault, Ryan O'Byrne, and goalies Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak.

Carbonneau also announced that Michael Ryder will be the only player to hit the ice this afternoon in a session that will include two hours of suicides followed by rudimentary stickhandling skills.
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Mmmm. It's got that new blog smell.

I love that title. I'm pretty sure that someone's used it before, but I'll claim ignorance and we'll just keep it our little secret.

Last night I was sitting around with a buddy as we consoled each other after the Habs' recent and sudden exit from the 2008 playoffs. After putting up with my post game alcohol-fuled rant, he suggested that I put my thoughts into words as a way of helping myself deal with my anger management. He even bet me five bucks that I wouldn't do it.

Today, I am five dollars richer.

One thing that he was correct about: Centre Hice will no doubt be an excercise in therapy for me... without the rediculously high shrink bills.

"So you start up a Habs blog after the season is over?"

Being a Habs fan, there is no off-season. The summer is just a really long run up to the next campaign. Sure, there will be less to write about during those long summer days, but maybe that's a good thing since I'm new to this.

As you probably already know if you're a Canadiens fan worth your weight in Bruins jerseys, there are already many who blog about the Habs, and no doubt do it better than I ever will. Robert at Eyes On The Prize and the guys at Four Habs Fans are a couple of my current favourites, and are well worth checking out. If you want to see how the pros do it, then I suggest reading what Dave, Mike, Kevin and company have to say over at Habs Inside/Out.

If you like what you read on Centre Hice, (or even better, if you DON'T like what you read) feel free to leave a comment. Please. Otherwise I'll have nightmares of the comment counters sitting at "0" forever, and I don't think that my psyche could handle it.

I am, after all, a Habs fan.

Thanks for stopping by.
Chuck
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