New training aid at Brossard

Modifications have been made to the ice surface at the Habs Brossard practice facility.

In the wake of the Habs 3-1 loss to the Florida Panthers, in which they again went 0-for-the night on the powerplay, coach Jacques Martin instructed maintenance staff at Brossard to paint a big freakin' white arrow on the ice in hopes that it would help Canadiens shooters, specifically P.K. Subban, zero in on the opposition's net.

The arrow, approximately twenty feet long, cuts a swath through the slot and between the faceoff circles, pointing directly at the blue paint of the crease. To further impress on players the role of the arrow, Martin also had the words "This Way, Subban" stenciled at the base.

"It's been no secret that through the first 11 games of the season our powerplay has sucked the balls of a donkey. Much of that has to do with the inability of our point shooters to hit the net with their shots, or at the very least get them through traffic to set up a tip or deflection."

The Hab powerplay is near the bottom of the league in efficiency at under 8%, and has been held off the scoreboard for 8 of the team's first 11 games.

The new big honkin' arrow at Brossard

"Even though it's P.K.'s name on the ice, it's my hope that other players will use the training aid to their benefit", added the coach.

When pressed about who the "other players" were that Martin alluded to, he responded, "Cammy's been missing the net by wide margins lately, too. It's been, what... nine games since that little prick scored the goal. Believe me, I wanted to include his name along with that of Subban, but the painters couldn't remember how many L's were in Cammalleri, so I told them to forget it. It's two, correct?"

According to the NHL, the Canadiens have made an application to have the big freakin' arrow painted on the Bell Centre ice for regular season games, but that move has been rejected, the NHL saying that the only markings allowed the ice during and NHL game are those as described in the NHL rules.

"If we make an exception for the Canadiens, then we'll have to make an exception for everybody," said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. "Pretty soon every team would want their own big freakin' arrow(s). I'm already having a hard enough time explaining to redneck Americans what the other lines on the ice are for. You'd think that the term 'icing' would be self-explanatory.'" 

Regardless of the view of the league, if the massive new training aid at Brossard leads to an increase in shooting percentage in game action Martin says that plans are in place to paint another big freakin' arrow at the other end of the rink in hopes of doubling the ininitiative's efficiency. 

"Maybe for the next one, we break into the swear jar and splurge and make it yellow," said Martin. "THAT would be lots of awesomeness."

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The view from the top

"If we win some games, maybe I could get a hot chick like that."

Ex-Hab Chris Higgins comes into tonight's game tied with Hab goalie Carey Price in scoring. 

They both sit comfortably in the standings, tied for second-last in the league with one assist. David Booth leads the way in scoring for the pussycats with 7 points, though he's a -4.

Tonight the Panthers play the third game of a three-game road trip, which has included losses to the Leafs and the Senators. That said, they had the day off yesterday while the Habs will be playing their third game in four nights, coming off of back-to-back victories against the Islanders. If the Canadiens aren't careful, they could end up being surprised by a team that's probably better than the standings indicate: just three wins (two of them Thomas Vokoun shutouts) and one win on the road.

Tonight marks the return of defenseman Andrei Markov to the lineup after sustaining a knee injury against Pittsburgh in last season's playoffs, and subsequent surgery. He's nothing if not a fast healer: his original prognosis had him returning around the end of November. Hopefully his return will have an immediate effect on a woeful Montreal powerplay, which is mired in second-last place in the league at a paltry 8.8% efficiency inefficiency. For some perspective, Pittsburgh, Calgary and Philadelphia have the same number of short-handed goals as the Habs have powerplay goals: 3.

Yet despite the lack of firepower with the man (or 2-man) advantage, the Habs come into tonight's game first overall in the entire league. Hopefully it'll be a long stay at the top.

2010-2011 Regular Season, Game 11: Florida at Montreal

FIRST PERIOD:

• Missed a good chunk of the first period getting in late from work. Here we go...
• Great. Flip on the game just in tome to see Price make a great glove save, but can't get across in time to get the rebound. 1-0 Panthers
• Is the team having to learn to play with Markov?
• Habs looking like they're trying to make the perfect play, instead of getting the simple things done first
• Subban is in love with his slapshot. Other teams are keying on it, though

A bit of a restless period for the Habs. Giveaways, poor passing, bad decisions, getting beat to the open puck, not skating hard enough. Hopefully Martin gives them an earful between periods. Florida had the edge in shots, 11-9.

SECOND PERIOD:

• A much livlier start to the period. They're skating harder
• Darche comes out from behind the blueline and shoves it behind Vokoun. Great effort, his 1st of the season. Tied at 1!
• Price has been a little sloppy with his puck handling
• Florida doing a good job of standing up at the blue line to try and change the flow
• Carey with a couple of HUGE stops; a breakaway, then the , which was the tougher of the two
• Hamrlik caught up ice, Spacek has to trip Booth: penalty shot, great move to the blocker side, goal. 2-1 Panthers
• 4 minutes left to pot one in this period. I don't want to see them have to come from behind in the third
• Subban throws a knee on Higgins and gets away with it
• Booth is the best player on the ice tonight
• Delay of game, then Darch high-sticked. 5-on-3 for the last 19 seconds of the period; no goal

The story so far: Panthers defense is outplaying the Habs defense. Smart decisions and quick first passes are keeping the Habs from getting presence in the Florida zone.  Full effort for their 2-1 lead. Habs look tired; RDS says that they landed at 2:30am, long after the Panthers were tucked into bed. Habs have the edge in shots with 16 (25) to Florida's 11 (22).

THIRD PERIOD:

• Habs start the period with a 5-on-3. A great opportunity here to take advantage
• One skate in front of an open net, in close, and Gionta manages to hit it. He can't buy a goal right now
• Habs keep coming, but Florida keeps turning them away. And now they've got to kill a penalty. Man, a shorty would be nice...
• Even Vokoun's juicy rebounds are turning into breakout passes
• Too much passing to guys that are covered. Then again, there's not enough skating to get open
• Time is winding down, and it feels like nothing is getting done. At least the Leafs are losing
• Passing drills in practice tomorrow, perhaps?
• Poor defensive coverage costs them again. Price makes the leg save, no one there to cover the trailer. 3-1 Panthers. And Subban takes a penalty to completely kill their chances of a comeback.
• Habs had better zone presence on that penalty kill then they did on their last powerplay

The Canadiens just couldn't get any traction that period, due to a combination of trying to be too fancy with the puck, poor execution, and sound defence by the Panthers. Their third game in four nights and fourth in six nights had them looking like a tired team. Shots in the period: 16 for Montreal (41) and 9 for Florida (31).

Thank you, Mr. Plante. Photo: Habs Inside/Out

Well, it was good while it lasted.

Their four-game winning streak ended, by the time the Habs wake up tomorrow (pending on the outcome of the Tampa/Phoenix game) they might find themselves looking up at the Lightning in the Eastern Conference standings. They'll still head up the Northeast Division, but the Bruins are making a charge on the back of Tim Thomas' other-worldly start to his season.

With the Habs only potting one goal this evening, the lack of production from Gionta and Gomez is becoming a concern, moreso when secondary scoring isn't able to pick up the slack. Normally a season-high 41 shots in a game is nothing so sneeze at, but it was a very quiet 41 shots; not many solid scoring chances with a lot of shots being directed from the outside. When the Habs were able to work the puck in close, the simply weren't able to convert. The biggest miss came midway throught the 3rd period when down ba a goal, Gionta found himself parked in front of a yawning net, only to hit the one thing between him and a sure goal: a defenseman's skate.

The biggest news of the evening (aside from the loss) was the return of Andrei Markov to the lineup. He had 5 shots on goal, another 5 wide or blocked, and played a solid 23:03. Unfortunately, the Habs seemed to view Markov's return as a cure-all for what's been ailing the team, most notably the powerplay. It fizzled again tonight, but that might have more to do with having to work Markov back into the system, and getting his teammates to work with Markov's vision and patience with the puck. Andrei's one of the league's best passers with the man advantage; get your stick open, and let Markov find you with a pass on the tape of your stick. Markov's calming presence should also help PK Subban as the trigger-man on the point, and teach Subban that shooting first and asking questions later isn't always the best plan of action. Instead, pick your spots and make sure that your shot gets through to a spot where it can be tipped or create a rebound.

After the one-game homestand, the Canadiens now head back out on the road for a game Tuesday in Columbus and Friday in Buffalo before returning to the Bell Centre to face the Senators (again!) on Saturday night. Here's hoping that in the mean time they work some extra passing drills into practice.

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Suck on this, Leaf fans



As the Friendly Giant used to say, "Look up. Look waaaaay up."



First place, bitches.

It may not happen again for the rest of the season, so pardon me while I shove it down the throats of non-believers while I'm still able.
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Fishsticks for dinner... again?



Biting the hand that feeds you


Christie Brinkley is an Islander fan.

Or at least, she purports to be in a new commercial that's shucking ticket packages for a little as 19 bucks per game. Christie must have money problems. $19? It's costs me more to go and see the Hamilton Bulldogs. But still... Christie Brinkley? Perennially on of the hottest women on the planet, and Islander fan? Makes sense, I guess, since she has a history of having a thing for losers. Clark Griswold comes to mind.

The Islanders have also created somewhat of a stir among Hab fans with their "No Habs No" campaign, which is meant to show the fans in bleu, blanc et rouge that Nassau Coliseum is Islanders country. Well, duh. If we actually liked it there, we'd make it Canadiens Country, and our snowbirds wouldn't have as far to travel.

The marketing geniuses customer unappreciation specialists of the Islanders are apparently trying to ward off a phenomenon that has beset their beleaguered franchise for a while now: their team being lustily booed in their own building. Not that it doesn't regularly happen from the locals, but Hab fans tend to show up en masse--thousands at a time--and turn the proceedings into a de facto Canadiens home game. All that's missing is Michel Lacroix on the mic and a couple of cute-as-buttons pregame flag-bearers. Hey, it's our party, and we'll 'ole ole ole' if we want to. At least we're buying your tickets, which is more that you can say for your fans. Besides, you don't want to piss us off. We burned the White House once. Don't make us come down there and do it again.

Tonight's game is the second half of a home-and-home, the Habs having skated a great game in winning Wednesday night at the Bell Centre. Rumour has it that the Canadiens are indeed carrying two goalies on their roster, and tonight we'll supposedly get visual proof of this as some guy named Alex Auld will be between the pipes. I expect him to be reasonable busy tonight. Whether or not he's reasonably good will be answered sometime around 10pm.

2010-2011 Regular Season, Game 10: Montreal at New York Islanders

FIRST PERIOD:

• D'oh! Technical problems... hopefully the game is up soon
• Bingo! Picture back just in time to see Pleks flip one up and in on the short side... and on the powerplay, no less! 1-0 Habs!
• You'd think that after that fiasco in Toronto that players would be careful around the goaltender fo the next little while. Right, Max? Laps off for goaltendner interference 
• Is Cammy a little gun-shy? He just passed up on a beauty scoring chance, instead looking to make the perfect play
• Auld looks steady, but rusty. He's being diplomatic with his rebounds, making sure that both teams receive their fair share. 
• Off the end of a powerplay, Isles have their first sustained pressure of the period

Habs picked up right were they left off against the Islanders on Wednesday night, dominating both territorial play, the shot clock, and the scoreboard. Shots in the first period: Montreal 12, Fishermen 7. 

SECOND PERIOD:

• Lots of Hab fans and empty seats. Guess that their "we'll show them who's in charge" promotion didn't work as well as they thought it would
• Isles forechecking hard in hopes of getting to the Habs before they can use their speed
• Sweet! Auld stones Matt Moulson on a breakaway! Not sweet: Pouliot falls down (again) creating the turnover that led to the breakaway. Benny... sharpen your skates!
• The "classic" design of these Iles uniforms look really sharp. Nice change considering the crap that they've worn over the last number of years
• Refs are pulling out their whistles, and the calls aren't going in favour of the Habs. No worries, 5-on-3 killed off
• 4 minutes left in the period, and the Habs have 3 shots. But they've won 21 of 31 faceoffs
• You could see that coming. Sloppy play behind the net, and Pleks misses his check in front of Auld. Bang bang, and it's tied at 1.
• Habs up to 4 shots, and more rough stuff to end the period

Welcome to the NHL, Matt Martin. He scores his first career goal in a period where the Islanders out-hustled the Habs at both ends of the ice. This was like the anti-first period. Islanders finished it with 13 shots (20), the Habs with less than a handful... 4, to be exact, for a total of 16.

THIRD PERIOD:

• Gill starts the period for 5 minutes in the penalty box
• Auld has played well enough to deserve the win. Let's see if they can get it for him. Some forechecking and a little offensive pressure would be a nice change, too
• Ugh. Habs still giving up the blue line way too easily
• That makes up for the falling down! Halpern feeds a wide-open Pouliot in the slot. Great wrist shot. 2-1 Habs!
• Aaaaand... Chris Lee strikes again. Habs have to kill their 5th penalty
• Aside from the first couple of minutes, this period has been much more even. Shots at 8 apiece
•  I'd hate to be in the 50/50 draw there tonight. You'd be lucky if you won your money back
• Auld suits the number 35 far mote than Pleks did
• Insurance goal! Gionta throws one on net from the boards, Moen deflects. 3-1 Habs!
• Isles hear the Goodbye Song in their own building. Na na hey hey... and time runs out!

That's more like it! Habs bushed back in the 3rd period, making up for the 19 minutes that they took off in the second. Auld, Pleks and Benny with the game stars. Shots in the 3rd: 10 for Montreal (26) and 11 for the Islanders (31). Habs also did a great job in the faceoff circle, winning 34 of 57.



The difference between .968 and 1.000. Thanks to Habs/Inside Out for the photo. 


I normally wouldn't eat fish twice in the span of a few days, but when it's as satisfying as feasting on the Fishsticks to the tune of four points, I'll make due.

There were quite a few sideways glances when the Canadiens signed veteran journeyman Alex Auld to backup Carey Price. Thanks to Price's great start to the season, it took until game 10 for us to see what Alex the Bald would bring to the table. Thankfully, he's been working hard to keep the rust off, and it showed in the win tonight over the Islanders. Ok, well, he was still a little rusty; a few of those long point shots, courtesy of big rebounds, ended up as secondary scoring chances in the slot. However, no harm, no foul. Kudos also to the defence who for the most part kept the shooting lanes clear and gave Auld ample opportunity to track the puck.

Two games against the Islanders, and two wins. And don't look now, but that CH that you see at the top of the league standing (at least for now) represents your Montreal Canadiens! A 7-2-1 record to start the season, especially with Andrei Markov having yet to play a game is quite extraordinary. Add to that a weak-assed, 30th-ranked powerplay, and their start is even more incredible. 

Back home against Florida tomorrow night, and the more things change, the more they stay the same. Last year Coach Martin had to deal with with the self-imposed Great Goalie Controversy. This year, it's time to play Who's Number Seven, as Martin will have to figure out who heads to the press box to make room for the return of Andrei Markov. A cursory glance would have you think that it would be Alexandre Picard who'll be sampling the Bell Centre munchies, though he's been steady as a rock and currently has a plus/minus rating of +7, which is something like 10th in the entire league.

Of course, Martin could decide to go a forward short and dress seven defensemen in order to give him a little flexibility as Markov eases back up to game speed. It's a tactic that he used last year in similar situations. Either way, it's not an easy decision. But then again, that's why he gets paid the big bucks, and I write this blog.   
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I'm a guy, but I'm not stupid

Not me (for tonight, anyway)

I might not be the brightest guy on the block, but I've never been caught standing next to someone with one of those "I'm with stupid" t-shirts, either.

Let's just say that life experience has taught me when to pick my spots, and tonight is one of those times.

My much better half has been out of town for a few days attending a series of conferences in Calgary, and for some ridiculous reason she booked her return flight to land smack-dab in the middle of the second period of tonight's game against the Islanders. I could say, "Honey, I'll be there to pick you up right after the game... just hang out at the airport bar, slam a couple back, and I'll be there before you know it", but then again I'm not stupid enough to tease wild bison like the idiot in the photo above.

Besides, she'd probably try to use some sort of logic on me like, "Aren't they playing the Islanders again for their next game? You can pretend that you didn't even miss this game."

Well, not really dear, but I'm early enough in this marriage to know that I had better be waiting at Domestic Arrivals with a hug, kiss, and a medium double cream, triple sugar when she comes through those doors.

Habs, in my absence all I ask is that you don't take any foolish penalties. That Islander powerplay has been pretty good.

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Colton Orr owes me 15 bucks

If you read this blog for any amount of time, it won't take you long to figure out that I don't like the Leafs a whole lot.

In fact, I hate them. Detest them. Despise them. In short, they suck. And as of this morning, they suck more than ever. You see, they cheated last night in order to secure themselves a victory over the Florida Panthers.

With about 9 minutes left in the game and riding a three game losing streak, Colton Orr skated out from behind the net--unmolested--and plowed over Florida goalie Scott Clemmensen, leaving a yawning cage in which moments later the Leafs would score the controversial goal. As an added kick to the crotch, Orr was credited with the goal as the puck glanced off of his skate. Here's the offending play:

Following the 'goal', Clemmensen complained to referee Stephen Walkom, whose excuse for the non-call was "I thought that you were outside of the blue paint." (Clemmensen was clearly within the blue paint of the crease when Orr tried to feel him up)

Apparently Walkom, the former head of officiating in the NHL, needs to be acquainted with the goaltender interference rule, as it states that, even if the goalie is outside of his crease he is not to be considered 'fair game', and that a goal scored must be disallowed if the contact wasn't the result of the goaltender being in the act of playing the puck.

Because of this dastardly, heinous crime committed by Colton Orr, and the stupendously inept non-call that followed it, I lost on my ProLine ticket, which means that as of this morning I'm out 15 dollars. That normally would be enough to fan the flames of my hate-on for the Leafs, but that 15 dollars was earmarked for filling my tank with gas so that I could make my weekly rounds delivering hot meals to elderly shut-ins. Without the gas for my vehicle, I figured that the next best solution would be to hire a cab to take me on my appointed rounds; unfortunately the fare would have come to more than 15 dollars, so that was a no-go, too.

Fortunately, there's an orphanage at the end of my street; I enlisted the help of the little tykes to fan out through the neighborhood to deliver the meals, but it didn't go well. The one with emphysema didn't get a block away before he collapsed; the one that they call 'Stumpy' because he only has one leg and has to use crutches wasn't quite quick enough getting across the highway, and the last one, with my final dollar, got on the cross-town bus; she's yet to return. We fear the worst.

It pains me to think of all of those grandmas and grandpas, huddled around the dinner table, shawls over their shoulders in a vain attempt at warding off the fall chill, awaiting the knock on the door that would bring them what would probably be their only hot meal of the week.

And all because Colton Orr owes me 15 bucks.

***UPDATE***

Centre Hice is awaiting security camera video from outside of the A.C.C. before last night's game that clearly shows Orr kicking a small dog and refusing to donate a couple of bucks to a junior hockey team that was fundraising for new equipment.   
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Coyote (not so) ugly

Ugly?! They're kind of cute! Photo courtesy National Geographic


Tonight, the Habs begin their busiest week of this young season.

It'll include tonight's game against the 2-2-2 Winnipeg Jets Phoenix Coyotes, that rarely-viewed, endangered breed that makes its home by scavenging for scraps on the outskirts of desert cities. Tonight's game will be followed up with a Wednesday/Friday home-and-home against the surprising New York Islanders, and the Florida Panthers at the Bell Centre on Saturday, which could mark the return of Andrei Markov.

That squeal you just heard was the Montreal powerplay jumping for joy.

Though the Habs' power play currently sits last in the league (30th, at a measly 4.2%) the 'Yotes efficiency with the man-advantage isn't much better: they're tied for 27th in the league. Could be a rough night at the rink if neither team fears plating shorthanded.

Speaking of rough, Phoenix captain Shane Doan won't play tonight; he continues to serve a three-game suspension for a blindside hit on Anaheim's San Sexton. Interesting fact: Doan is the last active player to have played for the Winnipeg Jets, having played all 14 of his seasons with Winnipeg/Phoenix.

On the road, Phoenix is playing .500 hockey, while the Habs are an average 1-1-1. at home. They'll need to bolster that record if they want to do more than just fight for 8th place in their conference. Their 3-1-0 record, good for 2nd in the conference, it's what's bolstering their ranking of 1st in their division and 3rd in the conference.

I'm really liking what I'm seeing of Carey Price, Andrei Kostitsyn, and P.K. Subban. To this point Carey's played every minute in goal (I wouldn't be surprised to see backup Alex Auld play Friday night in Long Island), AK46 is making use of all of his assets by leading the team in goal  scoring, and Subban is starting to focus his enthusiasm on the ice, more often than not making the right play instead of having to use his natural talents to dig himself of holes. He's also chipped in with 3 points in his last 4 games. Unfortunately, a streaky Mike Cammalleri is heading in the wrong direction. He's only been good for a point in his last 4 games. Tonight would be a good time to turn that around.

On the home front, my better half is off to Calgary for a two-day conference, which means that I get to watch tonight's game in my underwear. Hopefully the dog won't stare and make me self-conscious.


2010-2011 Regular Season, Game 8: Phoenix at Montreal

FIRST PERIOD:

• Hate that commercial. If I ever Double Down, please slap me. Then pump my stomach.
• Coyotes/Jets haven't fared well here over the years. Let's hope that trend continues.
• I love Gionta's 3rd gear. Forced the Yotes into a penalty to prevent a breakaway
• Great hustle as Lapierre's speed generates another interference call. Sadly, a lot or razzle, no dazzle on the ensuing powerplay
• Some dude in a neon yellow shirts keeps standing up and waving when the camera pans across him. If you're at the game, please slap him for me.
• Habs seem to go into goal prevention mode in the last minute of a period a lot. I know that you don't want to get scored on late, but that system tends to generate scoring chances for the opposition

A fairly evenly split first period, though Phoenix probably had the better scoring chances. Both Price and Bryzgalov had to be sharp. But man, both teams' powerplays are struggling. Habs now 1-for-27 on the season. The Coyotes had a slight edge in shots, 11 to 10.


SECOND PERIOD:

• Bad defensive coverage leads to a Kyle Turris shot from point-blank range. Price gets a piece of it, but not enough as it slided through his pads. 1-0 Phoenix.
• Heavy pressure in the Coyotes' zone has them running around in their zone, and Pleks cashes from 15 feet. Tied at 1! And a quick powerplay to follow...
• Hey... a powerplay goal! Cammy all alone in the slot, wrist shot, blocker side. 2-1 Habs!
• Great stuff! Habs' speed (this time Pleks) nullifies another Phoenix powerplay
• I can't say that I mind hearing english interviews on RDS. It gives my french a break
• Aaaand... Moen takes a boarding penalty late in the period. 'Yotes'll start the 3rd period on the powerplay

Habs finally score their second powerplay goal of the season not long after Plekanec (who's having a great game, IMO) ties the game. Habs take a 2-1 lead into the third, but will start on the penalty kill. Considering how good that part of their play has been, that might not be such a bad thing. Shots that period: Coyotes 7 (18) and Habs 8 (18).


THIRD PERIOD:

• Moen's dumb penalty costs them. Morris smokes one from the point on the powerplay into the top corner; Carey completely screened. Tied at 2.
• Habs looking a little haphazard in the early part of the period. Phoenix coming on a little here.
• Price has had to be sharp this period.
• Spacek hasn't been his best this game. Markov back to take some of the high-pressure minutes will help.
• Definitely more energy in this period than in the first two
• Puck went into the crowd. I'm glad that the dude in neon didn't get it
• 2 minutes left. We're essentially in overtime
• At least a point!

Shots through 3 periods: Phoenix with a 29-28 edge. The game has been as evenly-played as the shots would indicate.


OVERTIME:

• Neither team has won in overtime this season (Montreal, 0-1 and Phoenix 0-2)
• Andrei flies! (literally). Doing his best Bobby Orr impersonation, AK46 cashes a rebound 1:25 into overtime to send everyone home happy
• Kostitsyn gets the 1st star selection, then takes a tour of the ice tossing a few pucks into the crowd.



Getting ready for takeoff: AK46 nets the OT winner just before Derek Morris (#53) gives him the Bobby Orr treatment. Photo courtesy Habs Inside/Out



Fantastic! These guys are really coming together, and it's nice to see it happen in the first month of the season instead of the last. :) 5-2-1, won four of their last five, at the top of the conference... and all without Andrei Markov available to quarterback a powerplay that up until now has only potted two goals in their first eight games.

And who's leading the way? The guys that you want to see: the core of the team for years to come: Kostitsyn, Price, Plekanec, Cammalleri, Gorges. Subban has been evolving every game, and even Lars Eller has been doing the little things right. The kid's got some good hockey sense; the goals and assists will come in time as he earns himself more minutes with the top-six forwards. Scratch that... he got an assist--his first point as a Hab--on AK's overtime winner.
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A new approach to NHL scheduling

A few weeks ago I was chatting with a friend in anticipation of the upcoming NHL season, discussing what we thought would be in store for the Habs, how the rest of the league matched up against our favourite team, and by how many points the Leafs would miss the playoffs.

Somewhere between agreeing that “Vertigo” has worn out its welcome as the Habs’ goal song and a healthy Cammalleri notching 40 and ending up with more points that the Leafs, we decided that we weren’t huge fans of the way that the NHL schedules their games. Too many back-to-back games, too many road trips, and too many games against teams that are too difficult to get excited about.  In short, the season just seems too… long.

Not that we’re  thick enough to think that a league whose total revenue is so gate-driven would ever lop ten games off their schedule—it simply wouldn’t happen—but  we wondered what could be done to help make the regular season feel more like the absolute BEST time to watch hockey: the playoffs.

Currently, each team play 3 road games and 3 home games against the other four teams in their division, for a total of 24 games. To round out their conference they play 2 road games and 2 home games vs. the remaining 10 teams, for another 40 games. Against the other conference they play 18 games; one game against 12 of the teams, and 2 games (one road, one home) vs. the remaining three teams.

Personally, I don’t think that there’s a big problem with how a team’s games are currently divided up; playing more of your games against conference, division, regional and traditional rivals helps to increase interest in what could otherwise be seen as just one more game of 82.

The big problem is the apparent haphazardness of how the schedule is laid out. The Habs’ 2010-2011 season has eleven 1-game road trips, 16 sets of games on back-to-back nights, and includes 62 travel days.

What I’d like to see would be to take the AHL model and expand on it in an effort to help bring some playoff intensity to the regular season. In other words, make it a series-based schedule. Here’s what I envision it potentially looking like for the Habs:

Home games: Red. Road games: Blue

What you’ll notice is that the breakdown of games between the other teams remains the same; six against your division, four against the rest of your conference, etc. The main difference is that the games are now broken up into series. Here’s how it would lay out:

• Two 3-game series against division opponents (one home, one away)
• Two 2-game series against the remaining teams in your conference (one home, one away)
• Two games against three teams in the opposing conference: Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton (one home, one away)
• One game against each of the 12 remaining teams in the other conference (6 home, 6 away)

With this system, the final 12 games of your season would be against your division; four 3-game series, two each home and away. Additionally, to cut down on the lopsidedness of the current schedule every series would be split between the first and second half of the schedule; ex.: The Habs would play the Leafs for a 3-game series in Toronto in the first half of the season, then follow it up with a 3-game series in Montreal in the second half of the season. Against the current Canadiens 2010-11 schedule, this new format would have a number of benefits: 

• Fewer travel days (34 instead of 62). Not only would this be a big savings on transportation costs for the teams, but it would also allow for more off-days while on the road that could be used for rest and/or practice instead of catching flights.
• Reduced the number of games on back-to-back nights
• Greater flexibility in scheduling, considering the multi-use demands of NHL arenas
• Increased health and wellness of players, especially in the latter stages of the regular season and into the playoffs

Two and three-game series increase “rivalry” games vs. non-traditional rivals. Some of the most intense regular-season games that I’ve seen involved consecutive games against the same teams, most notably against the Leafs in Montreal a few seasons ago. Imagine if we could ramp up that kind of excitement in a series against, say, Atlanta. Just like in the playoffs the second game in the series would automatically have more intrigue considering that the team that lost the first game would have the opportunity to make adjustments and try to take back the victory. 

And could you imagine a 3-game series against a traditional rival like, say, Boston or Toronto where the first game is a bloodbath? The intensity for the next two games would be off the charts.

I’m drooling just thinking about it.
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Here we go again...



Go get your own history, 'Turds



Didn't we just see this movie?

I hated Groundhog Day. Didn't find it funny at all. Hopefully this rerun will be just as good as last Saturday night when we plopped our butts down to watch the Habs and Sens square off at the Bell Centre. Or at the very least end with the same result, a win for the good guys. 

Tonight's tilt goes down at the Scotiabank place in beautiful Kanata. Ok, so Kanata isn't really that beautiful. It's more serviceable than anything... kind of like Scotiabank Place. I've seen a number of games at that rink (only when the Habs are the visitors, of course) and every time I leave I promise myself that I won't be back. It's too difficult to get to, too much traffic, and I have to remember to bring along a good book for the walk to the rink from the parking lot. But the Habs are playing, so I'll willingly suffer.

It's another of those round, one-concourse cookie-cutter rinks that reflect the boring, bureaucratic personality of the community that it serves. The Palace in Auburn Hills is another one of those; a nondescript round building surrounded by a nondescript parking lot in the middle of a nondescript nowhere.

Scotiabank Place is also under served by what has to be the worst score clock and videoboards in the entire league. Honestly, I'd have a much better view of the replays if I were to stay at home and watch it on TV. And for a lot less money, too. And don't even get me started about the Sens hanging Stanley Cup banners for the accomplishments of the original Ottawa Senators, a successful, though long-defunct franchise that ended it's days known as the Eagles, strung up and left swinging in the wind from an old, knotty tree limb somewhere in St. Louis.

But they still have AK27, who for some reason I still like even though he has the distinct ability to play lazy, yet get payed a lot to do it.

They also have Daniel Alfredsson, who woke up from his slumber last night in Buffalo to smoke the Sabres with a hat trick, including an empty-netter, to notch his 1000th point in the NHL. Great... NOW we have to play him. And speaking of milestones, Kovy sits at 991 career points. That of course means that even though he's only got one point on the season (an assist) he'll pot 5 and assist on 4 more tonight to join his buddy Alfie in the K club.

The Habs will be looking to awake from their own slumber, having sleepwalked through Thursday night's game against the Devils. At least they should be well-rested for tonight. Puck drops at 7pm.


2010-2011 Regular Season, Game 7: Montreal at Ottawa

FIRST PERIOD:

• I'm predicting another one-gaol victory. Not sure who'll get the 2 points, though
• Brian Elliott's got a .888 Save%. Hopefully the Habs can lower that tonight by a few notches
• Kovy, skating backwards, misses a rub-out check along the boards. I guess that's whe he wasn't a defenseman
• Lots of hitting so far by Ottawa
• AK46 takes advantage of a loose puck in the slot... great wrist shot! 1-0 Habs!
• In a scramble, Ottawa forgets that they're playing hockey instead of soccer and blatantly kicks the puck into the net. No goal

The needed to do what they had to in that period, especially considering their terrible performance in their last game against New Jersey. Habs outshoot Ottawa 10-4, and lead 1-0.

SECOND PERIOD:

• You just know that Ottawa's going to come out charging after such a flat first period. They must've been read the riot act between periods
• Lovely. Chris Neil throws an elbow at Lapierre, then looks back to make sure that the referee didn't see it.
• Can the Habs find a way to keep the opposition from taking liberties with them?
• Moen robbed on a shorthanded 2-on-1, and tempers flare around the Ottawa goal
• I like that Subban seems to be making more conservative, wise decisions with the puck tonight
• Man, I LOVE hearing the ole's in the other team's rink!
• My new pet peeve this season: odd-man rushes that don't genereate a shot, never mind a scoring chance. Wasted opportunities by trying to be too fancy
• That's a money off of Pouliot's back! Powerplay just expired, Georges shot from the point off the end boards, tap in for Benny. 2-0 Habs!
• He's playing like a beast this year. AK46 sneaks in off the wing to cahs a short rebound. His 2nd of the game... 3-0 Habs! 

A chippy period, but the Habs manage to put a couple of short ones behind Elliott to move their lead to 3-0. Shots that period: Montreal with 17 (27) and Ottawa with 12 (16).

THIRD PERIOD:

• The dog keeps staring at me. I wonder what she wants?
• Uh-oh! One of our best penalty-killers in the box... Gill sits for 2 minutes
• Nice to see the Habs pushing instead of sitting back on the lead
• Subban and Georges have played solid games tonight
• Ottawa's been laying on some pressure over the last few minutes, but to no avail
• Lots of ole's and na-na hey-hey's. Sounds like a HUGE contingent of Hab fans at the game
• Stymied, the Senaturds look to goon it up with a minute left in the period. I'd like to see coaches get fined more often for this.



Benoit Pouliot celebrates his first goal of the regular season. Photo courtesy Habs Inside/Out



Sweet. Carey Price gets the shutout (his last one, almost two years ago, was also against the Sens), Andrei Kostitsyn pots two, and Benoit Pouliot gets the third. The young guns lead the way as the Habs play a great road game to beat the Sens 3-0. Shots in the 3rd were 7 for Montreal (34 total) and just 3 for Ottawa (19 total).

It's great to see AK46 coutinuing to play like his hair is on fire. I know, bad analogy considering his (lack of) hairline, but two more goals tonight and another all around great effort can't solely be chalked up to a contract year, can it? And if it can, sign him for another year. Then another. And another.

It looked to me like PK Subban was being targeted by the Sens tonight, including an unwarranted pile-on twards the end of the game. In fact, he's been in the sights of a number of teams so far this season as they try to take the rookie off of his game. And for the most part, he's handled it well, and good on him for it. It's all part of his maturation process as he becomes comfortable and learns to play defense in the NHL. He continues to learn to judiciously pick his spots to display his offensive talents, and it's becoming apparent that if he continues to show that he can take on even more responsability that he could very well be in the running for rookie of the year.

Man, I hope that I haven't just jinxed the guy.

And for the record, winning by more than one goal rocks. I don't know if my nerves (of the sanity of my dog) could have taken another close one.
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Marty sucks, but he's great. I'm so confused...



The net's the other way, Cammy


Tonight, the Canadiens take on the slumping Devils at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

We know this because there will be more than 8000 asses in the stands. And it's no wonder that those forked-tail bastards aren't drawing crowds at home; with a 1-4-1 record they sit 29th overall, and they rank 27th overall in both goals for (10) and goals against (21).

Interesting stat: though the season is still young, the Devils have yet to win on a weekend (0-2-0) while the Habs have yet to lose on a weekend (2-0-0). Unfortunately, today is Thursday. Both of the Hab losses--one regulation and one overtime--have come on a weekday. And the Devils only win? Yep... a weekday. Additionally, the Devils' only win has come on a road game. Someone beer me; this could be a long night.

The Devils' record is borne from a number of problems, the biggest of which may be the contract of Ilya Kovalchuk. With the cap money that his contract is sucking up, New Jersey has found themselves having to play bodies short just to fit under their daily cap allowance. Undermanned is never a good thing, especially if you can't afford to call up replacements for your injured players (Bryan Rolston, Bryce Salvador and Anton Volchenkov being the most notable). The've also been forced to fill out their defence corps on the cheap, which leads to probably their biggest hurdle: adequate protection for Martin Brodeur.

Marty isn't getting any younger, and a heavier workload during games has exposed some cracks in the armour of a goalie who up until now has had the benefit of playing behind a stifling defense. That said, you can't discount the fact that he's 38-16-5 all-time against the Canadiens, with a measly 1.78 goals against average. What it comes down to is this: he's still got the talent to will a win, especially against a team that he wants to beat more than any other.

With the benefit of a four-day layoff, Carey Price will again start in goal, meaning that Alex the Bald Auld will have after tonight (hopefully) not played a minute this season. And the revolving door continues on the Gionta/Gomez line. Tonight Tom Pyatt gets to play with the (little) big boys to see if they can generate some chemistry.


2010-2011 Regular Season, Game Six: New Jersey vs. Montreal

First Period:

• The dog's crapping everywhere, wife is suffering from mondo morning sickness in the evening... commenting could be quite sporadic tonight
• Will Pyatt be the spark that Gomez and Giona need on their line?
• Hey, a fight! Moen spent the entire thing trying to set up for the knockout instead of landing points. Lapierre's got to pass along some of his new-found knowledge
• Oops. Price doesn't hug the post, and is surprised by Parise coming out from behind the net. 1-0 Devils. Will that be all that Marty needs?
• Defensemen swatting at the puck scares me. Miss, and you're screwed
• When a player puts up his arms to say "I didn't do it", he probably did
• 20 minutes of pretty sloppy hockey. Hopefully they're shaken off the rust

Second Period:

• A slimy, greasy goal due to hard work would do the Habs good right about now. They've got to make life difficult for Brodeur
• Decent penalty kill. Will it bring some momentum?
• Good gap control by the Devil's defense. Need some quick passes to open up some skating room
• Devils are making it look like the Habs are playing on a smaller rink
• To stay competitive, Marty's girth will continue to grow in proportion to his diminishing mobility
• NJ powerplay expires, Hab defenseman deflects a point shot between Carey's pads. 2-0 Devils.
• After all these years, Brodeur really knows how to sell a goalie interference call
• 2 slimy goals for NJ, and two really boring periods of hockey. I could have been at Rock Of Ages tonight.

Third Period:

• Showing more energy in the first 2 minutes. Guess that JM reminded them between periods that they're wearing skates
• Price screened on a knuckler from the point. 3-0 Devils
• Powerplay. Pot one... please?
• Marty's seeing everything, and Habs are second to all rebounds
• NO bounces going Montreal's way tonight. They're even missing open nets
• If the Habs don't start cashing in on a few powerplays, teams will willingly start taking penalties. When's Markov back?
• Price with a great stop point-blank. He's had to make some great saves tonight, could've been 6-0
• The three shots against in the last 15 seconds will help Price's save% a little 

Zzzzzzz.... huh? what? The game's over? Next time the play the Devils, I'm puttin' toothpicks between my eyelids.

Well there you have it... the Devils easily played their best game of this young season, and it was prototypical New Jersey hockey: clog the neutral zone, forecheck just hard enough to make it difficult for the other team to exit their zone with any speed, and keep the the shooting lanes clear and the shots to the outside to make life as easy a possible on Martin Brodeur. After a game like this, it's easy to see why he's the all-time leader in shutouts.

So far this season, the Devils have two wins. Martin Brodeur has two shutouts. I'm starting to see a pattern here...

As for the Habs, they never looked like they shook of the rust that had gathered from a four-day layoff. In a nutshell, they didn't look ready to play. Price got caught napping on the first goal by not completely hugging his post, and the rest of the team couldn't get anything going in the periods that followed. It didn't help that the second goal was the result of not being able to exit their zone after coming back to full strength after killing off a powerplay, then having a defenseman thoroughly redirect a long shot between Price's pads. A screened Price couldn't do anything about a knuckler that floated under the crossbar for the nail in the coffin.

Oh, and the Habs powerplay? Don't even talk to me about it. It's been mentioned that Andrei Markov may return from ligament surgery next week, which should help them score with the man advantage. We can hope, anyway.

Ok, now for the good:

Haha. Ok, well, um... aside from that first goal, Price stopped everything that he should (and could) have, including a couple of beauty glove saves and a couple in from point-blank range. You know, the kind that the Habs couldn't muster against Brodeur all night.

All in all, meh. If you can't score, you can't win, and the Habs simply weren't able find a way to do enough to force the issue. Full credit to the Devils, though the Habs definitely owed a WAY better effort for the 21,273 in the stands what came to see then this Thursday night. At least I was only out my time and the seven bucks a month that I shell out for RDS.

I look at it this way: one game can be a fluke. If they turn in two stinkers in a row, then it's a trend, and something to worry about. Unless you're the '76-'77 Canadiens (and these guys aren't), no matter how well (or how poorly) they play, they'll probably lose 1/3 of their games. And the opposite is true: no matter how well (or how poorly) they play, they'll probably win 1/3 of them, too. It just so happens that tonight was one of the former. When they start pissing away the other third, then I'll start to lose sleep.

Next game (not that the Canadiens really played one tonight) is against the Senaturds. Let's hope that the Habs can find their skating/passing/hitting/effort between now and 7pm Saturday.
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Sainte-Flanelle: illustrated history; 1910-11

I've always had a fascination with the jerseys that the Canadiens have worn as they battled on the ice. 

There are stick collectors, puck collectors, goalie mask collectors, collectors of skates, and collectors of all other sort of game-used equipment. I prefer to collect and study jerseys and old sweaters; to me, they're the most personal link between myself and the players who have skated for the most storied team in hockey history. That interest had led to this look back at the history of la Sainte-Flanelle. 

Since the team's founding in 1909, the Sainte-Flanelle, or "holy sweater", as it's affectionately known by fans, has undergone many changes on the road to becoming the familiar icon that we know today. Changes major and minor, subtle variations and wholesale redesign have been part of its history. Many people are surprised to find that the team's very first sweater was predominantly blue, the remainder white, and contained no red. Blue and white were the Canadiens' first official colours with red not making an appearance on the sweater until the following season. Thus the team's official colours of "bleu, blanc, et rouge"... with blue listed first. 

These posts won't be in any chronological order. They'll simply address any interesting variation of the jersey (logo included) that tickles my fancy on a particular day. Over time, and with any luck, the list will become fairly comprehensive. 

But why start with the sweater of 1910-1911? For one, I think that it's one of the least-understood designs; it was only used for one season, and even the Canadiens organization often makes mistakes when representing its colouring. Like many of the early designs, there are also no known examples in existence; all we have are period photographs, newspaper sketches, and hand-tinted collector cards to give us an accurate representation of what they looked like.

Didier Pitre, posing for a Canadiens 1910 photo. The uniform is rounded out with white pants and red, white and blue-ringed socks which no doubt inspired the barbershop sweaters that they'd sport in a couple of years.  

The main body of the 1910-1911 uniform was red wool, with white and light blue stripes ringing the sleeve cuffs and the turtleneck, with wider stripes in the same pattern at base of sweater. In all instances the white stripe was placed in between the blue stripes and the body of the sweater. The Canadiens' logo that season was an old-English-styled white "C" and "A" (standing for "Canadien" and "Athletique") on a green maple leaf in the centre of the chest.

The colouring of the logo from this season has long been misunderstood by many to be blue. Why blue instead of green? Probably for a couple of reasons: because we aren't used to thinking of a Canadiens sweater as having four colours instead of three, and since the Toronto Maple Leafs made their logo a blue leaf, well... over the years people have just gotten used to associating a maple leaf and hockey with the colour blue.

Of course, the Maple Leafs and their blue leaf were many years in the future when the 1910-11 sweaters were fabricated. Back then the only colour known for a maple leaf (outside of the fall season) was green; therefore the leaf on the sweater was green.

 

British postcard of Eugene Payan, who skated with the team from 1910 to through the 1914 season. The photo is heavily touched up, and is probably from a session predating the 1910 sweaters. It includes the addition of the turtleneck stripes, the logo, and the white skating pants. 

Another often-mistaken feature of the sweaters is the colour of the stripes on the cuffs, turtleneck, and waist. When the Habs rolled out their Centennial version of this sweater, they used green for these stripes. Clearly the designers of those jerseys had access to the Habs' website which also pictures the sweater with green stripes. So why the confusion? Again, it probably came down to an artist not being used to a Canadiens uniform having four colours. Thus, it was sketched as being red, white and green. 

This brings me to a small bone of contention. The Canadiens, for all of their celebration of their history, never seem to get their throwback uniforms to be accurate representations of the uniforms on which they're modeled. And when the team gets it wrong, it's easy to see why people not with the organization get confused, too. I giggle a little inside when I see a fan sporting one of these $200 throwbacks, knowing that the colouring is wrong. Mind you, they look great, but they're still... wrong. (Rant off).

Fantastic Georges Vezina rookie card, showing the 4-colour design of the 1910-11 sweater.

The main clues as to the true colouring of these sweaters comes from the collector cards of the day. Because colour photography wasn't available, the player photos were hand-colourized before the cards were printed, using red red, green, blue and white. From there, it's easy to use the gray-scale of a black an white photo to get a true representation of the 1910-1911 sweater. 

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How to get your 6 year old Hab fan son beat up

I consider myself very fortunate to have grown up in the Eastern Townships, about 100km east of Montreal, as the Habs were assembling what was probably the greatest hockey team of all time. 

Lafleur, Lemaire, Cournoyer, Dryden, Savard, Robinson, Shutt, Gainey, Lambert, Lapointe, Tremblay... I was a fan of all of them. During our almost-daily road hockey games, winter or summer, I'd become any one of my heroes depending on the play that I was making with that shaved tennis ball.

Strangely enough, one of my favourite times of the year was when we were preparing to head back for another school year. It wasn't because I particularly enjoyed school (I was good at most subjects, though bored easily) but around our house it was akin to another birthday or Christmas: lots of new stuff for the kids! We'd hop into the car a couple of Saturdays before the first day of school and head to the Woolco in Granby to get new jeans and shirts, shoes, school supplies, book bag, and various other things. If my parents felt particularly adventurous, a road trip to Sherbrooke or across the border to Vermont was in order.

Being a Hab fan meant that I wanted anything with a Hab logo on it. Jerseys, hockey cards, stickers, clothing, sheets and pillow cases... I loved anything bleu, blanc et rouge. All of those things made me feel just that little bit closer to my winter heroes.

So naturally, when it came to a new lunch box, my mom bought me this:



I may as well have had cooties



You'll note that it's not a Montreal Canadiens lunch box. Their team colours weren't black and gold, and they never had a defenseman quite as great as #4 play for them. No, that red and blue Canadiens lunch box went to my brother who was neither a Habs fan or a hockey fan in general.

I protested. I pleaded. There may have even been some kicking and screaming involved. But none of it worked; on the first day of school, I was to be waiting for the bus with my brand new Bobby Orr lunch box.

Needless to say, my new acquisition didn't go over all that well with all of the other kids on the bus, who were just as big of Canadiens fans as I was. I  thought that my tres-cool satin Hab jacket would have deflected at least some of the criticism, but unfortunately that went only so far considering I was using what amounted to friend repellent to carry my fried baloney sandwich, Wagon Wheel, thermos of chocolate milk and a fruit punch juice box. My mom's drink of choice was appropriate as I remember receiving the odd upper-arm love tap because of her purchase.

My first defense was to use the design of the offending box against those suspicious stares. After all, Bobby Orr was one hell of a defenseman, something that even the staunchest Hab fan had to admit. And if I were to get an argument, Orr's NHL accomplishments were listed on the front of the box to help me make my case. Yeah, that's it: it's a BOBBY ORR lunch box, not a Bruins lunch box! Brilliant!

Not so much, apparently. Semantics meant nothing to a bus full of elementary school kids.

"He plays for the Bruins and it has a Bruin logo on it, and it's black and yellow, so what do you have to say for yourself?

I don't remember having a decent answer, though I do remember having to part with the fried baloney in return for safe passage. After school I asked my mom if I could have a new lunch box, but she responded with something about having just spent good money on this one and if Bobby Orr was good enough to be on a lunch box then he was probably good enough to be carried around by me. She then pulled out that classic parenting axiom, "If your friends don't like you for (your lunch box) then they're not really your friends." I'm guessing that mom didn't get teased a lot when she was a kid.

The offending chocolate milk storage and transportation system

I don't remember it being too many days after that I came upon the idea of removing the sticker with the offending artwork from the front of the box. The folks at Aladdin must have had my predicament in mind, as it pulled off rather easily. Voila... problem solved! That is, until my mom saw the box and wanted to know why I had ruined a perfectly good lunch box by removing the sticker. An answer of, "I didn't ruin it, it still works perfectly" didn't go ever all that well.

Long after I outgrew the age where using a lunch box was cool, that black and yellow beating-producer ended up being used as a tool box, then eventually to hold fishing equipment. The fish could have cared less about the colour.

I don't remember it making the trip with us when we moved to Ontario in 1983; it probably ended its life in a landfill somewhere in Quebec. In fact I had long forgotten about it until I recently read about a posting for one on a hockey memorabilia auction site. In good shape, with the matching thermos, it would bring almost $300.

No wonder my mom was upset at me for having removed the sticker.
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