Carey Price in a giving mood



Brian Gionta scores one of his two goals on the night against Ryan Miller and the Sabres. Photo: The Gazette



In a post-game interview, Habs goalie Carey Price admitted to 'easing up' on the Sabres only goal.

The Buffalo Sabres' Jordan Leopold scored what turned out to be a mostly meaningless goal late in the third period as the Canadiens defeated the Sabres 3-1 at the Bell Centre in Montreal. Some of Price's detractors claimed that he was screened or had eased up on the shot, ruining what would have been his league-leading fifth shut-out of the season. But after the game, he set the record straight:

"To tell you the truth," said Price during the locker room scrum, "even though Gio was having a great game with those two goals, with about two minutes left to play this little voice in the back of me head started to tell me to feel a little sorry for the guy. I mean, here he was having his best game of the month, maybe of the season, but with yet another shut-out I would have ended up once again overshadowing my captain. So I 'whiffed' on that shot to ensure that he got named first star," Price said, wearing a grin as wide as the prairie sky.

"My mom always told me that I was handsome enough to be an actor."

The Montreal goalie's plan worked like a charm. In the three-star fan balloting, Gionta was named first star, while Price grabbed the second-place honours.

"It was great to see Gio skating around the ice, tossing those pucks to the crowd. All month he's only had two measly third-place finishes in the three-star balloting. I've been first four times, in addition to four second-place finishes, and will undoubtedly win the Molson Cup for the second month in a row. No one can catch me in the standings, so I figured that it was someone else's turn to sign some of those damned pucks."  

But Price admits that he almost regretted his decision to allow the Sabre goal.

"Yeah, at the end of the game when (Tom) Pyatt was busting in towards the empty net," (the Sabres had pulled Miller for an extra attacker) "I saw Gionta head for the slot, and got real worried that he would get the pass to give him the easy hat-trick. That for sure would have for gotten him the first star without my help. Thank God that Pyatt has the passing ability of a Hyundai Pony, or I would have looked really foolish in giving up my shut-out."

When asked about his goaltender's good nature, Gionta said, "Good on him. That's what makes him a team guy. It's great to be named the first star, help or no help. But next time maybe he can figure out a way to get (Scott) Gomez the first star. Now THAT would be something." 

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Habs miss flight, Atlanta homeless 'skate'

Homeless Atlantonians wearing Gill, Gorges and Auld jerseys watch the real Ladd celebrate a real goal

A missed flight in Montreal meant two missed points in the standings for the Canadiens.

The Montreal Canadiens didn't have a chance in winning last night's game against the Atlanta Thrashers, especially considering that they watched the game on RDS at a sports bar at Trudeau airport in Montreal.

The Habs missed their flight to Atlanta when bus problems got them to the airport roughly two hours behind schedule. Luckily for the team, their equipment was on the flight, and a series of hurried calls to the Thrasher's front office by Canadiens staff allowed last night's game at the Phillips Arena to continue.

"We were expecting almost 3,500 people at the arena," said Thrashers spokesperson Jeff Tisdale. "You don't want to just turn away your largest crowd of the season, so we were more than happy to work with the Canadiens to put a contingency play into action."

Atlanta officials had about 90 minutes to round up twenty of the city's homeless and get them outfitted in the Habs' gear to allow the game to start on time.

"We didn't know if we'd be able to pull it off," said Tisdale, "but you'd be amazed how 20 bucks, fresh oranges slices during intermissions and a hot post-game shower can motivate a guy that hasn't seen the sharp side of a razor in six months."

"We would have pushed harder to find guys with some experience on skates, but you have to understand, we were pressed for time."

The fill-in Canadiens, though they tried as hard as they could, just couldn't match the obvious superiority of a Thrasher team that didn't have to spend last night dumpster-diving or catching ten winks on a sidewalk grate. They made it almost through the first period unscathed, until the homeless guy wearing the Gill jersey bobbled the puck, allowing Rich Peverley to break free of the homeless guy wearing the Gorges jersey and slide it by the homeless guy wearing the Auld jersey... though to be fair, the homeless guy in the Auld jersey probably had never been taught to hug the post.

In the second period the stand-in Canadiens fared no better, surrendering two more goals and a 23-4 shot advantage to the Thrashers. Even if it was probably the only time that he's ever worn goalie equipment, the homeless guy in the Auld jersey completely whiffed on a floating shot from the point to make it 2-0; Peverley scored his second of the game, on the power play, to round out the scoring for the Thrashers.

The story of the game was the homeless Habs' indiscipline; their reluctance to follow the rules of society  follow the rules of hockey led to eight Atlanta power plays, which nullified any chance to build any momentum in their favour.

In talking about his two-goal game, Peverley had nothing but glowing words for the team of homeless guys that his squad faced tonight.

"It can't be easy trying to play a full sixty minutes being as under-nourished as the homeless often are. We skated them hard in the first period, y'know, to see what they had, and the dividends really started to show in the second period. We let up on them a bit in the third period because, well, we knew that we wouldn't be able to look them in the eye as we drive past them in our Porsches and Hummers on our way home to our wives and warm beds."

Luckily for the real Habs, they got to spend the night in their own beds as they look to show up at the Bell Centre refreshed and ready to play their next opponents, the Buffalo Sabres.

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Markov's doctor calls injury ‘disturbing’

Andrei Markov’s consulting physician has described damage to the Hab's right knee as “disturbing”.

The Canadiens’ All-Star defenseman went down in a heap against the boards after colliding with Carolina Hurricane forward Eric Staal during a game at the Bell Centre on November 13th. At this time it’s unclear how long Markov will be out of action.

It was originally thought that knee-on-knee contact plus an awkward tumble into the boards caused possible ligament damage to Markov’s right knee, which had been surgically repaired in the spring after a hit during a game in Pittsburgh forced him to miss the remainder of the playoffs, plus training camp and the first 10 games of this season. However, a preliminary examination of the leg appears to show damage inconsistent with the play. Earlier this week Markov travelled to the Cleveland Clinic to meet with Dr. Anthony Minachi, a prominent orthopaedic surgeon.

“On first sight, it looks like the knee area in question contains a form of blunt-force trauma that one wouldn’t expect to see with this type of injury”, explained Dr. Minachi. “We still have to wait for some swelling to subside before we can get inside to take a closer look at it, but my opinion at this stage is that any possible ligament damage would be secondary in nature.”

Dr. Minachi went on to say that at the time of the examination he collected what he called 'forensic evidence' at the request of the Canadiens when it became apparent that the damage to the knee was worse than originally feared.

Further raising suspicion about the injury is a conversation that a local bartender is said to have had with several members of the Canadiens, including goaltender Carey Price.

“He (Price) said that he’s happy that Markov is injured,” recounted Marie Deslauriers, an employee of Chez Suzie in Montreal’s west end. “He talked about Markov having an ‘accident’ which would open up more playing time for his friend P.K. Subban, but also wanting to distance himself from the situation because certain people were already suspicious of him for cutting Markov’s foot with his skate at the beginning of last season. He said he’s confident that he got away with that one, but he doesn’t want to take any more chances.”

Ms. Deslauriers added, “I also remember Price saying something along the lines of, ‘that Canadian wannabe is holding down the team’, ‘we’re winning without him, anyway’ and ‘that’ll teach him for call me out… prick.’

"Frankly, I couldn't believe what he was saying to me. For a cowboy, he sure can’t hold his liquor.”

A photo taken at the time of the Markov injury appears to add further fuel to the fire. Three gentlemen sitting on the rail where the injured defenseman hit the boards have tentatively been identified as Jeff Gillooly, Shawn Eckhardt, and one Shane Stant. The three gained notoriety in 1994 when they were charged and convicted in the attack on figure skater Nancy Kerrigan, which was masterminded by skating rival Tonya Harding and her ex-husband Gillooly.

Three poor guys take in the action from primo seats

When asked about the three men, Mr. Simon Hammond, whose seasons tickets are located directly behind where the men were seated, said, "I told my wife that something wasn't right. Those seats are usually occupied by three young ladies that leave part way through the third period to get to work on time. These guys couldn't even afford a Molson between them. My wife said not to worry about the beer... that they had probably spent all of their money on the tickets. I knew something was up when they just mumbled their way incoherently through the french part of Oh Canada."

Pressed for more information about the men, Mr. Hammond noted that one was wearing a "Tonya 4 Life t-shirt, whatever that means."

Hammond went on to say that during stoppages in play, Price would, as usual, skate over to their corner, but that he found it odd that a rich, successful Canadian goaltender would be nodding and winking at three poor Americans.

It’s unclear whether or not Price has any connection with the men, or if the presence of three penniless, convicted felons occupying the most expensive and exclusive seats in the Bell Centre is simply a coincidence.

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A royal butt kicking

I didn't mind them in gold... just not that much gold

As a Hab fan, you've got to love having RDS.

Firstly, they show every Canadiens game live. Secondly, they repeat the game--in an hour-long condensed version--about an hour after the game ends. This means that on nights like tonight I get to see the game, even though I missed the game. And watching the replay has benefits over watching it live: in order to make the game fit an hour format, they cut out all of the boring parts.

Not that there were many boring parts in tonight's game; it featured two very evenly matched teams that are built on speed and great goaltending. But tonight, one team did most things better than the other.

After the Kings held the early edge in the game with tough, hard forechecking, the Habs got their skates under them and did pretty much everything that they didn't do over the last 40 minutes of their last game against Philadelphia: skate hard, go to the net, and make smart decisions both with and without the puck.

Price makes a spectacular lunging save to foil a Kings' 2-on-1. Photo:Allen McInnis/The Gazette

Halfway through the first period, Andrei Kostitsyn used his quick-release wrist shot, one of the best in the league, to beat Kings goalie Jonathan Bernier for the 1-0 lead. Scott Gomez went to the net with 2 1/2 minutes left in the period and was rewarded with his fourth goal to make it 2-0 after one period. ***Scoring Change: Mike Cammalleri was credited with the second goal, a one-timer from the deep slot.

In the second period, just under 2 minutes in, the Kings Alec Martinez scored his first of the season on the powerplay, though it wasn't without some controversy. After making the initial save, Carey Price was prevented from moving across the crease by a King to make the second save. The replay showed that there was a good case for a goaltender interference call, but instead it was a 2-1 game.

Showing their tenaciousness, the Habs answered right back with a Tomas Plekanec goal to make it 3-1, then with 2 minutes left in the period Lars Eller scored his first as a Hab when he picked up a rebound in the slot from a shot off the near post, then spun around to slide the puck in along the ice on the far side to beat Bernier and make it 4-1. Close checking and a willingness to take the puck to the King's zone prevented a third-period comeback to round out a very satisfying win.

Final shots were 33 for the Habs, and 25 for the Kings. Brian Gionta led the way with seven of them, while Roman Hamrlik played a very solid 23:31 to lead the way in ice time for the Canadiens.

Carey Price? Just another day at the office. 24 saves on 25 shots, and considering the play that led to the Kings only goal, it could have just as easily been his 5th shutout of the season and a GAA of under 2. As it is, after 21 games he's tied his win total from last year with 13, has 4 shutouts, a GAA of 2.00 and a SV% of .933. 

Their next game is in Atlanta on Friday night, in a week that sees them having to travel before each of their 4 games. Crazy schedule.

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Puttin' on the foil



The Hab's 3rd line call-ups for tonight's game

It's time to do some disrespectin'.

Tonight's game in Philadelphia against the Flyers promises to be an interesting one. Already there are a number of sub-plots and questions to keep an eye on:

1. Will the Flyers still be upset that in their last meeting the Habs broke their 10-game points streak?
2. Will Philly Captain Mike Richards feel as though Hab rookie P.K. Subban is still disrespecting the veterans on his team?
3. If the answer to number 2 is 'yes', will the Philly goons try to do something about it?
4. Will Darroll Powe continue to recklessly thow his weight around?
5. If the answer to number 4 is 'yes', who will be his victim?
6. If the answer to number 5 is 'a Montreal Canadien', how will the Habs respond?
7. Did a member of the Canadiens' training staff go to the hardware store this afternoon to stock up on metallic hand-wrap?
8. Will the Philly fans continue to be boorish douchebags? (actually, we already know the question for that one)

Answers to these questions, and more, to be answered shortly after the 7:05 puck drop. 

2010-2011 Regular Season, Game 20: Montreal at Philadelphia

FIRST PERIOD:

• Well that didn't take long. Pronger off for a cross check in the first 30 seconds.
• Habs have started out looking as though they could use some passing lessons
• We need two guys to go in on the forecheck
• Ok, starting to get a little chippy now. Briere spears Eller before the faceoff, no call. Where's Knuckles Nilan when you need him?
• There's the Flyer goaltending that we know and love! Lapierre, a light low wrist shot as he comes across blue line fools Boucher. 1-0 Habs!
• First Philly sustained pressure (1+ minutes on Habs zone) happens because the Habs are light in their attempts on clearing the puck, looking for the prefect breakout instead of simply clearing the puck and releiving the pressure
• To this point, the Habs' speed has created 3 odd-man rushes against Philly
• How about Max! His second of the game; Pouliot digs the puck out of the corner, and a shot from the slot is deflected by a Flyer right between Boucher's pads. 2-0 Habs!

A well-played road period--with some suspect Philly goaltending--gives the Habs the 2-0 lead after the first period. The game was almost seven minutes old before the Flyers mustered their first shot on goal, and only controlled the play in the Canadien's zone for one stretch of about a minute. The Habs have the edge in faceoffs (12 to 7) and shots on goal (15-9)... Max Lapierre has 5 of them.

SECOND PERIOD:

• Flyer powerplay to start the period, and ouch... Price stops the puck just under his mask but has the presence to cover up the loose puck for the stoppage
• Flyers starting to assert themselves in the Habs' zone again. Smart, quick clears are what's needed.
• Lapierre almost had the hatty as he rings one off the post... and another Flyer powerplay
• Flyers are definitely carring the play to this point in the period, and have a 16-2 shot advantage to prove it
• How to make Brian Boucher a good goalie: 3 shot in 14 minutes, though he almost flubbed the third one
• Dang. Ville Leino converts a nice pass into the slot, going against the grain high in Price. 2-1 Habs.
• Hal Gill's Mo-vember 'stache looks like vintage Larry Robinson

The Habs may have played a great road period in the 1st, but the followed it up with a horrible one in the 2nd. Outplayed for long stretches, the can thank Price for the 2-1 lead going into the locker room. Shots that period: Montreal 5 (20) and Philly 21 (30). Part of the problem is that Montreal only won 4 faceoffs that period; the Flyers now lead in that department 25-16.

THIRD PERIOD:

• I expect the Flyers to come out charging this period. Maybe it'll cost them a penalty or two
• Habs start the period like they ended the 2nd: a lot of puck chasing, and it cost them. Gill misses his check, and Giroux pounces on a rebound to tie the game at 2.
• Every powerplay the Flyers immediately send two guys to the front of the net. Habs, take note
• 4-on-4, and the Habs again miss a check in the slot leaving a shooter alone in the slot. 3-2 Flyers
• Price spectacular on a 2-on-1. Good thing he decided to stick around after the 1st period
• Habs have a little over 4 minutes to find their first period form
• Lose another faceoff, and they can't get Price out for the extra attacker

The Habs need to play that period like they did the first... and they didn't. They managed to get 11 shots at the Philly goal, but few caused any trouble. Final shot totals: Philadelphia 45, Montreal 31. And after handily controlling the faceoff circle in the opening period, the game ends with Philly dominating 38-23.

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And this would have been one of his GOOD saves.  Photo courtesy Habs Inside/Out

A completely frustrating road game from the Habs: Lots of skating, and doing the little things right in the first period to give themselves a 2-0 lead, followed by two periods of "what the hell was that?" to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Apparently, not enough disrepctin' was done after the first intermission.

In the first period, the Habs won 12 faceoff while losing 7. The only won 11 over the final two periods. The net result? Spending long stretches of time chasing the puck while trying to regain possession. The Flyers turned their possession advantage into scoring chances, throwing 36 shots at Carey Price over the last 2 periods. And they make good on their opportunities: two glaring defensive breakdowns led to open Flyers and their final two goals.

Five Flyers ended the night with at least five shots: Carter (6), Hartnell (6), Pronger (6), and van Riemsdyk (5). Leading the way for the Habs: Lapeirre (6) and Plekanec (5). Good on Lapierre on having a great game, but when he's leading your offensive charge, chances are that you're not going to end the night with two points. Tonight marked the first game that the Habs didn't win this season when scoring the first goal or when leading after the second period.

Price was, again, fantastic. Through 20 starts, he's het to be scored on more than three times in regulation. He deserved the win tonight, even if most of the rest of the team didn't. And what needs to be done to get Scott Gomez out of his season-long funk? 

As for the Centre Hive Loss-Severity Indicator, it gets bumped all the way up to "Star Wars Kid" for mailing in the last two periods. The Mood Indicator after this loss? A definite "Facepalm". 

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How do I hate thee... let me count the ways

Who needs fists when you can punch with your face?

The Bruins may be bigger rivals, but there's no team that I hate more than the Maple Leafs.

Some of the reasons, in no particular order:

• Their fans still whine about 1993 like a blown high-stick call was the only thing standing between them and a Stanley Cup parade
• "Honouring" numbers instead of retiring them. Because there's no better way to celebrate the great Teeder Kennedy's distinguished career and number 9 than by issuing it to Colby Armstrong
• For misleading their fanbase into believing that the Maple Leafs have won 13 Stanley Cups. The franchise has won 13, but the first two were won by the Toronto Blueshirts and the Toronto St. Patricks. The Maple Leafs have only won 11
• Darcy Tucker
• 20-some-odd games as a rental player is apparently good enough to qualify you for the captaincy of the team
• For years of worrying more about condo sales and padding teacher's pockets instead of putting a better product on the ice
• "Leaf Nation", "The Passion that Unites Us All", and the "Centre of the Hockey Universe". Can't like a team that blatantly lies. Next thing you know, they'll be trumpeting about having won 13 Stanley Cups. Oh, wait...
• Insanely high prices for traditionally crap product... and I'm not just talking about the watered-down draught beer at the ACC
• Pick a uniform design, and stick with it! And by the way, leaves are green, not white or blue
• The Habs have paraded the Stanley Cup around Toronto ice more times than the Leafs have. Wait, I should save that one for "Why I love the Habs, let me count the ways"
• Harold Ballard, and every nefarious thing that went on in the back rooms on Carlton Street

I could go on, but my internet service provider has a strict limit on bandwidth and I don't feel like paying a penalty... though that would give me yet another reason to hate the Leafs.

Also, they won the first game of the season, though the Habs were without their best defenseman and their number one sniper from last season's playoffs. This time around we'll again be without Markov, but hopefully Cammalleri will be able to make up for missed time and pop a couple tonight. The Leafs come into tonight's game on a 2-game winning streak, whereas the Habs played their most lackluster game of the season Thursday night in getting shut out by the Nashville Predators.

2010-11 Regular Season, Game 20: Toronto at Montreal

FIRST PERIOD:

• CBC, RDS, or surf between the two?
• Nice.... the late Pat Burns remembered with a video montage set to the Beatles' "In My Life", followed by a moment of silence
• Both goalies have had to make good saves early
• Setting up with three guys behind the goal line is generally not the best way to generate scoring chances
• Leafs with some good pressure; Habs passed up a couple of opportunities to clear the puck while looking for the perfect pass
• Gomez misses in all alone. Martin crosses his name off of the potential shootout list
• Give the Habs credit: they're doing what they can to improve The Monster's SV%
• Hammer off for 'hooking', and the Habs get two 2-on-1's wile shorthanded. Gustavvson's been sharp in the Leaf net
• AARUGH! Kostitsyn beats Gustavvson cleanly, but rings it square off the post

Lost of jump in an entertaining first period, thought he game remains scoreless. Habs had the edge in goos scoring chances, though their lack of finish and ability to hit the goalie in the chest could come back to haunt them. Aside from the scoreboard, the Habs lead in shots (17 to 10) and faceoffs won (10 to 5).

SECOND PERIOD:

• Habs blow a 3-on-2, not getting a shot away. Where have I seen this before?
• Picking up where the 1st period left off: shots, but square into Gustavvson's chest
• Yikes! Price has to come up massive on a couple of chances from in close
• Lapierre off for goalie interference, and Price has to rob an open Kessel in the slot
• Shorthanded! Halpern, alone in the slot, deflects a Spacek shot from the point. 1-0 Habs!
• I don't mind the "Leafs Suck" chant, but "Sixty-seven" sounds better on TV
• Habs are dominating on faceoffs, 22-12
• Lost of passing and dipsy-doodling in the Leaf zone, but no one going to the front of the net

Another back and forth period, with a few good chances at both ends in a goaltending duel. Halpern with the only goal of the game so far... shorthanded, no less. Habs have yet to have a powerplay, Leafs have had two. Shots were 13 for Toronto (23) and 12 for the Habs (29). The Canadiens have also been great in the faceoff circle, winning 24 and losing only 13.

THIRD PERIOD:

• I'd suggest that going up 2-0 would be very beneficial for their chances of coming away with 2 points
• HOW did they miss an open net with the puck in the crease?!
• I've never seen the Habs turn so many pucks in the slot onto non-scoring chances
• Hey... the Habs get a power play!
• Someone needs to tell Komisarek that his team is wearing white tonight. He fires a "pass" from the half-boards into the slot to find a wide-open Cammalleri for the one-timer. Powerplay goal... 2-0 Habs!
• Canadiens are finally using their speed to proper advantage to give the Leaf defense fits
• Leafs are coming close with some late charges. Where's Komisarek when you need him?
• Gionta off the post with the Leaf net empty, but it turns into an icing call
• Aaaand Price with the shutout!!!!

The Canadiens played some pretty sound defensive hockey that period to preserve the win and the shutout for Carey Price, his 4th on the season, limiting the Leafs to 7 shots, and maybe only a couple of decent scoring chances. The final numbers: Habs with 38 shots to the Leafs' 30, and the Habs were 35-18 on faceoffs.

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Price makes one of his 30 saves against Nikolai Kulemin Photo: Richard Wolowicz



The Maple Leafs played a pretty good game tonight, but the Habs played that much better. Their domination of the faceoff circle coupled with Leaf turnovers allowed the Habs to use their speed advantage to slowly take over the game as time wore on. It prevented the Leafs from pulling their goalie as early as they would have liked, and prevented them from getting clear shots at Carey Price with the man advantage.

Speaking of Carey Price: 12-6-1, GAA 2.00, SV% .932, 4 shutouts, and leading the league in minutes played. Yeah, they should have traded him. The REALLY scary thing about Price is that in his six regulation losses, the Habs have scored a total of five goals. With some timely goal scoring, Price could have been 15-3-1... or better.

Price has been phenomenal, but the work of his defensive corps can't be ignored. They played another great game tonight, especially Hal Gill who used is exceptional reach to single-handely break-up a number of potentially threatening Leaf attacks.

Congrats to Tom Pyatt, who registered his first point of the season (an assist) and is now tied with Carey Price in the Canadiens' scoring race. 

And I can't believe that I'm going to say something nice about a Leaf, but goalie Jonas Gustavsson had an outstanding game; the Habs could have easily potted a couple more of not for his fine work. If the Leafs can keep from screwing him him, they're set in goal. Oh, and Mike Komisarek deserves props, too. His setup and pass to Cammalleri on the second goal was beyond reproach.

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Coach Burns, 1952-2010



It might have been with the Devils, but at least coach Burns won the Cup that he so rightly deserved



Former Montreal Candiens coach Pat Burns has passed away at the age of 58.

He sits fifth all-time in regular-season wins as head-coach of the Habs. His lifetime total, including tenures with the Leafs, Bruins and Devils, is 501. He won three Jack Adams trophies as coach of the year, and is the only person to have acomplished that feat with three teams. He also won the Stanly Cup as coach of the New Jersey Devils in 2002-03.

If the Hockey Hall of Fame selection commitee can pull their heads out of their butts, they do the right thing and honour him with membership at their next opportunity.

Here's the press release from the Canadiens:

"The Canadiens organization was deeply saddened to learn that former head coach Pat Burns lost his long and courageous battle against cancer.

Burns, 58, died surrounded by his family at La Maison Aube-Lumière in Sherbrooke, Quebec.

Born on April 4, 1952 in Montreal’s St-Henri borough, Pat Burns played his way through the minor hockey ranks earning a brief stint with the London Knights of the OHL, before embarking on a career with the Gatineau police force. His passion for the game kept him in hockey as a minor hockey coach in the Outaouais area, and in 1983-84 he was called upon to coach the Hull Olympiques of the QMJHL where he served for four seasons, including a trip to the Memorial Cup in 1986 after posting a remarkable 54-18-0 regular season record.

Burns made his debut with the Montreal Canadiens’ organization in 1987 as head coach of the franchise’s main affiliate Sherbrooke Canadiens. He was promoted to the position of Montreal’s head coach after a single season in the AHL. In his first season behind the Habs’ bench, Burns led his troops to the Stanley Cup finals after a regular season record of 53-18-9 and his first Jack Adams award as Coach of the Year.

In 1992-93, following four seasons with the Canadiens, Burns took on the coaching duties with the Toronto Maple Leafs, leading the team to the Conference championship and earning his second Jack Adams award after leading the Leafs to a franchise-record 32-point improvement. Following a one-year hiatus in 1996-97, Burns is hired as head coach of the Boston Bruins and at the end of his first season he becomes the first head coach in NHL history to win three Jack Adams Awards. After four seasons in Boston, Burns accepts an offer to coach the New Jersey Devils in 2002-03 posting a .622 winning percentage and leading them to the Stanley Cup over the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in a thrilling 7-game series.

Through his 15-season career as head coach in the NHL, only once did Pat Burns miss the playoffs (1999-2000 with the Bruins) while at the helm of his team. His overall numbers speak volumes of his character and dedication. Burns won 501 of the 1,019 games he coached, losing only 353 and tying 165 games. His record in the playoffs stands at 78 wins and 71 losses in 149 games.

Pat Burns is survived by his beloved wife Line, his daughter, Maureen and son Jason."



Celebrating in style, 2003

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Weird math



Any chance that she could have turned 5 goals into 6 wins?



In what universe does 2 + 0 + 1 + 0 + 2 + 0 = 6?

In one populated by your 2010-11 Montreal Canadiens, of course. So far this season, the Habs have suffered six losses in regulation time, the latest being at the hands of the Nashville Predators Thursday night at the Bell Centre. In those six losses, the Habs have managed to score a mere five goals. Yes, the same as the number of fingers on either one of your hands (hopefully).

If a Hab is chosen as the game's first star in Montreal, he gets to toss three pucks into the crowd. Add up all of their regulation losses, and those three pucks would represent 60% of their goal scoring output in those six games. Those three pucks would also represent the number of times that they've been shut out.

Speaking of the number three, that's the number of Habs that have yet to scorea goal: Hal Gill, Lars Eller, and Tom Pyatt. Even Jaroslav Halak has more goals then they do. (snicker snicker)

Seven Habs have just one goal: Hamrlik, Subban, Spacek, Gorges, Markov, Picard and Boyd. To be fair, Markov gets a gimme on that one. You'll note that in that group, only Boyd isn't a defenseman.

Three Canadiens have two goals: Gomez, Moed and Lapierre. Of their 49 goals just six players account for 33 of them, or 67% of their goal scoring output.

Carey Price has an assist, which means that he's tied in the team scoring race with Picard, Boyd, Gill and Eller... and leads Pyatt by one.

Now here's some good news: The Canadiens are also the only team in the NHL to have yet allowed more than three goals in regulation time in any game this season. In short, their goaltending (and for the most part, with some notable exceptions) their defense have given them a chance to win every one of their nineteen games. 

Now if they could just find the back of the net with some regularity...

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Brotherly love(?)

A young Andrei (left) and Sergei Kostitsyn argue over who has to play goal

Brothers fight all the time, and I should know; I'm a twin.

Growing up, my brother and I would scrap over anything. Toys. Clothes. Who got to use the cool high chair for dinner. It was inevitable; put the two of us in a room where there was only one of something, and watch the fists fly.

There's only one of something up for grabs tonight at the Bell Centre, and that's a win. There'll also be a set of brothers on the ice tonight, as little brother Sergie Kostitsyn (B-cup) comes into town for the first time with the Nashville Predators to meet older brother Andrei (D-cup). Will it degenerate into name-calling, hair-pulling, and the odd low blow at centre ice? As a brother, I could only hope...

In case you forgot what Sergei Kostitsyn looks like, here's a helpful hint on spotting him: he'll be the one cherry picking next to the blue line.

Nashville is coming off of an epic collapse against the lowly Maple Leafs, having surrendered 5 goals, including 4 on the power play (3 of those of the 5-on-3 variety) after having surged out to a 3-0 first period lead. The the Leafs scored late in the first, and the Pred's house of cards fell in on them. One wouldn't expect that the same thing would happen to them two games in a row.

The Habs look to add to their 4-game win streak, all at the expense of difficult teams: Vancouver, Boston, Carolina and Philadelphia. The last time these two teams met, Nashville horribly outplayed the Canadiens, and Carey Price was forced to make 53 saves on the way to a 2-0 loss.

Also of note, ex-Hab The Cube returns to the Bell Centre (I always had a soft spot for Frankie Bouillion) and P.K. Subban promises to not keep his mouth shut, regardless of what Mike Richards thinks.

2010-2011 Regular Season, Game 19: Nashville at Montreal

FIRST PERIOD:

• Good news: both Gorges and Halpern are playing. After the latter cracked his head on the ice against Philly, I was sure that he'd miss at least a game.
• Man, I hope that Carey doesn't have to make 53 saves tonight
• Considering the game that Rinne had against Toronto, I'd fire lots of rubber at him
• Pucks bouncing in the crease make me nervous
• Partway through the period, and my wife figures that this is a good time to instruct me on how to wash the filter for the vacuum
• PK with an open-ice hip check. See? You don't have to headhunt to throw a solid, effective body check
• Time to get some shots on goal. Just two so far...
• The Predators are playing like the team with the 5th-most victories since the lockout
• Welcome back, SK74. He takes the first penalty of the game, a tripping call.

An entertaining period in which both goalies had to come up big to keep the game scoreless, though Price was the busier of the two, making 16 saves to Rinne's 9. At this rate, Price would have to face 48 shots. What is is about Nashville and high shot counts? Steve Sullivan has 5 already; last game against the Habs he had 11.

SECOND PERIOD:

• That's what happens when you leave a man all alone in front of the net. At least the Cube got an assist. 1-0 Nashville.
• I wonder how much Sergei put up on the board for a win over his brother. The Preds are playing like they need the money.
• A 3-on-1 shorthanded? Ugh...
• I'd be happy if they were to stop passing the puck into the slot to nobody. It's an automatic turnover
• We're getting killed 16-9 on faceoffs
• Ever get the feeling that NOTHING is going to go in for them?
• That's the kind of night that it's been... Spackek of all people finds himself alone in the slot with a tremendous scoring chance, which he of course flubbed
• I don't like that Bell graphic of Markov on the boards. It looks like he's getting injured all over again.
• They're getting a lot of pucks at Renne, but no traffic in front to make it difficult for him

The Habs had three opportunities on the powerplay to tie it, including a partial 5-on-3, but weren't able to create enough traffic in front of the Nashville goal to make a difference. Shots now all equal at 21. The difference has been one missed defensive assignment in the Montreal end.

THIRD PERIOD:

•  Stamkos with 19 goals already! Without him that team is nothing.
• 118 minutes since the Habs have scored on the Predators. Yikes! That doesn't bode well...
• Habs need to press hard here without giving up tough chances. Sound two-way hockey is the key
• Rinne's giving up some decent rebounds... just need to jump on one of them
• Nashville has blocked a lot of shot tonight. They've made life easy for Rinne, which is the key to any goalie's success
• They just haven't been able to get to loose pucks in the slot. Except for Spacek, of course
• Price with the first save, Spacek misses his check and the puck is in the back of the net. 2-0 Predators.
• A screen shot through Gorges' legs high blocker side catches Price off-guard. 3-0 Predators.
• Ouch! Spacek does a face plant onto the dasher boards, and gets a 2-minute penalty for his trouble

Well, they got pucks past Rinne, but couldn't get any of 'em into the net. Not a great way to send crowd home. Not even one goal to cheer for! Each team ended the night with 30 shots.

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Nashville doing what they did all night to the Habs: beat them to the puck. Photo: Phil Carpenter/The Gazette

A great road game by the Predators matched with a couple of defensive breakdowns and a lack of finish by the Habs was the story of this one. Missed checks in each of the last two periods directly in front of Price was the difference; the third goal, a screen shot through the legs of Gorges 11 minutes into the 3rd period had Price fooled; the puck was almost by him before he reacted.

The Predators did a great job of protecting Pikka Rinne; he had to make but a few difficult saves, and most of his work was from long range. When pucks did get by or through him, the Nashville defense did a great job of tying up sticks and bodies to deny secondary scoring chances.  

On the plus side, the Habs are still the only team to have yet given up more more than three goals in regulation time. Price continues to give the offence a chance to win every game, and responsible defense would have kept this to a one-goal game. But if you don't score, you can't win. Hopefully they got the lacklustre effort out of their system in advance of their rematch with the Leafs on Saturday night.

For the first time since their inception, Centre Hice has made adjustments to both the Mood Indicator and the Loss-Severity Indicator. Basically, the Habs got caught unawares tonight by a lower-ranked team that out-played them, so the Loss-Severity indicator gets bumped up to "Rick-Rolled"; being caught unawares by a lower-ranked team that out-played them means that the Mood Indicator drops to a solid "Facepalm". 

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Canadiens apologize to Flyers

Centre Hice has learned that the Montreal Canadiens have sent an official apology to the Philadelphia Flyers.

The statement is in response to post-game comments from the Flyers’ Mike Richards about rookie defenseman P.K. Subban.

“That punk needs to get with the program. The kid has been in the NHL for, what… not even a year? And he’s got the nerve to be out on the ice actually looking like he’s the real deal? I mean, c’mon. When I came up, if I tried to push the envelope and show some skill, the veterans would have taped my ass cheeks together, not that I would have minded. But the kid needs to earn respect before he can make us look like chumps. Look at me. I had to almost kill that Booth guy to get mad props from my team, but I’m a better guy for it. And it’s bad enough that he’s encouraged by their coaching staff by giving him a lot of ice time, including on the powerplay. They’re a mess from the top down.”

Richards’ comments followed a whitewashing by the Canadiens, in which the Habs disrespected the Flyers by a score of 3-0.

“Originally we were going to let P.K. make the apology” said Habs captain Brian Gionta. “But we got together after the game and decided that P.K. wasn’t the only one at fault. I mean, (Carey) Price didn’t even allow one of those 41 shots to get past him, not even one of the really tough ones. If that isn’t thumbing your nose at the opposition, I don’t know what is."

(continued below)

Subban totally disrespecting Zherdev during Tuesday night's action at the Bell Centre

The apology, issued as an open letter to the Flyers and their fans, reads in-part:

“We the Montreal Canadiens Hockey Club would like to offer our sincerest apologies for last-night’s debacle regarding our actions against the Philadelphia Flyers. We understand that it was wrong for us as a hockey team to make our opposition, who was 9-0-1 in their last 10 games, look like our bitches."

The apology went on to note that Jeff Halpern was “deeply upset that he didn’t bleed after hitting his head on the ice after the Powe hit” and that Maxim Lapierre “promises that next time he will take a fight more seriously, and not just use it as a way to get one of their douchebags to sit in the penalty box for five minutes.”

In post-game comments Gionta also addressed a discussion that he and teammate Scott Gomez had with Flyer defenseman Chris Pronger after the final siren. “With the shutout, we wanted to get the game puck for Carey. We might have been pushing it a little by making that request, but then for Pricey to toss it to a kid after the game, well… talking about rubbing salt into an open wound. The veterans will have a word with him about his selfless actions.”

As for Pronger, he noted that, “it’s not just the Subban thing. The Habs have been breeding this sort of thing for years… even back to the mid-70’s. I’m still hearing horror stories from Philly vets about how that Robinson guy totally disrespected Dave Schultz. I mean, making a guy cry on national television is just wrong.”

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Orange crush(ed)

Michael Leighton surrenders the Cup winning goal to Chicago, living down to a fine tradition of Philly goaltending

I liked them better when their goaltending sucked.

Which was, over the last 30 years, most of everything past Pelle Lindbergh and Ron Hextall.

Mark LaForest. Wendell Young. Marc D'Amour. Bruce Hoffort. Dominic Roussel. Tommy Soderstrom. Stephane Beauregard. Frederic Chabot. Garth Snow. Jean-Marc Pelletier. Brian Boucher.

Roman Chechmanek? He was pretty good for a few seasons.

Jeff Hackett. Sean Burke. Maxime Ouelette. Robert Esche. Antero Niityymaki. Martin Biron. Martin Houle. Neil Little. Ray Emery. Johan Backlund. And of course, last year's playoff hero/goat, Michael Leighton. The Philadelphia Flyers have had a deep, rich history of sub-par goaltending performances, by both promising rookies and veterans who went to the City of Brotherly Love in hopes of extending their careers. And over the years, none of it has worked.

Maybe, that is, until now.

The Flyers come into tonight's game against the Habs 9-0-1 in their last ten games, and have scored 44 goals (a +25 goal differential) over that span. But what's really helped the Flyers is the solid goaltending turned in by rookie Sergei Bobrovsky. In 14 starts, he's 11-2-1, with a .934 SV% and a GAA of 2.01. In only one of his last nine games has he surrendered more than 2 goals... and in that one game, the third goal was in an overtime loss to Washington on November 7th.

As for the Habs? They've been playing excellent hockey, and Carey Price was named the league's number one star this past week for rolling off scintillating wins against Vancouver, Boston, and Carolina... but they're still awaiting work on the severity of the injury to Andrei Markov. The powerplay was starting to round into form before Markov re-injured his surgically repaired knee, so it'll be interesting to see if they can continue the upward trend without their General.

Amexandre Picard is in to take the place of Markov. Let's hope that they didn't blow their goal-scoring load against Carolina, and saved enough for a win tonight against the hottest team in the NHL.

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The Stud makes one of his 41 saves vs. the Flyers. Photo courtesy Phil Carpenter/The Gazette



UPDATE: Habs win! Carey is a monster with a 41-save shutout of the (former) hottest team in the NHL. The rest of the team wasn't too shabby, either.

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Canadiens to push NHL for new 'Markov rule'

Following Andrei Markov's latest setback, the Habs are expected to push for a rule change that would use technology to protect a player returning from injury.

Markov went down in a heap in the corner during the third period of Saturday's blowout of the Carolina Hurricanes. He fell awkwardly after leg-on-leg contact with Carolina captain Eric Staal, in the process re-injuring his right knee. Markov had only returned to the Habs' lineup seven games ago; that after missing the first ten games of the season while recovering from surgery to repair ligaments in that same leg after a collision with Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke during the second round of the playoffs. 

It's been a rough 14 months for the Hab defenseman, also suffering a freak tendon skate cut in the first game of last season after colliding with goaltender Carey Price. It's not known the extent of this most recent injury, though speculation is that Markov may miss as much as three months of action.

Ironically, during practice before his most recent return to the lineup, the Canadiens had been testing out a new system that may have prevented Markov's latest injury. It's based on the technology that Fox Sports used with great notoriety when they introduced the 'glowing puck' in the hopes of making it easier for their viewers to track the puck on-screen during game telecasts.

The difference with this system is that the graphic is projected onto the ice and would be visible to everyone in the arena. For a predetermined number of games, depending on the severity of the injury, a returning player would wear a transmitter on the inside of their helmet which is linked to three projectors placed above the ice, one in each zone. The transmitter would then guide the projectors on where to illuminate the ice with a red circle approximately two metres in diameter. 

A 'moving exclusionary zone', as Hab GM Pierre Gauthier has dubbed it, would follow the player as he skates. The prospective rule would not allow an opposing player to enter the zone, this minimizing contact and reducing the chance of re-injury. An offending player making contact in the zone with the protected player would be subject to a 2-minute penalty.

(story continued below)

Markov trying out the new technology in practice before his comeback from knee surgery



"I though that it was pretty cool," said forward Mike Cammalleri of the new system. "I imagined that I was playing one of those old EA Sports hockey video games when he (Markov) was using it. And just like that game, I had trouble getting the player to go where I wanted." 

Canadiens' management doesn't find the system, or the intended rule that goes along with it a laughing matter.

"We invest huge resources in an all-star player like Andrei Markov, and to have him out of the lineup does our club no favours. Hopefully the NHL will realize the benefits that this rule change would bring to the game, with the main benefit of keeping the league's best players where they belong: on the ice."  

It's expected that the Canadiens will pitch the rule and demonstrate the technology to the NHL board of governors when they meet in Carolina for the 2010-11 All-Star game, with the hope that the necessary changes would be implemented for the start of the 2011-12 regular season.

(AP)
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Protective eyewear... check

The Man.

I still miss Saku Koivu.

Captain of the Habs for nine of his thirteen years in the CH (not counting that little lockout thingy) he bled for the Habs. Literally. When I think of Saku, I think of triumph over tragedy, including his return from having kicked cancer's ass, and the night of April 26, 2006. That was the night that Justin Williams of the Carolina Hurricanes attempted to remove Koivu's left eye without an anesthetic. The most obvious high stick in NHL history wasn't called, Saku spent the rest of the playoffs in the hospital with a detached retina, and the Hurricanes went on to win the Stanley Cup. And I've never forgiven them for it.

Tonight, the 8-8-0 Hurricanes again visit the Habs. The Molson Bell Centre has been kind to the 'Canes since the lockout: 8-0-2 isn't shabby regardless of how you slice it with the business end of a hockey stick. 

All indications lead to this being a tight game. The Canadiens sit 23rd in the league in goal scoring, while the Hurricanes are 23rd in goals against. Carolina is 5-2-0 after suffering a loss, and they were absolutely pummeled to the tune of 8 goals in their last game against the Flyers. They've been licking their wounds and will be looking for retribution. However, The Habs are a perfect 7-0-0 when playing after one day off. On Thursday the Habs played a fantastic road game in knocking off the Bruins, and earlier in the week a 2-0 shutout of the Canucks. 

Carey Price has been hot, with a 0.50 goals against average and a .986 save% over the last couple of games. Carolina goaltending over the last four games has posted a SV% of just .857. Both teams are healthy, with no injuries to report.

2010-2011 Regular Season, Game 17: Carolina at Montreal

NOTE: I've either got to start leaving work earlier, or invent some sort of teleporting system. Once again I've missed the first period. Just switched on the game at the siren to find that Plekanec and Cammalleri have scored. The Hurricanes lead in shots 15-10, so I'm guessing that Price has had to be sharp in the period. Just checked the stats page to see that Montreal has dominated the faceoff circle, 16-5.

SECOND PERIOD:

• They've got to start the second period killing a penalty. Saw the replays of the goals; sweet passing!
• Not sure who the referee is, but that's one cheesy Mo-vember moustache
• Cam Ward fell pretty easily there to draw the goalie interference penalty against Lapierre
• Habs need to release their shots a little quicker. Too many telegraphed and getting blocked
• Man, those 'Canes fall easily. Cammy nailed for a featherweight cross-check behind the net
• Aaaaand... Hurricanes tic-tac-toe on their 5th powerplay. 2-1 Habs. Cammy has words for the ref on the way out of the box
• Damn. Kostopolous with a quick one from the slot. Did he pick a corner like that when we was with the Habs? Some weak coverage there by Georges. 2-2.
• Habs have had some shots this period, but they all meet to be from a distance and easily seen. And as I type that Gionta works a nice give-and-go in close an snaps one just inside the near post. 3-2 Habs!
• Lapierre breaks in alone, almost over skates the net, recoups with a spin-a-rama in front of Ward, and beats him along the ice. 4-2 Habs! Ward pulled, Peters in
• Free wings! Peters down an out on the powerplay, Spacek from behind the net finds alone in front, open net. 5-2 Habs!

The Habs came out pretty light in that period, and couple that with a two moments of indiscipline (one penalty, one missed coverage in the slot) and they found themselves back on their heels and in a tie game. But credit them for being opportunistic and not sitting back in a defensive shell, replying with three unanswered goals. Shots that period were 16 for Montreal (26) and 7 for Carolina (27).

THIRD PERIOD:

• 'Canes look like they're going to forecheck their little hearts out this period. Habs are going to have to play some disciplined defense, and that doesn't mean sitting back on their heels
• Both teams have had a couple of chances in close
• So far the Habs have dominated the faceoffs 32-17
• Not many whistles. Quick period to this point
• Price just made the best outlet pass of the night
• Holy SH*T!!! If that Price save isn't the highlight of the night...
• Uh-oh... Markov down in the corner. His knee again? At least he was putting a little weight on it as he came off the ice
• 4 minutes left in the game, and all I care about is that Markov, ain't hurt bad
• Game out of hand, not here comes the chintzy stuff. Habs with a 5-on-3 powerplay for 2 minutes
• And there we go! Pleks to Kostitsyn in the slot, PPG, 6-2 Habs!
• Did I just see a replay? Gomez from behind the net to Darche in the slot, another PPG. 7-2 Habs!
• Hurricanes have how given up 15 goals in their last two games

Lots of rough stuff towards the end of the period, as to be expected in a blow out. Lapierre and Kostopolous get misconducts a various other penalties which led to a Montreal 2-man advantage on the powerplay... and the Habs promptly potted 2. Shots in the 3rd were 8 for Carolina (30 and 7 for Montreal (33)... seemed like both sides had more.

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Cammy and Moen help Pleks celebrate his first period goal. Photo courtesy John Kenney/The Gazette

Save for the first 10 minutes of the 2nd period, the Habs dominated against the Hurricanes, ending off a tremendous three-win week in which tough teams Vancouver and Boston were also victims. Tomas Plekanec had another tremendous game with a goal and three assists. Brian Gionta had a goal and and assist, and after a slow start the captain has now scored in three straight. And how about that goalie? Carey Price ends the week going 3-for 3 with a GAA of 1.00 and a SV% of .970. And consider this: both goals against tonight were completely doe to a couple of boneheaded Hab plays; one poor penalty and one defensive breakdown in the slot. If those don't happen, Price numbers for the week would have been 3 wins (2 shutouts) a GAA of .333 and a SV% of .990. Awesome.

Sharing the love, Cammalleri, Gionta, Gomez, Kostitsyn and Spacek all ended the night with 2 points. Gorges, Hamrlik, Moen and Pouliot all chipped in with a point. Only two Habs--Gill and Georges--didn't register a shot on goal. Additionally, the Habs didn't have to do a lot of excessive puck-chasing tonight. They won 38 of 64 faceoffs, which translated into a high amount of time with the puck in their possession.

There's only one concern from tonight, and that's with the health of Andre Markov. He went down awkwardly on a knee after leg-on-leg contact with the 'Canes captain Eric Stall. The good news: Markov was putting some, if not a lot of weight in the leg as he left the ice. Hopefully it turns out to be nothing to serious; it would be devastating to again have him out of the lineup for any length of time. If that's the expectation, then we may have to move the Centre Hice Mood Indicator down to a Code Orange.

Geez... is it too late to get O'Byrne back, just in case?

Next week the home stand continues with games against the Flyers, Predators and Maple Leafs.

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