The Habs 2009-10 Schedule is out!!! Bulldogs and Cyclones sked news also released

 

The NHL officially released the Montreal Canadiens 2009-10 Regular Season Schedule this afternoon. The official press release can be found here.

The Canadiens will kick off Season 101 on Thursday October 1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the ACC.

It will be the first game of a five-game road trip to start off the season.

Maybe a good thing to get it over with early:

The Canadiens head west to play back-to-back games in Calgary and Vancouver on Oct 6-7, wrapping up the trip on Oct. 10 in Edmonton.

We all remember the disastrous western trip from last year, and so far coach Jacques Martin has not planned a team bowling night.

The Canadiens’ home opener is against the Colorado Avalanche on Oct 15 where they will have a six game home stand.

We’ll get a possible look at John Tavares twice in Montreal in four days (Oct  22 and 26)

Montreal then faces the Stanley Cup Champion Penguins in Pittsburgh on Oct 28.

The First Must-See home game: Saturday Oct 17th,when Alex Kovalev returns with his Ottawa Senators.

Christopher Higgins returns Oct 24 with the New York Rangers

Komisarek returns Oct 31, where it will be brick night: First 5000 fans get unused off-cut bricks from the Centennial Plaza to do…

Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals roll into the Bell Centre on Nov 28. The game will be at the Bell Centre and not at Olympic Stadium as rumored.

Dec 4 against Boston will mark the 100th Anniversary of the Canadiens’ formation. Note the starting time of 8pm as there will be a ceremony beforehand.

Montreal looks to have a tough schedule in December, playing 11 of 17 games on the road and ends the month with seven in a row during the holidays.

Montreal has 15 back-to back games with just one of these at home, so Jaroslav Halak could see lots of work this season.

The NHL shuts down for two weeks, after Feb 13, for the Olympics.

Even with 21st Century technology, the NHL’s logistics team still cannot find a system to make it work evenly:

After the Olympics, the Habs are in Boston on Mar 2, then off to California (if it’s not in receivership) to play San Jose, L.A. and Anaheim and back across the country to face Tampa on Mar 9. That’s a lot of travel.

March closes out in the Canadiens’ favor for the playoff run however , with five of their last eight at home.

The season concludes on Apr 10 at the Bell Centre against the Maple Leafs.

The Canadiens will have seven pre-season games from September 17-26. Five games will be at home, while the other two will be in Ottawa (Sep 19) and Quebec City (Sep 20 vs. Boston)

 

First six Hamilton Bulldogs home games announced!

 The Hamilton Bulldogs have announced yesterday that Oct 9 will be their first home game of the 2009-10 AHL season.

Five other confirmed dates are also set with a Nov 6 game played in Montreal at the Bell Centre. Opponents are to be determined when the AHL releases the official schedule later this summer.

ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones Schedule released!

The Canadiens’ ECHL affiliate Cincinnati Cyclones (shared with the Nashville Predators) also announced their pre-season schedule today. Their regular season schedule is also posted.

It could be handy for our Ohio area Habs fans or those travelling south of the border on the way to Florida this winter! Catch a game on the way down I-75 !!!

Montreal Canadiens Legend Guy Lafleur Guilty of Obstruction of Justice

A Quebec court has found NHL Hall of Famer Guy Lafleur guilty of obstructing justice.

The charges stem from contradictory evidence given by Lafleur at a Sep. 2007 bail hearing for his son Mark.

Lafleur's son was out on bail on several charges at the time, including assault.

Mark Lafleur was staying at a halfway house, but an investigation learned that he had violated his sentencing conditions when he spent two nights with a girlfriend in a hotel.

The 24-year-old is now serving 15 months house arrest on several drug, drunk driving, and assault charges after pleading guilty to 23 counts, including 13 involving an ex-girlfriend.

It was discovered that the elder Lafleur drove his son to the hotel.

At the bail hearing, Lafleur denied the allegations, but a paper trail that included credit card receipts in his name proved that he had.

Guy Lafleur stood without emotion as the verdict was announced.

The maximum penalty for perjury is 14 years in jail.

Crown Prosecutor Lori Weitzman is seeking a conditional sentence for Lafleur to be served in the community, saying he doesn't pose a danger to society.

Weitzman stated that just because Lafleur is a public personality he shouldn't be treated any differently than anyone else who lies to the court.

"Justice has to be applied equally," she said.

Lafleur's attorney, Jean-Pierre Rancourt, requested an absolution to the court, arguing that a criminal record would hinder Lafleur's frequent travel to the United States.

Rancourt felt that Lafleur has suffered enough, given the large volume of publicity the case has attracted, and is seeking that his client just pay a fine.

Lafleur has previously filed a $3.5 million civil suit against the police and prosecutor involved in issuing the arrest warrant for him after his charges gained international attention.

Lafleur's sentence will be rendered on Jun. 8.

The 57-year-old won five Stanley Cups with the Canadiens and is the team's all-time leading scorer.

After retiring in 1984, he made a successful comeback in 1988 with the New York Rangers and Quebec Nordiques.

He is only one of three players to return to playing in the NHL after being elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.