Carbo Speaks on Canadiens GM Change

It came as no surprise, to former Montreal Canadiens coach Guy Carbonneau, that his long-time friend Bob Gainey would step down as the team's GM.

"The timing was surprising for everybody," Carbonneau said Tuesday morning on TheFan590. "But, it has been something in the back of his head for a couple years now."

"He didn't feel the pressure," he said, referring to the high expectations of the media and fans. "All the events that have happened in his personal life started to wear down on him."

Carbonneau sympathized with Gainey on the lack of personal and family time available while working at the administrative level of pro hockey.

"It's good that he's staying aboard (as an adviser to new GM Pierre Gauthier)," he said. "It gives him time to do other things. Until I got fired last March, I never had time to myself, or for my family."

He then spoke in his firing from the Canadiens by his long-time friend.

"When it happens, you're not happy," he said. "We took the job over the relationship we had. We expected we would stay together to weather the first storm. I was surprised that it happened, but he (Gainey) has the only reason that it did."

Carbonneau hopes that he and Gainey can talk in a few months to rebuild their tarnished friendship.

He also suspects that his former boss was already passing the torch to Gauthier at the time of his firing.

Carbonneau broke down the team's staff, pointing out all the past working ties between Gauthier, coach Jacques Martin, director of player development Trevor Timmins and coaches Perry Pearn and Pierre Groulx.

"It made sense," he said. "At the end of the day, it's the GM who says 'yes' or 'no', but most of the decisions were made in the same room."

When asked on his evaluation of Gainey's successor, Carbonneau said it's hard to say at this time.

Gainey Out as Canadiens GM. Gauthier Era begins

Well I was hoping for a quiet late afternoon to catch up on some reading, but the Montreal Canadiens called a press conference, for 4pm Monday afternoon, to announce changes in management.

Team president Pierre Boivin announced the resignation of GM and Excutive Vice-President Bob Gainey, who will remain on as an advisor to his successor Pierre Gauthier.

CBC's Elliotte Friedman had tweeted, late Monday morning, that the decision was made on Sunday, but the truth was, Gainey had made his choice over the Christmas break. He felt he could not go another four-to-six year term.

With the Canadiens Centennial behind him, and new ownership taking control, and his contract expiring in June, Gainey felt the time was right. "Given the choice between staying too long and leaving early, I prefer to leave a little bit too early,"he said. "I did my best."

"I leave the team I love the most, to the man I trust the most," Gainey said on passing the torch. "In my heart, I am always a Canadien. It's been a privilege to participate with the organization again, in a different roll. I'm very thankful."

The move was a surprising one, give the proximity to the NHL Trade Deadline, but Gainey felt that with the Olympic break approaching, that Gauthier would have time to adjust.

Chances are Gauthier had an idea it was coming long before Gainey's "December decision". The two have been working together for six years. The peculiar dismissal of Guy Carbonneau, meshed with the even odder temporary promotion, and subsequent dismissal of Bulldogs coach Don Lever, and hiring of coach Jacques Martin leads some to believe that Gauthier was already making key coaching personnel decisions for Gainey.

Gauthier was Gainey's assistant GM and has prior experience with Ottawa (1995-98) and Anaheim (1998-2002).

He left the Senators for Anaheim, after turning them into a playoff contending team, to be closer to his wife and family in California.

He was fired in 2002 by the Ducks, after the team failed to make the playoffs for three straight seasons. Gauthier also traded away key assets, such as Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne, despite going on record that he would not trade them.

Gauthier said he is happy with his team and, much like Martin has stated most of the season, emphasized the team is still working on the slow process of finding an identity.

"Our team is a new team," he said. "We've added 11 players from nine different organizations in the past 12 months. We only have four players, I think, with two or more years experience with this team."

Gauthier and Boivin also discussed the francophone factor in the Canadiens organization.

"You bet it's important," Boivin responded when asked if any candidates for the GM position needed to be bi-lingual. "French is the language spoken by 2/3, 3/4 of our fans and clients. It's a matter of respect and sensitivity to the reality of Quebec."

"Our first and only objective is to win the Stanley Cup and be the best team we can be every year," said Gauthier in a later interview on PrimeTime Sports. "and it is part of our mission to have a francophone presence."

Gauthier also said the team is working to keep centre Tomas Plekanec in Montreal after this season, and spoke on the futures of goaltenders Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak.

"We have two very good young goaltenders that give us a chance to win every night," he said. " We believe we can go forward with them, and they give us our best chance to get into the playoffs. Down the line, they'll both No. 1 goalies, and we'll need to address that in time."

That said, don't be surprised to see both goaltenders with the Canadiens by the end of March 3.

photos: Graham Hughes (AP/Canadian Press)

Habs Buy Out Laraque: Adieu Big Georges, Thanks For……

Well I was going to discuss Carey Price’s “George Jones” impression last night, after the Montreal Canadiens goaltender didn’t speak to the media after Wednesday’s 4-3 overtime loss to St. Louis, but I found bigger fish to fry.

What a big one it was Thursday morning, when the story broke that the Canadiens heavyweight Georges Laraque from his contract.

Laraque was in his second year of a three-year, $4.5 million deal, and will be paid for the remainder of the 2009 season, when he is officially bought out. As part of the buy out, he will receive two thirds of his 2010-11 salary paid over two seasons.

Laraque was the first to respond, telling TSN that he learned of the buyout on his way to Canadiens practice via phone call from GM Bob Gainey.

Laraque called the move classless, given the emotional stress he was under with the tragedies going on in Haiti, and called out coach Jacques Martin as being behind the move.

He went on to say that Martin had not discussed any of his issues with him personally.

“Jacques Martin doesn't like me and doesn't believe in toughness,” Laraque said. “To do this in the midst of all I'm dealing with in Haiti, the timing is awful. Needless to say, I'm very disappointed.”

Both Gainey and Martin voiced their side to the story at the team’s practice facility in Brossard.

Gainey states that he “met” with the enforcer, and told him the decision was made due to lack of productivity on Laraque’s part and that he was a distraction to the team.

Trading Laraque, or putting him on waivers, was ruled out by Gainey due to a no-movement clause in his contract.

Gainey went on to define the type of player he thought he was getting when he signed Laraque, based on players he’d seen before him.

“My view of a player in that roll, and is how they can be productive, and bring confidence and a comfort level to their team. Drawing away from your team is not productive.”

He also stated that the decision to release him were made prior to the Haiti earthquakes. Laraque had claimed that he was asked by the Canadiens if he needed some time off over the situation.

Like any business, an employee who experiences a close to home tragedy, won’t be fired the next day. It’s just not classy, Georges.

Laraque visits  a donor at the Canadiens annual Blood Drive

Gainey also discussed Laraque’s infamous code when it comes to fighting.

“I don’t have a copy of George’s code, I think the code is ‘It’s your teammates that' you’re hear for’. It isn’t your code, it’s our code.”

Martin added that it was not a personal decision, but a team one.

Laraque, at a Montreal Canadiens Children’s Charities event, in 2009.

“I don't have anything personal against Georges and I appreciate what he did for the organization, but we've decided to go in a different direction," Martin said.

"It's a hockey decision.  We felt that he was not helping our team to win games. The Red Wings, I don't think they have an enforcer and they've won some Cups. It depends on your team and where you are at in your development. The game has changed and speed has become a major factor.  It's nice to have, but it's not a necessity as some teams have proven."

“I’ll never forget the support of that fans,” a calmer Laraque told the Montreal media later Thursday afternoon, after he stopped by the team’s practice facility, to say good-bye to his teammates and wish them well for the rest of the season.

“I was proud to be putting the jersey on and been given the chance to play in front of my friends and family in Montreal.”

Georges Laraque speaks to the media after being bought out by the Canadiens

“I wish I know what ‘distraction’ means”, he added. “I always had a positive attitude, and never been a negative person, or done things to embarrass the team.”

Laraque then cited his accomplishments in the community since joining the Canadiens.

There is no question that Georges Laraque’s charitable endeavors are always there. He was always available when called on for team-related events, as seen in some of the photos seen here.

George Laraque leaves the Canadiens Brossard practice facility – AP photo

Nor did we hear any associations with criminal elements, or late-night partying in Montreal on his part…

Ok yes there was that controversial beverage drink commercial, but Laraque had his name pulled from that shortly after.

The distraction was, as Gainey noted, in his lack of productivity in his element on the ice.

In two seasons with Montreal, Laraque played 61 injury riddled games and logged in 89 penalty minutes and just five points.

Now he’s no sniper, but throughout his career Laraque was always in double digits in scoring. He even admitted embarrassment that it took until last week to register his first goal with Montreal.

Georges Laraque appeared off to a positive start in the Canadiens season opener

Laraque had 13 major penalties in his two seasons in Montreal. He had 15 in 71 games with the Penguins in 2007-08, but had over 140 penalty minutes. Clearly he was more of a presence then, even in light of the instigator and third-man-in rules of today’s NHL.

Laraque tries to talk up the Bruins Milan Lucic into a round of fisticuffs in  November 2008. Lucic declined.

His refusal to drop the gloves when needed, or stir up the pot with a big hit finally wore it’s toll with Gainey and co. Sunday’s game against New York, where Josh Georges and Benoit Pouliot had to fend for themselves, was the final straw.

Laraque says he’ll be back in the NHL in due time. The question is, who’ll want him? Well,I think we might know one guy.

Remember when?: Laraque’s frustrations in Montreal stem back to February of 2009. At that time, he reportedly requested a trade in response to then Canadiens coach Guy Carbonneau’s “limited use of his skills”.  Ironically Carbonneau acknowledged that a team needs to be tough at times. Laraque later retracted some of his comments.

Classy update: In an exchange of emails this afternoon/evening with CJAD’s play-by play man  Rick Moffat, I learned that Laraque told the media that he never called the Canadiens classless as reported earlier.

Puck Possession: A Missing Factor in the Habs Season

Canadiens coach Jacques Martin uses a puck possession system, really?

Speaking to the media before Tuesday’s game against the Washington Capitals, GM Bob Gainey felt the game against Washington would show where his team’s limits are.

“We’re in a race with a lot of teams (eight or nine), for three or four limited spots,” he said, “Our play reflects that’s where we should be.”

The Canadiens surely found their limits in Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to the contending Capitals. Washington fired 42 shots at Carey Price, missed the net 19 times, and had 18 blocked.

That’s a total of 80 discs of frozen rubber in the direction of the Canadiens net. By comparison, Montreal had just 52. Keep in mind that this is a team that had their best player, Andrei Markov, back on the ice.

Gainey also noted that when they face the seven or eight teams vying for the those four playoff slots, the Canadiens need to take them on head-to-head.

So for 2010, the Canadiens are 0-2, both against top-eight teams, and are 6-18 overall against Top-15 teams in the league.

Gainey knows his squad is not a top tier team, but can contend for the playoffs. As we all know, once the playoffs begin, it’s a whole new season.

Injuries aside, the biggest concern with the Canadiens right now is puck possession.

When Jacques Martin was hired as head coach of the Montreal Canadiens, he saw his new team as a puck possession based squad.

Gainey, in the introductory press conference, said how he was always impressed by Martin’s defensive and possessive coaching style.

That was reiterated by Martin on Wednesday after the team’s off-ice workouts. The coach defines his system in this audio sound byte courtesy of HabsInsideOut.com

Well folks, we’re 45 games into the season, sitting miraculously at .500.

There is no stat in the NHL to calculate time of possession, it would be difficult with all the loose pucks, but give it time. The available statistics do show that the Canadiens’ puck possession game is clearly not there.

The Canadiens rank second last in shots for, with 27.3 on average, and are tied with Anaheim for third in shots allowed (32.8).

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that those numbers show that the Canadiens are a lot less in control of game flow than their opponents.

Nor does it help the possession factor when they are the third most penalized team, in terms of minor penalties, in the league. That heavily contributes to Montreal  being shorthanded a league-leading 193 times.

Play like that offsets their top-ranked power-play unit, where 33 of the team’s 112 goals (27th overall) come from.

Habs fans can enter their complaints about the calls by the referees to their heart’s content, but discipline is always the factor in a minor penalty.

Now that the key players are all healthy, Kostitsyn brothers the current exception, the Canadiens have 37 games to improve their possession game before the second season. If they don’t it may be an early golf season instead.

Talking to Hockey Central (Rogers Sportsnet, Fan590) on Wednesday afternoon, Martin remains optimistic that the team’s upcoming home stand will put his team in the right direction.

The Canadiens play their next four games, and six of their next eight, at the Bell Centre. Montreal has lost their last four home games.

Kostitsyn Injury Update: Jacques Martin cancelled Wednesday’s practice in favour of off-ice workouts, and a team meeting.

Sergei Kostitsyn did skate for just over a half hour, in a track suit, to gauge the injury to his left ankle. He was joined on the ice by the team’s head athletic therapist Graham Rynbend.

It is unlikely that he or brother Andre (lower body) will play in Thursday’s game against the Florida Panthers.

Dickie Moore (l), Jacques Plante (c), and Floyd Curry during the Habs dynasty era.

This Day in Habs History:  On January 6, 1963, Jacques Plante became the 4th goaltender, in NHL history, to record 300 wins with a 6-0 shutout victory over the New York Rangers.

It is also Habs legend Dickie Moore’s 79th birthday.

The Other Habs vs. Red Army New Year’s Eve Game

Bob Gainey is thwarted by Vladislav Tretiak – 12/31/79 – Globe and Mail photo

Ever since the game was played, on December 31, 1975, many have stated that the 3-3 tie between the Central Red Army and the Montreal Canadiens was the best game ever played.

It was the first meeting between the best Russian League team and the best in the NHL. It didn’t disappoint.

Four years later the two teams met again, but at the time only one team was currently the best in it’s league.

Central Red Army, barring one or two players, was essentially the Russian National Team. It was a squad that dominated it’s league, primarily due to the fact that they could basically have any player they wanted.

The Russians had proven to the North Americans that they were no pushover amateur team since 1972, and were the dominant force in international competition.

Central Red Army was the core of the Soviet National team, seen here after winning the 1979 Challenge Cup vs. NHL All-Stars

Over a dozen Red Army players were part of the National team that had won the Challenge Cup, earlier in 1979, against the NHL All-Stars. They also had two new young stars emerging in Sergei Makarov and Viacheslav Fetisov. The latter was originally drafted by Montreal in 1978.

The Canadiens were the defending four-time Stanley Cup champions, but in December 1979, they appeared to be far from a championship team.

Gone were veteran forwards Jacques LeMaire, Yvan Cournoyer and goaltender Ken Dryden. Perhaps more important was the departure of coach Scotty Bowman.

Bernie Geoffrion had taken over the reigns as the Montreal’s bench boss at the start of the 1979-80 season. As charismatic a man he was, he had a nonchalant coaching style. It was a far contrast from Bowman’s hard line approach, and it left his team vulnerable.

The Canadiens were struggling through the fall, despite a 6-2-2 October, and considered a team in crisis. From November 25 to December 21, the Canadiens went 2-7-3, earning just seven of a possible 24 points.

Geoffrion resigned, midway through the slump on December 12. Things didn’t get any better, when assistant coach Claude Ruel took over, as the Canadiens lost the next four games.

Ruel started to get the team turned around after that, going 3-1 to close out December and had his squad at a respectable fifth overall in the league standings.

The new head coach always had a tendency to favour the young players over his veterans. Before long the “Big Three” of Larry Robinson, Serge Savard and Guy Lapointe, was the “Big Two”.

Lapointe, who would slowly get less playing time in favour of second-year Canadien Rod Langway, was also battling the flu and sat out the New Years Eve game.

Red Army came into the Montreal Forum on December 31 having already rolled over the New York Islanders 3-2 and the New York Rangers 5-2.

Many expected it would be the same fate for the Canadiens, with call in shows asking listeners “How many goals you think the Habs will get wiped out by.” They would be in for a surprise.

Vladislav Tretiak, arguably the best goalie on the planet a the time, between the pipes at one end, Ruel called on rookie Richard Sevigny (ten career NHL games) to play goal for the Canadiens.

Despite low expectations of their team, the fans greeted the Canadiens with a standing ovation.

With Vladimir Petrov serving a hooking minor, the Canadiens got on the board first, with a power play goal from Yvan Lambert at 16:36.

Montreal’s defensive pairings clogged laneways, blocked shots and the aggressive fore-checking, led by Bob Gainey limited the Red Army to just three shots in the first period.

Montreal managed to get 13 on Tretiak. The score could easily have been 3-0 at that point, if not for the 27-year-old netminder’s brilliant play.

The Canadiens thought they had a second goal from Steve Shutt, but referee Bruce Hood ruled it a high stick.

“I saw the replay three times,” Shutt said. “My stick was on the way down, rather than being above my shoulder as the referee indicated.”

With only six shots In the second period, Red Army battled their way through a Canadiens defence, that had started to loosen up a bit, and managed to score twice on Sevigny.

Viktor Zhlutkov found the back of the net first at 6:51, and Helmut Balderis fired a shot from the blueline, that beat Sevigny between the pads at 12:02.

Helmut Balderis puts the Red Army ahead 2-1.

“It was hard to keep my concentration with only one shot in 19 minutes (of the first period),” Sevigny said. “When you come out in the second period, you feel like you need another warmup. It’s tough for a goalie.”

“In the second period, they came out in a completely different style,” Gainey said.

“They spread their five guys out pretty well over the ice. It threw our game off for a while. All of a sudden it feels like you are chasing something you can’t catch.”

With Tretiak performing at his typical goaltending level in the Montreal Forum, the Canadiens knew they would have to come in hard in the third period.

“We knew we let down in the second period,” Shutt said “Between periods, we told ourselves that we had to play the same kind of game that we did in the first period.”

They did just that. Robinson, Savard, Langway and Brian Engblom shut down any Russian rush that tried to get to the net, allowing just 14 shots to reach Sevigny all night.

Gainey and his band of forecheckers that included Doug Jarvis and Rejean Houle,continued to harass, while the rest of the forwards began to put on the pressure.

Shutt tied the game up at 3:38, when he fired a behind the net pass, from Guy Lafleur, low glove side behind Tretiak.

Six minutes later, Gainey rushed up the right side and beat Tretiak on a wrist shot that just squeaked inside the goal post.

Rejean Houle wathces Bob Gainey’s winning goal beat Tretiak in the third period. 12/31/79 – Montreal Gazette photo

Shutt would add his second goal of the night, after a giveaway in front of the net by Sergei Gimaiev.

Red Amy coach Viktor Tikhonov, never afraid to criticize, harshly scolded his player for the error.

Gimaeiv responded post-game in a way seldom seen by the Russians.

“It’s not my mistake.” he said. “A coach is right, and the players wrong if we win or lose.”

Gimaev’s comments were foreshadowing the dissention between, Tikhonov and his players, that became more clear two months later and over the next decade

The Canadiens would be victorious with a 4-2 victory.

Bob Gainey, who’s defense and offense thwarted the Russians, was named the player of the game.

“That’s as good a game as we’ve played all year,” he said. “I wouldn’t say we can go out and beat the Soviets every day because when two teams like we have meet, no one is going to dominate.”

Tretiak stopped 31 of the 35 shots he faced for Red Army, but showed displeasure in the overall team performance.

“I wasn’t pleased with half the team,” he said. “We could have played much better, but they played for all three periods.”

“That’s the best team we’ve played against.” added Tikhonov. “If there was any team ready to beat us, it’s the Canadiens. We made a lot of mistakes out there, mistakes the Canadiens forced us into.”

Tikhonov also went on to praise Gainey, citing him him as the best all-around player in the world.

It was clearly a strong moral victory for the Canadiens. The team played like the defending Stanley Cup champions should play.

“You can’t call this the championship of the world,” said Larry Robinson. “They’re in first place in the Soviet League, but we’re certainly not running away with things in the NHL right now. But one thing I know for sure, it’s a great morale booster.”

Lafleur, who had always been critiqued that he could not play against the Russians, proved that he was still the star of the team. Le Demon-Blond had two assists and at least five decent scoring chances on Tretiak.

Shutt felt the team’s success came from his coach, “I give the big credit to Claude Ruel because if we played them three weeks ago, they would have kicked the crap out of us.”

There are many who feel that this Canadiens-Red Army game was as good a game as the ‘75 standard, and maybe better. From a one-team side, you’d have to strongly agree.

Montreal dominated at both ends of the ice and proved that without key future Hall of Fame players in the lineup, they could still compete against the best Russia had to offer.

The victory clearly was a momentum builder as the Canadiens regained their form from that point on.

They would finish the regular season with 107 points, third best in the league, and capped it off with a 22-game unbeaten streak to close the season.

Their bid for a fight straight Stanley Cup would fall short, after they dropped a seven-game conference semi-final to the Minnesota North Stars.

Montreal Canadiens vs. Russia/Soviet Union All-Time record

12/31/75 Central Red Army (CSKA) 3 Canadiens 3

01/06/78 Montreal Canadiens 5 Spartak Moscow 2

12/31/79 Montreal Canadiens 4 CSKA 2

12/31/82 National Team 5 Canadiens 0

12/31/85 CSKA 6 Canadiens 1

01/02/90 Canadiens 2 Kryia Sovetov 1

09/12/90 Canadiens 5 SKA Lenigrad 3

09/14/90 Canadiens 4 Dyanmo Riga 2

09/16/90 Dynamo Moscow 4 Canadiens 1

09/18/90 CSKA 3 Canadiens 2

12/10/90 Khimik Voskresensk 6 Canadiens 3

Another piece on this historic night comes from Habs Eyes on The Prize, and includes more video clips from the game.

I also received photos from the game program from one of my readers. More on that is available here.

__________________________________________________________

Special thanks to Joe Pelletier, Jean-Patrice Martel and Todd Denault for getting me in the right direction in researching this game.

News Sources:

The Montreal Gazette, January 2 1980

The Globe and Mail, January 1 1980

Halak-A-Mania Trade Rumours Running Wild, but Becoming a Reality.

Well two years of speculation and rumours, surrounding the future of Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jaroslav Halak, may finally be coming to a conclusion.

Halak’s name has been mentioned in trade deals since 2007-08. To start that season, Carey Price took the role as the number two goalie in Montreal to Cristobel Huet. Despite an admirable performance the season prior, Halak found himself in goal for the Hamilton Bulldogs.

That changed once Huet was shipped off to the Washington Capitals. GM Bob Gainey decided to go with two young goalies and continued that through 2008-09.

Carey Price was always anointed as “The Franchise”, by many in the media and fans alike, since the day he was drafted in 2005. I can’t recall any Canadiens goalie that was given so much hype since maybe Jacques Plante. Roy didn’t get it, neither did Dryden.

Halak, in the meantime, remained quiet and avoided any goalie controversies. He let his actions on the ice speak that he deserved to be in the NHL, and possibly as a number one goalie.

With both netminders becoming restricted free agents come July, many feel something will have to give, but who?

Things began to develop as the 2009-10 season took form.

In late October, when Price rode the pine, in favour of Halak, for four games, he spoke in a positive manner and acknowledged his coach for playing the hot hand at the time.

Price soon after had another mediocre start which launched the “Tweet Heard ‘Round the World” by Halak’s agent Allan Walsh.

Halak quickly downplayed his agents comments, citing that he wasn’t speaking on his client’s behalf, and was made unaware of it until the next day.

The goalie controversy seemed to be back, spawning one the most detailed, comprehensive and equally impressive statistical analysis of the two goalies at HabsEyesOnThePrize.com

Price meanwhile, began to climb back and was quickly playing in games at the level he was expected to achieve and in multiple succession.

Halak has had three starts in the last twelve days and went 1-2-0

More trade rumours circulated in the last two weeks, notably out of Edmonton and Philadelphia.

Well those Philadelphia tidbits gained more steam on Tuesday once Bob Gainey confirmed that Halak had requested a trade.

“Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t,” Halak said after Tuesday’s practice. “That’s between me and my agent.”

He also said that despite being happy to be in Montreal, he would like to see more ice time.

“I’m always been a team guy,” he added. “If I play, I play, but I want to win. My contract is up after this year, but if they want to move me, it’s up to them.”

Gainey, who has been known to accommodate players trade requests in the past (for the most recent see: Begin, Steve) also made it clear that the Flyers were not the only team he talked to.

"I took this step because it is Jaroslav's wish to have his chance to play," Gainey told RueFrontenac.com. "He feels ready to play a more important part."

The Philadelphia Daily News also confirmed the story, but talks with Philadelphia could be off now, as the goalie-strapped team picked up Michael Leighton off waivers late Tuesday.

The NHL’s roster freeze kicks in on December 19, and remains in effect until the 27th, so any trade deal seems unlikely in the coming three days.

In any event, one has to think that with the Canadiens compressed schedule, leading up to the Olympics, that moving Halak right now may not be beneficial.

An injury to Price could spell disaster, to an already injury laden team. Keeping Halak until then might be a wiser move.

At least now he knows that he is being accommodated and will be wanting to perform at a top level, as scouts watch more feverishly as the trade deadline approaches.

In any event, one thing is most definitely certain now. Jaroslav Halak will not be a member of the Montreal Canadiens in 2010-11.

In Case You Missed It: Habs News and Blogger Views for December 7,2009

The Flyers face the Canadiens( well, the 2009-10 editions) Monday night

There’s been lots of interesting posts in the Habs media world in the last few days.

Here’s a few that caught my attention:

Rogers Sportsnet was the first to get this out from former Canadien Saku Koivu on his ex-teammate, Alex Kovalev.

Dave Stubbs does a great piece on the surprise that his long time friend, and latest jersey retiree, Elmer Lach received on Friday night.

You have to love excerpt below, where on the legend’s long-time joke he shared with his wife over the years.

"I've long told Lise that, if the day came that the Canadiens were going to hang my number, I'd tell them I'd not be available," Lach said, laughing at the very idea.

"Yes, he's been saying this for years," Lise said. "And I've been telling him: 'Elmer, that's not nice.' "

Team990’s Mitch Melnick had a great write-up on the Habs Centennial Ceremony on his blog.

Rejean Houle and Patrick Roy at the Centennial ceremony. (CP photo)

CJAD’s Abe Hefter was not happy with the luke-warm reception Bob Gainey received Friday night.

The Canadiens have released the movie theatres that will be screening “Pour Toujours les Canadiens” .

HabsEyesOnThePrize: Still skeptical on the Latendresse deal.

Team Canada has announce their roster for the 2009 Spengler Cup

Sergei Kostitsyn smartens up: Reports to the Bulldogs

Having behaved like the child on his knee for a week, Sergei Kostitsyn is apparently reporting to the Hamilton Bulldogs

RDS has reported that disgruntled Montreal Canadiens forward Sergei Kostitsyn will report to the Hamilton Bulldogs on Tuesday.

Kostitsyn had been suspended by the Canadiens, when he refused to report to the team’s AHL affiliate, after being cut by Montreal last week.

The Belarusian forward had said that he would rather be traded than report, something Habs GM Bob Gainey was not going to cater to.

There had been some rumors that Kostitsyn and agent Don Meehan had put an ultimatum on the Canadiens, threatening to leave for the KHL if the winger was not traded.

In all likelihood the KHL wants no part of this having already been in contract agreement in conflicts with the NHL over past jumps by players.

The fact that Meehan and his client had not formally talked until this past weekend adds to the unlikeliness that the KHL was an option.

In Case you missed it: Habs news and blogger views for Aug 17, 2009

The rink may be empty for now, but there’s lots of hockey news abound

A nice little compilation of Canadiens related articles I picked up on from the day.

Dave Stubbs looks in detail at the late, Leaf great Teeder Kennedy’s early days as a Montreal Canadiens Prospect.

The article also has some reflections from Canadiens’ Hall of Fame center Elmer Lach, inducted into the Hall the same year as Kennedy in 1966.

Dennis Kane on how Bob Gainey’s playing days justify his restructuring of the Canadiens to create a winner.

A short note (and link) from Yves on Habs, sizing up the Canadiens.

Eric Engels looks back on some recent memorable moments from Canadiens players no longer on the payroll.

I think somebody  might be a tad bitter about Mike Komisarek leaving. Note the Dryden poem….Hmmmm on that note, I wonder what J.T’s thoughts were when Ken Dryden became Leafs President?

OHCanadiens thinks the Habs might still be shopping

Flying Frenchmen with predictions on the bottom seven of the Eastern Conference in 2009-10.

Habs Eyes on the Prize looks at Ten Things that Habs fans would like to see in 2009-10.

Habs Blogger Digest : July 29 2009

Thought I’d post another look at the latest Canadiens posts/blogs around the web.

YourHabs.com asks what Bob Gainey may have left to do before the start of the season.

HFBoards has the same question in the form of a poll.

Yves On Habs does a great statistical analysis of the “Old Habs” and the “New Habs”

Eric Engels sees a tough battle this season in the Northeast division.

Lions in Winter does a great job looking at GM’s that are ahead of the curve.

The Flying Frenchmen looks at the signing of Travis Moen as well as the team’s next captain and dealing with the French media.

As always, Habs Eyes on the Prize with a couple gems. First up, Robert looks at Andrei Markov as the Canadiens’ next captain.

Robert then digs up a great read on a truly colorful Canadiens’ prospect from the 1930’s.

TSN looks back at the closing ceremony of the Montreal Forum and someplace else.

Canadiens.com has an August 2009 Calendar featuring new Hab Hal Gill available for download. Check out the Fan Artwork while you’re there too!

Which reminds me, 3-10 game pack ticket sales for the 2009-10 season go on sale September 5th at noon, as do pre-season tickets.

Regular season single-game ticket sales will go on sale September 12 at noon.

The Canadiens ticket link will have further purchasing details to come and tickets for the December 4 Centennial game will be made available for purchase later. Ticket prices are available here.

And finally….Dennis Kane looks at an…ahem…. lesser known member of the Canadiens ‘70s dynasty.

July 1989: A changing of the guard in Habs leadership

The 1988-89 NHL Season concluded with the Montreal Canadiens losing in six games in the Stanley Cup Finals at the hands of the Calgary Flames.

Much like the the 2008-09 off season departures of Saku Koivu, Alex Kovalev ands Mike Komisarek, several leadership changes were about to unfold for the Montreal Canadiens as their 1989-90 season approached.

On July 18, 1989 with five Stanley Cups, a Conn Smythe trophy and four Selke trophies to his name, Canadiens’ captain Bob Gainey announced his retirement.

D’Arcy Jenish chronicled Gainey’s retirement in his recent book: The Montreal Canadiens: 100 Years of Glory

Bob Gainey’s last act as captain occurred on July 18, 1989. He sat at a table in the media room at the Forum with Serge Savard to his right, wife Cathy to his left and a large crowd of teammates, team officials and journalists before him. He spoke in English and French, switching effortlessly from one to the other, performing with customary poise and distinction, as one writer put it, and announced that after sixteen bruising and sometimes punishing seasons, he was through.

“The people of Montreal are known, and rightly so, as the strongest and most knowledgeable fans,” he said. “I tried to perform for them every night I played and I’ll carry with me many great memories.”

Savard spoke warmly of his former teammate. He cited his many accomplishments: the Stanley Cup championships, the individual awards, the all-star nominations and the appearances with Team Canada. “If I can describe Bob Gainey in one word,” Savard said, “it would be determination. He once played with two separated shoulders and no one even knew about it. In his prime he was one of the most feared players in the league. He is one of the greats in the history of the Canadiens hockey club.”

Pat Burns spoke of the future and the challenge ahead. “You don’t replace Bob Gainey,” Burns said. “You put someone else out there, but you don’t replace him.”

A week later on July 26, 1989 longtime Canadiens’ defenceman Larry Robinson, a more than suitable replacement as captain, was left without a contract and signed a three-year deal with the Los Angeles Kings.

Larry Robinson signed a three-year deal with the Kings on 07/26/89 playing all three seasons and appear in the playoffs for a record 20 consecutive seasons.

With two key leaders gone from the Canadiens’ ranks, and no clear replacement, the team would be asked to vote on the next captain.

Three rounds of voting wound up in ties between Guy Carbonneau and Chris Chelios.

Savard made the decision to name Carbonneau and Chelios as co-captains, alternating the “C” every other game.

Ultimately, the captaincy would fall to Carbonneau alone.

Despite signing a new five-year deal in February 1990, Chelios was traded in June 1990 to Chicago for Denis Savard.

It was a move that surprised Chelios, Burns and fans alike.

There was speculation that Canadiens’ president Ronald Corey was tired of Chelios’ alleged off ice antics and demanded the trade, but Savard claimed it was his decision based on team doctors’ concerns that Chelios’ knee might shorten his career.

That theory can be thrown out the window twenty years later.

Carbonneau would lead the Canadiens to their last Stanley Cup in 1993.He remained captain until he too was traded in the summer of 1994 to the St. Louis Blues. He would win another Cup five years later with the Dallas Stars and then GM Bob Gainey.

Mats Sundin: Why so quiet this summer?

Remember the summer of 2008?

All the hockey world was hearing was Mats Sundin this, Mats Sundin that.

Well after the Montreal Canadiens gained the rights to talk to Sundin before the July 1 free agent deadline (in an unofficial exchange for Mikhail Grabovski), rumors flew out of the woodwork.

First Montreal, then the New York Rangers, and then the Vancouver Canucks (who reportedly offered a two-year $20 million deal ) were front runners for the then 37-year old center.

The only Sundin signing news that arrived, over the summer, was the fact that he had signed on with PokerStars.

There was talk that Sundin would make his decision by August 1, which turned out to be a “soft deadline” according to agent J.P. Barry.

In a few weeks, later this summer, in a few weeks, later this summer as all that was heard from that point on.

Habs GM Bob Gainey clearly dropped out of any further talks and picked up Robert Lang to fill the void.

Sundin did sign with the Canucks, joining them for the second half of the season at $5.36 million.

I questioned whether or not he was worth it to the Canucks in a prior piece I wrote.

Clearly Canucks GM Mike Gillis felt he wasn’t.

After seeing Sundin battle injuries through the playoffs, he made his focus on successfully signing the Sedin twins to new contracts.

In a story on the Swedish newspaper Expressen’s website, back in June, Sundin did clarify that he would not participate in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

Sundin won an Olympic Gold medal with Sweden at the 2006 Games

“There will be no Olympics in Vancouver for me next year,” Sundin said.

“I will not change my mind, I think it’s time that the next generation takes over. We have many good players.”

When asked by Expressen on the possibility of returning to the NHL:

“Absolutely,” he said 

“I will think about my future over the next couple of weeks. I will make a decision in the summer.”

Sundin reportedly has stated that he would make a decision on returning at the end of July as he will be getting married in August and would prefer not to have that distraction waning during that special moment in his life.

Many analysts and media types, clearly did not want to chase the bone that Sundin and Barry fed them all last summer.

Many of them feel that Sundin will retire.

I had the chance to catch, and interview, Rogers Sportsnet’s  Nick Kypreos earlier this month at the Gretzky Golf Classic.

Kypreos flew to Sweden last summer for an exclusive one-on-one interview with Sundin. 

I asked Kypreos if Mats Sundin would return to which he emphatically answered with one word, “No.”

In the event that Sundin does call it quits, he clearly has the offensive numbers to join the Avalanches’ Joe Sakic as a member of the 2012 class of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

That or he may opt for one last kick of the can for a shot to win the one trophy that has eluded him since joining the NHL with the Quebec Nordiques, the Stanley Cup.

Time will tell.

Free agency will be less of an issue in 2010

Criticized by many for not making the big off-season signing for the past several off-seasons, Bob Gainey may have silenced his critics this summer.

Going into the July 1 free agent deadline, Canadiens’ GM Bob Gainey had ten unrestricted free agents to deal with.

What did he do?

He blew up the team, essentially cleaning house of the supposed “cliques” and locker room problems that burdened the 2008-09 edition of the Canadiens.

Although he did offer contracts to notables such as Saku Koivu, Alex Kovalev and Mike Komisarek, those players elected to seek other pastures.

Gainey had been scrutinized in the past for allowing key free agents to walk away (Sheldon Souray in 2007 and Mark Streit in 2008), but this off season he made sure the gaps were filled.

And what a job he did, landing Mike Cammalleri, Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez with contracts that will keep them, barring trades, in  the bleu-blanc et rouge until the 2013-14 season is over.

Jaroslav Spacek, Travis Moen, Hal Gill and Paul Mara were then picked up on the cheap for three,three, two and one-year deals respectively.

He then re-signed restricted free agents Kyle Chipchura, Tomas Plekanec and Guillaume Latendresse for one-year terms.

Curtis Sanford was grabbed to be the bridge goaltender between Hamilton and Montreal.

Based on data from  nhlnumbers.com that leaves $3.2 million and change left over that will likely go to resigning Matt D’Agostini and Gregory Stewart.

Prospect P.K. Subban is signed to a 3-year entry level deal, but it has yet to reflect on the cap.

So what was a panic situation by many, on June 30 at 11:59 pm, now appears to be a well balanced group of players with a new head coach in Jacques Martin and a revamped coaching staff (with the exception of assistant coach Kirk Muller) at both the NHL and AHL level.

What’s good for Gainey is that at the end of the 2009-10 season, he will have 16 signed players in the organization, seven restricted free agents (all of whom are making less that $1 million this season) and five unrestricted free agents.

The principle free agent next season will be goaltender Carey Price.

Pending his performance, we can expect “The Franchise” to sign to a long term extension sometime this season.

In all likelihood, Jaroslav Halak could be moved at the trade deadline. The kid is too talented to remain a backup, unless he and Price go the Hayward/Roy route for another two or three seasons.

With long term signings in place, and a good crop of young players signed and in place, it’s safe to say that come June 30 2010, Canadiens fans will be chewing their nails a lot less than this year .

Not to mention that we won’t be worrying about a #1 or #2 d-man walking away next summer.

Mike Cammalleri chats with The Hockey News

The Montreal Canadiens’ Mike Cammalleri stopped by the Hockey Hall of Fame last week for a photo shoot for a story that appears in the latest issue.

He also had a chat with THN’s Ken Campbell. The full interview is available here.

Cammalleri talks on his decision to sign with the Habs saying that the opportunity to play for the most recognized of the Original Six teams di influence his decision.

He also thinks the pressure of the media scrutiny in Montreal will push him in a positive way

“You can use that to take your game to a level that’s going to be your best and the going to be the best for your team and your teammates,” he said.

“I don’t think you can be more engaged than playing for the Montreal Canadiens.”

He looks forward to the prospect of playing with the other new offensive acquisitions, Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez.

“Both guys are real exciting. It would be a great dynamic line in my eyes,” he said.

When asked on the new identity of the Canadiens, he felt that it looks like GM Bob Gainey has assembled a team that is going to compete.

“We’ll be there every night to grind it out,” he added

“Any time you have success, it’s going to be the direct result of the guys you play with.”

Habs ink Tomas Plekanec to a one year deal. Trade bait?

The Montreal Canadiens avoided their lone salary arbitration case today, signing center Tomas Plekanec to a one-year deal.

The Canadiens’ official release can be found here.

Terms, as per the team policy, were undisclosed, but are estimated around $2.75 million. He will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2009-10 season.

The 26-year-old came off his third straight 20+ goal season.

His 39 points, however, were his worst point total in those three years.

With the signing, many are speculating that the signing is part of a trade deal with the San Jose Sharks for center Patrick Marleau.

It’s a trade rumor that has been passed around more that a copy of Led Zeppelin IV for three off-seasons now.

With Marleau an unrestricted free agent himself next season, it’s unlikely that Habs’ GM Bob Gainey will want to overload his team with too many UFAs seeking high dollars for a second year.

Now, if Gainey sweetened the pot enough to get Joe Thornton…..hmmmmmmm

A great chat on the course with Captain Kirk

I had a great opportunity to talk with Montreal Canadiens’ assistant coach this week after he finished his second round at the Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic in Thornbury, Ontario.

The complete interview, that runs 10 minutes, can be found here.

Though he doesn’t play in as many tournaments as he used to and tries to keep his travelling close to home, the Kingston native tries to play once at week at home but still enjoys the opportunity to play with the pros on occasion.

Unfortunately for Kirk, his team missed the cut to continue into the third round.

I asked him about the Montreal Canadiens on a variety of subjects from the development camp, the hiring of Jacques Martin , Saku Koivu’s departure and the look of the team this upcoming season.

Muller had a chance to check out the development camp on Monday.

The camp was something that Muller thinks is great for the up and coming players, but was glad he didn’t have it when he was a draft pick.

“I was watching some of the drills they’ve been doing and was like thank God I didn’t have to do it. I probably wouldn’t have been drafted as high as I did,” he said.

On new coach Jacques Martin, Muller feels he is a good choice and that he’ll be able to stay level headed and stick to his guns in the tough Montreal hockey market.

He feels this will be a strong puck possession team under Martin this year and hopes the team can bounce back from a disappointing 100th season hampered by injuries and a group of pending free agents.

“We’re looking forward to bouncing back", he said after.

Muller also feels Guy Carbonneau will be back as a head coach in the NHL.

On Saku Koivu’s departure, Muller feels the move will be a good change for him.

“Sometimes in a career like that it’s nice to do a change and rejuvenate you a little bit,” he said. “I think he’ll do well out there.”

Muller felt that Koivu did a great job handling the pressure of being captain of the Canadiens. He should know being a former captain in New Jersey and Montreal.

He feels early captaincy candidates could be defenceman Andrei Markov and possibly newcomer Scott Gomez.

Despite what is generally thought, the decision on who becomes the new captain isn’t always voted on. Muller said that Jacques Martin could decide for himself or allow the players to vote.

Recently signed prospect P.K. Subban can really benefit with time in Hamilton, according to Muller, and that Ben Maxwell could be one of the next big players in the system within a year or two.

He also thinks this could be a pivotal year for Kyle Chipchura, who just signed a one year deal as I typed this.

On any holes in the team, Muller said that GM Bob Gainey has done a good job so far, but felt that additional help on defence might be looked at.

As we spoke on Friday, the Canadiens had just signed defenceman Paul Mara as well as forward Travis Moen.

With the departure of Mike Komisarek and Alex Kovalev to division rival Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators respectively, Muller thinks that it definitely creates a stir with the rivalry.

I asked him about the retirement of Joe Sakic, who he described as one of the best players in the league in the last few years.

“He’s a really good quiet leader that went out, did his job went out and played his job consistently,” he said.

On any rule changes that he could make, he feels the no touch icing should be looked at, but that there should be more freedom in front of the net for defencemen.

His choice for the Hall of Fame: Doug Gilmour

I'll have talks with Brett Hull, Nick Kypreos, Darren Pang and Cassie Campbell up soon!

Who will lead them?

Well the Montreal Canadiens roster officially got trimmed by one more player.

Despite a “rally of the masses” on Sunday afternoon at the Bell Centre, Habs GM Bob Gainey told CJAD radio on Monday that Alex Kovalev would not be returning.

 Fans rallied Sunday to keep Alex Kovalev in Montreal

Hours later, Kovalev took the money ($10 million over two years) and ran up the highway to Ottawa Senators.

The Northeast Division will be fun to watch this season without a doubt.

With Kovalev’s departure and the likely signing of Saku Koivu to either Buffalo, Atlanta, Anaheim or whatever square Eklund’s rumor dart hit this afternoon, this leaves the captain and all assistant captains off to greener pastures.

Mike Komisarek defected to the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 1 and Christopher Higgins was traded to the New York Rangers on June 30.

The question now has to be asked, who will be the next captain?

Andrei Markov has been an assistant captain in the past but is unlikely as a captain.

You have to remember that Koivu was criticized for not speaking French. Markov can barely speak English so it’s safe to rule him out.

The Kostitsyn brothers??? Georges Laraque ??? Forget it!

Scott Gomez seems to be an early popular choice, despite not playing one game for the Canadiens.

Sorry Mr. Gomez, but there’s too much tradition to just walk in and take the “C”.

Ditto for Mike Cammalleri and Brian Gionta.

All likelihood two of these three will be alternate captains.

Young bucks Josh Gorges, Maxim Lapierre and maybe Guillaume Latendresse would be a good choices as an alternate captains in my opinion, but I feel none of this trio is at a full leadership level.

Roman Hamrlik is the long-time veteran on the team, but could be moved before the start of the season.

In any event, the Canadiens have never gone without a captain in their history.

Jean Beliveau is the Canadiens’ longest serving captain

Guy Carbonneau and Chris Chelios alternated months in the 1989-90 season when the team vote was as close as the Quebec Referendum vote.

The captaincy of the Montreal Canadiens has always been voted on by the players, so ultimately it will be up to the final roster when it is set sometime in late September.

The players may elect to go a shared route in the 2009-10 season.

Either way, that individual is the go-to man by the fans and media of a team with 100 years of history, and 16 years and counting without a Stanley Cup.

Preferably I want a long standing captain like Koivu (win or lose), and not a revolving door that we saw in the mid-90’s.

But let’s not rule out the current captain just yet, shall we?

List of Montreal Canadiens Captains

Jack Laviolette           1909-10	Emile Bouchard                    1948-56
Newsy Lalonde            1910-11	Maurice Richard                   1956-60
Jack Laviolette           1911-12	Doug Harvey                        1960-61
Newsy Lalonde            1912-13	Jean Beliveau                       1961-71
Jimmy Gardner           1913-15	Henri Richard                       1971-75
Howard McNamara      1915-16	Yvan Cournoyer                    1975-79
Newsy Lalonde            1916-22	Serge Savard                       1979-81
Sprague Cleghorn        1922-25	Bob Gainey                          1981-89
Billy Coutu                  1925-26	G. Carbonneau/C. Chelios    1989-90
Sylvio Mantha             1926-32	Guy Carbonneau                   1990-94
George Hainsworth     1932-33	Kirk Muller                           1994-95
Sylvio Mantha             1933-36	Mike Keane          Apr – Dec       1995
Albert “Babe” Seibert  1936-39	Pierre Turgeon                     1995-96
Walter Buswell            1939-40	Vincent Damphousse             1996-99
Hector “Toe” Blake     1940-48	Saku Koivu                           1999-??
Bill Durnan    Jan – Apr      1948