Canadiens/Penguins Game 7: Habs oust the champs!

On thing is for certain now in the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs, there will be a new Stanley Cup Champion.

The Pittsburgh Penguins were ousted after Wednesday’s 5-2 Game Seven loss to the Montreal Canadiens.

The defending champions opened the game with a rather weak first period, while the Canadiens played their best period of the playoffs.

Montreal got on the board first after the Penguins Sidney Crosby took a roughing call right at the start. On the ensuing power play, Brian Gionta tipped a PK Subban shot, that snuck past Marc-Andre Fleury at 0:32.

Dominic Moore put the Canadiens up by two when he ripped a shot past Fleury at 14:23.

The Penguins found themselves being booed off the ice, by their own fans, at the end of the period. Meanwhile the Canadiens had a packed Bell Centre cheering them on at home.

"We played well together," said Canadiens defenseman Hall Gill, who returned to the lineup after missing Game Six with a cut to his leg.

"We got guys to step up at the right time, and that's what you need. In the playoffs, it's not about your star players. It's about everyone."

The Canadiens momentum carried into the second period when Mike Cammalleri one timed his 12th goal of the playoffs at 3:32.

It continued to get worse for Pittsburgh. On a penalty kill, Travis Moen got the puck out of the Montreal zone, and chipped the puck past Sergei Gonchar to beat Fleury at 5:14.

Having allowed four goals on 13 shots, Fleury was pulled in favour of Brent Johnson.

The home team responded to the goaltending change when Chris Kunitz squeaked a rebound past Halak at 8:36.

It started to look like a game when Jordan Staal deflected an Alexei Ponikarovsky point shot past Halak, at 16:30, to get the Penguins within two.

Pittsburgh out shot Montreal 13-7 in the second period and carried a 4-on-3 power play into the third.

The Canadiens came up big on the penalty kill, thanks it part to a spectacular save by Halak, off the stick of Crosby, that was easily the game-saver.

The Montreal netminder was called upon again on a second Pittsburgh man advantage minutes later, and had 37 saves on the night. The Penguins also had 26 shots that were blocked and 17 that missed the net.

Gionta added his second of the night, on a Canadiens power play, batting a saucer pass from Cammalleri out of mid-air past Johnson at 10:00.

"It just means we get to keep playing," said Cammalleri. "We might be changing some minds. We've had that underlying confidence. It's been good so far, but we have to get better."

"They came hard, created some chances and capitalized on every one of them," a disappointed Crosby said. “They find ways and you gotta give them credit for that.”

Montreal fans spilled out of the Bell Centre and surrounding taverns and into the streets in a massive, but peaceful, celebration.

The Canadiens will return home to await the winner of the second Eastern Conference Semi-Final between the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers. That series goes to a seventh game on Friday.

Games Three Stars: 1. Jaroslav Halak 2. Brian Gionta 3. Michael Cammalleri

Notes: Mike Cammalleri becomes the first Canadiens player with a dozen goals in the playoffs since Guy Lafleur in 1975.

The series win comes as an early birthday present for the Canadiens’ Jaroslav Halak and P.K. Subban, who celebrate their 25th and 21st birthdays respectively on Thursday.

The game marks the final one at Pittsburgh’s Mellon Arena. The Canadiens bookend the arena’s history with wins at it’s opening in 1967 and on Wednesday night.

Game Photo: Dave Sanford (Getty Images)

An open letter to the Toronto Star’s Cathal Kelly

Dear Mr. Kelly,

Re: Your article “7 reasons Torontonians can’t root for the Habs tonight.”

Either you were attempting to be funny, or this is just further proof as to why print media on the verge of collapse.

At first I thought that the Toronto Star had a sharing deal with Bleacher Report.

I will be honest with you. Unlike yourself, I do not hold a degree in journalism from, based on what I read, the Devry Institute. I just write for my own enjoyment.

It’s clear that Toronto sports writing, notably hockey, has long since passed it’s glory days when Jim Proudfoot, Jim Hunt and George Gross graced the pages of the Toronto Star and the Toronto Sun.

With the exception of Damien Cox, the Star’s hockey section is next to nothing of significance anymore.

So let’s look at this masterpiece. Your synopsis is that Leafs fans should not cheer for the Montreal Canadiens despite their playoff success. So you hate the Habs, that’s nothing new in most of the GTA.

If you don’t want to cheer for them, that’s your prerogative and I have no argument who you cheer for. Your reasoning on the other hand is where the problem lies.

So lets look at that.

The first issue is fairness. Well clearly you’ve never seen construction or bridgework disrupting Montreal traffic, so let’s call that a draw. I don’t think one night of “possible” rioting in Montreal can be compared to will more than likely happen in Toronto. My question is will the rioters be political or Jays season ticket holders jilted out of the Phillies series.

On to the next issue. This is where you fail to realize that there are actually huge numbers of Habs fans living in the GTA, present company included. They just stay out of site until the playoffs. I don’t understand why they do, but that’s just their way.

As for Leafs fans in Toronto, well I can’t understand why people living in a city, with such a winning tradition in the Canadiens,would even want to be one. Maybe they’re the ones at the “24-hour-disco” during the playoffs.

Now it’s on to P.K. Subban. Great player, eh? Did you know his dad lived in Montreal, when he came to Canada from Jamaica, and immediately fell in love with the Canadiens? He brought that heritage and taught it to his son. What a smart boy, and an even greater father!

Subban was picked in the second round of the 2007 Draft, so maybe the Leafs should have got him in the first round instead of… Oh wait, Toronto didn’t have a pick in the first two rounds of that draft.

By the way, the Leafs First Round pick in 2009, Nazim Kadri, and his family were also Habs fans. Maybe the Leafs should trade him where he belongs.

On the mortality comment, I just think it’s plain tasteless that that you compare the Habs/Leafs rivalry to that of a serious issue going on at the OSPCA. Shame on you!

As for Celine Dion. Yeah that would be sad, I’ll give you that. Then again that’s what the volume button or changing the channel is for. Works for me when HNIC airs a Leafs game or Joe Bowen’s voice graces the airwaves.

Moving on to unity. First off trust me when I say, drivers in Montreal are far better than those in Brampton! Personally I do like to see a Canadian franchise succeed in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, or an underdog. This year the Canadiens are both of those elements.

I will admit that pre-lockout, when the Leafs had some chances, I had some hope for the blue and white. I do have feelings you know. Nobody should suffer a long painful life of suffering through 47 years without seeing their team win a Cup. Do you think I typed that with a straight face?

Which leaves us to one Sidney Crosby. He’s talented yes, he scored “The Golden Goal”, he’s won a Cup. Outside of that he’s one of the biggest whiners I’ve ever seen the NHL. Have you watched any of this series? Oh that’s right, your a Leafs fan. Why would you, right? Well if you had, you’d have seen that. If you want to cheer for

I wouldn’t be surprised to see the referees have enough of “Sid the Kid’s” tantrums. But if you want to cheer for Gary Bettman’s meal ticket, be my guest.

Judging by the comments on the article you wrote, it’s clear I’m not the only one who feels this way. Surprisingly, not all of them come from Habs fans either.

Perhaps it’s best that next time, you think it through before you write it.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to write something on the Toronto FC/Montreal Impact rivalry. You know, something I know nothing about!

Canadiens/Penguins Game 6: No Markov, No Gill, No Problem!

Mike Cammalleri potted two goals and Jaroslav Halak made 34 saves to lead the Montreal Canadiens to a 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

With the rash of injuries plaguing the Canadiens, things did not look promising heading into Game Six. Andrei Markov was cited as out with a leg injury and Hall Gill was a game-time decision with a cut to his leg and did not play. The good news was that Jaroslav Spacek was good to go, and played a key role in Monday’s victory.

If front of a pumped Bell Centre crowd, Montreal jumped out early Cammalleri blew a one-timer past Marc-Andre Fleury at 1:13.

The Penguins got it back, shortly after a failed power play, when Sidney Crosby batted a deflected puck in mid air at 7:22.

The first twenty minutes was controlled by Pittsburgh, with the Penguins mounting a 13-6 shot advantage.

The defending Stanley Cup Champions had a pair of early power play chances in the second period, and connected on the second one when Kris Letang fired a shot that trickled under Halak’s arm at 5:21.

Montreal tied it up when Cammalleri fired a backhander past Fleury’s blocker, for his 11th goal of the playoffs, at 10:45. The last Canadiens player to score 11 or more goals in the post-season was Vincent Damphousse in 1993.

The Bell Centre crowd was behind it’s team for the full 60 minutes. After the second Montreal goal, PA announcer Michel LaCroix had to wait through the entire TV timeout for the crowd’s cheering to subside, before he could announce the goal.

“We’re really appreciative for their support,” Cammalleri said. “It’s the most amazing environment you can imagine.”

Spacek put the Canadiens in front with a low point shot that went through Fleury’s legs at 13:15. It was the first goal of the playoffs for Spacek, who had missed the last nine games with a viral infection.

“I was surprised that the puck went through,” he said. “I was just trying to get the shot on goal.”

Spacek played a flawless defensive game, making several defensive plays to spoil the Penguins scoring chances.

“The first period was tough on me,” the rearguard added. “Overall I felt pretty good and as the game went on I felt better.”

Backing the veteran were youngsters P.K. Subban and Josh Gorges, who logged 29:11 and 25:51 of ice time respectively. Gorges stepped in for Gill in shot blocking department with six to lead the team.

From there, the period’s momentum strongly swung in Montreal’s favor as the Canadiens took over the remaining minutes, drawing a late Pittsburgh penalty.

The third period saw offensive exchanges at both ends with Fleury and Halak both turning away scoring opportunities from both teams.

Montreal continued to put the pressure on as Maxim Lapierre made great one-man effort to give the Canadiens a two-goal lead at 11:30.

The Penguins refused to give up, pulling Fleury for the extra attacker. With 1:24 to go, Bill Guerin tipped a Sergei Gonchar point shot past but it would be as close as they would get.

“We liked the way we stayed with it, instead of sitting back,” Cammalleri added. “We’re trying to get better, we’re trying to improve. Tonight’s game was a big step.”

The Canadiens win forces a deciding seventh game back in Pittsburgh on Wednesday. Fans in Montreal will be able to catch the game on the giant screen at the Bell Centre. Tickets go on sale Tuesday at noon for $7.50 (includes in-bowl animation, a DJ, games door prizes) at www.canadiens.com, the Bell Centre Ticket Office or by phone at (514) 790-2525 / 1-877-688-8269.

Three Stars: 1. Michael Cammalleri 2. Jaroslav Spacek 3. Jaroslav Halak

game photo: Montreal Gazette (Dave Sidaway)

Friday Night Vids: Sidney Crosby Tribute and Habs Romance

Rogers Sportsnet gets video of the day with this playoff tribute to Sidney Crosby. I hear it’s the in-flight film on the Habs charter to Pittsburgh.

A couple variations on the popular Lady Gaga song “Bad Romance” as heard on Montreal’s Virgin 96 Radio.

The first one was the teaser for the opening round.

The second was made for the second round vs. Pittsburgh.

Audio game highlights come from Virgin 96’s sister station CJAD.

The “voice of the Habs” Rick Moffat is currently working on a new version of Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t worry, be happy!”

Canadiens/Penguins Game Four: Halak foils Pens, Refs

Jaroslav Halak took back his reign as the goalie of the playoffs, making saves to lead the Montreal Canadiens to a 3-2 Game Four win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Halak had another “day at the office,” with a 33 save performance.

With and excited Bell Centre crowd behind them, the Canadiens opened the scoring when Tom Pyatt scored his first career playoff goal on a wrist shot went five hole on Marc Andre Fleury at 2:34.

Maxim Talbot replied on a two-on-one rush just a minute later. The Bell Centre crowd was looking for a penalty prior to the goal as P.K. Subban appeared to be tripped up by Ruslan Fedotenko.

Chris Kunitz added a power play marker at 5:18 to put the Penguins ahead. The goal was reviewed, as there was question to whether Kunitz had kicked the puck in.

The Penguins out shot the Canadiens 15-6 in the opening period that was full of questionable officiating calls. That trend by the officials carried throughout the game.

The game remained scoreless in the second period, with Pittsburgh still remaining in control. The Canadiens managed just three shots to the Penguins ten, and were blanked on their one power play chance in the period.

A totally different Canadiens team emerged from the dressing room in the third period.

Battling behind the Penguins net, Maxim Lapierre tied it up on a wrap around at 2:07

The Canadiens regained the lead just over a minute and a half later than a shot from Brian Gionta deflected off of Penguins defender Chris LeTang and past Fleury.

“The players recognized our performance was not too good in the first two periods,” Canadiens coach Jacques Martin said. “If you don’t make a commitment to shooting the puck, or getting your nose dirty, you’re not going to win the game.”

From then on, it was all Halak. The Slovak-born netminder made 16 saves in the period to earn the game’s first star.

“We’ve got nothing to lose,” said Halak, noting the Canadiens unexpected playoff run. “We’re not even supposed to be here, but here we are. Tonight we were down 2-1 going into the third, and we showed a lot of character.”

The Canadiens goalie also got some help from his teammates, who blocked 23 Penguins shots. Hal Gill led Montreal with eight blocked shots.

“Everyone pulled together in the third,” Gill said. “Jaro stood on his head and kept us in the game, then we came around and found the way to get some goals.”

“Our blueline has really stepped it up,” Martin added. “The leadership of Gill and (Josh) Gorges really speaks volume of their character.”

The win for Montreal ties the series at two games apiece. Game Five goes Saturday night back in Pittsburgh.

Games Three Stars: 1. Jaroslav Halak 2. Josh Gorges 3. Maxime Talbot

Off the Bench: After spending all of Game Three on the Canadiens bench, forward Mathieu Darche played 8:12, assisting on the Lapierre goal, and was +1.

game photo: by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images

Habs/Penguins Game 3: Fleury outshines Halak

So far in the 2010 NHL Playoffs, the goaltending story has belonged to the Montreal Canadiens Jaroslav Halak. On Tuesday night though, his counterpart Marc-Andre Fleury, turned away 18 shots to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 2-0 Game Three win.

The Canadiens dominated the Penguins for the first twenty minutes, limiting them to just three shots on goal. Montreal managed seven shots, with eleven that were blocked.

Most impressive was the Canadiens blanking Pittsburgh completely on a penalty kill. Not a single shot found Jaroslav Halak or the back of the net.

The second period was nearly a reversal of fortune for the two teams, with Pittsburgh mounting the pressure on Halak and the Canadiens.

The physical play and face washes been progressing through the first 40 minutes. It reached a peak at the end of the second period, with both lines getting in each others faces.

The third period opened with two of the Canadiens best penalty killers, Hal Gill and Josh Gorges, in the penalty box. Evgeni Malkin took advantage of the Penguins power play, blasting a one-timer past Halak at 1:16.

The game appeared to be a case of nerves for Canadiens rookie P.K. Subban. The young rearguard logged over 22 minutes, but made several uneventful one-man rushes and at times appeared to be trying to do everything.

From then on it was all Fleury who made several key saves against the Canadiens, including a huge one off the stick of Mike Cammalleri and another on Tomas Plekanec during a late Penguins penalty kill.

“You don’t get this far without goaltending,” said Penguins captain Sidney Crosby. “Flower’s done a great job for us. It’s huge to get those big saves late on the road and keep the score the way it was.”

One of Montreal’s key bright spots, through the night, was limiting Crosby to just one shot on goal. The Canadiens have kept the Penguins star  pointless for the second straight game. At the same time, a peculiar stat on the Canadiens score sheet shows forward Mathieu Darche benched for the entire game.

Pascal Dupuis put in the empty-net goal 19:45 to ice it for the Penguins

The white wash was Fleury’s first in this season’s playoffs and the fourth in his post-season career. Not to be outdone, Halak had a 23 save performance in a losing cause. Either way, player agent Allan Walsh can’t complain right now as he represents both goaltenders.

“It was a patient type game by both teams,” Cammalleri said. There wasn’t too many chances either way.

Cammalleri also acknowledged the Penguins often overlooked playing style, “Because they have such dynamic players, I think people underestimate the structure that this team plays in. They play a very disciplined style and people get a false sense of how they play the game.”

Pittsburgh takes a 2-1 series lead, with Game Four going Thursday night at the Bell Centre.

Game’s Three Stars: 1. Marc-Andre Fleury 2. Evgeni Malkin 3. Brian Gionta

game photo: AP/Canadian Press (Ryan Remiorz)

Habs/Penguins Game 2: Halak back as Habs tie series.

After an off performance in Game 1, Jaroslav Halak returned to the Montreal Canadiens net for Game Two and gave a 38-save performance to lead his team to a 3-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Penguins opened the scoring at  4:38 of the first period, putting a backhand shot past Jaroslav Halak.

Montreal replied at 15:48 on Brian Gionta’s fifth goal of the season.

The second period saw the Penguins dominate, outshooting their opponents 18-3. No matter what they tried, they could get nothing past Halak.

The Canadiens defence, led by veteran Hal Gill and rookie P.K. Subban, made things difficult for the Penguins Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, with the former breaking his stick on the Canadiens net.

“They were more aggressive in the neutral zone,” said Crosby. “We got to the offensive zone, but maybe we got a little too fancy.”

Montreal managed to make good on their trio of shots when Mike Cammalleri put the Canadiens ahead, during a power play at 7:29, on a fantastic hand-eye move, batting to puck past Fleury.

Pittsburgh had it’s chances in the third with a pair of power play opportunities to open the final 20 minutes. Again Halak and the bodies in front of him were able to shut down the Penguins attack.

“We can’t fix something that works,” said Canadiens centre Scott Gomez on how the team can get the win despite being badly outshot. “We made the adjustments.(Assistant coach) Kirk Muller went over the tapes from the last game and made it work.”

Cammalleri intercepted a Penguins pass and blew a shot past Fleury to give the Canadiens the insurance marker at 17:06.

Things then got dirty when Pittsburgh’s Craig Adams slammed the Canadiens Marc-Andre Bergeron from behind and into the boards. Adams received a five minute major, for checking from behind, and a game misconduct.

The series in now tied at two and heads to Montreal for Games Three and Four on Tuesday and Thursday respectively.

Games Three Stars: 1. Jaroslav Halak 2. Mike Cammalleri 3. Matt Cooke

Deja-vu in the “A”: The Canadiens AHL affiliate Hamilton Bulldogs managed to tie their series at one with Abbotsford this afternoon with a 3-1 win.

The urgency of Hamrlik in the Habs playoff drive

Having already been missing Jaroslav Spacek for most of the playoffs thus far, the Montreal Canadiens blueline corps finds itself deeper in the hole with the loss of Andrei Markov.

Markov is out indefinitely with a knee injury,suffered in Game One of their second round match with the Pittsburgh Penguins, leaving the lead on the Montreal defense on the shoulders of Roman Hamrlik.

The veteran rearguard played some big minutes early in the regular season, leading the Canadiens defencemen in minutes played.

“In Markov's absence a guy like Roman Hamrlik raised his game,” said Canadiens coach Jacques Martin on Saturday, who also encouraged a team effort on defence. “We expect the same thing now.

Roman Hamrlik Stats 2009-10 Regular Season

GP	G	A	PTS	PIM	+/-
75	6	20	26	56	-2
TOI
EV/G	PP/G	SH/G	TOTAL/G
18:44	2:18	2:13	23:26

By game three of the first round against the Washington Capitals, Hamrlik seemed to lose focus and was the goat on two short-handed Capitals goals.

His ice time slowly decreased to a season low 12:10 by Game Five, notably in even strength time. There was no confirmation of any injury or exhaustion, but Martin said he would deal with his player in a one-on-one situation.

Roman Hamrlik TOI 2009-10 Playoffs (through 04/30)

Date	OPP	SHIFT	EV	PP	SH	TOTAL
04/15	WASH	32	20:27	0:28	2:24	23:19
04/17	WASH	29	17:32	1:39	2:28	21:39
04/19	WASH	27	10:20	2:26	5:35	18:21
04/21	WASH	24	11:04	1:39	2:44	15:27
04/23	WASH	16	5:43	3:10	3:12	12:10
04/26	WASH	20	8:45	2:59	2:41	14:25
04/28	WASH	21	9:42	1:51	1:56	13:29
04/30	PITT	26	14:44	3:25	1:23	19:32

“I talked to the coaches, and we got some good results,” Hamrlik said I just had to go out there and do a better job.”

His ice time has gradually bounced back up and can be expected to increase as the series progresses.

The question does he have the energy left to do it? In his entire NHL career, this is just the third time that Hamrlik has played into the second round of the playoffs. It will be interesting to see if the 36-year-old has enough left to take on this enormous task.

On thing he can offer is leadership to a young corps of players like P.K. Subban, Ryan O’Byrne and Josh Gorges. If the youngsters can contribute as one knows they can and Hamrlik to lead them, the Canadiens have a good chance in this round.

“It’s a big loss, no one can replace Markov,” Hamrlik said. “It happened in the beginning of the season and I got the trust from the coaches.

“I feel quite comfortable with P.K. (Subban) or whoever I play with and I can focus for the next game.”

Coach Martin backed his veteran, stating that a team functionality is key from here on in.

“He played some big minutes in the first half of the season, but our six defencemen and our forwards will have to fill that void.”

Habs vs Penguins: A look back at the regular season

The Pittsburgh Penguins won the regular season matchup by a 3-1 margin. One of the problems looking at that statistic is that not one of those games came with a solid lineup that Montreal managed to field (save Jaro Spacek) in round one of the playoffs.

Three games game prior to Christmas, when the Canadiens were at the peak of their injury problems. Back then there were names like D’Agostini, Chipchura, Leach and White on the roster.

The Canadiens did manage their single win without the likes of Mike Cammalleri, but it was also the fist game that they faced the Penguins with a near-completely healthy defensive corps.

Here’s a look back a the four games, with a brief video recap included for each. You can hit the Boxscores/Stats links for more info via canadiens.com, including more detailed video links.

October 28 at Pittsburgh: The Penguins put out a Stanley Cup peformance with a 6-1 win.

Jaroslav Halak, who had a four-game winning streak entering the ame,  was chased after allowing four goals on 23 shots in two period. Many felt the team fell flat in front of their goaltender.

Notable injuries: Ryan O’Byrne and Andrei Markov

Game Boxscore and Stats from Canadiens.com

November 25 at Pittsburgh: The Canadiens only managed 17 shots and fell 3-1 to the Penguins. Carey Price made 27 saves.

Notable Habs injuries: Andre markov, Hal Gill, Scott Gomez, Jaroslav Spacek, Benoit Pouliot, Brian Gionta. Andrei Kostitsyn did not play, but may have been a healthy scratch.

Boxscore and Stats

 

December 10 at Montreal: Pittsburgh wins 3-2 on a goal from Pascal Dupuis at 13:21 of the third period. The Penguins fired 41 shots at Carey Price.

Notable Habs injuries: Andrei Markov and Brian Gionta.

Boxscore and Stats

 

February 5 at Montreal: Montreal wins 5-3 thanks to a pair of goals from Brian Gionta. The Canadiens chased Marc-Andre Fleury from the Penguins goal early in the third period, after their fourth goal.

Jaroslav Halak got the win, making 18 saves on 21 shots faced. Not one Penguins shot came off the stick of Sidney Corsby.

Notable Habs injuries included Mike Cammalleri, Andrei Kostitsyn and Benoit Pouliot.

Boxscore and Stats

 

The Crosby Factor

A look at Sidney Crosby’s stats in the four games against the Canadiens.

	Goals	Assists	Points	+/-	Shots	TOI
Oct 28	3	0	3	3	9	19:55
Nov 25	1	1	2	2	2	18:48
Dec 10	0	0	0	1	2	24:07
Feb 5	0	1	1	-2	0	20:51

 

Habs/Pens Playoff Schedule

March 14, 1971: Ken Dryden debuts with the Montreal Canadiens

To most fans across the NHL, it was a plain and simple statement issued, and in some cases buried in a corner of their local papers, by the Associated Press:

Fans of the Montreal Canadiens knew well of Ken Dryden, who had been an All-American goalie with Cornell University and played on Canada’s national team. The 23-year old was quickly becoming established in Montreal in his first pro season with AHL Voyageurs.

Dryden was impressive in the Canadiens training camp in September, playing in two pre-season games against Chicago and Boston.

He would begin the 1970-71 season studying law, in his second year at McGill University, while at the same time posting a 16-7-8 record, with a 2.68 GAA and 3 shutouts with the Canadiens farm club.

After signing a new contract with Montreal in January of 1971, Dryden began focusing more on hockey, referring to his law studies as a “hobby”.

Dryden was officially called up by the Canadiens on March 7, when the team decided to carry three goalies (Dryden, Phil Myre and Rogie Vachon) through the remainder of the season.

Coach Al McNeil gave the rookie his first start on March 14, against the fifth-place Pittsbugh Penguins, after Vachon had played 15 straight games for Montreal. McNeil said the veteran goalie “deserved a break.”

“Our club was getting a little dull the last three games,” McNeil said as the Canadiens had just a tie to go with two straight losses. “We didn’t have too much life.”

With the team playing at home against Chicago the night before, the timing for Dryden’s debut in Pittsburgh was just right.

Dryden admitted being nervous filling the shoes of the popular Canadiens netminder. “Sometimes you feel it in your stomach, and other times in your legs,” he said. “This time it was in my legs.”

The Penguins managed to get 36 shots on Dryden, beating him just once on a deflection by Penguins rookie John Stewart at 18:01 of the second period.It was Stewart’s first NHL goal.

“I was following the shot from the from the point, and it deflected right into Stewart’s stick,” Dryden said.

Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, the Canadiens had already scored three goals on route to a 5-1 win.

Bryan Hextall (note the name typo on the jersey) looks on as Ken Dryden makes one of his 35 saves in his NHL debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins – 03/14/1971 – Pittsburgh Press photo

The young netminder even admitted thinking he might get a shutout.

“Maybe some goalies say they don’t think of shutouts, but I do,” he said. “Trouble is it’s when you just start patting yourself on the back that you get beaten.”

Dryden was happy with his performance, but felt that debut jitters may have led to being exposed on rebounds that his teammates safely cleared.

“They had very few real good shots,” he said. “Sure I made a couple of reasonably difficult saves but I was warmed up to them after easier ones on the same shifts. I couldn’t wait until the game was over. I was really careless at times.”

Dryden would win his next five starts with the Canadiens, posting a 1.65 GAA, leaving McNeil to chose him over Vachon to lead the Canadiens into the memorable Stanley Cup quarter-finals against the first place Bruins.

A legend was born.

Did you know?: It’s well documented that Ken’s older brother Dave was an NHL goalie, as well the pair becoming the first brothers in the NHL to face off in opposing goals on March 20, 1971.

But on the night little brother Ken made his NHL debut, big brother Dave recorded a shutout, playing for the Buffalo Sabres, against the Minnesota North Stars. To top it off, he also recorded an assist.

“I’ll call him Monday,” Dave Dryden said. “Yeah I’ll call collect. It was a perfect night.”

Feb 24, 1990: Habs Blast a Record 61 Shots

These penguins could have taken to the ice on Feb 24, 1990 and the result would have been the same. A 61-shot, 11-1 victory for the Canadiens over Pittsburgh.

The Pittsburgh Penguins were another year away from their first Stanley Cup, and missing their superstar player, when the Montreal Canadiens fired 61 shots on goal in an 11-1 rout.

The Penguins had been without Mario Lemieux since he went out with a back injury on February 14. Prior to the injury Lemieux had been on an NHL record 46-game points streak. He wouldn’t return for the rest of the season.

In light of Lemieux’s offensive talent present, the Penguins were still a .500 team with a pathetic defense. Much work was to be done in Lemeiux’s absence, and over the next 14 months, before the franchise would hoist Lord Stanley’s mug.

This night in February proved that, in light of Pittsburgh’s recent defensive improvement.

The Canadiens scored four goals in the first period and had 12 shots on Penguins goalie Frank Pietrangelo before Pittsburgh got their first.

“They were just coming at us and coming at us and coming at us all night long ,” said Penguins coach Craig Patrick. “They dominated us in every aspect of the game.”

Guy Carbonneau opened the scoring in the first period, and added three assists on the night.

“I don’t think anyone hit us all night,” Carbonneau said. “They gave us a lot of room in their end.”

By the time Mike McPhee scored Montreal’s fifth goal, early in the second period. A fan in the Forum crowd was heard playing a rendition of “Taps” on a trumpet.

Stephane Richer and Russ Courtnall each had two goals. Petr Svoboda, Mats Naslund, Shayne Corson and Claude Lemieux rounded out the scoring for Montreal.

Phil Bourque snapped Patrick Roy’s shutout bid with an early third period goal. With All-Star defenceman Chris Chelios out of the lineup with an injury, Roy had a relatively busy night making 25 saves against a Lemieux-less offense.

“Everything we did tonight, we did good,” said the Canadiens Jyrki Lumme. “But Pittsburgh was really bad.”

The 61 shots was a Canadiens record for shots on goal, breaking a team record of 59 set on October 12, 1963. Pietrangelo faced every one.

“They had a lot of quality shots,”said Patrick. “I would venture to guess there were 35-40 good scoring chances.”

The sad story for Pietrangelo was that he was not scheduled to start the game. Wendell Young was to be the starter, but both he and Pietrangelo approached their coach and suggested that Young should start the next night against Quebec.

“We were on national television too – ‘Hockey Night In Canada’” said Pietrangelo. “That meant our families and friends were watching. It was embarrassing.

“You read in the papers sometimes about teams giving up 10,11,12 goals, and you wonder ‘How does that happen?’ Now we know. On paper it looks like they don’t have the capability of scoring 11 goals. But obviously they do.”

Other notes

After this game, the Penguins were 4-44-5 at the Montreal Forum. Coincidentally, the Penguins worse defeat in franchise history had come just eleven years earlier when the Canadiens thumped them 12-0 on February 22, 1979.

The Penguins were one shot from the franchise record for shots against (62) set in March 1989 against Chicago.

The Canadiens 11-goal night left the franchise’s all-time tally at 14,999. Eric Desjardins would score No. 15,000 the next night in a 6-5 overtime win over the St. Louis Blues.

The Kids Are Alright: Habs embarrass Pens 5-3

They didn’t score any goals, but the fourth line call-ups for the Montreal Canadiens fit in just nicely, as they helped their team defeat the Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3 Saturday afternoon.

The line of David Desharnais, Brock Trotter and Ryan White, called up Friday from the Hamilton Bulldogs, logged an average of ten minuts of ice time against what seemed to be an underachieving Pittsburgh team. The Penguins had beaten Montreal with a combined score of 12-4 in their last two victorious meetings.

With injuries mounting up yet again for the Canadiens, and a group of youngsters on the fourth line, the veterans needed to step up. They did just that, with three-point games from Tomas Plekanec and Brian Gionta.

Montreal opened the scoring when Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was tripped up by Mathieu Darche behind the goal, leaving an open net for Plekanec at 29 seconds.

Fleury argued that there should have been a penalty on the play. It was picked up between periods, on Hockey Night in Canada, referee Steve Kozari admitted to Penguins coach Dan Bylsma that they just didn’t see it that way.

The Penguins replied, 33 seconds later, when Pascal Dupuis jumped on a Jaraoslav Halak rebound to tie the game at one.

At 9:38 of the second period, shortly after a third consecutive and successful Canadiens penalty kill, Gionta raced in on a breakaway, beating Fleury to put the Canadiens back in the lead.

Scott Gomez added a power play goal for Montreal just 43 seconds later. Veteran Bill Guerin put in a weak shot past Halak, with 6:03 left in the second period, to keep his team within one.

In the third, Trotter came very close to scoring his first career NHL goal on a shot that went under Fleury and off the goal post.

Darche’s shot moments later at 7:15 was more accurate, putting the Canadiens ahead by two and chasing Fleury from the game. Gionta added his second goal of the afternoon three and a half minutes later.

The Penguins number one netminder was then pulled by Blysma for Brent Johnson, as he will will likely start Sunday against Washington, weather permitting.

Fleury didn’t take it well though, slamming his stick against the tunnel wall leading to the Penguins dressing room.

Things got a little rough as White and Guerin mixed things up for five-minute majors, with the veteran getting an instigator call and a ten-minute misconduct. White could get further charges of elder abuse, details to come.

Virtually unheard from all afternoon, Penguins All-Star Evgeni Malkin made it interesting. After serving an instigating minor to Brooks Orpik, and his team still shorthanded, the Russian star broke form the penalty box for a breakaway to beat Halak.

With 3:16 to play and killing off a disastrous 5-on-3 power play for the Canadiens, the defending champs still had time to make this a game.

Malkin however, felt otherwise as he took a foolish roughing minor is response to a tap from the Canadiens Roman Hamrlik, killing his team’s chances for the comeback.

The Canadiens have now won three straight and get right back into it Sunday afternoon against the Boston Bruins.

It was a relatively easy night for Halak, who faced just 21 pucks from the Penguins after back-to-back 45-save appearances.

Three Stars: 1. Brian Gionta 2. Mathieu Darche 3. David Desharnais

How good were they?:

Ryan White 9:50 TOI (57 seconds on the penalty kill) 5 PIM, 4 hits (most by a Canadiens player)

David Desharnais: 11:41 TOI (3:06 on the PP), +1 Just one shot on goal, but had three that were blocked.

Brock Trotter: 11:07 TOI (2:13 on the PP), 5 shots (led both teams) and drew penalties

“It was unbelievable playing here in Montreal for the first time,” Trotter said. “All year we created some offense in Hamilton, we tried to do what we’re good at. We didn’t get one ourselves, but I think we created some offense for the team.”

“They brought a lot of energy”, said Canadiens coach Jacques Martin. “They played hard, and they were rewarded.”

Pouliot on IR: It looks like the Hamilton call-ups could be around a bit longer as Canadiens forward Benoit Pouliot has been put on short-term IR by the Canadiens. In twenty games since being acquired from the Wild, he has 11 goals and 3 assists. Pouliot would not be eligible to return until Friday’s game against Philadelphia.

Weber sent down: The Canadiens have sent back defenceman Yannick Weber to the Hamilton Bulldogs.

Game photos: Graham Hughes (AP/The Canadian Press)

Canadiens Gave It the Old College Try Against Penguins

In this corner, the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins. In the visiting corner…well pretty much a Montreal Canadiens team made up of Bulldogs call ups.

Nonetheless, a Canadiens team battered and bruised squared off against Sidney Crosby and company and gave it their all.

Montreal kept pace in the shot count with the Penguins through the first twenty minutes with eight a piece.

The Penguins physical game would be the factor however as they out hit their opponents 19-11 in the period.

Crosby put Pittsburgh on the board at the midway point of the period when his shot tipped off Paul Mara’s stick and past Carey Price.

Bill Guerin made it 2-0, for the Penguins, at 6:41 of the second period. The goal was questionable as it appeared the referee had lost sight of the puck after it was in Price’s pads and trickled loose.

Crosby celebrates with Maxime Talbot -AP Photo

Ten minutes later, Crosby then set up a wide open Sergei Gonchar, who put the puck five-hole on Price, to give Pittsburgh a three goal lead.

Crosby’s assist was the 279th of his career, and moved him into the top ten all-time with the Penguins.

The Penguins held a 16-7 shot advantage over Montreal in the second period.

Max Pacioretty foiled Marc-Andre Fleury’s shutout bid, taking a perfect pass from Sergei Kostitsyn, seven minutes into the third period. It was Pacioretty’s third goal of the season.

Kostitsyn has an assist in each of the two games since his call up earlier this week.

Fleury stopped anything else that was directed at him, making 18 saves on the night.

Price, starting his seventh straight game, had 27 saves in a losing effort.

Pacioretty took a big hit later in the period from Mike Rupp and did not return to the ice.

“I got my bell rung a bit there,” Pacioretty said afterwards.

The Canadiens slip back to .500 hockey (12-12-1) and return home to face the Washington Capitals on Saturday night.

Three Stars: 1. Sidney Crosby 2. Bill Guerin 3. Jordan Staal

Farewell to the Igloo: Barring any playoff encounters, it was Montreal’s last visit to the Mellon Arena,(oriinally called he Civic Arena).

The Canadiens finished with 44 wins, 33 losses and 14 ties at the igloo.

Game Photos (except where noted) from Getty Images.

Crosby’s Hat Trick leads Penguins over Canadiens

Sidney Crosby recorded his third career hat-trick Wednesday night. – AP Photo

They’re the defending champs. Wednesday night, the Montreal Canadiens learned that.

Behind Sidney Crosby’s three-goal night Penguins snapped the Canadiens four-game winning streak with a 6-1 victory.

Jaroslav Halak was seeking his fifth straight win between the pipes, looking to gain a decisive edge for a number one position over Carey Price.

He wouldn’t get it.

The Penguins opened the scoring, at 8:33 of first period, when Bill Guerin capitalized on a Montreal turnover making a slick pass to Crosby, who was sitting wide open at the side of the net.

“He can score,” said Guerin, who’s three helpers on the night brought his career point total to 820. “He usually has a pass-first mentality, but with the positions that he put himself in during the game, he can score a lot of goals.”

The Canadiens remained strong in the period, but Marc-Andre Fleury turned away all nine shots he faced.

Marc-Andre Fleury makes one of his 23 saves Wednesday night. – AP Photo

The Penguins unloaded in the second with a three-goal barrage. Just over five minutes in, Crosby scored his second of the night off a backhand that got over Halak.

Mike Rupp added to the lead, at 12:58, taking advantage of a delayed penalty against Montreal.

The dejected Canadiens wait for the hats to be swept away. – AP Photo

Less than three minutes later, Crosby picked up the hat-trick. Halak’s initial save off the Penguins Captain bounced off his skate and into the net. The goal was reviewed and it was determined that Crosby made no kicking motion.

It was Crosby’s third career hat-trick and ninth goal of the season.He only had three goals in October of 2008.

“I was in the right place at the right time," Crosby said. "I was standing all by myself a couple of times. (My line mates) did all the work, and I just tried to finish it off.

“When you get three goals in a game, that kind of changes the look of your (season) numbers early on. I'm trying to shoot the puck when I get chances and trying to not pass up good shots, but it's just been a matter of the puck going in early on.”

Jaroslav Halak lifts his mask after allowing Sidney Crosby’s third goal Wednesday night. “If you give him a chance, he's going to score,” Halak said . - AP Photo

Halak would not start the third period and could not be blamed for the team’s performance in the first 40 minutes.

Fleury’s shutout opportunity was busted by Tomas Plekanec just over five minutes into the final 20 minutes.

Alex Goligoski and Chris Kunitz each scored on the power play to end the onslaught.

For Goligoski, it extends his point-scoring streak to six games. Crosby now has a five-game streak.

The Canadiens were outclassed by Pittsburgh in the final twenty minutes, outshot 14-5. Every player on the Canadiens lineup registered in the minus column.

“We made mistakes," said Montreal defenceman Hal Gill.” We had some turnovers and (Crosby) feeds off that. He waits for it and that's when he capitalizes.”

Before the game, Gill received his Stanley Cup ring from the team he played for the season before. He was in the penalty box for the Goligoski goal.

If there was a positive for the Canadiens, it could have been that the Penguins only capitalized on two of eight power play opportunities.

The Penguins record improved to 10-2, while the Canadiens slipped to 6-6.

Fleury made 23 saves for the Penguins and has won nine of his ten starts this season.

The Canadiens next game is Friday night, against the Blackhawks, in Chicago.

Three Stars: 1. Sidney Crosby 2. Chris Kunitz 3. Bill Guerin

Dollars and lack of sense. How much would you pay for pre season tix?

For the prices fans pay for pre-season tickets these days, you’d think you were paying for regular season or playoff games.

As the 2009-10 NHL season approaches, ticket sales for your favourite teams are slowly beginning to start.

Pre-season tickets are now readily available for most teams. By next Saturday, all 30 teams will have their pre-season tickets on sale.

I did a little shopping around to see where the deals might be.

As I live in Ontario, I started with the Ottawa Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Sens have tickets available for their three home pre-season  games, ranging from as low as $12.94 and cap out at $150.

The Leafs have four pre-season games at the ACC. Tickets there start at $27 and peak at, sitting down? $416.00!! Prices are the same be it the Buffalo Sabres, or the Pittsburgh Penguins.

I received an insider email today to purchase Leaf pre-season tickets in advance of the public sale.

There’s some clever strategy by Ticketmaster and the Leafs. When you choose the Pittsburgh game. There is no choice in seat preference. You have to take what they offer.

Now let’s see what pre-season tickets sell for elsewhere in the league.

Montreal Canadiens: I didn’t see any pre-season pricing. But since they typically go close to regular season prices, we can assume a range from $28.00 to $201.00

Calgary Flames: $34.00 to $256.00

Edmonton Oilers: $38.50 to $205.00

Vancouver Canucks: $26.50 to $382.50

Detroit Red Wings: $9 to $150.00 (US)

Washington Capitals: $35.00 to $280.00

Boston Bruins: $32.50 to $251.50

Pittsburgh Penguins: $54.00 to $184.00

Tampa Bay Lightning: $15.00 to $349.00

New York Islanders: $19.00 to $175.00

Tix for the Islanders pre-season game in Kansas City ; $10 to $150

Phoenix Coyotes: $10.75 to $325.75

Now the question, would you pay these high-end prices for a pre-season game, in which you may, or may not, see the teams top stars?

For me, I think $100 would be my max.

I’ve made the weekend trip to Ottawa, in the past, to see the Canadiens/Senators in pre-season before. Even with gas and a hotel, you still pay far less than in other cities. Not to mention for $100 I was right on the glass.

But sorry, there’s no way I’m paying over $300 in September to see a team that I wouldn’t pay the same amount to see in the regular season, especially if they have no hope to even make the playoffs.

Hockey Hall of Fame Part Two: Awards and history in every corner!

 

Just a few weeks back, I did a write-up on the tremendous array of Montreal Canadiens exhibits that I discovered during my visit to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

Clearly there is much more to behold.

Before you even have to pay admission, I found myself in the entrance foyer admiring the huge Wall of Pucks, Mask Columns and the New Acquisitions display that offers a sneak peak at the newest additions to the Hall.

A small sampling in the “New Aquisitions” display in the entrance foyer

You then pay your admission and immediately get drawn to the nine foot statues of Fred “Cyclone” Taylor and Ken Dryden that guard the NHL Zone and NHL Legends area.

The Canadiens Centennial Exhibit occupies the centre of the NHL Zone but the perimeter area hosts a variety of exhibits including features on, most notably, Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe and Bobby Orr.

The newest inductees are also featured, as well as some of the great moments in hockey are featured.

 The Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr exhibits

Current NHL hockey is also featured in the NHL Today area that offers a cabinet area for each of the current NHL divisions, ensuring that even recent events by current players are being chronicled.

The NHL Retro area highlights defunct NHL teams as well as the early leagues pre-NHL and defunct teams and leagues.

 

Defunct teams and leagues (including the WHA)

History buffs will enjoy perusing through the pre-NHL displays

The NHL Milestones area highlights great the greatest moments in NHL history, including Wayne Gretzky’s 802nd career goal.

 The net, puck, stick and gloves from Gretzky’s 802nd goal

The Stanley Cup Dynasty are encapsulates the greatest dynasties in NHL history. I don’t need to tell you which ones drew my attention.

I was even amazed to see that trainers in the NHL are honored for their service by the Professional Hockey Athletic Trainers Society (PHATS) with an area honoring 16 former trainers to date, including the Canadiens’ Eddy Palchuk.

I’m off into the Panasonic Hometown Hockey area, where each of the 30 NHL teams has a cabinet with a brief team history and mention of their minor league affiliates.

You also find a collection of hardware awarded to different leagues (past and present). On display are the Allan Cup, Memorial Cup, Calder Cup and Avco Cup to name a few.

Memorial Cup (top) and Calder Cup displays

Interactive display consoles are about where users could find a player by name, team or town.

In the heart of this area is the most popular of the interactive areas, the NHLPA Be A Player Zone.

Here fans of all ages can see if they can stop a Wayne Gretzky slapshot or get a goal past Ed Belfour on lifesize simulators.

I went four for five on the All-Star level between the pipes.  No flash photos were allowed as to not offset the sensors so you’ll have to take my word.

Off into the corner, the Upper Deck Collectors corner offers a tremendous display of hockey cards and memorabilia.

Cards depiciting the Conn Smythe Trophy Winners (some rookie cards) 

2K Sports even had a zone where fans could try their hand at NHL 2K9.

In back, a huge wall chronicled the history of broadcasting in hockey.

I took a video of it and it is quite impressive. It also includes an interactive Broadcast Museum where you can look back at historical broadcast clips.

Upstairs is the TSN/RDS area. Here fans can recreate a variety of momentous goals in hockey history. The ‘72 Henderson seemed to be the one of choice.

There’s also a TSN Production area, where fans can create their own highlight reel and play the role of TSN director/producer.

Back downstairs to and I made my way back across the Hall and up the stairs to the Great Hall is located.

I snapped a shot of this large shot of the Penguins Cup winning team on the way up the stairs.

This is the area where the Stanley Cup, Hart Trophy, Art Ross, Vezina, etc. are showcased as well as the numerous plaques that honor the members of the Hall.

Off to one side is Lord Stanley’s vault, which houses the original Stanley Cup, retired bands and other artifacts.

  In the center if the Great Hall is the Stanley Cup itself.

The Hart and Conn Smythe Trophies

The NHL Awards had just concluded a few days prior to my visit, so the signs next to the individual awards had yet to be updated.

The Selke and Vezina Trophies

I worked my way over to the huge walls that adorn the names of the players and builders of this great game. Spotting familiar faces as I worked my way around.

One area has blanked spaces for future members. A man and his son were looking through the names. “Who is going there?,”the boy asked. His dad was unsure and I spoke up as I pointed to four blank spaces, “Steve Yzerman, Brain Leetch, Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille.”

Three days later, the Hall of Fame confirmed my predictions.

IN one corner of the Great Hall is a book signed by the members if the Hall of Fame. It’s a thick one too. Encased in glass it would be a thrill to one day get a chance to turn through the pages.

For those who need to sit and rest there feet while touring the Hall, you can relax in the wing-backed chairs of the Members Lounge.

If that doesn’t relax you, the Esso Theatre runs a rotation of archival video and film footage to sit and enjoy or you can visit the Hartland Molson Theatre, which was running The 2008 Cup Final edition of the film The Stanley Cup Odyssey on my visit.

If there’s one thing I cannot stress enough if you visit the Hockey Hall of Fame, is to look everywhere; up, down over your shoulder left and right.

There’s so much to see and you don’t want to miss a thing, like this mural of a vintage hockey game below that was tucked in a corner.

Plan for lots of time too, and enjoy it!

I’ve added the two other photo albums of pics that I took on on these two links:

Album One (Stanley Cup and trophies)

Album Two (Everything Else)

Did I miss anything on here? International Hockey maybe? That my readers is an installment on it’s own that will be up in another week or so.