mineral

LMFAO

Love the Mr. Mister quote, btw.

I agree, he's actually using his body this year too. But he still hasn't learned to pass, learned to stick handle, and gets undressed on every 1 on 1 encounter he runs into. Most of his success can be attributed to the fact he's on the #1 PP, and only given the space and time to make the shots, does he actually appear to shine. Take away that and you'll find a mediocre player just a few notches above Pierre Dagenais (who could barely stand up on the ice, let alone skate). Prime example is the game last night. He was -3 in the first period, and fumbled every puck he got his hands on. I lost count of the number of give aways that he had. I'm sure he knows where his talent lies, and the result of that is he takes a lot of selfish shots that could very well lead to better scoring opportunities for others if he had an extra ounce of playmaking skill -- i'm thinking specifically of that shot of the post he had while Higgins was alone with his stick down on the open side of the net. A lot of other players could have made that pass. 26 goals are great. I'm not complaining about that. I'm thinking about the other 180 shots he's made where 50 of them could have led to better scoring chances for others around him. He may be leading the teams in goals scored, but he also leads the team with a -27 differential. Where 5 on 5 is our weakness, he is not the player that will help us in this dept. because without the PP, he can't put up anywhere near the same numbers. He can't win battles for us in the corners, he can't use finesse around the net with substantial agility, he can't enter an opponents zone without getting robbed of the puck. Call me negative, but i'd rather be called a realist. I WANT to see Ryder become better in the years to come. But i just see a downward trend here or at least one stuck in neutral. Where others on our team are rising to their potential, i think they'll leave Ryder behind and excel with the proper skill sets that this high-speed NHL demands. Do we want a 25 goal scorer to be the scoring leader of our team, or do we want better? Do we want to rely on our PP as the main goal scoring tool, or do we want to dominate the 5-on-5 game? Ideally we want both and that's what will take this team to the next level, but i don't think Ryder has what it takes to dominate during even strength. I think settling for a 25 goal scoring forward and 25 goal scoring defenseman as our sole offensive threats highlights a certain complacency mostly attributed to the lack of success this team has had in the last 10 years. This team has character and that's what we've been riding on for the last 5 years to get us to the playoffs, but we need better tools to make it to the next level.

Yeah maybe a bargain at 2 million this year, who knows what he'll be asking next year. It's too bad we give him more money every year while he becomes less and less productive. This year isn't over, and he'll probably match his point total from last year, but we're still looking for those 65 points he put up on his rookie season. Further more, he may have a 'wicked wrist shot', but it's by no means deadly...his shooting % isn't stellar by any means. In fact, he's comparable to Radek Bonk, but just shoots twice as often as him. He's 2nd on the team for shots on net, only behind Sheldon Souray, whom i believe we can also attribute a LOT of our PP success to, along with the folks who feed Ryder and Souray the pucks to get off these shots. You think if Chris Higgins had played 82 games this year he wouldn't be the team scoring leader? Is his only asset his shot? And how much is he making this year?

If Shanahan is still interested for next season, i'd take him and dump Ryder in a heartbeat. We're worried about giving up space for our youngsters...well Shanahan can more than fill the boots of ol' Ryder who has 1 skill and 5 liabilities. Not that i want to start a Ryder hate thread, but it's more and more painful to watch him every game. He's a one trick pony and no one wants to admit that we need better on our #1 line.

I heard on the radio (CHOM) this morning on the way to work that the Habs are not making on offer to JP Dumont. CHOM states the source of the information as Dumont's agent and said that Dumont expressed disappointment that Montreal was not going to put an offer on the table for him. Seems like this rumor is now officially canned.

Read that article on TSN.ca about Guerin not being picked up by Dallas. The most significant part of the article and a little snippet where they mention that talks with Arnott have fallen through and that he will be testing the free agent market. Can we assume that Arnott is interested enough in some other places? With all the hype behind this, i'm starting to give into the idea that this may actually manifest itself into a trade deal seeing him come to Montreal.

lol i'm going to laugh if at the end of the season higgins has 26 or more goals...and then i bet half of you ryder voters will jump the fence. nah, the real good stuff will come next season when we see what higgins can really do...i have a feeling it'll be better than ryder's sophmore season.

I dunno but i ain't liking the smell of it.

Ok, i read somewhere that a press conference was called for today by the habs, but there's been virtually no news save the press release about Raitis Ivanans heading back down to Hamilton. Anyone have any news on this or did i just read wrong?

Ditto. Someone explain.

lol

I agree, doesn't seem like much news at all. For the one who asked whom we could possibly be interested in: Liles. He's one of the hottest offensive defensemen in the league. He's got more goals that most of our forwards.

Concerning leadership... Kovalev has had his head in the right place for the last while, showing an example when it comes to work ethic and confidence. He wouldn't hurt with an A on his shoulder at this point. I can't say more about Begin either. He does it all and deserves it more than most.

Love that guy. LOVE HIM! That guy could charm his way into my pants right about now.

it's Monday night...hell Tuesday morning! 12:23. Where's the news?

That back-check by Plex on that 2 vs. 1 was very much appreciated. He had an all around good game. I'm sure with time he's going to gain some more strength and win those obstruction battles in the front of the net. If and when i do get my first habs jersey (shameful, yes), it'll have his name on it. I'm happy that the spirit of Dagenais circa 2003 came to vist the Bell Centre tonight. I hope that it plans to stick around... Souray needs to pass the puck a little more rapidly. That pause he always takes usually causes to forechecker to rush him and then it's a tussle to gain control again. And i can't say more of Begin. Earlier in the season a fellow partisan of the habs and friend of mine were discussing him and he reflected saying that he could see Begin as the future captain of the Habs. A real Guy Carboneau style; classy, tough, high-octane and smart on strategy. Keep up the good work Steve, we love ya. [Edited on 2005/12/4 by mineral]

Plekanec is having a very nice first period. There was a shift early in where him and his mates kept the punk in the zone on at least three attempts. His puck control is amazing and he's able to steal them often as well. His blind passes are a little iffy at times, but it's the budding dynamic skill we need of him. I think think defensively, he's even with koivu. He's been showing it to us for the past couple of nights now.

I must say, after 20 minutes, Streit is having a rather nice game. For a while there, he seemed to be out of his shell. I hope to see more in the next 40 minutes. But altogether, Habs are playing great hockey.

Yeah i've heard of this 'Kladno system'. Lol sounds more like an institution more than a style of hockey. I certainly do respect it after seeing the players it's created. Quite scary. That avatar of yours alone, with Jagr and Kaberle ...man it must have been a sight to see. And yes, i am quite partial to Plekanec, but not overly smitten. You know, still dignified and all

Are you kidding? That's a great picture. Well except for the empty seats over there Thanks. I got the place among the profi-photographers today. ... and what about empty seat? Thats a bitter reality in Czech league! NHLers are gone and 20-30% visitors too . ... Sparta's bench at stand 1-3. Not a happyend today LOL you're telling me, look at that coach on the bench. Not the poster child for despair eh hahah. Again, very nice shot. I was just teasing about the stands. Sad is the pics you see of the bleachers in Hamilton. That place is a ghost rink almost... [Edited on 2005/11/30 by mineral]

And yes, that was a very drawn out, despressing game tonight. It's hard to believe what the loss of Kovalev has indirectly brought upon the team in these last games, though i do agree with someone who mentioned before that the slump had already began right before his (un)timely departure. Interesting statistic - Streit TOI: 21mins. Despite what we see as a flubber of so many plays on the blue line, he was driving out of our zone and one of the few delivering some hard passes, despite most of the players being incapable of accepting his or anyone else's tonight. Ottawa's coverage was excellent tonight. I can't remember how many times it taking us 3-5 passes to get the puck out of our own zone with 1 or 2 ottawa fore-checkers preying on the passing lanes. **WE MUST LEARN TO STOP MAKING HORIZONTAL PASSES** I see it constantly. Passing and passing, but the puck isn't moving up the ice. Our transition into center ice is horrible that way. Instead of one clean pass into the center zone and a hard sprint into the offensive zone, we've got puck-tag between the defense who can't help at all for the momentum of the rush - which was completely gone tonight. But that can also be easily attributed by a lack of PUCK CONTROL. It's painful - just watching it happen; Ribeiro, Ryder, Bulis, Higgins (lately), Dagenais, Bonk, Zednik, you name it. As soon as an opposing players get close to them, you know that puck is gone. One thing that i've noticed more and more, and makes me uncomfortable to watch is how Ryder handles the puck. He carries it tap by tap but interleaves that with swinging the blade of his stick over his head while he skates. Now, how is the world can you control the puck with an aggressive grinder fore-checking you when you expose the puck every time you take a step? No plays are being made because the habs can't control the puck long enough before making a pass to the blue line for the D to lay a blind shot towards the net. I agree a lot with A Concerned Fan these days when he talks about CJ's choices. Especially with the rookies (rookies not including Streit). At every given chance, they show us a little magic on the ice. They give us a taste of what they can do and it's refreshing and invigorating to see their potential creep into each play. Moving them around like socks in a drawer doesn't help. From 1st line to 4th or from 4th to 2nd and then back to 4th again up and down, sideways and backwards. The shuffle of the lines has got to stop. How is any chemistry supposed to develop when the players of three lines are like names in hat guaranteed an almost random spot in any line. Perhaps the inconsistancy on the ice can be attributed to the inconsistancy of your role and your linemates as well. The rookies are the only ones playing with enough zest and heart today to deserve spots on the top lines. Our second line WAS a joke until the recent shake up before Toronto. I'm very glad Plekanec is getting the job of 2nd line now with Ryder. He's taking every shot he can, still makes great blind passes, he's hitting, and he SKATES. Shit, did i forget mention he's the 'secret weapon' for face-offs right now (moniker thanks to the clever commentators) that he's been given the center role he was made for? What in the hell took so long for him to get there in the first place? That gaff in Boston, in a game we still friggin' won? That was like 20 games ago... I mean, should Theo be benched after letting that 4th goal in? Imagine the bloodshed if the game had been tied or we'd of been (yes, DREAM) leading at the time and he trips and falls on his bacon like that. It would have been murder. The crucifix, the noose, the lynch mob. Nun's Island aflame let me tell you. Final words: Bonk: Can't play. Out Dagenais: Can't skate, can't puck handle, can't pass. Out Bulis: Can't finish. Back to 3rd please. Now. Begin: Please come back... Perezhogin: Has to stay up top until Kovalev get's back. All he needs is chances. Give him that and keep him there and within no time i'll bet his confidence and offensive output will reach the levels at the start of the season. 3:42 TOI = little confidence = no chances = no output. Hardly the model developement of a rookie with that kind of talent. [Edited on 2005/11/30 by mineral] [Edited on 2005/11/30 by mineral]

Are you kidding? That's a great picture. Well except for the empty seats over there

OVECHKIN! OVECHKIN! I hate Crosby! He's unsportsmanlike and has abad attitude IMO from what I've seen of him in interviews and him on the ice. Also, it's big news that his dad, Troy, has a bigger ego than Eric Lindros, or me for that matter and is a huge bastard. He yelled at the Penguins organization for not playing Crosby on a 5-on-3 situation. He also has sent multiple hate letters to Jack Todd because he said Crosby isn't a cross between Gretzky and Lemieux. What ever, I'm ranting. I just don't like Crosby and I love the way Ovechkin plays. Possibly true...but wait and see how many games it takes Crosby before he scores 15 goals next year. Conversely one could say Ovechkin doesn't have the tutelage (and post-goal ass tapping) from a great like Lemieux either. [Edited on 2005/11/23 by mineral]

LMAO!!!