The Chicoutimi Cucumber

The Flyers are a damned strong team. This game may have been an indicator that, as good as we've been, we're not quite good enough - at least not without Markov. I'm sure Gauthier was taking careful notes.

I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out to be a relatively clean game. Often these things turn into a lot of wind.

That is a loaded accusation when you're talking about a black player. Cherry has been bigoted against Europeans, but he is not a bigot beyond that. When Sidney Crosby showboated in junior, Cherry said that if he kept it up someone would break his arm. So it's not about bigotry - it's about an archaic and ridiculous 'code' that says rookies aren't allowed to be flashy. Because, you know, we wouldn't want hockey to actually be entertaining or anything.

Most of the credit belongs with Bob Gainey. He is the one who made the radical decision - unprecedented, I believe, in NHL history - to completely blow up his existing roster and reconstruct it via a bold trade and then free agency, choosing players with a track record of being character guys (Gionta, Gill, Gomez, Moen, Cammy) who know how to win. Then he brought in a coach who, despite being unpopular among Habs' fans, has this team playing the most sound fundamentals of any Habs team since Pat Burns. JM has the team completely buying in, he knows what he's doing with young players, and has vast resevoirs of experience which I'm sure are hugely valuable in the Montreal pressure-cooker. So Gainey laid the foundation for all the success we're now enjoying. Gauthier has built on this in exactly the way you'd expect, based on his track record: small moves (Moore, then Halpern; Picard) plus the one Big Move (Halak) that either improve the team in minor but significant ways or else manage assets in an intelligent way. Having said that, it is still early and plenty of things can still go wrong. But what reassures me the most, apart from Price's through-the-roof performance, is the system this team is playing: completely protect the middle, then play smart puck-possession/puck-support hockey. An entire generation of Habs fans has grown up without any understanding of what it means for a team to have that kind of sound foundation to its game. It's these fundamentals that tend to protect a team against erraticism and prolonged slumps, because success is not about sheer momentum (the Carbo 'system,' which really was a non-system) or the right players getting hot (Kovalev). The structure means the team will always be competitive night after night, provided that the players stay healthy and are committed and execute. Gainey's goal was to build a franchise along the model of the New Jersey Devils of yesteryear: a team that could compete with flashier franchises season after season and night after night without the luxury of high draft picks and superstars. You do that with depth, player development, coaching, goaltending, and total team concept. It is far too early to conclude that Rebuild 2.0 is a rousing success. But from that start of last season's playoff to this moment, we are enjoying a taste of what the Gainey vision entailed. This is the only model that will work in Montreal and it's encouraging to think that we may actually be achieving it.

Just goes to show...people would rather bitch when things are going wrong than chip in when they're going right.

That's the thing about this sport. Men like Burns, remarkably, manage to transcend the stupidity of the people running it.

Damn. You'll be missed, Pat. And you deserve to be in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

I'm with you and BTH; this isn't such a bad idea. Give Eller a chance in Gomez's slot to see what he can do, and tell Gomez that you want him to stop worrying so much about offence and concentrate on the defensive side of the game. The latter could actually help Gomez to rediscover his offensive touch by redirecting him to sound fundamentals, something that slumping players tend to forget; and surely a game or two in the top-6 wouldn't poleaxe Eller's development. Seems like it's worth a try. And hell, if it doesn't work, revert back to the usual combos after a few shifts. Incidentally, BlueKross, my affinity for Gomez has nothing to do with his place of birth (why would a Vancouverite give a rat's ass about Alaska?). I just like his kind of game, always did.

Yep, I see no point in sitting Gomer, especially given his track record as a guy who eventually heats up. To me, he is a guy you either dress or dispatch elsewhere. You don't bench a guy like that. As for getting rid of him, even assuming you'd find a taker, well, the only conceivable way that makes sense is if we have a replacement ready. Eller needs more time and Desharnais, who would also need time to learn the NHL game, appears to be just too small to be taken seriously. Until Eller emerges it's Gomer or bust.

I'm a declared Gomez fan - he was one of my favourite players before the Habs acquired him, because of my fondness for blazing speed and stylish playmaking; and nikohab is correct that carping about his goals-scored totals is ridculous. What you have to look for with Gomez is whether he's "tilting the ice," putting the other team on the defensive with blinding rushes and making things happen on offence. So far, no dice. The only consolation is that he's had grindingly slow starts before, and tends to follow them up with point-per-game production for the last 3/4 of a season. As long as we're winning we can afford to be patient. If we start to struggle and this keeps up, though, we will eventually have to re-evaluate, because that salary could obviously be put to better uses than a guy on a pace to score 26 points

Nobody's perfect. Price is allowed to let in a softie without being 'blamed' or having people go back to anxieties about his performance. What bugs me is the missed opportunity to rest him. He shouldn't have been dressed last night in the first place. What if he's getting tired? Then we lose to TO and suddenly we're mired in a 'slump.' He's young, but that doesn't mean he can play 82 games a season, JM!

I've had both of these thoughts, too - thanks for saving me the trouble! This would have been a good game for Auld. And yeah, look for a let up.

In fairness to those arseholes, we heard a lot of the same whining and half-threats from them after we whupped them in the third game of the Semi-Finals - about how the Habs are too 'cocky,' etc., etc.. And no unusually outrageous goonery followed. Of course, the real test is whether they can refrain from deliberate attempts to injure when they're fighting a losing battle instead of manhandling us like they did for the rest of that series. But much of this may be hot air from a team of swaggering media-whore loudmouths.

The caveat with Bieksa is that he is inconsistent, sketchy in his own end, and has had some injury issues of his own. Nor has he been 'intimidating' enough to keep the Canuckleheads from being pushed around by the likes of Chicago. Frankly, fans here in Vancouver would be happy to see him go. Having said that, it may be a question of fans focusing on what a guy can't do instead of what he can. The Canucks will not deal Ballard. Bieksa is almost certainly going to be the odd man out.

Yeah, that's what's so stupid. If you have a problem with a player's attitude, then drop the gloves and take him on man to man. But no - better to just injure the guy, right? What a bunch of chickensh*t. That Bieksa footage is worth seeing! Yeah, he's starting to sound better. Good call Wamsley. (I almost mentioned the late-80s team as an exception to the Habs' rule of being primarily fast and skilled. That team was certainly skilled, but it more closely resembled a Flyers/Bruins squad in its bulk, toughness, and - in Craig 'Elblows' Ludwig among others - willingness to initiate dirty play).

I think enough teams will be both cap-pinched and leery of Markov's injury record that we will not face anything like the competition we would otherwise have faced for Markov as a UFA. If we want to re-sign him, I suspect we will be able to do so fairly easily. You'd either have to go with a fat one-year 'trial' deal ($5.5 mil for one season, something like that) or a lower-level term deal ($4 mil for 4 years, or what have you). Much will depend on the doctors' word and on Markov's attitude.

Yeah, this rivalry is like a low-level version of the great Habs-Flyers rivalry from the mid-70s. It's funny how some organizations, despite changes of ownership and leadership, sometimes retain the same basic identity over generations. The Habs have almost always been and continue to be a team built on speed, skill, smart hockey, great goaltending and disciplined team play. The knock on us has almost always been that we're 'too small' and 'too soft.' The Flyers have almost always been and continue to be a team defined by physical intimidation to varying degrees. The knock on them has always been that they're degenerate 'goons.' The traditional answer of successful Habs teams to this situation has been to rise up and either out-tough the tough guys (which is what the Habs team of 1976 did on the way to dethroning the Broad Street Bullies) or else to play their game and refuse to be intimidated (which is what the 1993 team did, not against the Flyers, but against every team's attempt to exploit their 'softeness'). I can see this group managing the latter feat. But I'd dearly love to see the former.

Well, barring deliberate attempts to injure such as knee jobs, PK can take care of himself. He is built like a brick shithouse. The trouble is that this IS a threat to injure. Yeah, there's a 'code.' But (say) shattering an emerging star's knee because he's 'cocky' is ridiculous and contrary to the NHL's best interests. This league is so damned stupid. What should happen is that a prestigous habs like Gill should publicly state that IF "something happens" to PK, then the Flyers can expect "something to happen" to Briere, Carter, or one of their other not-too-tough key players. That's the nice thing about attempts to injure - you don't need to be a tough guy to inflict them. Such a war of words would also get the NHL's attention and the refs would be on full alert to crack down on any BS. This can only work in the Habs' favour. Although we will beat teams like the Flyers with speed, hockey smarts, and goaltending, you are absolutely right that we need to inject some bad-assery into our roster for Monday, and it would be stupid not to. Also, a guy like Moen needs to be prepared to bring his toughest possible self to the rink that night. But the best possible outcome would be for PK to crush somebody with a devastating bodycheck and send his own message: don't f*ck with me.

Well, being incredibly strong on his skates is Markov's main strength apart from his vision, it seems to me; but yes, you're probably right. Maybe the most likely option is that Markov returns as Roman Hamrlik - wily all-around vet, but no longer the 'underrated superstar' of your avatar fame. :hlogo: In fairness, I didn't mean to imply that he would turn into JJ Daigneault - just that we might have to temper our expectations (and salary commitments) in light of his being damaged goods; and that if some genuinely elite options on D are potentially available, preferably as UFAs, we might think in those terms instead. However, I don't believe any UFAs will likely be available. One small thingL I find myself having increasing confidence in our management to make the right call. And that in itself is some consolation, at least.

For a sheer, mercenary hockey standpoint, it really does raise serious questions about the future. First, he has to be classified as injury-prone at this point, so that affects your decision to invest in him or not. Second, I'm no doctor, but that's a LOT of repeated catastrophic damage to the knee of an aging hockey player. Even if he comes back after, say, a year's worth of re-habbing and re-conditioning, he may never be the same player - potentially due to either age or injury or a baleful combination of both. (Hell, one disastrous knee injury was enough to permanently compromise Koivu's entire career). I can see the case for giving him a short-term deal, but if there are longer-term options available (e.g., Kaberle), we should probably go in that direction instead. How's the UFA market for defencemen shaping up? And - again setting aside compassion for Markov and just taking a cold, Habs-eye view - thank GOD that PK Subban is emerging just as Markov is apparently evaporating. This is intensely frustrating inasmuch as if we had BOTH we could be Cup contenders. But at least his eventual replacement is in the wings. :puke:

It does raise the question of whether Markov's knee was really ready. And whatever happens going forward, they'd better be sure his knee is as close to 100% as possible before he comes back. I understand the injunction against premature diagnosis, but it's frankly hard to believe this isn't serious. The minute we saw Markov bang his hand against the boards in frustration, we knew that he thought it was. Neither Bieksa nor Regher (or Brent Burns, the forgotten man of Habs trade rumours) are Markov-replacements. But despite our early-season success it may also be a bit much to expect the team to pile up a good record for three months without Markov. (Of course, the results will reinforce those who insist this is a mediocre 'bubble team,' who will conveniently ignore that we're missing our General. Grrr). So...what to do? If somebody like Weber is anywhere near ready to come up and contribute, that'd be my first preference; go with a platoon system and hope depth can paper things over for a while. The closer you get to the deadline the more affordable a bigger name becomes in cap terms. So try to hold the fort until either Markov returns or you're in a position to move on somebody like (gulp!) Kaberle. Or whoever. A mid-range offensive defenceman is another possibility. I notice this Vlasic guy is on the outs in San Jose, maybe someone like that. If help from the farm and affordable midrange help are not realistic, then all things considered I'd rather see the Habs go out and get a Reghr, who can really stabilize the defensive zone, than a Bieksa, who is a high-risk high-reward type (sort of a low-grade Sheldon Souray). This may seem counter-intuitive - don't we need a guy with offensive upside to replace Markov? - but the point is you're not going to replace Markov. Regher could offer a quality physical, stabilizing presence, the perfect counter-point to Subban and a perfect fit for JM's system of totally shutting down the middle of the ice. He won't bring goals but he might allow us to squeeze our GAA even more tightly shut. Depending on who we send back, I like that idea: don't replace Markov, but rather go out and get a guy who further enhances our choke-hold defensive approach - thus reducing the need for Markov's offence and lessening the impact of his loss that way. Plus, considering the impending possible loss of Hammer, Regher would be a perfect fit for JM's system going forward. Anyway. My 2c.

Nice job, dlbar. I am absolutely dismayed at the injury to Markov. It looked serious, and it's the same knee as before. This would mean two things: 1. The newly-blossoming Habs (and does anyone believe Markov wasn't key to this little run?) the Habs will revert back to struggling to score, especially on the PP. We seem to be good enough now to win without Markov, but g*ddamn it. Back to struggling and scraping for every W. 2. Markov may be permanently damaged goods. No joy in Cucumberand tonight despite the win.

:puke: This is one time I'd rather have been wrong. :puke: :puke:

Bad feeling about this one. I can't rationalize it, I just feel Price is due for a stinker. Otherwise put: things are suddenly going a little too well. We're due for a bitch-slapping to bring everyone down to earth. Plus it's Carolina - always bad luck for us. :puke: Which key player will do down with a freak injury? Let the betting commence.

OB looked great in his first game with us too. Not losing sleep over it. If the past is any guide, the moment something goes wrong for him, personally or professionally, he will wilt. In any case: he wasn't good enough to make our team and the Habs did the classy thing and shipped him out somewhere where he would get more of an opportunity. Period. I'm tempted to add that 'this is what happens when you have a good team,' but some people are so down on the current management/coaching staff that they'd never accept that proposition.