Habinator

TSN.ca, Burke kept Sykora out of the line-up for the last game as he said he was close to trading him. Deal imminent? I'm not suggesting he's coming to Montreal... But I have to agree with the posts that say Sykora might be a good fit in Montreal. Sure, he's expensive but he puts pucks in the net, something we've needed recently! He's having a down year this year but I'd look at the bright side, he's only 29! It's not like he's past his prime. I'm not saying I LOVE the idea of him in a habs uniform, but I could definitely get used to it. We shall wait and see I suppose. Not that I'm suggesting Souray would be included in said speculative deal, but weren't there talks about him wanting to be close LA to be near his son? hmmm... Speculation, speculation, speculation.

I don't think he has any business being in the NHL either. However, if they're only going to play Perez 2 minutes a game, I'd rather see him in Hamilton getting substantial time and Ivanans getting those 2 minutes in Montreal. As well, I'd rather call him up over Kostitsyn if we're only going to play him for 39 seconds! At least when Ivanans is sitting there on the bench for 58 minutes a game we don't have to worry about him wasting potential. And hey, when he fights, I won't say I don't enjoy it. Especially when he takes a guy like Chara with him for 5mins.

Leafs Suck, It's not about 'love-fest' for Gretzky or asking clearance for opinion. But if you're going to constantly bash someone with an unheralded record for winning be prepared to stand behind it with SOME sort of evidence or well-reasoned argument! I mean if you plain and simple just don't like the guy, fine, that's your opinion. You're entitled to it. But it would be great if you could share with us your reasons so maybe I could understand your concerns a little better. Because right now all I've got to go on is a bunch of blanket statements like he 'has attitude' he's got a huge ego and most shockingly, doesn't want 'what's best for Canada' without many (if any) details to back it up. You can't expect some of us who have an abundance of information to the contrary to not at least question you about it or at least raise the issues for healthy debate... you're allowed to have an opinion, but if you're going to raise it in a public forum you should be prepared to discuss it, right? I'm not trying to give you a hard time, I'm just curious if there's something I've missed? ... but hey, that's just my opinion. As for Team Canada. Just a question to throw out. What's everyones thoughts about a 4th line shut-down line? We've had one every other tournament I think, ala Draper, Maltby, Morrow, Doan, Pecca. Do we need one for this Olympics? I only raise that because we seem to have a lot of players with the versatility to score, but play defence, like Richards', Gagne, Smyth and St.Louis/Doan .. whoever. So is it necessary? I don't know. Thoughts?

I don't know if this is old news at all but I just read it and haven't noticed it on any threads... There was an U20 Four Nations Tournament in Russia from Nov.11th-13th. The other countries participating were Sweden, Finland and Czech Republic. In two Games Montreal prospect Alexei Emelin had a goal and an assist and was named the tournament's Best Defenceman! http://www.russianprospects.com The coach of the National Team said he was very impressive. This year with Lada he is leading the defence in scoring with 2 G, 4 A, as well as leading the team in PIM's with 75 in 26 games. Anyway, thought this might be of interest to some people. I look forward to seeing him play in the WJC.

ap79 ... I would've put St. Louis on the list but he didn't fit in with my 'under 30' argument!

And another thing.... I don't see how you can make an argument like taking the players with 'the hot hand' and then dismiss Joseph. He IS in the top 3 for Save% and top 5 for gaa. AND, if we WERE to take players solely on their first 27 games of this season, Joseph would surely deserve to go to Turin over Theodore. I'm not saying I want Joseph there either, but c'mon, it's not about who has more goals than who, who has more points, whose save percentage is better... In fact, if were going completely on stats this season, or 'the hot hand' our three goaltenders would be Legace, Fernandez and Joseph... *shudder* But do you think anyone else is going to be between the pipes besides Brodeur or Luongo? Is that just because Gretz is an idiot? DOESN'T HE SEE THAT CURRENT STATS MEAN EVERYTHING??!?!? Doesn't Legace deserve to start? Damn that self-centered egotistical bastard! And hey, Jason Williams and Jason Arnott have more points than Iginla! But Iginla will probably only get on because Gretzky likes him though. Typical. And why is no one vehemently arguing for Marc Savard? Through points alone, what puts Staal and Crosby ahead of him on the depth chart?

'Leafs Suck', I'm wondering where this hate-on for Gretzky is coming from? Seriously?! Sometimes, as a couple previous Olympcs would show, it's not about assembling a team of the 'best' or 'hottest' players... having all the talent in the world does not make a 'great' team. Since Gretzky was given the reins Canada won Gold in 2002 and Silver at the last World Championships even with lots of key guys who weren't playing because of injury. Ya know, I'm going to give the greatest player in the world the benefit of the doubt on this one. He knows what it takes to win. And if Gretz wants Sakic OR ANYONE else for that matter, over Spezza, Staal and Crosby?? Awesome, do it. Whatever team we have we're never going to hurt for offence but it's about winning ... And while those three might rack up some hardware over the upcoming years, how many Stanley Cups, Hart, Art Ross, Selke, Maurice Richard, Lester B. Pearson trophies do they have between them? Yes, I realize Crosby is a rookie... But leadership and experience are more important than fire power (which again, we won't lack anyway!) Certain players get picked because they know how to win and DEAL WITH PRESSURE of huge games, which when you play for Canada Internationally must be overwhelming. Sure, Staal, Spezza and Crosby are talented, God knows they're all incredible players ... and sure it would be nice to see them suit up for Canada ... but seriously, the last time I checked we didn't have an over the hill team!! Gagne, Heatley, Iginla, Thornton, Richards, Lecavalier, Doan, Smyth (not to say they're all locks) ... not one of them is pushing 30!!! You're also assuming that Gretzky isn't just showing respect (a word you should learn 'Leafs Suck') to great players and letting them back out on their own, like Yzerman is expected to do. PLUS, Staal, Crosby AND Spezza were short-listed, so it's not like they aren't being considered!!!! Anyway, the final roster hasn't been made yet so we'll see how "Gretzky's attitude" effects the final decision. So 'Leafs Suck' get your head out of your ass and show some respect for the guy who assembled the team that brought us Gold in 2002. I imagine you weren't crying like a 4 year old with a skinned knee then.

If you never practice with a team (let's not forget that his English is still sub-par) it's almost impossible to jump on the ice and know what you're doing... Yeah, it would've been nice to see Kostitsyn get some good minutes in but hopefully after a couple practices Friday and Saturday he'll get a sense of the system (or lack thereof) and get a few more opportunities againt LA. Assuming of course that Koivu is still out. That being said though, if the rookies who are already in the line-up are rarely getting played, his chances of getting ample time to showcase his skills are negligible... especially after an early 'blunder'... Go Claude!

I agree with Patskidoo, there are some trigger happy people amongst us... Granted, recently I've been known to yell, "Trade that guy for a puck bag and sticks, he's useless!!" Yes, on some nights, even those composite sticks look more reliable than some of our beloved habs, especially in the defensive end. However, IMO the single biggest issue is not what we DON'T have but how we're using what we have. Even without Kovalev we have enough speed and talent on this team to compete every night! Example: Ribeiro: 6 Even Strength Points, -6, TOI/ 16:44, FO%, 41.9!! Plekanec: 7 Even Strength Points, +5, TOI/ 11:59, FO%, 53.7 Plekanec rarely plays PP and most of his minutes get eaten up on the PK, but he's outscoring Ribeiro even strength!? I know Ribeiro is a favourite ... BUT, putting up points 5 on 4 does not, IMO, justify regular 5 on 5 minutes. Stats can be deceiving, but 6 EVEN strength points in 25 games and -6? ... Don't get me wrong, I think Ribeiro is one of the most talented players around. But it has been 1/3rd of a season and he looks LESS capable of being a 2nd line center every game. It's unfortunate, but things have changed since 03-04. Plekanec may not be as offensively talented but he plays with heart, grit and offensive awareness while being defensively sound. I would love to see a second line, for at least the next few games, of Begin-Plekanec-Perezhogin, moving Ryder up to the first line. Sure, it's a young line, who some might argue won't score often, but damn it would be fast, play HARD and most importantly it shouldn't be a defensive liability. This team looks uninspired right now. With those 6 guys on the top 2 lines (Zednik, Koivu, Ryder) you've got 6 players who (mostly) leave it all an the ice every night. Maybe their play will be contagious and the likes of Bonk, Ribeiro and Dags will have poor immune systems. Wow, poor joke. We're in a bit of a slump right now. No need to panic. But I think it's high time that those who are working their ass off every shift get promoted (for MORE THAN TWO SHIFTS) to provide energy and to show others that you get what you earn. I don't think we need a drastic overhaul just yet ... just a little fine-tuning. And sure, I dream that Gainey will pull the trigger one day, landing us the Dman many think we need ... But in the meantime, I'll dream of Plekanec in Ribeiro's spot come Thursday night.... and Saturday. Dagenais needs a friend on the 4th line. Sorry this was so long ... I rarely get a chance to write.

Danis was spectacular in his first game back in Hamilton! 35 saves for a 2-1 win over Binghamton. Danis was first star in a game that the Bulldogs CLEARLY had no business being in. They were badly outplayed. It's good that they sent him down to get a few more games in. Now if we could only get Kostitsyn scoring. The announcers said that he had been invisible the last 5 games and had been demoted to the 3rd line. Ah well, hopefully he can regain some confidence.. he's still young.

Enough said Shortcat.... enough said! I believe in this kid and hope his career is just as bright as Roy's. Here's hoping!

Tri-City had an awful team last year, and in fact only had a couple shining lights, one being Price. He had an awesome year and despite having a pretty bad team in front of him he posted great numbers. To illustrate how bad they were, only one player beat the 50-point plateau and 2 of the top 3 point getters were defencemen. This year, Price has lost all-star defenceman Shawn Belle along with Clayton Stoner, both now playing in the AHL. There were supposed to be a couple of over-agers returning who were supposed to help, but haven't really. It's unfortunate really, because there are games when Tri-City has outplayed their opposition but Price's game just hasn't won them games like it did last year. Again, this could be because of Belle's and Stoner's departure. It's hard to ask a goaltender to shoulder the entire load of your team, and he's still really young. But unfortunately at this pace, it looks like the WJC might be out of the question, especially if he's being left off team WHL. Here's hoping he gets traded to a contender in the WHL so the amount of rubber he's currently seeing doesn't completely shatter his condfidence.

Maybe I should read the posts on 'patience', but it doesn't appear as though the team is thinking along the same lines.

I don't know if this is the place to post this, but I'm a little new at this. Sorry. Anyway, I don't want to be the 'new Bekham' but I've heard reports from Tri-City that Price is in danger of losing his starting job. In his first 7 starts he only has 1 win, has a GAA over 4 and a save % of 860. They DO have a weak team, but they've lost the last 3 games despite outplaying and out-shooting the opposition. They also have a young and talented goalie behind Price who has fared well in 2 wins so far, and times when Price has been pulled. Please tell me it isn't so!!

I thought it was hilarious that in NYR's 5-2 loss to Boston that Hossa and Ward were the only goal scorers. Hate to be the devil's advocate but just a little more to fuel to the fire!