Jump to content

Habs Fans Re: Price


bar

Recommended Posts

I see many articles, posts, and just general commentary bemoaning the loss of the habs so called playoff hero and how the habs are going with Price no matter what and this instantly is a huge risk.

Is it that I over analyze the team from last year or are most people either ignorant to the facts or just too emotional.

The habs struggles early last season:

a) Had the largest shakeup in hockey history (not confirmed but seems the general consensus), so the team took time to get use to each other, hence the slow start.

b) lost Markov in the first game to a FREAK and I stress freak injury.

c) just couldn't score early on.

d) Price was capable but was not a world breaker.

So, as the season went on Halak would get the easy teams and pad his stats against them, causing him to get more starts, maybe he deserved them, I am not convinced, but we all have different opinions. So, when Price got back in...it was against Detroit, San Jose, not the Islanders, the lightning, the panthers. Now, I'm not making excuses...Price was not the same all-star Price of two years ago, but when you get less than 2.5 goals a game support, you're not going to win many games. So Markov comes back, and Halak was supplanted Price as the number 1 goalie and the habs go on a roll, so the habs bump their way into the playoffs. Halak in some eyes was dominate, I'd rather give the nod to the overall team D, but to each his own.

This may seem like rambling, but the gist of it is, fans seem to forget the Price of two years ago, and only focus on the last year, with ALL the situations regarding the team. The injuries, the new factor, the goal support, the strength of schedule. The fans seem to be hedging their bets, declaring not IF Price will fail, but when. I think this is in part so they can claim they were right all along, and they might even be the cause of it, we shall see the first game in Montreal. Will fans go so far as to boo Price JUST to try to justify their claims, or will they rise above it, and be the BEST fans in the NHL they claim to be? Or will this be another case of a ruined prospect in Montreal that the media can feast upon?

I am or never was a fan of Halak, BUT if the habs had of chosen him over Price I wouldn't have booed him out of spite. What do you think the fans reaction to Price will be? He will let in a stinker this season...ALL goalies do. Also, how does Price have to act? He's tried to passive, cool as a cucumber approach and been scathed in the media for it. He's played with passion and fire, and been claimed as immature. The simple answer seems to be JUST to win, but is that ever enough in Montreal?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 71
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

I see many articles, posts, and just general commentary bemoaning the loss of the habs so called playoff hero and how the habs are going with Price no matter what and this instantly is a huge risk.

Is it that I over analyze the team from last year or are most people either ignorant to the facts or just too emotional.

The habs struggles early last season:

a) Had the largest shakeup in hockey history (not confirmed but seems the general consensus), so the team took time to get use to each other, hence the slow start.

b) lost Markov in the first game to a FREAK and I stress freak injury.

c) just couldn't score early on.

d) Price was capable but was not a world breaker.

So, as the season went on Halak would get the easy teams and pad his stats against them, causing him to get more starts, maybe he deserved them, I am not convinced, but we all have different opinions. So, when Price got back in...it was against Detroit, San Jose, not the Islanders, the lightning, the panthers. Now, I'm not making excuses...Price was not the same all-star Price of two years ago, but when you get less than 2.5 goals a game support, you're not going to win many games. So Markov comes back, and Halak was supplanted Price as the number 1 goalie and the habs go on a roll, so the habs bump their way into the playoffs. Halak in some eyes was dominate, I'd rather give the nod to the overall team D, but to each his own.

This may seem like rambling, but the gist of it is, fans seem to forget the Price of two years ago, and only focus on the last year, with ALL the situations regarding the team. The injuries, the new factor, the goal support, the strength of schedule. The fans seem to be hedging their bets, declaring not IF Price will fail, but when. I think this is in part so they can claim they were right all along, and they might even be the cause of it, we shall see the first game in Montreal. Will fans go so far as to boo Price JUST to try to justify their claims, or will they rise above it, and be the BEST fans in the NHL they claim to be? Or will this be another case of a ruined prospect in Montreal that the media can feast upon?

I am or never was a fan of Halak, BUT if the habs had of chosen him over Price I wouldn't have booed him out of spite. What do you think the fans reaction to Price will be? He will let in a stinker this season...ALL goalies do. Also, how does Price have to act? He's tried to passive, cool as a cucumber approach and been scathed in the media for it. He's played with passion and fire, and been claimed as immature. The simple answer seems to be JUST to win, but is that ever enough in Montreal?

It's simple: Price needs to play well early and the Habs need some wins. If he struggles, or the Habs suck and he can't carry them on his back, things risk going south in that uniquely catastrophic Montreal way. I could see him being dealt by February under those Theodore-like implosion circumstances, his career possibly in ruins. Of course this is a dramatic scenario. If plays well but not superbly, he could gradually win fans' respect and relieve the pressure, but then a great deal hinges on what Halak does. If Halak dominates and Price doesn't, it's going to be a nagging blister all season, intensifying to a cancerous all-consuming tumour should Price enter one of his patented annual funks.

As to how he needs to act, beyond the obvious - stopping pucks, including that elusive key save at the key time - he needs to drop the Pampers routine. Stop punching holes in walls, giving the bird to the crowd and getting penalties for hurling pucks at the opposition. The Price who first came up had a surreal calm about him. Whatever the fans say, that's the Price that had the scouts mesmerized. Many are saying Price seems to have matured through the humiliations of last year. Trouble is, last season's Price was supposed to have started the year with a New and Better Attitude as well. This supposedly 'mature' kid is the guy who shot the puck at his opponents, so I'll wait and see, thanks.

I'm likely in a minority, but while I was willing to roll with the Halak trade at the time, the further we get from it the more uneasy about it become. Halak was gigantic against Washington and very strong against Pittsburgh. He got in the opposition's heads. The sceptics will say that one playoff proves nothing (Steve Penney, anyone?), will stress that the team played an incredible defensive system around him, and will point out that he failed to defy the odds against Philly. Nevertheless a goalie who can dominate in key playoff games, and steal series, is among the most precious commodities any team can possess - our ace in the hole against the Chicagos, Washingtons and other stacked teams that have somehow accepted mediocrity in nets. But we ditched the guy who has delivered that in favour of the guy who has never come close to doing anything like it, on the theory that the latter might be able to rise to that level one of these days. In effect, I'm worried that the Habs have allowed theory - scouting reports, draft position, pedigree, theories about the Ideal Goalie Profile - to trump practice - i.e., what actually works. If they have just theorized their way out someone who turns out to be among the NHL's best money goalies, I'm gonna have a hell of a time coming to terms with that. And so will most fans.

Edited by The Chicoutimi Cucumber
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My issue with the Halak trade is their venom is misplaced. Price did not make the trade, Price did not trade this 'savior', but he will hear it for any bad goal. So, as habs fans really the best case scenerio is for Halak to bomb in St. Louis and Price succeed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's simple: Price needs to play well early and the Habs need some wins. If he struggles, or the Habs suck and he can't carry them on his back, things risk going south in that uniquely catastrophic Montreal way. I could see him being dealt by February under those Theodore-like implosion circumstances, his career possibly in ruins. Of course this is a dramatic scenario. If plays well but not superbly, he could gradually win fans' respect and relieve the pressure, but then a great deal hinges on what Halak does. If Halak dominates and Price doesn't, it's going to be a nagging blister all season, intensifying to a cancerous all-consuming tumour should Price enter one of his patented annual funks.

As to how he needs to act, beyond the obvious - stopping pucks, including that elusive key save at the key time - he needs to drop the Pampers routine. Stop punching holes in walls, giving the bird to the crowd and getting penalties for hurling pucks at the opposition. The Price who first came up had a surreal calm about him. Whatever the fans say, that's the Price that had the scouts mesmerized. Many are saying Price seems to have matured through the humiliations of last year. Trouble is, last season's Price was supposed to have started the year with a New and Better Attitude as well. This supposedly 'mature' kid is the guy who shot the puck at his opponents, so I'll wait and see, thanks.

I'm likely in a minority, but while I was willing to roll with the Halak trade at the time, the further we get from it the more uneasy about it become. Halak was gigantic against Washington and very strong against Pittsburgh. He got in the opposition's heads. The sceptics will say that one playoff proves nothing (Steve Penney, anyone?), will stress that the team played an incredible defensive system around him, and will point out that he failed to defy the odds against Philly. Nevertheless a goalie who can dominate in key playoff games, and steal series, is among the most precious commodities any team can possess - our ace in the hole against the Chicagos, Washingtons and other stacked teams that have somehow accepted mediocrity in nets. But we ditched the guy who has delivered that in favour of the guy who has never come close to doing anything like it, on the theory that the latter might be able to rise to that level one of these days. In effect, I'm worried that the Habs have allowed theory - scouting reports, draft position, pedigree, theories about the Ideal Goalie Profile - to trump practice - i.e., what actually works. If they have just theorized their way out someone who turns out to be among the NHL's best money goalies, I'm gonna have a hell of a time coming to terms with that. And so will most fans.

I'm so glad Im not a GM. What a decision to have to make.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's simple: Price needs to play well early and the Habs need some wins. If he struggles, or the Habs suck and he can't carry them on his back, things risk going south in that uniquely catastrophic Montreal way. I could see him being dealt by February under those Theodore-like implosion circumstances, his career possibly in ruins. Of course this is a dramatic scenario. If plays well but not superbly, he could gradually win fans' respect and relieve the pressure, but then a great deal hinges on what Halak does. If Halak dominates and Price doesn't, it's going to be a nagging blister all season, intensifying to a cancerous all-consuming tumour should Price enter one of his patented annual funks.

As to how he needs to act, beyond the obvious - stopping pucks, including that elusive key save at the key time - he needs to drop the Pampers routine. Stop punching holes in walls, giving the bird to the crowd and getting penalties for hurling pucks at the opposition. The Price who first came up had a surreal calm about him. Whatever the fans say, that's the Price that had the scouts mesmerized. Many are saying Price seems to have matured through the humiliations of last year. Trouble is, last season's Price was supposed to have started the year with a New and Better Attitude as well. This supposedly 'mature' kid is the guy who shot the puck at his opponents, so I'll wait and see, thanks.

I'm likely in a minority, but while I was willing to roll with the Halak trade at the time, the further we get from it the more uneasy about it become. Halak was gigantic against Washington and very strong against Pittsburgh. He got in the opposition's heads. The sceptics will say that one playoff proves nothing (Steve Penney, anyone?), will stress that the team played an incredible defensive system around him, and will point out that he failed to defy the odds against Philly. Nevertheless a goalie who can dominate in key playoff games, and steal series, is among the most precious commodities any team can possess - our ace in the hole against the Chicagos, Washingtons and other stacked teams that have somehow accepted mediocrity in nets. But we ditched the guy who has delivered that in favour of the guy who has never come close to doing anything like it, on the theory that the latter might be able to rise to that level one of these days. In effect, I'm worried that the Habs have allowed theory - scouting reports, draft position, pedigree, theories about the Ideal Goalie Profile - to trump practice - i.e., what actually works. If they have just theorized their way out someone who turns out to be among the NHL's best money goalies, I'm gonna have a hell of a time coming to terms with that. And so will most fans.

Not to sure about the bolded part. When Price was playing calmly everyone said he lacked emotion, but when he played with heart (like when he fought the St, Louis tough guy) everyone was excited and the team seemed more willing to play in front of him. Besides, it can be good to rage. Does anyone remember that Rask tantrum from a couple years back? The next year he stole the starting spot from the reigning Vezna winner.

You also seem to forget the fact that Price did steal us a series in his rookie year with two shutouts in the first round against Boston, one coming in game seven. We were then embarrassed in five by a Flyers team with mediocre goalie playing over his head (sound familiar?)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not to sure about the bolded part. When Price was playing calmly everyone said he lacked emotion, but when he played with heart (like when he fought the St, Louis tough guy) everyone was excited and the team seemed more willing to play in front of him. Besides, it can be good to rage. Does anyone remember that Rask tantrum from a couple years back? The next year he stole the starting spot from the reigning Vezna winner.

You also seem to forget the fact that Price did steal us a series in his rookie year with two shutouts in the first round against Boston, one coming in game seven. We were then embarrassed in five by a Flyers team with mediocre goalie playing over his head (sound familiar?)

Well, I dispute that Price stole that series. Montreal had a huge psychological advantage in that series and was expected to demolish the Prunes. Going to game 7 was a disappointment - not Price's fault - and the game 7 shutout, while impressive, was as much a team effort as the mediocre series results up to that moment. So my recollection is that he played well, period, before proceeding to basically stink out the joint against Philly. His subsequent playoff was middling at best and nothing he did this season impressed either. Halak, meanwhile, gave us a performance of historic significance in Game 6 against the Caps and was just a huge force through the first two rounds. Sorry, there's no comparison between Halak of 2010 and Price of any previous playoff. Price has ranged from quite good to average to bad. Mostly the middle one, I'd say. While Halak also had weaker results at times, he also dominated at really key points and was an immense difference-maker.

As for the comportment issue...I liked the 'no emotion' Price and thought the fan criticisms were silly, but that's beside the point...the point being that there seems to have been a maturity issue around Price. (Not that we can know for sure, since none of us are in the dressing room). Of course immaturity is completely normal when you consider his age. Nevertheless. The question is how Carey Price can win over Habs fans. To do that he will need to avoid doing boneheaded things (i.e., act maturely), AND deliver the goods on the ice. (He can get away with only the latter, but immaturity will destroy him if he starts to struggle). If Halak dominates even maturity + strong play won't suffice, but it's all the lad can control.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

CC not to pick on you, but you seem to have selectionist history. You down play a shutout in a game 7, but play up a game 6 caps game for Halak where the habs played AWESOME team D, the best team D I've seen from the habs in a long time. You take Price to task for sucking against Philly, but don't do the same for Halak, who stunk up the joint as well. That's the kind of attitude I speak up when it comes to the montreal fans/media.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

CC not to pick on you, but you seem to have selectionist history. You down play a shutout in a game 7, but play up a game 6 caps game for Halak where the habs played AWESOME team D, the best team D I've seen from the habs in a long time. You take Price to task for sucking against Philly, but don't do the same for Halak, who stunk up the joint as well. That's the kind of attitude I speak up when it comes to the montreal fans/media.

Look: Price played excellent in 2008 against Boston. We had a powerhouse thing going on that year, so to say he 'stole the series' is a significant exaggeration, but he was definitely a strong part of a winning mix. His playoff work since then (basically, two series plus some backup work) has been middling to stink-o.

Nothing he has done compares statistically or psychologically to Halak's accomplishment last playoff, as this chart helps to show:

http://habsanalytics.files.wordpress.com/2...ens_goalies.jpg

Say what you want about the trade, but what I find 'selectionist' is to try to pretend that Price has done anything equivalent to what Halak did for us last playoff. Does that make Halak the better goalie going forward? Not necessarily. All I'm saying is that, given the chance, he proved to be the single biggest factor in a massive playoff run - a classic Montreal Canadiens 'money' playoff netminding performance - something Price has not even approached. And that simple fact that we got rid of the guy who actually did it in favour of the guy who hasn't (yet), has been gnawing at me ever since.

Kindly note that this does NOT constitute slagging Price, who I want to see succeed for obvious reasons. My fear that this decision was a case of overthinking things - theory over practice - remains valid. I hope it's proven wrong.

Now as for the theme of the thread, I've said my piece. Play well, act like a man not a boy, and hope to hell that Halak doesn't surpass your play by any significant margin. If all three conditions hold, Carey will thrive and Habs fans will love him. If any one of these conditions is not met, then trouble will be a-brewin'.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I counter your argument that Halak was the single greatest factor in the playoffs. Keeping the caps off the scoresheet on the PP was a bigger factor, and to that I give the nod to TEAM D, not goalie. How can someone who was pulled 3 times and had a .500 record be the single greatest factor in the playoffs, I'm just not on the wagon for that.

I really think Price's downfall could be the fact the fans could get on him for something not in his control...the play of Halak, why should he have to worry about that? Even IF Halak becomes the great goalie people think he already is, that should not affect Price one bit. Roy played with a fiesty attitude, and I wouldn't call him a man haha...yet he is close to saint-hood in Montreal.

If the fans ruin Price with their foolishness they will have no one to blame but themselves, I hope they realize that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The single greatest factor on this team is goals for. When they score 2 or less they lose. When they score 3+ goals they are way above 500.

It's called Price derangement syndrome. If he signs for too much money people complain, he isn't signed yet people complain, if he loses people complain, when he wins people complain. It doesn't matter what he does most people on this board will hate him.

get over it people, he is your goalie like it or not. So instead of complaining try cheering for the team to win. They made it to the final 4 last year. Things aren't that bad.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In a nutshell, Price has been viewed as being "handed" the #1 job where ever he goes. He's the kid with the silver spoon in his mouth. People don't like that. His past accomplishments in junior and AHL? He was handed those sweetheart gigs. He didn't earn anything. Price's biggest problem is that he isn't Kopitar.

If he goes 82-0 next year with 67 shutouts, people will lament the 15 games he didn't shut out the opposition. But if he does get a shutout, it's obviously in spite of his play, not because of it. If he signs a 1yr deal for peanuts, it's because he doesn't want to commit long term and hates Montreal. If he signs a 3yr deal for more money, then he's greedy and just want to play out his days until he's UFA.

The hatred towards Price makes the scorn heaped upon Brisebois seem like a love-in. It's disappointing, and quite frankly, rather old already.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Halak the savior and Halak this and that.... blah blah blah.

Price is the guy, so for once in a century try to back this kid (yeah just a kid) and see how it turns out.

Chicago fans aren't this pissed about losing the cup winning goalie and yet in Montreal a .500 playoff goalie is something to go on and on about. :wacko:

Edited by Habitforming
Link to comment
Share on other sites

'A .500 playoff goalie' :rolleyes: There is no need to deny what Halak accomplished in order to support Price. Halak was THE goalie of the 2010 playoffs. Let's at least have the simple honesty to face up to that fact before moving on.

At the same time, yes, Habs fans shouldn't scapegoat Price. It's a terrible thing to do to a human being - rich or not, good player or bad, I don't give a crap: no one deserves to be publicly demonized, humiliated and ripped apart for playing hockey, especially if they're trying their best. What happened to Brisebois was a disgrace and while Price hasn't yet come in for that kind of treatment, this tendency to scapegoat is the least forgivable part of Montreal hockey. It is indecent to scapegoat Price and it is also totally contrary to our own interest as fans. We should cheer him and support this young man down to the end, be it bitter or sweet. At least that way only he, and not we, will be responsible if he fails.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

'A .500 playoff goalie' :rolleyes: There is no need to deny what Halak accomplished in order to support Price. Halak was THE goalie of the 2010 playoffs. Let's at least have the simple honesty to face up to that fact before moving on.

At the same time, yes, Habs fans shouldn't scapegoat Price. It's a terrible thing to do to a human being - rich or not, good player or bad, I don't give a crap: no one deserves to be publicly demonized, humiliated and ripped apart for playing hockey, especially if they're trying their best. What happened to Brisebois was a disgrace and while Price hasn't yet come in for that kind of treatment, this tendency to scapegoat is the least forgivable part of Montreal hockey. It is indecent to scapegoat Price and it is also totally contrary to our own interest as fans. We should cheer him and support this young man down to the end, be it bitter or sweet. At least that way only he, and not we, will be responsible if he fails.

Best comment of the year! :clap:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

'A .500 playoff goalie' :rolleyes: There is no need to deny what Halak accomplished in order to support Price. Halak was THE goalie of the 2010 playoffs. Let's at least have the simple honesty to face up to that fact before moving on.

At the same time, yes, Habs fans shouldn't scapegoat Price. It's a terrible thing to do to a human being - rich or not, good player or bad, I don't give a crap: no one deserves to be publicly demonized, humiliated and ripped apart for playing hockey, especially if they're trying their best. What happened to Brisebois was a disgrace and while Price hasn't yet come in for that kind of treatment, this tendency to scapegoat is the least forgivable part of Montreal hockey. It is indecent to scapegoat Price and it is also totally contrary to our own interest as fans. We should cheer him and support this young man down to the end, be it bitter or sweet. At least that way only he, and not we, will be responsible if he fails.

Yeah we disagree on Halak, but your second paragraph was bang on, kudos.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ah, Price fans who bemoan Halak getting credit for this year.. Halak fans going the other way.. how I missed this forum...

Here is my view (which no one asked for but you will get anyway...)

Price was handed things too easily, which I feel led to his struggles. I hope last year was the push he needed to get over himself and push to fully earn his starter job. We shall see.

Price was not that great against Boston. That series went to 7 games because he stunk in a couple. People seem to forget that brutal bunch of goals he let in over his glove. He played great in game 7, but reverted back to weak goals in the Philly series. He has been on a confidence bubble ever since. He has yet to even match Theo in playoffs series performances, he has never come close to doing what Halak pulled off last year. (with all kudos to Gill, etc who also had great series against Pitts and Washington). No matter how big a fan you are of Price, you can't state he is the future or he is great. He is still a young goalie who may turn out to be awesome, or may not. Its definitely a risk the org is taking. Frankly, there are very few goalies these days who are money in the bank, they all seem to oscillate between great and awful.

Halak was not the only reason we won the games we did, and he did have a few bad games. That said, he has the best SV% in the playoffs and was a top goalie all year in the stats department. Niemi sucked and was a brutal rebound machine that was overcome by the chicago offense. I am not surprised at all that they walked away. Halak was a far better goalie then Niemi all year and especially in the playoffs.

I am not surprised they went with Price over Halak, but I think they blew the entire deal. The traded Halak too early and could have gotten more. They also could have pressured Price into signing a deal first, instead we sit with Price getting handed the job before he even signs a contract. Its no surprise to me that he is holding out. He had them by the short and curlies. They better get this deal done, as its a rare occurrence for a holdout to have a good season. Price needs to be focused right now on getting into game shape, not worrying about his contract status.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The thruth is that all Halak play in the playoffs was pure luck.

Yep. God damn chance our offense could score 3 goals in the last game agains Toronto because Halak pulled one of the worst goaltender performance of the season, that's for sure. Check out the 2 goals he allowed to that Hanson guy...

http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?hlg=20092010,2,1214

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ah, Price fans who bemoan Halak getting credit for this year.. Halak fans going the other way.. how I missed this forum...

Here is my view (which no one asked for but you will get anyway...)

Price was handed things too easily, which I feel led to his struggles. I hope last year was the push he needed to get over himself and push to fully earn his starter job. We shall see.

Price was not that great against Boston. That series went to 7 games because he stunk in a couple. People seem to forget that brutal bunch of goals he let in over his glove. He played great in game 7, but reverted back to weak goals in the Philly series. He has been on a confidence bubble ever since. He has yet to even match Theo in playoffs series performances, he has never come close to doing what Halak pulled off last year. (with all kudos to Gill, etc who also had great series against Piyientts and Washington). No matter how big a fan you are of Price, you can't state he is the future or he is great. He is still a young goalie who may turn out to be awesome, or may not. Its definitely a risk the org is taking. Frankly, there are very few goalies these days who are money in the bank, they all seem to oscillate between great and awful.

Halak was not the only reason we won the games we did, and he did have a few bad games. That said, he has the best SV% in the playoffs and was a top goalie all year in the stats department. Niemi sucked and was a brutal rebound machine that was overcome by the chicago offense. I am not surprised at all that they walked away. Halak was a far better goalie then Niemi all year and especially in the playoffs.

I am not surprised they went with Price over Halak, but I think they blew the entire deal. The traded Halak too early and could have gotten more. They also could have pressured Price into signing a deal first, instead we sit with Price getting handed the job before he even signs a contract. Its no surprise to me that he is holding out. He had them by the short and curlies. They better get this deal done, as its a rare occurrence for a holdout to have a good season. Price needs to be focused right now on getting into game shape, not worrying about his contract status.

I liked the deal when it happened, but now that Chicago has had a fire sale and walked away from Neimi you think we could have had a pretty sweet deal with them. Maybe something like Sharp and Buff (I'm not even gonna try and spell it) for Halak and a cheaper player or two like O'Byrne or Pouliot. Oh well, pointless to speculate now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I liked the deal when it happened, but now that Chicago has had a fire sale and walked away from Neimi you think we could have had a pretty sweet deal with them. Maybe something like Sharp and Buff (I'm not even gonna try and spell it) for Halak and a cheaper player or two like O'Byrne or Pouliot. Oh well, pointless to speculate now.

The Halak trade was cap purpose. Buff alone make 3M$... Wouldn't work...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Halak trade was cap purpose. Buff alone make 3M$... Wouldn't work...

I realize that, it's just interesting to speculate what we could have squeezed out of Chicago. And for the record I do like the deal we made.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

'A .500 playoff goalie' :rolleyes: There is no need to deny what Halak accomplished in order to support Price. Halak was THE goalie of the 2010 playoffs. Let's at least have the simple honesty to face up to that fact before moving on.

At the same time, yes, Habs fans shouldn't scapegoat Price. It's a terrible thing to do to a human being - rich or not, good player or bad, I don't give a crap: no one deserves to be publicly demonized, humiliated and ripped apart for playing hockey, especially if they're trying their best. What happened to Brisebois was a disgrace and while Price hasn't yet come in for that kind of treatment, this tendency to scapegoat is the least forgivable part of Montreal hockey. It is indecent to scapegoat Price and it is also totally contrary to our own interest as fans. We should cheer him and support this young man down to the end, be it bitter or sweet. At least that way only he, and not we, will be responsible if he fails.

Spoken like an excellent sports fan.

The choice made was not made lightly. It was the best guess they could make for their own reasons. Halak was certainly and beyond question the goalie story of the entire playoff season making truly sensational saves at critical moments to keep our hopes alive. No question. A strategy like the one we pursued necessitated exceptional goaltending and we got it.

That said, Mr Price has earned the respect of the team and the management for his devotion to duty and maturity this last season, and management has manifested their confidence in him.

Me, I am a Habs fan and Carey Price is my goalie, our goalie, and his performing extremely well is actually something I find myself anticiipating for in the end its all about character at some level, and his is emerging. His record , at least to some degree indicates a likely strong competitive pride. Coupled with the character he is choosing, he's going to be OK.

Go Habs GO!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

'A .500 playoff goalie' :rolleyes: There is no need to deny what Halak accomplished in order to support Price. Halak was THE goalie of the 2010 playoffs. Let's at least have the simple honesty to face up to that fact before moving on.

Yeeahh ok.

Here is what you don't know. Halak lost the dressing room early in the Philly series for reasons better left unsaid.

Halak worshipers forget that he isn't a team player AT ALL and yet have no issue taking the same stance against Price saying he is immature and not dedicated.

Halak asked for a trade mid season remember? He wasn't a playoff hero then and his record suggests he isn't now. When the team quit on him it was a 5 game series. Halak took the exact same stance and quit on the team in game 5 when he came out of the crease to colide with Hamrlik for a loose puck (while on the PP ! ) giving the Flyers and easy empty net SH goal. His performance to that point was average at best.

Do you have any idea what that says to the rest of the team when you don't trust a veteran Dman that is respected on the team to make the easy play and force the attacking player wide? Why did leaving the net empty while a man up become an acceptable option on that play? It wasn't, it showed what Halak thought of the rest of the team, and the bench noticed it as you can see by the rest of that game.

Given the chance the players would have voted Halak off the team after that. That is not the unity that Gomez, Gionta, Cammy, Gill and Hamrlik (among others) spent the season preaching to the guys.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeeahh ok.

Here is what you don't know. Halak lost the dressing room early in the Philly series for reasons better left unsaid.

Halak worshipers forget that he isn't a team player AT ALL and yet have no issue taking the same stance against Price saying he is immature and not dedicated.

Wait, Halak isn't a team player at all? According to who? You say he lost the dressing room, but there's no evidence of that at all. Only reason 'better left unsaid'. If you are trying to base an entire argement on something 'better left unsaid', maybe you should say it.

Your whole argument is riddled with logical fallacies. Halak wasn't a playoff hero midseason? Maybe because the playoffs hadn't started yet... And if you are of the opinion that he isn't now, you are probably the only person on the planet who thinks that. Many would say Halak was the dictionary definition of a playoff hero.

Edited by ForumGhost
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.




×
×
  • Create New...