DON Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 OK, not a 'dispute' and more foggy trivia, but no question being a Hab is unlike playing for any of other 29 teams. And may not be appealing for certain % of players; however if they win a cup and contend more, likely would be a more popular destination (and could get a free agent on the cheap 1 year deal, in hope he can win a cup, a la Ray Bourque, Hossa, Iginla etc) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovett's Magnatones Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 I've heard a few different times that there's an unwritten thing that most players don't want to get traded to Toronto or Montreal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machine of Loving Grace Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 I've heard a few different times that there's an unwritten thing that most players don't want to get traded to Toronto or Montreal. It depends on the player. The only teams that honestly get unfair advantages are Philadelphia, New Jersey and the New Yorks, who have the least travel in the league. Players will ignore taxes for easy travel. That's why the Flyers and Rangers always get new free agents when rarely showing loyalty and the Devils just recently picked up a bunch of veterans despite not seeming like they are on the way up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hab29RETIRED Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Kovelev shooting off his mouth about Subban still playing defense like he was a kid on the streets. Also said that if he scores 5, his defensive play will lead to 5 against. Hello kettle, meet the pot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machine of Loving Grace Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Reminder that Kovalev wanted $7M per year in 09-10 and when he couldn't get it from anyone, including the Habs, he "settled" for $5M per season with Ottawa. $7M per year in 09-10 an acceptable demand by Kovalev. $9M per year in 14-15 for Subban is being paid too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
habs rule Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 I always liked Kovalev, but he never knew when to shut his cake hole. He was overpaid most of the years he played. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovett's Magnatones Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 I actually got to meet Kovalev down here. He was playing in a beer league tournament for team Russia in Coral Gables in September of 2012. I saw him in the pro shop because he forgot to bring skate guards. I got a picture in. My buddy was star struck, fumbling with his phone. Kovalev was the paragon of patience. "C'moaaan guys, eye heff to go!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Ha haaa, always loved Kovalev. Nice to see he remains hilarious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KoRP Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Bah.... Kovalev.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DON Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Yes, Vanek = Kovalev and soft soft players, skilled for sure but lazy floaters. I would much prefer a Backes/Perry-type anyday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICEWATER77 Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Yes, Vanek = Kovalev and soft soft players, skilled for sure but lazy floaters. I would much prefer a Backes/Perry-type anyday.yep, backes/perry anyday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Kovalev was about entertainment. When he was "on," he was one of the most devastating forwards in hockey. When he wasn't - which was about half the time - he was still entertaining because of his manifest refusal to play by hockey's stultifying cultural rulebook, because of the psychodrama that ensued, and because of the "will he or won't he??" suspense (the knowledge that this guy could explode with a dazzling play at any given moment). Remember how he used to score a goal every time his helmet fell off? Are you gonna win with a guy like that as a team leader? Almost certainly not, although 2008 showed what he could do when fully mobilized. But one thing's for sure, you won't be bored. PK Subban is every bit as electrifyingly talented as Kovalev was, but he is completely different in that he shows up to play every night, and - while he too rejects hockey's robotic player rulebook - he is willing to go along with it just far enough to keep coaches and teammates onside and not become a toxic cloud around the team. It's the difference between a guy that entertains and loses and a guy that entertains and wins. I'd rather have a Perry than a Kovalev, but I'd rather have a Subban than either. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DON Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 But, when Kovalev put up 80points as a Hab, or when Vanek sparked the offense at end of season, it was a nice change from the ton of revolving mediocre forwards the Habs have had for past 20+years. But every other game, could of simply scratched them and no difference as they would be simply invisible often, or Rene Bourque like all last season. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
habs rule Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Kovalev was one of the most talented players to play the game. He seemed to need to get hit or pushed around before he would wake up and play. I think we should have had someone hit him in the side of the head when he came out of the dressing room. It might have woken him up. But yeah he was entertaining, could stick handle in a phone booth. What a waste of talent. He coulda been a contender. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hab29RETIRED Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Kovalev was one of the most talented players to play the game. He seemed to need to get hit or pushed around before he would wake up and play. I think we should have had someone hit him in the side of the head when he came out of the dressing room. It might have woken him up. But yeah he was entertaining, could stick handle in a phone booth. What a waste of talent. He coulda been a contender. On sheer talent, Kovolev should have been a top 5 scorer every year and should have been a hall of famer. Other than his effort/compete level on a night in night out basis, what really frustrated me about him was all the love he got and how Koivu got piled on despite putting a solid effort and setting an example for his team on a night in night out basis. However, he refused to learn french, or if he did learn, to speak french publicly, so he was ripped in the media during the last 4 or 5 years in Montreal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovett's Magnatones Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Kovalev was about entertainment. When he was "on," he was one of the most devastating forwards in hockey. When he wasn't - which was about half the time - he was still entertaining because of his manifest refusal to play by hockey's stultifying cultural rulebook, because of the psychodrama that ensued, and because of the "will he or won't he??" suspense (the knowledge that this guy could explode with a dazzling play at any given moment). Remember how he used to score a goal every time his helmet fell off? Are you gonna win with a guy like that as a team leader? Almost certainly not, although 2008 showed what he could do when fully mobilized. But one thing's for sure, you won't be bored. PK Subban is every bit as electrifyingly talented as Kovalev was, but he is completely different in that he shows up to play every night, and - while he too rejects hockey's robotic player rulebook - he is willing to go along with it just far enough to keep coaches and teammates onside and not become a toxic cloud around the team. It's the difference between a guy that entertains and loses and a guy that entertains and wins. I'd rather have a Perry than a Kovalev, but I'd rather have a Subban than either. When I saw him in that tournament he was stickhandling through traffic for 30 seconds at a time. The tournament wasn't full of scrubs, Kasparaitis and Valerie Zelepukin were playing, those guys live down here. He was also taking three minute shifts and his back checking was laughable. At one point he two zones away from the play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeLassister Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 On sheer talent, Kovolev should have been a top 5 scorer every year and should have been a hall of famer. Other than his effort/compete level on a night in night out basis, what really frustrated me about him was all the love he got and how Koivu got piled on despite putting a solid effort and setting an example for his team on a night in night out basis. However, he refused to learn french, or if he did learn, to speak french publicly, so he was ripped in the media during the last 4 or 5 years in Montreal. Koivu was "ripped" in the media as a captain for not wanting to totally blend in the community (ie: try to improve his french language publicly). But I don't remember him being ripped as a hockey player. The ovation when he got back as a Ducks proves it. (IMHO, contributing financially for an expensive and very specialized medical equipment for cancer treatments like he did in Montreal + all the hope he gave to people here when he fought cancer and came back strong on the ice will always be a better achievement than blending in the community and speaking french fluently, but that's just my humble opinion) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovett's Magnatones Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Koivu was "ripped" in the media as a captain for not wanting to totally blend in the community (ie: try to improve his french language publicly). But I don't remember him being ripped as a hockey player. The ovation when he got back as a Ducks proves it. (IMHO, contributing financially for an expensive and very specialized medical equipment for cancer treatments like he did in Montreal + all the hope he gave to people here when he fought cancer and came back strong on the ice will always be a better achievement than blending in the community and speaking french fluently, but that's just my humble opinion) Speaking French isn't easy. I remember how nervous Ken Dryden was when he started speaking French publicly from his book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 On sheer talent, Kovolev should have been a top 5 scorer every year and should have been a hall of famer. Other than his effort/compete level on a night in night out basis, what really frustrated me about him was all the love he got and how Koivu got piled on despite putting a solid effort and setting an example for his team on a night in night out basis. However, he refused to learn french, or if he did learn, to speak french publicly, so he was ripped in the media during the last 4 or 5 years in Montreal. I always approached Kovy with a sense of humour (this IS entertainment after all, and on that level he delivered). He was fun to have on the team from a fan point of view. But I can completely understand a more antagonistic, steam-from-the-ears reaction to his antics. Good point about Kovy vs. Koivu. The treatment of Koivu over the years really was pretty strange. A substantial minority of the fanbase never seemed to warm to him, and the nationalist knuckle-draggers threw him into the meat-grinder in a way that they never came close to doing with Gionta, an equally unilingual captain, for reasons that are totally unclear to me. It's really quite puzzling in as much as Saku Koivu was about as close to a genuine hero as you get in modern hockey - yet he was not much appreciated by a good chunk of Habs' "fans." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machine of Loving Grace Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 On sheer talent, Kovolev should have been a top 5 scorer every year and should have been a hall of famer. Other than his effort/compete level on a night in night out basis, what really frustrated me about him was all the love he got and how Koivu got piled on despite putting a solid effort and setting an example for his team on a night in night out basis. However, he refused to learn french, or if he did learn, to speak french publicly, so he was ripped in the media during the last 4 or 5 years in Montreal. I've been on the opinion for a while now that Gainey should have done a major rebuild in 06-07. No new contract for Kovalev, trade Koivu, Souray and Ryder at the deadline. Sell high on Theodore. Koivu hate is very similar to Sundin hate from certain Leafs fans. With Koivu, he became captain after the last great Hab from 93 was traded (Damphousse) and was our superstar during the darkest days of the Habs era. Once he got through his cancer and returned, people were expecting more and put the blame on Koivu instead of the organization. This isn't unlike what any other team does, but it was especially hard on Koivu. I knew a lot of reasonable sounding Hab fans then spit bile like, "Montreal should have a Canadian captain" and you'd just have to wonder why you wasted your time talking to them. It's the same for Leafs fans. Sundin was by far their best player but people still held a grudge the club traded Wendel Clark to get him (probably the greatest steal in Leaf history and they hated the deal) and he was captain during a very bad time for their club (post-lockout). Sundin, even when becoming a hall of famer, never got the kind of rope Gilmour and Clark got. Looking back, Koivu should have never become captain when he did but that's because Vincent Damphousse should have never been traded. Montreal just assumed he wouldn't take a pay cut. When he arrived in San Jose and found out they gave Trevor Linden $3M, he told the media he would have taken it if offered and stayed a Hab for the rest of his career. Having Damphousse with the C during those really terrible years would have alleviated a lot of the heat Koivu got in Montreal. He would have instead just been looked at as the superstar who beat cancer, not the superstar who beat cancer and led the Habs to nowhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hab29RETIRED Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 I agree with what you're saying, but they were a lot of people who were vocal of him being a lousy captain, since the Habs never win the cup. His value as a leader was pretty evident when the Habs lost to the Canes after koivu went down. Who knows, if Williams doesn't high stick koivu and almost blind him, how far the Habs may have gone. Koivu was "ripped" in the media as a captain for not wanting to totally blend in the community (ie: try to improve his french language publicly). But I don't remember him being ripped as a hockey player. The ovation when he got back as a Ducks proves it. (IMHO, contributing financially for an expensive and very specialized medical equipment for cancer treatments like he did in Montreal + all the hope he gave to people here when he fought cancer and came back strong on the ice will always be a better achievement than blending in the community and speaking french fluently, but that's just my humble opinion) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neech Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Pretty rich from Kovy, when all of his words could apply to himself at least as well. But I'm with CC here, and it's more fun to laugh at (and with?) l'Artiste than to care too much about what he says. I'm all for paying PK what it takes to keep him, but being a $9 mil player in Montreal will cause these sorts of controversies, probably weekly. We just need a superstar forward to share the load. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
habs rule Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Koivu had guts and courage in spades. The injuries he suffered limited his abilities. He and Kovalev did not see eye to eye and lead to a lot of locker room disruption. While I have no proof positive on that statement it was pretty well acknowledged by a lot of people in the know. Gainey cut him loose because he felt the leadership was not there. He cut a whole wack of guys loose that year. For me, I have the utmost respect for Saku and what he did in Montreal, but I don't think he was a great captain, due his not being able to settle locker room squabbles. The whole 3 amigos thing was under his watch. It just seems to me that the locker room was in disarray while he was captain. Remember it is just my opinion based on rumours and innuendos at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29habs3318 Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Who cares what Kovalev has to say. PK blows him out of the water big time. Is there a bit of jealousy here?? I agree for sure that PK shows up night after night.......Kovalev took nights off to float around the rink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICEWATER77 Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 anyone else been to the show? didn't think so..kovi has, and probably knows more than we do as to what it takes to get the huge contract. we may not like what he says, but he is entitled to an opinion. I personally didn't think the highest paid mtl canadien of all time would be a defenseman though. I would've preferred it be a legitimate 50 goal man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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