The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 Apart from Souray, Koivu, Kovy, maybe Ryder, maybe Ribs...does this team have any really memorable players? I don't mean *superstar* players, or even good players, but rather players with noteworthy character, the type that stick in your head and that you remember for years, that give a team an identity. In fact, by moving Theo, we got rid of one of the few memorable personalities on the team. Consider past teams - guys like Chris Nilan, Patrick Roy, Carbo, Chelios, Shutt, Dryden - all interesting, eccentric types that made you love 'em. Not to rag on Bulis, but I'd pick him as the archetypical player from the 2006 Habs. Not too exciting, not too offensive in any sense of the term, basically decent, but essentially unmemorable. Bland. Indeed, the team as a whole is fast but not extraordinarily fast, small but not extraordinarily small, young but not too young, good but not too good, etc, etc. This may be why I find myself caring somewhat less about the fate of this edition than I did about past teams. Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoRvInA Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 lucky were small and not extraordinarily small! were not looking good .... were not too bad either... We need to get more discipline for the most part... We dont have what it takes to go with an improvised or simply oportunistic play... in short Gainey can only tell the team to stick to a plan... which is Stay out of the Penalty box and that will increase our chances... I'm confident if we do so we've got a chance!! btw who's reffing the Laughs games I hope some ref that are in OUR payroll Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huzer Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 Well, the Habs haven't been "exciting" to watch for quite some time. But to be fair, in the watered down Bettman era, very few teams are exciting to watch. I like Begin when he's on the ice, though. And who knows what the youngsters like Chipchura, Higgins, etc will provide in terms of "character' but they seem to be character types of guys, only from what I've read about them. Another interesting thing to note (and by NO means am I a Euro basher), the Habs have a lot of Europeans on the team. Koivu, Kovalev, Bonk, Zednik, Bulis, Perezhogin, Plekanec, Markov, Huet, Aebischer. 6 of our top 9 forwards are Euros. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CerebusClone Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 (edited) Well, the Habs haven't been "exciting" to watch for quite some time. But to be fair, in the watered down Bettman era, very few teams are exciting to watch. I kind of disagree. First, I don't think the Bettman era has been watered down, but the style of hokey that has been played has not favored many exciting, but not big enough players. I believe that are plenty of great hockey players across the world to have an exciting 30-team league, however you have to get rid of the Turner Stevensons, the goons, and the "defensive" forwards, and instead give a chance to the other Martin St-Louis stuck in European and minor leagues. The league has finally realized that, and progressively, I think the quality of the game in the NHL will get better and better... but it will take some time. Also, I think many teams in the last 10 years have offered good exciting hockey, but it is simply not the case for the Montreal Canadiens. Although Habs games have been (and still are) a snooze fest, I have enjoyed a lot of good hockey, not only this year, elsewhere in the NHL. Edmonton, although never a top team, has always at least offered entertaining hockey to its fans. Same for the Canucks, the Avalanche, and probably most Western Conference teams. The Eastern Conference has been the problem; except for maybe Philly, Toronto, Ottawa, and Joe Thornton, hockey in this conference has been boring and ultra-defensive. The game is changing for the better, but again, it will take time before the game is truly great again... Edited March 20, 2006 by CerebusClone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huzer Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 I did say very few team, but not every. And I have seen good games as well. Worldwide, I'm sure there is a lot of skill, but there hasn't been the influx of European talent, and the teams have been filled with bottom rung players who in a 21 team league wouldn't be near an NHL rink. Are there hidden gems playing overseas? Yup, and I'm sure some of them are just as happy to be a star there, than come to the NHL and be yet another mediocre player. Regarding the Habs, they've been a boring team (as has the entire Adams division, save Ottawa the past few years) for a long time. I still think they'll stay boring, too. Maybe I'll defect and become a Western Conference fan, I do live in the right time zone for it! Blandest team in hockey? Whoever Lemaire coaches, regardless of the players on the team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beliveau1 Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 (edited) Did anyone really watch the Laffs - Pittsburgh game last night? Blackout or no blackout, now that game was a snoozefest of major proportions. Shots were something like 12- 10 in favour of the Leafs after two periods. This game was in exact contrast to the Habs-Pittsburgh game on Saturday. They outshot the hapless Pens 46-23. As usual French Canadian players coming home seem to save their best for the Habs and Fleury was no exception to that rule. Are the Habs boring - no! They may not bring the hightest talent level to the rink, but they are not exactly a slow bunch of slugs either. Do you think people would be saying this if the Habs were cruising along riding their recent winning streak even further? Right now the offense isn't clicking and that makes fans frustrated. We only remember what they did for us on the last shift it seems..... this team has excitement and speed stamped all over its' future thanks to the prospects. You want to see boring hockey then move to Ontario and be subjected to the Leafs every Saturday night on CBC and all of their other minion stations we have to put up with during the other 6 days of the week. :?- Edited March 20, 2006 by beliveau1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CerebusClone Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 I still think the Habs are boring this year. It wasn't so bad at the beginning of the season, but since then, the team has reverted back to its defensive, take-no-chance approach. However, I think the team could potentially be exciting because there are some talented and fast players, but they just don't get the chance to show it. Also, I find that the team seriously lacks chemistry and coordination. Espcially on the power play, where other teams seem to have a system in place, and you can see every player knows where to position himself and what to do with when he gets the puck, the Habs just look like a bunch of idiots out there. You have Souray at the blue instead of getting closer to the net, so he could blast a bullet past the goalie. Besides Markov, all the others are just skating around with no idea of what they are are doing, passing the puck to anyone else with no plan in mind, and they always end up either losing control of the puck because they passed too often or shooting with no possible angle. I've actually stopped watching the games; I tune in every once in a while to see the score, and I'll watch a powerplay if I catch it, but that's pretty much it. I'm just tired of the mediocre level of play that this team has offered its fans for the last 10 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KoZed Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 (edited) I think the difference-maker is the playoffs. That's when you can get a better sense of a player's character, personnality, what he really has in his guts. Not in some game vs Anaheim in January. And the Habs haven't been too much of a presence in the playoffs recently, so you dont get much opportunities to develop some kind of identification with the players by watching intense hockey moments. Edited March 20, 2006 by KoZed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted March 20, 2006 Author Share Posted March 20, 2006 Well, when I started this thread, I didn't mean 'style of play,' whether boring or exciting. For instance, the Leafs may play a lot of boring games, but I wouldn't call them a bland set of personalities; between Belfour, Lindros, Allison, McCabe, etc., they've got quite a few memorable characters on that team. I'm talking more about whether a team has standout individual personalities. For instance, I remember one time Chelios threw the puck into the crowd with his hands in a desperate scramble in the Habs end. Or Roy, talking to his goalposts. Or Lafleur's crazy smoke-and-booze-a-thons. Or Lyle Odelin grinning at everyone he saw, no matter what the situation. Or Kirk Muller's blood and guts toughness and skill. Or Kovalev's ineffable moodiness and jaw-dropping talent. Or Souray's smouldering erraticism and old-school demeanour. These players are COOL. The Habs don't have enough memorable personalities like this; they're all middle-of-the-road Jan Bulises. The result is a team without a real identity, and that, perhaps, relates to the lack of chemistry. Or so I would argue. But maybe it's true - maybe you need serious playoff runs to really bring character to the fore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime Minister Koivu Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 We do have a boring team, personality wise. Souray is the only one who stands out in that regard. The rest from Gainey on down are soft spoken and seem like they need a nap most of the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smon Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 It's true. Gainey in press conferences puts me to sleep honestly. And as for the rest, yeah I see where you're coming from. The character of the team hasn't been there since the early 90's..with Roy, Carbonneau, Muller, Odelein, etc. Those were memorable guys. Koivu definitely is one. Souray runs his mouth off a lot, so maybe, especially when he plays well, he seems like an allstar (see 2 goals vs. Pittsburgh). Maybe Begin. But aside from that, the team really is pedestrian/nondescript. I remember all the hopeful predictions of Kovalev hitting at least the 30 goal mark, some spoke of even 40 which would be the most in years...heck, he'd be memorable if he could. But he just doesnt seem to have it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMMR Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 I disagree they have been napping thier past 4 or 5 game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel1968 Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 I think you're on to something here. Apart from occasional flashes from Saku and some puck-handling wizardry from Kovalev, this is a damn bland bunch. Ten years from now, it'll might be tough to name the bulk of this line-up, compared to say, the 76-77 team. There have been plenty of "characters" over the years, but no heir apparent to the Rocket-to-Beliveau-to-Lafleur line of kings. They tried to make Richer the next in line, but he flopped and the line remains broken and it's been too long since we had a player certain to finish in the top 5 of scoring each season. In 2003-4 and in 02-03, our best was 25th!! (and 108th in 00-01). Until the line of kings is restored, blandness reigns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 We could have the most excentric and peculiar individuals hidding within this team......but as long as the team will remain unssuccesfull.........everybody would want to just wisely blend-in,....avoiding standing-out in any kind of ways. Successive successfull campaigns could all change that......yet I wouldn't expect seing Gainey assaulting an on-ice official while wearing a necktie-less burgundy velvet jump-suit anytime soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ch_nl Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 So answer the initial question. We have Saku Koivu. He came back from cancer and won a trophy for it. Therefore I will always remember Saku Koivu. He also won a world championships for Finland in Sweden... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaos Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 Yeah this team definitley lacks personality as well as superstar type players. Unless you consider Ribeiro's flopping around on the ice like a fish, I really haven't seen to much out of this team in recent years that stands out as memorable, in terms of interesting type characters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KoZed Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 Well after all the crap Theo took this year, do you think anyone else on the team wants to "stand out"? Beside, I'd take a soft-spoken Bulis over a "character" like Avery anyday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetsniper Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 Trust me, the Habs are MUCH more entertaining to watch then the Flames. They're a boring team to watch and they play the cliche machine during interviews. I wish they could've gotten Samsonov or Jokinen. Or kept Gelinas, Nieminen, Oliwa or Conroy. Atleast those guys have personalities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaos Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 Atleast they have Iginla. We traded our best player away for Aebischer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bar Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 Well for me, Begin will always be remembered for the way he crushes players, not to mention the 'hog, for that devistating (hopefully not career ending) hit on Priemeau. As for past players, we had a great star, that we let go for a piece of trash in Abeischer, this trade is what I'll remember most of this team, out of all the positives, it's this one negative that will define the 2005-2006 Habs. Bar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime Minister Koivu Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 Atleast they have Iginla. We traded our best player away for Aebischer. Yeah right and ribs is the best player on the Habs roster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 Atleast they have Iginla. We traded our best player away for Aebischer. Shouldn't it be, '' highest paid player '' more appropriate ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTH Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 Trust me, the Habs are MUCH more entertaining to watch then the Flames. They're a boring team to watch and they play the cliche machine during interviews. I wish they could've gotten Samsonov or Jokinen. Or kept Gelinas, Nieminen, Oliwa or Conroy. Atleast those guys have personalities. Agreed. I hate the Flames and the way they play. I like Iginla in interviews because he smiles every second even when he's answering quesitons (how does he do both at once?) but on the ice, they're diving goons with no skill. A complete shutdown team. I will never forget Saku Koivu. I will never forget Jose Theodore. I will never forget Andrei Markov. I will never forget Alexei Kovalev. I will never forget Steve Begin. I will never forget Francis Bouillon. I will never forget Sheldon Souray. I will never forget Cristobal Huet. Those are the guys that really stand out on this team. If you ask me to name the Habs roster in 30 years, I won't remember Niklas Sundstrom and I won't remember Richard Zednik (okay, maybe for the McLaren thing). It's nice to have memorable characters on your team but I think we do have some. Begin, Koivu and Kovalev and 3 players who will stand out in Habs fans minds for years to come. Those are the guys we need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLP Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 about character -- Simpson has a real sense of humor and likes to talk it up. He isn't a regular but still... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetsniper Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 Agreed. I hate the Flames and the way they play. I like Iginla in interviews because he smiles every second even when he's answering quesitons (how does he do both at once?) but on the ice, they're diving goons with no skill. A complete shutdown team. He learned from the master, Craig Conroy. He could put a positive spin on your mothers death. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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