habscout

I also read comments from Trevor Timmins on the RDS website that first round pick David Fischer is closer to 6'4" and 185 pounds. Based on the photo of him standing next to a 6'3" Bob Gainey, I believe he's an inch taller. His weight is tough to gauge at this point, but he appears to be willing to start weight training.

This comes from the Red Line Report that USA Today carries. "Mathieu Carle is an enigma in that he has as much offensive skill as any defender in this draft, but we don't know if he wants to be a player bad enough. He's got fabulous passing skills: crisp, accurate breakouts and creative touch passes through traffic. Super soft hands and great vision make him one of the best PP quarterbacks in this year's group. Yet Carle has never shown the will to get himself into top physical condition, and lugs around a soft, paunchy body that exacerbates his mediocre footwork and leads to mistakes and a lack of stamina. If he'd ever get his head on straight and decide to take the game seriously, he could be a real player. But that's a big IF." Source: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/colu...efensemen_x.htm

I'm glad they signed Muller, who will offer plenty of experience and character as a person and former player. However, everyone should keep in mind that Muller has relatively little experience as a coach, whereas the rest of the staff has an adequate amount of coaching experience. However, Muller's role is not that of the head coach or GM, so the expectations on him are lower if he has to learn on the job a little. I still wish they would have signed Robinson as an assistant for the defencemen, but perhaps that's a move they still may make in the future.

File this article under Ironic. http://www.nhl.com/cupcrazy/2006/serieso/williams060606.html

What's up with Pat Hickey and his dislike for Grabovsky? In today's Gazette, May 24, he states that the Habs don't need any more undersized forwards [ie. Grabovsky]. This despite the fact that Grabovsky tore it up at the World Championships, earning a spot on the tournament's first all star team, beside the likes of Crosby & Ovechkin. This despite the fact that the Habs line of offensive prospects at centre is shallow. Hickey quotes two differing sets of physical attributes for Grabovsky, 5'11" 181 lbs & 5'9" 172 lbs. The latter was likely based on his draft year, and just as likely not updated, despite the fact that he's now 2 years older, which makes the former stats more believable.

I noticed this article about a player at the Memorial Cup who was an unsigned invitee to the last training camp: Jamie Tardiff. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/Junior/20...591019-sun.html The article mentions that Hamilton had offered him a 2-way contract, which I believe means he could have been sent down to the ECHL at a lesser pay. It's a decent way for the Habs to evaluate a fringe player without having to offer him a standard pro contract and taking up a slot on the team's 50-man "roster". I don't recall any comments last September from those here who watched the rookie training camp about Tardiff. If anyone remembers anything or can find a posting [yes, I already tried the HW search, which had 3 good references to him], I'll appreciate reading your comments. Maybe this guy still has a future with the Habs, or with another organization, if he has a strong showing the Memorial Cup.

What was especially dreary about the Chouinard pick was that Houle vetoed his own scouts #1 choice of Gagne. I know this for a fact because I read an article on the rds.ca website the night before the draft, and one of the Habs scouts was quoted as saying there were leaning towards a skinny forward named Simon Gagne. There were rumours after the draft that Chouinard's father and coach pulled strings with Rejean Houle to get his son drafted by the Habs. The Habs scouts must have been pulling their hair out of their heads on that move, because both players played for the same team.

From the gist of this new article from today [May 5], it sounds like Sergei Kostitsyn is going to fit in well wherever he plays for the Canadiens organization, whether it be in Long Beach, Hamilton, or preferably Montreal. He seems to have an easy going, joking kind of an attitude in the dressing room and during practices. That's a valuable intangible for blending in with a team, that should not be overlooked. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/Junior/20...565775-sun.html

Actually, Robinson has excelled as an assistant coach in the past. He never wanted to be the head coach, but when the news about Pat Burns cancer came out, Lou Lamoriello went to Robinson as the team's head coach. Larry doesn't handle the pressure of a head coach's position, but mark my words he will return to the NHL someday as an assistant again. I personally think he would work well with the Habs defence, although he and Sheldon Souray didn't see eye-to-eye in the past. The rumours have Kirk Muller as the next Habs assistant coach. That would bump the coaching staff's Stanley Cup and captaincy totals each up by one. An impressive feat by itself.

I'm confident they will win tonight. Despite their poorest showing in game 5, and the fact they've lost 3 games in a row, they've lost each game by only 1 goal. If the Habs could get an offensive spark from somebody, they will win tonight and force a seventh game. I'll predict that Sundstrom will be back in the lineup for tonight.

Here's an update about that Emelin hit on Varlamov. Basically, Varlamov suffered a concussion from the hit, nothing was fractured like some websites were reporting. It's unlikely that the concussion was too severe since Varlamov was back on the ice 10 days after the incident, including 2 days spent in the hospital. I'm disappointed at some North American media, the Hockey News in particular, that picked up the initial rumoured stories then reporting them as much more than they were. So much for unbiased journalism and the need for verifying their sources before putting them up on the web or in print. Personally, I'd like to think that Emelin will turn out to be more like the Red Wings small but big hitting Vlad Konstantinov than a dirtier player like Kasparitis. Russian Hockey Digest

It's on now! http://rapids.canoe.ca/cgi-bin/NewChat/NC-...N=LAUNCH&LAST=3

I doubt Melanson will go elsewhere. He's francophone; my inlaws knew him when he played in the OHL, as they bordered junior players and Melanson hung out at their house a lot. I'm pretty confident that he wants to remain in Montreal, as it's likely a comfortable place for him and his family. Ottawa may be the only team that could offer that level of comfort to Rollie. What's especially impressive about Huet's play is the fact that he's rebounded so well and relatively quickly from a serious knee injury. Remember folks, he tore his right knee ACL training in the last off-season and required surgery to fix it! I don't remember exactly when it occurred, but my memory thinks it was last spring. That would put it at approximately 1 year since he suffered the injury, and for him to come back in such a relatively quick time from such a major injury & surgery, and perform the way he has is outstanding!!! As for a good defensemen coach for the Habs, I'd love to see Larry Robinson offered the job, assuming his health is ok and that he wants the position. He's fluent in French, much like Gainey he learned the language while he played in Montreal. An assistant's position for the Habs would not offer the level of pressure that he's faced while Larry was the head coach in New Jersey. I'm sure I read in the past that Robinson loves being an assistant, and especially likes working with younger players, so I'm sure he'd be a great fit with Gainey, Carbo & Jarvis.

I'm glad they signed him, sooner than later. They had offered him an amateur try out, which he accepted. However, his agent advised him only to practice with the team, as he would have no insurance against any injury he suffered while playing for the Bulldogs. That I believe was the trigger to get Chipchurra signed to an entry-level contract. Since the Bulldogs are officially out of the running for a playoff position, a guy like Chipchurra should get some decent ice time in Hamilton.

You must have a hate-on for Bouillon, or something against smaller players because your comments are very biased. The guy is a good dman. Yes, he's not a top 3 player, but he's very effective in the #4-6 role. Yes, he's under 6 feet tall, but he hits harder than any other defender on the team, and I don't know how you can comment on him being beat 1-on-1, as he's easily faster than Souray, Markov, Komisarek, Rivet and Simpson. I'd rate only Streit and Dandenault to be as fast or faster than Bouillon. He has good decision making capability with and without the puck. He can be out muscled if he's standing in front of the net with a much larger forward. But, when he can make use of his skating and upper body, he can handle opposing forwards quite well.

Sorry folks, I'll close this topic.

Not that there's anything wrong with that, but don't Kilger & Tucker look a little too friendly? http://www.hamiltonspectator.com/NASApp/cs...l=1112274690734

It's disappointing that this event cannot be covered by the Russian Hockey Prospects website in a consistent manner. There's a huge difference if a player is hit with a fist or a stick.

I'm not sure if he's eligible to play for the Bulldogs. At first I thought that Kostsitsyn was not eligible to play in the AHL since he's only 19. While there have been a few 19 year olds to play in the AHL [eg. Jason Spezza, Rico Fata], they are exceptions because they've played 4 seasons at the Canadian Major Junior league level. However, I noticed that brother Andrei was 19 when he started to play in Hamilton. Andrei did not play in the CHL, and I'm not sure he was even selected in the CHL import draft; those may be the reasons he was allowed to play in Hamilton.

Bouillon deserves 2 assists for that play. That's easily the best individual play by a Habs dman this season. For anyone who didn't see it, Cube gave a thundering check to a Penguin behind the Habs net, picked up the puck, skated & stickhandled down the ice to the Pens zone, then feathered a pass from around the top of the right faceoff circle to the left one to Bulis, who buried the goal. A beauty!!!

Better late than never [hopefully you all will agree with that comment ;-) Third Quarter Report Cards Covering Games 42-62 [Jan. 14-Mar. 7] The grades assigned for the players are based on the third quarter of play, but the statistics include the previous quarters. Forwards: Steve Begin - Grade: A- Stats: 60 Games, 11 Goals, 9 Assists, +4, 99 Pim, 97 Shots, 1 PPG, 2 SHG, 2 GWG, TOI 860:54, TOI/Game 14:20, Faceoff WL 285-280, FO Win% 50.44, Hits 154, Takeaways 32, Giveaways 37, Blocked Shots 50 Comments: Begin has continued to be an excellent 3rd/4th line player, bringing energy to the team and big hits when it's necessary. Since the new coaching team has taken over, his discipline has improved, as he's taken only 10 penalty minutes over the last 20 games. His faceoff percentage improved around 3%, and he cut down on his giveaways while continuing to lead the team in hits. Jan Bulis - Grade: A- Stats: 57 Games, 16 Goals, 17 Assists, +7, 18 Pim, 105 Shots, 3 PPG, 1 SHG, 3 GWG, TOI 903:12, TOI/Game 15:50, Faceoff WL 49-62, FO Win% 44.14, Hits 77, Takeaways 36, Giveaways 25, Blocked Shots 16 Comments: Bulis has excelled during the 3rd quarter when pressed into more offensive situations. He has responded with 11 goals and 6 assists in 20 games [+9], including an outstanding 4 goal game against Philadelphia on January 25. He has floated between the 1st, 2nd and 3rd lines all season and played well regardless of the line or linemates. Recently, he has clicked with the presence of Richard Zednik & Radek Bonk on the 3rd line, to form a good 2-way checking line. Radek Bonk - Grade: C Stats: 41 Games, 2 Goal, 13 Assists, -4 +/-, 34 Pim, 49 Shots TOI 651:23, TOI/Games 15:53, Faceoff WL 307-350, FO Win% 46.73, Hits 30, Takeaways 30, Giveaways 14, Blocked Shots 39 Comments: Bonk continues to struggle offensively, but has quietly been effective in defensive situations. His offensive game needs to improve if he intends to stay with the Canadiens long term. Chris Higgins - Grade: B Stats: 59 Games, 13 Goals, 10 Assists, -2, 20 Pim, 88 Shots TOI 793:23, TOI/Game 13:26, Faceoff WL 18-19, FO Win% 48.65, Hits 49, Takeaways 30, Giveaways 14, Blocked Shots 33 Comments: Higgins has nearly doubled his offensive contributions for the the first half of the season, indicating that the coaches have put more faith in him by increasing his ice time. His speed has been an asset both on offence, by setting the opposition defencemen back on their heels, and on defence when he's given penalty killing roles. He suffered a groin injury during a warm up on January 21, but only missed 2 games. Chris also produced two 2-goal games, and was the runner up for Offensive Player of the week, for the period ending March 5 (3 games, 4 goals, 1 assist, +4, 4 shots). Saku Koivu - Grade: B+ Stats: 51 Games, 14 goals, 30 assists, +2, 56 Pim, 103 shots, 4 PPG, 2 GWG, TOI 965:55, TOI/Game 18:56, Faceoff WL 540-479, FO Win% 52.99, Hits 28, Takeaways 47, Giveaways 26, Blocked Shots 14 Comments: Captain Koivu continues to lead the Habs, but there's a little concern as his offensive contributions declined in the 3rd quarter, with a "mere" 4 goals, 9 assists in 20 games. The toll of playing a long stretch of 8 games during the Olympics may be a factor, and the coaches will have to monitor him for the Canadiens run to make the playoffs. However, for his first game back from the Olympics, he registered 3 assists. Strangely enough, Koivu has doubled his penalty minutes from the first half of the season. He continues to perform well on faceoffs, and has excelled when given penalty killing assignments, due to his speed and puck handling. Alex Kovalev - Grade: A Stats: 48 Games, 16 Goals, 29 Assists, +0, 38 Pim, 133 Shots, 5 PPG, 3 GWG, TOI 962:49, TOI/Game 20:03, Faceoff WL 17-18, FO Win% 48.57, 33 Hits, 33 Takeaways, 34 Giveaways, 16 Blocked Shots 28 Games, 8 Goals, 19 Assists, +, 30 Pim, 82 Shots, 4 PPG TOI 602:09, TOI/Game 21:30, Faceoff WL 14-14, FO Win% 50.0, Hits 19, Takeaways 26, Giveaways 19, Blocked Shots 10 Comments: Kovalev cranked his offensive game a notch to register a point per game for the last 20 games [10 goals & 10 assists]. This is particularly impressive as he was held off the scoresheet for 8 of those 20 games, including 4 in a row between Jan. 21-26. His effort level has been high nearly every game, so the explanation lies with heavy shadowing by the opposition rather than a streakiness factor. Alex's leadership skills are becoming more evident this quarter, and he's visibly more talkative with his linemates when he's on the bench. His return from the minor knee surgery earlier this season appears complete. Garth Murray - Grade Incomplete Stats: 18 Games, 1 Goal, 1 Assist, -3, 11 Pim, 14 Shots, TOI 127:11, TOI/Game 7:03, Faceoff WL 41-45, FO Win% 47.67, Hits 20, Takeaways 2, Giveaways 2, Blocked Shots 11 Comments: Murray suffered a severe shoulder separation, which caused him to miss 15 of the third quarter's 20 games. His return to the lineup was March 7. He's expected to continue a yeoman's job on the 4th line for the rest of the season. Alex Perezhogin - Grade: C- Stats: 36 Games, 6 Goals, 6 Assists, +2, 24 Pim, 59 Shots, 2 PPG, 1 GWG TOI 480:57 TOI/Game 10:13, Faceoff WL 0-4, FO Win% 0.0, Hits 10, Takeaways 18, Giveaways 9, Blocked Shots 14 Comments: Perezhogin was briefly banished to the AHL by former coach Claude Julien, for a lack of effort and execution with his game. He returned after exactly one month to take part in 11 of the 20 games, and produced only 1 goal and 1 assist, but his level of effort is much improved. He has received ice time on the top 2 lines for most of those 11 games. He was a minus player for only one of the 11 games, but unfortunately was a plus player for only two. He will be counted on to produce more offence for the stretch run to make the playoffs. Tomas Plekanec - Grade: B- Stats: 31 Games, 4 Goals, 8 Assists, -2, 10 Pim, 51 Shots TOI 394:04, TOI/Game 12:42, Faceoff WL 151-142, FO Win% 51.54, Hits 17, Takeaways 21, Giveaways 18, Blocked Shots 12 Comments: Tomas suffered a knee injury in the middle of December, and did not return to the lineup until January 23. His return was spectacular, as he scored twice, adding an assist. He took part in 15 out of the 20 games for the quarter, and managed to score 3 goals and 7 assists. Plekanec's versatility is evident, as he's been able to take a shift in any of the 4 lines and fit in well. He suffered a minor shoulder injury on March 6 which only caused him to miss one game. Mike Ribiero - Grade: C+ Stats: 59 Games, 13 Goals, 25 Assists, -9, 28 Pim, 95 Shots, 7 PPG, 2 GWG, TOI 797:31, TOI/Game 16:36, Faceoff WL 266-314, FO Win% 45.86, Hits 38, Takeaways 46, Giveaways 18, Blocked Shots 14 Comments: Offensively, Ribeiro has continued to be inconsistent. He's scored well with 6 goals and 6 assists, including 3 power play goals, during the third quarter, but has been held off the score card in 12 of those 20 games. For a second line centre who's had ice time on the 1st and 2nd lines most of the season, that streakiness is disappointing but not completely surprising. It's nice to think he's scored 12 points in 8 games, but it's difficult to count on Ribeiro when he only contributes in 40% of the games. That level of contribution has had the coaches juggling Mike to the wing occasionally. Defensively, Mike has improved. While Ribeiro does not possess great speed, he is a smart player and when he keeps his feet moving, and when he can react quickly to a turnover situation, he can be effective on defense. He's shown that in the third quarter, but he needs to improve his offensive game to help better support the top line, to give the team 2 lines for their opponents to worry about. He's improved his plus/minus stat one point. Michael Ryder - Grade: C+ Stats: 61 Games, 24 Goals, 16 Assists, -4, 36 Pim, 174 Shots, 13 PPG, 5 GWG, TOI 975:22, TOI/Game 15:59, Hits 78, Takeaways 27, Giveaways 26, Blocked Shots 17 Comments: Michael Ryder has had a similar season to his fellow Habs sophmore, Mike Ribeiro: streaky. At times he's a good sniper, as the 6 goals and 5 assists in 20 games attest. He's on pace to better his rookie season goals. However, he's scored those 11 points in 7 games, which means he's only contributed to the offence in 35% of the third quarter. For the 13 games he's been held pointless, he's not had a shot on goal in only 4 of them, so there has been some effort there. Since the Olympic break, he's scored 4 points in 5 games. Similar to Ribeiro, his plus/minus stats are still too low, but he has improved them by one point. He registered the first hat trick of his career on February 5th against Philadelphia, but unfortunately followed that up with 3 consecutive games without a point. His defensive game is improving a little but there's still work to be done in that area. He's primarly remained on the 2nd line, occasionally seeing some 1st line ice time. Niklas Sundstrom - Grade: C Stats: 48 Games, 6 Goals, 8 Assists, -3, 28 Pim, 50 Shots, 2 GWG, TOI 697:38, TOI/Game 14:32, Faceoff WL 1-9, FO Win% 10.0, Hits 8, Takeaways 42, Giveaways 15, Blocked Shots 22 Comments: Niklas's play in the third quarter landed him in the pressbox for 9 of the 20 games as a healthy scratch. He still offers some veteran savvy, as his ratio of takeaways to giveaways indicates. But his effectiveness as a checker or 4th line player has been wanting. Coincidentally, he was scratched from the lineup at a time when the Habs as a team improved their play, partly due to some inspired games by goalie Christobal Huet. At this rate, he's unlikely to be offered another contract by the Habs, as there are younger, hungrier forwards that are ready and willing to take his place. Richard Zednik - Grade: C+ Stats: 49 Games, 14 Goals, 9 Assists, -2, 38 Pim, 116 Shots, 6 PPG, 3 GWG, TOI 793:12, TOI/Game 14:03, Faceoff WL 1-4, FO Win% 25.0, Hits 57, Takeaways 29, Giveaways 16, Blocked Shots 18 Comments: Consistency has been a big problem for Zednik during the 3rd quarter. He's registered 3 goals and 2 assists in 17 games, but managed those 5 points in only 6 games. He missed 1 game due to a thumb injury, one game to the flu, and was a healthy scratch once. His irregular play has dropped him off either of the top two lines onto the third line. However, when paired on the checking line with Czech-or-Slovak linemates Bonk, Bulis or Plekanec, he has improved his 2-way play. Since the Olympic break Richard has been given the 3rd line assignments and has reponded with 4 points in 5 games, including a +3 plus/minus. Defensemen: Francis Bouillon - Grade: B- Stats: 61 Games, 3 Goals, 15 Assists, -4, 30 Pim, 3 PPG, TOI 1282:29, TOI/Game 21:01, Hits 137, Takeaways 57, Giveaways 58, Blocked Shots 108 Comments: Bouillon's offensive production has continued at exactly the same pace as the first two quarters [6 points], and his ice time has increased with increased confidence from the coaches. His plus minus rating improved 3 points. Overall, his play has been consistently good. He passes the puck out of his zone well, and has good skating ability to carry it when necessary. His heavy hits are always apparent to the opposition, who likely cannot believe a 5'8" defenceman can hit so hard. He continues to lead the Habs defensemen in hits and takeaways. Mathieu Dandenault - Grade: B- Stats: 61 Games, 1 Goal, 12 Assists, +3, 66 Pim, TOI 1172:23, TOI/Game 19:13, Hits 63, Takeaways 20, Giveaways 43, Blocked Shots 75 Comments: Dandy has filled in well as a #5-6 dman for the Habs this season. His skating has kept him in good position to defend the opposition, and his penalty minutes decreased in the 3rd quarter, indicating some improvements with is discipline. His giveaways are still a little too high but he committed only 8 of them in the quarter. His offensive game is not exciting, but he's been a steady influence overall in the third quarter. Mike Komisarek - Grade: C Stats: 50 Games, 0 Goals, 1 Assist, -8, 69 Pim, 39 Shots, TOI 702:47, TOI/Game 14:03, Hits 98.0, Takeaways 12, Giveaways 37, Blocked Shots 61 31 Games, 0 Goals, 1 Assist, -2, 39 Pim, 19 Shots TOI 400:38, TOI/Game 12:55, Hits 59, Takeaways 7, Giveaways 23, Blocked Shots 26 Comments: Komisarek's play in the third quarter has improved. His plus/minus stats are down 6 points, and his offensive stats are unchanged. He has been given more ice time, and was only a healthy scratch once in the last quarter. His confidence with and without the puck has been showing. His hits and blocked shots have increased significantly. There's hope that his offensive game will come out in the long run. Andrei Markov - Grade: B Stats:50 Games, 9 Goals, 25 Assists, +5, 72 Pim, 73 Shots, 5 PPG, 1 SHG, 1 GWG, TOI 1198:39, TOI/Game 23:58, Hits 35, Takeaways 35, Giveaways 57, Blocked Shots 79 Comments: Markov continue to be the #1 defenceman for Montreal. His offensive stats were good, with 4 goals, and 5 assists in 12 games; 3 of the 4 goals were on the power play. He missed 8 games in the quarter with a shoulder rotator cuff injury. Before that injury, he managed a 2 goal, 2 assist game against San Jose on January 14th, a first for his career; one of the goals was short handed, and all 4 points were scored in the first period. After his injury, he managed the game winning goal and 4 shots in his first game back. He is the leader on defence for the Habs, and they are a much better team with him than without him. Craig Rivet - Grade: B+ Stats: 61 Games, 5 Goals, 24 Assists, +1, 84 Pim, 96 Shots, 4 PPG, TOI 1382:31, TOI/Game 22:39, Faceoff WL 0-2, FO Win% 0, Hits 85, Takeaways 45, Giveaways 51, Blocked Shots 101 41 Games, 4 Goals, 13 Assists, -4, 49 Pim, 66 Shots, 3 PPG TOI 935:12, TOI/Game 22:48, Faceoff WL 0-2, FO Win% 0, Hits 56, Takeaways 32, Giveaways 35, Blocked Shots 66 Comments: Rivet continues to enjoy an excellent season. On offence, he's provided 1 goal and 11 assists during the third quarter. He's already reached a career high in assists and points! On defence, he's improved his plus/minus 5 points. His defensive play has also been good, as his blocked shots and takeaways help to show. He continues to be a team leader, and is known as a positive veteran presence on the ice and in the dressing room for the Habs. Sheldon Souray - Grade: B+ Stats: 54 Games, 6 Goals, 20 Assists, -4, 78 Pim, 121 Shots, TOI 1153:24, TOI/Game 21:21, Hits 81, Takeaways 40, Giveaways 59, Blocked Shots 76 Comments: Souray's play has improved significantly in the third quarter of this season. His offensive contributions have been very good, with 13 points in 18 games. He scored a game tying goal against Philadelphia March 6, to help force overtime. Sheldon missed 2 of the last 20 games due to minor injuries to his knee and groin. Despite those injuries, he has played in the last quarter more like the player he was two seasons ago, when he had his best career season. Souray has endured a number of rumours that would have had him traded to any number of west coast teams. However, he has publicly stated that he wants to play nowhere but in Montreal, and hopes to help bring a Stanley Cup to the team. Mark Streit - Incomplete Stats: 32 Games, 1 Goal, 6 Assists, -7, 26 Pim, 26 Shots, TOI 431:06, TOI/Game 13:28, Hits 27, Takeaways 6, Giveaways 19, Blocked Shots 20 25 Games, 0 Goals, 5 Assists, -5, 16 Pim, 20 Shots TOI 298:23, TOI/Game 11:56, Faceoff WL 0-1, FO Win% 0, Hits 19, Takeaways 4, Giveaways 15, Blocked Shots 11 Comments: Streit's grade is based on not playing at least half the games in the third quarter. He's been a healthy scratch for all of the missed games, due mostly to the improved play of Mike Komisarek. Streit registered his first two point game on January 14 against San Jose, including his first career goal. Goalies: Jose Theodore - Grade: D- Stats: 38 Games, 2114 Minutes, 17 Wins, 15 Losses [incl 5 OTL, 1 SOL] 0 Shutouts, 122 GA, 3.46 GAA, 903 Saves, .881 Sv% Comments: Theodore has played himself on to the bench for the third quarter of the season, as his play and statistics have been worse than the team's previous 41 games. The combination of poor play, a very high salary and off ice distractions for the past few seasons lead to his March 8 trade for David Aebischer. From Feb. 2-11, he was benched as the coachs leaned on Cristobal Huet for 6 consecutive games. Cristobal Huet - Grade A Stats: 22 Games, 9 Wins, 6 Losses, 52 GA, 2.46 GAA, 613 Saves, .922 Sv% Comments: Huet has been a godsend, providing a stable presence in the nets for the Habs, during a time when their number one goalie [Theodore] has struggled. His good play was a contributing factor for Bob Gainey's decision to trade Jose Theodore March 8. Cristobal earned the NHL player of the week ending March 5, with a 3-0-0 record, a 1.67 GAA, 1 shutout and a .943 save percentage. His stand up, calm presence in net has given his teammates more confidence on the ice. Huet's rebound control has been excellent, and he uses the butterfly when it's necessary. His positioning is sound, and his puck handling capability and decision making is good. Past Quarter Report Cards: 1st Quarter: http://www.habsworld.net/article.php?id=998 2nd Quarter: http://www.habsworld.net/article.php?id=1043

Game Recap just posted: http://www.habsworld.net/article.php?id=1096

Ryder is one goal away from matching last season's total, so it's safe to say he'll have a career season. His assists are down, so he's projected to be down around 9 points overall. Ribeiro is projected to toal around 11 points less this season We all know hes played less inspired hockey for parts of this season, however Ryder has been fairly consistent on offence. I'll predict that Ryder will get a bigger contract than Ribeiro in the offseason.

While I agree that Kovalev should have a lot of power play time, I don't believe your claim has any merit. I've been seeing Kovalev a lot on the powerplay units, and I didn't believe he was being shortchanged at all for ice time among the forwards in that situation. Your argument about being on the 'first wave' as being the most important issue of the powerplay is weak, to be frank. There are a lot of issues to consider, the most important of which is how relatively fresh Kovalev is when the power play starts. He may benefit from being sent out on the second wave if he's just come off of a long regular shift. I went to nhl.com and found out I was right about his overall ice time. Here are the stats for the last 4 games; he's clearly in the top 3 in each game: Tampa Bay Game, Habs Forwards PP Time: KOIVU, SAKU 7:56 KOVALEV, ALEX 6:45 RYDER, MICHAEL 7:28 Rangers Game, Habs Forwards PP Time: KOIVU, SAKU 5:26 KOVALEV, ALEX 7:38 RYDER, MICHAEL 5:02 Boston Game, Habs Forwards PP Time: KOVALEV, ALEX 5:29 KOIVU, SAKU 4:45 RIBEIRO, MIKE 4:34 Toronto Game, Habs Forwards PP Time: KOVALEV, ALEX 3:07 KOIVU, SAKU 5:04 RYDER, MICHAEL 4:35 http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20052006/ES020962.HTM http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20052006/ES020945.HTM http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20052006/ES020928.HTM http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20052006/ES020917.HTM

It's a shame he wasn't able to attend his own tribute. I'm proud of his family who are following his wishes by attending the ceremony. Does anyone remember the TV commercials that had the Boomer in them? I think they were Miller Lite, and they probably took place in the late 70's and 80's. I remember the ones with him in them were always funny.