Habsterr

I am sick and tired of all the berating of Gainey. ENOUGH. Give him and the Habs a break. We have a NEW NHL. A NEW game. Gainey and all the other GMs had to take educated guesses as to how the NEW game would be played. He took his shot and missed. Give him credit for that. Fergie Jr. did nothing in Toronto. At least Gainey tried. You all wanted that. He will regroup and rework the Habs into a very competitive team, now that he sees and knows what the NEW NHL is all about. Be patient. You'll be happy you did. Another part the GMs had to guess at was factoring in the year off from the NHL. Some players played, other did not while still others played but in lousy leagues. So, in the end, between the new NHL and the year off....Lots of guess work and a CRAP SHOOT. No wonder a team like Carolina comes out of nowhere to be a top team. Again, at least Gainey roled the dice. He will adjust and correct now that things have settled and will have the Habs very competitive in time.

He is a very large pilon! Never seen a Dman get beat so often one-on-one. If he doesn't learn do adapt he might find himselfon the outside looking in soon...on any team. You can see him playing a more up tempo game now, rushing the puck, even sneaking in sometimes..GOOD. But in our end WOW, what a disaster.

http://www.nhl.com/news/2006/01/255066.html Chicago defenceman Aucoin out four to six weeks with dislocated shoulder CHICAGO (CP) - Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Adrian Aucoin has a dislocated right shoulder and will be out of the lineup for four to six weeks, the team announced Tuesday. Aucoin suffered the injury during Sunday's game against Calgary when he fell with his right arm extended as he hit the ice. In 33 games this season, Aucoin has one goal and five assists

Gainey is a fantastic hockey mind. He has experience in the Montreal market and media to know how to handle things. This is the "New NHL". Nobody knew exactly what to expect but Gainey had a plan, a plan based on what he "thought" would work. Yes, things haven't worked out but all he could do, just as most GMs had to do, was take a good guess. Just because they haven't worked out doesn't mean you get rid of the main guy. He will adjust again. He will get the team competing again. He hasn't been here long enough as GM, or with the new NHL to say he doesn't know what he's doing. Get rid of Gainey and you have a team that will be in turmoil for years... Keep him and you'll see, we'll be on the right track.

I was very impressed by Cote in the Flyer game. He is an imposing figure on defence and you could see he was instructed to POUND EVERY FLYER HE COULD GET HIS SHOULDER INTO. He moved the puck crisply and seemed, on TV at least, to be well positioned. A guy like him is a breath of fresh air. For once you could see hesitation in the OTHER TEAM when they were deep in our zone. How big is he? I hope he stays with the big club. He is an asset. Just a note: other players who impressed me last night were Higgins, Begin, Sundstrom. They play a smart Gainey type game.

Gainey explains why they are 'Associate' and not assistant coaches. "The titles aren't important but at the same time, they are important," he said. "It gives these people full authority to participate, not as an assistant or as someone who is designated to one area, but as coaches at large."

How old are you Hab4life? Six?

Is this the first team in the NHL with "associate" coaches? Coaches who are ALL responsible for the whole team rather than individual responsibilities? Is Gainey evolving the way a team is coached?

Before I talk about Carbo and want to make it clear I am 100% behind the change of coach. This has been in the cards for a while now and Gainey is correct in making the change rather than imploding a whole team. I truly believe they have a very good core. But, I am of two minds re: Carbo. Yes he was a premier defensive player. Yes he was good at faceoffs, blocking shots, PK. Yes he was a leader. And he can teach all that. But he seemed, at least to me, to be a prima donna. He would stand next to the goalie before the game and wait, like a king for his subjects to come and bow before him and kiss his hand, for the players to ritually come over to the goalie and him for a stick touching of some sort. With all this in mind, I am worried as to how good a coach he really will be. Yes he has worked as an assistant but that's all. Can he control a whole team? All the responsibilities that go with it? Will he blow his top ala Therrien and lose his players? Does he have a game plan that helps the offense? Will he be a prima donna coach? We'll find out next year.

ABSOLUTELY THE RIGHT THING TO DO. I APPLAUDE MR. GAINEY!!! I hate to say I told you so....but I've been saying this for quite a while now. You can see the players looked confused out there. They have been outcoached since the other teams have learned how to play after the first month or so. The only thing I was worried about was where Gainey was going to find a coach. I give him a ton of credit for saying enough is enough. I will take the blame for signing Julien and take the reins myself. GO GAINEY GO!!!! GO HABS GO!!!!

Brodeur let in his first shot as well. Don't hear about theDevils letting him go.

I would believe you but the team, as a whole, has looked sloppy, disorganized.... O.k., takeaway Koivu, Kovalev and even Markov. That's no reason to look terrible. Maybe not win as many sure. Maybe not be able to score as often, but they just look plain BAD. In so many areas as mentioned above.

Time to fire a coach is, I believe, in regards to Melanson and not Julien. I am not posting this in reply to an RDS article or anything else. I am just giving my opinion. Pure and simple. PMK, Hey how many times do you see a coach getting terribly frustated after such a loooong bad streak. It looks to me like he's lost control and the confidence of his players and is at his wits end. Hey, you may be right, but firing a coach is often times easier and gets the message across easier than gutting a team.

Hey Dave, Big Habs fan here on Toronto. I have some info that I sent you via email. First time doing this so please let me know if it got through to you. Cheers and GO HABS GO!

In all due respect PM Koivu (and yes I will vote for you), the job of the coach is get the players on page, all together, with the same team goals and system. HE is the one who has to motivate them. HE is the one that has to figure out what makes each player tick and get them all going in the same direction. HE has to motivate them. Sorry PMK, but that IS HIS JOB. Don't you think the Leafs have big ego players. Hot headed players. Players who think they are better than others. But their coach undertsands that his job description entails him motivating those guys in to one system. Getting together as a team.

Having watched every single Habs game this year, I am now of the mind that Mr. Julien is in deep trouble as a coach and the players as a whole are not the main problem. We started the year looking very organized, fast, smart, and had a super puck control/speed game. Since those first 15 games or so, what we have now is a team that -looks terribly disorganized- -the jump and speed we had at the beginning is now gone -players look tentative. -our D tends to back up and give the blue line to the opposition -Our forwards have trouble through the neutral zone with puck control -We rarely carry the puck over the opposing teams blueline -Consistently lose battles along the boards -Lose at the end of games - players don't look motivated All this points to the coach and a lack of a system that is working. Mr. Julien looks to be out-coached on regular occasions. Take those dreaded Laffs for instance. Their squad is no better than the Habs on paper. Yet they lost by far their best player in Sundin for the very first 5 weeks or so, but they still hung in and now are past the Habs. They have a coach who can adapt and has a better understanding for the new NHL. Not sure how a patient man like Gainey will react to this. He can wait things out. Maybe he knows things that we just aren't privy to. Or he can make a change, but of course there has to be an NHL calibre coach available to step in. Very worried indeed.

The last three posts I've tried to make on the forum have somehow disapeared when I went to post them or preview them. The time it takes me to write these things and then the frustration when they go to some place in outer space never to be seen again is....well, frankly....... AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! I haven't had this kind of problem in other forums. It's either me (ironic if you are reading this one) or some flaw in the Habs Forum program (ironic if you are reading this one) Any suggestions? Am I the only one experiencing this?

More proof Found this article on "Trap Play"on Yahoo Hockey today. "Well, put the Ducks on that list. They are routinely dropping four men between the blue lines, with one man passively funneling the puck carrier to one side -- typically the Ducks' left wing side. Even when the opposition has the puck in full possession behind their net, the Ducks are using just one man deep in the zone, with the wingers positioned on the boards nearer the blue line than the goal line. They are firmly entrenched in trying to capitalize on failed forays through the neutral zone, working solely on turnovers to generate offense. Not that there is anything wrong with that. But if you're looking for games with flow and offensive creativity, the Pond isn't the place to partake. During their recent run of five wins, two were by 3-1 counts and two were 2-1. The Ducks have tallied five goals or more only three times. But they are winning. And with the vigilant standard being applied to the rule book, the Ducks aren't allowed to muck it up through hooking, holding and interfering -- although the Ducks have taken the second-most restraining penalties in the league. Still, the league mandate means they must move their feet to maintain defensive positioning. There is no such mandate, though, requiring teams to move their feet in the offensive zone without the puck. Thus -- for better or worse -- the trap lives"

Another Gillett story: my brother was having trouble getting answers in regards to some Habs promotional cards he was trying to get. He sent off an email complaining to the Habs. My brother receives a personal call from Mr. Gillett himslf, apologising and explaing that the Habs were having some marketing problems. The owner of the most storied franchise in hockey then offered my brother 2 FREE tickets to a Habs game the next time he would be in Montreal. Classy and down to earth man.

All right. Here's proof. Sadly, last nights scores from 9 games 4-0 2-1 3-2 3-2 4-1 2-1 3-0 3-2 2-1 Total goals from all nine games= 36 Average goals per team: 2 [Edited on 2005/12/3 by Habsterr]

I am very disappointed with the state of hockey. They had a great opportunity to make a significant change and change they did...for one month. We had an open game with great speed and lots of exciting rushes. Scoring was up. A lead was not safe as teams could always come back and that meant the leading team had to keep up the pressure as well. NHL hockey was fun again. Now, look at the scores. 3-2.....2-1. More of the same old, same old. Limited skating, goals down, game along the boards again instead of through the middle. Obstruction all over the place ( the Leafs are the worst culprits). Sticks are on players when the rule was supposed to be "no use of the stick". Players are being held up against the boards again when they don't have possession any more...... I can go on and on. I know from where I talk. I have the Centre Ice package and have watched most games on most nights. Too bad. Hockey could have been good again. Exciting again. Like the 70s and 80s again. The stars of the game could have been at their best again. Nope. Dull boring hockey circa the 90s Notice we are not reading daily press releases about how the scores are still up? Well they are not. SHAME ON THE NHL [Edited on 2005/12/3 by Habsterr]

The Habs have to get back to the HIGH TEMPO game that they had at the beginning of the year. Not just for a period, but the whole game. Start to finish. It's very hard for most teams to match them, but they have to get back to their game :ghg:

Last time I checked, hockey was a team game. Too many bad penalties, lack of scoring touch, bad breaks and terrible defensive mistakes was the differance last night. PERIOD! Thanks G_d Gainey has more patience than most of you guys ready to make trades like Mr> Houle did. Oh yeah, where is he now?

With all due respect, I thought Theodore has played very well the last 1-2 weeks. He isn't giving up the rebounds he was at the beginning of the year, plays very square and isn't going down as fast. Last night I actually thought he also played well. His defense was lousy in front of him. A shorthanded breakaway (he had already stoned all-world Sundin on a breakaway), a two on one at the ed of the second that if the D had played correctly should have been just a 2 on2 at best. The tieing goal was a fluke (over the net) and the winner was a howitzer one-timer that caught the top corner. Last nights game they should have won. But it wasn't Theos fault.