BCHabnut

Cooke was put on a line with both Crosby and Malkin, because he has some grit and will stand up for Crosby. Crosby takes a lot of physical abuse.

Go Habs Go

Why are we still talking about Vinny. He's not being traded.

Lapierre does not need to put points up as long as his line continues to play as it does. I like him as a shutdown guy more than Bonk or Smolinski. That's for sure. Lapierre reminds me a lot of young Carbo. It would be nice to see him put up a few more points, but he is doing a great against the opponent's top line.

At least Chips got a few shots in. Kosty gets destroyed every time. He's fought some pretty big boys though. Vinny is pretty good with his fists!

Well coached game. Played well by both sides. Boston D is formidable. Could have gone either way. Maxpac is pretty crappy in his own end.

People probably said that in the 1970s when Lafleur was given a 10 year, 10 million dollar deal. The largest at the time. By the time it was over, it actually affected his performance because he was pissed that league bums were making more than him.

OK you guys win. Price 1st star. Laps honorable mention.

Max has centred the best line the Habs had for the month of December. He is playing way above what is expected of him, while Komi, Markov, and Kovy have played below expectation this year. IMO.

I have been thinking about the first half of the season and decided to list my 3 stars for the first half of the year. It's been a funny year, and what many thought would be a dynamic, offensively explosive team, has turned into a defense first, 5 on 5 winning team. I prefer this team to last year's BTW, for that reason. My list may be a little odd to some, but I am listing the stars as players who were not expected to make an impact, but helped their team greatly. 3rd star: Josh Gorges. He was not even playing the game last year, but through the end of last season and the beginning of this season, he has proven that he is a top 4 Defense. He takes the hits to make the play. Spins the check to get the puck out. His mobility has proven very valuable at the back end. He stepped up and performed very well when Komi was hurt. His camaraderie with Price is nice to see. They are BFFs. This can also be infectious. These types of personalities have a way of bringing a team together. 2nd star: Robert Lang. (Carey Price should have this spot but injuries have affected my assessment) He took a few games off, and may not be the impact guy a lot would like to see, but he has really stabilized our Centre position. He quietly makes his impact, combining great goals with solid defensive play. He puts up points consistently, and for a guy that was expected to be a 3rd centre getting minimal ice time, he has been a welcome surprise. Returning more to his form when he was a Cap or Pen, his inconsistent days in Detroit and Chicago are behind him, and I look forward to seeing what he can do in the second half. 1st star: Maxime Lappiere! I got a huge man crush on this guy. Carbo must beam with pride as though he is his second son. Max has been a dynamo all year. He leads the team in overall faceoff percentage. He faces the other team's top lines often, but manages to keep the play in their zone for much of the shift. I feel that Max is turning into the shutdown guy that Carbo once was. He brings energy to his team with his all out effort, game in and game out. His aggressive PK style has made him very dangerous when he is out on the kill. He distracts his opponent and has become one of the most hated opponents in the league. Carbo was an agitator and wore the "C", I wonder if Max will ever get the chance? He definitely leads by example!

I looked at his cut hands that he was looking at after the fight.

I hope SK can channel some of his nastiness. I have to say, I like it a lot. I love the idea of having not 1, but 2 of the most hated players in the league. Between SK and Laps, maybe they could combine to become one Lemieux. I was a little embarrassed about a few things last night. 1. All the stupid little scrums with players who have no intention of dropping them. This new thing embarrasses me. If you want to push your weight around be ready to fight. 2. Guys with visors SHOULD NEVER FIGHT!. Get some class, tell the guy "take your helmet off and so will I" May cut his hands to s&%t on Cube's visor. This embarrasses me. I love the cube, but it always bothers me when he fights with his visor on.

I hate to be an optimist, but I am glad that we are getting the bulk of our goals 5 on 5. The team is less of a one trick pony. There are still things to work on, and I question our legitimacy for a cup run this year, but I think we are improved overall from last year. Middle of the pack PP and top notch PK would be nice though.

That's a very good point Brobin about the cross ice pass. What I find even more amusing is that Carbo played, and was Captain of one of the best defensive system teams ever. You didn't see L. A. pull of one of those cross ice passes against the Habs in the playoffs, because the Habs took it away. I sometimes wonder if Carbo is frustrated with things like that, or does he just assess his team and change to suit the way they play? Regarding Maxpac, I guess I was a little excited because he was actually dominant in his preseason and first game. My earlier assessment of him may have been a little harsh. Now you can see he is a rookie, who will hesitate with the puck, but I still think he is more of a true power forward than Laps.

Actually, I would sit Patch and play Weber as a forward for limited minutes. Paccioretty is not ready. I would want one of Weber or Patch in the lineup. Not both.

So Panthers are the better team today? Love the call on Lapierre ref. I understood the one against Komi the other day, but there was no reason to believe Laps intentionally knocked the net off!

Subban is impressing me. He is patient with the puck when looking for the pass. He is a great passer. When he was hurt the other day against cze he got up and toughed it out because they were under pressure in their own zone. The PP is a little strange, but this is not a move a kid would make on his own. He is in the slot because Quinn wants a big body up there. 2 goals is always nice too.

Totally agree. Price and Plek were amazing. Kosty got the goals, but the rest of his game was by no means dominant

I don't know if you could call it a great defensive game. The Habs clogged the neutral zone well, and kept the shots to the outside, but they kept trying to clear the puck through the other player all night. Way too many giveaways in their own zone when the flow of the game is heading toward the other end. I would say Price stole this one. Price was amazing and Plek with those two beautiful passes. Great to see Plek pick up his game. His faceoff percentage is way better too. Overall. Good road win.

I thought it might be a neat idea to start a thread with critique on some of the Habs, or hockey books we have read in the past. My wife just bought me "The Montreal Canadiens. 100 Years of Glory:" By D'arcy Jenish for Christmas. I read this book in a day and a half. It is the condensed history of the Canadiens. It was a great read. He didn't leave out all the quirks and negatives of the Habs' history. He really seemed to do his research. I thought it was a great read. Feel free to add more titles, because if I can find more books of this calibre, I would gladly order them.

I think the best option would be through trade. We need stability going into the playoffs. Our youth bit us in the ass last year, and could again this year. I don't know who would fit this mold, but I don't think it needs to be a top ranked 1 or 2 D man.

Go Habs Go. Man I really want to see Plek and Tangs get some points. Go Laps, Go Begin!

His exact words were "Ho-Hum, not MY favourite player that's for sure." on CBC during the second intermission of the Canucks game. I hate him. I like Crawford though. I am enjoying his analysis in the Chicago Vancouver game. As for the game...I was crapping my pants every time the puck was in our zone. Buffalo played a great game, and we were completely flat in the first. That and the extended stays in our zone and we were lucky to squeak this win out! I'm so happy for Sergei. I have a feeling that he is a very nice person, and it's nice to see the kid get some success. I hope he can figure out how to play gritty like Lemieux did, but not get so many penalties. I got a feeling this kid could be a clutch player in the future with some more development. Time for Carbo to call out Tangs and Plek. Did they play tonight?

As for the game, I have really been feeling bad for Plek. His shots just aren't going in. Hopefully he puts up a few points tonight.

I think the most improved players this year will be Lats and Laps. I hope Lats will anyway. I just feel like he is finding his niche on the team. As for Max...Holy crap. I think we have a PK, 2 way, shut down stud in our future, and his name ain't Chipchura. Lappiere is flying this year.