CerebusClone

If someone doesn't give a damn about learning French, that's their right. And it doesn't mean they can't be involved in society, as I mentioned such a person can still contribute, work, pay taxes, and be fully aware about what's happening in this province as there is a fully functional English community where you can get all the news and information you need, not to mention you you can have access to all the products ans services you can hope for.

It's difficult to say, we can also wonder how the kids could do well while Kovalev, the leader and main puck carrier on his line, keeps turning the puck over so much. He's constantly making the wrong choices, and trying to do too much by himself. I've often said that in my opinion Kovalev's real problem has always been a lack of hockey sense. He has all the skills a player could hope for, but he can't use them right.

That's part of why I have lost faith in Carbonneau a while ago. I criticized him often before, but was willing to be patient as he's inexperienced... however I'm just not seeing much improvement since he became head coach. I'm hearing the same old fashioned cliches game after game, I'm not seeing the team playing any better on the ice (besides the fact that the team has much more depth and skills), I don't see any identity to this team, even after almost three years this group looks like it was just recently put together (no chemistry, no anticipation), the transition game is still deficient, several players have complained they don't know their role and what's expected of them... in other words this is a big mess. It's funny I was listening to XM204 as I was picking up my new snowblower this morning (I'm so happy), and they were talking about what happened with Barry Melrose in Tampa Bay. They were talking about how the team had no structure, how his old-school ideas like the left-wing lock and his motivational techniques were outdated, how he didn't provide enough support for a kid like Steven Stamkos... basically very similar things to what I've been saying about Carbonneau for the last 2 years. I think Carbonneau might be a very good coach for a blue collar team... after all his getting good results from his depth/utility players... however I'm not sure he has what it takes in today's NHL to manage a skilled group of players that on paper can contend for the Cup, especially not a group with many different styles where not everyone is comfortable playing the same North/South, finish-every-possible-check, dump-and chase game.

Actually it's the opposite... playing on the powerplay can only hurt your +/- while killing penalties can only help...

It reminds me of New Year 2000, the boyfriend of one of my friends wanted to get me hired at the Sharx Pool Bar in Montreal to work with him as a bouncer (I was looking for student job), telling me there was little to do there besides making sure no drugs were sold in the bathrooms... and that very same night when he came back to their apartment he was bloodied because of a huge fight where guns were even pulled! So I told him NO... not that I really wanted to anyway...

I agree with the exception of Andrei Kostsitsyn. I think he's played much better than his stats would indicate, and that he was very unlucky earlier this season. There are a few adjustments to be made obviously - motsly I think he needs to take charge, and become the leader on the ice that he can be - and now that he's not playing with Kovalev he'll get a better chance to do this. All the elements are there, he just needs to put it all together. As for Higgins and Plekanec, again I think they were overrated by many people. I think they are great all-around players who can be terrific assets when used in the proper role (as strong 2-way players), and not put in situations where they need to lead the offense. They'll always have their hot streaks, but they just don't have the skills to be everyday key point-producers. Finally about Sergei Kostsitsyn, many expect a lot from him this season, which is a little unfair considering he doesn't even have the equivalent of a full NHL season worth of experience. Like Latendresse, the important thing in his case is not how many points he gives us, but the quality of his play. He started the season very well, displaying great chemistry with Lang, and lately he's done very little. It's normal to have ups and downs at this point, but we need to get him back to where he was before.

I think we need to get together, and share a few pints next time I visit one of my customers in Quebec City... you'll see that I'm not such a bad guy... The Dooly's near Henri IV‎ wasn't bad...

I didn't say that at all. What I compared to a Hitler-like line of thinking was the idea of eliminating a certain subgroup of society to achieve Marois' vision of the Quebec nation. While the analogy is a little out there, which I did on purpose, I do believe that Hitler took a similar basic idea to a disgusting extreme. As for this being idiotic and an insult to intelligence, you have the right to feel like this... I feel the same about someone who constantly calls people idiots whenever they have a different opinion, regardless of the subject. I also feel the same about people who feel like we should never touch a touchy, sensitive subject because it might shock or disturb some people; on the contrary I think it is important to remember such atrocities in the pursuit of constantly bettering ourselves, and avoiding mistakes in the future. In my opinion that Bill 195 would have been a big mistake, and who knows maybe the first step towards something worse (and no, I'm not referring to a genocide, not even close). I don't think anyone is arguing that someone who arrived here only a few months ago should have the right to vote. However it would make no sense to prevent someone who's lived in Quebec for several years (ex. let's say 10 or 15), is contributing so society, pays their taxes ... from voting based only on how well they master the French language. It is quite easy for people to live primarily in English in some parts of this province - also depending on their type of work (i.e. dealing almost exclusively with people from the US of all over the World) - to the point where some anglophones who did learn some French hardly have the opportunity to practice it, and most importantly for others (let's say an American) This is something that the Parti Quebecois doesn't seem to realize, they are alienating a lot of anglophones who feel completely excluded from their vision and their plan, like they are only parasites to their definition of the true québécois. Not speaking a specific language doesn't make you lesser of a person, it doesn't make you opinions count any less, and it shouldn't prevent you from obtaining the right to vote. A person can live in Quebec, contribute as much as anyone else, and understand/apply this nation's values as well as any francophone even though they don't speak French (or little). Language is not a value, but only a mean of communication. You can dislike that someone who's been somewhere for several years did not bother to learn the language of the majority (I too think these people are idiots), however it is wrong to prevent them rights based on this, especially in a context like ours where that language is used only by a minority of people on the entire continent, and also where you can easily go through your everyday routine by speaking English (i.e. you can get all your local/provincial news in English... so presuming that an anglophone cannot understand the reality/culture of this province is kinda flawed).

I wonder if there's any chance that Montreal could pick Louis Leblanc. That would be an amazing pick. With the fact that he's playing in the USHL, and also that he's attending Harvard because he wants to get a degree from a prestigious school in case things don't work in hockey, he may slip down enough ranks as most teams are looking for short term solutions. Thankfully we have enough depth to be patient, and Timmins has proven that he doesn't mind selecting players that may not pan out before a few years.

This is a pretty good opportunity for Andrei Kostsitsyn to take control, and establish himself as an offensive leader on the ice. He'll be playing with two rookies who were both in Hamilton only a couple weeks ago. Can't wait to see how he handles that responsibility.

I hope he wasn't recalled because of that injury (he didn't play last night) because that would be a huge slap in the face, especially since he's been a dominant force for Hamilton recently.

Or Sergei Kostsitsyn instead of Kostopoulos: Tanguay-Lang-Kovalev D'Agostini-Plekanec-A.Kostsitsyn S.Kostsitsyn-Chipchura-Latendresse I would maybe think of swithcing Tanguay and Sergei, so that you don't have too many kids without a proven veteran on the same line.

And it's because of ideas like that that it will probably never happen... honestly I think that a strong party will a great leader could probably fairly easily get Quebec to seperate by uniting both francophones and anglophones together towards common goals for seperation instead of waging war against the English language (regardless of whether it is truly the case or not, that is the general feeling). It would also give such this large-scale venture a much better chance of success by not freaking out weatlhy people currently in this province who would think seriously about leaving (I know I would), and potential future investors. Again it doesn't matter whether it would be justified or not, what matters is the image this country and its leaders would project... and the terms "Bloc", "Parti Quebecois", and "seperatists" don't project a very positive image outside of its current supporters, to the point where Sony even include them as terrorist villains in one of their games.

It's a fairly common problem in several countries, not just in this province. Also this is more like a minor inconvenience in a few depanneurs and restaurants in Montreal, and not exactlty a terrible calamity inflicted on the population. Marois didn't come up with this Bill because she has trouble being served in a few establishments, she wanted to eliminate people who are in her way to vision of the Quebec nation so that she could eventually hope to barely squeeze in a YES vote at an upcoming referendum. She wanted to prevent some of the weatlhy anglophones to fund the Liberals, and take out a significant chunk of NO votes.

Actually my top 8 wingers would be: Alexander Ovechkin Simon Gagne Thomas Vanek Dany Heatley Ilya Kovalchuk Daniel Alfredsson Zach Parise Alexander Semin Which unfortunately leaves out Phil Kessel who I think also really deserves to be there, in addition to exposing a young star, which is always good for the NHL and its fans.

I agree that he's not exactly like Lucic, he simply doesn't have the passion nor the edge (however I would say that Lats is a little more naturally skilled) however as I said, I personally want to see is the Guillaume Latendresse from his first 2 training camps, the player who forced the organization to reconsider their plans. That player was just as impressive as Lucic, although different, and unfortunately I have yet to see that player after 173 NHL regular season games, and 8 playoff games. In other words, I want to see the player we signed.

Actually despite the points Latendresse wasn't much of the factor on the ice, at least in my opinion. That line was also producing very little for the few games prior to his "demotion" (in my opinion it was move from one good line to another, in fact I mentioned maybe 3 weeks ago that Lang was in my opinion our best centre so far, and now statistically he's almost there too). The idea to use a struggling player on the powerlpay in the hopes that he regains confidence is always interesting - in fact I was mentioning before he became a healthy scratch that using O'Byrne on the first pairing to replace Komisarek could have given him the boost and support (a guy like Markov makes it much easier for his partner) he needed - however this is a strategy we've used several times with Guillaume, and he keeps reverting back to his passive self that all his coaches have complained about (Dominic Ricard in the Q, Brent Sutter at the WJC, and now Carbonneau). I agree that Latendresse seems to be struggling to find an identity, I agree that Carbonneau may have messed him up over the last 2 years, however Latendresse must know what type of player he needs to be: it's the player that earned hmiself a contract, the one of was a physical force, an intimidating presence, and an effective player in the offensive zone. In a way it almost looks as if Latendresse is sitting on his contract, he was a monster during his first 2 training camps, he signed a contract, and was never that player again.

I agree that it would have been a very interesting moment, however Tanguay - based on performance alone - doesn't deserve to be there. I can easily find 8 wingers that are much more deserving to represent to East.

Sure, but do you feel like he's a strong physical presence for the Canadiens? Is he using his body and strength to generate opportunities for himself and his teammates? Is he intimidating anyone, and making them think twice before going into a corner against him? Right now I don't think so. I think he's basically skating, and trying to finish every check because that’s what the coaches are asking him to do, but it seems to me that most of the time there's barely minimal contact (and quite a few times I’ve seen him get himself out of position for finishing a check even though the puck is going in the other direction). To me he still looks like a bit of a floater. Honestly I feel that a guy like Andrei Kostsitsyn has been a stronger physical presence. He may not have the same hits total, but I’ve seen him often body check a player to steal the puck away from him (which generated opportunities, some of them leading to goals), and use his strength along the boards and to protect the puck to move it.

Trading Latendresse at this point would pretty admitting that we made a huge mistake by rushing him into the NHL too quickly instead of letting develop properly through the juniors, the WJC, and some time in the minors. While people will move on somewhat quickly when you mess up the development of a foreigner like Perezhogin, or didn’t give guys like Grabovski or Hainsey a genuine chance to prove themselves, it won’t be the case for a francophone power-forward from the Montreal region who displayed so much potential at the ages of 18 and 19. This is too bad for Latendresse, the kid works hard. He was rushed into the league when he wasn’t ready, had to learn at the NHL level while playing the role of a marginal forth liner, and never had the chance to learn and acquire the tools he needs through making and learning from mistakes (that’s the best way to learn and improve). However he certainly had some share of the blame, you look at Milan Lucic in Boston who took the very same road with great success; he never stopped improving, quickly worked his way from energy player/enforcer on the forth line to being a strong contributor to one of hottest lines in hockey right now.

First I didn't say any of that... simply that the Stars are taking the easy way out, and blaming all of their problems on an easy target. I hope it works for them, but I don't think Avery is to blame for the Stars being so awful this season. Mostly I think they are overrated, and nowhere near the team they were last year, especially not with injuries to their two best leaders, Zubov and and Morrow. They're better than they've been so far, but this is a team that will fight for a playoff spot, not a contender. Second nothing is wrong with Sean Avery. The guy is being himself, this is not a case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde... this is the very same Sean Avery as the last few years. People may not like him, teams may not want him... and if that's the case he'll simply end up never playing in the NHL again. But if you acquire Avery, don't complain because he said something inappropriate...

I didn't say they can't be top 6 forwards, however they are not offensive leaders. I think ideally they should be luxury third liners, but can also be very quite effective on a second or even a first line if they're well supported, and have a role where they must complete must stronger players. They have good overall skills that give us a lot of flexibility, but we shouldn't be counting on them to lead the way.

I still think the Stars are using this as an opportunity to use Sean Avery as their whipping boy, a face for the the source of all their problems. Marty Turco is mediocre... Sean Avery. Mike Ribeiro is doing nothing good this season despite logging massive ice-time... Sean Avery. Management has over-evaluated players and let go of strong depth players... Sean Avery. The true core players of this team such as Zubov and Morrow missed a lot of action... Sean Avery. Locker room cancer my a*s... they're putting all the blame on Sean Avery, an easy target, and hoping that by getting rid of this symbolic figure the team will regroup, and start playing good hockey again. What's amusing is that Sean Avery is one of the only Stars players who was actually doing his job on the ice, he was being his agitating self, was almost the only forward with a positive +/-, and was contributing offensive at a pace of 35-40 points.

I agree with you that pitchers are always a very risky investment, Sabathia has been lucky so far to avoid injuries although it seems to me - and I may be completely wrong about this, I haven't researched this - that once a pitcher makes it to the late 20s without injuries, chances are that he'll be just fine until 35+ years old. Pitchers who have problems probably simply have poor form, and have problems within a few seasons whereas others with proper pitching form such as Livan Hernandez, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine... avoid those types of injuries during most of their career. Also I did say that it was a stupid contract... ... but at least this one makes more sense, and should provide a strong return for the Yankees for several years (unlike Pavano)

I personally prefer hearing all that, you can actually feel that the game is live. The broadcasts on RDS are just so dull and monotone; while sometimes it seems that the crowd is quiet and that there's no atmosphere, it is actually completely different on channels like TSN and CBC that don't put ALL the emphasis on commentary. I just prefer game action over commentary than the other way around... espcecially since most of the time I'm not even paying attention to what they're saying...