Oleg Petrov

I remember reading that the other Habs call Bouillon "Bou", but everyone I know has been calling him the Cube for so long - it fits him so well, because of the name and how he's shaped. And I think "The Hammer" is one of Souray's official locker-room nicknames, though he gets "Shel" in the heat of the moment. I prefer my own nicknames for a lot of the players - I don't understand why some people in this thread find that kind of thing so upsetting. Here's a sampling: Perezhogin = The Shogun (b/c of his name combined with the Samurai move he pulled to get suspended from the AHL for a year) Theodore = Stinky (i.e. The Odor(e), and the way he'd been playing before being traded) Ryder = Easy (as in Easy Rider) Bonk = Bonky Kong, also Sonic (that one's too stupid to explain) Dandenault = Doc (M.D. - also, I never liked "Dandy") Niinimaa = Acropolis (as in, Janne live at the...) Also, I think Kovalev has had the fan nickname AK 27 since his Pittsburgh days.

Very good news. Unscrambled brains are a definite positive. Hurry back, Downey.

I may be wrong on this, but I think Souray and Kovalev alternate - if they don't this season, I'm pretty sure they did last season. One of them wears it on the road, the other at home, I think. Can't remember where I read that. And once last year, I recall Souray had the RDS mic on his jersey - by far the funniest guy on the team, most encouraging of his teammates. Saku congratulates people, but he's very straight (I think because English is not his first language, it's harder to be loose). Never saw a game with him on the mic, but Rivet is very polite, kind of like a butler in personality. I'm glad Souray's in the mix to keep things interesting.

Agreed. I'm a Lindros hater but he's got talent and the Leafs couldn't afford to snub him. I'm glad he's in the other conference.

I'm looking forward to the day he retires and Hrudey gets his full spot. But I hope Hrudey grows back his 1993 hair + bandana by then. Speaking of 1993 hair, I haven't seen a decent mullet in ages. Anyone spot Barry Melrose lately?

Sorry, yes. I wish the joke were that Houle was a GM for 7 seasons or whatever it was, but unfortunately that did happen. Marty McFly is a fictional character, and as such has limited scouting abilities.

The line isn't working, but since the first line is on fire, you don't want to muck it up to salvage the second. Kovalev and Samsonov can't really hang anywhere except on the 2nd line, but while Plekanec has the talent for the second line, he can do good work on the third as well...maybe give Bonk a game or two between Kovalev and Samsonov and let Plekanec work the third for a while?

Another thread about Downey... A lot of people don't like this dude because he doesn't win fights like Darren Langdon. On that count, a little bit of his work: But word is he's a good guy chemistrywise for the rest of the team, popular, super nice guy liked by the other players, good for morale, and nice to the fans (on that: http://www.rds.ca/canadien/talkbacks/215226/212390.html). And I'll take a small goon who can hold his own against the big guys over a Raitis Ivanans who can't take more than a punch a season. Plus, Downey checks his brains out when he's thrown out there, especially against Philly a week ago - being the Begin factor while 22 moves to centre on the 4th. Not everybody can be this kind of plugger, and I think Downey was getting the job done in a way that nobody had for a while in the post-Langdon era. So I guess I wanted to share my concern about his health right now, especially remembering the sad ending to Gino Odjick's career 4 years ago. Concussions suck, and Downey looked like he took a heckuva last night - did you ever expect this guy to be unable to get to his feet? Hoping it's not bad. Get well soon, Aaron.

With the injuries, Habs only have 18 active skaters - that means you can't bench anyone, F or D, even if you want to. I don't see that as a problem for the D, though at the start of a long road trip it might make sense to call up Traverse for injuries as a 7th D in the stands, but I think you want a 13th forward in the stands to keep Latendresse on his toes...and so someone who plays a comparable role. So call up Lapierre.

Little known clause in the Roy trade was actually a get-out-of-jail-free card where Lacroix promised to eat inflated salary at some point in the future. People dissed Houle as an idiot GM, but his masterminding was simply hidden in arcane clauses that nobody heard about - the Malakhov-for-Souray trade was made on the advice of "Doc" Emmett Brown and Marty McFly, then acting as scouts.

No way on Nedved. Kostitsyn is ready. If somebody starts sucking it up, Kostitsyn should take their spot, or Latendresse should be moved up, not some washed-up fat-contract ol' timer, even if he's good for 40 points in a season (which I'm not sure Nedved is). There's only so much ice time to go around, and Nedved turns 35 in less than two months.

Take the point and run... Really seemed to me like Latendresse was goldbricking it after the first period. Not sure he realizes what it means to be on the fourth line, and what kind of an on-demand ethic it requires - one icing call he could have beat out he was cruising on. Nothing a little talking-to by coach Carbo can't cure, though.