cfposi

that friggin sux...I don't forsee the first line doing much. Ryder has been slow lately. Perhaps Saks will set Lats up for his first, but short of that, I don't expect much from them. This puts alot more pressure on the 'Sputnik Line' and 'Bonkers and Co.'. I think they will deliver tho! GHG!!

I'd say Ryder is about due for a goal. He seems to have woken up a bit the last few games. Hope he comes out big tomorrow! GHG

He has been pretty invisible the last little while. He tends to be a bit streaky, but I still think he is one heck of a player!! I also heard throught he rumour mill that he is playing hurt.

I think the Habs ARE better than before...but I don't think this has anything to do with the fact that there are few disliked players on the ice. JMO

They use to be able to, but the main reason is because the C's and A's are the only player who can formally talk to the refs while on the ice. It is not possible for the Goalie to leave the net to discuss issues with the ref and since the Goalies are on the ice for the whole game, they cannot consider the coach's in game strategy and therefore should not talk to the refs.

Perhaps an improved 5 on 5 is in order. The comment was made in the press that the Habs should play the entire game shorthanded, Carbs said that he sometimes wonders if thats what they are trying to do. That statement makes me worry about our full-strength play. We don't want to end up like the 2005-2006 Leafs after all!

No one...least of all me, said that Kovalev doesn't deserve credit. You are the one who brought up this competition. The only thing that was accomplished here was that a clear message was sent showing the respect fans have for Koivu. No one is debating numbers (although I believe Cataclaw made a good point about your stats), but you were seriously neglecting a major aspect of leadership. I think the point has been sufficiently made. This is the last I will discuss on this issue, but I will end by challenging your premise of being a die hard habs fan... Saku Koivu is the heart and soul of this team. He puts more drive, determination and loyalty into this club that most players in the Canadien's long history. By declaring yourself Anti-Koivu, you prove that you are not truly a habs fan. Justinb, you are a Kovalev fan...so don't pretend to love the habs if you dont respect their leader. JMO, but I am sure you are otherwise a nice guy...just misinformed

Don't know about the glory days, but I am VERY excited about the improvement they have made. Favs: Koivu Johnson Higgs Ryder Markov Souray Bonk Price All except the 2 below Least Favs: Sammy - good player, didn't like his "media war" with the coach. Have some friggin respect, suck it up, and play where they tell you to play. Lats - Mostly cuz I am jealous (wish I got to play for the habs at 19)...also I like Kosty better. Other than that, I think he will be an ok player one day.

WHOA!! I don't even know where to start here....wow... ok, 1) Saku was also Captain of an Olympic Team...how many medals did Kovalev win? 2) Saying scoring goals equals leadership is like saying Combat officers need to be better soldiers than everyone in his/her platoon. Eveyone has their role, an officer is a leader, decision maker, and has strategic vision. The sniper (lets say a private) is an excellent shot. The platoon can't do without either member! 3) Koivu has definitely layed the body, and still does, he is is little, but tough to play against, any NHLer would agree that Saku is tough to play against. 4) Saku cares about this team, the community and his mates. Kovalev only cares about himself. 5) Saku fought cancer, gets hit by HUGE guys (for a living!!), and almost lost an eye. He is still playing despite all this. What kind of dedication has Kovelev shown? Look, I like Kovalev, he is talented (when he gives a sh*t), but he is not friggin comparable to Saku in terms of passion, leadership and dedication. Everone has their role Justinb, Saku is a leader, Kovalev is sniper, and you are a moron. Thats all I can think of...other members please help me educate this person!!

I want a win...a big win would be nice....shutout would be great!......Williams getting plastered by Lats, Souray, Downey, maybe Kovy, and Saku would be GRAVY!! Go Habs Go

Great explanation.... JK

I watch other teams alot (thank god for NHL Center Ice), and I see many teams that are capable of "shutting the door" at the blue line. Compare that to our defensive strategy, and we look rather porous. Of course there are lots of shots when teams can both carry the puck into our zone, as well as dump it in. If we limit D-Zone incursions to dump ins as much as possible, it would pick up the defence and limit the shots on goal because our team has as much a chance to get to the puck as the attackers.

We were shaky in the third...dont know the stat, but we spent alot of time in the defensive zone. Thanks god for Abby being a great 3rd period goalie, cuz we would have given the sens a comeback if anyone else was in nets. Not many goalies can deal with that much sustained pressure that late in the game!

You would probably know more than me generally, but I think that early season stats can be deceiving. I am going on my observations, not stats. They are not shooting, missing passes, allowing 3 on 2's short handed, and generally acting disorganized on the PP. If they keep this up, they will drop in the stats quickly. That being said, thats why this is an improvement thread, I think that is they work on crisper/more accurate passes and move around the O-Zone better during the PP, they will find more holes and get nice opportunities. JMO.

Hello all, I am taking a crack at an ongoing thread here...if no one answers, my feelings wont be hurt tho . I want to look at areas for improvement that people notice and what is being done by the training staff to remdey these issues. So far this is what I can think of, please add on... Consistency: We need both our top lines contributing on a given night. Higgs - Saku - Ryder were invisble and made a few mistakes last night (Ryder especially, he has been out of it in the last few), while the "Sputnik Line" played well. I know it was the first game with the new set up, but I expect more from the first line last night (other than a shorty). If we have 2 lines going every night, we will be a scary team to face. 5 on 5 and 5 on 4: We are doing well on the PK (good thing cuz we are taking alot of penaties), but our 5 on 5 is still inconsistent and the PP is rather weak. Penalties: This is a recurring issue for the CH, stupid penalties. Good thing we have a good PK, but teams will figure out how to crack us soon. Defence: I know injuries are an issue, but the constant brain farts of the Habs defence is something that has been going on for a long time. Niinimaa is frustrating, Markov is hot/cold, Streit and Komi are developing, Souray gives up more goals than he scores (although he had a good game last night), and Rivet has played for the habs long enuf (time to move him next year). Until we have a true Star D-man, we will always be vulnerable. Finally: One of the announcer's on RDS made a great point last night that made me think...He said the Sens had a more imaginative offence. The habs have tremendous speed and skill, but are pretty predictable on the offence. Most of the successful teams right now are employing artistic plays to confuse the D and the Goalie. Immediate examples are Buffalo, Leafs (on the PP), Minnesota and the Penguins (they will be good this year). The habs have the skill to pull this off (esp Kovy, Sammy and Higgs), so it time to try some new plays. Phew, rant over, please contribute to this!

There is some wishful thinking...but it would be cool!

Haha...oops...I guess I didn't read it right. For sure this guy will wear an 'A'. Maybe I should go back to high school like Steve so I can learn to read post properly before I respond My bad!

I really like Begin, but it is unlikely he will make it past the role of checking line (3rd line). Not necessarily the traditional role of a Captain (usually 1st or 2nd line or top 2 Def)

Future Captains: 1) Higgins - Great player, passion, skills and grew up a HabFan 2) Ryder - Assuming he stays with the Habs (surprised it went to Arbitration last summer). He is really skilled and has the leadership potential. 3) Chipchura - Great leader in Juniors, will be a gritty player who will contribute to the Habs for many years once he joins the big team. 4) Latendress - French Canadian Favourite

Why does it HAVE to be Traverse...its pretty obvious the guy is as useless as #### on as bull! Why wouldn't they give one of the yound guys a shot? Especially if this potential injury would be a short term thing.

Take a trip to Best Buy or Futureshop...usually they will have an HDTV next to a regular big screen. Wait for the hockey preview and you will see the difference. Specifically, if you are watching hockey on a SMALL screen, you will find the quality tolerable, but if you watch hockey on anything larger than a 30", you will notice the pixelation due to the stretching of the image. Summary, I have never met anyone who have switched to HD (hockey especially) and regretted it. There has to be a reason for that. All I can say is that it has been worth every penny...except for the fact that the only teams I can watch in HD are (for the most part) western teams. Total games in HD for the habs this year: 8 on CBC, 6 on TSN, so 16%. I truly hope that RDS begins their journey to HD in the new year, it will only grow from there. The truth is, I was scepticle about HD when it first came out (having been burned by Laser Disc), but I now feel that this is the future of TV and will eventually be standard. GO HD-HABS GO

Haha, ok, bad example apparently...perhaps pheonix or dallas would be better examples?

AGREED!!

Just a quick comment here... Is it not ridiculous that one of the most popular and historic teams in the NHL doesn't have the HDTV infrastructure in place? What the hell is up with that. RDS should get with the times or let another company invest and become distribution partners!! I am sick of straining to see where the puck is, I bought my HDTV SPECIFICALLY for hockey, only to realize that the HD habs games I SHOULD get with NHL center ice, dont come in because RDS has the broadcast rights in my area (Ottawa). So...quick petition...who thinks RDS and others should get their Sh*t together and bring us out games in HD! I for one think its pathetic that I can only watch them in High Def 8 times a year on TSN!! What are we anyways...Columbus??? JMO

Patience grasshopper...it is NEVER a good idea to give up development so as to put a competitive team on for one season. Look at TB, they won the cup, but wont be able to do anything significant for probably another 8-10 years. What the Habs are doing (and I agree with them) is trying to build another dynasty. The best teams are built from the inside, and thats what BG is doing. The way I see it is that we have 2 options: 1) sign everything with a pulse and a scoring chance now, give up our prospects to do it, and still not win the cup. 2) Be patient, look to improve year after year until we become a contstantly threatening team like Detroit. Then we have a chance to win the cup....and not just every decade or so! JMO