SAKS-AVENUE

Before anyone gets too excited or not. Breeze-by was making a lot of money up untill now. What makes anyone think he would even take this offer? After all he went through in Montreal he could look at this as a big time insult and would sooner retire then come back and deal with the bullshit in Montreal. Now if he is finacially strapped he just might do it. If I was him, I'd flip everyone the bird and get on with the next chapter of my life after hockey. Don't get me wrong, at 700K he could help this team, but the fans and media are worse then ever. I hope he's developed a thick ass skin because it would be a long season that's for sure.

Not really, when Ryder is going to get 4 on monday, Don't be so tunnel visioned. Boullion is great for the money. What do you want a bunch of underachieving rookies that get $400 000 a year filling his shoes. I don't. That's just an excuse for when your losing. Just remember when Francis was getting that deal.....everyone in Habsland was " AAAAAHHHH man we have to keep The Cube". Now everyone thinks an appreciation thread is stupid and it baffles them. The same people that bashed Rivet probably. Well Rivet is happy and succesful with his new club and got a lot closer to the cup for san jose fans then his bashers did here on this site. All you guys did was bash him day in and day out. I suppose you just need to bash. Once the habs get the ball rolling the cube will be around drinking from the cup. He is a bigger part of this team then you all think, but continue to bash. I guess you don't know any better.

The thread was mostly started because the need for underated cheap talent is growing in the new NHL. Like it or not after your first couple of lines the way salaries are going, cheap help will be necessary to fill out the rest of the team to compete. Boullion fits the bill. Hard worker, heavy hitter, cheap ,reliable shows up for evey game. I think he will have a great season this year. I truly thank him for his services at such a low cost.

Really

That is a scary thought.

Truth is, it's not about being a hero, it's about WINNING. A Hockey players career is short. If there is a chance at winning the cup in Columbus? that's where they want to be. Marleau will not be coming to Montreal via free agency ...you can bank on that. If we want him we have to be prepared to lose something. I agree with the poster that says Komy must go if it means Marleau. That's just the way it has to be .....value for value. Hopefully Price is the real deal and we can trade Huet for some value this year. That's how you become a better team . Trading value for value and some lucky breaks of putting together a team that clicks. Otherwise you sit on your prospects and future stars....and wait for nothing. At the end of the day Marleau alone won't bring a cup to Montreal and neither will Komy. It's up to Gainey to figure who will add enough zip to the recipe to make it happen, and even then it's not in his power to bring the cup home, he is not on the ice. The habs are in a bad spot right now. Afraid to move unproven prospects and really nothing to trade for serious help. It's going to be a while before these boards fill with positive We are the best and FU$#K the rest posts. Something big needs to happen and we will all be bummed at what we lose in that process but hopefully it will reward us in the end.

If indeed the habs are in talks with SanJose for Marleau things are looking up. Ek says tthere is a roadblock in the potential Redden deal with Ottawa. For what it's worth....................I need some news man!!!!

Another Bruin mistake. I think in the next few years Toivonen is going to be a great Goalie. They just let a hidden gem go. Good one for the future Blues.

I would take the cube over Dandy anyday. Gorges? O'byrne? I can't even comment on those guys because they have no expierience and I don't really know anything about them except what the media says. How could you possibly know anything about them? Unless your just hanging on to what other's say. At least Boullion has earned a spot.

It would be nice if he had a great shot but I don't really look to him for that. If all he does is pound people while they try to get something going in our end I'm fine. Boullion is one of those short little stocky guys that are made of pure muscle. He makes you pay the price. There are a lot of big guys in the NHL that don't do that. This year will be better for him. His injury and knee operations, if I remeber correctly healed very slowly and he was way behind schedule as far as his come back dates were concerned. This training camp he will be on fire, knowing there are kids after his spot. Look out for a little square hitting machine this year, I'm telling you. Woooooooohoooooooo!!!!

One guy I feel good about is THE CUBE. As the salary cap becomes an issue, teams will be forced to find inexpensive talent to fill the holes at the bottom of the barrel. Boullion will definetly give us a solid effort in the barrel every night. He is very underated and understandbly so, given his size.To me he is not only a bulldog but a fierce bulldog. After the crap he went through last year I refuse to judge him on the past season and expect the old Boullion back from the year before. I found myself cheering for him more then Saku sometimes, and even Souray aswell. He just brings something to the game that I love. The pounding sound and rattle of mic'ed hockey boards. The Tucker feud?............I can't wait.......F$%CK I can't wait. Let's get the band wagon rolling. I feel THE CUBE needs his own appreciation thread ahead of time, before.................... he dummies that meek pesky little bitch.

No, He's a leaf fan.

True. We will be looking for a Souray replacement, If PK keeps putting the puck in the net during training camp how do you not keep him around? Even as a seventh defenseman that gets a lot of PP time. That way he still develops in the pros. That would be great ....who knows maby we can give him the A aswell....just kidding.

Pretty soon that signature of yours will have a frozen St lawrence river, a snow-man and Teemu's pic up instead of that coastal sunset. Come on buddy ...THINK POSITIVE. The habs need to catch a signing break sometime soon.I know, why would he want to come to a re-building, young team after a cup win? One can always dream of coming home from work, hitting Habsworld.com and seeing a black box at the top of the page stating.....well I won't say it and jinx it. You know?

[/size]SELANNE! SELANNE! SELANNE! SELANNE! SELANNE! SELANNE! SELLLLLLLLAAANNNNNEEEE!!!!!!!! According to EK! I'm stupidly choosing to beleive him if that's alright with you chaps. His house in California is for sale. Which means he's retiring(probably) or moving. Destination Buffalo? I doubt it. Dallas? Why? Philli? Holmgren has already stated there is no room cap wise, I hope he isn't lying. MONTREAL??????? We may be the team that has a plan to make it happen!!!!!!!

Bob doesn't do contracts during the season. He should re-think that self-made rule in the new NHL. I think that's what Gainey had intended for Dandy. Thanks Streit for coming to the rescue.

Go to arbitration give him what he wins and take another year to figure it out. What else can we do? It doesn't seem like anyone wants him, at least not for a fair return. Whatever that may be. What's he worth ? one for one.

What about Chris Simon for some muscle? I've always liked that dude, and we need a police man that can play.

Did you guys listen to the TSN broadband news thing on Souray. How it was a hard decision and then how it was an easy decision. What a bone head!

According to Casiey (sp) Campbell last year during a Habs game on CBC he already plays for us But I agree I would also like him on the team. What would Markov cost? If any Eklund rumors were true I would be beside myself if we added Selanne and Markov. A move like that would justify ticket price hike and I would purchase Center ice and actually look forward to watching the games. Gainey needs to understand that he should do whatever it takes to bring in Teemu. Not just for Koivu but the marketing and excitement he would bring ahhhhhh man just the thought of that toothless fairy wearing the CH makes me want to celebrate with JOY!!!!!!!!

Everybody is entitled to an opinion. But take it for what it is worth. An uninformed opinion who is talking shit. Probably just trying to get everybody going. I think Theo's positioning sucked, but he was quick. His rebound control was great especially if you compare it to ABBY, but very average if you compare it to Huet. I'm also very impressed with Halaks re-bound control. Over-all I think Theo is still a better goalie then Abby and should find himself this year. I'm glad that he's not a habs anymore and we don't have to worry about it.

I never said Souray didn't have a hard shot, nor did I say it was a "problem". However, when you have such great set up men, Kovalev makes a lot of space on the boards when controlling the puck. Markov and Koivu also set up Souray very well. To say our PP is going to go down the tubes because the Habs lost 1 player is discounting what the rest of the team brings to the table. It wasn't as if Souray carried the puck, made space and time for himself, then unleashed a shot. He was playing (a very good) game of tee ball. Get to a spot, wait for the puck to arrive, fire away. Maybe, just maybe, Montreal will distribute the puck on the powerplay, or who knows. Maybe just find someone else to set up for 10 or so blasts (maybe 3 of them actually hit the net) from the point. Yes, Souray has a good, if sometimes inaccurate, shot (much better once he changed sticks). To say none of the other 4 players on the ice had a role in setting him up is kidding themselves. Well, time will tell. I just don't believe that the Habs have such elite offensive talent that their powerplay will be top-5 without Souray. Markov, Koivu and Kovalev - excellent players yes, but the best PP talent in hockey? Since when? I'll tell you since when - since Souray changed his stick and became a machine. Bottom line: expect a significant drop in PP production, that' s all. Yes, it really is a no-brainer. It's a ridiculous view to take that the powerplay will remain the league's best without Souray. Remove the guy scoring all the PP goals and suddenly you have a problem, no? Sure, they can try to "distribute" the puck evenly, but that doesn't mean jack if it doesn't equal goals. It almost sounds communist. Yeesh. An aside - I've got high hopes for O'Byrne and all, but he hasn't even made the team yet, so saying that he's going to be playing the point on the powerplay is premature. Well the number 1 power play didn't get us very far last year. I hope our 5 on 5 improves. Look at Ottawa, they were in the middle of the pack on the power play and still got to the finals with a great season behind them. It's all about balance and that's what we should aim for. If we happen to be the best at something ,cool, but not at the expense of something else. Souray's point shot will be missed but who is to say that Streit or Markov isn't capable given the opurtunity Sheldon had. Or before Sheldon's break through wasn't Kovalev back at the blue-line? Carbo will figure it out.

Yeah, how people forget. Going into the 1993 playoff, the QUEBEC NORDIQUES were considered a Cup-contending powerhouse that would demolish the Habs because of their 'superstars' Sakic and Sundin and all the surrounding talent. After the Habs KICKED THEIR ASSES, suddenly they became no good. Similarly, the BUFFALO SABRES, hoo boy, they were a really fearsome club, because they had offensive *superstars* Alex Mogilny (76 goals!) and Pat Lafontaine (148 points!). After the Habs KICKED THEIR ASSES, oops! suddenly they became no good. Notice the logic here? Working from the unshakeable premise that the 93 Habs were a middling team, it follows that any team we beat MUST, by definition, be mediocre. God forbid we should use the evidence staring us in the face that the 1993 Habs were a terrific team and a worthy champion. What people really mean when they say that the Habs had a lucky draw that year is that they didn't play the mighty defending champs, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Oooo. Well, if the Penguins were so unbeatable, why the hell did they lose to the NY Islanders? - who we went to demolish, of course. And we only clobbered some guy named Gretzky in the Finals. Too bad we didn't have any offensive superstars, huh? The 1993 Habs team finished 6th overall after a late-season skid. They were fighting for FIRST OVERALL for most of the season. (For that matter, being 6th overall isn't exactly garbage, ya know?) But that doesn't count. We didn't have any offensive superstars... And I have to laugh when people say that the 10 straight overtime victories was 'luck.' For God's sake. How many times to you have to do something before it stops being 'lucky' and starts being proof that you have more character, discipline, balanced scoring, better goaltending, and sheer desire than anyone else? If I beat you by an 11th-round knockout 10 times am I still just a 'lucky' boxer? Here's what explains this bizarre and continuing myth that the 1993 Cup was 'luck.' In 1993, the NHL was still operating on the post-1980s, Gretzky-Lemieux assumption that you had to have a big offensive superstar or superstars to win. Since the Habs lacked these it was taken as self-evident that the Habs weren't Cup material (despite having remained around the top echelons of the league since 1986). But the 1990s (for better or worse) proved that you don't need that at all - that balanced scoring, team play, good defence, and superb goaltending will beat a couple of offensive superstars any day. But people hadn't figured that out yet. Therefore, people to this day suffer from the delusion that the 1993 Habs were inferior to other teams out there but somehow won. In fact, the 1993 Habs match up favourable against any subsequent Stanley Cup champ. Go :hlogo: go! Quebec was not a cup contending powerhouse. 93 was the 1st year they made the play-offs in 6 friggin years. They didn't even make the play-offs the following year. They became a power house in Denver. Buffalo had lafontaine and Mogilny and ????????????? Ummmmmmmmmmmmm ya lafontaine and Mogilny. Enough said. Islanders were a weaker lower seeded team and took Power house Pittsburgh to a seventh game OT. Mario was just back from a bout with cancer. Lucky break for the Habs. You don't need to argue with that. I'd rather face the 93 NYI then a young Mario and Jagr. Gretzky? His back was screwed that year, he only played 40 regular season games.Mind you he had a great play-off run but they were still a 88 point team compared to Montreal's 102 points. Montreal was a better overall club then L.A. The lucky part about the final was we played L.A and avoided the powerhouse teams that year such as Chicago, Detroit, vancouver and even Calgary. Once again not saying the HABS didn't deserve the cup that year. Just saying they played real well caught a bunch, a BUNCH of lucky breaks. They worked hard though and won fair and square....it was not given to them that's for sure.

To repeat an example I've already used, the same way that closers dominate in baseball for a few years, then can't throw strikes. Brad Lidge was perhaps the best closer in the National League for two years, then Albert Pujols takes him deep in the playoffs and Lidge hasn't been the same since. Mark Wohlers was an excellent closer for the Braves for three years, then all of a sudden he could barely get an out. John Rocker is another example. Rick Ankiel, though not a closer, is another guy who was a good player who during the course of a single game lost the ability to put the ball over the plate. Same thing happens with goalies. Ya both alexstream and yourself do raise good points on how the human brain can self destruct. It is a shame. For some crazy reason when I heard The Avs aren't going buy out Theo( give him one more chance) I felt he just might come back and have a great year. The thing is if he became great again I would probably be the 1st to say test him again. All that bullcrap aside.....It's not like anyone could drop some roids and be an NHL player.Surely you must be enhancing a talent or skill that is already there. I wish him luck this year and hope he doesn't get caught again.

Theo lovers? Where? I can't find them. The fact that I say Theo was an excellent goalie for five years has nothing to do with me liking him. Who didn't love Theo before the lockout? He carried the team on his back, they'd have been almost nothing without him. That being said, the post-lockout Theo was atrocious. Sure, I was disappointed he stunk up the place, especially since I had just bought his McFarlane figure at a local store, I bought it since I was so surprised to see hockey memorabilia. But when he showed no signs of turning things around, I was thrilled he was going to Colorado. Do I like him still, no, not really. Do I think he is a talented goalie? Of course. You don't win the Vezina on luck. As I pointed out, though, that Theo is gone. Like many goalies before him and many closers in baseball, something in his head just snapped, and he doesn't have "it" anymore, whatever "it" may be. No offense Fanpuck, I wasn't directing that at you. I just thought my wise crack would bring on the juice fighters. Ya Theo was great and then he wasn't, and then he was great, and then he wasn't......too bad...so sad. Ya...........we are not talking about someone that got old. How do you lose Vezina staus to complete crap in a matter of 2or 3 years?