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Colin

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Posts posted by Colin

  1. Eller is the dictionary definition - practically the Platonic Form - of mediocrity. He is a guy who can eat a decent amount of minutes without hurting you too much; and that's about all he is. His offensive game is nonexistent except for two weeks a year, and his defensive game, while OK, is - contrary to the religious belief of his dwindling army of defenders - nothing special. He does tally up some hits, but his physicality is just like the rest of his game, i.e., without any real impact. The only hope left for him to become anything other than an utterly forgettable player who plays for us for a few years and departs, unmissed, is that he might be one of those nonentities who somehow manages to find another gear reliably in the playoffs. (It's too soon to say that for sure, but there's no denying he was a monster for us last playoff, and a huge part of the reason why we did as well as we did, given the importance of scoring depth to this team).

    Cuke goes all Plato on our asses!

    • Upvote 1
  2. I agree with your point (Montreal plummets further than any other team without their star player), but not the specifics ("Montreal is probably not in the playoff picture without Price.")

    I think the Habs are on the playoff bubble fighting for a wildcard spot with Dustin Tokarski. Pick any legitimate #1 goalie, and they're still easily in the top three in their division. Montreal is better than we give them credit for.

    (Note that right now, they are 2nd, but they've got the second-best winning percentage in the league. I think winning percentage tells a lot more about team strength than points. If you look at the top teams in the overall standings, the percentages are skewed by overtime loser points (irrelevant once the playoffs start) and a differential in games played (which will not exist when the season is over.) Nashville is 35-18 (.660) , Anaheim is 34-20 (.629), Tampa is 34-21 (.618), St. Louis is 34-19 (.642), Montreal is 34-18 (.654), Detroit is 31-21 (.596) New York Islanders are 34-19 (.642). Only Nashville has a better winning percentage than Montreal, but Montreal has a game in hand on them, too.)

    I see your point and raise you with:

    Have you watched Montreal play? How many times have they been outshot? While they aren't nearly as scrambly in their own zone as they used to be, they still get penned far too often. Look, I enjoy stats as they give a great general idea of what you're looking at. Stats, though, aren't the be-all and end-all. I mean, Montreal's CORSI is below 50% and every team around them in the standings in considerably above. If you want to enjoy a stat, then how about that one? What does it mean? Means someone is saving a lot more pucks than the Habs are shooting...

  3. Take one player off each team. Their most important. Which team plummets most? Montreal probably not in the playoff picture - all due respect to the skaters. They are not well enough coached as a unit to win without Price. Despite an abundance of talent, we scramble nightly in our own zone. Price is, IMHO, *easily* the league MVP. Shouldn't even be close.

    Now, better question: imagine how good the Habs could be with a coach that preached a better defensive system? :P

  4. Is Emelin the new whipping boy here? Hahahaha

    We finally have grit on the back end and people want to trade him for Mike Green? LOL And then after that would-be trade those same people would say we were too soft at the back.

    Emelin isn't overpaid. And he's required. Unbelievable.

  5. 1. If TO finishes in the bottom five they'll screw up with the pick. We all know that.

    2. If TO does its usual and go on to finish on a high - just to miss the playoffs - I think they should change the timing of the parade route they like to plan every pre-season. This time they should have a parade on the day after the final day of the season to celebrate "Almost." I mean, if there was an award going to a team that consistently screwed up their future by winning at ALL the wrong times, TO would win hands down. Here's to #9 again!

  6. I have now convinced my 7-year-old that any combination of the words "Toronto" "Maple" and "Leaf" constitutes cursing. He looks horrifyingly guilty when he says it, though admittedly does it just to get a reaction. I'm prepared to ban that colour of blue in this house as well. We're currently discussing the burning of all Leaf hockey cards (and a few Bruins as well), though he likes to play with them "as the losing team, daddy!" My nephew has a Maple Leaf tuque which he's not allowed to bring in the house. When he comes over, it must remain on the front step.

  7. I think TSN's examination of his coaching (in depth with Fenwick and Corsi) is fascinating. What it tells me is that those stats are heavily influenced by certain types of players when coached by someone like MacLean: Spezza was obviously a huge factor. One wonders if, here in Montreal, he'd find his number one centre and ride that player. And that makes me wonder if maybe MacLean is the kind of guy who would better bring Chucky to the next level. Not saying I'd like to see him as coach, though he's definitely a Montreal-style coach (firewagon hockey). I'm very interested to see where he does end up to see if he has the same kind of impact with players at his disposal.

  8. The problem, of course, is that hockey, while still 'culture' to Habs fans (franco or anglo), is merely a business to those in the sport. The language of business in North America, like it or not, is English. Would Montreal be able to attract top notch players if they insisted these players learned French? I'm sure more than a few would scoff. It's a sad reality, and one of the little things that, in my opinion, tarnishes a little of the glorious history of les habitants, but it unfortunately is the reality.

    And that, HW friends, demonstrates the depths of my cynicism.

  9. Just a thought, but is the French thing with regards to the coach more a guideline when people are bitching? If we have a winning team that is clearly getting better and better every year, can MB go out and prise high calibre coach even if he speaks Swahili and makes the Habs better? Or does the Media still have a veto?

    My guess is that the French population would prefer the Habs running for a Cup yearly over a French coach. Just saying. I'm of the impression that the French thing is a media construct because: selling papers.

  10. So PK rarely rushes the puck, does not pinch, stopped hitting. But he's playing the way they want him too.

    Good Job

    25-year old defender who is still learning. A lot. So they reign him in a little after a tough start to the season. And are slowly allowing to spool out as he makes better and better decisions. Just because one earns a huge contract and has a great season does not mean one knows it or nor that one is godly at his job. In a lot of respects, Subban is still raw. As he puts things together - and defenders take years to find all their tools and how they properly work together - we'll see all the Subban we want. And more.

  11. I'm just tuning in again after a while... Carbo? Really? If it's all the same, I could just get a bunch of chickens, chop off their heads, and let them run around the ice. That's a Carbo team. Including the bloody mess. And as for Therrien sitting out after Pit dumped him, where is Carbo again? He became coach for a Q team and... resigned? Carbo has a *lot* to learn. Not to say Therrien is all that, but Carbo?

    • Upvote 1
  12. Does this question come up when we're winning six in a row? In other cities where hockey is less a "thing" does this question come up after a couple of losses? I don't get it, seriously. Is there some kind of need to drum up controversy and drama? You just have to think that, even if the Habs win 10 Cups in a row, someone will come out and point to the GM as deficient because we lost two consecutive games. All due respect, but this thread doesn't pass muster.

    Seriously, with a little more luck and a less hot Enroth, the Habs beat Buffalo 7-3. Or so. And we're the cats meow again. If there was really a lack of leadership, we'd fold like a cheap tent when we got down. Ahhhh. That's where this comes from. Dave Hodge and his thumbs down to the Habs because when they lose, they lose big. Except the giant hole in Hodge's theory is that Montreal generally comes out with huge bounce back wins and long stretches of victories after a tough period. And Hodge is trying to sell hits. And keep his tenuous position as a respected journalist.

    :rolleyes:

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