simonus

it is not necessarily a fair weather phenomenon - or at least the phenomenon should not be tagged with an apparently derogatory moniker. When the habs sucked, they were less entertaining to watch - is there some moral aspect to fandom that says I have to be just as excited and involved in my team when they don't have the decency to ice a competitive team? Look at teams like Toronto where the team is able to fill the arena regardless of the quality of their product - why should Toronto ever make a real effort to win? It is reasonable to argue that a real fan must punish his or her team for its failures and reward the team for its successes. I have definitely made a greater effort to catch games since around 2003-4 when the team started to rise to the next level. I have definitely bought more Montreal paraphernalia since they decided not to suck. Is that "fair weather"? perhaps, but the alternative is kinda silly.

+1 columbus actually gives up the 4th fewest shots in the league (montreal is right in the middle of the league).

I'm tired of pointless gimmick threads that somehow manage to get to a second page. If your post has nothing to do with anything or is just an undirected rant, why the hell do you feel the need to post it?

that's not why Rory lost. http://www.slate.com/id/2157741/

Streamed for free to Canadians - who don't have the fundamental problem that games are being blacked out because of the NHL Network. CBC bars US IP's from receiving its stream. Now, one can use an proxy server to trick CBC, but at that point one might as well just scam a feed from wherever it can be found.

just checked - 11 habs games on NHL Net, 3 on Versus. 68 Habs games on Centre Ice. At least I get Versus on my basic digital tier, except that I use centre ice online (now GameCenter) because many nights I'm at the library, so the versus games are semi-worthless to me.

the way it works is that every provider has to offer both, but they come separately. So even though Huzer and I got centre ice, we don't get the games broadcast on NHL Network US unless we order the general sports package. For me that would be like an extra $12/month. NHL Net seems to show about 50% of the Habs' HNIC games and also another 5-10 midweek games throughout the season. The end result is that between Versus and NHL Net, we get about 65-70 habs games instead of the 82 we thought we paid for. Additionally, we can't get the rds.ca zone-de-match in the US either. Basically, the NHL is holding hostage almost 20 of the most desirable games in order to force me to add the NHL network. Frankly, NFL Net, NBA Net, Golf Net, Gol, and Tennis Net should give them a kickback when and if I ever break down. If the NHL wants me to pay for a service, they should try to make it a superior experience than stealing it.

if they continue this practice, I very well might cancel my subscription next season.

pacioretty, to me, is untouchable only insofar as he is an asset for which the team would require a very high return on in a possible trade. Nobody, obviously, is "untouchable."

as I understand it (as explained by other, more knowledgeable folks on HW) - putting a guy on LTIR only creates a cap saving if the team goes over the cap to replace him. So lets say that the team was at ~ $57,700,000 in cap hit and Koivu got injured. Essentially LTIR would allow the team to replace Koivu with a player whose prorated salary was equal or less than Koivu's. Once Koivu came back from injury, the team would need to make a corresponding move to get back under the cap. Let's say that Koivu had a prorated salary of $1M during his stint on LTIR and they replaced him with another player who only had a prorate d salary of $500k to replace him - creating an apparent $500k savings. This saving is illusory. When Koivu comes back, the team is not considered to be $500k under the cap - they are still right at the cap. The LTIR allowance is better thought of as a separate figure from the cap figure.

perhaps the better way of thinking about this is "who are the 5 most tradable players in the system." By this, I mean, who are the 5 players that would seek the highest return on the open market. In effect, these will be the players that as a GM, you'd be least likely to trade because of their high value. I am analyzing this from the point of view of a trade deadline deal. 1) Price - Already a franchise goalie and has a relatively cheap contract, . Very young and has yet to fully reach what seems like certain upside. 2) Markov. Is signed over the medium term and immediately becomes a top pairing d-man on any NHL team (except for maybe Anaheim). He isn't exactly a locker room leader, but he brings stability and order to any d cops. Still pretty young, has some of his peak ahead of him. 3) Komisarek. A big, young, defensive presence that many teams salivate over. He is a UFA, which limits the return one might see, but a Cup contender could easily absorb his (currently) small cap hit and dramatically improve the defensive quality of their team. The team that could field Komisarek as a 4th defender would probably be an instant cup favourite. 4) Koivu. Unlike Komisarek, a GM would be happy to see that Koivu's contract is expiring. A team would only need about 1.5-2M in cap space to absorb his remaining salary and they wouldn't have to worry about the long term implications of having Koivu on the roster. Koivu should not be the top centre on a team with cup aspirations, but as a veteran centre with playmaking ability, he would be a very desirable asset. Going forward, Koivu's value is questionable and he might not be willing to take a declining vet's contract (1-2 year deal at 3-4 mil). As a small guy with injury history, any GM has to worry about locking in Koivu over the long term. Koivu's open market value probably starts at about a 1st round pick + a med-high prospect. Since his market value is most probably below his value to Montreal, he is in effect untouchable. 5) McDonagh. No team needs McD for their cup run, but he is an asset that BG could potentially use to get a truly top tier player from a team looking to rebuild. While all prospects (especially those not yet in the AHL) are risky, McDonagh is the most enticing prospect in the system (Emelin doesn't have the offensive aspect to his game and his Russian contract situation makes him very risky for a team looking to restart immediately next season) and has the best chance of seducing an other team's GM into getting rid of their big-contract star in exchange for parts. McDonagh is the last on my list, because he is the one guy in my top 5 that would need to be paired up with another asset to get a good return. Think McDonagh + Plekanec (or Higgins, or other mid-level regular), or McDonagh + Halak + D'Agostini (the rebuild for the future special).

GO HABS GO! reinforcements are coming back soon! Just hold down the fort a little longer and bodies start coming back. BEAT THEM PREDS!

I believe fenway is scheduled for some off-season renovations during the 2010 winter...

it doesn't really matter what the season PP% is. As long as going forward they are able to score PPGs as a decent clip, I don't particularly care if they are in the middle of the pack according to the total season stats.

I wonder if Tampa would take a higher expiring contract to make the cap issues work out. Maybe Bouillon (or even Dandenault) for a late pick could be added to the deal.

I don't mean to be a killjoy, but I still don't see how the cap would work out. Seems like an awfully balsy move to make at a time when the cap might go down.

considering we all love Lapierre and loved Nilan, I don't know how much we can get on another team's player for gratuitous displays.

I wouldn't want to trade for a guy who didn't want to come to Montreal, but Vinnie's NTC doesn't go into effect until July 1. I agree, though, that re-upping with Tampa does not mean he is anti-Montreal. are you saying Vinnie's going to be a Canuck?

it should be noted that if we had lucic on our team, he'd be the toast of the board. That being said, I hope Komi knocks him out every time he gets near the offensive zone.

I can't imagine any plausible case in US courts.

That sounds about right. Markov can go unnoticed at times, but it is difficult to overestimate his value to the team. At times this season he has not been at his best, but he gives the defense corps a dynamic aspect that lets the habs compete as a top team. In past seasons when he has had to sit out games it is amazing to see how much he is missed.

gotta love tsn's postgame coverage... did you realize that Patrice Brisebois is Matthieu Dandeneault? http://watch.tsn.ca/nhl/clip128473#clip128473

What a game!

OMG SERGEI! THAT WAS FANTASTIC!

can we institute a rule that Brisebois doesn't get the shift following a goal?