PMAC

If there is one area where BG has really developed this team it is depth. In the dark years, we would have rushed Ryder back or pressured him to play hurt (See Rechi, Mark, lung infection) GL would have been rushed to the big club and his development hampered by low minutes and huge expectations (see Riberio, Michael, early struggles) Now we are actually in a position where Ryder can rest and one of the rookies and/ or Dags has a real shot to play themselves on to or off ofthe team. All hail Bob Gainey :bow: :bow: :bow: And give thanks

According to Pat Hickey in today's Gazette(Monday) the cuts arent going to happen until before tomorrow's game. I expect Price and GL to be sent back to junior, that Streit and Hainsey will get another look and that in the end Higgins, Hossa, Perezhogin, Pleanac, and Dags all stay with the team. Ryder hasnt practised in over a week and with the team's depth there is no reason to rush him back into action

Kaos: that was my point. There is no point comparing players until both of them have had similar opportunities to succeed or fail. If Garon is LA's # 1 guy, then, barring serious injury, we will be able to evaluate his ability and the trade after both he and Bonk get to play.

A nice article on this suject by Pat Hickey of the Gazette Plekanec catches coach's eye Czech turns heads in Canadiens camp PAT HICKEY The Gazette Monday, September 26, 2005 The new-look National Hockey League will feature a new-look version of the Canadiens and coach Claude Julien's biggest problem will be to find spots for all the new faces on his roster. One player whose stock has risen since the start of camp is Tomas Plekanec, 22, a Czech who has come in under the radar despite the fact that (a) he was the Hamilton Bulldogs' leading scorer last season and (B) he was the No. 1 star in the American Hockey League All-Star Game. While Guillaume Latendresse, 18, has been grabbing headlines, the betting is he will be back in Drummondville next week and Plekanec will be among the newcomers in the Canadiens lineup. Plekanec helped his cause in the Habs' 3-2 exhibition win over the Toronto Maple Leafs Saturday at the Bell Centre. He scored the winning goal, but that was only part of his contribution. Plekanec was on the ice for 20:46, playing a regular shift as well as logging time on the power-play and penalty-killing units. His versatility is a major plus during a season in which special teams could be the deciding factor in many games. With the players are still adjusting to the league's crackdown on obstruction penalties, more infractions are being called and Julien said that means changes in the way coaches approach the game. "With so many penalties, we'll have to look at putting together a third power-play unit and a fourth set of forwards on the PK so that we can balance out the playing time," Julien said after Dave Jackson and Chris Rooney handed out 22 penalties Saturday. All five goals in the game were scored on the power play. Like the other youngsters in camp, Plekanec is excited about the opportunities this season. "There are lots of spots open and I hope I get one of them," said Plekanec, who has three goals and two assists in three exhibitions. "I think this is the best chance for the young players." Julien said Plekanec's performance hasn't been a surprise. "We know what he's capable of doing. I coached him one season in Hamilton and (assistant coach) Doug Jarvis coached him for two years. And I saw him play quite a bit last season," he said. Plekanec said he felt comfortable playing with Chris Higgins, who was named the second star behind Plekanec Saturday. "We've played a lot the past two seasons and we're comfortable together," Plekanec said. Plekanec, Higgins, Marcel Hossa and Alexander Perezhogin have played well in training camp and, if there's spot reserved for resident tough guy Pete Vandermeer, the four rookies are battling for three jobs. There could be room for all four, but that would mean beating out a veteran like, perhaps, Pierre Dagenais. There also might be an additional opening if Michael Ryder's sore ankle continues to bother him. He hasn't practised for more than a week. Latendresse? He'll probably get another start to convince the coaches and brass that he deserves to stay, but it looks like he's heading back to junior. Julien gave his team the day off yesterday. "I just felt it was time," he said. "We've been on the ice for 10 days straight and we're starting to see some strains and muscle pulls, the kind of injuries you see with fatigue." Julien said he planned the latest round of cuts before tomorrow's first of two exhibitions against their Northeast Division rival Bruins. The Canadiens have 37 players and would like to trim the roster to 28 before they play their second game against Boston Wednesday in Moncton. The Habs camp will move to Mont Tremblant Thursday before the preseason ends with games against the Sens Saturday at Ottawa and Sunday in Montreal.

I like this one too... from the Globe and Mail: By TIM WHARNSBY Monday, September 26, 2005 Posted at 8:06 AM EDT HOCKEY REPORTER The return of Jason Allison and the play of goalie Jean-François Racine The return of Jason Allison and the play of goalie Jean-François Racine were the lone bright spots in otherwise second-rate performances by the Toronto Maple Leafs in a pair of weekend exhibition games. The Leafs were dusted 7-4 by the Senators in Ottawa last night and defeated 3-2 by the Canadiens in Montreal on Saturday evening. Allison, 30, had not played a game since suffering a serious neck injury while with the Los Angeles Kings on Jan. 25, 2003. He had another setback in training camp with a sore right hip flexor muscle, but finally saw some game action when he suited up against the Canadiens. Allison skated well, registered an assist on Alexei Ponikarovsky's second-period power-play goal and even saw some penalty-killing duty in the penalty-filled contest. "It was nice to get out there again in a competitive game," Allison said. "You are going to have some ups and downs, but this was something to build [on]. It's important for me just to get some ice time and to get used to it again." Allison felt the biggest adjustment will not be regaining his skating legs or working himself into game condition, but adapting to the new, stricter standard of officiating. He also was afforded the opportunity of taking one of the Leafs penalty shots in the practice shootout that followed the game. Allison had Habs netminder Jose Theodore beat with a deke, but then nailed the post with his backhand. "I thought I had him," Allison said. Racine, 23, continued to make inroads in his attempt to win the backup goaltending position. Playing in front of friends and family at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Racine stopped 20 of 21 shots. Before training camp, the backup position was supposed to be decided by a battle between Mikael Tellqvist and Jean-Sébastien Aubin. But Aubin has been felled by a groin pull injury and Tellqvist had a tough outing against the Senators last night. "I think [Racine's] still in the running," Leafs head coach Pat Quinn said. On Saturday, defencemen Sheldon Souray of Montreal and Toronto's Tomas Kaberle traded goals in the opening period. After Ponikarovsky put the Leafs up, Richard Zednik and Tomas Plekanic put the Habs in front for good later in the second period. All five goals in the game were scored during power plays. There was a scare in the first period when a Kaberle shot hit Toronto forward Jeff O'Neill in the back of the neck. He left the game with a bad bruise, but said the injury was not serious. Last night, the Senators jumped out to a 3-0 lead before the game was five minutes old and enjoyed a 5-1 advantage early in the second period. Ottawa coach Bryan Murray had most of his top players in the lineup, including the high-flying line of Jason Spezza, Dany Heatley and Brandon Bochenski. The threesome scored four of the Senators' first five goals with Bochenski accounting for three. The Senators, who also beat the Leafs in the preseason opener 5-2 in Toronto, open the regular season against the Leafs at the Air Canada Centre a week Wednesday.

They would be WRONG! There is a possibility that he could be as good or better than you know who, but he isnt at present

Some words of truth from Bill Langkov of SLam Sports http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Columnists/Lankh...24/1233734.html Maybe it's a good thing the Maple Leafs aren't likely to win the Stanley Cup. Honest. After all, how good is it going to look at the post-game skate-around when Mats Sundin, as captain, takes the Cup, passes it to Nik Antropov -- and sees him miss it Also, Pat Hickey wrote a classic the other day: "Leafs depend on brain- damaged duo of Lindros and Allison..." Actually, its JFJ who's brain damaged if he thinks that he will get a full season out of either of those two

Figuring that the habs will keep 23 players I would keep seven. Choosing the top six from this group is the kind of decision that made Cj's hair fall out. Hossa Perrezhogin Plekanec Higgins Begin Dagenais Sundstrum Any of these players would be picked up by another team but if pressed I would probably send down Higgins. I think he deserves to make the team, but I'm haunted by the thought of Dags going to another team and morphing into a Daze-type scorer and H doesnt need to clear waivers.

Goalie guy, your avatar had me rolling in my chair with laughter... Good one .... the only thing better is if you had your stick guy dueling with Marvin the Martian:/) About the song... I don't care as long as the Bell Centre crowd gets to sing Na Na Na Hey Hey Goodbye about ten times in the playoffs this year :hlogo: [Edited on 2005/9/24 by PMAC]

Hank... Chill Dude We are not whining! We are expressing righteous indignation. We are using our right of free expression to trash that THN rag which masquerades as an impartial purveyor of in-depth hockey knowledge. We rant, we rave, we bitch(about referees) we moan( about how no one appreciates the Habs in the media) we cry (when they lose... shhhhhh, don't tell anyone) we shout (when they win lose or draw) BUT We never, ever WHINE :king: :ghg:

I think Howie Meeker's dead but i might be wrong. I'm so starved for the sight of my habs on TV i would gratefully watch a telecast with analysis by Howie and colour from Harold Ballard. Come to think of it they might even be less biased than Bob Cole. Ah how I miss Dick Irving and Danny Gallivan from the days of my mis-spent youth. [Edited on 2005/9/24 by PMAC]

According to the new CBA rosters are limited to 23 players. Some analysts see some teams only carrying 22 and leaving # 23 on the farm for call-up as necessary. Assuming that we will keep 23 players I predict the following(in no particular order): 1. Goalies 2 theo and Dannis 2. D-men 7 Souray, Markov, Rivet, Komi, Dandy, Hainsey, Boulion( According to all accounts Streit had a brutal last game and the HABS have more invested in Hainsey). Benoit may beat out Hainsey. If he does more power to him. 3. Forwards 12 + 2 Zed, Koviu, Kovalev, Ribs, Ryder, Dags, Bullis, Bonk, Hossa, Higgins, Begin, Sundstrom, Pleankac, Perezhogin Where will they all play and when? Julien gets paid to make those decisions, but as an amateur coach I was always happy when excess talent made playing time a premium. If Dags doesn't produce he will be gone or in the pressbox, but so will anyone else besides Kovalev, Koivu or Zednik. Remember: Ryder already has injured his ankle. Injuries are going to happen and we will need the depth. Whither the goon you ask? If needed for some games Ivanaans or Vandermeer will be waiting eagerly in Hamilton. Is this a risk? Yes, but better that than letting Dags or someone else go before seeing what they can do this year. I don't see a trade happening, because any team that wants to trade will be doing so because they are desperate to unload some salary and we would be trading to turn excess resources into draft picks. My strong feeling is that BG and CJ want to see how the young guys do before making any trades.:hlogo: This camp is making me nostalgic for the old days when the Habs had so much talent they could trade a good player for future picks and never miss him -- a far cry from the reign of error of Houle et al. I can't wait to see who will stay and who will go. :ghg:

As Capt crunch and others have so ablely pointed out a pretty crappy article. I guess the part that bugged me most was the writer's ignorance of the fact that KD was unable to crack the pre- lock out line-up and spent most of his time in the AHL-- not exactly the kind of "dependable" vet teams are clamouring for. Also the tone, questioning the wisdom of BG going with the kids-- how else do you properly develop a team?! Oh, I forgot! he could have signed a group of over the hill, fragile or never-were's like TO

Thank God, after all of these years of suffering from the end of Serge Savard's reign and from Houle's reign of error we have DEPTH! I'm not concerned with having too many prospects. I suspect that what Bob will do is sit GL down and tell him that he has had a wonderful camp, but he needs a little more seasoning. That way it gives him time to showcase the guys he might move later for draft picks and lets GL develop under a little less pressure. Otherwise we will end up cutting a useful player, or a pontentially useful player like Dags, and getting nothing back. That said, GL is making it difficult for the team to send him back to Junior...thats really good to see. BTW: Sundstrom will not lose his job now for two reasons: 1. he is a skilled player who works hard and 2. the Habs will not want to waste cap space and money by buying him out...., but he could be trade bait during the season. As for Price, I dont want to see him in Montreal this season. There is nothing worse for a young goalie's development than to be rushed into the bigs. I can't wait to see how the team is going to develop. :/)

Quote from PMAC: _____________________________________________ I agree with those who are not ready to write off Milroy, he might surprise us yet. I'm a little surprised that Locke is still there, given that there are so many youngsters battling for spots in camp. _____________________________________________ Or I could be wrong. I didnt like the sound of Julien' quote in the Gazette: "Then there was Duncan Milroy, who was a disappointment for head coach Claude Julien. "He's had two years of pro experience and we hoped that he would show us more," Julien said. "We told these guys that if they wanted to play in an exhibition game,we had to see something in the intra-squad scrimmages. Milroy was one of those guys we didn't see out there."

Just to clarify, I wasn't suggesting that the Habs actually pursue Colin White; I was just responding to the question posed. I think our D will be fine and i cant wait to find out if Hainsey, Bullion, Streit, or Benoit make the team....I'm secretly cheering for kevin Lavalle (Shhhh!) but more realistically I think he's AHL or ECHL material at this point. Right now, the last thing in the world I want is a trade. Let's find out what we have and then in Jan or Feb if / when Elias comes back Bob can rob LL because the Devils will be desperate to clear some cap room:D:/):hlogo:

habs red and son (2 yrs) has a beautiful replica habs red

I agree with those who are not ready to write off Milroy, he might surprise us yet. I'm a little surprised that Locke is still there, given that there are so many youngsters battling for spots in camp. I hope that Bonneau continues his rapid improvement in the AHL. Does Ivanaas have a shot at making the roster? What a Pleanak(sp) havent heard much about him so far?

I disagree. Souray is at least as good as Foote(slow and injury prone) and Malakov who, though injury prone, has (still) the potential to dominate a game, but all too often has his head up his ass. If we were to get a NJ defenseman, I would prefer Colin White because he would bring the physical intimidation factor that, except for Souray, we lack

I too hope that the "new" rules on obstruction are enforced and it opens the game the way it should be. About CJAD, I caught part of the Als game this morning( the 10:pm EDT start began at 6am here in the UAE and was just ending when I left for class at 8:50) and they were advertising an hour long pregame show before the start of tonight's(tomorrow morning's for me) game. Their colour man will be Murrary Wilson the same as last year. I'm really looking forward to the start of the season and I hope to get some of this game if i can get up early enough. For those of you who are in a different time zone it is(was) sometimes possible to get a taped game from NHL.com but they sometimes remove the links too quickly

Bill Beacon, Canadian Press, wrote a nice article on the Habs which was in today's Globe and Mail http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/sto.../BNStory/Sports (and presumably other places) in which he said the HABS salary was around 32 Million--- I'm not sure... I think the only ones who will really know are the teams of accountants that the NHL has calculating this Cap:D

I agree with Rooo-Ah. I want them to truly suffer. Bad enough to have no shot at the play-offs and just good enough so that they don't get a really high draft position. If you want to laugh/gag read Alan Andrews latest crap on sportsnet.ca. He wrote a column arguing that the lefts(as in left-overs) don't really need a training camp because their veteran-laden(read- old) line-up is nearly set. He even seems happy that the Leafs probably dont have any youngsters good enough to beat out Thomas or Keane for a roster spot:o Duuuuh .... what would you rather have.... Montreal's situation with the kids fighting for spots or Toronto's where players like MC and Dummy are locks for a spot because the cupboard is bare??? :-^ the Leafs and their media toadies:-^

Actually, I was quite happy with the old arrangement . I was able to get tape-delayed games off of NHL.com and catch the odd game on CJAD.

I'm Marge. But just think, to be Homer you would have to be lazy,incompetent, stupid, drunk and inconsiderate. While we all have some of these traits, most of us won' t admit to them especially in this kind of quiz

I found this logo site which lists a slightly different logo for 1909-10 http://www.sportslogos.net/logo.php?l_id=1..._id=16&logo=248