Toronthab

We certainly seem to be involved out there. YAA! It ain't a whole lot ...but its a whole LOT!!

3-0 Hurrah! I feel like a Habs fan again. It's been hard at work in Toronto ...actually understandng how a Laffer felt....sheeesh! These boys are looking awful quick and dangerous. YA BABY!

Uncle Bob. He respects and makes an effort to understand people. He's genuine. People sense it and usually if it doesn't work out , I supect its because of a problem at their end, not Bob's. I am bien heureux that the kid, and he is a kid, has settled back somewhat. Who's on the phone with him telling him what a star he is and how bad he's being treated in NA? In any case I hope we can all grow happier together. Good work Uncle Bob. You can only do a part of it, but you do your part very well.

I think your last line captures a lot of the answer. Time will tell, and for this team of strangers , I think there is more of a challenge than other years as far as having the time to gel together is concerned. I liked a whole lot of stuff tonight and am sure happy with the "W".

I don't profess to be a great analyst at all, and I can't factor in sufficient variables to maintain much of a thesis, but I for one was sure ready to see Ribs float out of Mtl. Were there many people keen to pay for his services at the timep; willing to part with a good asset and take a bet on him? Perhaps, I don't know at all. I thought he had put together one hell of a fine team that was exciting as all get out and a definite hope for hockey glory. Carbs may have been a good bet that didn't come through..I don't know much about coaching, so I don't have much insight to offer there either. I think Bob may have been disappointed that Souray chose to leave and perhaps too that Kovy turned down his offer. Or I may be naive as hell. Don't know. But I am frankly very pleased with what Mr G has done for oiur at one time moribund club. If I am right about what I think is his approach to the players, and he sometimes gets burned by it, I think it is part of his character and I like that way of doing business despite the risks. There are few moves he has made that I think should have been different irrespective of how they turned out.

Thanks Chicoutimi I felt that I was indeed going beyond your intent as you summarized uncle Bob's contributions, but thank you for your favourable comments. I admire the hell out of Mr G in a way I admire few people. It is my take as well, that it is his style to leave himself and the team necessarily exposed, operating at the level of an understanding in principle between men, and that sometimes people can let him down. Was this the case with Souray, Kovalev? I do not know of course, but I woiuld not be surprised to read of such a notion in a memoir. I may just be romanticizing the whole thing. I'm like that with things Quebecois. As to the development of young players, I must plead near total ignorance. I thought the Price was right and a brilliant move , a gamble for a critical franchise player, and a gamble he has had to raise the ante in as well. I don't know how this will turn out. We were all hot for the Kosty family , and I thought it was brilliant to get both of them.... This too hasn't panned as well, but beyond this, with our draft ranking, I find myself slow to criticize , but also not well informed about what might have been done and with whom. In closing I still think your asessment of the last few seasons has been fair and thoughtful , and pretty much right on target. I was very happy with what he accomplished and with what he might have accomplished with a slight turn of events.

Chicoutimi..That was an excellent asessment in my opinion of what an excellent job Mr. G has been doing for us, and he has and had the stature , respect and character to get it done. The quiet respectful walk by the river with Kovalev stands out as a peek into the attitude of respect uncle Bob has and explains how it is that he was able to bring notable hockey talent to our club. He does indeed have vision, and we are all unhappy when the vision doesn't materialize, but we would be nuts in my opinion to let our natural enthusiasm for the best sports club in the world turn into a soured disaffection aimed irrationally at the best thing about our club, Bob Gainey. As I read or misread this man of truly storied integrity and resolute determination, Bob Gainey is a man whom God has seen fit to if not will, permit burdens of immense tragedy and heartrending grief and this, of necessity, played out upon the world's public stage. His burdens would crush the living hell out of most any man I can think of in the years I have lived. The man epitomizes character and integrity, turning the very worst a finite world can fling at a man into a determination to address the failings of others that cost him so unspeakably. He is a man of immense spirit and resolute intelligence. As for Souray who, whatever his numbers and weaknesses I loved as a Montreal Canadien, it was indeed a proposition with unavoidable risk. He did love to play in Montreal. He was given a good offer, as was Kovalev. Mr Gainey lets men be men, and also appreciates that Montreal is a place that for the most part understands the wonderful, uplifting and uniting role of sport in the human journey. Even when rebuilding, we have to present the best team we can to play the best game they can while dealing with the necessary consequences of not diving for the bottom in the hope of picking up a franchise calibre draftee. Mr. Gainey has way to much integrity to compromise the very dignity of the game for a future "x" in the win column. He understands life. He understands the inner value of sport and he understands hockey, respect for those he invites to share in his mission, and he understands the unique beauty of les Canadiens de Montreal. Well said Chicoutimi. The mission continues , and for the part over which Mr G has some capacity to do the wise and intelligent thing, while not surrendering his respectful ways, it will be done and done very well. It's up to the rest of us, fans included, to live up to our roles in this small yet dramatic unfolding of one of life's wonderful gifts, play.

Six secinds for 2 goals..no problem..

I loved Kovalev on our team. He's a perfectionist , so he can get thrown off track, but I always thought he was a good guy..and brilliant to watch. Good for him. I'll bet it ain't a lot of fun to be a coach some nights..

HEAL Markov HEAL!!

Do we get bonus points for being pinned in our own end? A one on two crossing the blue line and the crowd gets excited...ok ...I confess... I did too,.

I think I was a little bit happier when we won our first 20 game or so. I gues I'm jsut shallow.

That sure sounds like pretty good analysis to me! I am not that good at analyzing, but I liked quite a bit of the game tonight. I am posting because it occurred to me that we don't have here much of the same team we had last year, ready to slip into familiar rhytms and patterns of interaction. In short, naturally impatient though I am with the bad start, and missing Markov a whole bunch (God grant that his tendon not be a career ender) , this is a team of relative strangers this year, and there 's a lot of good stuff in the room that just might emerge and gel into rivers of excitement. Go Bob Go!

Riberio drove me nuts in his last year. All he lacked on ice was a beer and a convertible. Ryder was the most incompetent player I have seen in his last year. He utterly dragged down the first line: any pass to him ended the attack. He couldn't take a pass or give one, dump it in, or dump it out, deke or stop a deke. He was awful and I was thrilled to see him go. I am glad both he and Ribeiro smartened up and are apparently playing hockey again. Souray and Kovalev were offered deals. THey had their weaknesses, but I loved having them both on the team. They were natural leaders, and on a bad night for Kovalev he was still seven times better than most players on the ice, scoring or not. Uncle Bob has done a wonderful job with this team and thank God, pulled this truly storied franchise out of the deep doldrums we were wallowing in. As was observed by an earlier poster, he absolutely HAD to go for it when the chance was there and made moves that can't be called back to accomplish the mission. THat was the right move. THat it didn't pay off is quite beside th point. Long may you reign Mr G, and thanks so much for coming home to the Habs.

A GM has to gamble and Bob has balls of steel. His job is to make good long term decisions and make the best moves available to him. I sometimes think that we ascribe Godlike powers on the poor man, such that when it doesn't work out, it's necessarily his fault that results don't follow. Price was and continues to be a gamble. Two years ago we had a wonderful team. Last year we had a phenomenal team. Exit Lang and key personnel with injuries, and we are left with a rookie kid goalie with the weight of a collapsing season crushing the life out of him. Gainey had it mostly in place, and he was and is right to build from the goal out. It frankly doesn't matter if Price makes it or not: it was still an excellent move. I miss Kovalev, but he got an offer. I remember how grateful I was that uncle Bob was able , on his personal stature alone, to draw this great talent to Montreal. He took another million and left. I was one who couldn't stand watching Ribeiro and Ryder playing. Ryder was just HORRIBLE and worse than useless in his last stint here, and good for him that he is rolling again as so often happens. Was Carbs a good choice to coach? Probably. Was it a good move to move him; probably. I'm sure Mr G has made some mistakes, and much as I liked the little guy who was paid to hit till his back hurt, Begin probably wasn't one of them. Bob is a longterm thinker, looking to build a team that can compete for a decade. He's made excellent moves for this team and I am still thrilled that he isn't GM in Toronto. Go Bob Go!!!!

Ugh.

Nice summary CC I was overlooking how good a job the D did all night, and they had LOTS to do. Good on Plex for his seemingly renewed spirit. I wonder how invlolved I'd feel if I were playing for the Vladivastok Raiders?

Good summary. SOOO nice to see Price settled in. How does one motivate AK.? HAHAHAHA!

It was a tennis stroke!~

Et le buTTTTTTTTTTT

Whew!

34 to 15 SOG!! ugh

WE seem to be coming at them a little better in the third, or am I just seeing what I want to see??

I'm happy to see Price playihng as well as he has. He is soooo important to us.

You'd think that by now there could be lightweight tendon protection built into skates.