JLP

Yup thanks I found that file as well, I will miss the preseason games by a week and a half So I'll try to get to a practice if that's an option. My uncle has season tickets so he may have an "in" on that sort of thing, we'll see.

Thanks Puck, I leave tomorrow for some time elsewhere and will end up in Mtl in mid Aug and again the first week of Sept. I see the preseason games start Sept 18 (in Atlanta) so I miss out on them. I e-mailed canadiens.com with the query, I'll also check back here also because I'm sure some HW members will want to go and see the practices if any are open.:ghg:

Hi all, I posted this elsewhere but it seemed to have got lost in the shuffle. Anyway I will be in Montreal first week of September, is does anyone know if the Habs training camp is open then, and is there any way to go and watch them practice? Unfortunately that's the closest I'll get to the team all year...

Yup it was exciting for awhile there, also wondering what sort of contracts our RFAs will get. I have a question -- anyone know when does training camp open, and is it possible to go watch practices? I'll be in Montreal late Aug/early September.

I hope you're right! I think the new zero-sum dynamic makes it more important than ever for us to get players who want to play for the Habs for reasons other than money, and not just pick up mercenaries. Dandenault may be a good example of this.

Always wondered about this -- you got someone like Steve Begin getting his teeth bashed out for a few hundred thou, then a prima donna like Brisebois who never mixed it up earns damn near ten times the cash. They hit the showers, does Begin feel cheated? There are less extreme examples where one player is clearly a little better than another but makes a little less, and I guess players on any team just learn to deal with this of course, and hope their agent will get them a better contract next time round. BUT, with the new CBA, we work on a zero-sum model -- that is, there is just one $39mil pie and all players have to share it. Consider the Forsbergs and Iginlias out there, then look at the rest of the guys in the locker room, who are aware that maybe their agent can't get them any more money no matter what, because one fellow has taken 20% of the pie, leaving all the other players to share what's left. Will this new CBA foster greater team spirit through parity or might it create a locker room mood where player A getting a big contract makes Players B-Z feel like he's taking money out their pockets? This relates to Theo's negotiation, if he wrests 5,5 mil out of Gainey, that also affects everyone else in the locker room. Thoughts?

Also I wonder if we still would have picked Price if Garon was still with us. Is Theo really being a primadonna, or are those just rumours. I hope he signs in the 4,5 - 5,0 mil range but with Khabibulin getting what he got, it depends how closely Theo listens to his agent, who is on a percentage of course, or to his heart, which presumably belongs to Montreal.

Dang you're right! With the emergence of Ryder (second in Calder voting) and Ribeiro and now signing Kovalev, compared with thir anemic performance in the UFA market, I guess most analysts would say we are better on paper than the Leafs for the first time in a long time. Somebody please point a webcam at your tv the first time we play the Leafs, I need to watch the day of judgement!

HIM I sorely miss. The stalwart presence of Traverse struck fear into the opposition.

Yes good point, when the players we let go are snatched up quickly, that indicates we have a pretty good stable right now. (Not missing Dackell Juneau Dykhuis et al)

Hear Hear! He scores goals. I don't care if he's a snaggle-toothed, drooling idiot who can't even spell 'defence' (or is it 'defense'?) if he can put the puck in the net he's woth more than a figure skater. And YES, Dagenais voluntarily attended the rookies' practice camps after last season, to do skating drills, while the other players were out on the golf course -- got to like that from a player on your team! I say let him start and see if he can smack some pucks into the net. Nothing against Gagne, that could be nice too.

dang! Well maybe he'll surprise us this year. In any case the Streit signing seems to have pleased everyong here, so it can't be bad.

Is 05/06 going to be the last year on Rivet's obscene contract?

Really? Let's see how he does with talented wingers, some people think he is elite, you know. Anyway this should be a fantastic first line, I envy you guys who'll be able to watch Habs games. But as far as I can tell (knocking wood) Kov's signing isn't official yet...

I would guess that the Koivu Zed Kov line would be one of the top scoring lines in the East C.

Says 18 mil for 4 years on one of the links above

Is it true? Kovalev a Hab -- Are we contenders yet?

No? led the team in plus/minus can put the first pass on the tape career Hab will he be back?

I think Gainey has way more NHL smarts than most other GMs, he will surprise us in the next 72 hours, take a deep breath and trust! That said I will be disappointed if we don't get Kovalev. Another D-man is also a proprity, but we don't need a flashy player just a meat-and-potatoes stay at home defenceman, they are still out there -- than who thinks Brisebois might get a call (from what I've heard we can resign him as his contract wasn't a new-CBA rules buyout). Young Komi was fine when he last played with the Habs and he's a year older now, so will be better this year. Souray is one of the best in the league and Cube is underrated and will be fine, so as long as Markov comes back from Russia (Kovalev might help that happen) then we are better than we were last season. Anyway trust Gainey!

well, if you're looking for puns, then you are right of course, put Foote in your mouth. - but as for a classic hockey name, a la Jean Beliveau, Bobby Orr, Rogie Vachon, Mario Lemieux and Saku Koivu and so on, Adrian Aucoin is a pretty good one!:/) [Edited on 31-7-05 by JeanLucPilon]

He has the best hockey name, and there are some pretty good hockey names on that list.

Not another goalie, we just unloaded Garon! Maybe the price pick was because Mtl has a reputation for good goalies -- you know, you want good smoked meat, you go to Schwartz's -- you want a good goalie, you trade with Montreal. Gainey might have a trade lined up now or is just increasing his assets for future dealing, who knows. Just gotta trust Gainey I guess, hope he proves us wrong.

"Indulging" J/DDO was one of Dino's saving graces, and I think it reflected well on the Habs fans that callers never ridiculed that. Now, colour me cynical but I always had the feeling that Dino was doing what he did with J/DDO to show what a magnanimous guy he was. And if he was truly harassing that woman as claimed then he is the tool. Anyone know who will be his replacement, and who will do the colour commentary? [Edited on 27-7-05 by JeanLucPilon]

James or Dino?

Dags -- I say keep 'em. Phil Esposito wan't fast and couldn't skate but got 76 goals. Position and a shot count for a lot! Dags and Ribs have chemistry, isn't it possible here that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts?