Commandant

Bullshit If you watched the English broadcast it was clear that Lacroix whispered in his ear and he challenged immediately after. Therrien has the team playing well so we cant attack him in the way we normally do, so now we are just making stuff up about his challenge.

This is starting to feel like 2008.... great offense but one clear hole at RW That was the OMG HOSSA trade deadline Who will it be this year, and will bergevin be able to close the deal.

Before tonight, Weise was on pace for about 40 goals on 19% shooting Even putting him back at his career average for shooting percentage, his shot totals are way up, so he'd be around 20 goal pace. Obviously 40 isn't happening and isn't sustainable, but the guy could very well be becoming a 20 goal guy.

Byron has moved up 3 shifts in a row now... seems to be a real change.

Max has always been streaky... he had a hot streak to start the year, he's on five games without a goal now... give it a week and he'll be lighting it up again. He looks like a guy coming off a knee injury. He looked great at first (Adrenaline), and now thats worn off and he's still not 100% from the summer and needs to get strength back.

The biggest issue with Semin... one many of us identified weeks ago... and one Therrien is talking about now is speed. Is he skilled, yes, he has a great shot and great hands, but what good is that skill if he can't keep up with his linemates, and if he doesn't have enough speed to beat the guys who are covering him. I agree he should get a shot... and I'd like to see him produce... but I don't have high hopes as he seems to have lost a few steps (And he was never fast). I'm not even sure its an effort thing, I see him working.... i just see a guy who can't skate.

A guy who scored 60 points last year. Has a 70 point and a 69 point season in his career. He might not be the ideal #1 centre (but we don't have an ideal #1 on the roster, and he's the best of our three right now)

Tinordi and Gilbert aren't really competing for the same job. Pateryn and Gilbert are competing for 1 spot on the right. Beaulieu, Emelin, and tinordi are 3 guys competing for 2 spots on the left. We've seen tinordi on RD, and man that was ugly and his worst games by far.

Pleks line looked dangerous last game, I wouldn't break that up yet either.

Accordign to Renaud Lavoie, the Habs have never asked tinordi.

All these years, pornstars and prostitutes have been lying.

Therrien has not written off Semin, he said he will get back in the lineup soon, when someone has a bad night... but didn't feel any reason to change the lineup that competed hard against ottawa.... thats it. Hickey misinterpreted this, who then took it to Wilde, who again misinterpreted it. And now twitter is freaking out.

Flynn hasn't been in the top 6 for a while.... DSP has been in that spot for 2 1/2 games now.

Rolled the dice on some cheap gambles this summer. The idea was that there were no surefire scorers, no blue chip guys available this summer, and we needed two wingers. Bergevin likely thought that between Kassian, Semin, Holloway, and Fleischmann, we'd find two top 9 wingers In Fleischmann he got one. In Kassian, the gamble looks bad right now cause he's in rehab, but he likely gets another shot. Semin looks like he can't skate but Therrien says he'll get another shot. Holloway is the one whose really not gotten a chance for whatever reason (maybe he didn't look good in training camp practices), but he got 1 game (9 minutes icetime) of preseason hockey and then was sent down. He's now tearing up the AHL.

When the stadiums are sold out, and there are huge waiting lists for season tickets... I'm pretty confident in saying that the owners are more than willing to lose a small number of customers in these markets (customers whose money is replaced by people just waiting to buy those tickets), in order to gain more customers in other markets. This has been Bettman's MO for twenty years.... don't be surprised by it today. Weve argued against similar stuff for 20 years... it hasn't made a lick of difference. .... We can all agree that the gimmicks are bullshit, but arguing for them to be changed is futile.

And those stadiums are still sold out, so they don't care.....

Also traditional fans will continue to spend, whilst complaining. New fans wouldn't spend unless attracted by things like the shootout (amongst the others). Like it or not, catering to new fans is what the league does... these are businessmen.

Undeniable that tv money (especially US TV money) is way up from what it was pre 2004 lockout and pre shootout. There are a number of reasons for that, and it isn't all about shootout obviously... but ties were a huge complaint, especially when the NHL was the only league in the big 4 that had them.

I'm not saying i disagree with you that the thing is hokey, i just am pointing out that you are fighting an uphill battle as the money is too lucrative in the US. They will never let their games end in ties again. Won't happen.

If it made the league money... yes the owners would likely do it. Degrading the game? You think the board of governors cares???? This is business.

Agree that its goofy, but its regular season hockey, and tv audiences (in the US) want a winner/loser and not ties. Can't play 5 on 5 sudden death ot for 82 games or we'll kill the players.... so meh... 3 on 3 is at least better than shootout. As long as they donèt change the playoffs its all good.

Better than a shootout.

Hasek played under the toe in the crease rule, which was far more stringent than this rule.

Then he is hampering his own development.

Looking good