The Saint

Komisarek is a great young d-man and I am very pleased that we have him back in the fold, and I suspect this season we may be in for a treat from our young American. And not that this is really on topic, but no way Ryder gets less than 2 mil. How could Bob look him in the eye after he handed Ribs 1.9 mil? I for one don't mind Ryder's negotiation tactics and reputation as a tough guy to sign, holding out is a different story, but trying to maximize your contract is something he has to do. This is a guy who has had to fight his way through the ranks back up from the ECHL and prove himself time and again. Who's looking out for Michael Ryder? The answer is Michael Ryder and I say get what you can for yourself Mikey. If Ribs gets 1.9, he's gotta be looking at more than that. I still want to see a dramatic improvement from Ryder, because I think he can do even more than just pot goals. I remember a young guy who used to fly around hitting everything in sight and scoring goals based on the hardwork of his whole line, himself included. He seems to have forgotten that physical aspect of his game, but I am confident that he can get it back. He may never be a great guy along the boards, but he can certainly improve his forecheck and physical application of pressure in all aspects of the ice. :ninja:

Folks I must say, this is one of the better threads I've read in a while. Many of you making some great points, bringing up some excellent historical data, people respectfully disagreeing with other equally interesting and relevant points of view. Now that's what our Habsworld is all about! Onto the topic at hand, I think BG looks at the world differently than many of you suggest. From what I have put together over years of interviews and comments from BG, he is less concerned with the avenue he uses to improve his team as improving his team. We have seen him trade, try to sign UFA's, draft & pluck the waiver wire. The only potential avenue for improvement he hasn't used and seems unwilling to is the RFA route, and I agree with him. His plan is about more than the Habs team we see year to year, but about getting back to a fundamental system of organizational excellence. That includes all of the elements we have read about in the previous excellent posts, but looks at the very big picture. Imagine a giant organizational chart that shows the Habs at the heart with spokes pointing out to all of the feeder teams and avenues for improvement. I think BG is trying to make the Habs stronger in all aspects of this and we see it from some of the work they are doing in Hamilton e.g. making room for more Habs prospects to play more meaningful developmental minutes. Alas, what I am trying to say is that I agree with those who feel that this is about more than winning a single Stanley Cup, it's about setting up the environment and team to consistently have a legitimate shot at Lord Stanley's Cup every single year that there is a team with the CH on their chest. Patience is a virtue and at least we are no longer icing teams with the likes of Traverse, Dackell and Juneau. Oy, I shiver and throw up a little every time I type that...maybe I'll stop typing that! :ninja:

Green??? No thanks. Next. And keep your Euro trash comments from reaching your fingertips and save us all the embarassment. Please and thank you. I am sure the Euro Habsworld members would concur. :ninja:

Nicely put InsaneAVSfan, at the very least, let's hope all Habs fans are cheering on Les Boys and not sending out the bad mojo...even Habs they wish weren't Habs...come on, I remember cheering for Doug freakin' Gilmour... :ninja:

M. Macaskill, You sir are a blessing! As Shortcat1 said, sort of, you are scratching my Habs itch! And as a fellow Matthew sitting here in Saskatchewan (a looong way from Montréal), I offer up a heartfelt thanks! Keep up the excellent work, I am just lucky to read updates on whatever/whoever you choose. :ninja:

My comments re: Markov as mentor for Emelin were meant to point out a potentially non-obvious reason for keeping him around. Of course he is our best defenceman, I just didn't think I had to point out the obvious reasons for our need to re-sign him. And more to the point of this topic, it will either be patience or good ole' fashioned dumb luck that we have "all this cap space". If any of the reports are true , Gainey was going after guys, he apparently offered more for Shanny than Detroit and the Rangers, and that's only the one that I've heard about for sure. So, though Bob may come out of this looking like the patient hero it could simply be that he was unable to capture any of the UFA's he targeted. All I know for sure is that beyond Markov, I am still not comfortable enough with our D. I mean they are capable, but I want more than just freakin' capable! I want the cup! And not just 1, a whole freakin' bunch of them, just like my daddy and my daddy's daddy got from their Habs! So is Bob a genius or simply fortunate that the "big names", read "price tags" chose to go elsewhere? I dunno. I am sure many of you have the answer... :ninja:

I wonder if this is Barry's son... I think he also had a daughter, name of Lola, a showgirl I think... I couldn't resist, I am old and a big lame, I know. I think this is all part of re-stocking the Bulldogs sans Edmonton Oilers youth. And it is sort of weird/interesting that the owner negotiated two spots to sign guys he wanted. Manlow is the first, I wonder if the second will be his brother's wife's sister's best friend's nephew??? All in all a good move though, IMO. :ninja:

And some of us may have bashed Bonk before we knew more details. The right to change one's opinion based on new information is an important element in our society, just as hanging on to personal opinion as fact seems to be in these forums. And not that I don't think Bonk is a tad slow, but have you ever had a groin injury? They do hurt but it's more the decrease in strength and power in a key part of the body that makes it linger. It's not that you don't want to go faster or harder, it's that if you go too hard, even slightly, you can tweak it and prolong the length of time of the injury. And if your memory is so good, then you have clearly chosen to forget some of Bonk's excellent games toward the end of the year, or it was too little too late for too much dough in your mind. I for one think he was just getting started with a new team and a new identity as a role player and feel he can still contribute to the Habs success. But he does look like Sleepy Bear from those old Travelodge Ads... :ninja:

We need Markov to be here when Emelin arrives, and yeah that will cost us. But how much lost time did we experience with Markov because of his English language skills and the fact that he didn't always have a mentor, especially on D. If we had Markov to help bring Emelin along, I suspect we could shorten up the learning curve and transition time significantly. :ninja:

This is fine by me. It does make me question why some players still don't want to play in Montreal, not that I want to read a million more posts about that topic. But listening to Shanny's interview he spoke about the Rags fans and how they are so passionate about the game and their team and that he wanted to be a part of that original six spirit (I paraphrased). I think we need to move up the standings a few more rungs before players will want to join the tradition and that in itself is a friggin' shame. I am certainly not disappointed by the fact that we do not have that salary to contend with, however, his leadership and winners attitude would have been valuable. I really think our young guys will surprise a lot of folks that don't tend to follow Les Glorieux with our passion and attention. Maybe a mid to late season deal after these guys show the league a thing or two about team play. I've got a good feeling with Carbo, Muller an Jarvis behind the bench. Your loss Shanny, we would have loved you, now I just want to see Begin lay you out... :ninja:

One time I got a sub from Quizno's, it was a good sub, not a great sub but it did at least not leave me overly hungry, although I paid twelve bucks for it. I feel the same way about Bonk's play on the season as a whole. However, when you look at the start of the season, then after the olympic break, then in the playoffs other patterns emerge. Once he seemed to feel more comfortable physically he also seemed to start feeling more comfortable in general (which is obvious I know). His value was in my mind on the rise. Now with a fresh slate and a healthy training camp maybe he'll do what kaos suggests. I don't know how much I'd bet on it though, maybe like twelve bucks... :ninja:

You rock Macaskill! Thanks a lot. :ninja:

And cheers to you M. Shortcat, Jesus loves you more than you can know, whoa oh oh... Aaaaaand we're back... :ninja:

Great news! Just one more reason why I am not so worried about the short to medium term, when the medium to long term looks so bright... Excellent signing. :ninja:

I wonder how Shanny would do with Montreal, really? I mean, I think he is sort of from the old school, like Gainey, Carbonneau, Muller and Jarvis. A team guy who would be vocal and a teacher, a leader by example. We could certainly use some more veteran leadership to help bring some of the young guns and inconsistants along and to help get this team through a long season and deep into the playoffs. I can't shake the memories of the team post-Koivu in this past year's playoffs. A leader like that who is instantly respected can have a great impact on an entire team, not just the young guys. Having said all of that, I think Bob is going after a few guys, he will either get them or not. But I take comfort in the fact that we are dealing from a much better position than we have in the past, where it isn't, in my opinion absolutely critical that we sign a UFA. I have faith in Bob and the boys. Still I say bring us Shanny or bring us nothing but just please bring us Stanley… :ninja:

Look. We're all frustrated, but for the Koivu bashing to take on a life of its own is pathetic. I am ashamed to be part of the same "fan club" as some of you right now. Like he's the only problem. I am now about to take a sabbatical from this forum and some of you fools. As for the others, I apologize but I can't take the shitty with the great right now. And I am finding that I have less good to say about some of you than bad. And it's tough to be a "Saint" when that's the case. Later boys, Matt

Where's the sense of urgency!!!!!! Let's use this freakin' PP. Come on!

Next goal is the biggest of the year! Come on Koivu, wake up!

Come on!!!!!!!!! Time to put it all on the line boys! Big time effort now, and a ton of shots please!

That's gotta feel better!

I think BG should try Perezhogin with Pleks and Murray... and of course Bulis Bonk and Begin Just my thoughts...

I think this team needs a new skate sharpening strategy!

Alright Les Boys!!!!!! Time for another big road effort. I am looking forward to a fast start and sustained energy throughout the game. Let's see what a little extra motivation can do. Methinks the Pens game was a wake-up call! Go Habs Go! Enjoy the game everyone!

Koivu also made some things happen out there. Are you seriously suggesting a healthy scratch of Koivu? There are different ways to motivate humans, many are positive but when they are expended one must look to more drastic motivational measures. How do you think the team would feel if BG benched their Captain? I know we're all frustrated with Saku of late, but for sh*t's sake, show some loyalty, he does more than just what you see on the ice, and benching's can have a negative impact on the other players and the faith they have in their coaching staff. I for one am trying to send out positive vibes for ALL of the underperforming Habs rather than single out a couple of guys. This is in fact a TEAM game. Koivi is not the only one prone to looking for the pretty play rather than a workin' man's goal on this team, but they are coming around.

Hey I was so excited I just realized I went over a hundred posts! Now this is what I like to see!!!!!