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Centennial Season Opener: Habs vs Sabres Oct 10


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HABS

A. Kostitsyn- Plekanek- Kovalev

Latendresse- Koivu- Tanguay

Kostopoulos- Lang- S. Kostitsyn

Bégin- Lapierre- Dandenault

Andrei Markov- Mike Komisarek

Roman Hamrlik- Patrice Brisebois

Josh Gorges- Ryan O'byrne

Price in net

SABRES

Vanek- Roy –Stafford

Paille- Hecht- Pominville

Kotalik- Connelly- Afinogenov

Peters- May-Kaleta

Lydman- Tallinder

Spacek- Rivet

Paetsch- Numminen

Miller in net

Puck drops 19h30

Live on RDS HD

Radio: CJAD and CKAC

Go Habs Go

(thanks ER!)

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Until / unless someone puts together an official game thread, I say this one will do nicely.

Go Habs Go!!!

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I am so eager o see AK46 fly over Captain Rivet.

Our C team destroyed the same Sabres line up in Roberval.

I guess it's only in the eyes of some Montreal fans that Craig Rivet was a worthless piece of trash. He was well appreciated by management and fans in San Jose (actually most fans seemed disappointed that they had to trade him to make room for Rob Blake!), and it didn't take him long for the players in Buffalo to appreciate his leadership skills as they just voted captain.

I really liked Rivet, and his presence probably could have made a difference 2 years ago for qualifying for the playoffs... with that said Bob Gainey - with the help of Gauthier (I guess he's still non-officially in charge of pro scouting) and Timmins - managed to get a great return for Craig Rivet.

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Once again the excitement begins with the Habs opening game. Can't wait for the puckdrop. Unfortunately it looks like we won't be seeing Higgins, Laraque or Bouillon. However, the depth is amazing.

Go Habs Go.

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I guess it's only in the eyes of some Montreal fans that Craig Rivet was a worthless piece of trash. He was well appreciated by management and fans in San Jose (actually most fans seemed disappointed that they had to trade him to make room for Rob Blake!), and it didn't take him long for the players in Buffalo to appreciate his leadership skills as they just voted captain.

Rivet is probably one of the most overrated, self-marketing piece of junk in the league. He can't turn left and doesnt even try turning right. He built his reputation as a tough d-man 10 years ago but havent give one good solid hit in the past 9 years. His bloated self-important ass was exposed when he threw a temper tantrum after getting deservedly scratched ONCE. His trade to SJ ranks in the top 10 greatest moments in Habs history of the past decade.

I hope every Habs in the lineup runs him over.

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I guess it's only in the eyes of some Montreal fans that Craig Rivet was a worthless piece of trash. He was well appreciated by management and fans in San Jose (actually most fans seemed disappointed that they had to trade him to make room for Rob Blake!), and it didn't take him long for the players in Buffalo to appreciate his leadership skills as they just voted captain.

I really liked Rivet, and his presence probably could have made a difference 2 years ago for qualifying for the playoffs... with that said Bob Gainey - with the help of Gauthier (I guess he's still non-officially in charge of pro scouting) and Timmins - managed to get a great return for Craig Rivet.

Really? I hated Rivet I thought he was very mistake prone. And what we got for him in the trade was a steal

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Rivet is probably one of the most overrated, self-marketing piece of junk in the league. He can't turn left and doesnt even try turning right. He built his reputation as a tough d-man 10 years ago but havent give one good solid hit in the past 9 years. His bloated self-important ass was exposed when he threw a temper tantrum after getting deservedly scratched ONCE. His trade to SJ ranks in the top 10 greatest moments in Habs history of the past decade.

I hope every Habs in the lineup runs him over.

I think mostly that like Patrice Brisebois, he was overused by the Canadiens (and the Sharks), but otherwise he's a high-quality third-pairing veteran who has the overall skills and hockey sense to fill-in a more important on a temporary basis (ex. on the powerplay). He also has proven leadership that were again recognized by the Sabres players this week. However being overused with too many responsabilities exposed him.

It was the same with Patrice Brisebois, who was a pretty good second-unit powerplay specialist, and decent enough overall to be a good number 4 defenseman. Unfortunately he was cast into the number 1 defenseman role - with the huge money that went with that - and every single flaw in his game was exposed. The fact that he demanded (and got) as much money as some of the top defensemen while never delivering the goods made him an easy target for the fans and media.

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Rivet is best with a talented partner but not in a front line role. He was a good partner for Markov until it became obvious that Markov needed to be given the most minutes of all d-men, and Komisarek was coming up.

Hamrlik-Rivet would be an excellent pairing, as an example.

He needed out of Montreal... he had lost his confidence. He's not crap.

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Really? I hated Rivet I thought he was very mistake prone. And what we got for him in the trade was a steal

Getting a 1st rounder and a half decent young NHL-ready defenseman was a great return, what make this a steal is the fact that Timmins selected Max Pacioretty. If we had selected a future bust, it would quickly become forgetable. We can be as biased as we want, and pretend that Gorges is already superior to Craig Rivet... he's not, he's a bottom pairing defenseman who at best will be at Rivet's level.

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I had no problem with Rivet, I think we as fans expected too much of him, and he was overused. His "temper tantrum" was over-hyped, and I always thought that Carbo should have broken the news to him in a better manner. In any event, I wish him the best of luck, but it's not going to do him any good tonight. His slowness will be exposed by all, and I predict that Lats flattens him.

5 - 2 Habs

GO HABS GO!!!

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As things were progressing in the faster, NHL, it seems Rivet was becoming a 3rd-pairing d-man at best. I agree that he was being overused in Montreal. Along with that, he should not be on a teams #1 PP unit. For some reason, SJ would use him there at times.

As a 4 million dollar top 4 d-man, no thanks, But as your bottom pairing d-man, i see his value. But after getting Gorges and Pac's for him, i love the trade. He was a solid soldier in Habland, but i wasn't unhappy to see him leave.

Looks like we'll get to see lots of him this season in Sabreland.

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Craig Rivet represents to me some of the worst memories of my life as a habs fan.

I don't know how many times that guy was out there in the last minute of a game to hold a lead and the night ended with him

and partner du jour fishing the tying goal from the net.

He was miscast as a top level d-man and I think his leadership is overrated. If he was such a great leader why has he never

gone past the second round? How did his leadership help the Sharks?

Leading incompetents does not make you a great leader, it just makes you one of the best leaders among the incompetents.

I do not hate the guy, but Cerebus nailed it when he calls him a 3rd pairing d-man. What does it say for the Sabres when he

is the best leader they have?

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It doesn't say anything about Buffalo that Rivet is the guy they think is the best leader... Lanny MacDonald unfortunately once captained the Flames to a Cup as a sparingly used 4th liner who sometimes got benched. If Tom Kostopolous was our captain, but we were still a first place team, does that diminish the rest of the team? No. Just because Rivet isn't incredibly talented doesn't mean he isn't respected in every dressing room he's played in.

Anyways, back to the game. I think this will be a close one, decided in OT or a shootout. Flip a coin as to the winner... 4-3 final.

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It doesn't say anything about Buffalo that Rivet is the guy they think is the best leader... Lanny MacDonald unfortunately once captained the Flames to a Cup as a sparingly used 4th liner who sometimes got benched. If Tom Kostopolous was our captain, but we were still a first place team, does that diminish the rest of the team? No. Just because Rivet isn't incredibly talented doesn't mean he isn't respected in every dressing room he's played in.

Anyways, back to the game. I think this will be a close one, decided in OT or a shootout. Flip a coin as to the winner... 4-3 final.

I was commenting on his leadership abilities which were mentioned by Cerebus in this thread. I could care less if he was respected in a dressing room.

And I could care less why Buffalo made their decision.

Edited by Wamsley01
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Craig Rivet represents to me some of the worst memories of my life as a habs fan.

I don't know how many times that guy was out there in the last minute of a game to hold a lead and the night ended with him

and partner du jour fishing the tying goal from the net.

He was miscast as a top level d-man and I think his leadership is overrated.

That's what happens with a rebuilding team, players are given responsabilities beyond their true skill level; at times they look a lot better than they really are (especially on paper), but eventually it exposes their flaws and limitations. That was obvisouly the case with Brisebois and Rivet, as well as with "natual" goal scorers such as Zednik, Ryder, and Savage, or even those two highly likable local guys - the heart and soul of the Canadiens accordingto some - that are Bouillon and Begin.

Those last two were fantastic luxury reserve depth/players that became overused and overpaid because of our lack of talent and depth; both of them quickly ran out of gas, started playing poorly, and became prone to injuries. Luckily, although they're playing regularly, they are now used as depth players with limited ice-time and responsibilities, and they're looking a lot better again.

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That's what happens with a rebuilding team, players are given responsabilities beyond their true skill level; at times they look a lot better than they really are (especially on paper), but eventually it exposes their flaws and limitations. That was obvisouly the case with Brisebois and Rivet, as well as with "natual" goal scorers such as Zednik, Ryder, and Savage, or even those two highly likable local guys - the heart and soul of the Canadiens accordingto some - that are Bouillon and Begin.

Those last two were fantastic luxury reserve depth/players that became overused and overpaid because of our lack of talent and depth; both of them quickly ran out of gas, started playing poorly, and became prone to injuries. Luckily, although they're playing regularly, they are now used as depth players with limited ice-time and responsibilities, and they're looking a lot better again.

True Enough. I can't wait til the Leafs pay Grabovski or Steen 4-5M after a 65 pt season in which the Leafs finish with 90 pts.

Hopefully it will be a 4-5 year deal as well :clap:

Edited by Wamsley01
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Getting a 1st rounder and a half decent young NHL-ready defenseman was a great return, what make this a steal is the fact that Timmins selected Max Pacioretty. If we had selected a future bust, it would quickly become forgetable. We can be as biased as we want, and pretend that Gorges is already superior to Craig Rivet... he's not, he's a bottom pairing defenseman who at best will be at Rivet's level.

He's already on a similar level to Rivet, except with a GOOD team and a good deal.

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Word to the wise... whoever loses this game is in last place in the Northeast, since Ottawa has 3 points, and Toronto and Boston each have 2 already. ^_^

Talking about Toronto, I can't even imagine what the media and fans would have said if we had lost our season opener to the Maple Leafs!!

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I know for one I am SO looking foward to tonights game. I have all precausions set, I had my wife work overtime tonight so there will be no changed the channel to Buffy the Vampire slayer while im in the bathroom, I have the 4 major food groups set ( Beer, Pizza, Chicken Wings and Nacho's ), and my son's Montreal Canadiens pajama's are ready for him to wear at game time!!!! :clap:

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Word to the wise... whoever loses this game is in last place in the Northeast, since Ottawa has 3 points, and Toronto and Boston each have 2 already. ^_^

Yep it's a do or die game.

and for any doubters.

Q: What do we do if Price shuts down and blank the Sabres ?

a: We send Halak blank the Leafs and then Price blanks the next one and then we send Halak to...

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He's already on a similar level to Rivet, except with a GOOD team and a good deal.

Last year Craig Rivet was pretty much the number 1 defenseman for the second best team in the NHL while also anchoring their first powerplay unit. While I agree and already mentioned that he should never have to play such an important role, he did a fairly good job, and was one of the very few Sharks (with Thornton and Nabokov) to play good consistent hockey all season long.

After all Rivet played over 21 minutes a game, and finished with 35 points (20 on the powerplay), a position +/- ratio, as well as over 100PIM. He played physical hockey, more than he did in Montreal, while dropping the gloves 6 times. As for this season, I've heard the Sabres were quite impressed with him, as well as ther players who named him captain, and he will likely play the same kind of role there.

As for Josh Gorges, he started last season as a marginal reserve player, and played some decent defensive-only hockey, impressing the team as defensive-only bottom pairing defenseman. While that was a nice suprise, I would wait until he can play that way for a longer period before comparing him to an established, highly respected veteran such as Rivet, especially since he's yet to show any offensive game at the pro level.

As of todaym, if we forget about salaries, the Canadiens would be a better team with Craig Rivet rather than either Bouillon or Gorges. This may however change as Gorges continues to improve and gain confidence, especially since we have an opening on the powerplay (Tanguay gets that opportunity first... while Brisebois won't be in the lineup once everyone is healthy).

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