What's your mood now?

[KoZed]

Go

[Habsfan]

After what I just heard, I'm depressed and in mourning. Right now, i don't really care about the Habs. I don't feel anything for this team at the moment!

I will not cheer for the Leafs or the bruins, but my interest for this team has taken a major drop, and my faith in Gainey has not only been shaken, I don't trust him anymore!

[simonus]

I have decided to be cautiously optimistic. Mostly I just want the season to start so I can get a better idea of what we have. I wouldn't say I'm a 4 (although that's how I voted) -> I am INTERESTED.

[Wamsley01]

I have seperated the emotion from the events.

Right now I think they will be better and will live in the NOW when the season goes on.

I will probably enjoy that they have a system in place and hardworking players. But the

cap issues and recklessness will be in the back of my mind. I will give Gainey the chance

to prove my doubts wrong because I have no other options. I am a die hard.

If they are bad and I know that we are stuck with this core for 5 more years than I will

be furious.

But right now, I want to see, and I have to wait 3 months for that.

[JoeLassister]

Even if we lose 82 games, I'll cheer for them every of these games...

[Dalhabs]

Only really bad thing is Gomez's contract. Nothing against the guy but he dont deserve that kinda contract. Losing Komi isnt the most devastating thing in the world, the bad about it is that he signed with the leafs. Id love for us to trade Plekanec now and maybe resign Kovalev to a oneyear deal or something like that.

This team havent had this great top2 centre's since the days we had Turgeon, Damphousse and Koivu as our top 3 and that is a looong time ago now. I feel that Cammalleri and Gomez should be 1a and 1b centers. But I guess Cammalleri will be a winger and Pleks will centre the 2nd line.

I think we have alot more options with the new guys.

[Prime Minister Koivu]

I'm enthusiastic how could you not be?

We have a whole new team. A veteran coach, no more Kovalev up and down drama, no more Koivu questions about leadership and cliques. A chance for our young players to be mentored by new, hardworking players. A new start for Price with a new goalie coach. No more older fill in guys. A chance for Plex and A. Kostitsyn to turn it around under a better environment and system.

I can see Latendresse playing with Gomez and Cammalleri and having the best season of his young career.

A new team with a new start, now that's exciting.

Edited July 3, 2009 by Prime Minister Koivu

[Dalhabs]

I'm enthusiastic how could you not be?

We have a whole new team. A veteran coach, no more Kovalev up and down drama, no more Koivu questions about leadership and cliques. A chance for our young players to be mentored by new, hardworking players. A new start for Price with a new goalie coach. No more older fill in guys. A chance for Plex and A. Kostitsyn to turn it around under a better environment and system.

I can see Latendresse playing with Gomez and Cammalleri and having the best season of his young career.

A new team with a new start, now that's exciting.

Wont it be Latendresse - Gomez - Gionta?

and then A.Kostitsyn - Cammalleri - Whoever is hot atm.

Im looking forward to this season. I just hope Price can be more solid but I also hope Gainey gives him some more years before putting more pressure on him to improve. Compare him to Marc-Andre Fleury who just won a cup. Took him several years to become the Pens 1st choice.

[saskhab]

I'm trying to temper my emotions as much as possible. I completely understand the makeover. I kind of like the new guys and what they could bring. I'm curious about our young guys, if they'll be able to step up. I'm very much interested in how Jacques will run the team.

[Dalhabs]

Uhmmm, whats the average age of the habs atm? Must be close to the lowest in the league. three players above 30? Gill, Spacek and Hamrlik?

[ForumGhost]

Laraque is 32 and Metro is 35. Markov and Gionta are both 30.

[alexstream]

Laraque is 32 and Metro is 35. Markov and Gionta are both 30.

I'm 27.

[sakiqc]

I'm excited, but with a sour sour taste in my mouth.

I'd call it "rotten apples sour"

[Chips]

Excited for sure!

Ready to see what our new Coach and New Top Line will do!

Looking forward to how the kids will develop and who will come to Camp and earn a spot on the big club.

:ghg: :ghg: :ghg:

GO HABS GO!

[KoZed]

Uhmmm, whats the average age of the habs atm? Must be close to the lowest in the league. three players above 30? Gill, Spacek and Hamrlik?

I did a quick calculation in another thread.

Last season our average was 31 yrs old. Now it's down to 26 yrs old.

[BCHabnut]

I am glad that we did something about the line up after last years implosion. I am a little scared though. There were only a few differences between 07/08 and 08/09. We had major injuries. We weren't as consistent. But the biggest and most obvious difference was Boston. We beat them every game in 07/08. 16 more points and everyone is in love with the Habs. They beat us in all but one game this year. 8 less points and a highly bruised ego. Will these little fellers make the difference? I dont know.

I do know that I am totally pissed at Gainey for his crap "No extensions or contract talks until the contract ends philosiphy" Komi probably would have signed , or we could have traded him mid way if it looked like a deal couldn't be done.

The other thing i looked at last year was that Gainey wanted options. He didn't want to sign guys early cuz he wanted to see how they performed. So, was this meltdown last year partly due to guys being distracted about heir job? I work at an oil company, and we hire a lot of contract operators for new construction commissioning and start-up. When they were thinking about new contracts, all they did was sit at computers and try to line up new work. No work was done by them. This is very distracting.

Over all, my mood is still low. But I will be cautiously optimistic knowing that our young guys are big and fast, and one small line does not make the whole team small. If the team can play a posession game and get away from dump and chase, they should be OK.

[habs rule]

We are younger faster more skilled bigger in defence. what is not to like. It is very obvious that Bob did not want koivu back. he did want kovy but his agent screwed that up. We need a new face we got it. Bob took this teams complete collapse last year very personally and he got some new horses.

[Colin]

A better poll: what will the mood be when the team suffers its first five-game losing streak?

A) They'll get over it.

B) Trade all Smurfs.

C) Well it's no surprise because there aren't enough French people who care.

D) We need Carbo behind the bench with a porn moustache.

E) Bow-chicka-wow-woooooooowwwwwww

[KoZed]

A better poll: what will the mood be when the team suffers its first five-game losing streak?

A) They'll get over it.

B) Trade all Smurfs.

C) Well it's no surprise because there aren't enough French people who care.

D) We need Carbo behind the bench with a porn moustache.

E) Bow-chicka-wow-woooooooowwwwwww

F) We miss Saku!!!

[tokyohabs]

For Colin's poll, defo option D, but make the staches mandatory on the whole team. Then bring in George Parros, I guess.

I was stunned and really upset about the Gomez deal because of his salary. I then was disappointed we didn't go harder after a Hossa / Havlat. But at more of a distance now, I appreciate that Bob has laid down the law. The underachievers for the most part are out. The distractions, true or alleged, are out. Players have been brought in with better talent and discipline (though the Gill deal utterly perplexes me). Most important, the atmosphere around the team was moribund and flat. I ask everyone to recall that western road swing we had late, I have never seen such a string of lifeless performances by a Habs team before. They looked more shocked than anyone beating Colorado because of Halak's best game ever. That had to change, and Bob figured it could not be cosmetic like choosing between Saku and Kovy: he had to rip it out.

I expect a trade or two during the summer, but it is really in Martin's court now. I'm optimistic for the first time since before the Houle/Mario hirings.

[Dalhabs]

I am glad that we did something about the line up after last years implosion. I am a little scared though. There were only a few differences between 07/08 and 08/09. We had major injuries. We weren't as consistent. But the biggest and most obvious difference was Boston. We beat them every game in 07/08. 16 more points and everyone is in love with the Habs. They beat us in all but one game this year. 8 less points and a highly bruised ego. Will these little fellers make the difference? I dont know.

I do know that I am totally pissed at Gainey for his crap "No extensions or contract talks until the contract ends philosiphy" Komi probably would have signed , or we could have traded him mid way if it looked like a deal couldn't be done.

The other thing i looked at last year was that Gainey wanted options. He didn't want to sign guys early cuz he wanted to see how they performed. So, was this meltdown last year partly due to guys being distracted about heir job? I work at an oil company, and we hire a lot of contract operators for new construction commissioning and start-up. When they were thinking about new contracts, all they did was sit at computers and try to line up new work. No work was done by them. This is very distracting.

Over all, my mood is still low. But I will be cautiously optimistic knowing that our young guys are big and fast, and one small line does not make the whole team small. If the team can play a posession game and get away from dump and chase, they should be OK.

Its the agents job to worry about contracts. If the players/workers start focusing on their next contract before their present contract is over they are just plain unproffecional and we wont miss those kinda players anyway.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

For Colin's poll, defo option D, but make the staches mandatory on the whole team. Then bring in George Parros, I guess.

I was stunned and really upset about the Gomez deal because of his salary. I then was disappointed we didn't go harder after a Hossa / Havlat. But at more of a distance now, I appreciate that Bob has laid down the law. The underachievers for the most part are out. The distractions, true or alleged, are out. Players have been brought in with better talent and discipline (though the Gill deal utterly perplexes me). Most important, the atmosphere around the team was moribund and flat. I ask everyone to recall that western road swing we had late, I have never seen such a string of lifeless performances by a Habs team before. They looked more shocked than anyone beating Colorado because of Halak's best game ever. That had to change, and Bob figured it could not be cosmetic like choosing between Saku and Kovy: he had to rip it out.

I expect a trade or two during the summer, but it is really in Martin's court now. I'm optimistic for the first time since before the Houle/Mario hirings.

This is pretty much correct. I for one love the fact that Gainey simply refused to take any of the CRAP that the team was offering up last year. Time will tell whether the new bunch will actually be good, but that attitude of simply not accepting failure is a striking change from what's been the dominant tone around this organization for the last decade.

The other thing that nervous nellies are forgetting is that last year's core, as talented as it was on paper, was aging and declining. Given that none of our young guns are what you'd call *obvious* top-line players, I've been fretting over this problem for some time (not any more!). Koivu and Kovalev are still good players, but the choice was almost certainly between locking them up for 3-4 years - and thus hitching your wagon to increasingly slow and decrepit talents - or locking up Gomez, Gionta, and Cammalleri for 5 years. Considering that these latter guys are 29, 30, and 27 respectively - at least 5 years younger than our previous core - it's a no-brainer. People who call this a 'lateral move' are overlooking the simple and brutal truth of AGE and its effects on athletes.

For the same reason, though, I'm a little worried about our D. I really hope Weber or some other young guy can step up and establish himself as a bona-fide minutes-eater, the way (say) Kevin Bieksa did in his rookie season on Vancouver. What a HUGE difference that would make.

Edited July 4, 2009 by The Chicoutimi Cucumber

[tokyohabs]

I think it fits with the d plan, though. They are a bit older as a unit; consequently, the youth will be bred into the lineup over the next 2-3 years. At forward, especially concerning this years' draft, they have given more time for a youth movement, 3-4 years.

But I'd really like to see another top-4 d man to bump Gorges into the 5-6 pairing.

And of course once Hamrlik's contract runs out next year, a nice offer sheet to Dubinsky. Wishful thinking I know...

Edited July 5, 2009 by tokyohabs

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

I think it fits with the d plan, though. They are a bit older as a unit; consequently, the youth will be bred into the lineup over the next 2-3 years. At forward, especially concerning this years' draft, they have given more time for a youth movement, 3-4 years.

But I'd really like to see another top-4 d man to bump Gorges into the 5-6 pairing.

And of course once Hamrlik's contract runs out next year, a nice offer sheet to Dubinsky. Wishful thinking I know...

We're too close to the cap to replace Hammer with a UFA. As risky as it is, we will need either O'Bryne or Weber (or some other cheap young defenceman) to be ready to log top-4 minutes in 2-3 years' time. Nerve-wracking to contemplate, but that's life in a cap system.

[Natural Mystic]

D - very optomistic

I actually love what just happened.

as for the five game loosing streak, meh, let em play it out, don't overreact, remember to have fun.