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Oct. 12, Habs vs Canucks, 10 PM


dlbalr

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Yep, I was at this game, and let me tell you, it was highway robbery by Carey Price. Those who say Price can't steal a game were not paying attention to this one. Only after that ridiculous "own goal" did the air go out of the Canucks balloon - the combination of Price's supremacy and that debacle were too much.

Briere was invisible and DD might be THE softest player in the NHL in his own end. My Lord, what crap. The Habs' D as a whole confirmed my worst fears - as a unit we were totally overmatched by the Canuckleheads for the first half, and only stellar netminding and a bit of luck got us through. We have to be better.

Fun game, though! :thumbs_up:

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The sad thing is that tonight was probably the best effort by DD and Briere through the first 5 games and they still sucked!!

I think we just replaced Gomez's $7m buyout with two more anchors!

Yep, I was at this game, and let me tell you, it was highway robbery by Carey Price. Those who say Price can't steal a game were not paying attention to this one. Only after that ridiculous "own goal" did the air go out of the Canucks balloon - the combination of Price's supremacy and that debacle were too much.

Briere was invisible and DD might be THE softest player in the NHL in his own end. My Lord, what crap. The Habs' D as a whole confirmed my worst fears - as a unit we were totally overmatched by the Canuckleheads for the first half, and only stellar netminding and a bit of luck got us through. We have to be better.

Fun game, though! :thumbs_up:

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The sad thing is that tonight was probably the best effort by DD and Briere through the first 5 games and they still sucked!!

All I know is that I think I noticed Briere once all night. DD, I noticed more often, but usually to his detriment. These guys are garbage.

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But they are francophone garbage, so they won't be tossed.

Like I said earlier we replaced Gomez's $7m buyout wit two more anchors!

All I know is that I think I noticed Briere once all night. DD, I noticed more often, but usually to his detriment. These guys are garbage.

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All I know is that I think I noticed Briere once all night. DD, I noticed more often, but usually to his detriment. These guys are garbage.

Diaz+Briere+DD. "The Nancy's."

If I see Diaz pull up on the boards to avoid a check, and throw his stick in there one more time, I might throw up.

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Send Briere to Hamilton. Bad signing thus far. No shots no goals no nothing.

Once again, Briere did have 8 shots in 4 games prior to this one (Mark Lee was completely wrong in that statement), 2 shots per game is around what he has had the past few years. And he can't be sent to Hamilton, he has an NMC and since it's a 35+ contract, the Habs wouldn't gain any cap space from it.

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A win is a win.

The first 2 periods they were pretty much dominated. the defensive zone was a turnover and failure to clear the zone festival. Good thing Price brought his A game. The played real well in the third.

With a healthy group of forwards, I would sit Briere and DD, They are pretty much worthless in all 3 zones.

Was that Diaz and Gorges as the "shutdown" pair against the Sedins? That's a scary thought those 2 as playing against the other teams best.

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Tinordi had another rough night and saw his ice time cut to a little over 12 minutes. Considering that's around what they played Beaulieu against Edmonton, it wouldn't surprise me much if they flip the two rookies again on Tuesday.

By the way, since we saw Yannick Weber last night, it should be noted that he had a season high in TOI - 11:12. His previous high was 6:11. Suffice it to say, he hasn't earned the trust of the coaching staff out there either.

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But they are francophone garbage, so they won't be tossed.

Like I said earlier we replaced Gomez's $7m buyout wit two more anchors!

Well, Bournival offers some hope for the politics of moving DD. (Clearly, Briere is unmoveable, although I could see him agreeing to a deadline trade if the Habs are not a playoff team). If Bournival shows he can handle decent minutes, that frees up Bergevin to argue that we replaced one francophone with another, hopefully blunting the worst of the outcry.

One of the sadder subplots of recent years has been the Habs's slow internalization of the preposterous logic that they are an affirmative action program for francophones - something the organization has historically resisted. It's just one more handicap we have to overcome if we ever want to win another Cup.

EDIT: yeah, Tinordi looked a bit out of his depth last night (a possibility, I might add, that I predicted all summer, amidst much optimism about how this raw rookie was going to come in here and start kicking ass). And Weber is still more garbage, a blueline reiteration of the Canuckleheads's experience with Jan Bulis. Van is an organization that loves Habs retreads (Bulis, Higgins, Lapierre, Weber), so if there is any hope for unloading Desharnais, Gillis has to be at the front of the line.

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DD would look better in a Bulldogs jersey.

Not a bad thought. Sending him down would really send a message. Then again, it would probably utterly deflate whatever trade value he still has; the gamble would have to be that the shock will really light a fire under him and resucitate the shifty, uber-smart munchkin we first saw a couple of years ago, the guy who actually won some puck battles through ingenious positioning. The Desharnais file is a mess, pure and simple.

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I like these current line setups.

Briere is getting the "DD-style" long leash to success playing with the 2 top forwards on the team and has started to produce scoring opportunities. When that line learns each others' tendencies then we could be in for a treat.

Galy and Gally are showing they can play with anyone, and Pleks is going to get a revamp in how he plays.

Prust - DD - Bourque gives DD two big guys on his wings, a formula that worked before - just this time without as much skill. DD is not being handed a spot to succeed, he is being handed an opportunity to work.

Moen - Bournival - White created some unbelievable pressure in the opposing end last night. Bournival's speed makes Moen seem faster... like Moen feels obligated to skate more rather than fall into a pattern of plodding with White and Parros.

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Once again, Briere did have 8 shots in 4 games prior to this one (Mark Lee was completely wrong in that statement), 2 shots per game is around what he has had the past few years. And he can't be sent to Hamilton, he has an NMC and since it's a 35+ contract, the Habs wouldn't gain any cap space from it.

yeah I know, I just want him to go away some where, maybe come back for the playoffs.

Hey I hear the alaska aces need someone to replace Gomer.

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For all of the attention, pomp and circumstance, fighting is not the most dangerous thing in the NHL today.

That would be Raphael Diaz passes.

That's funny! But it's also scary since Eller was almost killed again last night. Man, I cannot wait until Emelin or Murray are back.

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One of the sadder subplots of recent years has been the Habs's slow internalization of the preposterous logic that they are an affirmative action program for francophones - something the organization has historically resisted. It's just one more handicap we have to overcome if we ever want to win another Cup.

That's one way that a Nordiques franchise would help the Habs: they'd be the focus of the wing of the francophone media that is always crying out for more French content. You know that they'd have an unofficial quota of icing at least 10 or so French players, and they'd suffer for it. Meanwhile, the Habs would have greater leeway on such political issues.

I was wondering the other day how accepted an anglophone coach who was learning French would be. Like if we hired Mike Babcock on his sterling credentials instead of returning to the same uninspiring pool of Bob Hartley et al. Babcock went to McGill and might have passable French already (I don't know), but if he made an effort to be available to the media in both languages and took lessons and showed improvement, how bad would the backlash be? We have Gainey as a recent anglo GM, but he already knew French and had his past glories as a Hab, as well as his success as a GM in Dallas. This sort of hire would certainly take a lot of bravery from coach and GM alike.

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Neech, your point about learning French is well taken. I remember when Cunneyworth was hired, the Goat said something about "languages can be learned," but there really wasn't any highlighting of a serious commitment to learning French during the off-season or anything of the sort. Yet some Habs of the 70s, including Gainey and Dryden, made a point of learning it at least to some degree. Why is this so unfathomable for a contemporary coach? I know they generally aren't scholarly types, but nonetheless, anyone can acquire a minimal level of competency with some effort. It shouldn't be such a big deal.

And I think that if a coach came in, emphasized his desire to learn the language, asked for patience, and showed a sense of humour about his failings in this respect, Quebecers would respond as they traditionally have to such gestures: generously. Look at Gainey. His French really wasn't very polished, but (a few wags aside) everyone respected him for making a genuine effort.

At some point, the Habs should hire an anglo coach with a strong pedigree, then provide him with intensive French-language training during the off-season - which is analogous to what any elite business operation of global reach would do with high-end employees.

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I hope it could work out that well. It must be discouraging to players, both current and prospective, to know that such important management decisions are severely restricted. Can we become a perennial contender like the Wings or Blackhawks with this sort of policy?

Soccer coaches regularly take jobs in foreign countries and try to learn the language along the way (granted, soccer is a much more international sport). I've wondered what sort of attitude Canadian hockey coaches in Europe have.

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Or we can be sane and hire the best candidate available. Realistically, in five to ten years, it's Julien Briesbois and Guy Boucher as coach and GM, and the well might be dry. French hockey unfortunately isn't what it used to be, with the Lafleurs, Dionnes, the French Connection in Buffalo, etc.

I hope it could work out that well. It must be discouraging to players, both current and prospective, to know that such important management decisions are severely restricted. Can we become a perennial contender like the Wings or Blackhawks with this sort of policy?

Soccer coaches regularly take jobs in foreign countries and try to learn the language along the way (granted, soccer is a much more international sport). I've wondered what sort of attitude Canadian hockey coaches in Europe have.

If it turns out like the English National team when they hired that Swede in 2002/2006 it will be an unmitigated disaster. England and MTL have very similar attitudes when it comes to "outsourcing."

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If it turns out like the English National team when they hired that Swede in 2002/2006 it will be an unmitigated disaster. England and MTL have very similar attitudes when it comes to "outsourcing."

England has an unmitigated disaster regardless of who's coaching. Anyways, that's international football, I was thinking more of the club level, which would be a better comparison to the NHL. Pep Guardiola, for instance, was one of the most sought after coaches this year; he went to a German club despite not knowing the language, and is learning it as he goes along. Any sports club with a rich history and strong cultural ties has xenophobic elements, but the successful ones are able to work around them.

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England has an unmitigated disaster regardless of who's coaching. Anyways, that's international football, I was thinking more of the club level, which would be a better comparison to the NHL. Pep Guardiola, for instance, was one of the most sought after coaches this year; he went to a German club despite not knowing the language, and is learning it as he goes along. Any sports club with a rich history and strong cultural ties has xenophobic elements, but the successful ones are able to work around them. [/quot

LOL. Perhaps Grabovski is due to go on loan to replace Luis Suarez. Nevertheless, England is a prime example of why the Habs have to stay current with the trends of the league and hire competitive coaches regardless of having a rich tradition.

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Could you imagine an already favoured player, say one of the Gallies, shows up to spring training next year and asks the French reporters to address him in French, then answers all French questions in French? They would be as close to a homegrown folk hero as the Canadiens have had in recent years. The French media would go bananas, and the player would buy himself a ridiculous amount of goodwill which could help down the line with contracts and captaincies, etc. Plus the player would learn a new language (that's a plus) and could get himself the hottest tutor, too (that's a big plus!)

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Seb's got a point, and it is a trifle odd that so few Habs since the dynasty era have bothered to learn any French (or at least any French that they would use in public). I know they're jocks and all, but there's something a little bit callow in the total unwillingness to expand one's horizons and take the opportunity to learn a new language - and have your kids do the same - at least if you've got a long-term contract. It seems both ungracious and shallow, especially in light of Gainey's efforts.

However, players are one thing, coaches another. The coach is on the "management" side of the table and much more of an official team spokesman than any given player. That's the argument for a francophone coach, but again, there is absolutely zero reason why an English coach could not undergo intensive French lessons in his first summer with the Habs and come back at least minimally functional in French. And I think fans would accept it.

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