Boston vs Montreal 7:30pm

[Guest Stogey24]

Habs had their chances to change the outcome early, hockey games go like that..... yeah Budaj isn't Price, and yeah, he wasn't Rask either. Yeah the lines and lineup sometimes don't make sense, but we are ok..... till next game . Would really like to see Vanek on with Patcioretty and DD, and let the Gally's play together, the rest, flip a coin like MT does.

Those were the lines in the third.

[Lovett's Magnatones]

Habs had their chances to change the outcome early, hockey games go like that..... yeah Budaj isn't Price, and yeah, he wasn't Rask either. Yeah the lines and lineup sometimes don't make sense, but we are ok..... till next game . Would really like to see Vanek on with Patcioretty and DD, and let the Gally's play together, the rest, flip a coin like MT does.

I want to see Briere play with the Gallys, and either Bourque on the second line or Moen on the second with Weise on the fourth line. At this point, Lars Eller is not an NHL quality player. Whether it's who he's played with is irrelevant.

We've really showed Bourque who's boss. He's sat two games this year, and they've been embarrassed by their two biggest rivals in each game.

[hab29RETIRED]

So you dont like Prust nor Murray?

Nor DD signing?

Galchenyuk, de la Rose, Thrower, Fucale etc drafting by MB?

Outstanding Win Loss record since he took over?

Me thinks your endorsement is lacking a bit of credibility.

What next, you think should toss in the towel, fire MB-Therian and try tanking i suppose?

I like Prust, not the term.

Galchenyuk was an obvious pick that any GM other than possibly Snow or Milbury would have picked. The other draft picks I'd say its more relying on the advice of your scouting department. The one guy that was probably his pick - McCarron will probably turn out to be a total waste of a first rounder.

Murray was a who cares signing - 6th/7th dman with size but no skill. Hainsay would have been better. Best thing i can say about Murray (who had btw had ZERO hits against the bruins - INEXCUSABLE!!!!), is that he was a better signing then Bouillon. Now Bouillon was a horrible signing. The guy is an AHL, or rather ECHL quality player. However, your great MT plays him more than any player other than Markov. That's ridiculous, but I guess someone as credible as you thought that was a good decision by the great bafoon behind the bench

As far as DD. No i don't like the DD signing. If we could trade him in the summer I'd jump at the deal. DD wouldn't be so bad, if we didn't have Gionta, Gallaghar and Briere (another horrible signing when a 20 goal man Jagr could have been had for the same money at less term).

I'd also add that Galchenyuk is being held back because there is no room for him at Centre. We wait 25 friggin years for a big centre and now have him playing 10 to 15 minutes a game this year. It took DD 20 or 25 games to get going this year. You think if Galchenyuk got a SOLID 20 games at centre, he wouldn't have progressed and produced with MaxPac???

Outstanding win/loss record??? He had no where to go but up, after the circus that Gauthier put on. This team has not won a friggin game in regulation since Feb 8th. That's a whole friggin month ago.

I think your rose coloured glasses and blind pom pom waving makes you lack credibility more than anyone else here.

[hab29RETIRED]

Price and Pacioretty's contracts were signed by Bergevin and the Pacioretty one is especially genius. Five years of Patches at $4.5M per season. No clauses attached at all. Emelin doesn't have any clauses either.

Bergevin's worst moves have come from staff choices, with Waite and Dudley being the best of them.

If Bergevin decided to change the culture of the team it wouldn't be difficult in the summer. It ain't like in Vancouver where Alquini might keep Mike Gillis and John Torterella because's paying them $2M a year each for the next four years and doesn't want to fire them, pay them and then hire someone else. This team has considerable flexibility.

I agree that the MaxPac deal was a great signing, but from what I read, MaxPac went to the habs for that signing. I'd say that fell on his lap. His handling of Subban on the other hand was beyond moronic.

I still haven't figured out how Patrice friggin "i'm taking of to Ski in France, but too stressed to play hockey" Brisbios was hired. How Daigneult was hired, because MB/MT couldn't wait during the summer for Larry Robinson who was dealing with cleaning up the mess at his home caused by flooding.

Positives:

-Vanek deal

-Price contract was at market, or slightly above

-Maxpac was a steal - but I think that is one that fell in his lap

-Waite move

-Dudley

-keeping bournival at the start of the season

Negatives:

-Bouillon

-Briere (nice to see the short-sighted savings on the Subban deal go to good use)

-not signing Jagr

-Not waiting for, rolling out the red carpet and doing whatever it took to get Larry Robinson to signed

-Subban contract

-not moving Gionta last summer

-not moving Bourque last summer

-MT

-saying he wants size and then having a potential top 6 of DD, Briere, Gionta and Gallagher

-Patrice Brisbios as a player development coach

-Coaching staff in Hamilton

Who cares/Neutral moves:

-Murray

-Prust

MB is definitely better then Gauthier, HOule and hopefully will turn out to be better than Gainey. However right now, i'd say he is batting around .350 overall. Which would be a great batting average if he was a ball player, not so great for a GM,

[illWill]

Galchenyuk was an obvious pick that any GM other than possibly Snow or Milbury would have picked. The other draft picks I'd say its more relying on the advice of your scouting department. The one guy that was probably his pick - McCarron will probably turn out to be a total waste of a first rounder.

So the scouting department is responsible for all of the picks other than McCarron? Yes, Bergevin went against them all and selected him according to your vast inside knowledge. And also according to you he will be a bust and a waste of a first round pick, tell us more about the future MIss Cleo. Disregard the fact that he selected De LaRose and Fucale right afterwards, making the order of the picks irrelevant.

I'd also add that Galchenyuk is being held back because there is no room for him at Centre. We wait 25 friggin years for a big centre and now have him playing 10 to 15 minutes a game this year. It took DD 20 or 25 games to get going this year. You think if Galchenyuk got a SOLID 20 games at centre, he wouldn't have progressed and produced with MaxPac???

Yes we all waited patiently for a player of his ilk. However he just turned 20 years old and we can't expect him to be the second coming of Gretzky.

Outstanding win/loss record??? He had no where to go but up, after the circus that Gauthier put on. This team has not won a friggin game in regulation since Feb 8th. That's a whole friggin month ago.

Of course there was nowhere to go but up, at least give credit for winning the friggin division, nobody expected that. Habs are in the top 8 of the whole league in terms of points since he has taken over.

I think your rose coloured glasses and blind pom pom waving makes you lack credibility more than anyone else here.

What is the opposite of rose coloroured glasses and blind pom pom waving? Whatever it is, that is you.

[Machine of Loving Grace]

"He had nowhere to go but up" is absolutely ridiculous. Edmonton switched GMs and are doing pretty much the same. If you replace bad with bad you don't get good just because.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

It's still way premature to condemn Bergevin.

[hab29RETIRED]

It's still way premature to condemn Bergevin.

I'm not condemning him. Just not sold in him yet - I already made that mistake once with Gainey.

Like I said earlier from his moves, I loved the balls to go and sign Vanek, the switch of goalie coaches and maxpac signing - although that seemed more player imitated. Having said that I absolutely hated the Subban contract, signing Briere and the MT choice as coach.

[hab29RETIRED]

Edmonton has been bad and had lousy players for a long time. There is no way we would have finished 28th with any other coach or GM. We lost Gionta, Markov was only back at the end, the handling of Cammy was a joke, Molson put a knife to Cunneyworth's balls. Darche and Moen playing in the PP were jokes.

A team with Pleks, maxpac, Subban, price, gorges, Cole, Gionta, Markov, cannot be as bad as an Edmonton team with a veteran presence of a floater like Hemsky and a long string of seives in net. Add in the two Gally's - which is like adding Hall and eberle, and I think you'd have to agree we had a much better core than Edmonton. Had PG been here 3 more years, we'd probably have moved Gallegahar and others like we moved McDonough. Than we'd be like Edmonton.

We are winning games ugly with MT. Leafs just came fared better on their western trip, and I think we have a much better D then them. If you have Babcock, Tipoet, Roy, or even Carlyle coaching the same player, we'd easily have 10 to 15 points more.

"He had nowhere to go but up" is absolutely ridiculous. Edmonton switched GMs and are doing pretty much the same. If you replace bad with bad you don't get good just because.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

Good summary there, Habs29. I don't know how anybody can imagine us winning the Cup with Therrien behind the bench. Of course, it's not like Zoot Suit had an all-list of francophone coaches to choose from. As I recall, the choices were basically Therrien, Hartley, Boucher, or Crawford (my preference).

Every GM makes mistakes; the main thing is whether the overall organizational arc is positive. If he signs Vanek and keeps Subban, the fact will be that he's overseen a club that will, on paper at least, be very close to bona-fide contender status. A lot hinges on Vanek or whether he can bag a rough equivalent, IMHO. I've been saying for a while now that some sort of big move was/is needed to address the deep organizational deficiency at W. If he fixes it, then all other things considered, that's all we can really ask.

[hab29RETIRED]

Whatever dude- I'm sure you were one of those that was happy about the Gomez trade and the great Gainey rebuild which consisted of dumping koivu and trying to resign Kovelev.

Mccarrin does NOT fit the profile of a Timmens player.

Galchenyuk was an obvious pick that any GM other than possibly Snow or Milbury would have picked. The other draft picks I'd say its more relying on the advice of your scouting department. The one guy that was probably his pick - McCarron will probably turn out to be a total waste of a first rounder.

So the scouting department is responsible for all of the picks other than McCarron? Yes, Bergevin went against them all and selected him according to your vast inside knowledge. And also according to you he will be a bust and a waste of a first round pick, tell us more about the future MIss Cleo. Disregard the fact that he selected De LaRose and Fucale right afterwards, making the order of the picks irrelevant.

I'd also add that Galchenyuk is being held back because there is no room for him at Centre. We wait 25 friggin years for a big centre and now have him playing 10 to 15 minutes a game this year. It took DD 20 or 25 games to get going this year. You think if Galchenyuk got a SOLID 20 games at centre, he wouldn't have progressed and produced with MaxPac???

Yes we all waited patiently for a player of his ilk. However he just turned 20 years old and we can't expect him to be the second coming of Gretzky.

Outstanding win/loss record??? He had no where to go but up, after the circus that Gauthier put on. This team has not won a friggin game in regulation since Feb 8th. That's a whole friggin month ago.

Of course there was nowhere to go but up, at least give credit for winning the friggin division, nobody expected that. Habs are in the top 8 of the whole league in terms of points since he has taken over.

I think your rose coloured glasses and blind pom pom waving makes you lack credibility more than anyone else here.

What is the opposite of rose coloroured glasses and blind pom pom waving? Whatever it is, that is you.

[Machine of Loving Grace]

Bergevin could have signed Roy, which is who I wanted as coach. He was the best coach available.

I've heard rumours that the Habs didn't like his contract demands. Former players who become coaches usually ask for a contract to what they are comfortable with. They get paid no matter what. Other coaches, like Therrien, tend to get a lower base but then incentives based on team performance. The Avalanche balked at Roy a few years back for that kind of contract but took it this time. I certainly hope it isn't the case of why we passed on Roy. I've also heard Roy didn't like Price as a goalie. Then again, Therrien used to openly rip Subban on L'Antichambre so either way.

I'm very happy we didn't go with Hartley or Crawford. There wasn't really any anglo choices on the market either. It was a bad time to pick a coach.

[DON]

As to the Habs, f-in right I got rose-coloured glasses, they are my favorite sports team, have been since was a lil kid and will always cheer, wave pom-poms if you like and if that bothers you, what can I say?

Would I hire me as a GM/Coach, not a chance; because I am a fan and know little of what actually goes on off the ice and why lineups-rosters-icetime is what it is.

Do I try and be or see the positive, always, but not 'over the top nor blindly ignorant' nor am I fickle and wouldn't ever boo the Habs, even in a 15-0 blowout.

I would of traded DD and still would Bourque for standard 'bag of pucks', maybe coaching in Hamilton; but other than that I have very few issues with Mgmt-Coachs-Team and really just cant fathom why you are so consistently negative, win or lose, which is fine but if I argue the opposite it is simply because I disagree, not that I know more/less, just a different opinion/point of view.

I like Prust, not the term.

Galchenyuk was an obvious pick that any GM other than possibly Snow or Milbury would have picked. The other draft picks I'd say its more relying on the advice of your scouting department. The one guy that was probably his pick - McCarron will probably turn out to be a total waste of a first rounder.

Murray was a who cares signing - 6th/7th dman with size but no skill. Hainsay would have been better. Best thing i can say about Murray (who had btw had ZERO hits against the bruins - INEXCUSABLE!!!!), is that he was a better signing then Bouillon. Now Bouillon was a horrible signing. The guy is an AHL, or rather ECHL quality player. However, your great MT plays him more than any player other than Markov. That's ridiculous, but I guess someone as credible as you thought that was a good decision by the great bafoon behind the bench

As far as DD. No i don't like the DD signing. If we could trade him in the summer I'd jump at the deal. DD wouldn't be so bad, if we didn't have Gionta, Gallaghar and Briere (another horrible signing when a 20 goal man Jagr could have been had for the same money at less term).

I'd also add that Galchenyuk is being held back because there is no room for him at Centre. We wait 25 friggin years for a big centre and now have him playing 10 to 15 minutes a game this year. It took DD 20 or 25 games to get going this year. You think if Galchenyuk got a SOLID 20 games at centre, he wouldn't have progressed and produced with MaxPac???

Outstanding win/loss record??? He had no where to go but up, after the circus that Gauthier put on. This team has not won a friggin game in regulation since Feb 8th. That's a whole friggin month ago.

I think your rose coloured glasses and blind pom pom waving makes you lack credibility more than anyone else here.

[illWill]

Whatever dude- I'm sure you were one of those that was happy about the Gomez trade and the great Gainey rebuild which consisted of dumping koivu and trying to resign Kovelev.

Mccarrin does NOT fit the profile of a Timmens player.

The Gomez trade at the time wasn't as bad it eventually turned out to be. We acquired a fast, playmaking winner who projected to be a 60 point per season player, nobody could have predicted his downfall like it happened. And yeah I didn't mind going to the Conference final that year one bit, it was the most exciting time as a Habs fan since 93. I'm sure you sat in your rocking chair, arms crossed and with a scowl on your face during that run.

A USA college player doesn't fit his profile?

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

Roy didn't want to be just a coach, but also a GM. All the praise of his coaching needs to be tempered by his unproven nature as an NHL GM. And if I were Bergevin, I'd have steered well clear of an iconic guy with a massive following in my market who explicitly wanted my job.

So that left the stated cast of coaching options: Therrien, Hartley, Crawford, Boucher.

[hab29RETIRED]

I hate Hartley as much as MT and Roy was my pick as well - he paid his dues and should have been hired. He gets results and his players love him.

I don't like Crawford either, but would have preferred him over Hartley an Therrian.

Bergevin could have signed Roy, which is who I wanted as coach. He was the best coach available.

I've heard rumours that the Habs didn't like his contract demands. Former players who become coaches usually ask for a contract to what they are comfortable with. They get paid no matter what. Other coaches, like Therrien, tend to get a lower base but then incentives based on team performance. The Avalanche balked at Roy a few years back for that kind of contract but took it this time. I certainly hope it isn't the case of why we passed on Roy. I've also heard Roy didn't like Price as a goalie. Then again, Therrien used to openly rip Subban on L'Antichambre so either way.

I'm very happy we didn't go with Hartley or Crawford. There wasn't really any anglo choices on the market either. It was a bad time to pick a coach.

[hab29RETIRED]

The day the Gomez trade was made I said it was a horrible trade. I wouldn't have traded Hoggins straight up for Gomez and his contract, which NO other GM other then Milbury or snow would have touched. Let alone trading away your best D prospect at the time - he was seen as being better than Subban than.

No. A slow college player with below average skating ability does not fit his profile.

The Gomez trade at the time wasn't as bad it eventually turned out to be. We acquired a fast, playmaking winner who projected to be a 60 point per season player, nobody could have predicted his downfall like it happened. And yeah I didn't mind going to the Conference final that year one bit, it was the most exciting time as a Habs fan since 93. I'm sure you sat in your rocking chair, arms crossed and with a scowl on your face during that run.

A USA college player doesn't fit his profile?

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

I think Crawford would have been a solid choice. He did a good job in Dallas and was only booted out because of a management change. The thing I like about him is precisely what worries others: he checkered past. To me, a guy who has been through all the highs and lows imaginable, who has seen every conceivable hockey freak show, fits the right profile for the league's most drama-prone and volatile market this side of Vancouver. None of it will phase him. Plus he is known for favouring up-tempo hockey that would probably suit our lineup better than Therrien's "we're a grinding team" model.

That said, I'm not trying to overstate the case. Crawford is not part of that handful of elite coaches, but rather part of that big pool of interchangeable coaches of which Therrien is one. I just think he'd have been the best fit from among the available options.

[habs rule]

There weren't that many choices at the time, it is true. However we do limit ourselves to only francophone coaches. Which by the way is not a tradition of the Habs, this started with seperatism and the Quebec Nordiques IMHO. Lets face it Dick Irvin coached this team for a long time. Toe Blake, a definite francophone. Yeah right. The coach did not used to have to be able to speak french but most learned it on the job if necassary, now a days politics have interfered with the game. Scotty Bowman spoke some french. But in those days it was not a big deal. If we would open up the competition to include everyone, mabye we wouldn't end up with a guy who can't speak either language very well. We also might not have to take the leftovers when all is said and done. There were no other jobs out ther for MT, he was finished. Too bad we really had no choice.

[l<OV4L3V]

It's how the coach is deploying his players.

Gionta should be getting 3rd line minutes (and should actually have been traded last summer), while The Galley's should be play close to 20 minutes. Bouillon should not be playing. The defensive pairings make zero sense. The "balanced" lines kill any chance of skilled players being able to succeed. Subban is pretty much asked to play like gorges. WTF are Emelin and Bouillon doing on the PP?

We are never as good or as bad as we seem. This is an extremely poorly coached team.

If the habs would show some balls and hire the BEST available coach (and than stand behind him) instead of being an affirmative action program that lands them bafoon a like MT they wouldn't be in this mess.

I really don't think it's the coach at this point. Add Carey Price back into the lineup and we will be the Montreal Canadiens prior to Sochi 2014; with that being said, the sky is falling down threads will recede and everything will go back to normal.

And with that being said,

KEEP CALM and HAB ON

[KoRP]

Sounds great Kovalev, but what if no Price? Don't like the look of our contingency plan thus far.....