Pierre the Great Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 Yes they are for real they always have been. Yes you can look at last years stats and say they were basically the same point wise as last year. What happend? Injuries and Theo. What happend after the Canadiens got rid of Theo? We found a goalie people got healthy and we suprised some people. So in conclusion the team is just as it was last year except we have 2 great goalies and we are somewhat healthy. We are a contender. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geolink Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 we could do better.... If we trade one goalie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfposi Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 (edited) I have been asking myself lately what we are missing...and to be honest, I don't think we are missing much. I am not saying we will go for the cup this year, but if you look at the teams that have made it, its not always the team with the superstars, I think those days are over. I think the cup winners will be those solid chemistry teams. Montreal doesn't have any of the big names (especially on D), but I think if they continue the way they are this year, they will improve to the point where we can contend in 07-08. This is assuming they dont make any stupid trades at the end of next year, and they do what they can to keep those key players (both with character and skill). In '93, no one expected to see the habs contending for the cup, but they did it with great teamwork and the passion that comes with that. These players are capable of alot individually, but there is no limit when they push each other! Edited November 7, 2006 by cfposi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuRy Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 When injuries start, we'll see if our offensive depth is capable of compensating for the loss of a player of Higgins' caliber. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habitforming Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 (edited) Yes they are for real they always have been. Yes you can look at last years stats and say they were basically the same point wise as last year. What happend? Injuries and Theo. What happend after the Canadiens got rid of Theo? We found a goalie people got healthy and we suprised some people. So in conclusion the team is just as it was last year except we have 2 great goalies and we are somewhat healthy. We are a contender. Although I disagree that we are the same team as last year (Zednik and Bulis have been more then replaced ) I too feel that we are a contender...............of sorts. Like the Oilers last season, no one predicted they would go to the cup finals; but they are a team with loads of speed and make it hard to play against in a 7 game series with deep rooted team chemistry. Montreal, Buffalo, Edmonton are all very much alike. Speed and skill are hard to beat, but a hot goalie makes it impossible. Edited November 7, 2006 by Habitforming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geolink Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 cfposi Posted Today, 03:12 PM I have been asking myself lately what we are missing...and to be honest, I don't think we are missing much. I am not saying we will go for the cup this year, but if you look at the teams that have made it, its not always the team with the superstars, I think those days are over. I think the cup winners will be those solid chemistry teams. Montreal doesn't have any of the big names (especially on D), but I think if they continue the way they are this year, they will improve to the point where we can contend in 07-08. This is assuming they dont make any stupid trades at the end of next year, and they do what they can to keep those key players (both with character and skill). In '93, no one expected to see the habs contending for the cup, but they did it with great teamwork and the passion that comes with that. These players are capable of alot individually, but there is no limit when they push each other! havent we been saying this for the past um 12 years or so? I think we have a contending team just need more depth up front... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beliveau1 Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 I still think this team is short of being a legitimate contender - too small behind the blueline and not enough up front just yet. Still a year or two away from that status(although I'd love to be wrong!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habitforming Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 I still think this team is short of being a legitimate contender - too small behind the blueline and not enough up front just yet. Still a year or two away from that status(although I'd love to be wrong!) I don't think anyone is saying this team is a legit contender anywhere. I think the point that is being made is that this team can beat any team in a 7 game series at any time ala Edmonton in 05. To me a legit contender is a team that fans and media alike recognize as one of the cup favorites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beliveau1 Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 (edited) I don't think anyone is saying this team is a legit contender anywhere. I think the point that is being made is that this team can beat any team in a 7 game series at any time ala Edmonton in 05. To me a legit contender is a team that fans and media alike recognize as one of the cup favorites. I still think they are not a contender, either legit or not - a splitting of hairs here. In the sense that I was referring to the word legitimate, I was rationalizing about it defining the fact that they are a bonafide contender prior to the playoffs. Not by the third round because they've lasted that far! In all honesty Edmonton was not a contender by any sense of the word. They were a longshot that surged at the right time, and then rode the crest of their wave as far as they could. That in itself does not mean that they were a contender prior to the playoffs, because most pundits were picking them to exit rather quickly! So I stick by my opinion that the Habs are not a contender in any sense of the word - legitimate or otherwise at this point..... p.s. this may change if the right moves are made and I'll be one of the first to admit if it happens! Edited November 7, 2006 by beliveau1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 I don't think they are a contender. I think they are a solid team that maybe could win a round. I am not an optimist or a pesimist. More a realist. If Koivu goes down the habs are done. As the record indicates over the years. They play way to inconsistant, if they can turn that around i'll change my opinion. We'll see about depth for scoring since Higgins is now out. Defense is not good enough to contend, not enough speed, grit or enough ability to move the puck quickily. 5 on 5 play needs to be considerably better. PP and PK are outstanding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre the Great Posted November 7, 2006 Author Share Posted November 7, 2006 You can't teach speed. mentally tough hot goalie you can go far just look at Edmonton last year granted they had Pronger but they had a hot goalie and I think would have won had there goalie not have gotten injured. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 Markinon played fine. They only scored a goal int he last game. Not scoring in critical times was there problem. Same thing when the Habs had Carolina down, they could not score. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTH Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 The D is fine. We're stacked in goal. The offence could use 1 more body, someone with hands. If our Russian 2nd line becomes a permanent fixture for us then I believe Latendresse can be the wildcard that lifts us to contender status. But personally, I'm not expecting anything offensive from Latendresse this season. Patrice Bergeron he is not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
option+ Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 I'm not sure I can answer whether or not le CH is "for real" just yet... but I will say that the fact that we're 7-3-3 having played almost the entire season without 2 Top 6 blueliners is a good sign. We'll see how we do without Higgins. If the team collapses without him then I'm afraid they're simply not as good as I thought they were. I know he's an important cog but good teams find a way to stay afloat without key players. One thing that I like: there are a lot less dubious efforts than at this time last year. With the exception of a few games (@ Chicago, at home to Buffalo, the first two periods recently vs. Toronto), this team is coming to play every night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dark_faerie87 Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 Markinon played fine. They only scored a goal int he last game. Not scoring in critical times was there problem. Same thing when the Habs had Carolina down, they could not score. While Markkanen's play can't be faulted, I think the psychological effect of losing Roloson and consequently losing that game is what finished off the Oilers. They lost a step after that game and weren't able to regain it by the end of the series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smon Posted November 8, 2006 Share Posted November 8, 2006 The Canadiens always do better than what the media expects them to do. It's ridiculous in the playoffs sometimes, you can be watching the CBC and their commentators will jabber on and on about whichever American team it is that Montreal is facing; but they'll have nothing intelligent to say about the Bleu, Blanc et Rouge. Are they a contender? Only one way to find out... Sure there's questions about Montreal's D, but look at Carolina from last season. After they won the Cup, everyone went on about how they had a fantastic "balanced" defensive corps, whereas their blueline was hardly anything to write home about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobRock Posted November 9, 2006 Share Posted November 9, 2006 I think the main thing the team is missing is a constant high level of commitment to the game plan. All you have to do is look at the last game vs the Leafs. They pretty much were sleep walking through the first 50 minutes and then hit the gas over the last 10 to tie it up. And it's been like that all season so far. They do just enough to win or salvage a point. Carolina was probably the best full game they played all season, where they finished the opposition off and didn't sit on a lead. I think the current roster is a lot stronger than its play and statistics may indicate. The top two lines are capable of enough offense to win games, the special teams have been great, and the penalty killing alone has been as much a part of the team's success as anything. The third line, as a unit, is more than capable of shadowing the opposition and making it tough to create offense. The fourth line does exactly what any fourth line is supposed to do, and that set the tone for the rest of the team. A bad shift from the fourth line can lose you a game, but a great shift can also help win you a game. Defensively, they have the variety of players any team would want; firepower, puck movement, size, and quickness. And they probably have the best goalie pairing in the league right now. The final and most important piece of the puzzle that is lacking is a full effort. It seems like they change game plans depending on the situation, and that often means confusion and mistakes. They don't dictate the play often enough to be considered a true championship team. Those are the teams that play their game from start to finish, win or lose. We might lose the game, but we're not going to beat ourselves. We're going to play to our strengths and make you adapt to us. When they learn to do that, either at the coaching level or the player level, I think you'll the team turn the corner and finish as a top seed instead of needing to win game 78 or 79 just to make the playoffs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
option+ Posted November 9, 2006 Share Posted November 9, 2006 (edited) Another question I wanted to raise: what does it mean to be "for real" anyway? It seems to me that pretty much every decent team is a cup contender in the salary capped NHL. Look at last year: Edmonton came within one game of winning the Stanley Cup with an extremely limited team; I'd say that we're probably better right now than the Oilers were going into the playoffs last year. Even Carolina... I mean, did anybody actually think they'd win the Cup before the playoffs started, with that Gerber/Ward combo in net? It seems to me that the playoffs are a lot more of a crapshoot than they were pre-salary cap. As long as a team makes the playoffs and then gets hot at the right time of year, they can win the Stanley Cup. Is Montreal capable of making the playoffs and then getting hot? Hell yeah. Does that mean they're "for real"? Perhaps. I guess I just don't think anybody can really predict how well or poorly this team will do from now until the end of the playoffs... we'll just have to wait and see. Edited November 9, 2006 by option+ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athlétique.Canadien Posted November 9, 2006 Share Posted November 9, 2006 Oui Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 I'm quite convinced that the Habs are not for real: Fundamentally, the only thing I can prove is my existence - I think, therefore I am. The rest, though, could all be some grand deception and, based on the way the so-called Habs play with my heart, it would seem far more plausible that they are, in fact, some great ruse designed to play with my emotions. I'm sorry. I just cannot believe. :king: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psycing Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 I'm quite convinced that the Habs are not for real: Fundamentally, the only thing I can prove is my existence - I think, therefore I am. The rest, though, could all be some grand deception and, based on the way the so-called Habs play with my heart, it would seem far more plausible that they are, in fact, some great ruse designed to play with my emotions. I'm sorry. I just cannot believe. :king: Which Philosopher was that again? Kant? It's more like... I think, therefore I'm a thinking thing. That still doesn't explain much though... I mean... I walk, but therefore I'm a walking thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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