Cherry defends Koivu

[Toren]

Good man. Even though he called him "Sako" and he called Komisarek "Kosamari".

He brang up good points, like how hurt he must have felt, and how great of a person and a player he is. He also said the only reason that his was a problem was because there was a camera recording the pushing match.

He also finished off that he would have taken Saku Koivu any day on his Boston Bruins, because he's a great player, a great person, and a great captain.

[Skindogg60]

I completely agree with what Cherry had to say. I am from Saskatchewan and am able to watch all of the Habs games on RDS. I was furious and embarassed at the boo's I heard on Thrusday against the Flames. Koivu is by far the best player on the Montreal Canadiens, nobody on that team gives more than he does, he is such a treat to watch and is having a pretty good season (minus the first 5 games). I seriously hope that this was a one time thing and the french people of Quebec come to their senses before another great Canadien is forced out.

Did I say that I agreed with Cherry?!?!?

[puck7x]

I want to point out that fans at tonights game in TORONTO also boo'ed Koivu ...

So whats the excuse for that? Did all the "french people" get bused into Toronto by RDS to boo the captain? (I'm kidding of course) Or what? lol ... It wasnt the Leafs fans who boo'ed him , Leafs fans never boo'ed Koivu before , so why start now?

Maybe some fans (regardless of language) just dont like him?

[Edited on 2004-2-22 by puck7x]

[=CH=]

Nice to see Cherry making sense again.

I listened to Thursday's game on the net and heard the boos loud and clear. It was completely unacceptable.

If you're going to boo a player on your own team the entire game, why not just stay the hell home? I've never understood booing players each time they touch the puck, home or visitors. The visiting players could care less and it probably motivates them more. As for the home players, why try to distract a guy on your own team? I don't get it. It was a meaningless heat of the moment thing blown way out of proportion. Maybe cameras should be banned from practices from now on.

[jl.roberts]

I think the Koivu booing tonight was just Leaf fans mocking the Habs fans stupidity, in a classless joking kind of way.

Oh, and if Don Cherry can defend Saku; why can't Bob?

[Quebecois]

Oh, and if Don Cherry can defend Saku; why can't Bob?

Well Gainey already did that, i think if he keeps it up it is going to get redundant and be rendered less meaningful every time. Someone that all habs fans respect will have to come out and do something, or anyone that is respected on the team.

[erik]

Are we talking about the same Koivu who couldn't tie up Fitzgerald in front of the Montreal goal to stop Toronto's second goal, and did a minimum job against Mogilny to stop Sundin's game winner? He is a defensive liability (-2 on the season) who is only costing the team.

[Habs77]

Wow must have been a tough call for Cherry, I mean picking between a European (Koivu) or a French Canadian (Ribeiro).

As for having Cherry backing you up in an argument, is that a good thing?...

Booing K man was fine by me as it was telling him, and the rest of the team for that matter, to quit the stupid in-fighting and start playing like a team dammit.

The message sent, message received.

Rivet & Ribeiro joked about the incident after that game, Rivet pretending to a little friendly punch on the jaw... then Ribs asked the media that was there "are you going right about this one too?" with a big smile on his face.

Tonight I saw Dagenais acknowledge Koivu after his goal, thanking him for the great pass.... instead of ignoring each other as they used to do.

Now those are the kinds of little things I want to see.

As I said message sent, message received. It's done with and over, there better be no more booing of anyone anymore... this is when we need to get behind the whole team and will them into the playoffs.

[Toren]

Originally posted by erik

Are we talking about the same Koivu who couldn't tie up Fitzgerald in front of the Montreal goal to stop Toronto's second goal, and did a minimum job against Mogilny to stop Sundin's game winner? He is a defensive liability (-2 on the season) who is only costing the team.

Holy crap, what game were you watching? Koivu lost his footing and fell. It's not like Fitzgerald overpowered him.

And on the second goal, I'm blaming the Cubester. Koivu raced back to make up for Brisebois losing the gamble on the pinch and picked up the closest man, which was the puck carrier Mogilny. Instead of picking up the intended pass reciever, Sundin, Cube just kept playing the pass interception. He missed, and Sundin scored. Nothing wrong with Saks there.

Koivu breathed life into this team late in the second. I don't think I've seen him play that inspired since his return from cancer.

And before you start telling me I wasn't paying attention, I wrote the goal-by-goal. I went over every single goal in that game with a fine-toothed comb.

[Edited on 2004/2/22 by Toren]

[Habs77]

Originally posted by Toren

Holy crap, what game were you watching? Koivu lost his footing and fell. It's not like Fitzgerald overpowered him.

Sorry to say but it makes no difference, he didn't cover his man and it cost us the goal.

And on the second goal, I'm blaming the Cubester. Koivu raced back to make up for Brisebois losing the gamble on the pinch and picked up the closest man, which was the puck carrier Mogilny. Instead of picking up the intended pass reciever, Sundin, Cube just kept playing the pass interception. He missed, and Sundin scored. Nothing wrong with Saks there.

That goal was indeed 100% Bouillon's fault... for some reason he stopped skating at the end and didn't even have a shot at the interception.

He might as well have not been there at all.

Once Koivu caught up to Mogilny Bouillon should have just focused on tying up Sundin... but he didn't read the play well at all.

It looked like a brain-cramp... he was just completely lost on the play.

Nice effort by Koivu to even get back on that one, and don't blame Breezer because we had to start chances because we were behind and running out of time.

[Toren]

That's why I said Brisebois gambled and lost. I didn't say he made a stupid play.

And I still don't really blame Koivu all that much. He slipped. It does happen. He covered the front of the net when the defenceman left, but he slipped. He had everything going right for him but that.

[Leafs Suck]

Cherry is just trying to look like the good guy.

He is a bigot who hates anything thats not white born Torontonians, so he figures if he praises a European on the Habs he'll come out lookin like a good guy.

I aint buyin it...

[Habs77]

Originally posted by Toren

That's why I said Brisebois gambled and lost. I didn't say he made a stupid play.

And I still don't really blame Koivu all that much. He slipped. It does happen. He covered the front of the net when the defenceman left, but he slipped. He had everything going right for him but that.

If Ribs makes the same play you'd have a hoard of posters dumping on him... saying how much of a defensive liability he is.

When it's Saku, he slipped... not his fault.

Sorry but IMO a more solid center stays on his feet and prevents Fitzgerald from scoring... it's a symptom of being so small at center.

Same goes for the Niewendyk goal, he just turned his back to Bégin... and Bégin couldn't do anything to stop him from one-timing it past Theo.

One day soon, we need to get bigger at center... on the wing too of course... or the Leafs will keep whipping us on a yearly basis.

[jl.roberts]

As long as we play bigger than the other team, we don't need to literally get bigger. Moderately sized, feisty skaters who will throw the body or use some speed out on the ice will win every single time.

Look at Komisarek last night. In his shift prior to the second goal, he repeatedly tried to bash the Leafs forwards (Stajan and Mogilny I think). He failed again and again, when a simple stick check would have gotten him the puck and sent the play the other way. I'm not knocking Komisarek at all, just that a big hockey player isn't going far when their heart is the size of the Grinch's. I'm not saying Komi has no heart (he's got a ton of it! the kid can be a warrior for us!), but sometimes the smart, skill play is the better option.

Look at our centres: Koivu, Begin, Ribeiro, Perreault, Juneau, and potentially Kilger. Of those six, Kilger is the only one above six feet, but he plays like a freeking noodle most nights (can be effective if Gainey jam a hot rod up his ass, though). Now of the remainging smurfs sitting below the magical 6'0 mark (supposedly), only Begin and Koivu (when need be) are physical. Both Ribeiro and Koivu can be chippy, but even when Ribs tries to lay the body (and good on him for that), he's brushed off.

If we get centremen with strength, speed, grit, and talent, we'll be laughing. Now, obviously you get a guy who's 6'4 and has all of those components (Thornton, Lindros of old ,etc) and you're set because he has the size advantage, but it's not a necessity as far as I'm concerned.

While it would be nice to have some big bodies to work in the corners (or have an inspired Zednik and a Jason Ward with a talent-transplant), if the top-six is full of speed with a dash of some heart and the desire to win, we'd be fine, too.

[Edited on 2004/2/22 by jl.roberts]

[habitual_hab]

Originally posted by jl.roberts

Look at our centres: Koivu, Begin, Ribeiro, Perreault, Juneau, and potentially Kilger. Of those six, Kilger is the only one above six feet, but he plays like a freeking noodle most nights (can be effective if Gainey jam a hot rod up his ass, though). Now of the remainging smurfs sitting below the magical 6'0 mark (supposedly), only Begin and Koivu (when need be) are physical. Both Ribeiro and Koivu can be chippy, but even when Ribs tries to lay the body (and good on him for that), he's brushed off.

If we get centremen with strength, speed, grit, and talent, we'll be laughing. Now, obviously you get a guy who's 6'4 and has all of those components (Thornton, Lindros of old ,etc) and you're set because he has the size advantage, but it's not a necessity as far as I'm concerned.

Pardon my ignorance but the Habs do have a natural centreman down in Hamilton who's over six foot and pushing 215. Why the Habs' braintrust plays him at wing still baffles me.

While it would be nice to have some big bodies to work in the corners (or have an inspired Zednik and a Jason Ward with a talent-transplant), if the top-six is full of speed with a dash of some heart and the desire to win, we'd be fine, too.

Both Ryder and Balej bode well for the future, IMO. And Bulis still has good upside.

[habsfan88]

This is for all of the idiots who booed him at the bell centre! thats just ridiculous! hes our leader and obviously the best player on our team! wow, really, one little scuffle...ribeiro was probably being an ass beforehand! I like ribeiro alot, but you never know what was happening before it even happened, so nobody can just jump to conclusions....now us fans have this label on us for booing our own captain at home! that sucks!

for all of the other TRUE habs fans,

GO HABS GO:hlogo: