Let's call this one like it is:
Montreal sucks.
As a Habs fan on an ostensibly Bruins/Canadiens blog, I admit it.
I am going to beat my Boston friends to the punch and do the honors myself.
The Habs are losers.
With so much emotion after the last Boston-Montreal game, people knew the Habs would be in tough tonight. Too bad the Habs didn't show up.
At all.
When the Habs went on a two-man advantage, and I saw how badly they were playing even then, I said,
"I hope the bruins score."
And they did.
So, with the Habs down 7-0, I say, Jacques Martin has finally GOT to go.
And it is also LONG past time for everyone, including Pierre Gauthier, to admit that Scott Gomez has to be benched.
It's time we look at what kind of value we really got when Bob Gainey blew up the team and got Gomez's salary.
I'm not going to harp on Koivu.
I am going to harp on the fact that right now, Montreal is the worst team in the entire NHL.
And people need to start asking why.
My answer is simple: the coach can't coach, the veterans can't play, and the team has absolutely no leadership.
Pierre Gauthier, I address you personally:
Get rid of Gomez and Martin this summer. Or you may find one less Habs fan who is sick and effing tired of watching his team do absolutely NOTHING on a night when it really, really counted.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Consistency: ur doin it rong
 |
| Wilford Brimley cat does not approve of getting shut out |
And so it goes. Habs get shelled 5-1 in the first against the Rangers, go on to crush the Wild 8-1, and then fail to score at all against the Sabres.
As if that wasn't bad enough, the two games in which Montreal shit the bed were against Eastern Conference teams, one of which is in their own division. That whupping they put on Jose Theodore was against a Western Conference team.
At this point, Montreal fans should be questioning just how high to set their expectations come April's playoffs. Presently, those expectations should be pretty darned low. This team is capable of great things. But only once in a while.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
The obligatory post
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that, on first glance, the Chara hit didn't really look that dirty. That was, until I saw this photo:
This photo came from Habsinsideout.com.
What it clearly shows is Chara deliberately pushing Pacioretty's head into the pylon.
Chara deserved to be suspended, not for the hit in question, but for the slash he gave Pacioretty earlier in the game. Chara pole-axed Patches' leg, and could have broken it. That alone deserved a suspension. And yet it wasn't enough for Chara.
For those people who claim Chara is not a dirty player, they need to wake up. Chara his a history of dirty play. During a fight with Raitis Ivanans a few years ago, Chara sucker punched him after the linesmen had stepped in, and consequently broke Ivanans' orbital bone.
That's just one example of Chara's history of late hits, sucker punches, dirty stick work, and overall thuggery.
What happened two nights ago was very similar to the Todd Bertuzzi incident. In that Vancouver-Colorado game, Steve Moore had already fought. But that wasn't enough for Bertuzzi. Some people don't know when to stop, and Bertuzzi was out for blood. He got it when he sucker-punched Moore from behind, and drove his head into the ice, breaking his neck.
Chara got his revenge on Pacioretty for that overtime shove in January several times over. Chara slashed him. Chara punched him. And then, he broke his neck.
The real problem here is the NHL lack of commitment to the players' safety, and the overall absence of any decent officiating. The NHL referees have become something of a joke in reecnt years, with most of the old guard retiring. Those old referees, who knew how to keep order and would take control of a situation that would have otherwise spun out of control, have been replaced by morons who have no feel for the game. Back in February the referees stood by and let a Penguins-Islanders get way out of hand.
And now we come to Tuesday's game, where Chara's slash was un-penalized, and the game got out of control.
And it all comes from the top. The NHL is going to sit idly by, and do nothing about violence in the game until someone DIES.
Let me remind the NHL: Max Pacioretty has a broken neck. He's lucky to be alive. And the NHL is sitting on a ticking time bomb.
As for the hit in question, here's my take: by itself, it was a borderline hit. I'm sure Chara didn't MEAN to injure Patches, but on the other hand, he sure as hell didn't CARE.
What is, "Reckless," Alex.
When you consider everything else leading up to that reckless hit, the picture beocmes a lot clearer: the two have a history. Chara had been targeting him ever since that January overtime winner. And each instance of so-called revenge did not extinguish Chara's thirst for payback. It only made him hungry for yet more escalated violence. And so, that forearm shove had a lot behind it. Only Zdeno Chara knows for sure, and he may not even be able or willing to examine his own motivations and what he was thinking in that exact moment. But he has lost the benefit of the doubt.
Let me state this clearly: this is NOT a call for further violence. There is too much eye-for-an-eye in today's world where nations visit death and destruction upon entire civilian populations. But I am afraid for Zdeno Chara. Being suspended may have been the best thing for him. What I fear now is someone taking "justice" upon himself and deciding to end Chara's career.
Again. This is NOT a call for violence upon the Bruins or Zdeno Chara. But the morons in the NHL needs to recognize that when they abdicate any responsibility, the players will sometimes take it upon themselves, with disastrous consequences. And I'm not holding out any hope that we'll see cooler heads prevail. I have no evidence upon which to make that assumption.
This photo came from Habsinsideout.com.
What it clearly shows is Chara deliberately pushing Pacioretty's head into the pylon.
Chara deserved to be suspended, not for the hit in question, but for the slash he gave Pacioretty earlier in the game. Chara pole-axed Patches' leg, and could have broken it. That alone deserved a suspension. And yet it wasn't enough for Chara.
For those people who claim Chara is not a dirty player, they need to wake up. Chara his a history of dirty play. During a fight with Raitis Ivanans a few years ago, Chara sucker punched him after the linesmen had stepped in, and consequently broke Ivanans' orbital bone.
That's just one example of Chara's history of late hits, sucker punches, dirty stick work, and overall thuggery.
What happened two nights ago was very similar to the Todd Bertuzzi incident. In that Vancouver-Colorado game, Steve Moore had already fought. But that wasn't enough for Bertuzzi. Some people don't know when to stop, and Bertuzzi was out for blood. He got it when he sucker-punched Moore from behind, and drove his head into the ice, breaking his neck.
Chara got his revenge on Pacioretty for that overtime shove in January several times over. Chara slashed him. Chara punched him. And then, he broke his neck.
The real problem here is the NHL lack of commitment to the players' safety, and the overall absence of any decent officiating. The NHL referees have become something of a joke in reecnt years, with most of the old guard retiring. Those old referees, who knew how to keep order and would take control of a situation that would have otherwise spun out of control, have been replaced by morons who have no feel for the game. Back in February the referees stood by and let a Penguins-Islanders get way out of hand.
And now we come to Tuesday's game, where Chara's slash was un-penalized, and the game got out of control.
And it all comes from the top. The NHL is going to sit idly by, and do nothing about violence in the game until someone DIES.
Let me remind the NHL: Max Pacioretty has a broken neck. He's lucky to be alive. And the NHL is sitting on a ticking time bomb.
As for the hit in question, here's my take: by itself, it was a borderline hit. I'm sure Chara didn't MEAN to injure Patches, but on the other hand, he sure as hell didn't CARE.
What is, "Reckless," Alex.
When you consider everything else leading up to that reckless hit, the picture beocmes a lot clearer: the two have a history. Chara had been targeting him ever since that January overtime winner. And each instance of so-called revenge did not extinguish Chara's thirst for payback. It only made him hungry for yet more escalated violence. And so, that forearm shove had a lot behind it. Only Zdeno Chara knows for sure, and he may not even be able or willing to examine his own motivations and what he was thinking in that exact moment. But he has lost the benefit of the doubt.
Let me state this clearly: this is NOT a call for further violence. There is too much eye-for-an-eye in today's world where nations visit death and destruction upon entire civilian populations. But I am afraid for Zdeno Chara. Being suspended may have been the best thing for him. What I fear now is someone taking "justice" upon himself and deciding to end Chara's career.
Again. This is NOT a call for violence upon the Bruins or Zdeno Chara. But the morons in the NHL needs to recognize that when they abdicate any responsibility, the players will sometimes take it upon themselves, with disastrous consequences. And I'm not holding out any hope that we'll see cooler heads prevail. I have no evidence upon which to make that assumption.
Friday, March 4, 2011
So long, and thanks for all the fish.
At the tail-end of a disappointing career, Sergei Samsonov did one last favor to the Habs. It was a fitting swan song, a move that he had repeated so many times while wearing the Blue-Blanc-Rouge of the Montreal Canadiens. It's a move that speaks to his mentality, the philosophy of a forward who made it work during his rookie year, and who continued going back to the well long after it had dried up.
Sergei Samsonov loves to stickhandle in the slot. It was the foundation for so many highlight reels when he out-prettied Joe Thornton for the Calder Trophy back in 1998. And when it stopped working after a few magical years, no worries, he kept on doing it. Of course, he had his moments. During the Oilers' Cup run in 2006, it worked spectacularly (once). In Montreal, it never did. Over and over, Samsonov would have the puck on his stick for a sure goal, only to make that one more move that either put himself out of position, or gave the other team enough time to strip him of the puck.
We all know how that movie ended. Montreal unloaded Samsonov on Chicago, after which he toiled in obscurity in North Carolina, where no one goes to see the games of an exciting perennial contender. Last week Sergei packed his bags for Miami, where he has begun the twilight of his disappointing career. He'll play out the remainder of his contract in Florida this season, after which he'll most likely go back to Russia, or play for under a million on the fourth line somewhere like Columbus.
Last night, he pulled the same stunt that bought him a one-way ticket on the Montreal Boo Train. But this time, it worked in Montreal's favor. Halfway through the third period, Samsonov had a chance to bust Carey Price's shutout bid. He stickhandled his way into the slot for a good shot that Price only beat with a better save. A few second later, Samsonov had a goal on his stick. All he had to do was fire a backhand shot over Price's pad. And what did he do? He stickhandled his way over to the post, where Price was waiting for the weak, harmless shot that followed.
So thank you, Sergei. We got to see that magical, useless stickhandling one last time. And Habs fans thank you for helping Carey Price earn his seventh shutout of the season. It was a fitting farewell, Sergei, and we salute you for it.
Sergei Samsonov loves to stickhandle in the slot. It was the foundation for so many highlight reels when he out-prettied Joe Thornton for the Calder Trophy back in 1998. And when it stopped working after a few magical years, no worries, he kept on doing it. Of course, he had his moments. During the Oilers' Cup run in 2006, it worked spectacularly (once). In Montreal, it never did. Over and over, Samsonov would have the puck on his stick for a sure goal, only to make that one more move that either put himself out of position, or gave the other team enough time to strip him of the puck.
We all know how that movie ended. Montreal unloaded Samsonov on Chicago, after which he toiled in obscurity in North Carolina, where no one goes to see the games of an exciting perennial contender. Last week Sergei packed his bags for Miami, where he has begun the twilight of his disappointing career. He'll play out the remainder of his contract in Florida this season, after which he'll most likely go back to Russia, or play for under a million on the fourth line somewhere like Columbus.
Last night, he pulled the same stunt that bought him a one-way ticket on the Montreal Boo Train. But this time, it worked in Montreal's favor. Halfway through the third period, Samsonov had a chance to bust Carey Price's shutout bid. He stickhandled his way into the slot for a good shot that Price only beat with a better save. A few second later, Samsonov had a goal on his stick. All he had to do was fire a backhand shot over Price's pad. And what did he do? He stickhandled his way over to the post, where Price was waiting for the weak, harmless shot that followed.
So thank you, Sergei. We got to see that magical, useless stickhandling one last time. And Habs fans thank you for helping Carey Price earn his seventh shutout of the season. It was a fitting farewell, Sergei, and we salute you for it.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
AMEN
The Montreal Gazette said it best, so here it is:
http://www.montrealgazette.com/sports/keeping+Thrashers+Atlanta/4376113/story.html
To sum up, the Gazette is asking why the hell the NHL insists on keeping a team in Atlanta. They go on to ask the same question about the Islanders and Coyotes.
In simpler language, "Gary Bettman has as much sense as God gave a spatula."
http://www.montrealgazette.com/sports/keeping+Thrashers+Atlanta/4376113/story.html
To sum up, the Gazette is asking why the hell the NHL insists on keeping a team in Atlanta. They go on to ask the same question about the Islanders and Coyotes.
In simpler language, "Gary Bettman has as much sense as God gave a spatula."
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Snore
Is anyone who hasn't been living under a rock for the past 18 years surprised at the Canadiens' inactivity at the trade deadline? Did people REALLY expect they'd make a deal for Penner? Do these analysts know anything about the Habs?
That aside, who cares? The trade deadline has become a joke. If people want truly earth-shattering deals, they should lobby the NHL to move the deadline back to late March. THEN we'd see some blockbusters. Dallas doesn't want to trade Brad Richards because it's too early to tell if they'll make the playoffs or not.
Don't like the lack of deals? Blame the Salary Cap, which has made everyone more competitive, and made it harder to move players. Look at the Western Conference for Pete's sake. Eight little points separate the 4th-place from the 12th-place teams.
This is the era of teams tinkering with their lineups, hampered by the salary cap and playoff uncertainty.
So, whatever. We'll always have Free Agency.
That aside, who cares? The trade deadline has become a joke. If people want truly earth-shattering deals, they should lobby the NHL to move the deadline back to late March. THEN we'd see some blockbusters. Dallas doesn't want to trade Brad Richards because it's too early to tell if they'll make the playoffs or not.
Don't like the lack of deals? Blame the Salary Cap, which has made everyone more competitive, and made it harder to move players. Look at the Western Conference for Pete's sake. Eight little points separate the 4th-place from the 12th-place teams.
This is the era of teams tinkering with their lineups, hampered by the salary cap and playoff uncertainty.
So, whatever. We'll always have Free Agency.
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