As many of you may know, HabsAddict and The Franchise hosted a Hockey Party in Montreal this past weekend. Gary Whittaker and Nick Murdocco from TSN 990, our very own Kamal Panesar and former Hab Chris Nilan were amongst the many personalities and fans present at this great event.
Not only was it for a great cause, Team In Training, but it was also a blast to have so many puckheads in one room.
With the rapid progress of technology, it has become increasingly easy to work solely behind bright screens in distant locales. Being able to meet so many insightful individuals and put a face to the many of the names that have become commonplace in the Habs blogosphere was a great pleasure.
Be sure to check out the pictures from the event on our Facebook page and, if you were not there, come have a beer with us next time.
A Few Random Musings
- The Canadiens deserved most of the penalties they took on Saturday night, but being shorthanded more than twice as much as the Rangers was a bit overkill, wasn't it?
- One of the penalties that was a tad perplexing was P.K Subban's unsportsmanlike penalty for giving Henrik Lundqvist a snow shower. No doubt, the gesture was intentional. But, honestly, how often do we see referees hand out a penalty for snowing the netminder? And, after giving the Rangers eight powerplays already, it seems like they could have used a bit more discernment on that one. I'm sure P.K Subban was not being targeted by the officials. Of course not.
- Even with the tremendous gap in powerplay time, the Canadiens and Rangers finished tied at 28 shots a piece. It is always hard to swallow a loss and the lack of discipline was disheartening, but that kind of defensive effort is something that should make the coach smile.
- After winning four of the last five games without Scott Gomez, it is legitimate to question what his role will be upon his return, which seems closer by the day. Living in reality tells us that he will not be sent to Hamilton. If the team continues to be successful, do you make him a healthy scratch? Do you move a current centre to the wing? Or, with Plekanec, Eller and Desharnais performing admirably, do you shift Gomez to the wing?
- Gomez on the wing seems like a decent option. He could exploit his speed and not have as much defensive responsibility as he would as a pivot. Early on in Montreal, Gomez was one of the team's better defensive forwards and was given important responsibilities in that regard, namely considerable time on the penalty kill. Since then, however, his defensive acumen has slipped considerably. Perhaps a move to the wing would permit him to solely focus on finding his offensive groove.
- What do you think? Excluding demotion or trade, how would you handle Gomer's return?
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Louis is an Associate Editor at HabsAddict.com and an Editor at HabsWorld.net. Louis was born in Chicago but grew up in Quebec City where he earned Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Université Laval. He currently lives in Ottawa and works for the Coaching Association of Canada. He can be reached at l.moustakas@habsworld.net
