The Montreal Canadiens and An Unexpected Rivalry

by Tyg

Forget the rivalry of the Habs and Penguins game I witnessed firsthand last Wednesday, January 12th.

For me the greatest rivalry I anticipated was my memories of the old Montreal Forum and how they would stand up against the newer, younger Bell Centre.

I had heard nothing but positive reviews about the Habs' new barn, from the roar of the crowd right down to the hot dogs. I even got beer reviews, although I don't drink beer.

But the Bell Centre was up against some serious competition.

When I was a child my father worked in upper management for a tire manufacturer that held corporate season tickets in the Forum. Some of my earliest and clearest memories are of watching games in that place.

I remember thinking how huge Larry Robinson appeared, and how delighted I was when opposing players struggled to get past him. I remember Guy Lafleur streaking up and down the ice, sans helmet, so fast I could barely keep up.

I remember the smell of the ice and how us fans were so madly in love with each and every one of the players. I remember the hard red seats that we barely touched our butts to anyway because we were too busy jumping up and screaming like lunatics fresh out of the asylum.

I remember my father laughing and smiling with me and my brother every time the Habs scored a goal. I remember the anticipation we felt whenever he suggested we take advantage of a Saturday night to drive from Sherbrooke into the city and grab some poutine before the game.

I remember how we took it for granted we could go pretty much whenever we wanted, and yet cherished it all at the same time.

How could the Bell Centre possibly compete against that? I feared being terribly disappointed.

Well now, we no longer have corporate season tickets. We don't even live in the same province anymore.

I got incredibly lucky with the Canadiens website seat sale in September, scoring fifth row Prestige seats. I left my mother and brother to duke it out as to who would accompany me on a 14 to 15 hour road trip each way, if you boot it and have at least two drivers.

My mother won.

There are moments she reminds me of Robinson, when she puts her foot down hard at her own imaginary blueline. My brother really didn't have much of a chance.

We started the day with a tour of the Bell Centre, which took about 20 minutes. If you haven't done so already I must highly recommend that you also take the tour.

My favorite part of all was, naturally, Jean Beliveau's inner sanctum.

He has his own personal seat that others immediately relinquish upon his entry. He has his flat screen TV hidden in a cabinet that pre-dates even the Forum, and somehow miraculously survived a fire.

There is a lot of history in this room and I got a bit teary eyed while I lingered as much as possible, snapping a ton of photos.

I saw the corporate suites which are ridiculously overpriced and all too often filled with pin-striped professionals who care nothing for the game, but instead use it as a backdrop to conduct some big money business.

I don't remember that ever going on in the old Forum.

My father had little patience for any co-worker who might have wanted to talk shop. We were there for the game, and any interloper would at best receive a casual wave off or at worst, a stern word or two about his or her timing.

I saw a photo of James Wisniewski outside one suite and learned that he spray paints the bottom of his stick white to better track the puck on the ice. I learned that before his portrait occupied that particular spot Maxim Lapierre's had held that honor.

I saw the plaques and portraits of the retired Canadiens' players, though there was precious little time to examine them all. I contented myself with reading Maurice Richard's, my brother's favorite player of all time, and took a couple of snaps for him to enjoy.

I sat in the reds and watched the cleaners prepare the ice and clean the glass around the boards. The banners of 24 Stanley Cup wins hung from the rafters, along with the retired jerseys.

I wondered when the Bell Centre would bring home its own banner instead of merely protecting the precious keepsakes of the team's old barn.

The group wandered up to the press gallery, suspended from the ceiling itself, and I envied Pat Hickey and Mike Boone's excellent view of the ice below.

Normally I'm afraid of heights but not this time. It felt warm and welcoming and safe.

This is also where injured players or healthy scratches sit during the games. Josh Gorges spends a lot of time here lately.

During the preseason, before the teams decide their season roster, the gallery gets crowded with rookies hoping to make the final cut. I could practically feel their excitement, their nervousness.

Once the doors opened that night we found our seats and watched the warm-ups with unabashed interest. Hal Gill sprawled out and stretching on the ice was a sight to behold.

I thought Larry was huge but Gill is just a mountain of a man. He also likes to talk to his teammates a lot.

It's not even that Gill is a terribly slow skater. It's that his fellow Habs are so much faster, along with most of the Penguins.

Lafleur was always fast too but by comparison the Habs today are supersonic.

The players from both teams were almost close enough to touch. Had the glass not been between us I might have tapped Mike Rupp on the shoulder and offered a hello.

The last of my row didn't fill in until a few minutes before puck drop. The crowd sang along to the American anthem and applauded politely, but their joy and pride for the Canadian anthem was unmistakable.

The two teams squared off and the referee dropped the puck. I watched the players in the bleu, blanc et rouge battle furiously for a tiny round piece of vulcanized rubber.

I smelled the ice. I jumped out of my seat on every rush. I felt the crowd's energy wash over me, and allowed it to pull me in and we all fed off each other.

And I was a child once again, swept up in the madness and exhilaration that comes with being a Montreal Canadiens hockey fan. My mother screamed and jumped and laughed along with the rest of us.

The Bell Centre can never surpass the memories of the games I watched at the Montreal Forum with my father and brother. But in all honesty it came awfully damned close.

Let's just call it a tie.

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Tyg used to frequent the Old Forum during her early childhood when he father held corporate season tickets, and she fell in love with Larry Robinson. So her lifelong obsession with the Habs is entirely his fault.

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Montreal Canadiens: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly - January 2011 Edition

by Tyg

I'm not sure if you know or not, but I wanted Brian Gionta as captain of my favorite hockey team, the Montreal Canadiens. I wrote a blog about it that even got recognized and a shout out from Habs Inside Out’s very own Mike Boone for crying out loud!

Yet after dropping another stink bomb of a game versus Tampa Bay, here’s what my genius pick for Habs captain observed: "Right now, we're a fragile team."

Buddy, right now I've got tougher Waterford crystal wine glasses than you lot. One goal-against during the Tampa Bay game and you crumpled like a trailer in a tornado.

Then yesterday afternoon Habs fans were treated to a Happy New Year courtesy of Les Boys. Not only did they win against the Florida Panthers, it was the manner in which they played that had me delighted, regardless of the outcome.

The boys played with passion, heart and hunger for the first time in a long time.

They looked a lot more like the team that had taken to the ice in October and November, and a lot less like the team that could barely bother to skate onto the ice for most of their recent road trip.

If only they were that passionate all the time, they might score more often!

OK enough with the funnies. Two games with two different results, so let’s talk some Habs hockey.


The Good

How can I not pick James Wisniewski here?

Even in the loss to the Bolts, Wizzer (as I like to call him) came to play. He spent the day in airports and cars trying to reach his new team, missed practice with them and actually had a valid excuse for phoning it in.

Instead he was one of their better players.

Wisniewski is a serious upgrade over most of the defense corps the Habs have been icing this year. He’s looking pretty solid defensively and has already made an impact offensively, scoring two goals and an assist during last night’s game against Florida.

This was a much needed deal to shore up the flailing back end by Pierre Gauthier.

In the short term, I think it will mean Yanick Weber heads back to Hamilton once Josh Gorges returns to duty. Personally I’d rather keep Weber and send Alexandre Picard down, but the Habs never listen to me about these things.

In the long term, I expect Montreal to try to keep Wisniewski at the end of this season, which will likely mean the end of Roman Hamrlik’s days in the bleu, blanc, rouge.


The Bad

There are a whole lot of choices to be had here but rather than go on and on I’m going to put down Jacques Martin’s system as my favorite target right now.

When the Habs take a lead, his defensive system tends to work better. Once they are down a couple of goals it becomes largely ineffective.

I really don’t understand the logic behind applying a trap system when down by three goals. What is it they’re trying to protect? Being embarrassed further?

It’s not working.

Martin’s system as it stands does not get adapted when the Habs are in trouble. Of course even though I wrote that, they came from behind last night to win against the Panthers.

It’s worth bearing in mind that two of last night’s three goals were scored on the power play, and all three were the result of some hard work by Wisniewski.

But unless Martin can get his forwards charging the net more often, parking themselves in the blue paint, and willing to take some punishment to score a few dirty goals, the Habs are going to continue to find it difficult to come from behind.

This team has offensive problems that are easily masked by a win, but get exposed pretty quickly when they’re behind the eight-ball. And Martin’s system is not helping correct that problem at all.


The Ugly

I don’t recognize this team.

Forget, if you can, their style of play and concentrate on their level of commitment and effort. It’s just not there. I haven’t really seen it since around mid-December and I’ve been griping about it ever since.

While workhorse Tomas Plekanec has had a bad game or two, other than him only Brian Gionta and Carey Price continue to bring their lunch pails to the rink every day. Pretty much everyone else on the team has been mailing it in during this road trip.

That just frosts me to no end.

Yes, I understand it’s the holidays, they don’t like being away from their families and the constant travel is hard on them but you know what? Suck it up.

This is neither unexpected nor new. This is status quo for the Canadiens this time of year. I do not consider it a valid excuse for some truly terrible on ice performances.

The Habs had two too many men on the ice penalties within a 45 second span during the game in Tampa Bay. I can’t remember seeing that before and I don’t ever care to see it again.

This is strong evidence of the total lack of focus, drive, desire and determination that got this team off to a great start at the beginning of the season.

The stupid penalties have gone into the realm of the ridiculous.

I now actually consider it a rousing success if the Habs aren’t giving up a late period goal or any five-on-three opportunities.

But when the team’s big accomplishment is to avoid being shut out, when Brian Gionta is dropping F-bombs, when Andrei Kostitsyn gets dropped to the third line and Travis Moen is on the top line, there are still some serious problems evident.

Last night the third was one of the Habs' best periods of hockey I have seen in awhile. There was a lot of passion and hunger, and were it not for the heroic efforts of Florida’s netminder Tomas Vokoun the game would would have been over long before it got to overtime.

I hope the boys remember this particular lesson going into the game against Atlanta on Sunday. I hope they remember not only how great it is to win, but also what kind of effort it takes to accomplish that.

The road trip is over and whatever little patience I had for the incessant list of excuses is now gone.

They’re home now, in front of their most ardent fans, and it’s time to pull up the socks and get back to work.

Nap time is over.

But maybe that's just me. What do you think is going well and what needs work?

Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images North America

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Tyg used to frequent the Old Forum during her early childhood when her father was a corporate season ticket holder. It was here she fell in love with Larry Robinson so her lifelong obsession with the Habs is entirely his fault.

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She Said: What Should the Habs Do to Fix the Second Line?

by Tyg

Although the Montreal Canadiens continue to hang out at the top of their division, there’s still a situation that remains unresolved as they get ready to face some pretty tough opponents in December. I’m talking about the glaring hole that’s still evident on the second line, which Head Coach Jacques Martin has thus far taken to filling with third and fourth line grinders.

While Scott Gomez’s play as the line’s centerman has left a lot to be desired, he is not entirely to blame for this line’s current ineffectiveness. Without a legitimate second winger, this line is very easy for opposing defenders to shut down.

Gomez is primarily a playmaker, and does not tally goals like first line pivot, Tomas Plekanec. With only one finisher available on his line to make plays, opposing teams need only pressure Gomez, cover the winger, and all but ignore the line’s grinder, who is hardly a scoring threat.

To their credit, the Habs have jumped off to a strong start this season despite what I perceive to be a noticeable disadvantage. However I’d like it fixed sooner than later, so here’s my usual attempt at playing armchair GM.

In making my own choice, I’d like to go over the options I see available to Pierre Gauthier and assess them independently.


Benoit Pouliot

Acquired in exchange for Guillaume Latendresse, Pouliot got off to a great start on a line with Gomez and Brian Gionta. He’s still young though, and with a coach like Martin his defensive play left a lot to be desired. He also seemed to lack consistent focus and effort as well, which directly hindered his production.

This season Martin has him playing wing on the third line instead, largely with Mathieu Darche and either Lars Eller or Jeff Halpern as the centerman. I’ve taken the Habs head coach to task over his handling of young players in the past, but this move has done nothing but benefit Pouliot.

Pouliot still has moments where he’s not as engaged or defensive as he should be, but they are more the exception than the rule now. Playing with two solid and determined veterans has rubbed off on Pouliot in a good way, and though he’s been playing a lot with Eller now as well, I’d still choose to leave Pouliot where he is unless I had no other choice.

Along with Eller, Pouliot also brings an added scoring threat to the Habs third line. Since this team usually has trouble scoring outside of the top two lines, I think that’s a strong bonus as well.


Lars Eller

Initially I wanted Eller on the second wing to start the year. It would have meant more minutes for the rookie, who has at times spent a lot of the game watching from the bench. Like Pouliot, he has the necessary skill set to be a second line winger. However it is hard to ignore Eller’s recent growth as a centerman.

He continues to flourish and gain confidence every game, to the point where’s he managed to pilfer Halpern’s wingers. I like the idea of Eller on the second line, but for now I’d leave him anchoring the third line just like Jacques Martin has chosen to do.

I’m not a big believer in tinkering with things that aren’t broken, and currently the third line isn’t broken.


Max Pacioretty

After playing 21 games with the Hamilton Bulldogs, Pacioretty currently has 11 goals and 14 assists for a sizzling 25 points. Of all the prospects the Habs currently have in their system, he is the call-up I would choose. But he would still be my second choice to fill the slot.

Regardless of whether or not it was overblown in the press, Pacioretty did state that he would prefer to play the season in Hamilton rather than be relegated to third or fourth line ice time in Montreal. And with a cautious and defense-first coach like Jacques Martin, I just don’t see him getting this slot.

I think the only way this kid gets called up is if Yannick Weber is sent back down, Pouliot is elevated to the second line, and Pacioretty becomes the third line’s new winger. And I really only expect that to happen if Andrei Markov is not gone for the season, and the Habs remain tight against the cap.


Trade

This is really only going to happen if Andrei Markov is out for the rest of the year and his salary comes off of the cap. It would mean about six million dollars with which Pierre Gauthier could not only shop for a much needed winger, but also a defenseman to help shore up the blueline.

I do think that in assessing which forward is possible, it’s important to point out that I believe precedence will be given to acquiring a defenseman, and for this I’ve heard names like Tomas Kaberle or Kevin Bieksa thrown around. While I’m not adverse to either suggestion, they both represent a large chunk of the available cap space.

That would naturally limit which forward Gauthier could realistically trade prospects or picks for, and still afford. It’s hard for me to drop a name regardless. We’re nowhere near close to the trade deadline, and there’s no telling how much money Gauthier will choose to spend on a forward.

Still, I do think this is the option I would choose to pursue, rather than break apart the first or third lines again or continue to use a third or fourth liner. I’d probably trade for a defender who can routinely relieve Roman Hamrlik or Jaroslav Spacek, and then spend what I have left on a legitimate winger.

I could go on and on about which forward I would choose and why, but really it would just be a guess based on internet gossip and personal preference. Absolutely essential on my shopping list though are size, speed, skill and net presence.

So which option would you choose? Would you choose to use Pouliot or Eller? Would you call up Pacioretty or a different prospect to plug the hole? Or would you choose to make a trade also?


Read the He Said counter point.

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Tyg used to frequent the old Forum during her early childhood when her father was a corporate season ticket holder, where she fell in love with Larry Robinson, so her lifelong obsession with the Habs is entirely his fault.

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Montreal Canadiens: The Power of Positive Thinking

by Tyg

Being a typical Habs fan, I know full well there are often times when I’m overly critical of my team. For me, nitpicking is sometimes half the fun and there’s usually enough company to keep me entertained.

But this is not going to be one of those types of posts.

Remember my wish list prior to the start of the season? I know it’s only early days yet, but I’d like to just revisit some points on that list if I may because several of those are pretty much why I’m feeling quite positive about my team right now.


Scoring

My initial wish was better 5-on-5 scoring. So far the Canadiens have only one power play goal, courtesy of Josh Gorges during the Buffalo game on Friday night. In order to take three of the five games they’ve won so far, the Habs have learned how to score without the man advantage.

Last year they were near the bottom of the heap in this category. I’m not liking that the power play has issues right now, but I do like it an awful lot that we’re no longer suddenly living or dying by it.


Shot Totals

My second wish, which tied directly in with the first, was shot count. I said that in order to improve their 5-on-5 tally, the Habs would have to start outshooting their opponents, something they rarely did last year.

Not only has Montreal outshot their opponents in four of their last five outings, they’ve also taken steps to lower shots at their own net. In stark contrast, last season it was pretty much commonplace for Carey Price or Jaroslav Halak to get shelled—each netminder regularly facing well over 30 shots.

When the team is in the defensive zone lately they look a lot like they did during the playoffs, with almost all of his on-ice teammates surrounding the net to help Price out. Ottawa was limited to a mere 19 shots at the Habs net last night, and the night before Buffalo only managed 23.

This is an encouraging and swift change from the 38 shots the Penguins took against them only a few nights before. While they’ve dropped two games despite the counts, it’s awfully encouraging to see the Habs make a concerted effort to work on this area that clearly needed improvement.


Balance

In citing balance, I pointed out that this team needed to have more contribution from the rest of the lineup and not rely solely on its top two lines to win all the games.

Already there have been key offensive contributions from Maxim Lapierre, Dustin Boyd, Josh Gorges, Alex Picard and Jeff Halpern. While a lot of criticism has been leveled at the second line for its slow start, I’m not seeing a whole lot of praise for the offensive depth the team seems to have found.

It’s a promising start, and one that makes me think this team might be more dangerous offensively this year than a lot of people have predicted, including me.


Chemistry

This is something I’ve touched on more than once, largely with regards to Scott Gomez – Brian Gionta, and more recently with the Tomas Plekanec – Michael Cammalleri duos, but there’s no denying that Andrei Kostitsyn has also managed to find a touch of the magic along with his linemates this season.

Whether due to injury or lack of effort he was largely ineffective in the latter half of last season. This season his hard work and effort seems to have allowed him to tap into the chemistry flowing between Plekanec and Cammalleri, and as a result that entire line is quickly becoming outright lethal.

The bottom two lines also seem to have found a nice flow, and if Jacques Martin ever stops shuffling left wingers around the second line, there’s reason to believe the Gomez – Gionta magic will resurrect itself there as well.

Last year after letting in two goals on two shots the Habs would have likely folded or panicked. This time they worked hard, kept their focus, played smart and determined hockey, and came away with a win against a Senators team that ran roughshod over them all last season.

Overall I like a lot of what I’m seeing on the ice from the Canadiens right now. There’s a steady improvement beginning to show, a direct result of hard work and collective effort among team mates who have tapped into their identity, their unity, and some leadership.

I saw glimpses of this fighting team spirit and passion last season, and got a good look at it during the playoffs.

This season I’m hoping to take it for granted.

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Tyg used to frequent the old Forum during her early childhood when her father was a corporate season ticket holder, where she fell in love with Larry Robinson, so her lifelong obsession with the Habs is entirely his fault.

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To Take Up Our Quarrel with the Foe...

by Span

Now that Montreal has had another iron spike dropped in the corner of the semi-finals coffin by the Flyers, does any of it matter at all? Is the Montreal Canadiens 2010 NHL Playoff season really about carrying themselves to the end of Stanley Cup finals and winning? Or is it about something more than just the win?

I hate hockey...not exactly.

I've never understood it; thirty years ago I would watch the games with my father and his friends on CBC...it was Hockey Night in Canada then, and it's Hockey Night in Canada now--just no Dick Irving, and no Peter Puck. There was always some kind of mania that would take over the living room when the Canadiens would play, a fever and a buzz that I just didn't get.

I'd never been big into sports unless you counted reading, Lego, or daydreaming as ones, in which case I lead the national team with records that have held to this day. For some reason hockey never clicked with me. As I grew older I threw myself in to Football (European), some Cricket, and I even made the school track team. Attending British private school for three years neither drew me closer to Canada nor to the national pass-time.

When the family finally moved back to Montreal in 1983 I was emotionally caught in a weird purgatory of citizenship: I didn't know enough about the UK to be English, and didn't know enough about Canada to be Canadian. But still I knew that landing back in Montreal the one thing that I remembered was hockey, and the love of hockey that poured out each and every time we sat in front down in our living room to watch the game. Back then Hockey was a winter sport and summers were meant for swimming and outdoor recreational activities (in my case reading on the porch). Into the month of June you just weren't worried who would win the cup...

In '93 I was there. In a crappy bar my brother, cousin and I watched the Habs claim the glory and the cup. We poured into the streets like everyone else and watched as the mania turned Montreal into a low brow city continuing the tradition of hockey riots. I saw it start; I felt the mania; and I got hit by a police baton--which (by the way) hurts like nothing you've felt before. And I think that's when it all changed for me. That's when I started to get it.

To be honest I still can't tell you the names of all the players that winning year...of course I know that Roy was our upstart star. But since then the Habs have been a low buzz in the back of my mind never once reminding me of that buzz. I followed some of the games, I followed year after year as we tried to win, and live up that incredible legacy that no offspring would want to have on their shoulders. But even for the fans the weight is too heavy, the legacy too great, the emotions too high, and the expectation too much...

That's the mania.

Since Sid The Kid's golden goal in the Olympics I'm back in the game. We all are. From that moment on we proved that hockey was our game, in our country meant to be played and won by Canadians. When our Canadians became Canadiens sending Sid--a fellow Canadian playing for the "other" side--to an early golf season our hearts beat stronger and together. All boundaries transcended for those few minutes we stood and sang to the MSO's instrumental version of O Canada in our living rooms. We are proud of our team, proud of ourselves, and proud that they are now the next Team Canada. Holding together Canada's Olympic pride, the dream of a 25th cup, the institution of a 100 year history even if it is only for a few more days.

Too heavy. Too historic. Too emotional. Too much? You bet.

I hate hockey...not really.

I mostly hate what it's come to do to me and I hate the rioting. That mania that engulfs me makes me want to jeer the home team on home ice, yet do everything I can to support their chance at winning. THAT contradiction is why it's so hard this year to be Canadian and a Canadiens addict.

Eighth seed team takes out the first seed team.

Eighth seed team takes out the reigning Stanley Cup champions.

We've taken up our quarrel with the foe, so do we really need to do more, or is that enough of a tribute to the ninety-nine teams that came before this one?

I think so. They got me passionate about a sport for which I'd never cared much.

This year especially I believe it's less about winning, and more about everyone acknowledging that no matter what they do from here on out, this year--the centennial year--the team has done all it can to hold that torch up on high.

Of course it's always nice when we win too.

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SPAN is a burgeoning Montreal Canadiens fan who owes his new found passion for hockey, and the Habs to the 2010 Canadian Olympic Team, Peter Puck, and his father. Go Habs Go!

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