Habs' Scrimmage Fun For All, Final Cuts Made, More..

T.G.I.F. HabsAddicts!!!!

On Thursday night, the Montreal Canadiens held an open scrimmage at the Bell Centre for fans to watch for free. The Habs also gave fans a complementary hot-dog, bag of chips and a soft drink.

Although many expected a capacity crowd and people to be turned away, the brisk January weather left 4000+ seats empty. Some say it's a way for the fans to show their displeasure because of the lockout, but that's just hogwash.

As the Canadiens got on the ice for a ten minute pre-game warmup, the fans stood and cheered their heroes. As the game began, there was renewed excitement in the air because NHL hockey was back, and this was the first, of what some assume to be many, promotions the Habs have in store for their faithful partisanship.

The game wasn't anything to write home about. After two 2- minute periods, the twine only bulged six times, as Max Pacioretty, Michael Bournival and Brendan Gallagher scored for Team White, while Rene Bourque scored on a beautiful backhand, and Tomas Kaberle wristed out on the power play for Team Red.

The 20-rounds shootout saw goals two goals aside but ended when Brandon Prust showed the fans how tired he was, by flipping the puck into goaltender Peter Budaj's mid-section and then pushing him into the net. Prust, a newcomer to the Habs, scored brownie points with the fans and his teammates with his antics.

Habs and Hockey News and Notes:

- Seven players were sent back to Hamilton this morning by the Canadiens, as they trim the fat to get to the league maximum 23-man roster for the beginning of the season. The players sent down were:
Louis Leblanc, Brendan Gallagher, Mike Commodore, Frederic St-Denis, Jarred Tinordi, Gabriel Dumont and Patrick Holland.

- Scott Gomez was officially bought out by the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday, making him an unrestricted free agent. Some believe there won't be much interest in the 2-time Stanley Cup champ, but ESPN jumped the gun when they added Gomez's name to the New Jersey Devils roster on their website. Wishful thinking or stupidity? You decide.

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Subban Unsigned, Pacioretty A Beast, Three Stars Of The Lockout And More...

Good Morning Addicts!



P.K. Subban remains unsigned with one week left until the
start of the season.

It feels good to know that I'm about to post some links about hockey! No more of this lockout nonsense, I have to say it feels just about as good as I thought it would.
It's no surprise really that as soon as the two sides came to a long awaited tentative agreement all the focus in Montreal was shifted towards P.K. Subban. With the season just one week away, nobody in this hockey deprived city wants to see the Habs host the Leafs next Saturday without Subban on the roster.

Subban's agent Don Meehan shot down reports that his client was on the verge of signing a four year $22.5 million contract. whterer otr not it's true I would be surprised if we had to wait too much longer without having the star defenseman inked to a new deal. Signing #76 is no doubt one of - if not THE - top priority right now for GM Marc Bergevin.

The question isn't "Should Bergevin sign Subban?", it's "For how long and how much?".

If the rumors of his four year $22.5 million deal are accurate I wouldn't be too opposed to it. Subban has been steadily improving his defensive game and has shown how much offensive upside he brings to the team. However, with the cap dropping significantly as of next season I would prefer something along the lines of $4-$4.5 million for a two to four year deal. If Subban is to earn something close to the $5 million range I would want to see a longer term.

Four years would also bring Subban straight to free agency and so I would expect to see him sign for slightly less than rumored for close to two years or maybe a longer deal at the price that is floating around the rumor mills.

Habs And Hockey News

- Veteran defenseman Mike Commodore who has been playing with the Hamilton Bulldogs has been invited to the Habs training camp.

- Andrew Berkshire provides his final review of Habs overseas and includes his three stars of the lockout.

- As Dave Stubbs reports, Max Pacioretty took some time to become some sort of beast during the lockout.

- Brian Burke says he was stunned by his firing which happened just after the end of the lockout.

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Mike Commodore Invited to Training Camp

Well friends, I’m back.  I would ask if you missed me but I think I already know the answer. 

Before I even begin to allow my thoughts to flow I find it necessary to apologize to you all. During the initial days of this lockout I told myself that I would have plenty of things to say and that my plan for a weekly blog would be met. 

Unfortunately this plan never came to fruition and after a couple of weeks, my heart was just not into it.  My hatred towards the process was all that I could muster and I found myself with general disinterest towards the league and players.

But all is well now. After spending 4 months longer than normal as a father and a husband I am about to re-embark, assuming that is even a word, on my faith to the NHL and my beloved Habs.

Here is hoping to at least a decade without bickering between the NHL and NHLPA and here is hoping to a prosperous league.

And so,

It has been a whirlwind 72 hours for me since the announcement that the NHL and the NHLPA has come to an agreement. 

Between my hundreds of Tweets on Twitter (@BryanWilley78),the re-activation of my RDS-HD, the organization of 3 Fantasy Pools, the clearing up of my PVR for game time and of course the dusting off of my Habs memorabilia which was painstakingly locked away; I have been a busy man. 

None the less, this process has been nothing but pleasant.  It is so refreshing to talk NHL hockey again but the pinnacle of my excitement was the announcement today that Mike Commodore will be invited to the Montreal Canadiens training camp.

Ok take a moment; I will wait for the laughter to seize before I proceed.

Seriously though, if you have been following me since I was first invited to HabsAddict.com you’ll likely recognize the fact that when it comes to hockey, I like my players rough and gritty. 

I obviously cheer for the stars like Tomas Plekanec,Vincent Damphousse or Andrei Markov but my favorite players have always been the likes of players like Scott Thornton or Ryan White.   

When it comes to Mike Commodore specifically, I admit that I have a soft spot for the guy. Sure much of it has to do with the fact that he and I have had some conversations on Twitter or perhaps it has to do with the images of him talking to the media in his torn up bathrobe, his lion main like hair flowing in the wind while on his Stanley Cup run with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006.

In all seriousness though, we need a guy like Commodore.

I know that Commodore is getting older.  I know that he has lost a step and as a result has bounced around with a few teams over the past few seasons. 

What differs in this situation is that in Montreal,Commodore would be nothing more than a depth d-man.  A player to call upon against physical teams or when the team is plagued with injuries.

A player who at 33 years of age can sit for six or seven games in a row without management having to worry about his development or playing time.

Furthermore, think about our roster for a second. 

Here are the eight defensemen penciled onto the roster for the balance of the 2013 season; Andrei Markov, P.K. Subban, Josh Gorges, Alexei Emelin, Raphael Diaz, Yannick Weber, Francis Boullion and Tomas Kaberle. 

Of these eight players, five of them are 6’0 or smaller and apart from Alexei Emelin and perhaps Gorges or Subban none of them have the size/strength to deny the opposition from the front of the net.

Our D-core is one dimensional.  They are small and offensive minded who struggle in the defensive zone and who lack the ability to contain the opposition one on one. 

Management took a big step which they decided that playing guys like Mathieu Darche or Tom Pyatt on the fourth line was not a productive game plan yet nothing has been done to alter the plan on defense.

It is time to get rid of our one-dimensional style of play and implement players of different abilities or skill sets and right now we need a veteran D-man with the ability to clear the net and drop the gloves.

This is one fan hoping that Mike Commodore is that guy.

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Five Habs Questions, Scott Gomez, Mike Commodore, More

Good AM hockey fans.

Unusually for a lockout Friday, we have quite a bit of Habs related content and news to share this morning.

Our Kamal Panesar looks at how the lockout might impact Scott Gomez and the rest of the team, while Sean Lloyd looks at five questions left unanswered by the lockout.

To boot, we actually even have a signing to speak of, with former NHL defenseman Mike Commodore signing a tryout with the Hamilton Bulldogs.

What do you think of that move?

Habs and Hockey News

- Roman Hamrlik and Erik Cole got into a bit of a long-distance verbal exchange over the lockout this week. Hamrlik recently expressed concern over the lingering lockout as well as the time and money lost.

- Geoff Molson spoke out about recent events this week.

- Blake Geoffrion has been cleared to return home.

- Former Habs netminder Jaroslav Halak is headed for Germany.

- Adam Proteau and Stu Hackel both look at how NHL-NHLPA talks are headed nowhere yet again. Meanwhile, TSN's Bob McKenzie contemplates the possibility of union decertification. What you say? Yeah, he explains it.

(Photo Source: Victor Decolongon/Getty Images North America)

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