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Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Montreal Canadiens TV Schedule for the 2014-15 Season

8:39 PM Fred Poulin No comments

That is official, Habs fans will be able to watch every minute of every game for the next three seasons as Sportsnet announced yesterday that it has reached a three-year broadcast rights agreement with the Montreal Canadiens, becoming the official English-language regional television rights holder.

This new agreement begins this season and will include 42 regional games. When this new agreement is combined with the national package that includes the remaining 40 games, the NHL on Sportsnet will deliver all 82 games of the regular season to Canadiens fans across nine channels. This new deal, which ends after the 2016-17 season, will make Sportsnet the exclusive Canadian English-language broadcaster of the Bleu Blanc Rouge. So goodbye TSN!

You can see the complete schedule below:
October
Wednesday, Oct. 8, Montreal @ Toronto, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (National – Sportsnet)
Thursday, Oct. 9, Montreal @ Washington, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (National – Sportsnet 360) Saturday, Oct. 11, Montreal @ Philadelphia, 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT (National – City)
Monday, Oct. 13, Montreal @ Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. ET (Regional – City Montreal)
Thursday, Oct. 16, Boston @ Montreal, 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT (National – Sportsnet 360)
Saturday, Oct. 18, Colorado @ Montreal, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (National – City)
Tuesday, Oct. 21, Detroit @ Montreal, 7:30 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Saturday, Oct. 25, New York Rangers @ Montreal, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (National – City)
Monday, Oct. 27, Montreal @ Edmonton, 9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT (National – Sportsnet ONE)
Tuesday, Oct. 28, Montreal @ Calgary, 9 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Thursday, Oct. 30, Montreal @ Vancouver, 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT (National – Sportsnet 360)

November
Sunday, Nov. 2, Calgary @ Montreal, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (National – City)
Tuesday, Nov. 4, Chicago @ Montreal, 7:30 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Wednesday, Nov. 5, Montreal @ Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT (National – Sportsnet) Saturday, Nov. 8, Minnesota @ Montreal, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (National – City)
Tuesday, Nov. 11, Winnipeg @ Montreal, 7:30 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Thursday, Nov. 13, Boston @ Montreal, 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT (National – Sportsnet 360)
Saturday, Nov. 15, Philadelphia @ Montreal, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (National – Hockey Night in Canada)
Sunday, Nov. 16, Montreal @ Detroit, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (National – City)
Tuesday, Nov. 18, Pittsburgh @ Montreal, 7:30 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Thursday, Nov. 20, St. Louis @ Montreal, 7:30 p.m. ET (Regional – City Montreal)
Saturday, Nov. 22, Montreal @ Boston, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (National – Hockey Night in Canada)
Sunday, Nov. 23, Montreal @ New York Rangers, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (National – City)
Friday, Nov. 28, Montreal @ Buffalo, 7 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Saturday, Nov. 29, Buffalo @ Montreal, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (National – Hockey Night in Canada)

December
Monday, Dec. 1, Montreal @ Colorado, 9 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Wednesday, Dec. 3, Montreal @ Minnesota, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (National – Sportsnet)
Friday, Dec. 5, Montreal @ Chicago, 8:30 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Saturday, Dec. 6, Montreal @ Dallas, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (National – Hockey Night in Canada) Tuesday, Dec. 9, Vancouver @ Montreal, 7:30 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Friday, Dec. 12, Los Angeles @ Montreal, 7:30 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Tuesday, Dec. 16, Carolina @ Montreal, 7:30 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Thursday, Dec. 18, Anaheim @ Montreal, 7:30 p.m. ET (Regional – City Montreal)
Saturday, Dec. 20, Ottawa @ Montreal, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (National – Hockey Night in Canada)
Tuesday, Dec. 23, Montreal @ New York Islanders, 7 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East) Monday, Dec. 29, Montreal @ Carolina, 7 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Tuesday, Dec. 30, Montreal @ Florida, 7:30 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)

January
Friday, Jan. 2, Montreal @ New Jersey, 7 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Saturday, Jan. 3, Montreal @ Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (National – Hockey Night in Canada)
Tuesday, Jan. 6, Tampa Bay @ Montreal, 7:30 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Saturday, Jan. 10, Pittsburgh @ Montreal, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (National – Hockey Night in Canada)
Wednesday, Jan. 14, Montreal @ Columbus, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (National – Sportsnet) Thursday, Jan. 15, Montreal @ Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Saturday, Jan. 17, New York Islanders @ Montreal, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (National – Hockey Night in Canada)
Tuesday, Jan. 20, Nashville @ Montreal, 7:30 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Tuesday, Jan. 27, Dallas @ Montreal, 7:30 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Thursday, Jan. 29, Montreal @ New York Rangers, 7 p.m. ET(Regional – Sportsnet East) Saturday, Jan. 31, Washington @ Montreal, 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT (National – Sportsnet)

February
Sunday, Feb. 1, Arizona @ Montreal, 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT (National – City) Tuesday, Feb. 3, Buffalo @ Montreal, 7:30 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Saturday, Feb. 7, New Jersey @ Montreal, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (National – Hockey Night in Canada)
Sunday, Feb. 8, Montreal @ Boston, 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT (National – Sportsnet)
Tuesday, Feb. 10, Philadelphia @ Montreal, 7:30 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Thursday, Feb. 12, Edmonton @ Montreal, 7:30 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Saturday, Feb. 14, Toronto @ Montreal, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (National – Hockey Night in Canada)
Monday, Feb. 16, Montreal @ Detroit, 7:30 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Wednesday, Feb. 18, Montreal @ Ottawa, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (National – Sportsnet)
Thursday, Feb. 19, Florida @ Montreal, 7:30 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Saturday, Feb. 21, Columbus @ Montreal, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (National – Hockey Night in Canada)
Tuesday, Feb. 24, Montreal @ St. Louis, 8 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Thursday, Feb. 26, Montreal @ Columbus, 7 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Saturday, Feb. 28, Toronto @ Montreal, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (National – Hockey Night in Canada)

March
Monday, March 2, Montreal @ San Jose, 10 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Wednesday, March 4, Montreal @ Anaheim, 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT (National – Sportsnet) Thursday, March 5, Montreal @ Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East) Saturday, March 7, Montreal @ Arizona, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (National – Hockey Night in Canada)
Tuesday, March 10, Tampa Bay @ Montreal, 7:30 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Thursday, March 12, Ottawa @ Montreal, 7:30 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Saturday, March 14, Montreal @ New York Islanders, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (National – Hockey Night in Canada)
Monday, March 16, Montreal @ Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Tuesday, March 17, Montreal @ Florida, 7:30 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Thursday, March 19, Carolina @ Montreal, 7:30 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Saturday, March 21, San Jose @ Montreal, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (National – Hockey Night in Canada)
Tuesday, March 24, Montreal @ Nashville, 8 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Thursday, March 26, Montreal @ Winnipeg, 8 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Saturday, March 28, Florida @ Montreal, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (National – Hockey Night in Canada)
Monday, March 30, Tampa Bay @ Montreal, 7:30 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)

April
Thursday, April 2, Washington @ Montreal, 7:30 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Friday, April 3, Montreal @ New Jersey, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (National – Sportsnet)
Sunday, April 5, Montreal @ Florida, 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT (National – Sportsnet)
Thursday, April 9, Detroit @ Montreal, 7:30 p.m. ET (Regional – Sportsnet East)
Saturday, April 11, Montreal @ Toronto, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (National – Hockey Night in Canada)

This means that the Canadiens’ 82-game season breaks down as follows:
39 regional games on Sportsnet East
3 regional games on City Montreal
10 national games on Sportsnet East/Ontario/West/Pacific
8 national games on City Montreal
4 national games on Sportsnet 360
1 national game on Sportsnet One
17 national games on Hockey Night in Canada, channels TBA

Also, Mark Messier and Rogers promise fewer blackout restrictions on NHL GameCentre Live.

Pour ce qui est du calendrier en français, les matchs seront présentés sur deux chaînes à partir de la prochaine saison. RDS conserve les droits régionaux du Canadien et présentera ainsi 60 matchs de la Sainte-Flanelle. De son côté, TVA Sports aura le plaisir de vous présenter les 22 matchs restants, ainsi que tous les matchs des séries éliminatoires.

Le match d'ouvertue et les matchs du samedi soir seront présentés sur TVA Sports, tandis que la grande majorité des matchs en semaine seront diffusés sur RDS.

Vous trouvez le calendrier complet des matchs du Bleu Blanc Rouge ici sur toutes les chaînes, que vous souhaitiez regarder la partie en français ou en anglais. De plus, tous les matchs pré-saison seront diffusés sur RDS, ce qui est une bonne nouvelle pour les mordus du Tricolore! Voici l'horaire de ces sept matchs. (Pre-season schedule on RDS (in French).

You can also get a downloadable calendar here, if you are already mixed up and dizzy after reading the above. Pour la version française des calendriers téléchargeables, cliquez ici.

Enjoy your 2014-15 season!/Profitez de votre saison 2014-2015!

Follow me on Twitter @FredPoulin98

Habs Get a New Psychologist, NHL Games Cancelled, Hockey on TV, More

10:47 AM Louis Moustakas No comments

Good AM hockey fans!

As you probably, long time sports psychologist and RDS commentator Sylvain Guimond has been hired by the Montreal Canadiens to replace David Scott.

Honestly, it's nice to start a text with real news as opposed to the usual lockout mumbo-jumbo.

Speaking of psychology, Alan Bass at HockeyBuzz offers some cool insight on the consequences of over-instruction. Honestly, this guy has become one of my favorite bloggers at HB. His pieces make you see the game in a different light.

Habs and Hockey News

- It is official, but not surprising. The first two weeks of the NHL regular season have been cancelled.

- Scott Burnside argues that the players must make some concessions for the sake of the game. Conversely, Stu Hackel looks at how ownership blunders have led the game down this road.

- RDS will air games from La Tournée des Joueurs, which features Josh Gorges, Brian Gionta and Lars Eller, amongst others.

- Sportsnet and TVASports will air games from the American Hockey League.

- Ryan Kennedy of THN wonders if replacement players are an option. I certainly don't think so. There are so many replacement leagues — CHL, AHL, KHL, Europe — it is hard to imagine where worthwhile talent would come form.

Montreal Canadiens Plus/Minus: Size and Trading P.K Subban

9:58 AM Louis Moustakas 20 comments

P.K. Subban - Montreal Canadiens v Philadelphia Flyers

Did you hear?

Mike Cammalleri got traded to... oh wait, everyone knows that already.

Perhaps its time to talk about something else then.

Moving away from the Habs' most recent transaction, this week's edition of Plus/Minus looks at the Canadiens new found size and notion of trading P.K Subban.

Plus:

Size on wings: It seems that, for the first time in almost a decade, the Canadiens have size on the wings. Size across all four lines.

Erik Cole and Max Pacioretty are hard charging, big men lighting it up on the Habs first line.

Rene Bourque and Andrei Kostitsyn, while streaky, are large, imposing players able to score 25 goals a year and deliver the occasional solid check.

Travis Moen is an experienced grinder with Stanley Cup experience who is unafraid to drop the gloves.

Michael Blunden has great speed and zeal, giving the squad's bottom-six a crash-and-bang element it lacked earlier this season.

The Canadiens' campaign has certainly not gone according to plan, but at the very least they seem to be building an identity as a bigger, tougher to play against group.

Minus:

Trading P.K: Many media and analysts, namely those on l'Antichambre, seem like they would seriously consider moving P.K Subban?

Why?

Part of the right package for an impact player, it is natural for the Canadiens to consider moving P.K Subban. Even then, it would seem foolhardy for the Habs to move their most talented player.

Over the years, Montreal has lost blueliners by the dozen.

Stephane Robidas, Ron Hainsey, Mike Komisarek, Mark Streit, Sheldon Souray, Francois Beauchemin and Ryan McDonagh all ply their trade elsehwere now and most of them are impact players on their respective team.

Moreover, most of the above were lost in the early stages of their careers. For various reasons, the organization was either unwilling or unable to invest time, or money, into them.

But now, some appear gun-ho about moving P.K Subban. Because he is overzealous? Because he takes to many chances? Because he lacks patience?

Wow, I am sure he is the first offensive-minded defenceman to have those flaws.

Honestly, this minus extends all the way to those who are in such a hurry to move Yannick Weber as well. He is 23 years old, not 32.

Let's learn from the organization's past mistakes. The Habs have lost enough highly competent defenders over the last ten years.

Let's give these players time to develop.

---
Louis is an Associate Editor at HabsAddict.com and an Editor at HabsWorld.net. Born in Chicago, Louis grew up in Quebec City where he earned Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Université Laval.

He currently resides in Ottawa and works for the Coaching Association of Canada. Find him on twitter @LouisMoustakas

(Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

Montreal Canadiens in Chaos, Need Leadership at the Top

11:15 AM Unknown 17 comments

As I sit looking out the window at the ice covered winter scene, I am reminded of the Montreal Canadiens.

The washed out, grey sky and the glistening frozen-tundra-look of the trees is akin to the frozen wasteland the Canadiens have become. And just like the weather that announces snow over the next day or so, the immediate future looks decidedly frosty for the Habs.

I can honestly say that, in the 35-plus years of watching this team, I have never seen the organization in more turmoil.

Sure they've had their share of drama like when Patrick Roy was traded, the Mike Milbury-like Rejean Houle years and even the Bob Gainey rebuild of 2009.

But none provoked as much angst and frustration from the Habs fanbase as their current situation.

Politics not sport

So this morning, as I read about a protest of the Canadiens being organized by the Quebec and Montreal French Movements, and I hear politicians getting up on their soapboxes to slay the evil anglo demon known as Randy Cunneyworth, I can't help but feel sick to my stomach.

This is not hockey. This is not the Montreal Canadiens. This is politics, pure and simple.

It's an opportunity for some in the media to advance their personal agendas. It's an opportunity for politicians to jump on a bandwagon in order to gain votes and trumpet a dead and dying cause.

But more importantly, it's an opportunity for the strong xenophobic current that lies dormant in Quebec culture to rear it's ugly head.

Maybe it's just fear, as my HabsAddict.com colleague, Louis Moustakas wrote (en Français).

Whatever it is, I won't get into the details of the language debate. Enough people have already hashed and rehashed them. But I will say that as a born and raised Montreal Allophone who used to be married to a French-Canadian woman, I truly understand both sides of the debate.

And my one wish would be that there was a little more moderation on both sides. If each took one step toward the other, perhaps a reasonable understanding could be reached.

For those who say that it should be the best coach, no matter what, and that language has no bearing on anything, I ask, do you have no knowledge of Quebec history?

Do you not understand the roots of this team and the repression French-Canadians used to suffer in this province?

And for those who say it must be a French or French-speaking coach, no matter what. That winning is secondary to protecting the French language, I say, do you not want another Stanley Cup in Montreal? Would you not be happy with a championship team, regardless of who is running the ship?

I would also ask why do we have to be stuck in the past? Why do a people need to be stuck in the mentality of a movement whose roots took ground 60 years ago?

It is not better to move forward towards the future rather than living in the past?

But I'm not here to discuss this current sports battle turned politics. I am here to show how when a team is falling apart, as the Canadiens certainly are, the vultures come out in full force.

And that is exactly what is happening right now.

We've heard the refrain "winning cures all" this week and, when it comes to the Habs, that has never been more true.

And I'm not talking about short term winning, since this year looks like a write-off, but winning on a perennial basis. Becoming a Stanley Cup contender again. Having an on-ice product that is both entertaining and successful.

Those are the key ingredients that have been missing from this team since they last won the Cup in 1993.

It starts at the top

If you haven't yet read Bertrand Raymond's brilliant piece about Gauthier and the current language problem, do yourself a favour and check it out.

Sorry my anglo readers, it's in French. :-)

In short, Raymond explains how the seeds for the Canadiens current mess were sown when then Habs President, Ronald Corey, fired GM Serge Savard and brought in Rejean Houle.

He says that the organization has had poor drafting, terrible trades and a coaching carrousel since then.

Hard to argue with any of that and Mr. Raymond basically nails the descent of this once proud organization. He also discusses the shortcomings of Bob Gainey and his successor, Pierre Gauthier, and goes on to talk about how Gauthier is finished in Montreal.

And I tend to agree.

When Gainey took over this organization, he was a ray of light. He was the man who was supposed to shepard the Habs back to glory and out of the dark times of the 90s.

Instead, since he took over in 2003, the Canadiens are perennially one of the highest spending but lowest achieving teams in the league. Moreover, Gainey and Gauthier have shown that they simply do not know how to manage a team in the salary cap world.

They run the team like it's still 1994.

With long term, high paying contracts to Michael Cammalleri, Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez, in addition to rich extensions to Andrei Markov—who for all we know will never play again—and now Tomas Kaberle, the Habs are a team who will continue to be up against the cap for the forseeable future.

And the kicker? Most of these are second-tier players being forced into top-tier roles and being paid accordingly.

What an absolute mess.

To me, there is no doubt in my mind that Gauthier will be let go by or before the end of the season.

Heck, if Habs owner, Geoff Molson, is smart he's probably already looking for his replacement.

Who he ultimately hires for the job will determine whether this team will get back on track or remain a rudderless ship.

Taking a step back, this year, in order to take two or three steps forward in the future is not a bad thing. It's the "we must make the playoffs at all costs" mentality that has kept the Canadiens in a one step forward, one step back dance for the last 15 years.

Here's hoping Molson brings in someone who understands the modern game, is creative, innovative and knows how to build a winner. Anything short of that will unfortunately bring more of the same.

As Hockey Inside/Out's Mike Boone pointed out in his post-game piece, the Habs need 60 points in their remaining 47 games to end the season with 93, and make the playoffs.

That's 30 wins out of 47 or a 63.8 winning percentage from here to the end of the season.

Can you say early tee-time?

---
Kamal is a freelance writer, Senior Writer/Editor-in-Chief of HabsAddict.com, Montreal Canadiens Blogger on Hockeybuzz.com and featured columnist on PowerScoutHockey.com. Kamal is also a weekly contributor to the Sunday Shinny on TSN Radio 990 (AM 990) every Sunday from 9 - 10 AM. Listen live at http://www.tsn.ca/montreal/

Follow Kamal on Facebook and Twitter

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)