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Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Game 27 - Canadiens at Wild

8:04 AM Unknown No comments

#MTLHockey Preview

Match Up

The Canadiens (17-7-2) are in Minnesota Wednesday night to face the Wild (13-9-1) at the Xcel Energy Center. The game is set to start at 7:00 and airs on RDS and Sportsnet.

This is the second and final meeting between the Habs and Wild this season. The Canadiens scored a convincing 4-1 win when these teams met the first time this year. Lars Eller and Jiri Sekac each had a goal and an assist in the game while Brandon Prust picked up a pair of helpers.

What to Watch

Max Pacioretty picked up his team best 12th goal and 20th point of the year on Monday in Colorado, the 26-year old is now sixth in the league in goals scored.

Ex-Hab Thomas Vanek, has just two goals so far this season although with 12 assists, including one against the Canadiens earlier in the year, he does hold a share of the team lead in that department. Zach Parise leads the Wild in points with 18, but with 11 goals, it's Nino Niederreiter that leads Minnesota in that department.

What's at Stake

The Canadiens have relinquished the NHL lead after the Tampa Bay lightning lost in overtime to the Sabres Tuesday night. They are now 1 point behind their division rivals with a chance to leap-frog them by winning in Minnesota on Wednesday.

Who's Out

The Canadiens are missing Michael Bournival (shoulder) who is traveling with the team but not expected to play during this road trip.

The Wild are missing Matt Cooke (hip). The team's top defenseman, Ryan Suter, missed practice Tuesday with an illness, but is expected to be in the lineup Wednesday night.

What Else

The Canadiens lost perhaps their greatest ambassador late Tuesday night. Jean Beliveau, 10 time Stanley Cup winner, 14 time NHL All Star, two time Hart Trophy winner, Art Ross and Conn Smythe winner, Hall-of-Famer, and one of the most recognizable figures in hockey, passed away at age 83. He played his entire NHL career from, 1950 to 1971, with the Montreal Canadiens and was a constant presence at the Montreal Forum and the Bell Centre since his retirement.

The Canadiens have set up a page on their official website to share tributes to Le Gros Bill, it can be found here.

The Question Mark

In four words, what did Jean Beliveau mean to you?

Tonight's Show

Join myself, Rob Elbaz, along with Kosta Papoulias and Corey Collard for the Montreal Hockey Talk Pregame Show as we go live at 6:00 to preview the Canadiens and the Wild.

What Are Your Sports Superstitions? They Could Get You on TV.

6:50 PM Coach K No comments

Hey There HabsAddicts !!!!

Have you ever wondered why NHL teams that win their respective Conference Championship sometimes do or don't pick up the championship trophy?

At the right, Zach Parise, former captain of the New Jersey Devils, refused to even get close to the Prince of Wales trophy, yet still lost in the 2012 Stanley Cup finals to the Los Angeles Kings?

Or why did Patrick Roy insist on never skating over the lines on the ice? How about Ron Hextall's neurotic tapping of his goal posts during every face-off? And really, what could possibly happen to someone who shaves off their playoff beard?

Athletes, whether in hockey or other sports, are a superstitious lot. Baseball players have been known to jump over the baselines, like Chicago Cubs' pitcher Curt Windell. Tiger Woods has always worn red on championship Sundays, but what does red have to do with a sports like golf, which is played on greens?

Regardless of the answers, they will never really make any sense. Superstitions are fragments of an individual mind, where an person's routine has coincided with a memorable moment in their lives. Does spilling salt really bring bad luck? And for the matter, what does throwing more over your left shoulder do to remedy the possibility of jinxing yourself?

Tom Puchniak from PMA Productions is in the process of putting together a documentary of those very beliefs together for CBC. This is your chance as Habs' fans to possibly get your faces on TV. Just think, when was the last time not changing your underwear until the playoffs are over ever get you any attention, other than the awful stench?

Send us your Habs' gameday or personal sports superstitions, and we'll send the best ones to Tom. If he finds your crazy habits worthy of public scrutiny and ridicule, your ten minutes of fame may be closer than you think. Send your submissions to me at coachk@montrealhockeytalk.com and you may be paparazzi-bait before you know it.

CHLPA Vs. Mooseheads, Sunday Shinny Podcast, Bettman Underrated Fehr? And More...

10:58 AM Sean Lloyd No comments

Good Morning Addicts!

I'm going to step away from the NHL labor negotiations for the moment. We are all aware that there have been no recent developments and with no talks scheduled there is very little reason to believe there will be any significant progress in the near future.

And with that, let's talk the CHLPA. It seems there isn't enough drama in hockey right now and so the newly formed CHLPA has decided to make itself known.

With the intentions of assuring better education programs and fair pay wages to the players, the CHLPA lead by executive director Georges Laraque has taken action against the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads.

The Mooseheads are under fire from the CHLPA due to "violations of labor, pension and employment rules". Mooseheads majority owner Bobby Smith expressed his concern over his players' own concerns but maintained that " I feel we treat our players extremely well...".

The CHLPA has stated that they prefer not to litigate and would like to bring the CHL to the bargaining table.

Habs And Hockey News

- Here's a link to this morning's Sunday Shinny with Gary Whittaker, Nick Murdocco, Amand Stein and myself where we discussed the CHLPA, Andre Harvey's 10 year suspension from coaching after assaulting a 16 year old player, Pat Hickey's fantasy league and more.

- Is it possible Gary Bettman and co. have underestimated Donald Fehr?

- Many players feel the cancellation of the November schedule is simply a scare tactic.

- Habs Eyes On The Prize continues their coverage of the Habs prospects and players overseas.

- Ryan Suter has followed new teammate Zach Parise's lead in sharing his frustration after signing a 13 year $98 million contract.

(Photo by None/Getty Images North America)

More Games Cancelled, Fehr's Latest Letter, Coach K's "What If?" And More...

11:52 AM Sean Lloyd No comments

Good Morning Addicts!

Here's a quick recap of the labor negotiations over the past week. On Tuesday, Bettman and the owners made what seemed like a groundbreaking offer at first glance to the players. A 50/50 split of revenue, no rollback, players would get paid for lost time and a November second start would salvage a full 82 game schedule.

Beautiful.

With more details emerging it became clear that the deal wasn't as great as it sounded. Perhaps just the idea of hockey returning made it sound so sweet. While there was no rollback, the players still would have to make concessions in salary and benefits. fehr was not willing to accept the deal and sent a letter to players and agents explaining why.

On Thursday the two sides met again. When the players rejected the offer they brought three of their own to the table. The first two had players accepting a gradual decrease in their share of HRR eventually meeting the 50/50 split the owners are seeking. The third proposal included an immediate 50/50 split as long as the owners were willing to honor all existing contracts. According to Donald Fehr, the owners took 12-15 minutes before shooting down all three proposals.

This outcome had many fans begin to aim their anger and blame at the players rather than Bettman. You can't help but wonder if this was Bettman's plan when the proposal was made.

With no deal made by Friday, more games were wiped off the schedule. The league announced that all games up to November 1st have been cancelled. An optimist can take solace in the fact that less than two weeks worth of games were cancelled, but if there is no headway made by next Thursday there will more games lost.

Habs And Hockey News

- Here is Donald Fehr's latest letter to the players.

- The Bulldog's defeated the Toronto Marlies 4-1 in their home opener.

- Coach K is back with another "What If?" this time focusing on life after Bettman.

- Mark Spector of Sportsnet believes that the pressure is mounting on NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.

- Shawn Horcoff of the Edmonton Oilers is not surprisingly unhappy with the whole situation.And after signing a huge 13 year $98 million dollar contract in the weeks leading up to the lockout, it's even less of a surprise that the Minnesota Wild's Zach Parise is less than impressed.

(Photo by Source: Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images North America)

Louis Moustakas on CKCU's Red Zone - July 6th 2012

11:32 AM Louis Moustakas No comments

Once again, this week I joined the gang at CKCU's Red Zone to talk Habs and NHL hockey.

Unsurprisingly, the guys and I touch on the recent mega deals signed by Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. We also delve into the Montreal Canadiens recent signings and the team's needs moving forward.

You can find the program here.

I jump in around the 42 minute mark. As always, the whole show is worth a listen.

Alex and Josh offer up some really interesting takes on the aforementioned Parise/Suter situation and they also talk about basketball a bit.

I must admit, I zoned out for that part. Not my thing at all.

In any case, was a blast joining the program again.

---
Louis is an Associate Editor and Senior Writer at HabsAddict.com. Born in Chicago, Louis grew up in Quebec City where he earned Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Université Laval. He is also an occasional guest on CKCU's Red Zone program.

Find him on Twitter @LouisMoustakas

Parise and Suter Sign, Carle, Montoya and More

11:17 AM Louis Moustakas 1 comment

Good morning Hab fans!

So, did something big happen yesterday?

Oh yeah, Zach Parise and Ryan Suter signed identical 13-year, 98$ million deals with the Minnesota Wild.

Funny how that happened.

A mere few months ago, Craig Leipold, majority owner of the Wild, claimed that “we’re not making money and that’s one reason we need to fix our system. We need to fix how much we’re spending."

Meanwhile, Parise and Suter both cited "family" and "location" as important reasons for their decision to head to Minnesota. Right. Not the money.

Bite me.

Habs News

HockeyBuzz - Habs Not Done... What to do With Weber and Diaz?

Hockey Inside/Out - Profs give Therrien passing grade

Hockey News

ESPN - Pals Parise and Suter able to work it out

ESPN - Watch: Faceoff looks at Parise, Suter deals

La Presse - Avec Parise et Suter, le Wild renaît

Sports Illustrated - Wild instantly enter NHL relevancy after stunning Parise-Suter coup

The Hockey News - Adam Proteau: Minnesota Wild now a model franchise and legit contender

TSN - Numbers Game: Lightning land defenceman Carle

TSN - Numbers Game: Wild win sweepstakes, sign Parise, Suter

TSN - Ralph: Montoya as backup gives Jets youth in the crease

USA Today - Red Wings have options after losing out on Suter

USA Today - Matt Carle signs with Lightning for six years

USA Today - Steve Sullivan signs with Coyotes

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America)

Jagr to Dallas, Cap Space, Parise, Suter and More

9:11 AM Louis Moustakas No comments

Jaromir Jagr - Philadelphia Flyers v Pittsburgh Penguins

Good morning Hab fans!

After some speculation that Montreal would be a potential fit, Jaromir Jagr will end up plying is trade in Dallas in 2012-13. Yesterday, the Czech forward signed a one-year, 4.5$ million deal with the Stars.

Although it would have been intriguing to watch the future Hall of Famer ride shotgun with Tomas Plekanec, I don't truly believe his presence would aid the long-term growth of the squad.

Nor do I understand how Joe Nieuwendyk feels he fits in Dallas. Honestly, between signing aging forwards (Ray Whitney and Jagr) and losing blueliners (Sheldon Souray and Adam Pardy), it is hard to see the master plan in Big D.

---

Speaking of free agents, many people seem to be getting rather antsy for Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to sort out their contracts. After all, their continued indecision is holding up the market and boring many in media.

To this impatience, many have answered that they are allowed to take their time, after all they are both making significant decisions about the next ten years of their lives.

Fair enough.

But why do they have to make a decision for the next decade? Are they somehow dispossessed of the ability to sign shorter term contracts? Could they not sign a one, two or three year contract instead?

In the end, at least part of their stress is self-inflicted.

Alright, enough ranting, off to the news

Habs News

HabsWorld - How much money do the Habs have left to spend?

La Presse - Mathieu Darche n'a reçu aucune offre

SportsNet - Habs GM on Gomez: 'I'm not buying him out'

Hockey News

ESPN - Aging Jaromir Jagr can still shine in Dallas

ESPN - Hockey world waits on Parise, Suter

ESPN - Who will win Derek Roy-for-Steve Ott swap?

La Presse - Joueurs autonomes: les bons et moins bons coups

Sports Illustrated - Stars and Sabres seeking identity

The Hockey News - Never-ending Nash talks continue

TSN - Numbers Game: Stars sign Jaromir Jagr

TSN - Report: Suter offered 13-year, $90 million deal by Red Wings

TSN - Salvador re-signs with Devils on three-year, $9.5M deal

TSN - Ralph: Jets are a better team with signing of Jokinen

TSN - Rangers sign Pyatt to two-year, $3.1 million contract

(Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images North America)

Habs sign Emelin, Moen profile, Free Agency Roundup, Leafs, Suter, Parise and more

6:55 AM Unknown No comments

Morning puck addicts!

Well, today is the day you've been waiting for...free agency day.

The free agency gates open at noon today and, with Canada Day in the backdrop, this is sure to be an explosive afternoon.

The big names currently set to hit the open market are Preds' defenseman Ryan Suter and Jersey forward Zach Parise.

Hall-of-fame-to-be goalie Martin Brodeur, also looks ready to test the market after playing his entire career with the Devils.

Tune in at noon when the sparks start flying!

On the Habs front, GM Marc Bergevin continued to cross off items from his to-do list, signing hard hitting defenseman, Alexei Emelin, to a two-year pact yesterday. The deal will pay the Russian $2 million per.

There is always speculation and rumours swirling at this time of the year. From Montreal, it seems Bergevin in intent on addition a top-six forward and a top-four defenseman. It also seems that he is exploring the trade market for one or both of these players.

I think it's safe to say that there will be some moving and shaking from the Habs front office, whether today or in the coming days and weeks.

So the question of the day is, if the Habs go fishing in the free agent pool, who would be the one player you'd most like to see them sign?

Habs News

HabsAddict - Habs Offseason Player Profile: Travis Moen

HabsAddict - Press Release - Habs Sign Emelin to Two-Year Deal

Hockey Inside/Out - You be the general manager

Habsworld/net - 2012 UFA Preview: Forwards, Part 1

Hockey News

TSN - MAPLE LEAFS BUY OUT FINAL YEAR OF ARMSTRONG'S CONTRACT

TSN - NUMBERS GAME: OILERS SECURE SCHULTZ'S SERVICES

TSN - MCKENZIE: A NUMBER OF REASONS WHY SCHULTZ CHOSE THE OILERS

TSN - PREDATORS, GAUSTAD AGREE TO FOUR-YEAR, $13 MILLION CONTRACT

TSN - AGENT: PREDATORS D SUTER WILL HIT NHL'S FREE AGENT MARKET

ESPN - Rumblings: Suter not in hurry to pick team

THN - VIDEO: THN Puck Panel – 2012 free agent frenzy

Spector's Hockey - NHL Trade and Free Agent Rumors – June 30, 2012

(Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images North America)