POLL: Who is the best agitator in the league? VOTE NOW!

Who is the best(most effective) agitator in the league?

RDS was talking about the league's agitators on a broadcast recently, and that made me think about who YOU think is the best - meaning most effective - agitator in the league.

Vote, in the poll on the right side of the screen, to let us know who you think should be named champion! You love them, you hate them, you LOVE to HATE them. So here are your candidates: Sean Avery, Maxim Lapierre and Jarkko Ruutu. VOTE (to the right) and start a discussion below!

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Post Game Quick Hits: Habs 4 - Sens 1

Don't look now, but your Montreal Canadiens have a three game winning streak going! Not only that, but all three wins have come in regulation. Not only that, but their penalty killing unit has become the backbone of this team. Not only that, but their powerplay is slowly starting to get its act together. Not only that, but they seem to have 2, yes that's right, 2, starting calibre goalies in Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak. Not only that but....ok, enough of that! You get the point.

1 - The goalies have it. If it's not Carey Price stealing the show it's Jaro Halak. After getting shelled, 6-2, vs the Sabres last week, Halak turned in one of his most solid performances of the season last night. Stopping 45 out of 46 shots - the Habs were outshot 46-27, had 14 penalty minutes to Ottawa's 4, and won 24 draws on the faceoff versus the Sens' 47. We were just outplayed, again. Or rather, outshot, again. And, yet again, we were able to win. That winning all started in nets, where Halak was sensational, made the key saves at the key times, and kept the lead for his team all the way to the final buzzer.

2 - A goal and an assit for Andrei K, 3 assists for Pleks and a goal for Cammy. That is six points between them. That is Cammy's 5th goal in the last three games. That gives Pleks 31 points in 31 games this season and it gives Andrei K 4 points (2G and 2A) in his last four games. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a true #1 line. For those of you keeping track, Pleky's 31 points in 31 games ties him for 15th overall in league scoring a measly 9 points behind first place Joe Thornton and 7 points behind 2nd place Marian Gaborik. Wow. Note to Bob Gainey: You cannot sign this guy soon enough! Lock him in for 6 years with an average cap hit of 3.5 to 4Million a season...now...please...please...PLEASE!! Is it done yet?

3 - Cammalleri's 17th goal of the season ties him for 6th overall in goals scored. Cammy is in good company tied with former Flames teamate Jarome Iginla and Tampa's Steven Stamkos, and he is only four goals back of league leader Marian Gaborik (21 goals). This guy is proving all the critics wrong and is proving Gainey right. He is a bonafide goal scorer, regardless of who he plays with. Last year he scored 39 playing on Jarome Iginla's wing and the knock on him, by critics, was that he would not be able to repeat the feat without Iginla making space for him out there. Well, with 17 goals in 31 games, Cammy is currently on pace to score 45. Ummm, ya. That's right. Sounds to me like he doesn't need Iginla after all.

4 - Hamrlik and Spacek have become and outstanding duo together and will definitely be the 1st paring for the Czech Republic come the Olympics. Speaking of Spacek, he blocked a shot with his foot early in the 1st period, and did not return for the rest of the game. While O'Byrne filled in nicely for Spacek as Hamr's partner, I cannot underscore how bad a loss it would be for Montreal if Spacek is out for any prolonged period. No word yet on his condition, but he was not able to put any weight on it while leaving the ice. It certainly doesn't look good. Let's hope its just a bruise.

5 - Kill 'em all. Montreal's PK has quietly become one of their most potent weapons, over the couse of the last few weeks. Last night, the Habs' penalty killers killed off all seven Sens' PP's. This pushed the Habs PK unit to an 81.7% efficiency rate. That might not sound so great, but considering it was in the mid to low 70% range, at certain points this season, this is a huge accomplishment. From Plekanec to Moen to Metro to Gomez to SK74 to Hal Gill, all of the guys are buying in and all of them are helping the Habs' PK become stronger and stronger.

Overall, Montreal once again won a game where they were badly outshot and in which their goalie stood on his head. To their credit, the Habs were opportunisitic and good a capitalizing on their scoring chances. Also, their PP was a key component in last nights game resulting in two goals - with another howitzer of a shot by MAB.

Next stop, the Pens - who at last check have not yet arrived in Montreal. They were supposed to have an 11am practice, today, at the Bell Center but given the viscious winter snow storm that is it town, it is causing havoc on their travel plans. They now hope to be able to arrive in Montreal tonight. Ya, sure. Good luck with that boys.

K.

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Post Game Quick Hits: Habs 3 - Flyers 1

After the beautiful cenntenial ceremonies and great hockey game, on Friday, I wish I could tell you that tonight's game was one for the ages too. One of those historic, earth shatter games that everyone is talking about for years to come. Sadly, that was not the case. Well, that's not entirely true because this was a historic game in that the shot totals were 15-13 for Philly, or a sum of 28 shots which is a record in Montreal Canadiens history.

A beautiful game it was not but a win it was. And, at the end of the day, that is what counts. In beating the Flyers 3 to 1 tonight, the Habs got a very important 2 points at home during game 2 of 17 over 29 days. Everyone keeps saying that this is the make it or break it month for the Habs so every point counts.

1 - For most of the first period, the Flyers looked like a team that could be had and the Habs looked like a team that had been drinking all weekend. In reality, the Flyers are a team who are in game two of the Peter Laviolette era and it is clear that his system has not yet been implanted. As for the Canadiens, they didn't play a phenomenal game but they also didn't play a terrible game. They came out flat, in the first, but picked it up in the second and ultimately were able to procure the victory by taking advantage of the few scoring chances that they had.

2 - While the shots were 15-13 for the Flyers and Price was clearly not a busy man tonight, he put in another strong performance and limited his opponent to 1 goal against, again. The one goal that the Flyers did score on Price was definitely of the weak variety. As Briere broke in on Price, drapped by two Habs defencemen, Price was not able to grab the puck with his glove as Briere flipped it over his shoulder. Not great, but not the end of the world given the final outcome. That goal aside, it was nice to see Price having an easy night, for a change. Good for you, Carey.

3 - Where is Scott Gomez? Ummm....is it me or did I dream that we traded Higgins and McDonough for a talented but overpaid center, this past summer? I could swear he was on our roster, but watching the game last night I didn't see him anywhere. Oh, except for when he coughed up the puck in the neutral zone leading to a Flyers scoring chance. So, excessive sarcasm aside, where was Gomez last night? Where has he been for most of the season? While he wasn't great before his injury he has been ten times worse since coming back. Invisible. That is the best way to to describe him. Gomez simply looks lost out there, without Gionta on his wing, even though he and SK74 have shown flashes of brilliance together. If Gomez can't turn it around soon, he will start to feel the bone crushing pressure that comes along with playing in Montreal. If he thought he had it bad in NYC, just wait till the media and fans get on his back in THIS city. For his sake, and for the sake of the team, I hope it doesn't come to that.

4 - Speaking of players changing after coming back from injury, Hal Gill looks like a different player over the last two games. Now, two games does not a season make, but after an excellent performance againt the Bruins on Friday, Gill continued his strong play last night. It is almost like Gill was nervous or out of sorts, in some way, before his injury because since coming back he is playing his best hockey of the season. Again, he has only played two games since coming back, but he has been exceptional in each one. Great on the PK, positionally solid - which compensates for his lack of speed - physical, blocking shots, clearing the crease, etc. All of which bodes well for the Habs defensive corp going forward. Keep it up Hal, you're starting for form a fan club!

5 - MaxPac! MaxPac! MaxPac! This kid was FLYING last night! While he was kept off of the scoresheet, MaxPac was the catylst for the third line of Moen, MaxPac and Metro (3M's). He was hitting, forcing plays, screening the goalie in front of the net, making passes and, generally speaking, causing havoc for the Flyers defence corp. Every time the 3M's - led by MaxPac - were on the ice, they had scoring chances. Pacioretty finished the night with 17:31 of ice time, even in the +/- column, had 3 shots on nets and 4 hits. Since had no points and a -2 rating over a s7 game stretch from October to mid-November, MaxPac has turned things around getting 8 points (2 goals and 6 assists) over his last 10 games. Shift in and shift out, MaxPac bring energy, speed, skill and grit to the ice and is well complemented by Moen and Metro. And keep in mind, that this is he second season (first full season) in Montreal and he is only 21 years old. This kid has a bright future.

Now I don't want to get ahead of myself, but it feels, in a lot of ways, like Montreal might be starting to turn a corner here. With news that Markov is taking part in full practices with the team he can't be more than a few weeks, at most, away from returning. In addition, Montreal seems to have a few lines that are jelling namely, Pleks-Cammy-Andrei and the 3M's (MaxPac, Moen, Metro). If Martin can figure out the Gomez line (with Sergei and Gionta? with Pouliot and Gionta?), then we will suddenly have three balanced lines that can score. That triple threat is one of balance that can lead to many wins down the road. Again, we are not there yet, but maybe now that the centennial celebrations are behind us, this team can really come together.

One potentially bad note from last night was Paul Mara leaving the game in the 1st period and not returning for the rest of the evening. Let's hope it is nothing serious because Paul has become a stable, reliable addition to the Habs blue line this season and we've already lost enough defensive man-games. A little break would be appreciated by the hockey gods!

Tonight is Kovy and the Sens. I think that payback is in order. Here's hoping Kovy is held off the score sheet and the Habs' offence can dominate!

K.

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Post Game Quick Hits: Habs 5 - Bruins 1

Wow. Just wow. What a prefectly stupendious night at the Bell Centre last night. Starting with the beaufitul pre-game ceremonies to commemorate the 100th birthday of the Montreal Canadiens and culminating with the rousing play of the current edition of the team, resutling in a 5-1 thumping of the Boston Bruins. For the purposes of this post I'll stick to the game, rather than the ceremonies, but suffice it to say that no organization is better at honoring their past than the Montreal Canadiens. Happy bday!

1 - Carey Price has arrived. A few posts ago I mentioned how this can no longer be called a streak, with Price, and that he has taken his game to another level. Well one more game and 38 more shots later - many of the miraculous variety - Price continues to prove me right. From his lateral movement to his historically weak glove hand, Price seems to have righted the ship and looks like a young man who is coming into his own. Scotty Bowman was interviewed, on CBC, during the 1st intermission and he specifically mentioned Price and how he saw him play during the Bulldogs Calder Cup win in 2007. He also spoke about how he thought this kid was "...the real deal..." Bowman brought up Marc-Andre Fleury, of the Pens, who took about 4 years before finding his game and pointed out how Price seems to be following the same path. All of this to say, that Price looks like the Phoenix, rising from the ashes of last season and the Habs will continue to need those kind of performances from him if they are going to have success this year. It says here that Price will finish in the top ten for GAA and Save Percentage as well as getting 30 wins. You can bank on it!

2 - Mike Cammalleri continues to be a leader for this team on and off of the ice. He was the offensive catalyst for the Habs, last night, potting his second hat trick of the season and showing why Gainey was right to sign this guy long term. He is quite simply the best sniper that the Habs have had on their team since Stephane Richer, and is currently on pace to score 42 goals this season. So much for him "needing" Iginla to be successful, eh? Off the ice, Cammy talks, walks and acts very much like a Captain and he really seems to be embracing what it is to be a Hab. I said it in the off season and I'll say it again, he seems like the leading candidate to become captain of this team. Or does he?

3 - Speaking of captain and despite my comment above about Cammy, I have noticed that the Habs seem to maybe be pushing Markov in the direction of captaincy. I know that Markov is not necessarily the best communicator with the media, but he has definitely stepped up this year. His words may still be sparse but he has been making an effort to speak to the media. Last night, when they were about to retire the jersey's of Lach and Bouchard, it was Markov that walked out there with O'Byrne, to help with the ceremony. That used to be Saku's job. Does it not seem conspicuous to anyone else that a) they didn't ask Cammy or one of the active players to do that task and b)that they have not yet named a captain. I think that there is a distinct possibilty that they might not name a captain at all, this year. I also think that there is a distinct possibility that they are waiting for Markov to come back from injury to name HIM captain. Time will tell...oh, and did you know that Markov took part in his first full practice with the team, yesterday? To think that we have almost weathered the Markov-less storm and are still hovering around .500. Wow!

4 - Hal Gill played his best game of the season and showed what his talents are. While he has been lambasted for most of the season for being too slow and for making bad decisions with the puck, Gill was a warrior last night. If you watch the replays of the two 5 on 3's that Boston had, Gill was one of, if not THE, main penalty killer last night. He used his huge 6'7" body and he long stick to block the cross crease pass that is so popular and effective on a 5 on 3. He must have blocked 10 passes and/or shots in those two PKs. I actually saw him lying down on the ice, to block the lane, at one point. It was hilarious but also extremely effective. While he did turn the puck over that caused the one Boston goal against, he put in a yeoman's effort for the rest of the game. If he continues to play like that he will be a very useful part of the Habs blue line.

5 - Tomas "the mechanic" Plekanec (yes that is a lame nickname but I stole it from Tony Marinnaro of the Team 990) continues to be as steady as a metronome. Passes, hits, shots, blocks, PK, PP....this guy is all over the ice and makes his linemates better every night. Someone said to me, and it bears mentioning, that if he keeps playing like this, Pleky could get consideration for the Selke Trophy at the end of the year. Amen, brother.

6 - Sergei Kostitsyn - who left the ice in the third with a leg injury and didn't return - is playing inspired hockey. He and Gomez look like an excellent fit on the ice. They are probably two of the best passers on the Habs and when they are on the ice together they seem to be creating magic. Last night, they were flanked by Dags who did a pretty good job himself. But, just imagine when Gionta comes back and jumps on the wing with those two. That will make our first two lines: Sergei-Gomez-Gionta and Cammy-Pleks-Andrei. Nice. Very nice. We will finally have a two-pronged attack and teams won't be able to shut us down as easily. Needless to say, this is all because Sergei manned-up. He swallowed the bitter pill that Gainey and Martin force fed him, and he is a better man - and hockey player - for it.

Overall, this was an incredibly special night for Habs fans and even non-Habs fans. I cannot imagine that anyone would not have been moved by the pre-game festivities and the game itself. Montreal was simply a dominant team last night and when they got into penalty trouble Price was there to bail them out. It was likely the best game they have played all season and you can't help but notice the effect that the ceremonies had on the team. All the glee aside, this begs the question of why the Habs played so well last night and so poorly against the Leafs and Buffalo. Which of the two is the real team? Are they the team that destroyed Boston last night and beat the Caps about ten days before or are they the ones who can't beat the league's cellar dwellars? Its hard to say but if the team can play like they did last night then they have to find a way to bring that game every night. If they can, then maybe this will become a turning point to their season.

One last note that came from an intermission interview of Ken Dryden, by CBC. He said that it is enough. That the weight of 100 years of history was too much for the current edition of the team to bear and that we need to move forward and stop looking in the past. He said that we should hope for another 24 cups over the next 100 years but that we can't hold the current edition of the team accountable to the ghosts of the past. Dryden has always been a smart, articulate man and has said many brilliant things in his life, but I hope that this specific comment reverberates around the city of Montreal, this morning. Yes, we have an incredibly rich history but let's stop heaping it on the current team. Let's let them breathe and give them space to write their own chapter. Onward and upwards.

K.

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Should Koivu's jersey be retired?

With all the centennial celebrations taking place, I couldn't help but feel that Saku should have been there tonight. There was something wrong about him not taking part in the ceremonies. With that in mind and how much Koivu did for the Habs organization, is he someone who's jersey should be retired once HE retires? What do you think? Vote in the poll on the right side of the screen and write your comments at the bottom!

K.

UPDATE: Thanks to all that voted. Final tally: 56% YES his jersey should be retired and 43% said no. I tend to lie on the side of yes and seeing this TSN feature on him just confirms it to me. Enjoy:

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Is there something rotten in the state of Habland?

Sorry about that weak Shakespeare referrence, but it was my attempt at cleverness. Guess it didn't work out too well, eh? Much like Kyle Chipchura's career with Montreal didn't work out too well.

Nice segue! Heh. But I digress...

Kyle Chipchura - selected 18th overall in the 1st round of the 2004 NHL draft - was picked by Montreal as much for his tangible as his intangible skills. While there is no question that Kyle was never supposed to be a 30 goal scorer, his leadership skills were seemingly his biggest asset. This guy had been a captain at almost every level he had played, most recently at the helm of the Prince Albert Raiders. When the 2006 World Junior Championships came around - those are the ones where Carey Price made a name for himself and won tournament MVP - Chipchura was again named captain of the team, further illustrating why the Habs chose him. The kid had leader and future captain written all over him.

The problem started for Chipchura when in 2005 his achilles tendon was cut, in practice, by an errant skate blade. This sent his season, and by extension his career, into disarray. Skating was never Kyle's strongest skill and while he would make a full recovery from the sliced tendon injury, it would take a notch off of his already weak stride. This, I believe, was ultimatley his undoing - at least in a Habs uniform.

Since joining the Canadiens AHL affiliate - the Hamilton Bulldogs - in 2005, Chipchura has failed to solidify a spot on the big club. Having taken part in three Habs training camps and not being able to hold down a spot each time, you had the sense that this year would be his last kick at the can. This year, due to his tenure and contract, Montreal no longer had the option of sending Chipchura back to the minors without him having to clear waivers. A situation which would surely have seen him claimed by another team. As such, when he was hurt during training camp, he stayed with the team and started the year in Montreal.

Well, needless to say, his time in Montreal this season was horrible. So far, this year, Chips has played in 19 games and has 0 goals and 0 assists and is a -10. As you can see, these are horrible numbers. This culminated in last nights 3-0 shutout at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs, where Chips had less than two minutes of ice time and ended the night a -2. Brutal.

Now, Chipchura is gone and the sad part of it is that this is yet another 1st round draft pick that Montreal has seemingly squandered. From Chris Higgins, to Mike Komisarek and Kyle Chipchura, Montreal is either picking the wrong player or letting the good ones get away once they have them. This is not the way to build a contender. Chipchura's downfall was ultimately his ankle injury which left him permanently affected. Recently, on the Team 990, hockey analyst Pierre McGuire explained how Chips could have been a very useful Brian Skrudland-type player if it hadn't been for the injury. Unfortunate, but seemingly true.

Looking at this trade at face value, Montreal traded a non-achieving 1st round pick for a 4th rounder. That is just brutal. However, there could be more to this than meets the eye. This trade relieves the Habs of 500K of cap space. That, by itself, is not that great but if Gainey is preparing to make soem kind of major move, then cap space is a necessary commodity. Again, this is no guarantee that a trade is immenent, however given Montreal's lack of scoring ability, I wouldn't be surprised if Gainey was looking to make a change. Only time will tell.

The final piece of this Chipchura story has to do with the dismantling of the team that Gainey undertook, starting at the draft this past summer. He evaluated the team that HE had put together and thought that it was filled with bad apples. This is evidenced by the departure Kovalev, Koivu, Higgins, Komisarek, Tanguay, etc. Now, starting this year, I believe that there were a few players who were on the bubble, namely Latendresse and Chipchura, both of whom are no longer with the team. So are there any other bubble boys on the team now?

I think so...

If there is one thing we have seen with Martin it is that he wants people to work hard and play smart. The other thing we have seen is that when you do not play as Martin wants you to play, your ice time quickly gets reduced and you end up on the 4th line. The next step after that is being shown the door. This was the fate the befell Latendresse and now Chipchura. The only other player on the team that is going through a similar fate is Lapierre, and he might be the next bubble boy.

Now that his wingman - Latendresse - is gone, Lapierre has been removed from his comfort zone. He showed last year that he can be an excellent 3rd line center, but this year he is lacking the jam. If he can't get his game back in order he might be the next one out the door. With Gainey at the helm of this organization, you never know what to expect. So I say that you should just expect the unexpected. That is the only safe bet here!

K.

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Post Game Quick Hits: Habs 0 - Leafs 3

Tonight, the Habs took on the Toronto Maple Leafs in Montreal, to kick of the week of celebration in honour of 100 years of the Montreal Canadiens organization. Sadly, the currenty edition of the Habs laid a goose egg and looked like a tired, disorganized and overall bad team in the process. Hey, when the Leafs make your team look bad, you know things are bad.

From the beginning of the game, Montreal was a step behind the Leafs and was losing battles. Once the pucks started to go in, the team lost more and more momentum until this one was over. While the night started with the fabulous news that the NHL board or governers had approved the Molson's as owners of the Habs, and the Als were welcomed to thunderous applause for their victory this past weekend, it ended with a shower of boos rained down on the home team who looked more like an expansion team than one that has been around for 100 years.

Ok, on with it then...

1 - Montreal simply came out flat. While Toronto was the team that played two games in two nights, Montreal was the team that looked tired and slow. For most of the game, Montreal was being beaten to loose pucks, losing battles along the boards, missing defensive assignments and generally playing like a disorganized bunch. The Leafs, to their credit, pressed hard and got the goals they needed to seal the deal.

2 - Everyone was invisible tonight. While you could see that Plekanec, and a few others, were trying, no one really stood out. With all the pre-game pomp and the boisterous crowd, you would imagine that the Habs would have been jumping to start the match. Instead, it was Toronto that took the play to Montreal from the opening faceoff.

3 - Gomez was back and no one noticed. RDS announced, at one point, that Gomez has gone 43 periods without scoring a goal. Ya, that sounds like an $8 Million man to me. While Gomez was clearly trying, he just looks lost out there without Gionta on his wing. When those two are together, good things happen, but Gomez has got to be able to produce and be successful with a variety of line mates if he is going to be the #1 center on this team.

4 - Price was less than stellar. While he did make some great saves, the second goal he let in was weak. The problem with that goal is that you could tell that it was very deflating to the team. Granted, that is not an acceptable excuse for the players, but the reality is that after the second goal went it, the momentum shifted markedly in Toronto's favour and never came back. Key saves at key times is what makes a goal an elite goal, and tonight Price wasn't able to deliver the goods. That being said, if the team in front of him scores ZERO goals, then the team isn't going to win regardless of how many saves he makes.

5 - MaxPac has got to stop taking bad penalties at bad times. He took one less than two minutes into the game and one right off the bat to start the third. Both penalties inhibited the Habs ability to setup any early momentum. It is errors like that that cost teams points and lose teams games.

On a personal note, there is nothing quite as painful as watching the Habs lose against Toronto. In a week when we are supposed to be celebrating the deep history of this fabled organization, I would say that this game is one that we surely wish we could strike from their history. The Habs vs. Leafs it was, but a classic is was not!

K.

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