Montreal Canadiens classless?

Lot of talk about Elliott Friedman calling the Montreal organization classless for firing Perry Pearn. I just watched the segment and linked it below. What Mr. Friedman does is he repeats what coaches in the league have told him, so it’s not an editorial comment by him but rather his reporting of unnamed sources. Eric Francis chimes in later and he supports Mr. Friedman’s reporting, but takes it up a notch by saying “…it’s not just coaches, everyone in the game thinks it’s a low-class move…”

I guess there are a lot of hockey people out there who have a better finger on the pulse, they may know of some backroom events that we don’t and they want to stick up for their colleague who was fired in an unconventional manner. It’s been hard to get any insight into this, it seems that all reporters will do is criticize Mr. Gauthier for being vague, but won’t themselves tell us what happened, probably to protect their sources and their access to the Montreal organization. So Mr. Francis, Mr. Friedman, tell us what you know instead of broad, unsubstantiated hints and innuendo. The only one who has pulled back the curtains to any degree so far is François Gagnon.

As far as the decision itself to let Mr. Pearn go, it now seems inspired. The results speak for themselves, obviously, but also from what we can perceive when watching games, we have a more dynamic coaching team, who is more animated behind the bench, and a dedicated defenceman coach with possibly more credibility and knowledge in that area. The special teams seem to be rounding into form. So it might be an unconventional decision that wasn’t done in the best or most delicate manner, but in hindsight it seems it was a necessary step.

Hot Stove segment, Montreal discussion at 6:40 mark.

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockeynightincanada/hotstove/video/#id=2162216125

Don and Dave, dumbasses.

How infuriating it is that Don Cherry gets to set the agenda. Tonight he promotes the notion that Vancouver is the most hated team in the NHL. He lambastes them for looking to the referee when they are the recipients of cheap shots and infractions. On the other hand, he celebrates Bruins goon tactics as good hockey. Shaun Thornton is a great guy in his books.

I often wonder who’s the biggest boob on his segment, him or that crook Frank D’Angelo with his self-promotion and lowlight reel of horrible goaltending.

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockeynightincanada/coachscorner/video/#id=2162202299

http://feministtruths.blogspot.com/2010/08/truth-about-frank-dangelo.html

Game 11: Montreal 4, Boston 2

This summer was a time of heady optimism for a typical Canadiens fans. Visions of a strong, committed team, with a younger upgraded defence and a forward corps enhanced with the judicious addition of speedy, hulking, invincible Erik Cole and subtraction of a somnambulant Benoit Pouliot danced in our heads.

Then the season started, and the nightmare hit. Carey Price was revealed as something less than the personification of the Great Wall of China. Our youngsters on defence weren't NHL-ready and the veterans looked old and slow. Stalwarts PK Subban and Josh Gorges tried to do too much to compensate, and they committed crucial blunders. Our forwards lived down to their reputation of being too small and soft. The snipers looked like journeyman 20 goal scorers at best. Erik Cole was a money-pit who would kill our cap for four years. Andrei Markov's knee was septic spaghetti.

It seemingly only took a management reshuffling for the nightmare to end. Assigning Mr. Pearn's responsibilities to Mr. Ladouceur and Mr. Cunneyworth, and placing both behind the bench with a mission to provide verbal, enthusiastic direction and correction to the players seemed to tilt the ice our way. Pucks that used to hit the post or aggrandize Jacob Markstrom now find the corner mesh; Raphaël Diaz and Yannick Weber are effective and improve every game; Jaro Spacek seems rejuvenated; Erik Cole, Andrei Kostitsyn, Max Pacioretty and Travis Moen (!) are too much for opposing defencemen to handle. Carey Price is back to his usual unflappable self. David Desharnais plays like Scott Gomez should. Brian Gionta's snakebitten, Réjean Houle-Chris Higgins impersonation is currently humourous instead of dolorous. Lars Eller finally scores his first goal, after showing flashes of much-needed skill and strength during his trial-by-fire, for-keeps training camp.

Now comes a five day break until the next game, to solidify the confidence and goodwill within the dressing room. Andrei Markov returns to Montreal with a clean bill of health from his doctors and is set to resume on-ice training. GM Pierre Gauthier has slipped the team doctors a twenty, and they will be exquisitely careful with Mr. Gomez's shoulder treatment and rehab plan, with a resultant projected return to the lineup on February 31st.

As far as Andrei Markov is concerned, there is no question we miss him, he’s our best defenceman. What the recent spate of success does is it reduces the pressure to rely on him too much as soon as he’s back. In three to four weeks when he plays again (fingers crossed), we can baby him back into the lineup, with 10-12, 15 minutes of ice time max, playing him against the opposition third line (not fourth, don’t want him around crashers and bangers) and second-wave powerplay. We then gradually increase his minutes according to a rigid plan arrived at in consultation with the doctors and physios, as opposed to game necessities, kind of like a pitch count for a pitcher off Tommy John surgery.

The time also will come to put Mr. Gill and Spacek on a rotation, where they are healthy scratches to rest up in preparation for a playoff run. The Three Amigos can also be on a rotation, with Mr. Weber, Diaz and Emelin skipping roughly one game out of three. One defenceman shouldn’t be the odd man out every game, and especially not Alexei Emelin, who brings a skillset to the group that is lacking. I restate my contention that Mr. Emelin should be played over Mr. Spacek, but I understand that with the Seat of Heat Mr. Martin is on, he will play the absolute best lineup he thinks he can ice to restart the team and save the season and his job.

Does Sundin deserve to have his Leafs jersey retired?

Apparently Mats Sundin will have his jersey number retired by the Toronto Maple Leafs. I think this is not a deserved honour, it actually cheapens the gesture. Players who have their jersey retired should be titans who ruled the NHL and whose names are synonymous with excellence. Further, this player should have played the vast majority of his career with this team. Finally, playoff success should be a major considerations.

Let's analyze Mr. Sundin's case. While he was an All-Star in his years in Toronto, he didn't win a scoring championship or any major individual awards. He only scored over 100 points once, and did so as a Nordique, and never scored 50 goals, reaching 47 once and 41 on another occasion. He had limited success in the playoffs, contributing offensively but never taking his team deep into the playoffs. Finally, his first four seasons were spent in Québec, and he finished up in regrettable fashion in Vancouver. He did show loyalty to the team, but some in Toronto argue that he should have waived his no-trade clause in his last season, when he had already made up his mind that he wouldn't re-sign with Toronto in the summer any way.

To honour him by retiring his jersey speaks to the hunger of Toronto fans for success and champions more strongly than it does about the standard he set for future Leafs. It's not as bad as Vancouver fans and the organization thinking of retiring Pavel Bure's number, but it does debase the practice.

Some may feel that I'm too critical of Mr. Sundin. They may bring up his success in international play, which I appreciate but is not germane to this issue.

I have spoken on this issue in the past, and I don't think the Canadiens are above blame on this issue. I believe the only jerseys that should be retired in Montreal are numbers 1, 4, 7, 9, 10, and am unsure about #33. The others who are presently retired should be honoured in another way, maybe like is done in the NFL in Pittsburgh and Denver, for example, with a Ring of Honour or some such method.

The Great One

In 1996 Team Canada held its training camp in Whistler in preparation for the World Cup of Hockey (why did we change the name from the Canada Cup?) They were here for a week and a few of my friends volunteered to provide security, in return for which the team paid a lump sum to local minor hockey. One of my friends described how the bus would arrive to the back of the arena before practice, and metal gates would control the fans who wanted to see the stars or get autographs. As the players disembarked, an official or two would shout to the throngs that the players were going straight in to get ready, but would be available to sign after practice.

Sure enough, after practice Wayne Gretztky pops out the doors and starts signing and talking to fans, but quickly notices that he’s alone in doing so, and sees other players make a beeline straight for the bus door, where my friend Scott is posted. Wayne excused himself for a moment and walked into the bus, where he told off the guys, singling out Paul Coffey and Mark Messier, probably because they were teammates at one point. He then walked out of the bus, followed by a sheepish and sulky Messier and Coffey, and most of the other players as well, at which point a proper meet and greet and autograph session was conducted. It was apparently quite pleasant and cheerful, since there wasn’t a tonne of people and most were real fans as opposed to the aggressive collector type.

That anecdote was enough for me to permanently inscribe Wayne Gretzky in my good books, and it goes to show that leadership can take many forms.

Boston 'hockey fans' never welcome

I’m in total agreement with Mike Boone’s comments regarding the Bruins fans invading Montreal.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/sports/Boston+fans+feeling+pinch/5626180/story.html

I attended a game at the Forum in the early 80′s against Boston, and we had a couple of their pathetic fans in our blue skyboxes, otherwise known as the rafters. They both had O’Reilly jerseys on and didn’t seem to follow the puck or play, they would just wait and cheer when one of their orcs, wearing jerseys as black as their hearts, would charge one of our pure Blanc samurais. There was lots of swearing and shrillness, which was off-putting since there were families and older ladies in the area. I was there with some buddies I played rugby with, we made eye contact with them a couple of times, and they averted their jaundiced eyes and tried to behave as much as their inebriation would allow.

In the middle of the second they were down by four or five goals already, when Terry O’Reilly jumped over the boards, an action they cheered as if he were the Second Coming of Milt Schmidt. “Hunt, Terry, HUNT!!”, they bellowed, which he assuredly did, skating awkwardly in a zigzag pattern, reliably indicating the direction and area the puck was not going to by his trajectory. The fans continued their encouragement, and oinked and snarled (!) Sure enough, he finally caught up to Mike McPhee or Dave Maley, I can’t really remember, and went at him with a huge highstick and elbows high. After the scrum was separated, he put us on the powerplay long enough that we potted a couple of goals and put the game away completely. Yet our two drunken buffoons were overjoyed by O’Reilly’s charge, they didn’t see it as a poor play by an even worse player, they saw it as a cause for celebration, even as the goals against mounted.

I haven’t seen the Bruins play since. I heard some comments that the Vancouver crowd gave the Bruins fans a hard time during the finals and may have gone over the line, but I remember how a couple of Boston losers had tarnished a whole section’s experience a couple decades back, and I thought to myself that maybe the Vancouver fans were staking their territory and trying to not give those idiots an inch.

The evil triumvirate of Jacobs-Edwards-Campbell deals in the black arts

Is Daddy Campbell now in charge of scheduling for the NHL? How did the Canadiens have to play a game on Wednesday night in Montreal, then travel to Boston and play the Bruins, who had last played four days before, on Thursday night? And then both teams travel back to Montreal for a Saturday night game? Wouldn’t it have made more sense to have to Bruins travel to Montreal on Thursday?

It’s not paranoia if they’re really out to get you.

Game 10: Montreal 2, Boston 1

What is it about the Bruins that brings out the best of the Canadiens. Lately I always fret that we are outclassed against them, they have all the high-draft picks, the size, the pugilistic acumen, that we're going to get run out of the Gardens. Somehow, the undersized, speedy Canadiens regularly find a way to slay hideous, loathsome Goliath. Tonight was another example, as the tottering heroes entered the Bruins' lair, avoided a mauling and escaped with a confidence-inflating 2-1 win.

The game started off slowly, with the Bruins buzzing and hitting. I noticed Jaroslav Spacek in the defensive zone giving Milan Lucic a big cushion instead of checking him tightly, memories of the Beatdown last year possibly still fresh in his mind. This led to a nice pass from Mr. Lucic that wasn't converted into a goal. I concentrated on Mr. Spacek for the rest of the game, and didn't see any gaffes or instances where a mild shove from a Bruin caused him to disintegrate. I'll be darned if a couple of times he didn't make the right play. I still contend that Alexei Emelin should be in the lineup rather than Mr. Spacek, especially since they are a physical team.

Also early in the game, I thought Sean Thornton might have found a playmate in counterpart Mike Blunden, but the Canadien laughed him off. Considering Mr. Blunden fight record, that was probably for the best. All in all, he and the other more physical Canadiens forwards such as Mathieu Darche, Erik Cole, Travis Moen and Petteri Nokelainen provided a barrier against the usual egregious Bruins transgressions. We did see Milan Lucic throw a clear punch at Travis Moen after a whistle in the last minutes of the third, a clear punishable offence which should have been penalized, but I guess that is allowable in Boston when the refs want to get out alive.

Speaking of Bruin thuggery, how did Brad Marchand escape being called for an extra or instigator penalty in his tangles with PK Subban? He started the whole ordeal by putting him in a headlock, then on the second occasion threw a punch. Somehow, everything was handled with offsetting penalties. The Canadiens, short-manned on the blueline, were the clear loser on these exchanges. The fight also provided a clear illustration for those who pined over the summer for the day that PK executes Mr. Marchand that it won't be that easy. Also, we should take into account that Brendan Shanahan might not look too kindly on homicide. In any case, we saw two little punks who wouldn't be denied, and I'm glad PK is our punk. As opposed to the rat in black.

All in all, another good win which should relieve some pressure on Mr. Martin and Mr. Gauthier. It was heartwarming to see Jacques after the Tomas Plekanec goal, his countenance as he scribbled delightedly in his notebook displayed his often-discounted passion for the game. I bet the i's are dotted with emphasis and the t's are crossed with a flourish tonight.

As far as Mr. Gauthier, as the game ended I tried to think of which of his decisions, always much maligned, were vindicated at least until the next game. The decision to let Benoit Pouliot walk seems inspired. Now if Benoit could only turn into a hybrid of Terrel Owens and Sean Avery, he could cause some turmoil in their dressing room and finally help the Canadiens. The decision to keep Carey Price instead of Jaroslav Halak seems beyond debate. He overpaid for the right player this summer, as Erik Cole more and more seems to find his stride and on the verge of paying dividends.

I've spoken before about how Mr. Gauthier listens to my suggestions, and the decision to reassign Perry Pearn follows suit, since I've posted before on how I wanted a former NHL defenceman to be the coach in charge of our defenceman, and for that coach to be behind the bench proffering advice and encouragement to our young crew. My wish was granted tonight as I saw Mr. Ladouceur talking animatedly to his d-men during the Bruins timeout. Mr. Gauthier, if you're reading this post, aside from disregarding my strong recommendation to sign Shane O'Brien over the summer, thanks for listening.

Game 9: Montreal 5, Philadelphia 1

I've remained resolutely optimistic in my game recaps so far, and tonight's score will make it easy for me to stay on course. All the scheming and dreaming we did over the summer, with endless line permutations and visions of power forwards taking it to the net was realized in one panic-smothering swoop.

Let's start by giving Max Pacioretty serious props. A wrist injury which was reported to involve ligament damage and putatively might have required surgery was not enough to keep him out of the game or off the scoresheet. I initially questioned whether a sniper like him, as opposed to stone-handed players like Mike Blunden or Mathieu Darche, would be severely limited with such an ailment. Mr. Blunden could bang and crash with a sore wrist, but how could Mr. Pacioretty be effective with only one hand on his stick? I wondered whether we might be better off resting him to ensure he returned fully healthy, as opposed to he rushing back too soon and suffering through a nagging injury most of the season. It is fortunate that it is his right wrist which is hurt, since it is his top hand on the stick, which is not as important in wrist shots, and will not ache too much from the impact of slap shots. In any case, he showed leadership and courage by playing tonight, and it was great that he was rewarded for it.

Another player I was impressed with was Erik Cole, who skated fast and was strong on the puck all night. While some have uncharitably described his performance so far this season, based mostly on his lack of production, I have been happy with his play. The goals will come. He is an upgrade to our lineup, a big strong winger who knows what to do with the puck.

Which is take it and drive to the net. Which brings us to Mr. Kostitsyn, who once again went on one of his aimless skates with the puck. Lucky for me, Ray Ferraro on the TSN broadcast caught it too, and commented on it on a lengthy replay. To see him wheel around the net and carry the puck back toward the blue line, where he coughed it up, made my blood pressure rise. I hope that the coaching staff, however its responsibilities are reallocated, takes responsibility for le frère Andrei. Apparently simply watching Mr. Cole and Mr. Pacioretty isn't enough of a clear example for him to follow, he needs to be sat down and watch video of his low-IQ plays, as compared to some of Rick Tocchet's and Kevin Stevens' greatest hits.

Another blemish was Mr. Spacek's performance. He was jostled and bounced all game, and muffed a scoring chance. I would much, much prefer that Alexei Emelin be given those minutes. The future is now, we can't keep a 25 year old KHL top-pairing defenceman in the press box to make room for another one who is aging, fragile and ineffectual.

As far as the Flyers go, the overhaul they underwent this summer, along with Chris Pronger's absence, make them a seemingly much less ornery team. Claude Giroux scuffled with Tomas Plekanec, but aside from that the evening was relatively tame, except for Wayne Simmonds running around and acting like a big, big punk. We have seen this before this season, a big player with a nasty streak not finding anyone to rub up against, and looking for trouble.

And please, enough with the deification of Jaromir Jagr. Enough with his infectious good mood in the Flyers' dressing room, and his mentoring younger players, and his newfound energy and appreciation of the NHL. This is the guy who Czech-teased the city of Pittsburgh all summer and inexplicably turned tail and bolted for their mortal enemies. This is the guy who stole money for years from the Capitals and Rangers, and was a dressing-room dark cloud. Let's give it half a season before we fall for his act.

Game 8: Montreal 1, Florida 2

If the hockeyinsideout.com servers don't crash, we will soon be swamped by howling posters demanding Jacques Martin on a platter and for Pierre Gauthier to be burned at the stake. I still think it's much too early in the season to panic and will accentuate the positive.

First off, it was a boon to the team that the Matt Bradley hit did not cause David Desharnais to end up in the morgue.

Also, while watching the pre-game interview with Travis Moen on RDS, I was quite taken by the vibrant hues on his jersey. I'm not sure if it's the texture of the material or if the designers monkeyed with the colour palette, but I found the blue stripe had an electric quality to it, it positively shimmered, so that the classic red, and crisp, brilliant white stripes were amplified.

A clear upgrade can be found over last year in the replacement of Benoit Brunet with Marc Denis. Mr. Denis is decisive without being hurried, is clear and informative, and works well in his pairing with Mr. Houde. We can look forward to this combination clicking for many years.