Duck Duck Noose!

July 21st, 2010 Kyle 2 comments

So the NHL has poo-pooed the 102-million, 17-year Ilya Kovalchuk contract. They’ve kicked the feet out from under the Devils, Kovalchuk and his agent, Jay Grossman. As usual, the decision has divided fans and media, and why not? The league has allowed these deals to go through for several years now. See Hossa, Marian; Luongo, Roberto; DiPietro, Rick. There are others, but these are the ones chiefly referenced as precedent-setting.

What’s the big deal?

When you were a kid, your parents likely let you get away with a few things here and there which they told you not to do. Maybe curfew was 11pm (and not a minute past). Yet you stretched it…11:03, 11:05…slowly, gradually testing the limits, hoping that one day you could comfortably stroll in at midnight without a hassle. Until the day that you came in at 11:07. Such a small infraction, but Dad takes the keys away. A little harsh? I guess, since you had been getting away with it with no repercussions. So what’s different this time? Johnny gets home a few minutes late all the time…heck, everyone does! Too bad. You knew the rules and you kept stretching them. You HAD to know it was going to bite you at some point. Shame on you if you didn’t. Your anger is probably more out of embarassment than anything else.

Fine, the Devils didn’t break any rules. They’ve (not so cleverly) exploited a legal loophole. But it’s bullshit and you know it. Yes, they should have put the kibosh on these sorts of deals long ago. But slowly, teams have been testing the limits of realism with these deals. The NHL has had enough, and if the early indications are correct, the New Jersey Devils are not going to appeal the decision. Translation: “Ok, you got me, you got me!”

Because Bettman and friends didn’t correct past mistakes doesn’t mean he shouldn’t fix what he can now. It’s the same stupid, lazy argument with headshots. “Well, Mike Richards went unpunished, so did Matt Cooke, so why should Ovechkin be punished?”. Sorry to use parent-speak here, but two wrongs don’t make a right.

When negotiations on the CBA are opened, the NHL will attempt to close this loophole. If the players have any smarts about them, they’ll allow it to be closed for their own good.  Matt Reitz, blogger from View From My Seats has good reasons why. Basically, it’s one word: Escrow.

Might I suggest that the NHL insist on having contracts approved by the league before any formal announcement is made by the team? For a league that is often accused of being a laughing stock, having fluffy press conferences to announce the signing of the league’s most coveted free agent, only to torpedo the whole thing is highly embarassing. And while we’re at it, didn’t this press conference seem like the equivalent of a football team lining up to get the next play in after they know they just benefitted from a questionable call just seconds earlier? I could be wrong, but it seems like the Devils thought if they threw this press conference, they’d essentially be daring the league to negate this deal, lest they get egg on their face.

For once, the league has done the right thing. It sucks for the Devils, who may not get Kovalchuk back, and it really sucks for their fans, but that’s too bad. Lou Lamoriello pretty much had his hand forced by ownership to make the deal happen (need proof? LouLam said he didn’t like the Hossa deal and he rolled his eyes at the structure and length of the DiPietro deal. Why do it yourself unless you were being pressured by your boss to get it done?).

What’s your take?

Categories: Hockey Tags: , , , , ,

Want to Fix the NHL? Start Here.

July 20th, 2010 Kyle 9 comments
Every year, the league’s General Managers get together and discuss some hot-button issues in their sport and try to find ways to improve hockey and make it safer for their pricey investments on the ice. Usually, nothing gets done, but at least they talk about it.
 
But I’m writing today to talk about a deep-rooted problem in the league, and it needs to be stopped, immediately. It’s ruining the game; rotting it from the inside so quietly like a disease that progresses without symptoms until it’s beyond curable. It’s not too late to cure the NHL of this affliction, but something has to be done right away. It can’t wait any longer.
 
It’s not headshots. We’ve all spoken enough about that ad nauseum. It’s not oversized goalie equipment or the stupid delay of game penalty.
 
So what is it?
 
Lame, bland, thoughtless, banal nicknames.
 
Remember the great nicknames? The Rocket, Mr. Hockey, Boom-Boom, The Golden Jet (and Brett), The Dominator, The Hammer, Knuckes, St. Patrick. Stars who were instantly identifiable by a moniker that sometimes wasn’t just a silly truncating of the player’s name. The list is virtually endless, and although this illness isn’t exactly a new millennium thing, it’s progressing rapidly. The will to find a decent name for someone is nearly dead. 20 years ago we were treated to “The Great One vs Super Mario”. Today we get “Sid the Kid vs Alex the Great” (didn’t Alex Mogilny have that nickname first? Oh, wait. It’s Alex the Gr8″. How stupid of me. That makes it all better. And what happens when Sid is 28? He won’t be much more of a kid, will he?)
 
Here’s a quote from Mike Babcock from earlier this year, which appeared in Red Fisher’s “The Red Line” column:
“I thought ‘Fil’ and Bertuzzi together were really good for us, really got going. And then, obviously ‘Pav’ and ‘Homer’ and ‘Mule’ have been excellent for us, and I thought ‘Z’ and ‘Clears’ chipped in as well. That was good. ‘Helmer’s’ group had a real good night, and that’s what you need, you need everyone on deck.”
 Let’s review the quote: ‘Fil’ is Valterri Filppula. We all know who Bertuzzi is (though I have to admit that I’m shocked he didn’t abbreviate to ‘Bert’). Thinking out of the box like any good McGill grad, Babcock then makes the innovative leap of shortening Datsyuk’s first name, Pavel, to ‘Pav’. Genius! ‘Homer’ is Tomas Holmstrom, and in what is perhaps the only legitimate nickname in the bunch, ‘Mule’ is Johan Franzen. Lastly, in a clear display of waving the white flag, Babcock refers to Dan Cleary as ‘Clears’ and Darren Helm as ‘Helmer’.
 
I don’t know about you, but that hurt me like a kick to the teeth.
 
Has it really come to this? Is shortening a guy’s name to some cutesy pronunciation the best that can be done?
 
Take a glimpse at the Habs; they’re no better than anyone else:
 
Scott Gomez: Gomer
Brian Gionta: Gio (some call him Giant, but to me that’s as clever as calling your chihuahua “Killer”)
Michael Cammalleri: Cammy
Carey Price: Pricey (formerly known as Jesus Price. Maybe the fans will give that one back)
Andrei Markov: Marky
Roman Hamrlik: Hamr (this one out of sheer coincidence more than anything. Just lop off the last 3 letters and you get a pretty cool name that in no way describes the way Hamrlik plays) 
Tomas Plekanec: Pleks or Pleky, as he is known to fans. (Forgiveable since economizing words on twitter is key!)
 
Just a few months ago, Glen Metropolit was “Metro”, Matt D’Agostini was “Dags” (don’t be offended Pierre Dagenais), and Max Pacioretty was “MaxPac”.
 
You get the idea, and it’s not a pretty picture. It’s not new, either, and surely not every era of hockey was immune to this. Steve Shutt was “Shutty”. I’ll risk a public flogging for this one, but what does “The Flower” have to do with hockey? How does it decribe anything other than a direct translation of his surname? Would he have been named The Flower if his name was Laporte? Certainly not, so what does “The Flower” have to do with hockey? If you mention anything about blooming, I’ll kill you. More recently, Saku Koivu was “Sak” (though some called him Captain K), Sheldon Souray was “Shelly”, Craig Rivet was “Rivs”, and was probably confused often with former teammate Mike Ribeiro’s “Ribs” (this one was almost clever. They gave him the mandatory name shrinkage, but because he’s so skinny, his ribs were quite visible.) Laughably, Francis Bouillon was “Frankie Boo”, and today Benoit Pouliot is known to fans as “Benny Pou”. Elsewhere, Jarome Iginla is “Iggy”, Brent Seabrook is “Seabs”, Patrick Kane is “Kaner”, Marc Savard is “Savvy”, Milan Lucic is “Looch” (perhaps after the Loochness Monster?) and Patrice Bergeron is “Bergy”. My head hurts from pounding it against the wall in despair.
 
But wait. There’s more!
 
When I say “Kovy”, who do you think of? Habs fans will stand up and say that there’s only one Kovy and his name is Alex Kovalev. The rest of the NHL’s fans will likely stand up and say that Ilya Kovalchuk is the real Kovy. Either way, it’s a shitty nickname. Doubling it just makes it even more stupid and puts this whole silly gongshow on display for all to see. And you thought the CFL having 2 Roughrider teams was dumb! In part 2 of this exercise, when I say “Lappy”, who do you think of? Habs fans talk about young forward Maxim Lapierre, who, given his penchant for running his mouth ought to be renamed Yappy, but that’s another story. The rest of the league, and specifically Flyers fans will tell you that “Lappy” belongs to Ian Laperrière. And really, doesn’t a blood-and-guts guy like Laperrière deserve better than “Lappy”? Makes me think of a dog slurping water.
 
Is it a totally bleak picture? No. Are there any good names out there? Sure there are. Jordin Tootoo, known for his reckless style of play has one of the leagues better nicknames, if not an entirely predictable one: The Tootoo Train. Sometimes the gods smile upon you. Rangers Pugilist Derek Boogaard has a fitting nickname in the “Boogeyman” but for every Tootoo Train or Boogeyman, there’s 10 “Staalsys” (as they call at least one of the Staal brothers) or “Saks” or “Bergys”. What’s causing this? Is it a simple lack of willingness or creativity or is it a deeper thing where because the NHL is so multicultural these days, things simply get lost in translation and it’s just easier to shorten a guy’s name? Maybe it’s because players move around so much that they don’t get time to endear themselves to players like they did in the past when they would spend years and years together.
 
I don’t have the answer, but I believe every time a player publicly abbreviates a teammate’s name, he should be fined by the league in the amount of $10,000, on a per-name basis. So if Cammalleri said something like “well I just set up on the off-wing, Gomer found me with a nice cross-ice pass and I slid it back to Marky at the point who put a good shot on net, and it’s lucky for us that Gio was there to tip it in”, he’d be out $30k. They can continue to call each other their cute half-names on the ice because I’m sure some will say that in the course of the action, it’s critical to communicate quickly, so I won’t begrudge the players that.
 
As for us fans, we’re tougher to moderate. Even I’m guilty of using these insipid nicknames. But make no mistake, it’s a very contagious and dangerous disease. Please protect yourself.
 
Now it’s your turn. Shine the light on some of the more brutal “nicknames” out there, and let’s see if we can’t get better alternatives off the ground.
 
Good God…is it October yet?

Categories: Hockey Tags: , , , , , , , ,

To the Scrap Heap!

July 8th, 2010 Kyle 1 comment
When you pick up a book, do you finish it? To me, there are several stages to reading a book. The first few pages and chapters have to pull you in. The middle of the book has to hold interest and be moving toward something. The final chapters are the most entertaining; the build up to the finale…all of which leaves you wanting more. Or so you hope. Most writers go to great lengths to make sure the cover, inside flap and foreword are well designed, intriguing and flattering. It’s all with the intention of getting you to dive right in to the book and never put it down. But despite the usual quality of the beginning of the book, sometimes after the first few pages and chapters, you lose your focus. A couple days go by before you pick up the book again, and before you know it, it’s back on the shelf collecting dust. Did you give the book a fair shake or was it just a dud?
 
And so it is with young hockey players. Some come in to the league full of credentials and full of themselves. Sometimes they’re even right to be supremely confident. Remember when Carey Price played his first game as a Hab? I saw someone with poise and oodles of confidence, someone who was riding high on all of his recent accomplishments. Young kids flood the NHL every year, all coming from different backgrounds and developmental leagues. The hype for some is deafening, while others build their resume slowly and quietly. Some respond, and some don’t. That’s the way it is.
 
In the case of our book, there sometimes comes a point where you decide that this book is no longer worth your time. You can watch the movie, or read some reviews on the internet if you really want to see how it ends. Usually though, you’d just as soon forget it and find better ways to spend your time.
 
How does one know when to give up on a young hockey player? In the case of the Canadiens, recent years have shown that a player will burst on to the scene, only to burn out really quickly. Remember Matt D’Agostini? I don’t recall the exact stat, but it seemed that he was scoring a goal every second game when he first joined the Canadiens. Songs were being sung about him on Montreal sports radio. A saviour was born! However, as quickly as he arrived, he regressed, and eventually wore out his welcome, making it clear that he was not going to fulfill his promise. To this point, nobody disputes having shipped D’Agostini away for Aaron Palushaj, another promising youngster who Habs fans hope cracks the lineup someday. Other players who in the past few years have had roller coaster seasons go by the names of Higgins, Pacioretty, O’Byrne, Pouliot, Kostitsyn, Ryder, Latendresse, Chipchura, Kostitsyn, Lapierre…the list goes on, but you get the idea. All of these guys have cracked the roster and made splashes of various sizes; from Michael Ryder with a calder nomination, to Benoit Pouliot with a single month of solid play as a Hab. Similarly, each of these players has polarized fans. Canadiens fans are notorious for running their young players out of town at break-neck speeds. The apparent prevailing mentality is that you’ve had your time to develop in the minors, now it’s time to produce in the bigs. Fail at your own peril.
 
But like any fanbase of maniacs, the opinions are far from homogenous on each player. As mentioned, most shrugged when D’Agostini was dealt. Not so with Sergei Kostitsyn. Opinions ranged from outrage that such a talent be sent packing, to sentiments of good riddance. Without picking apart each player’s situation, the question I’m getting at is when do YOU feel like it’s ok to throw in the towel on a player? Some people are willing to hang on to an Andrei Kostitsyn or a Carey Price for all eternity, come hell or high water. Others would like both traded out of Montreal yesterday. The reality is somewhere in the middle, as it is with most things. Canadiens fans would do well to be more forgiving and patient with some of their younger players instead of expecting all star numbers right off the bat. Go-down-with-the-ship fans would do well to remove their blinders when the signs are clear that a player is not going to fulfill his potential here.
 
If one spends a little bit of time listening to Montreal sports radio, or hanging out on twitter, this team would not consist of Carey Price or Andrei Kostitsyn today. Pouliot would be on the very hot seat, and Pacioretty would be staring his future in the face. Do these fans know something that the more patient, more lenient fans don’t? Of course they don’t. On the flip side, yes, there is a time when you have to cut ties with a youngster, regardless of potential. A team can’t wait forever for a player to realize his potential, not if said team has aspirations to win and be in the playoffs every year. A young player that comes to Montreal should, in my opinion, be given 4-5 full years to get it right before the option of moving them is explored. Finding their groove at the NHL level and to become a meaningful contributor to a team takes a lot of time.
 
Higgins and Ryder lost their way. So did D’Agostini. Chipchura became expendable. Pacioretty was smartly and mercifully sent back to Hamilton before he was lost forever (I still don’t know why that took so long). Many would blame the inconsistency, disappointment or outright failure of some of the kids on the coaching carousel, and coaching quality over the past few years. There is some merit to these beliefs, but those arguments also have their limits; not every team is coached by a Mike Babcock, Joel Quenneville or Guy Boucher. It’s up to each player to get their act together for themselves and prove what they can do. Past triumphs in the juniors and minors only buy you so much time.
Nobody credits Michel Therrien with Crosby’s early success. On the other hand, we’ve seen how Stamkos is now thriving once he was saved from Barry Melrose. At the end of the day, players will forge their own legacies.
There are currently some players on the Habs aged 25 and under that, fairly or not, have their head in the noose. They can get a stay of execution if they perform, or the trap door will open if they don’t.
 
So that’s what’s on my mind this week. I’ve seen and heard a lot of chatter about how unfair and stupid it is to give up on certain kids, while giving up on others is met with ambivalence. Clearly, a lot of this comes from emotional attachments and playing favorites. I don’t really have favorites in the sense that I would hang on to a player forever-and-ever-amen. I have a colder, more calculating approach in that I want the Canadiens to always be improving. I won’t wait for a player to “hit his prime years” before giving up on him, but I am willing to wait and ensure that the player has had a fair shake. In the Canadiens most pressing case, while many want Price moved immediately, I hope the Canadiens play him all season long. If he has a subpar season, I hope they bring him back again next year. If there’s no improvement again, then perhaps you start to think about the future. If healthy, he will have had more than 250 NHL games under his belt. That in my opinion is long enough to know whether or not you can continue to bank on him.
I want to know from you where you think the line is? When is it ok to cut ties with a kid who still has potential, and when does potential lose all meaning?

Categories: Hockey Tags:

Gomez Steals Koivu’s 11

July 2nd, 2010 Kyle 7 comments

Gazette reporter Dave Stubbs ruined Canada Day for many Habs fans with news that Scott Gomez has received permission to wear former longtime captain Saku Koivu’s number 11.

For many, it’s too soon to see anyone wear Saku’s number, myself included. Mind you, I didn’t lose a moment’s sleep over it. I believe the Canadiens should have waited a little longer before letting someone else don the number that once belonged to a players that gave so much to the team, the fans, and the city.

But how long? For some, the number ought to be retired and never worn again, and perhaps it will some day. I’m not entirely convinced of that, but that’s another discussion for another blog post. For some fans, the one season sans number 11 was enough of a nod of respect to Koivu. For others, maybe two seasons, or three or even five seasons would be more appropriate. The fact is there is no consensus.

At the end of the day, the Canadiens gave Gomez the green light to wear it. Did Gomez check with Koivu to see what he feels? I have no idea, but he probably didn’t if I had to guess. He did say that he has tons of respect for Koivu; who doesn’t? It’s likely that the players aren’t getting their knickers in a twist over this, so why are so many fans?

It’s like a parent dating someone new after the other parent passes away. It just feels too soon, too quick to bury and forget the past. Memories of Koivu are still too vivid to just be put away like this. But I will say this, because I believe it: it IS important to satisfy the guy you’re paying 7.5 million dollars to for the next four seasons (on the flip side, some would suggest that if Gomez needs a number to be happy, he’s no more mature than a 7 year old). If wearing number 11 makes Gomez as happy as he says it will, then I don’t see the harm, especially since the team has granted him permission. They did wait, showing some respect to Koivu. And the happiness of their CURRENT players counts.

Once again, Habs fans find themselves looking back at the past in reverence. We just went through two seasons of revelry, the first of which was a full-blown circus. I’ll say it again: I personally feel like it is still too soon, but I’ve always been one to care more about what’s happening with the Canadiens now, and in the future. The past is important, and always will be. Whenever a player comes here, the first thing out of their mouth is how they are honored to come to a team with such a rich history; and they’re right. But the Habs, and the fans have to stop letting the past dictate how the present and future is managed.

I know I’ve straddled the fence a little here. So what do I really think? I think this move is ok. They showed Saku some respect, although not as much as I would have expected. In doing so, they are making a core member of the team happy. To me, it’s as close to win-win as it gets without having a public inquiry on how long is long enough before allowing 11 on the ice again.

How do you feel about knowing someone else will be wearing 11 again?

Categories: Hockey Tags: , , ,

Hang on to your Tomas Jagr Jerseys!

June 23rd, 2010 Kyle No comments

He’s baaaaack!

Ok, so by now it’s old news to all Habs fans, but Pleky is going to ply his trade in Montreal until 2016, at a 5 million dollar cap hit per season. It’s a little bit more than I would have liked to see him signed for (the length is perfect, in my opinion), but given the dearth of competent, legitimate 2-way centermen on the free agent market, the deal he signed has to be viewed as a bargain by the Habs and their fans.

The problem I do see, however, is twofold (and not unexpected):

  1. Gauthier had to expend a lot of cap space in keeping Plekanec, and he had to shed Halak in order to do it. In other words, we are still looking at the same team, albeit a more expensive one that is not in any way improved.
  2. The Canadiens are still very small down the middle. Individually, I like Gomez and Plekanec. Money aside, I really do. But their size is a problem. After the Penguins series, I was all hopped up and told the hockey world to shut it’s fat yapper forever about the “small” Habs. I guess I spoke too soon because the way the Flyers kept the Habs at bay was a rude awakening. Leighton had 3 shutouts, not because he was incredible, but because he was not called upon very often to make big, in-close saves. The Habs were simply unable to penetrate the Flyers big defensive squad. So yeah, as usual, size IS a problem, and has been for well over a decade. Gauthier must address this, but I’m not holding my breath.

Gionta, Gomez, Cammalleri and Plekanec are all under 6 feet tall, which leaves 2 forward spots open on the top lines. Currently, they are occupied by Andrei Kostitsyn, and (most likely) Benoit Pouliot. Both have the size and skill to scratch the itch, but do they have the will to get dirty and provide the muscle and sandpaper the Canadiens desperately need up front? I don’t think so. Trading Kostitsyn will free up cap space and allow Gauthier to find a grittier guy. Trading Pouliot will bring nothing but future considerations. I’m not in love with the idea of trading AK46 because his type of talent doesn’t grow on trees, but if moving him can fill a need and improve the team, then it should be done, right? That’s the whole point isn’t it- to have a better team?

How else can Gauthier improve this team? If he can move either Hamrlik or Spacek, that would also help. They were valiant this year for the Habs in Markov’s absence, and because the latter will be out of action (AGAIN!) for the first couple months of the year, perhaps Gauthier can’t or shouldn’t move them.

In short, I’m not sure that Gauthier has much choice but to ice virtually the same team as last season, but at a higher cost. So before we slam him for failing to improve the team, let’s recall my post from last week, in which I point out that Gainey was the one that put together this good, but expensive team that is laced with costly, lengthy and almost unmoveable contracts. What we see is what we will get for many years.

How would you improve the Habs for next year?

Note: Congratulations to Mathieu Darche, who’s dedication, work ethic, and relatively good play earned him his first ever one-way contract in the NHL. He’ll stick around next season to mentor young kids and play a depth role. He’ll also find time in the press box, but he won’t gripe one bit about it. He’ll be carefully observing and taking mental notes; I’m certain we will see this guy wearing a different title within the Habs organization one day soon.

Note #2: Check out Five Hole For Food, and please consider contributing to the cause next week. Ball hockey, charity, and a stick signed by your Habs up for the most generous food donater…what’s not to like?

Categories: Hockey Tags: , ,

Five Hole For Food Hits Montreal

June 22nd, 2010 Kyle No comments

I use the term “Montreal” loosely.

I’ll keep it brief and then put you all on the spot. Canucks blogger Richard Loat (that’s Mozy19 to those of you on twitter) is crossing Canada and stopping in 9 cities for a game of ball hockey. And no, it’s not a pointless game of hockey. It’s essentially a majorly long food drive for various food banks across this gigantic country of ours.

For this first stop of the charity, the NDG Food Bank will be the beneficiary of your generosity.

The NDG Food Depot strives to eliminate hunger by working with our community in a manner that ensures dignity, community engagement and the development of human potential. We have been serving NDG and the surrounding Montreal boroughs since 1986 and have been an independent charitable organization since 2003. We see food as a powerful vehicle that can bring people together to forge innovative solutions to societal inequalities.

Please visit Five Hole for Food’s website and specifically this link to learn more about the event coming to la belle province next Tuesday, June 29th at 7:00 p.m.

The long and short of it is we want you to bring your sneakers and your hockey stick to the wonderful town of Notre Dame de l’Ile Perrot and play a game of ball hockey with us. Anyone of any skill level and gender is welcome to play; the more the merrier! (If you happen to be a goaltender, we could really use your services!) Even if you don’t want to play and would prefer to spectate and cheer point and laugh, that’s also more than fine. It would be a change for a rag-tag bunch of ball hockey players to hear it from the crowd!

What it all boils down to is a big fat tweetup for charity. It also happens to be a couple days before NHL free agency, so there will be plenty of Habs excitement to keep the chatter going.

Don’t worry, we know it’s a work night for most of you, so we’ll be done fairly early and we will send you home with a mostly full belly. Boston Pizza has jumped on board to sponsor the event nationally and will be hooking us up with some pizza to fix our hockey-forged appetites! Sorry, no booze on site. Those of you who definitely need a night cap can stop in at my place for a beer or six, or whatever after the game.

Now here’s where it gets interesting.

Since this is a food drive, we need you all to step up to the plate and bring as much non-perishable food as you can possibly bring. This isn’t your typical drop-a-can-off-at-Tim-Horton’s-at-Christmas food drive. No…we’re giving away a pretty sweet prize to the person who donates the most food, by weight.

So what’s the prize? Check this out. Not too shabby for some food, eh? Now, don’t try to get clever and bring 50 cans of the heaviest thing you can find. Mix it up a little…even the less fortunate get tired of just beans!

I can tell you one thing: I’m putting my best foot forward here. The stick is already in my house, and I would like it to stay here. Think of it this way: How much would you pay for a hockey stick signed by your Eastern Conference Finalist Montreal Canadiens? Now you get the picture!

So that’s it folks. Please try to keep your calendars open next Tuesday night for a trek to Ile Perrot. I promise it’s not as far as it sounds. Besides, our city’s reputation is at stake here. We want to pile up more food for the less fortunate than those stinky Leafs and Sens fans, don’t we? Montreal is the first stop, so we have to set the bar here! Please help get Richard’s amazing initiative off to a good start!

If you have any questions for me, you can find me on twitter, or email me at kyleroussel at gmail.com.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you want to play hockey with us, please be sure to let me know!

Categories: Hockey, Random Tags: ,

Halak Trade Blog Roundup

June 18th, 2010 Kyle No comments

As a Habs fan with a blog, I thought it would be almost compulsory to write yet another blog about the Halak trade, but I’m not going to do that. There are a lot of blogs already out there that already sum up what I feel (in summary: inevitable, necessary, smart).

Instead of adding to the chatter, I want to post a roundup of some of the Halak blogs written in the past couple days:

All Habs: Halak Fans Singing the Blues

The Active Stick: The Halak trade may not actually be the end of the world

The Daily Hab-It: Everyone Breathe Deeply and For What It’s Worth

Schmitzy Says: I’m back. You might not like me though. But I don’t super dig many of you right now either. So sue me.

Habs Loyalist: Obituaries

The Checking Line: BREAKING NEWS: Jaroslav Halak Traded to St. Louis Blues

Eric Engels at HockeyBuzz: Gauthier Trades Halak to Blues. Commits to Price and Salary Space.

That ought to fill your cup many times over, if you haven’t read enough already. These are all worth reading for their own merits and the whole spectrum of opinion is represented here. If I forgot any blogs, please let me know and I’ll add them to the list.

Enjoy!

P.S. Be sure to check out my blog post that I wrote Wednesday before the Halak deal went down, advocating Pierre Gauthier’s need to make bold moves.

Categories: Hockey Tags: , ,

What I Will Enjoy Most About Free Agency

June 16th, 2010 Kyle No comments

Aside from talking about possible trades and signings, and then endlessly dissecting them when they do or don’t happen, there’s one thing I will have the most fun with concerning free agency:

Habs fans blaming Pierre Gauthier for the head scratching moves that are bound to come.

You see, once the Habs came up roses after the Olympic break, and once they went real deep in the playoffs, everyone was showering former GM Bob Gainey with praise. THIS was the team he intended, and THIS was the team that was going to return the team to glory! He was a genius, the man who built a great and formidable team. I wanted to join the festivities, but couldn’t. Not fully, anyway. Don’t get me wrong: he does deserve some praise for putting this group together. They *are* a pretty good team, but there are still clear and glaring holes, and big questions to be answered in the next year.

I love Gainey as much as anyone, but let’s recognize the bind that he left Pierre Gauthier in. After last summer’s shopping spree, he left the Habs with scant cap flexibility, meaning new GM Pierre Gauthier will probably have to unload some salaries for nothing in return except for the luxury of perhaps resigning guys he already had. Essentially, the same team, for more money and for a long, long time.  Or, he could lose the guys he has, and still pay a lot of money for lesser players. Finally, he could trade assets to replace guys that he had just a couple months earlier. That’s not my idea of improvement, and it’s not the way to build a contender.

If you’re content with this team’s make-up, more power to you. If you like the mix that went a long way this season despite the Head Coach’s ineptness, wonderful. If you believe that the team will only be better with a year under their belt, and less injuries to endure, terrific.

But I think a team has to constantly improve and that includes making tough choices and bold moves. Gainey, for all the good he did in building this team, left Gauthier with little wiggle room for the next several seasons.

So when the Habs take the ice next year with either an overpriced Plekanec (he will get more than he’s worth simply because of the lack of free agent talent available), or someone else who isn’t as good as Plekanec, don’t be so quick to blame Gauthier. And when Gauthier is up against the cap and wondering what to do with pending unrestricted free agent Andrei Markov, get off his case. He’s not going to have wads of money to throw around. And if he does, it’s because he cut anchor with a lot of high priced guys for draft picks and cheap bodies. I’ve made it clear that I don’t like the Habs current management and coaching group (aside from assistant coach Kirk Muller), but if we’re going to bash a guy, we have to be fair about it, and I just don’t see Habs fans doing that simply because it’s easier to criticize Gauthier than it is Gainey, especially now that he’s gone (perhaps Gainey foresaw this storm brewing and simply didn’t want to deal with it?).

Sure, Gauthier gladly accepted the job once the Habs concluded that their exhaustive hiring process proved that he was brightest gem shining from underneath all the thousands of overturned stones, but there’s only so much a guy can do. It’s now his job to improve this team, but he can only work with what he has.

Categories: Hockey Tags: , , ,

Predictable, Scripted and Contrived. We Will All Be Watching

May 28th, 2010 Kyle 7 comments

Ah, the Winter Classic. The outdoors, middle of winter, the fresh air…hopefully some idyllic snowflakes (that goalies will invariably use to buttress their creases). In an attempt to evoke childhood memories and the roots of the game, the NHL has found some secret sauce with the now annual New Year’s Day outdoor game. On a day that is still ruled by College Football, the “lowly” NHL has managed to get itself on the radar with their ode to all things folksy about the game.

Personally, I’ve never been overly impressed with these games. The settings have been neat. The games for the most part, have not. Try as the NHL may with its well-produced marketing efforts, I’ve never been fully captivated with these games aside from the fact that it’s hockey on a day where I’m usually trying to cure a pounding headache.

Now I know that the NHL is a business and with their latest sacred cow wants to milk these things for all they are worth…but could something be as predictable, scripted and contrived as a Penguins vs Capitals matchup? I know you want to showcase your best when you have the spotlight, but come on. Sure, “Sid the Kid” and “Alex the Gr8″ qualify as the best that the NHL can offer, but when things as predictable as this come to pass, I just want someone to pass me the bucket. Can you imagine how much hype will surround this event? Unless you’re a Penguins fan, Capitals fan, employee of the network carrying the event, an NHL employee, or a hockey-loving vacuum (even this may be a stretch for those of you who love all things hockey), you may want to invest in a bilge pump to keep from drowning in the thick gravy we’re all about to be hosed with. Note to the NHL (and especially to NBC): there ARE other stars and other teams in your league.

Frankly, I’m surprised at my own reaction. I figured I’d enjoy something like this. Maybe I will, but right now my impression is that this feels manufactured and vacuous. A Crosby / Ovechkin matchup would sell at any point, in any year but I believe that the NHL dropped the ball by announcing this so quickly. I have a suggestion, albeit a moot one. Hear me out, but I think with the hockey we are about to be treated to, the NHL would have been wise to wait and see how the Cup Finals played out and thought of concocting a Toews / Richards rematch for their next Winter Classic. The 2 best players in the league *today* may not be Crosby and Ovechkin, but Richards and Toews. You can certainly make that argument.

With the plotlines that engulf this upcoming series (Hawks in 6, by the way), there could have been an air of authenticity and genuine nastiness to this affair. With Sidney and Alex, I get the sense that the only plotlines would be “can Crosby can channel his shinny hockey childhood once again to topple his nemesis?” or “can Ovechkin can gain a measure of redemption against the kid who has a Stanley Cup, Gold Medal and Maurice Richard trophy to his recent collection?” It just feels tired, uninspired and lazy to me. A weak attempt to add 8 minutes to the feature-length DVD that we’re sure to see one day about the Crosby/Ovechkin rivalry. Apparently the legends are true. NBC, at least when it comes to hockey, really does stand for “Nobody But Crosby”. I do like Crosby. A lot in fact. But there has never been a moment in NHL history where so many GREAT young stars are filling out rosters everywhere.

I admit, it could be a great game, and I always hope that it is. But we’ve also seen that outdoor conditions can severely affect a player or team that relies on skill to succeed. Anything other than an offensive show would probably leave most fans feeling cheated. By January 2nd, I could end up eating my words, and I hope I do. It might be a great game in a great setting. But for now, with the calendar about to roll over to June, this leaves me completely indifferent. But like most of you, I will gladly watch, simply because we all love the game and we don’t want to miss a thing.

I haven’t even touched on the Canadiens – Flames matchup that will take place in February in Calgary at McMahon Stadium.

My reaction to this game is “Why?”

I’ve never been to Calgary, but I hear it’s pretty cold and unpleasant in February. I don’t know why this game needs to happen. Wouldn’t the Oilers or Leafs or Canucks or Senators (ok, not the Senators) be as good a matchup? Again, I’m not opposed to this, but I just don’t get it. Please sell me on this, unless you share my opinion. If the Canadiens are to play an outdoor game, it should be at Percival Molson Stadium, where the CFL’s Alouettes play. Now THAT would be a setting I could get excited about. Aside from the setting, what’s the draw to this game? The return of Cammalleri to Calgary? Where he spent one season? If it was a marketing angle in the least, it’s already been done…

How do you feel about these games? Is the NHL going to the well too often? Is the whole thing too formulaic? Please leave your thoughts below, and thanks for reading!

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If the Habs Were Superheroes

May 27th, 2010 Kyle 30 comments

The post-mortems are gushing like a BP drilling venture gone awry, but all Habs fans agree on one thing: Collectively, these guys played unbelievable hockey in the post-season and gave us reason to be proud and hopeful once again. People were alluding to the Habs as superheroes. @Habslaughs said “If Josh Gorges was a superhero he would be Josh Gorges“. That got me thinking: if I were to compare all the Habs that saw significant playoff action to superheroes, who would they be?

Needless to say, as a huge Habs fan, and a pretty big nerd as well (To me, the question of who replaces Megan Fox in Transformers 3 is as important as the Price vs Halak debate, or whether or not Plekanec should be resigned to a long term deal. Ok, not that tough, but it’s close. By the way, she is replacing Megan Fox. You’re welcome.), this was a question that dogged me for days. This required deep thought and attention, as I would hate to insult the Habs, or the legendary characters they’ll be portraying. I struggled with many of them. I really did.

I purposely didn’t compare Carey Price, Sergei Kostitsyn or Ben Maxwell, as they simply didn’t get enough playoff action to merit a decent comparison. They probably wouldn’t be all that flattering anyway. If you want me to compare them, let me know in the comments below.


Brian Gionta – Wolverine. Like his fictional counterpart, Gionta is short, fierce, unbreakable, efficient and the guy everyone looks to to get the job done. Goes to the worst, most dangerous places to earn success.

Scott Gomez – Captain America. Despite being through wars, he remains durable, dependable and a huge piece of any team’s leadership. Some call him overrated since he was frozen for years (for Gomez’ comparable, think about his time in New York), but when you get right down to it, both Cap and Gomer are always in this thick of things.

Mike Cammalleri – Spider Man. Smart. Utterly quotable, small in stature, but spectacular and amazing. Get it?

Tomas Plekanec – Superman. Not the gigantic, stronger-than-a-locomotive comic book version, but more like the Smallville version. Did everything for the Habs, and did it well. His kryptonite? The playoffs. Ouch (ok, that was a bit uncalled for, but it sorta fits and you know it!)

Dominic Moore – Batman. Yeah, it’s hard to think of Batman as a 3rd liner, but it’s true. Moore has no superpowers, but has a bunch of tricks up his sleeve. Ask Varlamov and Fleury. For the record, I don’t think of Moore as the bad-ass Christian Bale Batman, but more like the guy who wears the blue undies over the grey body suit.

Glen Metropolit – Green Arrow. Did you see Glen go four-for-four at the Habs skills competition? They’re both excellent marksmen but when the going gets tough, you look to the guys with real powers to get it done.

Maxim Lapierre – Banshee. His only superpower is his non-stop, loud mouth. Still, he can fly, and Max is a great skater. Banshee still made the cut with the X-Men, so while he’s not the coolest of all time, just being on the team is meaningful. Shutting his mouth would render him useless.

Benoit Pouliot – Jimmy Olsen. Sorry, Benny. You are no hero and get this designation simply because you managed to hang around for 18 games and thus I had to find someone to compare you to. Olsen photographs for a living. You spectate. Same thing. Even though Olsen has no powers, he at least cares for his friends that do, and they let him hang around as a result. Nobody likes you, Benoit.

Andrei Kostitsyn – Iron Man. Great to watch when engaged and powered up. Can single-handedly win battles with his powers. But when the heart fizzles out, so does his usefulness. Much is written about Tony Stark’s nightlife which, coincidentally…oh nevermind.

Tom Pyatt – YellowJacket. Regular guy, but plays much bigger than he is when the going gets rough. Kinda lame as far as heroes go, but underrated at the same time.

Travis Moen – Sasquatch. Both hail from Western Canada. Both have spent time in Montreal. Both have superhuman strength, endurance and durability. I defy you to find a better comparison.

Mathieu Darche – Reed Richards. Smart, and probably lucky to be considered a hero at all. Provides guidance and is a shining example for guys like the Human Torch. Incidentally, Darche served as a nice example to follow for Subban and Pyatt in Hamilton.

Andrei Markov – The Silver Surfer. Quiet, smooth and has all-universe ability. As one of the universe’s most powerful beings, he massively impacts the outcome of any fight, but too often is in outer space doing his thing. In Markov’s case, space = injured. Not “out in space” as in “not paying attention” or “not giving a hoot”. Almost had you, didn’t I?

PK Subban – Human Torch. Fast, hot, highly sought after and totally reckless, but one of the most fun guys to watch and listen to. Needs time and discipline to be among the greats. Hopefully learned much prolonged exposure to Reed Richards.

Roman Hamrlik – Green Lantern. Also a veteran of many wars, GL has been there, done that, without much acclaim. Sometimes his ring loses power, and without his ring he’s useless. But with the ring, he has strange alien powers that enable him to temporarily fill in for the Silver Surfer. At least in my universe he does.

Jaroslav Spacek – Daredevil. Blind as a bat, which explains why Spacek couldn’t hit the net all season long. Despite his shortcomings, he hangs around and rises up to help his team when they need him most. With a meagre 4 goals all year, it’s funny that one of his enemies is named “Bullseye“.

Hal Gill - Archangel. With a wingspan like that, who else could he be?

Josh Gorges – Aquaman. Not the orange-sequined doofus, but the revamped, muscle-bound, take-no-prisoners monster from the Justice League. If you saw the Justice League cartoon, you’d be blown away by this guy. Sure he swims with tasty fish, but the guy cut his own arm off to save his family. Then he showed up with a sword where his arm used to be and finished the fight. Oh, and he’s a king, and Gorges could easily be the Habs captain. See the parallel?

Ryan O’Byrne – Colossus. Big and strong, he probably should be involved more often, but prone to defeat when Magneto (see below) is near. And that damn Magneto is always near.

Jaroslav Halak – Nightcrawler. Quiet. Reclusive. European. Nightcrawler is always beneath the radar and rarely mentioned in the same breath as the Spider-Men and Wolverines of the world, but check out this clip from X-Men 2. Then imagine the hapless C.I.A. guys as the Penguins and Capitals, and watch as Nightcrawler picks them apart one by one. Yes, Nightcrawler kicks all kinds of ass, as the Capitals and Penguins may attest.

Jacques Martin – Magneto. Old. Smart. Loses more than he wins despite having control of good teams. Wears a helmet that repels the telepathic Charles Xavier from influencing his crazy thoughts. Similarly, Martin has an impenetrable helmet of hair that repels thoughts of common sense, reason, and logic. Uses his powers of magnetism to bond Colossus to the bench. Damn him.

Kirk Muller – Nick Fury. Impressive resume, has everyone’s respect for what he’s done, and how he continues to lead. Probably the real leader that the team looks to, even though he’s under Magneto’s shadow.

Perry Pearn – Doctor Strange. Nobody knows why he’s there, or what he does. Probably the least cool superhero of all time, but has been around forever so he must be doing something right, but I don’t know what it is. Matching facial hair helps the comparison.

There you have it. Days of painstaking thought and analysis. Comics and hockey. This is where Kyle’s brain asplodes.

What do you think? Did I botch any of these?

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