Cowhide and Rubber

This post is in response to Eric Engels’ post entitled “No Brainer: Habs Should Offer Guerin a Contract“.

In principle, I agree with almost everything written. Guerin has some gas left in the tank, is a right-handed shot for the Canadiens powerplay and is a respected leader. He brings grit and toughness that the Habs are sorely lacking. I wouldn’t mind seeing Guerin in a Habs jersey for a season. But can it work?

It’s all well and good to fantasize about it, but let’s quickly look at the numbers. The Canadiens have 4.13 million left in cap space, and still need to sign Carey Price. Let’s assume that the current rumour is true and that Price is about to sign for 2.75 million dollars. That leaves the Canadiens 1.38 million to sign Guerin, and preserve some buffer space for injuries, call ups and a potential trade deadline pick up. Let’s make the further assumption that Guerin would accept 1 million to sign with the Canadiens. One of the popular refrains from fans is to say “get the guy and worry about the cap later”. That’s awfully easy to say when you’re not the one with millions of fans breathing down your neck. The other justification fans trot out there is “the GM just needs to be creative”. Creative huh? In the same way New Jersey is trying to be creative with the Kovalchuk situation? Or creative in the same way Darryl Sutter thinks what’s old is new again? Creative is a very vague, very subjective thing…but I digress.

Signing Guerin for a million would leave the Canadiens tighter than Kiera Knightley in a corset (you’re welcome for the visual), with a paltry $380,000 left. Yikes.

For all the good things that Guerin brings to the rink, do the Canadiens need another guy to enter the “leadership equation”?

Jacques Martin is going to nominate a captain soon. I’m pretty sure that captain, whoever it turns out to be would admit that he (behind closed doors, of course) would like some elbow room to establish himself as captain. That gets a little harder to do with Guerin around. This isn’t a case where Guerin mentors Sidney Crosby while he navigates the waters of captaincy. Guerin is a leader by nature, and a vocal one. You don’t bring a guy with his character in to the room and ask him to stay quiet and let the current core lead. His presence in the room would only stifle and confuse what’s already been built upon. I’m not saying Guerin is a bad seed. It’s more a case of pouring a fine scotch in to a glass of expensive red wine and expecting the combination to taste good.

The other exercise is to find a place for Guerin to play. He’s not going to play on the top 2 lines. At least not right away. The top 6 is set, and the only thing that would change that is if either Andrei Kostitsyn or Benoit Pouliot drop the ball, or if somebody gets hurt. Admittedly, that would probably happen at some point. Would Guerin fit in the bottom 6? I think we can agree that having him as a 4th liner is a waste of everyone’s time, especially Guerin’s. What good is he with the likes of Boyd, Pyatt, Darche or Lapierre? Perhaps there’s a fit with Eller and Moen as a grinding line with some offensive punch. That’s a big if.

If Carey Price signs for less than $2.25 million, then I’d say go ahead and offer Guerin a million bucks. At least then you’d have space to make an emergency call up from Hamilton.

Personally I wouldn’t sacrifice all of my remaining cap space for a guy whose presence would come with positives and negatives. In that case that Price gets closer to 3 million, I’d prefer to see if Max Pacioretty can crack the roster again.

I like Bill Guerin, but in my opinion, the stars aren’t aligning properly for him to don the bleu-blanc-rouge. I wouldn’t cry if it did happen, and in the end if it did happen I’d probably be happy with the move, but I think with so little cap room left, and not much roster space available, it may not be the best, or even a necessary move at this time.

In my opinion, he’d be a dream trade deadline acquisition, if whatever team he’s with falls out of the post season picture. By then his cap hit will be negligible and his intangibles as a locker room presence become less of a potential hazard to the established leadership, as it will already have had time to establish itself.

What do you think? Should the Habs try and get Guerin on the cheap?

In Montreal where the Canadiens reign supreme, I’m sure we can all understand that it’s nearly impossible to satisfy an insatiable appetite for all things bleu-blanc-rouge, especially in a year like this where the Habs have been very silent. Anything rates as big news these days, as we recently witnessed with the Cedrick Desjarding trade (a.k.a. – what news?) With deadlines and word counts to meet, people who get paid to write and talk about the Habs need to find something to say, and find an angle to come from. That’s perfectly normal; we all have criteria we must meet. One of the things I’m not okay with, and what seems to be happening more and more in 2010 is the amount of inane, predictable questions being posed to players, coaches and management. These silly questions are contributing to a ton of uninteresting, irrelevant content. It should come as no surprise then, that part of the reason why mainstream media is on the decline, while blogs, twitter and facebook are skyrocketing is that these latter channels are producing more interesting content that the creators can share with others.

There’s been a lot written recently about how the mainstream media hasn’t wrapped their heads around social media, and twitter in particular. Two articles that stand out are by @All_Habs (found here), and by @theactivestick (found here). If you haven’t read them already, I highly recommend both articles. The general crux is that mainstream media is still struggling to adapt to a new landscape in which everyone has an equal voice, and where the media is increasingly incapable (or unwilling?) of bringing much added value to a conversation. Also of note is how mainstream media continues their disrespect bloggers. This is also predictable. Bloggers and other content producers in social media are now threatening their livelihoods, where once upon a time in the old days (like 3 years ago), they ruled the roost. The rules have permanently and forever changed, and traditional media stubbornly tries its best to resist or bend social media’s rules to their own benefit, not the community’s. The growing blogosphere, twitterverse and other social media channels are giving fans ways in which to connect with one another moreso than ever before, and it’s only in its infancy. Spending time in each of these channels, I can safely say that I often find myself getting FAR more value from the quality bloggers out there than from media who are becoming increasingly dull, predictable, or, on the flip side, bombastic, flippant and arrogant. I’m so excited for where the future of blogging and social media will take fans and media alike. Will everyone play nice?

I’m not saying that all members of the media are evil (nor do the two articles highlighted above). Far from it. As mentioned in the All Habs and The Active Stick articles, there are many members of the media who DO get it, and more and more are getting on board all the time. The ones that understand social media will thrive. The ones that don’t will lose their relevance (Hello, @damospin). The ones that get it will gather a loyal following. The ones that don’t will be left behind. The ones that interact with fans, and play by the rules of the community they’re in, will win. The ones that surround themselves with their old boys club and pretend that it’s still the one-way broadcast world they’re used to, will lose. The ones that bring value will be thanked with an enthusiastic and engaged following. The ones that openly beg for more followers…well…please be more interesting. It’s not any more difficult or challenging than that. Begging and petitioning for followers is cheap, and lazy.

So where am I going with this, and how does any of this apply to Montreal?

I’m jumping the gun and gazing in to my crystal ball, but sooner than later, Jacques Martin is going to announce who the Canadiens next captain will be. The front runners right now are Brian Gionta and Josh Gorges. I think most agree that either would be an excellent choice, including their teammates. Other candidates in the mix include Michael Cammalleri, Andrei Markov, and to a lesser degree, Tomas Plekanec, Scott Gomez, Hal Gill, and even P.K. Subban.  Regardless of who is selected, it won’t stop some members of the media, looking for sound bites, desperate for something, from shoving a microphone in to the faces of all involved and asking ridiculous questions like:

1. “Were you expecting to be named captain?”
2. “Are you upset that you weren’t named captain?”
3. “Do you think X should have been selected instead of X?”
4. “Should the captain start taking French lessons?”
5. “Will not being named captain affect your upcoming contract status?”
6. “What does it mean to you to be captain?”
7. “How will being named captain change the way you play?”

Let’s make it easy for those question askers right now by answering the questions for them:

1. “No, there’s plenty of leadership here and it’s tough to settle on one guy”
2. “It would have been an honour, but I’m happy for X. He’s a great guy and deserving of his nomination”
3. “No, there’s plenty of leadership here and it’s tough to settle on one guy”
4. “I don’t know…that’s a tough one. There’s so many responsibilities and commitments as a player, but if there’s time then it can’t hurt”
5. “No”
6. “This is a storied franchise with a rich history and to be included with the names that have come before me is a huge honour and a dream come true”
7. “Not at all. The player I was is what made me captain, and I don’t think I’ll change the way I play one bit”

There. That wasn’t hard, was it? Now that we have that out of the way, perhaps the media can think of some better questions to ask that actually bring some value to the fans.

Most, if not all of those questions are 100% predictable. The answers may vary a little, but not much. We know this because we’ve been subjected to the “lather, rinse, repeat” drill forever, or so it seems. None of those questions are going to reveal anything insightful. Nothing written based on these responses will be interesting. None of those questions are intended to do anything but hopefully elicit a response that will fan the flames of potential discord amongst the team, and among the fans. The players are well coached (in the PR sense, not in the on-ice sense, that’s another story!) and are unlikely to give the media anything to run with.

The two points I’m getting at with this post is that the media needs to find ways to keep up with the surging wealth of quality content out there that is being produced by those who have nothing but passion driving them. Take a look at @wyshynsky’s great idea of “Mount Puckmore of all 30 NHL teams”. What a great way to get fans OF EVERY TEAM involved in an interesting topic. If mainstream media want to continue to be a part of the discussion, they’ll need to better use their priveleged access to generate better, more interesting stories and discussions. Even more important, they’ll need to learn to step out of their walled gardens and purge themselves of their “we talk, you listen” mentality.

What’s your take?

While the rest of the hockey world focuses on what a Russian star will be doing in 2027, let’s focus for a few minutes on what a closer to home Russian star will be doing in 2011.

It would not be sacrilege to say that Andrei Markov belongs in the same conversation with Doug Harvey, Larry Robinson, Serge Savard, Guy Lapointe and Chris Chelios as some of the best defensemen the team has ever had. When he’s in the lineup, the Canadiens are a drastically better team than when he’s not in the lineup. His tenure as current longest service Canadien and his undeniable skill has put him in the conversation to be the team’s next captain. Yes, Markov is without a doubt one of the franchise’s all-time best; one of the bright spots, along with Saku Koivu during some depressing years in Montreal. It should also come as no surprise that if Markov plays his entire career as a member of the Canadiens, he will have his jersey retired whether he wins a Cup or Norris trophy, or neither. Have I made my feelings on him clear? Is this enough of a disclaimer? I hope so, because some of you may not like me when you finish this article.

Markov is entering the final season on a contract that pays him a very palatable $5.75 million dollars per season. At that price, Markov is an absolute steal. Based on his numbers and abilities, he ought to be making at least $7 million dollars. Come July 1st, 2011, he’ll probably get somewhere close to that number. The question is – who will be the one to give it to him, and for how long?

Markov has suffered 3 major injuries to his lower body in the past 18 months. Maple Leafs pest Mikhail Grabovsky sent him flying in to the boards, which demolished his knee. He missed the end of the season and the sweep vs the Bruins in 08-09. To kick off the 09-10 campaign, he had his achilles nearly severed by Carey Price’s skate blade. After a shorter than expected rehab (but still too long for the Habs and their fans), he made his return and everyone thought the worst was behind him. Wrong. In the second round of the playoffs, Penguins dirtbag Matt Cooke knocked Markov off his feet and in to the boards. The awkwardness of the fall again badly messed up his knee. Don’t kid yourself, these injuries take their toll, and it doesn’t take much when you’re older than 30 to permanently lose a step. This on top of the injuries that Markov has suffered in the earlier stages of his career. These all add up and have their cumulative effects. When Markov returns from his latest setback, the microscope will be on him more than ever. Has he lost that step? Can he still keep the opposition’s top players at bay? Trust me, everyone will be watching.

So here we find ourselves today wrestling over what to do with Markov as his free agency looms. Make no mistake, until Canadiens General Manager Pierre Gauthier says something definitive, which he won’t, this will be among the top 3 topics of conversation among Canadiens fans this year.

The pollyanna-ish hope is to give Markov a new offer and simply he’ll sign it. All indications are that he loves Montreal, and wants to play his entire career here. Sure, that sounds simple enough, but sadly it doesn’t reflect the full reality of the situation. Surprisingly, in the era of the salary cap the Canadiens tight cap situation is not the biggest factor in whether or not Markov resumes his career with the bleu-blanc-rouge.

Does he really want to be here? Would he be willing to sign a similar deal to the one that is expiring? If the answer is yes to both of those, then Markov will be back, sans doute and Habs fans everywhere should smile at their good fortune. On the flip side, if he wants to be here, but for upwards of $7 million for 5-6 years…houston, we have a problem.

It takes two to tango. Do the Canadiens want him back? He’s a good guy, a team leader and means a ton the team’s success or failure. None of those things are the issue. Do they think he’s reliable enough from a durability standpoint, considering he’s on the wrong side of 30 to continue being the team’s #1 defenseman? That’s a question none of us have the answers to, as much as we think we might. No doubt at some point this year we’ll hear a clip from the tight-lipped Gauthier that will sound an awful lot like:

“Andrei Markov is a key part of this franchise and we’d love to have him back as a part of this team going forward.”

This is nothing but canned speech. Of course they’d love to have him back…what else are they going to say?

“We think Andrei has run his course as a member of this team, and we’re going to look at trading him”. This destroys his trade potential trade value.

“We are going to let Andrei explore his options come July 1st”. This would spawn a public relations nightmare. I’ll eat my monitor if we ever hear either of those from the Canadiens.

If the Canadiens truly want Markov back, then Gauthier will need to break away from tradition and find a way to get Markov signed to an extension before the trade deadline. Why before the trade deadline? Two reasons (at least):

1) Because Gauthier cannot risk losing Markov for nothing after July 1st, 2011.

Some team will be willing and able to pay more than the Canadiens can afford for Markov, and he’s worth way too much in terms of prospects and picks to simply let walk away for nothing in return. Yes, the Canadiens will have some cap room, but not a ton of it. They can’t get carried away and start matching $7+ million dollar offers for his services on a long-term contract that will take Markov in to his late 30’s. If he has his priorities straight, Gauthier will get him signed to a reasonable long-term contract before he is wooed by teams looking to bolster their playoff chances. But as I said, the cap isn’t really the issue.

2) Avoid the inevitable distractions.

I’m aware that the Canadiens don’t typically weaken themselves at the deadline, or wave the white flag on the season, but I don’t want to hear anything from Gauthier and the Canadiens along the lines of staying status quo and negotiating when the season concludes. The hand-wringing and hair-pulling will reach fever pitch in Montreal as the season progresses if Markov remains unsigned. The media will incessantly flog this issue on the radio, on tv, in print and on the web until (and after) it is resolved. The fans will light forums, blogs and twitter ablaze with nervosity. It will be unavoidable, and such issues of this magnitude always disrupt team unity and divide fan bases.

Yes, I know. The mantra in Montreal is ”playoffs-or-bust”. This mantra usually means that the Habs hang on to their assets in an attempt to ensure 8th place or better. This time its different. This is not the same as letting beloved captain Saku Koivu go for nothing. Markov is worth far more than Koivu. If Brian Burke can demand a King’s ransom for Tomas Kaberle (which, granted, has yet to be met), Gauthier can ask for a God’s ransom for Markov and be more likely to get it. This cannot be ignored. It would be downright silly and irresponsible for Gauthier to not know what he can get for Markov via trade, just in case he can’t get him signed before the deadline. Many people don’t like Gauthier already, and for him to bury his head in the sand would do nothing but stoke those fires. Every General Manager knows what his assets are worth, whether he wants to move them or not, and if he doesn’t, I’m willing to bet that his team isn’t doing very well.

At the end of the day, I believe, and hope Markov will be back as a member of the Canadiens. Pierre Gauthier has surprised me during his brief reign as General Manager, and I think he’ll do things the right way here. I can never know the answer to this, but I believe Markov wants to remain a member of the team, and Gauthier knows that he has one of the league’s top-5 defensemen in his stable. But Habs fans should absolutely prepare themselves for the possibility, however remote, that Markov be elsewhere come opening day of the 2011-2012 season. It’s a heartbreaking possibility, but one that if you aren’t prepared for it, your resulting sadness and anger will be brought on by none other than yourself. We should have all learned this lesson multiple times as free agent after free agent left Montreal for other cities in recent years. Only Plekanec’s recent signing has turned the tide. At the very least, prepare yourself for LOTS of chatter from fans who insist that Markov be traded before he walks away for nothing. It’s the nature of the beast in this town and we should all be used to it by now.

However, if Markov is not extended by March 2nd, 3 p.m. EST, I would stock up on crying towels.

Just in case.

The braying fools are in a tizzy again.

Habs General Manager Pierre Gauthier has made a blunder for the ages! He told Simon Gagné that he wasn’t going to do the equivalent of grabbing his ankles while bending over backwards to have him for 1 year.

Good for Gauthier, says I.

Yes, I know. Gagné is a proven scorer and has been for a decade. He’s also injury prone, but lets not let the facts get in the way of a good piece of fiction.

Gagné and his 5+ million dollar contract was made expendable once the Flyers brought in Nikolai Zherdev. As the story goes, Gagné’s agent phoned Canadiens GM Gauthier before anyone else and asked if there was interest, and if a deal could be made.

“Thanks, but no thanks…no cap room” was the response from the Habs.

Apparently that’s not a good enough answer for many who see the salary cap as nothing but a minor detail. For some, it would have been better to pull the trigger on the deal for the all-star forward and worry about the cap situation later. But is that the smartest thing to do? Gagné was on record as saying that he would have been willing to try Montreal for a year, and see where it goes. It doesn’t take a genius to see that the Canadiens would not have the means next year to sign Gagné to a long-term deal next season. Yes, Markov, and Hamrlik come off the books. Right there is 11 million in cap room saved. There’s also a bunch of RFAs that will come around again, and potential captain Josh Gorges will be seeking a raise. Oh, and don’t the Canadiens do a lot better with Markov in the lineup? That’s right, they do.

In order to make the deal happen now, the Canadiens would have had to send a prospect or a a player that makes next to nothing to Philadelphia for Gagné. The Flyers were not in a position to take on any additional heavy salary. But taking on Gagné also puts the Canadiens well over the cap, and Carey Price (and 2 more depth players) have yet to sign. Wait, it gets stickier. In order to make room for a top-6 forward, Gauthier would then have to move a top-6 forward. We know Gomez, Plekanec, Gionta and Cammalleri aren’t going anywhere. This leaves Benoit Pouliot and Andrei Kostitsyn as potential moveable pieces. Moving Pouliot and his 1.35 million dollar deal isn’t enough to get the Habs back under the cap. So that leaves no other option except moving Andrei Kostitsyn and his 3.25 million dollar deal. “No biggie”, many fans would say. “Good riddance”, many others would say. Not only would Kostitsyn have to go, but probably another lowly paid player in order to bring back the buffer zone under the cap would have to be dealt.

Does moving Kostitsyn make sense in this case? He will be a restricted free agent at the end of next season, and at the age of 26, will be entering his prime. He’s not worth moving now solely to make space for a more expensive player that would not deliver all that much more than Kostitsyn can, if he’s engaged, used properly and healthy. Yes, Gagné is a much more proven scorer than Kostitsyn. Yes, Kostitsyn had only 15 goals last year. That was an off year, an abberation, and everyone should know it. He’s far more likely to net 25 than 15 again, and we all know he could easily hit 30 if things go right for him. Under Jacques Martin’s system, Gagné would be lucky to hit 30 goals – if he stayed healthy. We’ve not even spoken about if Gagné is a fit with the Canadiens. With Gionta and Cammalleri established as snipers on the team, and on the powerplay, is there enough ice for a 3rd highly paid sniper? In a defensive, passive system where the Canadiens play shorthanded more than they do with the man advantage? Probably not.

At next season’s end, we’ll see just how much Gagné wants to play in Montreal. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent, and if he wants to be here so badly, he’ll listen closely to Pierre Gauthier, if Gauthier so chooses to make a pitch for his services.

I don’t truly believe that Simon Gagné wanted to be here, at least not for the long-term. What we’ve been witness to is “public relations” and “saving face”. I believe that Gauthier was prudent in not trying to move mountains to bring in a highly paid, injury prone (yet terrific) player. We’ve been down the road of giving up a lot for the services of a talented Quebec-born player for a single season before, and we saw how that went.

Remember Alex Tanguay?

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?

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.

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!

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?

Just think: aside from the hearts and minds of Habs fans everywhere, the Canadiens haven’t won anything yet! Can you imagine if this ride goes any further?

At the conclusion of game 6 on Monday, the Canadiens announced that they were going to open up the Bell Center for game 7 up to the public while the team duked it out with the Penguins in Pittsburgh. $10 for the chance to witness an unforgettable and historic event in Habs history. Was it worth the price of admission? I think it’s the best $10 I’ve ever spent! 21,000 other fans likely agree. While the fans were crazed last night, there were some lengths of tension. Even with a 4-0 lead, there was still a small sense of dread that the whole thing could come crashing down. 4-1….4-2….some fans were clutching their chests. But the fans eventually pulled their spirits back up, and once the Canadiens killed Hamrlik’s penalty to start the 3rd, the energy snowballed once again.

The energy and noise emanating from the Bell Center last night HAD to be heard all the way in Pittsburgh. It just had to. I’ve never heard anything like it, though I hope I get the chance to put that statement to the test this year. People were still finding their seats when Gionta opened the scoring, and they leapt out of them when Gionta closed the scoring midway through the 3rd. While some have been waiting for the so-called inevitable Habs collapse, it seemed that fate had a different inevitability in mind: that the Canadiens were going to knock off the defending champs. That the Canadiens were going to bookend the Mellon Arena’s life with wins. With Gionta’s 2nd goal of the game everyone in the building knew that victory was imminent and the last 5 minutes of the game was a slowly building crescendo to the final siren.

I could drone on and on about the atmosphere, but I think the videos may paint a better picture for you.

Fans bow to Halak as he slams the door time and time again in the 3rd period.

The final half minute ticks off the clock. The volume builds and builds and builds as the seconds tick away. This one will make your spine tingle. Guaranteed. If you’re a Penguins fan, it may send you in to convulsions. You’ve been warned.

The streets of Montreal filled with overjoyed Habs fans:

Pandemonium continues, far from the Bell Center:

What a night! What a team! How much further can this thing go? Hopefully all the way, but what we can definitely say the following:

• People who took shots at the Canadiens for being undersized all year can shut their faces. Forever.
• Once you make the playoffs, anything CAN happen. I’ll keep that in mind. Forever.
• People who said the first series was a fluke, or that the Habs are a one-man team can now shut up. Forever.
• Shutting down the league’s best in Ovechkin, Crosby, Green, Semin, Malkin is NOT a fluke.
• The Canadiens are THE story of the playoffs, no matter what happens to them from here. Period.
• You don’t need a captain to have success, though this Canadiens team probably has at least 3 or 4 of them. Perhaps therein lies part of their secret sauce

Anyone else have a crazy game 7 experience? Please feel free to share it in the comments!

Some Habs fans are upset, despite being locked up at 2 games apiece with the defending Cup champs.

Why are they upset? Because, apparently the officials are under strict orders from the NHL to ensure that Sidney Crosby and his Pittsburgh Penguins ensnare another championship. What Canadiens fans fail to realize is that just about every team’s fanbase is accusing the league of conspiring against them. How can the league possibly be conspiring against everyone…except Crosby, of course.

Friend and fellow blogger Rocket has his own blog up this morning about how the officiating has been horrid, but that the conspiracy talk is not necessary, at least not yet.

Not all of you follow all sports, but if anyone recalls the near-disastrous incident the NBA had to deal with a couple years ago with corrupted official Tim Donaghy, you’d have to believe that all pro sports leagues took note. A league that is suspected of being rigged and fixed is no better than pro wrestling. I’m sorry, but the NHL is not the WWE, and as much as we distrust Gary Bettman and his group, it’s insanity to think that he’d willingly put the NHL is such a position.

Please, enough. There aren’t any conspiracies or agendas, at least as far as match fixing is concerned. And that goes for Canadiens fans, Canucks fans, Redwings fans, and fans of any other team that think they’ve been stabbed in the back by the league.

If Bettman and his cronies at the NHL were scheming and plotting to ensure certain teams and players have success, then ask youselves the following questions:

• Would the league have allowed the Hurricanes to play the Oilers in the Cup finals?
• Would the league have allowed the Lightning to play the Flames in the Cup finals?
• Wouldn’t the league have done its best to ensure that the Rangers not only made the playoffs in the last 2 games vs Philadelphia, but ensure they go deep ? After all, New York is by FAR the largest TV market in the U.S., and TV ratings mean money.
• Wouldn’t the league have done more to try and help the Kings defeat the Canucks? Fans in Vancouver were pretty certain that the league was fixing to ensure their team’s demise. And why not? The Kings are the 2nd largest market in the U.S., and capturing that market would also mean a ton of TV ratings…and more money!
• Wouldn’t the league want to see a Los Angeles – New York Stanley Cup final…every year? That would mean HUGE television numbers, no? I’m sure on some level, they’d love for that to happen, but they aren’t actively acting as puppet masters to make that happen.
• Wouldn’t the league have done its utmost to ensure another matchup between Ovechkin and Crosby in the playoffs? As geniuses, surely they could have found a way to get rid of the Canadiens, no?