Montreal Canadiens News

Habs' Bergeron on road to recovery
Comment
March 19
Montreal Gazette
 
"The happiest man at the Canadiens' practice Thursday was the versatile Marc-André Bergeron. "I'm just excited to be back with my teammates," said Bergeron, who practised with the team for the first time since he suffered a knee injury in a Feb. 4 game against Boston. "I was feeling pretty lonely." Bergeron won't be in the lineup Saturday night when the Canadiens play the Maple Leafs in Toronto (7 p.m., CBC, RDS, CJAD Radio-800). He said he wants to make sure he's 100 per cent healthy and there's no sense hurrying back. "The guys are playing good hockey and there's no need to push it," Bergeron said. In fact, Bergeron's return may pose a problem for head coach Jacques Martin. The team is ..."
Hot Habs won't take Leafs lightly
Comment
March 18
Montreal Gazette
 
"The Montreal Canadiens have won six games in a row for the first time since the 2005-06 NHL season, and seven of their last eight, solidifying their position in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. That said, Canadiens coach Jacques Martin says there is no room for complacency as the Canadiens take a breather before visiting the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night. "I think it's important for our team to focus on one game at a time," Martin said after the Canadiens' 3-1 win over the Rangers Tuesday night in New York. "You know going down the stretch some of the tougher games you have are against teams that have been eliminated. They play loose. A good example, the Maple Leafs go in ..."
Guy Carbonneau keeps his options open
Comment
March 18
Montreal Gazette
 
"Guy Carbonneau turns 50 today, happy with the many good things in his life. And this birthday is guaranteed to be less eventful than No. 49. A year ago this afternoon, Carbonneau sat before a packed news conference at the Bell Centre, nine days after he'd been fired as the 28th head coach of the Canadiens. He answered questions for nearly an hour, addressing for the first time his dismissal, which had taken him and many others by surprise. Yes, the 35-24-7 Canadiens had struggled to that point of the season, bouncing like a warm puck from one crisis to another. But they had gone 5-4-1 in their 10 games leading to then-general manager Bob Gainey pulling Carbonneau's plug, and the team was ..."
Habs beat Rangers for 6th straight win
Comment
March 17
Montreal Gazette
 
"Good things happen when you get the puck to the net. Just ask Sergei Kostitsyn, who scored at 5:59 of the third period to snap a 1-1 tie and lead the Canadiens to a 3-1 win over the New York Rangers Tuesday night. Kostitsyn fanned on his first attempt in front of Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, but the puck came back out to him and he scored when his shot caromed off Artem Anisimov's skate. It was the fourth goal in the last three games for the younger Kostitsyn, who has scored only six goals on the season. The win allowed the Canadiens to move seven points up on the ninth-place Rangers, who have a game in hand. But the seventh win in eight games since the Olympic break also allowed ..."
Gomez gives regards to Broadway
Comment
March 17
New York Post
 columnist Jay Greenberg
"Apparently not wanting Scott Gomez to enjoy Montreal's victory too much, Sean Avery slashed his ex-teammate on the back of the leg with seven seconds remaining. "Gave the fans a little treat, I guess," said Gomez. "But two points and we're out of here." Plenty fast enough, too, to leave town seven points up on the team that dumped him. And not quite fast enough to save Gomez from getting booed almost every time he touched the puck. "In New Jersey they don't even boo [Brian] Gionta, and they still boo me there," he said with a smile. "Do these people know [this time] I got traded?" Must have been the season Gomez had last year, when he missed time near the start with a broken foot and ..."
Mystery injury threatens Habs' Plekanec
Comment
March 16
Montreal Gazette
 
"The Canadiens are getting healthier every day and that's why there's concern Monday night over the health of Tomas Plekanec, who leads the Habs in points. He left the ice and went to the dressing midway through the team's practice in Brossard Monday morning. The exact nature of Plekanec's injury remains a mystery, but we can tell you that (a) he saw a doctor in Montreal, (b) he joined his teammates for the charter flight to the Big Apple, and (c) coach Jacques Martin says he expects the team's leading scorer to be in the lineup Tuesday night when the Canadiens face the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m., RDS, CJAD Radio-800). But one indication the injury may be serious ..."
Gone, but far from forgotten
Comment
March 15
Montreal Gazette
 
"It is clear that royalty has arrived, paying what appears to be a 1960s visit to Taverne 544/9 on Montreal's St. Laurent Blvd. The watering hole is named for Maurice Richard's NHL goals total and his uniform number. Now, through a haze of cigarette smoke and with many glasses of draft in the fists of the patrons, the tavern's owner is greeted as a hero of the common man. Rocket Richard is almost embarrassed by the attention; twice, his arm is grabbed and thrust over his head. It matters not that he is retired. He remains the victor. It is just one minute of black and white film, 60 seconds in a 67-minute National Film Board production"
Suddenly, Habs are a new team
Comment
March 15
Montreal Gazette
 
"Watch out for these Canadiens. After a season of fits and starts caused mostly by a boatload of injuries, Jacques Martin's charges are putting it together when it counts - down the stretch and into the playoffs. We'll know more after this week, when some of the other teams in the mix catch up some of their games in hand, but barring a late-season collapse, the postseason is now almost a sure thing for Montreal. And the Canadiens are playing well enough to make life uncomfortable for the teams at the top. Scott Gomez said it first, after the Canadiens came very close to grabbing a point or two on the road against a very good San Jose team: "We can play with anyone." After that game in San ..."
Canadiens on post-Olympic high
Comment
March 15
Montreal Gazette
 
"The music was throbbing Saturday night in the Canadiens' Bell Centre gym on the other side of the dressing-room wall, a group of players pedalling stationary bikes toward, they hope, the playoffs. And now in the glow of Montreal's 3-2 victory over Boston, its fifth straight victory the current league-high, came the question to defenceman Andrei Markov. The one about how the club must feel good about this streak that's coming at a very opportune time. "Wait, wait, wait," Markov replied, having scored his fifth goal of the season and added his 22nd assist. "We still have 12 games left. Every game is going to be huge for us, we have to play hard every game."
Martin sends a message that Halak is his No. 1
Comment
March 14
Montreal Gazette
 (scroll down)
"Canadiens head coach Jacques Martin said one of the keys to the Canadiens' success since the Olympic break has been the contribution from players on the third and fourth lines. That trend continued last night as third-liner Sergei Kostitsyn scored two goals to lead Montreal to a 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins. The win gave the Canadiens a 6-1 record since the break and the players on the bottom two lines have produced 11 of the 27 goals scored during that run. The younger Kostitsyn brother notched the winner when he took advantage of a mistake by Boston goaltender Tuukka Rask to give the Canadiens a 3-1 lead at 1:49 of the third period. Rask went to play a long pass by Hal Gill off the ..."
Learning experience for Habs
Comment
March 13
Montreal Gazette
 
"Only 13 games remain in the schedule and yes, the Canadiens are sitting pretty in a sprint to the playoffs - but it's never too late to learn an important lesson. It's this: winning at this level doesn't come easy - particularly on a night when your goaltender and many of the skaters don't bring their best game to the arena. Furthermore, what the Canadiens may have learned in last night's 5-4 shootout win over the Edmonton Oilers was that players are in the NHL for a reason. No matter where they are in the standings, they come to play. Even when they're as far out of the playoffs as the Oilers are, they play to win. If they don't, they're gone - and should be. What you had on one side was ..."
Habs' power play MIA since Olympics
Comment
March 13
Montreal Gazette
 
"The biggest surprise during the Canadiens' post-Olympic run has been the lack of production from the power play. The Canadiens head into Saturday night's crucial game against the Boston Bruins (7 p.m., CBC, RDS, CJAD Radio-800) with a success rate of 23.4 per cent. That's the second-best record in the National Hockey League. But the power play has not been factor in the recent spurt that has produced five wins in six starts. The Canadiens have scored only two power-play goals in 19 opportunities for a success rate of 10.5 per cent. They made life difficult for themselves Thursday night when they went 0-for-7 against an Edmonton team that ranks 27th in penalty-killing. But there is little ..."
Dubnyk strong in Montreal debut
Comment
March 12
Edmonton Journal
 
"The last time Devan Dubnyk was at a hockey game in Montreal, he was 17 and sitting in the press box about 200 feet away from the action. He got a much different view on Thursday. Dubnyk faced the famed Montreal Canadiens in the Bell Centre. Despite his best eff orts, he still couldn't find his way into the win column. The Edmonton Oilers rookie goalie faced 26 shots over 65 minutes, turned away the first four players he faced in the shootout, and left the ice with a 5-4 loss after Andrei Kostitsyn scored the deciding goal. "I thought Dubs fought hard tonight. I didn't like the second goal very much, but he fought back and made some good stops for us," said Oilers head coach Pat Quinn. "His ..."
Canadiens beat Oilers in shootout
Comment
March 12
Edmonton Journal
 
"Maybe it was the mystique of Montreal, something Dustin Penner had not yet experienced. Or perhaps it was that he was reunited with Gilbert Brule. Maybe it really was the apple juice he drank before Thursday's game. Whatever it was, it was a different Penner playing in the Oilers' 5-4 shootout loss to the Canadiens at the Bell Centre. About his only regret when it was over was that he wasn't able to convert a five-star chance when the game was tied 4-4 in the third. He hit the post with his first shot, was stopped by goaltender Jaroslav Halak on the rebound, and drew a hooking penalty for his efforts. "I was curious why I missed on the first one -- I guess he took a penalty on my original ..."
'There's a lot of luck in the shootout,' Halak says
Comment
March 12
Montreal Gazette
 
"To a man, the Canadiens were in agreement – they didn't play a very good game. But, at this time of year, it's the result that counts and Thursday night's 5-4 shootout win over the woeful Edmonton Oilers allowed the Canadiens to take another step toward a playoff berth in the NHL Eastern Conference. "That's the important thing," said Brian Gionta, who was happy to hear that the Atlanta Thrashers lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Canadiens are in seventh place, wedged between Phila-delphia and Boston, which each holds three games on Montreal. But, with Montreal on a four-game winning streak, the Canadiens have opened some ground between themselves and the teams chasing one of the final ..."
Darche dreams in bleu-blanc-rouge
Comment
March 12
Montreal Gazette
 
"It has taken Mathieu Darche a long time to realize a childhood dream and he is doing everything he can to keep from waking up. The 33-year-old McGill graduate has spent most of his nine pro seasons in the minors, but he has found a spot on the Canadiens' fourth line and he's doing his best to keep it. "When I first came up here, one of you guys asked whether I felt like I was playing my 102nd game or my first game and it was a little bit of both," Darche said Tuesday night after he scored twice to help the Canadiens beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3. "I'm from Montreal. I grew up idolizing this team and it's an honour for me to be playing for this team. All my buddies tell me: 'You're ..."
Habs escape with 5-4 SO win over Oilers
Comment
March 12
Montreal Gazette
 
"Andrei Kostitsyn, the Canadiens' fifth shooter, beat rookie Devan Dubnyk for the only goal of the shootout as the Canadiens beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 Thursday night. This was hardly a classic, but the Canadiens were grateful to get two points on a night when Jaroslav Halak didn't have his best game. He struggled in regulation time, but saved his best for last. He made a shorthanded stop on Shawn Horcoff in overtime and then stopped all five shots in the shootout. The Oilers did the Habs a favour by starting Dubnyk, who has never won an NHL game, but Halak wasn't much better. Dubnyk gave up four goals on 26 shots, while Halak surrendered four on 25 shots. The win moved the Canadiens even ..."
Ryan Whitney left game in second period and did not return
Comment
March 12
Edmonton Journal
 (scroll down)
"Maybe it was the mystique of ­Montreal, something Dustin Penner had not yet experienced. Or perhaps it was that he was reunited with ­Gilbert Brule. Maybe it really was the apple juice he drank before Thursday's game. Whatever it was, it was a different Penner playing in the Oilers' 5-4 shootout loss to the Canadiens. About his only regret when it was over was that he wasn't able to convert a five-star chance when the game was tied 4-4 in the third. He hit the post with his first shot, was stopped by goaltender Jaroslav Halak on the rebound, and drew a hooking penalty for his efforts. "I was curious why I missed on the first one — I guess he took a penalty on my original chance — then if I ..."
Darche takes it 'one day at a time'
Comment
March 11
Montreal Gazette
 
"It has taken Mathieu Darche a long time to realize a childhood dream and he is doing everything he can to keep from waking up. The 33-year-old McGill graduate has spent most of his nine pro seasons in the minors, but he has found a spot on the Canadiens' fourth line and he's doing his best to keep it. "When I first came up here, one of you guys asked whether I felt like I was playing my 102nd game or my first game and it was a little bit of both," Darche said Tuesday night after he scored twice to help the Canadiens beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3. "I'm from Montreal. I grew up idolizing this team and it's an honour for me to be playing for this team. All my buddies tell me: 'You're ..."
Lightning falls 5-3 against Montreal Canadiens
Comment
March 10
St. Petersburg Times
 
"If the Lightning misses the playoffs, and that is increasingly likely, its embarrassing road record will be the cause. With just nine wins and 23 points, Tampa Bay is the worst road team in the East, and Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the Canadiens at the Bell Centre reinforced that reality. "It's alarming when you only have nine wins on the road," coach Rick Tocchet said. What should really be alarming is the way this season is slipping away. The Lightning (27-27-11) has lost six of seven and is 1-3-0 since the Olympic break, when all the talk was about a playoff push. Instead, 11th in the conference and five points behind the Bruins for the final playoff spot with 17 games left, the team has been ..."
Darche, Gomez lead Habs over Lightning
Comment
March 10
Montreal Gazette
 
"There's a huge salary gap between Scott Gomez and Mathieu Darche, but they both proved their worth as the Canadiens continued their drive for a playoff spot with a 5-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning Tuesday night. Darche, a veteran fourth-liner who earns $600,000 only when he's playing at the NHL level, scored his fourth and fifth goals of the season. Gomez, the Canadiens' highest-paid player at a guaranteed $8 million, extended his consecutive-games point streak to four with a goal and two assists. Jaroslav Halak stopped 28 shots which was enough for his 20th win this season. It was the Canadiens' third consecutive win and they received some help as they inched closer to a spot in the ..."
Habs host Bolts as playoff hunt tightens
Comment
March 9
Montreal Gazette
 
"The Canadiens haven't reached the point where they control their own destiny in the Eastern Conference playoff race. There are too many teams in the same neighbourhood with games in hand, but the Canadiens can take a giant step forward if they can translate their recent success on the road into a win streak at home. The Canadiens returned home from California Monday in seventh place in the East after winning three of four road games. What would have been a decent trip turned into a very good one Sunday night when Montreal erased a 3-1 deficit in the final two minutes of the game and went on to beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 in a shootout. The Canadiens play their next three games at home and ..."
Love him or loathe him, you have to respect Bob Gainey
Comment
March 8
Montreal Gazette
 
"The day Bob Gainey stepped down as executive vice-president and general manager of the Canadiens, a young studio type at the CBC informed us that Montreal was equally divided between two groups: "Gainey lovers and Gainey haters." That, she said, was based on comments flowing into the CBC as this city reacted to the stunning news, with half supporting Gainey and half attacking him. Presumably, the reporter has never spent any time in the sports department, because her characterization was dead wrong. There has never been such a thing as "Gainey haters" in this city. My first encounter with Gainey after he was hired as GM gave me plenty of reason to hate the man, but I never lost respect for ..."
Plekanec caps Habs' improbable comeback
Comment
March 8
Montreal Gazette
 
"Shootouts are not Tomas Plekanec's forté. But the Canadiens' leading scorer changed his approach Sunday night and the result was the shootout winner as the Canadiens defeated the Anaheim Ducks, 4-3. "I usually try to make a move, but tonight I just shot it," Plekanec said after he surprised Jonas Hiller to put an improbable end to an improbable comeback. Prior to Sunday night, Plekanec had appeared in 14 shootouts and had scored only once. This was not the Canadiens' best game of the season and they needed an inspired comeback – and a bit of luck – to secure the win. "We definitely didn't start off very good, but we showed character by sticking with it," said Brian Gionta, whose goal at ..."
Habs down Ducks in shootout
Comment
March 8
Montreal Gazette
 
"The Canadiens started slowly and finished with a flourish as they wrapped up a four-game road by stealing a 4-3 shootout win over the Anaheim Ducks Sunday night. Tomas Plekanec, the Canadiens' fourth shooter, beat Jonas Hiller after Ryan Getzlaf and Brian Gionta traded goals in the opening portion of the shootout. The Canadiens spotted the Anaheim Ducks a 3-0 first-period lead, but they forced overtime when Gionta scored his third goal in as many games at 18:10 of the third period to cut the Anaheim lead to one goal. Andrei Markov scored the tying goal with 10.7 seconds remaining in regulation. The win gave the Canadiens a 3-1 record on their trip and they moved ahead of Boston for seventh ..."
Kings lose their second in a row
Comment
March 7
Los Angeles Times
 
"Playing at home for the first time in three weeks, the Kings on Saturday did little to reward the 16th sellout crowd of what has been, to this point, a season of exceeded expectations. Unable to get their power play going -- and so vulnerable that they surrendered a short-handed goal to the Canadiens in the second period -- the Kings fell to Montreal, 4-2, at Staples Center. Coupled with their loss Thursday at Nashville, the Kings have lost consecutive games in regulation for the first time since Jan. 9-11. In winning the Canadiens vaulted into eighth in the East. The Kings remained fifth in the West but on tiebreakers: The Kings and Avalanche each have 80 points, but the Kings have more ..."
Halak solid in 4-2 win over Kings
Comment
March 7
Montreal Gazette
 
"Jaroslav Halak was a winner in his first start since the Olympic break but he had plenty of help as the Canadiens turned in a solid defensive effort for a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings Saturday night. But the victory was not without its anxious moments. The Canadiens took a 3-1 lead when Benoit Pouliot scored at the 36-second mark but they fell into the same bad habits which cost them a win Thursday in San Jose. Halak had to be at his best over the final 20 minutes because Montreal went into a defensive shell and was being outshot 9-2 in the final period before Tomas Plekanec sealed it with an empty-net goal."
Lapierre develops reputation as an agitator who rarely back's up talk
Comment
March 6
Montreal Gazette
 
"The reputation of Maxim Lapierre caught up to him yesterday. Lapierre was suspended four games for what the NHL called a "late, careless hit" on Scott Nichol of the San Jose Sharks during the third period of Thursday's game. Figuring out the sentencing guidelines in the NHL has baffled the finest legal minds of our day but, at first glance, the four-game suspension seems a bit harsh. There was no mention of Lapierre being a repeat offender and Canadiens head coach Jacques Martin assured the media yesterday that Lapierre isn't "that kind of player." But the fact is Lapierre has developed a reputation for being an agitator, a yappy kind of guy who tries to get under an opponent's skin. Teams ..."
Habs are life savers to Hakims
Comment
March 6
Montreal Gazette
 
"Stephanie Hakim was reclined on a cot at Windsor Station eight days ago, a "Nouveau donneur" sticker over her heart. She was looking right, a nurse swabbing a vein in her left arm, when around the corner he came. Michael Cammalleri was wearing a Canadiens jersey, a khaki cap branded HABS and a smile that lit up the enormous hall. If Stephanie was going to donate a half-litre of blood, why not have her breath taken, too? The 19-year-old Montrealer gave blood for the first time in her life on Feb. 26, one of 541 donors to roll up a sleeve at the Canadiens' 28th annual clinic to benefit Héma-Québec, the non-profit organization that manages the province's blood supply. Usually, it's the ..."
Habs' Lapierre suspended four games for late hit
Comment
March 6
Montreal Gazette
 
"What the National Hockey League described as a "late, careless hit" left Scott Nichol of the San Jose Sharks with an upper-body injury and Habs head coach Jacques Martin with another headache. The Canadiens learned Friday that forward Maxim Lapierre has been suspended four games for pushing Nichol into the end boards during the third period of the Sharks' 3-2 win over the Canadiens Thursday. No penalty was called on the play, but the NHL was asked to review video of the incident, which clearly showed Lapierre shoving Nichol head-first into the boards. Lapierre, who said he was merely trying to box out Nichol to keep him from getting a rebound – Nichol's initial shot hit a post – tried to ..."
Habs let it slip away in San Jose
Comment
March 5
Montreal Gazette
 
"Carey Price turned in one of his strongest performances of the season, but it wasn't enough Thursday night as the San Jose Sharks scored twice in the third period for a 3-2 come-from-behind win over the Canadiens. Dany Heatley pulled the Sharks even at 2-2 when he deflected a shot by Dan Boyle on a power play at 12:32 and Manny Malhotra gave San Jose its first lead when he beat Price with a high shot from the slot at 1558. The win dealt another blow to the Canadiens' playoff hopes as they dropped to 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings with 66 points. They are one point behind Boston and tied with Atlanta, but each team has three games in hand on Montreal. For two-plus periods, ..."
Blues trade prospect Palushaj to Montreal for Mike D'Agostini
Comment
March 3
St. Louis Globe-Democrat
 
"The Blues Tuesday nhight traded one of their top prospects, Aaron Palushaj, to the Montreal Canadians for forward Matt D'Agostini. Team President John Davidson announced the deal following the Blues' 5-2 victory at Phoenx, their fourth straight win. D'Agostini, 23, has played in 40 games this season with Montreal, recording four points on two goals and two assists to go along with 26 penalty minutes. Last season, the 6-foot, 198-pound forward appeared in 53 games for the Canadiens collecting 12 goals and nine assists for 21 points and 16 penalty minutes."
Canadiens cook up win in Beantown
Comment
March 3
Montreal Gazette
 
"The bit players had an opportunity to play a starring role as the Canadiens rallied to beat the Boston Bruins 4-1 Tuesday night. The third and fourth lines made the difference as Glen Metropolit, Maxim Lapierre and Mathieu Darche scored third-period goals to back up a strong performance by goaltender Carey Price. Lapierre snapped a 1-1 tie when he went to the net and banged home a rebound after Tuukka Rask made a save on Travis Moen at 7:24. Darche made it 3-1 when he scored on a rebound of a Metropolit shot at 17:30 and Benoit Pouliot added an empty-netter. Metropolit, whose résumé includes a stint with the Bruins, started the comeback at 2:40 on a pass from Tom Pyatt. It was the 14th ..."
Canadiens deal D'Agostini for minor leaguer
Comment
March 3
Montreal Gazette
 
"The Canadiens made a deal overnight, but it was hardly a blockbuster. The Habs gave up on Matt D'Agostini, sending the underachieving forward to the St. Louis Blues for minor-leaguer Aaron Palushaj. D'Agostini had a breakthrough season in 2008-09 with 12 goals but had only two goals and seven assists in 40 games this season. He was a healthy scratch for five of the team's past 13 games and also spent three games in the minors during that stretch."
Blues acquire RW Matt D'Agostini from Montreal
Comment
March 3
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"The Blues will have at least one new player on the roster Thursday night in Dallas. Late Tuesday night, on the eve of the NHL trading deadline, they acquired right winger Matt D'Agostini from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Peoria Rivermen forward Aaron Palushaj. D'Agostini, 23, will report to the Blues for their game Thursday. I'm told he would need waivers to report to Peoria, and the Blues won't risk losing him in that process. NHL rosters can now be expanded above the usual 23-player limit. D'Agostini was drafted in the sixth round (190th overall) in the 2005 NHL draft. He has played in 94 career games with the Canadiens, including 40 this season. He recently missed 13 games ..."
Price gets the call as Canadiens get back down to business
Comment
March 2
Montreal Gazette
 
"Carey Price said he and Jaroslav Halak have a healthy competition for the No. 1 goaltending job and he hopes it will continue beyond the National Hockey League trading deadline at 3 p.m. on Wednesday. While the Canadiens aren't expected to make a major deal, there has been speculation that Price or Halak could be moved. "I know there's been some talk, but that doesn't concern us because we can't do anything about it," said Price, who will get the start Tuesday night when the Canadiens play the Bruins (7 p.m., RDS, CJAD Radio-800) to open a four-game road trip. Canadiens head coach Jacques Martin departed from his usual routine when he announced Price would start tonight and he said his ..."
Cammalleri far from ready
Comment
February 28
Montreal Gazette
 
"His face is somewhat tanned, so we know Michael Cammalleri got in a little sun during his Florida vacation while the Canadiens enjoyed 10 days off during the Olympics. But we can't imagine Cammalleri will be inviting over too many people to view slides of the trip. There were daily rehabilitation treatments on his injured right knee while working with a strength coach and physiotherapist. His routine consisted of leg-strengthening exercises in the morning, upper-body workouts in the afternoon and treatment on the knee in the evening. "In between workouts, I tried to get in as much sun as I could by the pool," he said. Cammalleri met the media yesterday for the first time since his Montreal ..."
Sergei Kostitsyn returns to Habs
Comment
February 28
Montreal Gazette
 
"Regrets? Sergei Kostitsyn has a few following his first – but likely not the last – Olympic participation representing Belarus. The Canadiens' winger had hoped his country would have advanced farther in the tournament, although the Belarusians, which didn't even qualify for the 2006 Turin Games, were hardly medal hopefuls. "It was a big experience and our play was not bad," he said Saturday, after rejoining his Montreal teammates and participating in his first post-Olympics workout. "We should have won against Switzerland. But, overall, it was good." Belarus won only one of its four games, 5-3, against Germany. Kostitsyn, one of only two NHL pros on his country's roster – Colorado's Ruslan ..."
Habs' Cammalleri slowly getting up to speed
Comment
February 27
Montreal Gazette
 
"His face is somewhat tanned, so we know Mike Cammalleri got in a little sun during his Florida vacation while the Canadiens enjoyed 10 days off during the Olympics. But we can't imagine Cammalleri will be inviting over too many people to view slides of the trip. There were daily rehabilitation treatments on his injured right knee while working with a strength coach and physiotherapist. His routine consisted of leg-strengthening exercises in the morning, upper-body workouts in the afternoon, and treatment on the knee in the evening. "In between workouts, I tried to get in as much sun as I could by the pool," he said. Cammalleri met the media Friday for the first time since his Montreal ..."
Habs' Halak takes centre stage at Olympics
Comment
February 26
Montreal Gazette
 
"Canada or Halak? Goaltender Jaroslav Halak has been one of the leading figures emanating from the Olympic men's hockey tournament the last two weeks. Montreal's nice little story has suddenly become more prominent on the world stage. "I'm not surprised. We all know what he's capable of," Canadiens defenceman Josh Gorges said following Thursday's 60-minute practice at Brossard's Bell Sports Complex – the team's second since returning from its 10-day Olympic break. "On the world stage it's more noticeable how well he plays in the spotlight and under pressure," Gorges added. Halak, who shares the Canadiens netminding duties with Carey Price, stopped 26 of 29 shots Wednesday as Slovakia upset ..."
Habs recall practice goalie Mayer
Comment
February 25
Montreal Gazette
 
"The Canadiens, in need of a backup practice goaltender while Jaroslav Halak is at the Olympics representing Slovakia, have recalled Robert Mayer from the team's East Coast Hockey League affiliate in Cincinnati. Mayer, 20, is in his rookie season and has already spent time with the Hamilton Bulldogs, Montreal's American Hockey League affiliate. Mayer has played in 25 games with Cincinnati this season, logging a 16-7-1 record with two shutouts and a 2.68 average. Signed by the Canadiens as a free agent in 2008, the 6-foot-1, 188-pound Mayer played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with Saint John."
Habs return from break
Comment
February 25
Montreal Gazette
 
"Meanwhile, back at the ranch … When last we saw the Canadiens, they were slinking off the ice at the Bell Centre following a humbling 6-2 defeat against Philadelphia, Feb. 13 – their second consecutive loss to the Flyers and third in a span of four games. Hockey officially returned to Montreal Wednesday afternoon at 2:51 – nine minutes ahead of the scheduled practice time – when a relatively-tanned Benoit Pouliot was the first player to skate onto the Bell Sports Complex surface following a 10-day Olympic break. Pouliot, who missed five games with an upper-body injury, was joined by Andrei Kostitsyn, who hasn't played since Dec. 31, when he suffered a knee injury at Florida. Canadiens ..."
Ailing Habs welcome Olympic break
Comment
February 15
Montreal Gazette
 
"Jaroslav Spacek wore a look of unhappiness and fatigue Saturday night, accessorized with a vertical zipper of sutures that climbed above his right eyebrow. His sombre mood reflected the Canadiens' dismal 6-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, Montreal's second defeat in as many nights against a team that's also fighting for its playoff life. The 15 stitches, sewn internally and externally by a Flyers' doctor, were a Friday souvenir of Spacek having been piledriven from behind into the Wachovia Centre boards with a minute left to play. That gesture earned the Flyers' Darroll Powe a boarding major and game misconduct but no additional discipline, which encouraged him to board Tomas Plekanec, ..."
Habs hero P.K. Subban demoted to Hamilton
Comment
February 15
Montreal Gazette
 
"Montreal's newest hero has been demoted. Twelve hours after he heard the Bell Centre faithful chant his name, defenceman P.K. Subban was returned to the Hamilton Bulldogs along with forwards Tom Pyatt and David Desharnais. The moves were not unexpected. With the National Hockey League taking a two-week hiatus for the winter Olympics, the Canadiens had a twofold reason for returning the youngsters to Hamilton. They'll be able to play and help the Bulldogs in their quest for the Calder Cup, and the Canadiens will be able to conserve some cap space. The big question is whether the players will be back in Montreal when the Canadiens launch what amounts to a mini-training camp on Feb. 24. With ..."
Subban turns in another solid performance
Comment
February 14
Montreal Gazette
 
"What does it say about the Canadiens that their best player last night was a 20-year-old defenceman who was playing his second National Hockey League game? Defenceman P.K. Subban, who will be rejoining the Hamilton Bulldogs later today, turned in another solid performance as a replacement for the ailing Andrei Markov. He played 22:08 - Roman Hamrlik was the only Canadien with more ice time - wasn't on the ice for any of the Flyers' goals and picked up an assist for the second consecutive night. But it was a disappointing night for the rest of the Canadiens as they dropped a 6-2 decision to the Philadelphia Flyers. It started with Jaroslav Halak, who may have played his worst game of the ..."
Flyers complete home-and-home sweep of Canadiens
Comment
February 14
Montreal Gazette
 
"The Montreal Canadiens took another step backward in their quest for a playoff spot in the National Hockey League's Eastern Conference, dropping a 6-2 decision to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night. The win gave the Flyers a sweep of the weekend series against the Canadiens - the Flyers were 3-2 winners at home Friday - and tightened Philadelphia's grasp on sixth place in the conference. The Flyers, with 67 points, have a three-point cushion on the Canadiens with three games in hand. The Canadiens also fell behind the Boston Bruins, who beat Florida 3-2 in a shootout Saturday night to claim seventh place. The Bruins are one point ahead of Montreal and also have three games in hand. ..."
Flyers take care of Habs 6-2
Comment
February 14
Montreal Gazette
 
"The Canadiens took another step backward in their quest for a playoff spot in the National Hockey League's Eastern Conference when they dropped a 6-2 decision to the Philadelphia Flyers Saturday night. The win gave the Flyers a sweep of the weekend series against the Canadiens – the Flyers were 3-2 winners at home Friday – and tightened Philadelphia's grasp on sixth place in the East. The Flyers have 67 points for a three-point cushion on the Canadiens. Philadelphia also has three games in hand on Montreal. The Canadiens also fell behind the Boston Bruins, who beat Florida 3-2 in a shootout to claim seventh place. The Bruins are one point ahead of Montreal and they also have three games in ..."
Flyers win, pass Habs
Comment
February 13
Camden Courier-Post
 
"When Peter Laviolette took over Dec. 4 as head coach of the Flyers, the club was 11th in the Eastern Conference with a 13-11-1 record. Since then, they've gone 18-14-2 and have moved into the sixth spot in the East with 65 points. "It's sink or swing right now," Laviolette said Friday night after the Flyers vaulted over the Montreal Canadiens in the standings with a harrowing 3-2 win at the Wachovia Center. "You either hold your ground, move up or go backwards. If you go backwards there's not much time left to go forward. You have to jump over a lot of teams, and that's difficult." In the 10 weeks since Laviolette took over for John Stevens, the Flyers have overtaken four teams in the ..."
Carter leads Flyers past Montreal
Comment
February 13
Philadelphia Inquirer
 
"With the Flyers being outplayed in the first half of Friday night's final period, coach Peter Laviolette called a time-out to give his players a rest and, more important, try to reverse the Montreal Canadiens' momentum. It worked. In a game that nearly ended with a donnybrook, Jeff Carter scored two goals and Michael Leighton made key saves down the stretch as the Flyers outlasted Montreal, 3-2, in front of a roaring sellout crowd at the Wachovia Center. Montreal struck for two goals early in the third period - trimming the deficit to 3-2 - and was controlling play until Laviolette's time-out. "Those guys were gassed," Laviolette said after the Flyers regrouped and jumped a point ahead of ..."
Flyers escape with victory over Canadiens
Comment
February 13
Philadelphia Daily News
 
"SCOTT HARTNELL and the Flyers weren't looking for any trouble. With a commanding three-goal lead heading into the third period, Hartnell hoped to make quick work of the Canadiens and skate away with a third straight win before jumping onto a charter bound for Montreal. "I think we thought it might have been an easy third period," Hartnell said. "But they came at us hard and made it interesting." Montreal scored two goals 56 seconds apart within the first 3 minutes of the third period to put an important two points for the Flyers in jeopardy. But after a hairy final 58 seconds, with Darroll Powe in the box for a boarding penalty, Michael Leighton and the Flyers hung on for their third ..."