Canadiens News

Habs brass tossed team's stars under the bus
Comment
November 7
Montreal Gazette
 
"The Canadiens have to learn to do better by their icons. That truth hit me earlier this week while reading the piece by Dave Stubbs on Guy Lafleur and his DVD film, Il était une fois. I have heard the story many times, but this was the first time I made the connection between the end of Lafleur's career with the Habs and the sad, angry way Patrick Roy's tenure ended. Lafleur and Roy were the last two of what could be called the iconic players of the most legendary franchise in the game. While the Canadiens have had whole buckets full of stars and Hall of Famers, there have been no more than five towering figures who made the team what it is today. Howie Morenz. Rocket Richard. Jean ..."
Habs' Hamrlik ready for coming storm
Comment
November 7
Montreal Gazette
 
"Roman Hamrlik has seen more ice time than he did Thursday against the Boston Bruins. But you'd have to go back more than two seasons, when he was on the blue line of the Calgary Flames, to find it. For a variety of reasons, not the least of which are the injuries to Andrei Markov, Ryan O'Byrne and Hal Gill, Hamrlik has become the workhorse of the Canadiens' defence corps. He can expect to see plenty of ice Saturday night when the Tampa Bay Lightning, with whom he broke into the NHL at age 18 in 1992-93, pays a visit to the Bell Centre (7 p.m., CBC, RDS, CJAD Radio-800). Hamrlik played a game-high 29:44 in the Canadiens' 2-1 shootout victory Thursday over the Bruins, the most he's worked in ..."
Price steals show in 2-1 SO win over Bruins
Comment
November 6
Montreal Gazette
 
"Nothing comes easy for the Canadiens this season. They were less than 52 seconds away from a 1-0 victory over the Boston Bruins last night but Patrice Bergeron picked a loose puck out of a goalmouth scramble and beat Carey Price to send the game into overtime. And in that case, you could say that the Canadiens had the Bruins just where they wanted them. After all, the Canadiens were a perfect 6-0 in games that went beyond regulation time this season with four wins in overtime and two more in shootouts. And the magic held up again as Mike Cammalleri beat Tim Thomas with the Canadiens' first shot and Blake Wheeler, Patrice Bergeron and Mark Recchi all failed to beat Price. That gave the ..."
Icebreaker
Comment
November 6
Boston Globe
 
"In some ways, it was a banner game. Last night, before 17,565 at TD Garden, the Bruins scored a goal. They only allowed one goal in 65 minutes of play. They recorded 1 point. Around here, those qualify as bold-faced achievements. The Bruins were staring down a 1-0 loss to the Canadiens. It would have been their third straight shutout loss, a dubious occurrence that has taken place in club history only once (1929). With 51.7 seconds remaining in regulation, Patrice Bergeron snapped a 192:06 scoreless string by beating Carey Price and tying the game."
Habs get crash course in defence
Comment
November 5
Montreal Gazette
 
"Canadiens coach Jacques Martin had a simple message for his players as they head into Thursday night's game against the Boston Bruins (7 p.m., TSN, RDS, CJAD Radio-800). "I told them we're scoring enough to win hockey games," Martin said. "It's just a matter of being better away from the puck, paying attention to details." The Canadiens went over those little details yesterday morning before their departure for Boston. There was a video session outlining some of the mistakes that led to a 5-4 loss to Atlanta Tuesday night at the Bell Centre, and assistant coach Perry Pearn did more than the usual amount of hands-on instruction during the on-ice session in Brossard. "(We have to) be in the ..."
Habs' Carle doesn't look out of place
Comment
November 4
Montreal Gazette
 
"Mathieu Carle said he was prepared for his National Hockey League debut, but he wasn't prepared to meet the demand for tickets from friends and family. "I have two tickets and I'm looking for a lot more," said the Gatineau native, who was called up from the Hamilton Bulldogs Monday and didn't have a lot of time to line up tickets. He replaces Hal Gill, who has been trying to play through a lower-body injury. "Hal's been hurt for about three weeks and the doctors told him he has to take a few weeks off," head coach Jacques Martin said. The Canadiens had previously called up Yannick Weber and Shawn Belle, and Carle felt he got the nod this time around because of his consistent play. He ..."
Frustration creeps into Canadiens' dressing room
Comment
November 4
Montreal Gazette
 
"Frustration. That was the mood in the Canadiens' dressing room after Tuesday night's loss to the Atlanta Thrashers. And nobody was more frustrated than goaltender Carey Price. He was careful not to lay the blame on his teammates, but spent a fair bit of time beating himself up. "I just hate to lose," Price explained. "It's not like I haven't been doing the work, but the results aren't there." It appeared Price was on his game Tuesday night, but things changed late in the first period when one of those infamous bounces didn't go the Canadiens' way. Bryan Little was credited with his first goal of the season when Rich Peverley's pass from behind the goal line struck his skate and went in. ..."
Surprise! Habs can't save Carey Price
Comment
November 4
Montreal Gazette
 
"There is one thing you can always expect from your Canadiens: surprises! Game after game, the unexpected rules with this bunch. Tuesday night's 5-4 loss to the Atlanta Thrashers missing elite forward Ilya Kovalchuk and Ron Hainsey, who must be considered one of that team's better defenceman, a surprise. The fact that the Canadiens trailed this team by two goals on two occasions was a surprise. When the Canadiens rallied both times to tie score and this one didn't go into overtime was a surprise when it's considered they needed overtime to post six of their previous seven victories. Their only victory in regulation was their 5-1 rout of the Islanders on the first of two meetings by the ..."
Thrashers seesaw to win over Habs
Comment
November 4
Montreal Gazette
 
"The Canadiens simply ran out of time Tuesday night as they dropped a 5-4 decision to the Atlanta Thrashers. Montreal played catch-up all evening, but had no answer for Colby Armstrong's goal, which snapped a 4-4 tie at 13:14 of the third period. Brian Gionta's second goal of the night at 1:26 of the third period drew the Canadiens even at 3-3, but Pavel Kubina and Tomas Plekanec exchanged goals before Armstrong scored the clincher. The loss snapped the Canadiens' four-game win streak at home and extended Carey Price's losing streak to six games. Atlanta, which was backed by a strong performance from goaltender Ondrej Pavelec – he stopped 34 shots while Price saved 25 – won its second ..."
Guy Lafleur: The Habs' wild Flower
Comment
November 3
Montreal Gazette
 
"Guy Lafleur walked a red carpet for the first time in his life late Monday afternoon, after having had one rolled out before him since he was a gifted boy with dreams of playing for the Canadiens. Lafleur, political bigwigs and celebrities from the hockey and entertainment world assembled downtown at L'Astral for the premiere screening of the one-hour, direct-to-DVD film Il était une fois ... Guy Lafleur. "Once upon a time," indeed. The French-language project, directed by Nicolas Houde-Sauvé, follows Lafleur from his hockey roots Thurso, about 40 kilometres east of Gatineau, through a glorious Canadiens career and finally into the corridors of Montreal's courthouse, where he faces the ..."
Habs underachiever Kostitsyn relegated to 4th line
Comment
November 3
Montreal Gazette
 
"Andrei Kostitsyn is caught in a classic cratch-22. The talented-but-underachieving forward says it's difficult to put points on the board if he's only playing seven minutes a game. But Canadiens coach Jacques Martin says Kostitsyn will be on the fourth line Tuesday night against the Atlanta Thrashers (7:30 p.m., RDS, CJAD Radio-800) because he wasn't playing up to expectations when he was being used as a top-six forward. "I'm playing on the last line," Kostitsyn said Monday when asked about his meagre production this season – one goal and three assists in 14 games. "I'm playing seven minutes a game and I don't have a chance to score goals and make good plays." Kostitsyn was limited to 7:32 ..."
Habs' hold on playoff spot is flimsy
Comment
November 2
Montreal Gazette
 
"The month of October is in the record books and the Canadiens are sitting in a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. That's the good news. The bad news is their hold on that playoff spot is tenuous. The team has a .500 record with seven wins and seven losses, and history tells us that .500 teams don't make the playoffs. Since the National Hockey League went to a six-division format in 1998-99, every playoff team has been above .500 although the 2002-03 New York Islanders were barely above with 83 points. And the Canadiens' standing is deceptive because Montreal has played more games than most of the teams in the conference and several teams that are in hailing distance of the Canadiens ..."
Chicago Blackhawks' Andrew Ladd doesn't expect to be suspended for hit
Comment
November 2
Chicago Tribune
 
"No news is good news for Andrew Ladd. The Blackhawks winger hasn't heard from the NHL about a possible suspension for the hit he delivered on the Canadiens' Matt D'Agostini on Friday night, and he doesn't expect to. "I thought it was a clean hit and you wouldn't expect to get suspended for that," Ladd said following practice Sunday. "(D'Agostini) just had his head down and I was coming off the bench. I can't let him get by me, so I just kind of stepped into him. Obviously you don't want to see a guy get hurt, but it's a tough spot to be in." Ladd was given a 10-minute misconduct penalty that ended his night early, a five-minute major for elbowing and two minutes for roughing after ..."
Habs beat Leafs in shootout
Comment
November 1
Montreal Gazette
 
"Mike Cammalleri and Scott Gomez beat Vesa Toskala in the shootout, while Jaroslav Halak shut the door on Lee Stempniak and Tomas Kaberle to give the Canadiens a 5-4 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs last night at the Bell Centre. The win extended the Canadiens' unbeaten record in extra-time games this season to 6-0 with four overtime wins and two shootout victories. And the Canadiens have won five in a row at home. This was a game the Canadiens should have put away in regulation time, but the Leafs – who scored a last-minute goal Friday night in Buffalo only to lose in overtime – came back from a 4-2 deficit with two goals late in the third period. Alexei Ponikarovsky scored his second goal ..."
One point not good enough
Comment
November 1
Toronto Sun
 
"You've got to be lucky to be good, right? Well, last night embattled Maple Leafs goaltender Vesa Toskala wasn't enough of either at the Bell Centre in his return to the Leafs net for the first time in nearly three weeks. For the third consecutive game and the second in as many nights, the Leafs had to settle for an extra-time loss as a Halloween party erupted onto the streets of Montreal following the Habs' 5-4 shootout win. A pair of rotten goals, the type that have tortured Leafs fans throughout the past two seasons, plus two more that came off terrible bounces spoiled a wild late rally in which Toronto scored twice in the final 3:24 to force overtime. "I could throw out all the ..."
Kaberle shines in team loss
Comment
November 1
Toronto Sun
 
"Tomas Kaberle has a surefire solution to upgrade moral victories into real ones. "Don't get behind," said the Maple Leafs defenceman, who has had the offensive touch lately including the last-minute goal to force overtime against the Canadiens last night. "Most of the games we've been behind one or two goals and we have had to fight back just to tie it. We have to be the team that's leading. Maybe then we will get some breaks." With a goal and three assists last night, Kaberle has two and 15 on the season for 17 points and is easily the Leafs scoring leader. Helped by a career high five-point effort earlier this week against Anaheim, Kaberle is off to one of the quickest starts of his ..."
One point not good enough
Comment
November 1
Toronto Sun
 
"You've got to be lucky to be good, right? Well, last night embattled Maple Leafs goaltender Vesa Toskala wasn't enough of either at the Bell Centre in his return to the Leafs net for the first time in nearly three weeks. For the third consecutive game and the second in as many nights, the Leafs had to settle for an extra-time loss as a Halloween party erupted onto the streets of Montreal following the Habs' 5-4 shootout win. A pair of rotten goals, the type that have tortured Leafs fans throughout the past two seasons, plus two more that came off terrible bounces spoiled a wild late rally in which Toronto scored twice in the final 3:24 to force overtime."
Blackhawk Andrew Ladd's big hit against Montreal Canadien under scrutiny
Comment
November 1
Chicago Tribune
 
"The Blackhawks have taken some big hits on United Center ice, and it was a matter of time until they dished one out themselves. Reminiscent of big checks on then-Hawk Martin Havlat from the Red Wings' Niklas Kronwall during the Western Conference finals last season and one the Canucks' Willie Mitchell laid on Jonathan Toews Oct. 21 that still has the Hawks' captain sidelined with a concussion, Andrew Ladd caught the Canadiens' Matt D'Agostini with his head down Friday night and lowered the boom. Now the question is if the NHL will lower its own boom on Ladd and suspend the winger after he was handed a 10-minute game misconduct for the check along the Canadiens bench during the first ..."
Leafs succumb in shootout
Comment
November 1
Toronto Star
 
"While the Maple Leafs continue to lead the NHL in moral victories as they search for a second real win, they can take solace in that help is on the way. All signals continue to point to a Tuesday return to action for Leaf sniper Phil Kessel, who has been out six months after a torn labrum and torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder."
Blackhawks stun Canadiens
Comment
October 31
Montreal Gazette
 
"Former teammates Carey Price and Cristobal Huet clashed Friday night and the former master came out the winner. Huet, who served as Price's mentor, during the 2007-08 season before he was traded to Washington, came out the winner as the Chicago Blackhawks edged the Canadiens 3-2. It was the second consecutive loss for the Canadiens, who are 2-5 on the road. But Price, who was making his first start since Oct. 17, showed few signs of rust and gave the Canadiens a chance to get back into this game before Patrick Sharp put the Blackhawks ahead for good with a goal at 15:50 of the third period. Patrick Kane set up Sharp in the slot for the winner. Price was far busier than Huet as the ..."
Habs sniper Cammalleri could have been a Leaf
Comment
October 31
Toronto Star
 
"Mike Cammalleri was almost a Maple Leaf. Twice. The mere thought of the first time Cammalleri slipped through Leaf fingers makes the Richmond Hill native – who grew up a Leaf fan – chuckle. "Aki Berg," Cammalleri said over the phone from Chicago where the Habs played Friday night. The Leafs traded a second-round pick in 2001 to the Los Angeles Kings for Berg, a middling defenceman at best. With the pick, the Kings chose Cammalleri, a 5-foot-9 centre who emerged as a point-a-game player. "It said on the draft board, `L.A. from Toronto,'" Cammalleri recalled. "It was just the draft, so it's not like I was ever (Toronto) property, but obviously there was a lot that appealed to me about ..."
Sharp's dagger gets it done
Comment
October 31
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"The Blackhawks washed away the bad taste of a shutout loss at Nashville in a hurry. They concluded the first month of the season with a rousing 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens in one of those rare matchups of NHL Original Six franchises Friday night at the United Center. Patrick Sharp's blast with 4:10 left in the third period decided this one with Patrick Kane his setup man. Kane slipped Sharp a pass from the right boards and Sharp one-timed it past goaltender Carey Price. ''He really put that one home with some force,'' teammate Kris Versteeg said. ''And it got the monkey off his back somewhat because he hadn't scored in a few games.'' Sharp had gone six games without a goal ..."
Concussions no business of the state
Comment
October 30
Montreal Gazette
 columnist Pat Hickey
"Separation of church and state is one of the founding principles in American society and now it's time to have separation of sport and state. At a time when the United States is dealing with an economic crisis, unpopular wars and a debate over its health-care system, the No. 1 story on cable news networks was a Congressional inquiry into the longterm effects of concussions on former National Football League players. I'm not going to suggest this isn't an important topic, but it impacts on a relative handful of individuals and should be dealt with by the NFL and its players' association. The hearings reminded me of the earlier Congressional probes into the use of performance-enhancing drugs ..."
Habs working out the wrinkles
Comment
October 30
Montreal Gazette
 
"The Canadiens were six minutes into what was supposed to be a high-energy shooting and skating drill when head coach Jacques Martin decided he didn't like what he saw. He whistled a halt to the action, gathered his players near the benches at Johnny's Icehouse – conveniently located between the United Centre and the shuttered building that once was Cheli's Chili House – and launched into a profanity-laced tirade. It was the first of two such rants by Martin, who felt that his players should have come prepared to work after being embarrassed the previous evening by the Pittsburgh Penguins. "I'm a firm believer in doing the right things in practice, getting good practice habits," said ..."
Virus has Habs on high alert
Comment
October 29
Montreal Gazette
 
"The Canadiens might be doing some hand-wringing after last night's lopsided loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, but the priority these days is definitely hand-washing. This is the start of flu season and, with the added threat of the H1N1 virus, the players and the team's medical and equipment staffs are on high alert. "We're just trying to do all the right things," veteran defenceman Jaroslav Spacek said. "You wash your hands, dress for the weather, eat well. Just common sense." The Canadiens' training staff deserves the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval for its efforts to disinfect the common areas at the Bell Centre and the team's training facility in Brossard. And when players do show ..."
Penguins crush Canadiens
Comment
October 29
Montreal Gazette
 
"Too much Sidney Crosby and too little offence. That was the story Wednesday night as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Canadiens, 6-1. Sid the Kid had the fourth hat trick of his career while the Canadiens fired blanks and saw their winning streak end at four games. It was also the end of backup goaltender Jaroslav Halak's winning streak. He gave four goals on 23 shots and was replaced after the second period by Carey Price, who received an opportunity to warm up for his next start tomorrow night in Chicago. Price, who hadn't played since Oct. 17, showed signs of rust but he couldn't be faulted on the two goals he allowed ­ a power-play goal on Alex Goligoski's long shot and Chris Kunitz'a ..."
Gill returns in Montreal Canadiens uniform
Comment
October 29
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
 
"One of the Penguins who raised the Stanley Cup less than five months ago in Detroit passed through Mellon Arena sporting a different jersey Wednesday, and he wasn't hard to spot. Towering defenseman Hal Gill signed with Montreal in the offseason and took part in last night's game. Gill managed to spend some time with some former teammates Tuesday night. "I saw a few of the guys," he said. "A lot of them are too busy to have time for an old guy like me." The Penguins acquired Gill at the 2008 trade deadline from Toronto. He played a key role in the team's penalty unit during each of the Penguins' runs to the Stanley Cup Finals. "I'm excited to come back here," Gill said. "I have a lot of ..."
Crosby's hat trick leads Penguins
Comment
October 29
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
 
"Sidney Crosby hasn't assisted on an even-strength goal for his wingers through 12 games. Sometimes, the great ones take matters into their own hands. Crosby, more intent on scoring goals this season, was every bit the sniper Wednesday night. He recorded a hat trick in the Penguins 6-1 victory over Montreal at Mellon Arena. "I felt like a fan tonight watching the stuff he was doing out there," said Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who stopped 23 of 24 shots to improve his record to 9-1. "He was unbelievable." It marked the fourth hat trick of Crosby's career. He has also registered hat tricks against Philadelphia, New Jersey and in the postseason last year at Washington. Crosby fired nine ..."
The Crosby Hat Trick
Comment
October 29
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 
"Sidney Crosby's line was the only one coach Dan Bylsma kept intact for the Penguins' game against Montreal at Mellon Arena last night. It practically was the only he had to use, too. Oh, it's not that Crosby and his wingers, Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin, were the only ones to contribute to the Penguins' 6-1 victory over the Canadiens. Fact is, just about every Penguins who stepped onto the ice chipped in with something significant. But no one did more than Crosby and his linemates. Consider: • Crosby scored the Penguins' first, second and fourth goals for his third career hat trick, accounted for nine of the Penguins' 37 shots and went 16-8 on faceoffs. • Kunitz scored his first goal of ..."
Crosby's hat trick sparks 6-1 rout
Comment
October 29
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 
"Sidney Crosby got his third career hat trick and linemate Chris Kunitz had four points as the Penguins beat the Montreal Canadiens, 6-1, tonight at Mellon Arena to improve to 10-2. The Penguins, who finished their homestand 4-1, avoided losing two games in a row for the first time this season and halted Montreal's winning streak at four games. The Penguins got the only goal of the first period from their top line. Kunitz gloved the puck to keep it in the Canadiens end and passed it under pressure to Bill Guerin. Guerin started to move down the slot before dishing it to Crosby, whose one-time shot from the bottom of the right circle beat Montreal goaltender Jaroslav Halak in the near ..."
Gill collects ring, but fits right in with Montreal
Comment
October 29
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 
"Pittsburgh during a Stanley Cup run is a great place, defenseman Hal Gill said, but every day in Montreal is like a hockey holiday. "We had a lot of pride here and there was a big buzz," Gill said yesterday of his time with the Penguins, including winning the championship last season. "But Montreal is a whole different animal. It's a lot of fun. There's a lot of pressure, a lot of importance on every game. I enjoy that." Gill became one of the few members of the Stanley Cup champions to leave the Penguins when he became a free agent and signed a two-year deal with the Canadiens worth $2,225,000 per season. He played against the Penguins for the first time then last night at Mellon Arena. ..."
No Cup hangover for Penguins
Comment
October 28
Montreal Gazette
 
"There's no sign of a Stanley Cup hangover in the Steel City. When teams win the Stanley Cup, there's a tendency to get off to a slow start the following season. But when the Canadiens meet the Cup-champion Pittsburgh Penguins tonight (7:30 p.m., RDS, CJAD Radio-800), they'll be facing the hottest team in the NHL. "Maybe we should do something about keeping the bars open later in Pittsburgh," Canadiens forward Mike Cammalleri suggested. "Actually, I think those guys are too young to have hangovers." The Penguins' youth is a key factor in their 9-2 start. "The one thing you can count on with young players is that they're going to get better," said Canadiens head coach Jacques Martin, who ..."
Penguins face different Canadiens team tonight
Comment
October 28
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 
"The uniform, the Penguins will recognize. It is, after all, probably the most iconic in pro sports -- at least among the ones that don't include pinstripes. But the players who will be wearing the Montreal sweaters when the Canadiens visit Mellon Arena at 7:38 tonight, they won't look quite so familiar to the Penguins. Not in those bleu, blanc et rouge jerseys, anyway. The Canadiens are moving into their second century -- this is their 101st season -- with very few holdovers from the first. They have a new coach, Jacques Martin, and a roster that bears only fleeting resemblance to the one that failed to qualify for the playoffs in 2008-09. "It's amazing, how much [turnover there was]," ..."
Halak's hot hand ices Price
Comment
October 27
Montreal Gazette
 
"So what else did you expect? I admit nothing is engraved in stone at the NHL level and surprises happen. Upsets do occur - but not last night in this 3-2 overtime win by the Canadiens. An upset would have happened if head coach Jacques Martin had opted to go with Carey Price, who sat out the previous three games while Jaroslav Halak was going about the business of winning games, which now stands at four in a row. Common sense prevailed, and Halak put an exclamation point on it with yet another strong game, stopping 29 shots - starting with one coloured brilliant on Matt Moulson 1:32 into the game. You go with the guy who gets the job done, and Halak has been doing that. Big time. He was a ..."
Habs beat Islanders in overtime
Comment
October 27
Montreal Gazette
 
"The Canadiens' magic run in overtime continued Monday night as Roman Hamrlik scored at 1:32 of overtime to give the Canadiens a 3-2 win over the New York Islanders. Hamrlik pinched in from the left side and took a pass from Tomas Plekanec to extend the Canadiens' current winning streak to four games. The Canadiens are also 5-0 this season when the score is tied after regulation time. The Islanders were a different team than the sorry crew which lost to the Canadiens here, 5-1, last Thursday. The Canadiens were the authors of their own misfortune as they took far too many penalties and Jeff Tambellini took advantage by scoring two power-play goals. Tambellini sent the game into overtime ..."
Habs' Cammalleri caps hat trick with OT winner
Comment
October 26
Montreal Gazette
 
"Mike Cammalleri scored at 2:42 of overtime to complete a hat trick and give the Canadiens a 5-4 come-from-behind victory over the New York Rangers Saturday night. After two wide-open periods that proved goaltenders Jaroslav Halak and Henrik Lundqvist were human, the Canadiens played their game in the third period, limiting the high-flying Rangers to five shots on goal. The result was a third consecutive victory for the Canadiens, who are 5-5 on the season. The victory also maintained Montreal's unbeaten record this season in extra-time games. They are 4-0 with three overtime wins and one in a shootout. Cammalleri picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone, cut to the middle and beat ..."
Honour overdue for ex-Habs goalie Vachon
Comment
October 26
Montreal Gazette
 
"Newspaper stories in the autumn of 1967 were suggesting that Canadiens goaltender Rogatien Vachon might soon be returned to the Houston Apollos, the minor-league farm club from which he had been summoned the previous winter. So a 10-year-old Vachon fan took pen to paper and addressed the first fan letter of his life to his first hockey hero, telling "Mr. Vachon" in as many words that he should simply ignore any demotion and stay put. The CH-crested envelope was in my family's mailbox less than a week later, a classic black-and-white postcard of Vachon in the half-splits, the puck about to hit his outstretched blocker. "Don't worry, I'll never let them send me down," his reassuring, ..."
Habs' special teams come alive at home
Comment
October 26
Montreal Gazette
 
"There's something special going on with the Canadiens. As in special teams. As in special teams. A quick look at the National Hockey League statistics indicates there's nothing special about the Canadiens' special teams heading into tonight's home game against the New York Islanders (7:30 p.m., RDS, CJAD Radio-800). Montreal ranks 19th on the power play with a success rate of 17.1 per cent. The penalty-killing unit is 17th with a success rate of 78.4 per cent. But if you look beyond those numbers, you'll see that these are two areas where the Canadiens have shown improvement over the six-game homestand that concludes tonight. The penalty-killing has shown the most dramatic improvement. The ..."
Habs' Cammalleri caps hat trick with OT winner
Comment
October 25
Montreal Gazette
 
"Mike Cammalleri scored at 2:42 of overtime to complete a hat trick and give the Canadiens a 5-4 come-from-behind victory over the New York Rangers Saturday night. After two wide-open periods that proved goaltenders Jaroslav Halak and Henrik Lundqvist were human, the Canadiens played their game in the third period, limiting the high-flying Rangers to five shots on goal. The result was a third consecutive victory for the Canadiens, who are 5-5 on the season. The victory also maintained Montreal's unbeaten record this season in extra-time games. They are 4-0 with three overtime wins and one in a shootout. Cammalleri picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone, cut to the middle and beat ..."
Canadiens top New York Rangers 5-4 in overtime
Comment
October 25
New York Daily News
 
"It was a bloody prize fight at the Bell Centre Saturday night, two heavy hitters trading combinations through unstable defenses - and it was the smallest guy of anyone who landed the knockout blow. Perhaps the only thing more slippery than Ranger leads in Montreal the past few years was Mike Cammalleri Saturday night. The 5-9, 182-pound left winger was a heavyweight for his Habs, weaving his way through four Rangers down three-quarters of the rink to beat Henrik Lundqvist with a laser-beam wrist shot 2:42 into overtime, completing his third career hat trick and sending the Montreal Canadiens to a thrilling 5-4 victory over the Rangers, who have followed their seven-game winning streak with ..."
Higgins ready for homecoming against former club
Comment
October 24
New York Daily News
 
"This is not the way Christopher Higgins wanted to go back, a prodigal son returning to Montreal with no goals, not having scored since Game 3 of April's Canadiens-Bruins playoff series. For a player who seems to battle frustration nightly, tonight's visit to the city where he began his NHL career, against the team the Long Island product idolized right up until the day they drafted him in 2002 - is just one more thing the Rangers ' left winger will be struggling to get his head around. "But no better place to turn things around than up there, that's for sure," Higgins said Friday. That would be the best news of all for the Rangers, who have followed a seven-game winning streak ..."
Inside the Habs' dressing room
Comment
October 23
Montreal Gazette
 
"Glen Metropolit found himself in some unfamiliar territory Thursday night and it wasn't the five minutes and 13 seconds he spent on the Canadiens' power play. It was the few seconds when he returned to the ice to acknowledge the cheers of the crowd after he was named the first star in the Canadiens' 5-1 rout of the New York Islanders. "I don't know if I've ever had one," Metropolit said when asked how long it had been since he was the first star. Metropolit turned in a yeoman effort as he logged 18:15, picked up a pair of assists and won five of his seven faceoffs. It was all the more amazing because he was returning to the lineup after missing six games with a rib injury. His presence ..."
Gionta sets tone for Canadiens
Comment
October 23
Montreal Gazette
 
"Ah, ain't life grand, finally. How sweet it must feel for your Canadiens to win their first game in regulation, 5-1, with the goals coming from five different players - three among the five scoring their first of the season. All this after the Habs failed to get a shot in the first seven minutes of the game and then delivered two goals on 15 shots for the rest of the period. One reason could be that the Islanders, who won their first game of the season in a 4-3 shootout over Carolina 24 hours earlier, looked every inch like the team that finished No. 30 last season in a league where no more than 20 turn up to play night after night. Mark Streit was one of the very few bright lights on the ..."
Canadiens club Islanders 5-1
Comment
October 23
Montreal Gazette
 
"Glen Metropolit made up for lost time Thursday night. Metropolit returned to the Habs' lineup after missing six games with a rib injury and he collected a pair of assists to help the Canadiens to a 5-1 win over the New York Islanders. It took the Habs six minutes to muster the first shot on goal, but Scott Gomez gave Montreal a 1-0 lead when he beat Martin Biron at 7:55 of the first period. Jaroslav Spacek's shot from the blue line was blocked before it reached Biron and Gomez picked up the loose puck and scored his second goal of the season. While Metropolit has made a career of toiling on the third and fourth lines, coach Jacques Martin hasn't been reluctant to use him on the power play. ..."
Ex-Sabres are given the business
Comment
October 23
Buffalo News
 
"Martin Biron is a confident guy, but doubts started to invade his brain. He had 59 wins over the previous two seasons, plus solid playoff performances. At 32 years old, he was still in his prime for an NHL goalie. Yet week after week this summer, he waited for a team to call and say it wanted him. He kept waiting, from July 1 until July 22, when the New York Islanders finally rang him up. "Middle of July you're starting to think that you're basically no good anymore, and that's a tough part," Biron said. "In a month you go from thinking you're going to be one of the top free agents to thinking, "Man, what's going on?' " Biron received a sobering introduction to free agency in the ..."
Habs' Kostitsyn loses game of chicken with GM Gainey
Comment
October 22
Montreal Gazette
 
"If you thought Hamlet was a confused young man, you've never met Sergei Kostitsyn. In a 24-hour period, the younger Kostitsyn brother walked out on the Hamilton Bulldogs, was suspended by the Canadiens for the second time this season and then agreed to return to the American Hockey League team after meeting with Bob Gainey after the general manager told Radio-Canada that he thought Kostitsyn was going to Russia. The 22-year-old Kostitsyn packed his belongings after Hamilton's 4-1 win over Manitoba Tuesday, amid reports he had given the Canadiens an ultimatum. According to several Russian reports, Kostitsyn said he would leave North America for the Kontinental Hockey League if the Canadiens ..."
Canadiens shuffle lineup for Isles
Comment
October 22
Montreal Gazette
 
"The game should mark the return of versatile centre Glen Metropolit, who has been out of the lineup since he aggravated a rib injury during the second game of the season in Buffalo. "It feels good," said Metropolit, who skated with his teammates yesterday morning in Brossard and had his first taste of contact since he was injured. "I still have to see the doctor to get clearance but I'm pretty sure that I'll be back tomorrow." Martin said Metropolit will provide a boost for the third and fourth lines, but his return may also help a power play that ranks 26th in the NHL with a success rate of 12.9 per cent. "Earlier in his career, when he played in the minors and in Europe, he was an ..."
Habs' Kostitsyn loses game of chicken with GM Gainey
Comment
October 22
Montreal Gazette
 
"If you thought Hamlet was a confused young man, you've never met Sergei Kostitsyn. In a 24-hour period, the younger Kostitsyn brother walked out on the Hamilton Bulldogs, was suspended by the Canadiens for the second time this season and then agreed to return to the American Hockey League team after meeting with Bob Gainey after the general manager told Radio-Canada that he thought Kostitsyn was going to Russia. The 22-year-old Kostitsyn packed his belongings after Hamilton's 4-1 win over Manitoba Tuesday, amid reports he had given the Canadiens an ultimatum. According to several Russian reports, Kostitsyn said he would leave North America for the Kontinental Hockey League if the Canadiens ..."
Sergei Kostitsyn suspended by Habs after leaving Bulldogs
Comment
October 22
TSN.ca
 
"Sergei Kostitsyn has been suspended for the second time this season by the Montreal Canadiens and Hamilton Bulldogs. According to several media reports, Kostitsyn left the AHL's Bulldogs on Wednesday and was immediately suspended by the Canadiens. He had four points in Hamilton's first five games after being sent to the AHL just prior to the beginning of the regular season. "It was his decision, not mine," Kostitsyn's agent, Don Meehan told The Canadian Press during a Wednesday interview."
Canadiens snap losing skid
Comment
October 21
Montreal Gazette
 
"Hal Gill should go into the prognostication business. On Monday, the Canadiens' defenceman said the team was ready to break out of its losing streak and, when it did, it would do so with a tight defensive effort. "It will be something like 1-0 and 2-1," he suggested. Well, 2-1 it was but it took goals from Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta in the shootout to snap the Canadiens' five-game losing streak at the Bell Centre Tuesday night. Montreal had a golden opportunity in the overtime but couldn't get the puck past 22-year-old goaltender Ondrej Pavelec, who made 34 saves, including one on a Jaroslav Spacek slapshot with six seconds remaining in overtime. The Canadiens outshot the visitors 8-0 in ..."