Watch the Habs and Bulldogs on the Internet Stream Live

Hey guys, I have found this new website that allows you to watch the hockey games live from the internet. I have been using it for a while and everything works fine. The quality is good and very watchable, and its free. So, for those who are away from their TVs and can't watch the game, but have internet, you can now watch the game on your laptop or desktop. And for those who are just like me who just want to be able to follow our young prospects in Hamilton, you can watch AHL games now :D .

Here is the link :

http://atdhe.net/index.html

There are also other live sports game on this website, ranging from NHL, NBA, NFL, NCAA, AHL, Soccer, Boxing and Rugby. So its an awesome website for all sports lover out there.

Habs Trade Kyle Chipchura

This morning, the Montreal Canadiens have traded their 2004 first round pick Kyle Chipchura to the Anaheim Ducks against a 4th round pick. Chipchura has been a disappointing pick for the Habs and has never been able to established himself as a NHLer.

I am glad that the organization has finally decided to trade him. With all the opportunities that we have given him to prove himself in the NHL, we still haven't seen anything. He has been labeled as an excellent defensive player with great leadership and good vision in the AHL. But he has failed to bring these skills in the NHL. It is time to free a roster spot in the team and give the opportunity to other young players in the organization to prove themselves.

And the fact that we were able to obtain a 4th round pick in return is a good deal. Good job by Bob Gainey there.

Jaroslav Halak in Net Tonight

Jaro is in net tonight against the Flames, I just hope it doesn't spur more controversy as it is. With everything that happened on Saturday night with his agent's comment on twitter. Just in case any of you guys have missed it, Jaroslav Halak's agent, Allan Walsh, wrote on twitter that he just found out about an interesting statistics that Carey Price has only won 10 of his last 42 games and added "umm" in the end of his comments.

I personally, don't find it offensive in any way for Price, he was just stating a fact in a humored manner. And it is up to Carey Price to do much better...But as you all know how it is with the media in Montreal, they always seems to exaggerate things and try to make a huge controversy out of it. I do believe though that Walsh should've restrained himself from posting such comments on the web for his own sake and that of his client.

And poor Jaro who is now caught up in the middle of all of this, lets hope he can put up a good performance tonight and put all these distractions behind. Good game everyone.

Chris Chelios Back With Habs?

Wow...a wild rumors going around right now that Chris Chelios could be back with the Montreal Canadiens. According to CKAC, there have been talks between Chelios and Gainey a month ago, and that Chelios is interested in coming back to the team that gave him his first chance to play in the NHL. Link here

Well, I hope this doesn't happen. Chris Chelios is 47 years old...Instead of signing him, I hope we can give a chance to our young defensemen like P.K Subban to play in the NHL.

Habs Call up Pyatt and White

According to RDS, the Montreal Canadiens have just called up Tom Pyatt and Ryan White from the Hamilton Bulldogs. In 11 games with the Bulldogs, Pyatt has collected 6 goals and 3 assists; Ryan White obtained 3 goals and 4 assists.

Sergei Kostitsyn wasn't called up...I wonder what would happen this time...will he desert the team once more? For his own sake and his future in the NHL...he better not do anything crazy...

Tomas Plekanec Avoids Salary Arbitration

Tomas Plekanec has finally accepted a 1-year deal of $2.75 million from the Montreal Canadiens and has therefore avoided salary arbitration that would be held on july 30th. Source

Curtis Sanford Signs With Montreal

Today, the Montreal Canadiens have announced the signing of unrestricted free agent goaltender Curtis Sanford for a period of 1 season. This is a 2-way contract. He will most likely start the year in the AHL. Last season with the Vancouver Canucks, Sanford has a save percentage of .903 and a goal-against average of 2.69. He has also a record of 11-11-1 in 35 games. Source

Guillaume Latendresse Signs With Habs

According to RDS, Guilllaume Latendresse has signed a 1-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens worth of $ 803,000. Latendresse has initially refused a 2-years offer from the Canadiens. He will be eligible for salary arbitration next season. Source

Habs Sign Andreas Engqvist

The Montreal Canadiens have signed another Swedish player Andreas Engqvist to a 3-year deal. Engqvist is a 6'3 centerman who has obtained 9 goals and 7 assists in 31 games in the Swedish Elite Ligue last season. Source

Here are some highlights video of Engqvist

Chipchura Signs With The Canadiens

Kyle Chipchura signs a 1-year contract with the Habs. The terms of the contract are not released.

Travis Moen Signs With the Canadiens

Travis Moen has signed a 3-year deal with the Montreal Canadiens for $4.5 Million. Source

Habs Sign Paul Mara

The Montreal Canadiens have signed Paul Mara to a 1-year contract. The term of the contract have not been revealed. Mara is a defenseman of 6'4 and 212 lb. He has collected 5 goals and 16 assists last season with the New York Rangers. Source

Rumor : Tomas Plekanec Going KHL?

According to ruefrontenac.com Marc De Foy, Tomas Plekanec's name is on a list of players that the KHL are planning to offer a contract in the upcoming days. The president of the KHL, Alexander Medvedev, was frustrated after the Altanta Thrashers has signed Joel Kwiatkowski who was already under a KHL contract. As a result, Medvedev now encourages KHL teams to offer contracts to various NHL players.

Ruefrontenac.com has also learned that Tomas Plekanec have thought about going to the KHL back when he was still with the Hamilton Bulldogs. There is a possibility that Plekanec would go to the KHL if the offer is good enough, since he has asked for salary arbitration a week ago.

The team that is interested in the services of Plekanec is the Omsk Avangard, so he could play next to Jaromir Jagr. They are also interested in Robert Lang and Mikael Nylander. Source

Rumor : Brandon Shanahan With Habs

Lastest rumors from Eklund, Brandon Shanahan could become a Habs. Source

Saku Koivu Signs With Anaheim Ducks

According to RDS, Saku Koivu will be joining Teemu Selanne in Anaheim. Koivu has signed a 1-year contract with the Ducks worth of $3.25 Million. Source

Good Luck Saku!

Francois Beauchemin to Toronto

The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed Francois Beauchemin for 3 years, a contract worth of $10M. Source

Alex Kovalev Signs With The Senators

According to RDS, Alex Kovalev will be playing with the Ottawa Senators next season. Source

Saku Koivu Back With The Habs?

Will it be possible that the 10-year captain might be back with the Montreal Canadiens this year? Even though Bob Gainey told everyone that he won't be back?

According to rumors from Eklund, this possibility is getting more and more possible. Eklund's source is a close friend of Saku in Finland, he says that Saku is extremely loyal guy and deep down inside of him, he wants to finish his career as a Montreal Canadiens. He is also very happy with the signings by Bob Gainey in the last few days. Source

Saku Koivu would love to finish his career by playing with his younger brother Mikko, but the negociation with the Wild organization has slowed down and getting less and less likely since Koivu is looking for a 4-year deal and the Wild are not ready to keep him for that long.

The other alternative would be to play with his compatriot and good friend Teemu Selanne in Anaheim. But, as Selanne has just declared to the media that this will be his last season in the NHL. TSN I am not so sure that Saku would want to sign a long term deal with a team where his best friend is retiring the year after.

There is also the possibility that he could go to Buffalo Sabres and join his best friend Craig Rivet. But, the question is, are the Sabres interested in his services? Also, would Saku Koivu want to join a team that is in decline in the last few years?

Or, he can just stay in Montreal and accept a lower salary to finish his career. I believe that Bob Gainey would not say no to him at a discount price of his calibre. Saku is still better than Tomas Plekanec and could possibly be the best 2nd line center in the league that one could find.

Where Will Saku Koivu, Alex Kovalev and Alex Tanguay Sign?

Its been a few days now that the July 1st has past, and only 1 of our 10 unrestricted free agents have signed with a team (Komisarek). What about the other 9 UFAs? Mainly where would our top three UFA Saku Koivu, Alex Kovalev and Alex Tanguay sign? We all know that their chances of coming back to the Habs would be very slim, but it will still be interesting to know who will likely to go where. So here are the numerous rumors about them.

Saku Koivu
RDS have learned that Saku Koivu has received offers from the Minnesota Wild, the New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils. Source

From Spector's Hockey, Micheal Russo learned that the Anaheim Ducks, the New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils are interested in Koivu. Source

According to The Fourth Period, Minnesota and Anaheim have both submitted an offer to sign Koivu. New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils have offered multi-year contract. And Columbus has manifested interest in Koivu. Source

A rumor from Eklund that Koivu would sign with Anaheim or Minnesota, but also says it is possible for Koivu's return with the Habs for 1 year. Source

Alex Kovalev
According to RDS, the Los Angeles Kings and the Washington Capitals are exploring the possibility of signing Alex Kovalev. In addition, a team from the KHL, the Avangard, has submitted an offer to Kovalev. Source

From The Fourth Period, Alex Kovalev won't be back with the Habs anymore. After the signings of Gionta and Cammelleri, the Canadiens have pulled the offer from the table. Source

From Eklund, Kovalev might go to Colorado. Source

Alex Tanguay
As for Alex Tanguay, there is only rumors from Eklund of him going back to the Colorado Avalanche. Source

List of Available UFAs

Although we shouldn't be expecting any other signings from the Montreal Canadiens, it is always fun to see who is still available on the market today on July 2nd 2009. We have about $4 Million left under the cap to spend.

So here you go :

Centers
Joe Sakic
Saku Koivu
Robert Lang
Mats Sundin
Jason Williams
Brendan Morrison
Mike Comrie
Todd Marchant
Viktor Kozlov
Mike Sillinger
Rob Niedermayer

Right Wingers
Alex Kovalev
Maxim Afinogenov
Miroslav Satan
Ales Kotalik
Petr Sykora
Todd Bertuzzi
Mike Grier
Richard Zednik

Left Wingers
Alex Tanguay
Keith Tkachuk
Kyle Calder
Mark Bell
Ruslan Fedotenko
PJ Axelsson
Taylor Pyatt
Travis Moen
Brendan Shanahan

Defensemen
Mathieu Schneider
François Beauchemin
Marc-André Bergeron
Jordan Leopold
Jay McKee
Derek Morris
Filip Kuba
Nick Boynton
Greg de Vries
Philippe Boucher
Kyle McLaren
Paul Mara
Francis Bouillon

Goaltenders
Martin Biron
Manny Fernandez
Antero Niittymaki
Manny Legace
Olaf Kolzig
Martin Gerber
Fredrik Norrena
Brent Johnson
Andrew Raycroft
Mikael Tellqvist
Joey MacDonald

Bob Gainey Almost Done Shopping

From Bob Gainey's Press Conference, he told the media that he is almost done shopping, he might need just one more defenseman to complete the roster. Alex Kovalev, Saku Koivu and Alex Tanguay won't be back with the team.

Brian Gionta With The Habs

Brian Gionta signs with the Montreal Canadiens to join Scott Gomez. A contract of $ 25M for 5 years. Source

Steve Begin To The Bruins

Another former Habs player going to our other rivals, Steve Begin with Boston for a 1 year contract of $ 850,000. Well at least I'm happy for him to have found team that needed his services, just wished it wasn't the Bruins...

Mike Komisarek Signs with Habs Rivals Toronto Maple Leafs

Wow...Mike Komisarek signs with our rivals....the Leafs. $ 22.5 million for 5 years. Source

Habs Sign Mike Cammelleri

Habs sign Mike Cammelleri a contract of $ 30 million for 5 years. Source

Canadiens Sign Hal Gill

Hal Gill signs with the Habs for $ 4.5 million for a period of 2 years. Source

Habs Sign Jaroslav Spacek

Montreal Canadiens sign defenseman Jaroslav Spacek for 3 years a contract worth of $ 11.5 million. Source

Free Agent Market Begins!

The free agent will start in just a few minutes and I am sure that Bob Gainey is going for many big names this year!

Too bad the Sedins have re-signed with the Vancouver Canucks.

Canadiens Trade Chris Higgins For Scott Gomez

RDS has learned that the Habs have obtained Scott Gomez from the New York Rangers for Christopher Higgins. Also going to NY in the trade is Ryan Mcdonagh, Pavel Valentenko and Doug Janik. Canadiens also obtain Tom Pyatt and Michael Busto. Source

Bob Mckenzie was right on, the Habs did get Gomez, but does that mean that its over for Lecavalier? or will this just be the beginning of more move to come? Some rumors says that this may not be the only trade that Bob Gainey is working on.

Mike Komisarek Going Free Agent

According to RDS, Mike Komisarek is going to test the free agent market this summer. Renaud Lavoie has learned that the Canadiens have put lots of effort to retain him, but Mike have decided he did not want to stay in Montreal. Source

There is also a rumor that the Boston Bruins are interested in signing Komisarek on July 1st, but I doubt it would happen. I just don't see him being friends with Lucic.

What Will Bob Gainey Do?

We are a little bit more than 24hrs before the free agent market begins and things have already started to move yesterday in the Montreal Canadiens organization with multiple offers to some pending free agents. Bob Gainey told the media that he is expecting or is still attempting to complete a trade before July 1st. That statement from Habs GM will only increase the rumors and speculations. So, what will Bob Gainey do?

It is known that Bob Gainey is looking for a big center to play on the Habs first line. The first name that comes to everyone's mind is of course Vincent Lecavalier. We all know that the Habs are definitely interested in him, but are the Lightnings ready to let him go? More specifically, is Len Barrie finally willing to let the trade go through and not veto the trade? Something tells me there is always hope for a trade between Tampa and Montreal and that door is not competely close. It should still be wide enough for Gainey to firmly believe that a trade could still be done. Or else how do you explain his actions? Only two official offers are on the table for 11 of his UFAs. If Bob Gainey doesn't think he has a serious chance in compeleting the deal, would you think he would risk the chance of losing Alex Tanguay and Saku Koivu? I don't think so.

And what if the deal for Vinny Lecavalier fails? Well, I am sure that he has a backup plan. That plan B would most likely include better players than Tanguay or Koivu. According to TSN's Bob Mckenzie, the Habs could be interested in Scott Gomez, Daniel Briere or Simon Gagne if Lecavalier's deal doesn't work out.

So what if no deals happen in the next 24 hrs? We go on the free agent market! The Canadiens have over $30 Million in available cap space, thats more than any other teams in the league. There are rumors from The Gazette that the Habs are very interested in the Sedin Twins. There is also Martin Havlat that could come to Montreal.

Bob Gainey has so many options available that we don't need to worry not being able to complete the roster for season 2009-10. The next few days could be very exciting for every Habs fan, so be prepared!!!

Alex Tanguay's Negociation Rights Could be Traded

Bob Gainey tells reporters that Alex Tanguay's negociation rights is on the market and could be traded. Source

No Offer to Saku Koivu Until July 1st

The Montreal Canadiens captain Saku Koivu is in the same situation as Alex Tanguay and has received a call from Bob Gainey that they are unable to submit a serious offer to him until July 1st. Bob Gainey said that they are currently working to complete a transaction. Source

Habs Offer A Contract To Alex Kovalev

From CKAC, unrestricted free agent Alex Kovalev has received an official offer from the Montreal Canadiens today. It has been rumored that there was a verbal agreement that he will be back next season a few days before the draft. Source

Offers to Habs RFAs

RDS has learned that restricted free agents Chris Higgins, Guillaume Latendresse, Thomas Plekanec, Matt D'agostini, Gregory Stewart and Kyle Chipchura have all received an offer from the Montreal Canadiens. Source

No Offer To Tanguay Before July 1st

According to RDS, the Montreal Canadiens will not offer a contract to pending unrestricted free agent Alex Tanguay before July 1st. Alex Tanguay's agent has told RDS that Bob Gainey has informed them that his client will not receive an offer until July 1st. RDS have learned that many pending UFAs agents have also received the same call from Bob Gainey becaues he is working on getting Vincent Lecavalier to Montreal. Source

Hamilton Bulldogs Head Coach Is Guy Boucher

According to RDS, Guy Boucher will become the Hamilton Bulldogs new head coach and it will be announced today at noon. Source

Is Daniel Briere or Simon Gagne the Habs Plan B?

According to the Ottawa Sun's Bruce Garrioch, Bob Gainey might turn to Daniel Briere if he is unable to obtain Vincent Lecavalier. Sources tell Garrioch that the Flyers are also interested in trading Simon Gagne. Source

Bob Gainey Still Wants Vincent Lecavalier

We have heard many rumors and speculations before and during the draft, everyone was expecting or hoping for a blockbuster trade and see Vinny in the Montreal Canadiens jersey. Lot of fans were disappointed that nothing happened during the draft and many reports says that Vinny will not be traded.

Just when we are starting to lose hope, RDS came up with some information that Bob Gainey is still not giving up on landing Lecavalier. According to Renaud Lavoie, many sources around the league are telling him that Gainey is still very much interested. Gainey have been working untill the last minutes before the draft to get the deal done, but were unable complete the deal because Len Barrie has blocked the transaction once again. The Canadiens will continue to try to get the deal done in the next couple of days before Lecavalier's contract kicks in. Source

So yeah...Lecavalier rumors just don't seems to want to die.

2009 NHL Post-Draft Rumors

So the 2009 NHL entry draft is now over and we still haven't had many transactions yet. This doesn't mean that the discussions between GMs have stopped. Bob Gainey has not made his big splash yet and here are the recent rumors concerning the Montreal Canadiens.

According to La Presse's François Gagnon, Saku Koivu will still be a Habs because Bob Gainey was unable to obtain a number 1 center such as Vinny Lecavalier during the draft. Koivu is still the best center of the team and Bob Gainey will have to resign him. Koivu's agent believes that there is a possibility of getting a deal done before July 1st. Source

From La Presse's Mathias Brunet, Vincent Lecavalier's agent believes his client will remain as a Tampa Bay Lightning and doesn't expect to be traded. Source

According to Eklund, the offer for Vinny Lecavalier were too low. Source

Also from Eklund, Mike Komisarek's rights might be traded. Source

From The Gazette's Pat Hickey, Bob Gainey says that he has talked with other teams, but with no progress and it might take some time to get that big centerman needed in Montreal. It could take up until September or even in October. Source

From the Ottawa Sun, it seems that the trade talks between the Lightnings and the Habs for Lecavalier have intensified. Sources say that the names from the Canadiens are Jaroslav Halak and Christopher Higgins. Source

NHL 2009 Draft Day Rumors

Well guys this is it, today is the NHL Entry Draft and many teams are trying to make a move, so here are today's rumors.

According to TSN, the significant offer that the leafs had received yesterday was from the Boston Bruins. The offer was Phil Kessel for Tomas Kaberle and the Leafs first round pick (7th overall). Source

From ESPN Pierre LeBrun, the Altanta Thrashers are interested in Tomas Kaberle. If Islanders take Victor Hedman, the Leafs will attempt to obtain the Lightnings 2nd overall pick. If not, then they will try to get Atlanta's 4th overall pick to select Brayden Schenn. Burke has also told LeBrun that Tampa wants Luke Schenn to be included in any deals for their 2nd overall pick, but the Leafs aren't ready to pay that price. Other players who are on the market are Ryane Clowe and Jean-Sebastien Giguere. Source

On Spector's Hockey, the Ottawa Sun Bruce Garrioch says that Gary Bettman has told the Bolts owner not to move Lecavalier in order to be able to sell the franchise. Damian Christoder from St. Peterburg Times says that Lecavalier trade seems to be less likely. Source

The Sedins Brothers will be testing the free agent market on July 1st and Montreal is a possible destination for the twin brothers. Source

The Lightnings willing to trade the 2nd overall pick. Source

According to CKAC, Alex Kovalev have met with the Montreal Canadiens new owners, the Molson Brothers, and with the Habs new head coach Jacques Martin a few days ago. Kovalev did not sign any contract, but have agreed to a verbal agreement to be back next season. Source

Bob Gainey Pre-Draft Press Conference

In a press conference today at 4:30 pm, Bob Gainey have clarified that only Mike Komisarek have received an offer on the table. He will discuss with the other UFAs after the draft. He also noted the possibility that some UFA won't be back next year without specifying who.

Concerning the draft, Bob Gainey said that he is 95% sure that he will be using his first round pick to select a prospect. The chances of a transaction during the draft tomorrow are pretty slim. Bob says that although they have an eye on local prospects, they will go for the best possible player in the first round.

Gainey also said that it is not a secret for anyone that they are looking for a big center, and right now, there isn't one on the free agent market.

When asked if the Vincent Lecavalier's case is completely closed, he answered that all options are still open. He also said that his relations with Lightnings GM Brian Lawton are good and they could work together.

Today's Habs Rumors

As we are only one day from the draft, there are many rumors running around today. Here are the latest rumors.

According to The Gazette Pat Hickey, Saku Koivu wants to stay with the Montreal Canadiens next season. Hickey also believes that Vincent Lecavalier will not be traded, he explains that the Lightnings owners agreed that by trading Lecavalier would be a serious blow to their marketing. The current rumors are that the Habs are interested in Patrick Marleau or Daniel Briere. Source

According to TSN Darren Dreger, there are currently five teams that are in negociation with the Florida Panthers for Jay Bouwmeester's rights. It will cost the teams a 3rd round pick just to be able to talk to him, if that team is successful in signing him, the price could be a first round pick. Source

From The Fourth Period, The Sun-Sentinel claims that the Montreal Canadiens are very interested in Jay Bouwmeester's negociation rights. Source

From CKAC, the radio station have learned that the Montreal Canadiens are currently working on a plan A which would exclude all current unrestricted free agents except Mike Komisarek. According to many sources, almost all of the UFA have not received any phone call from the organization in the past few weeks. Only Mike Komisarek is currently in negociation with Bob Gainey. Source

Eklund claims that some Habs players have heard that their teammates are being prepared to be traded to the Lightnings. Source

According to RDS, Bob Gainey will negociate with unrestricted free agents Saku Koivu, Alex Tanguay, Mike Komisarek, Alex Kovalev and Mathieu Schneider after the draft. The other UFAs have received a message from the Canadiens that they will not be back next season. Source

Francis Bouillon Won't Be Back

According to RDS, the Montreal Canadiens have told Francis Bouillon that they will not retain his services for next season. Source

Habs Rumors : Something Big Coming?

Again these are just rumors and we cannot take everything we read or hear too seriously, but things seems to be starting to heat up with the Montreal Canadiens. Rumors around seems to indicate that something big might be coming on the day of the draft.

From Eklund, according to his sources, the Habs organization is currently on "lockdown mode" and a huge trade could be announced on the draft day. The people who are aware of the situation are not saying anything, but only respond with a huge smile on their face. Source

From ESPN rumors, there might be a blockbuster move in the works for the Habs. Source

Pat Hickey speculate that the Habs might be working on a blockbuster trade after Bob Gainey has told him that he had some talks with the UFAs, but he won't do anything until after draft. Source

According to CKAC, Pierre Boivin said that the decision to leave a lot of cap space was a good one, now they need to make those transactions, they need to make those decisions, but you always need to be two to dance, so there is a lot of work to do, but they can't make any promesses. Source

Trading Lecavalier? Yes or No

After the meeting between the two Lightnings owners and Gary Bettman yesterday, there have been many contradicting rumors and speculations in the media. The question everyone has been asking : Will Vinny Lecavalier be traded or not?

According to RDS, the situation in Tampa Bay remains the same, Oren Koules is still in control of the team. Gary Bettman has removed the rights of Len Barrie to contact agents and other teams managers, but Barrie still have the rights to decline a transaction. According to Renault Lavoie, this means that the chances of seeing Vincent Lecavalier traded would be close to zero unless Barrie changes his mind. Source

According to St. Peterburg Times, it is status quo, nothing have changed. Koules remains in charge of decision making of the team and both owners need to approve the transaction to get the deal done. Bettman has also given the two owners more time to sort out their disagreement. There is also a possibility for one to buy out the other's share of the franchise. Source

From The Tampa Tribune, Martin Fennelly believes that there is a growing possibility that Vinny Lecavalier would be traded now that Koules is still in control. He believes that with Koules and Lawton in charge of the team, they will not get as much as Lecavalier should be worth, stating Dan Boyle as an example of their incompetence. Source

According to Pierre LeBrun, from ESPN, the meeting concluded that Brian Lawton will be dealing with all signings and trades. Source

From ruefrontenac.com, Marc De Foy and Martin Leclerc, two reporter who covers the Habs regularly, believes that with Koules in control, Vinny Lecavalier will most likely be traded before July 1st. Source here and here

Bettman : Oren Koules Gets to Decide

According to The Tampa Tribune, Gary Bettman has given Oren Koules the final say in the Tampa Bay Lightnings decisions. Koules has been known to be in favor of trading the Lightnings captain Vincent Lecavalier. Source

Rumor : Jay Bouwmeester

According to Spector's Hockey, the price to obtain Jay Bouwmeester's negociation rights is a draft pick and could become a 1st round pick if he signs with that team. It is also rumored that the leafs are interested in Bouwmeester. Source

Rumor : Dany Heatley Will Not Be a Habs

For all of those who hoped to see Dany Heatley in the Montreal Canadiens jersey, you can forget about it. According to the Ottawa Sun, Heatley's agent have submitted a list of teams to GM Bryan Murray. Montreal does not appear on the list. The teams are the Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers, San Jose Sharks, Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins. Source

Kirk Muller Stays, Doug Jarvis Fired

The Montreal Canadiens have announced today that Kirk Muller will continue in his position as assistant coach next season. While the associate coach, Doug Jarvis, will not be back next season. Source

Disputes Between Lightnings Ownership

In the St.Petersburgh Times, John Romano reports about the dispute between Oren Koules and Len Barrie, the two owners of the Tampa Bay Lightnings. According to Romano, the conflicts between these two men are much bigger than we might of thought to the point where they are requesting a meeting tomorrow with the NHL commissioner Gary Bettman to find out who may have the authority to make decisions for the team.

It is said that Koules wants to keep Brian Lawton as GM and trade Lecavalier in order to get rid of his huge contract. On the other hand, Barrie does not support Lawton and wants to build the team around Vincent Lecavalier.

Romano urges the Lightnings and Gary Bettman to resolve this problem quickly since they only have 10 days before July 1st when Lecavalier's no-trade clause contract will come into effect.

Read Full Article here

Don Lever and Ron Wilson Fired

The Hamilton Bulldogs 2008-09 head coach and assistant coach, Don Lever and Ron Wilson, have been fired today by the Montreal Canadiens.

Today's Lecavalier Rumors Updates

According to Eklund, his sources believe that Vincent Lecavalier will become a Canadiens in 1 week. This is due to the Molson family acquiring the team. Source

From Spector's Hockey, Habs are still interested in Lecavalier but not at the asking price of Andrei Markov. The Kings were interested in early spring but are less interested now. Spector doesn't believe the Habs would trade away Andrei Markov because Mike Komisarek will possibly become UFA. He also think that a trade between the two teams would be less and less possible as the days goes by. Source

From CKAC, according to Jean Perron, he believes that Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St-Louis will be with the Habs because of the new ownership. He also added that Lecavalier is building a new house in the region of Montreal.

A rumor from CHfans is that a deal have been accepted by the Lightnings owners for the Lecavalier trade. The names are Plekanec, Higgins, Gorges, Hamrlik and 1st round pick for Lecavalier, St-Louis and Paul Ranger. Source

The Montreal Canadiens Sold to The Molson Family

According to La Presse's reporter Jean-François Bégin, the Montreal Canadiens have been sold to the Molson family. It has been reported to La Presse by many reliable sources close to the sale of the franchise and it would all be announced this afternoon. Source

Rumors : Saku Koivu With Ducks

According to a Finland newspaper, Iltalehti, Saku Koivu would join the Anaheim Ducks this summer to get the chance to play with his friend Teemu Selanne. Source

More rumors on Lecavalier for Markov

From The Gazette, Pat Hickey talks about rumors that Vincent Lecavalier could be traded for Habs defensman Andrei Markov. He added that if Vinny is indeed traded to the Canadiens, it would also mean the end of the captain Saku Koivu as a Habs. He also notes that Mike Komisarek is going to become a free agent on July 1st. Source

Rumors : Beauchemin to Montreal

According to Spector's hockey, if the Habs are unable to re-sign Mike Komisarek, they would be very interested in François Beauchemin. It is reported that the Ducks GM expect Beauchemin to test the market this summer. Source

Rumors : Habs on Jack Johnson

According to Eklund, the Canadiens are very interested in getting the Los Angeles Kings defenseman Jack Johnson. The Pittsburgh Penguins are also interested. Source

For more recent Habs rumours please click here.

Islanders 1st Pick Might be Matt Duchene

Everyone have been wondering who the NY Islanders would select with their 1st overall pick in 2009 Draft in Montreal. Will it be John Tavares or Victor Hedman?

With less than a week to the Draft, there are rumors on the possibility that the first overall pick would not be Tavares or Hedman, but it would be Matt Duchene instead. According to Greg Logan from newsday.com, Matt Duchene is a much more complete player than John Tavares. Source

Eklund also reports that the Islanders might choose Duchene. Source

Lawton : Not Trading 1st Round Pick

According to RDS, Brian Lawton says that the Tampa Bay Lightnings are not going to trade their 1st round pick. They wish to select Victor Hedman to stabilize their defense. Source

Well, that denies Eklund's yesterday rumor. But then again...we can never be sure when it comes to Lawton. I still remember when he said that he never shopped Lecavalier during the All-Star break.

Rumors : Dany Heatley for Sedins Brothers

Rumors from ESPN that Dany Heatley could be traded to the Canucks for the Sedins Brothers. Source

Komisarek Closer to Habs, Koivu Closer to Wilds

From Eklund, rumors are that Mike Komisarek and the Montreal Canadiens are closer to a deal. On the other hand, Saku Koivu is closer to the Minnesota Wilds. Source

Rumors : Tavares For Weber?

Eklund has suggested that if the NY Islanders decided to select Hedman instead of Tavares, the Lightnings could possibly decide to trade John Tavares to the Predators. He explains that assuming the Canadiens are not willing to include Markov in the trade for Lecavalier and that both teams cannot agree on a deal. The Lightnings will have to look for another star defenseman elsewhere and consider trading John Tavares to Nashville for Shea Weber. Source

Sedins Brothers Looking for a 12-years Contract

According to a Sweden website expressen.se, the Sedins Brothers are looking for a $ 63 Million contract for 12 years, $5.25 Million per season. Source

Panthers GM Shopping Bouwmeester Negociation Rights

According to Spector's Hockey, the Florida Panthers GM Randy Sexton have spoken to other 29 GM in the league about the possibility of trades, including the negociation rights of Jay Bouwmeester. Source

Flyers GM believes Habs Trying to Re-sign Komisarek

From Spector's Hockey, the Philadelphia Flyers GM Paul Holmgren said that they are trying to get the rights for Jay Bouwmeester. They are also interested in Mike Komisarek, but he believes that the Montreal Canadiens are trying to re-sign him. Source

Marian Gaborik Is Back on the Market

According to Michael Russo from the Star Tribune, the Wild's GM Chuck Fletcher has notified all 29 teams about Marian Gaborik's availability. Gaborik is going to become unrestricted free agent on July 1st. Will the Montreal Canadiens be interested in getting Marian Gaborik's negociation rights? Source

Habs Say No to Daniel Briere

Remember the rumors from spector's hockey on Daniel Briere a few days ago? The Philadelphia Flyers had apparently offered Daniel Briere to the Habs, the Coyotes and the Kings. Well, according to Pat Hickey from the Gazette, it did happen. But, all the teams said no to the Flyers, including the Montreal Canadiens. Source

By the way, Eklund is saying that the Buffalo Sabres are interested in having back Briere now. Source

Eric Desjardins : Habs Assistant Coach?

Many of us, including me, would love to see Eric Desjardins as a potential Habs assistant coach or defensemen coach. Our poor defensive play last year and with all the new defensive prospects coming up such as Ryan Mcdonagh, P.K. Subban, David Fisher, Yannick Webber and Mathieu Carle. It would only make sense to have a star defensemen teach them the ropes in the NHL, a mentor to whom they can look up to. We have seen what have happened to Ryan O'Byrne without a defensemen coach, he got lost and instead of progressing in the NHL, he regressed.

Unfortunately today, Eric Desjardins have told CKAC radio, that he has not received any calls from Bob Gainey or Jacques Martin for the position of assistant coach. He also added that he has no interest in that position right now. He might be interested in 6 or 7 years from now, but for the moment, his family is his priority. Source

Rumors : Lecavalier to Ottawa, Heatley to L.A.

According to Eklund, his source told him that it is possible that there will be a major trade between four teams : Los Angeles Kings, Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Flyers and the Tampa Bay Lightnings.

The Sens would obtain Vinny Lecavalier, the Kings would get Dany Heatley and the Lightnings would get Jack Johnson and two Senators prospects. In addition, the Flyers gets L.A.'s 5th overall pick in return of a top scoring forward. Source

Lastest Rumors : Leafs Wants Maxim Lapierre

Another rumor from Eklund, the Leafs are interested in Maxim Lapierre.

Rumors : Vincent Lecavalier For Andrei Markov

From Eklund, according to his sources, if the NY Islanders don't pick John Tavares with their first overall pick and the Tampa Bay Lightnings gets him. The Lightnings will think about improving their defense by trading Lecavalier. The Habs are now willing to trade away Andrei Markov according to Eklund and are therefore the favorites to get the deal done. Source

I personally don't see Bob Gainey trading away Andrei Markov, especially after what have happened at the end of the season when Markov was injured. The Canadiens are a completely different team with him in the lineup and I believe that Bob Gainey knows this better than anyone. He is the core of the team. The Habs have so many young defensive prospects in the minors through the last couple drafts, it is more likely that Gainey would trade away David Fisher, Mcdonagh or P.K. Subban than trading Markov.

Chris Pronger Trade Related to Vincent Lecavalier Trade Rumors

From Eklund, the Chris Pronger trade that didn't go through could possibly be tied to the L.A. Kings wanting to get Vincent Lecavalier. Source

Rumors : Komisarek to Devils or Flyers

New rumors from Eklund, Mike Komisarek is getting closer to the New Jersey Devils. There are also rumors that the Flyers are trying to clear up cap space for Mike Komisarek or Jay Bouwmeester by trading James van Riemsdyk and another unknown star player. Source

Daniel Briere to Montreal, Phoenix or Los Angeles

From Spector's Hockey, Daniel Briere has been shopped by Flyers to the Montreal Canadiens, Phoenix Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings. Others such as Simon Gagne and Joffrey Lupul and Scott Hartnell could be traded. Spector believes that it will be unlikely to move Briere because of his expensive salary and his recent injuries. Source

Bronfman and Saputo Made an Offer

According to the Journal de Montreal, Stephen Bronfman and Joey Saputo have made a consortium and have offered $450 Million for the Montreal Canadiens Hockey Club, the Bell Center and the Gillett Entertainment Group. According the same source, this is the highest bid that George Gillett have received so far.

Habs Alone in Lecavalier Race?

Rumors coming from thescore.com claiming that Chris Pronger has been dealt to the L.A. Kings for Jack Johnson and the 5th overall pick this year. Source

But, Chris Pronger himself and the Kings have denied the rumors.

Now, if this rumor is true, does it mean that the Los Angeles Kings are now out of the race for Vincent Lecavalier?

Also, by getting rid of Pronger's salary of $6.25 Million cap space, the Anaheim Ducks might be making some room for François Beauchemin's contract.

Rumors : Phil Kessel to Montreal

Rumors from hockey30.com says that Bob Gainey is interested in offering a contract to Bruins restricted free agent Phil Kessel. The Bruins don't have any cap space left after signing David Krejci. Full article here

ESPN Rumors : Lecavalier to LA or MTL

Even ESPN rumor central says Vincent Lecavalier will become whether a Los Angeles Kings or a Montreal Canadiens Habs. Source

François Beauchemin Going UFA

According to François Beauchemin's agent, Robert Sauvé, he believes that his client will most likely test the unrestricted free agent market because the Ducks' top priority is to sign Scott Niedermayer. Sauvé believes that Niedermayer will stay in Anaheim and the Ducks won't have enough cap space to sign Beauchemin afterwards. They will wait and see what happens with Niedermayer before looking elsewhere.

Could Beauchemin sign as a UFA with the Montreal Canadiens? It would be a very good alternative for Gainey if he is unable to sign Mike Komisarek. Full article here

But ESPN says that the Pens are interested in Beauchemin. Source

Tanguay's Agent Spoke with Gainey

CKAC has learned that Alex Tanguay's agent, Robert Sauvé, have spoken with GM Bob Gainey. According to Sauvé, the Montreal Canadiens told him that they have higher priorities to deal with right now, once this priority is dealt, they will discuss about Tanguay. The agent added that they did not mention if they were interested in Tanguay's or not.

Robert Sauvé told CKAC that the sale of the team doesn't bother Tanguay at all, it is much more important for him to know who is the GM and coach. He says that Alex Tanguay doesn't have a problem working under Jacques Martin or Bob Hartley. Full article here

Capitals Might be Interested in Kovalev, Koivu or Tanguay

From TSN's Scott Cullen, if the Washington Capitals are unable to resign Sergei Fedorov and Viktor Kozlov, they would be interested in signing Alex Kovalev, Saku Koivu or Alex Tanguay. Full article here

Quebecor Also Submit Offer to Buy The Habs

Earlier today, we have had confirmation from the Molson family that they have submitted an offer to acquire the Montreal Canadiens Hockey Club. Now, Quebecor's consortium also confirms that they have also submitted an offer to buy the franchise. Quebecor's consortium also include the FTQ and René Angélil.

Forget Allaire With Habs

Yup, It is confirmed that François Allaire is now a Maple Leafs. So, for all of those who hoped to see him showing Carey Price a few tricks, you can now forget about it. Source TSN

Molson Officially Submit Offer to Buy the Canadiens

The Molson Family have confirmed that they have submitted to George Gillett an offer to buy the Montreal Canadiens. Full article here

Dany Heatley Not Likely a Habs

Pat Hickey, from the Gazette, doesn't believe that the Ottawa Senators would trade Dany Heatley to a division rival such as the Montreal Canadiens. He also added that Heatley would not want to play for a defensive coach like Jacques Martin.

Regarding Vinny Lecavalier, Hickey believes that rumors are generated by the Tampa Bay Lightning in order to sell season tickets.

Full article here

Vincent Lecavalier : LA or MTL

According to Eklund, Vinny Lecavalier will either end up as a Los Angeles Kings or a Montreal Canadiens on the day of the draft. Full article here

Komisarek Rumours

According to Eklund, the Habs have had discussion for a short term contract with Mike Komisarek, but It looks like he will be signing elsewhere. He even added that Dany Heatley might be traded to Montreal for several players including the negociation rights of Mike Komisarek. Full article here

Habs Rumours

Ok, as you all know, the NHL 2009 Draft is coming up and also the free agent market is opening soon in less than a month, so there will be many rumors circulating around everywhere. I will be posting any rumors I read or hear of related to the Habs here. Please note that rumours are rumours, you can't take them too seriously. Have fun and enjoy!

Emelin Say No to the Habs

According to Marc De Foy from ruefrontenac.com, Yemelin has signed a two year deal with the AK Bars in KHL. This is a really bad news for the Habs organization and its fans as Alexei Emelin is one of the club's best young prospects. He was ranked 4th best russian prospect. Full article here

Pierre Groulx Could Become the Habs Next Goalie Coach

RDS has learned that Pierre Groulx intend to meet Jacques Martin to become the Montreal Canadiens next goalie coach. Groulx used to work with Martin when he was with the Panthers and with the Senators. Full article here

Quebecor Gets More Help

According to RDS, Quebec Inc. is interested in joining Quebecor's consortium in order to buy the Montreal Canadiens Hockey Club. There are currently three groups who are still in the race to acquire the franchise : Molson, Quebecor and an american investor group. Full article here

It is also reporter from La Presse that Quebecor has submitted a demand for a license to the CRTC for a television sport channel called "TVA Sport". Full article here

Guy Boucher Interested to Join the Canadiens

In an interview with La Presse, Guy Boucher has admitted that he is interested in joining the Montreal Canadiens. He has also confirmed that he has had discussions with Trevor Timmings concerning the coaching position with the Hamilton Bulldogs a few weeks ago, and that he has received some offers from other NHL teams. But so far, he still did not have any offer from the Habs. Boucher added that he understands that the Canadiens have other concerns right now. He also told La Presse that he currently have three offers to coach in the AHL as head coach and one offer to become assistant coach in the NHL Full article here

Jacques Martin : $ 6 Million

According to RDS, Jacques Martin has signed a contract of $6 Million for 4 years with the Montreal Canadiens. This will give him a salary of $1.5 Million annually. Full article here

David Marcoux : Habs New Goalie Coach?

According to CKAC radio, David Marcoux, the former Calgary Flames goalie coach will be replacing Roland Melanson. Full article here

But David Marcoux tells RDS that the rumours are false. Link here

Jacques Demers would be Savard's Coach

After Serge Savard have announced that his consortium will not buy the Canadiens, Jacques Demers have told RDS that he would be Savard's head coach to lead the Habs.

Jacques Demers added that he would have Benoit Brunet, Eric Desjardins and Kirk Muller as his assistant coach.

According to Jacques Demers, he believes that the sale of the team is about to be completed. He thinks that George Gillett will remain as owner of the team but with a certain percentage of the team to a new investor. The Molson family might play a big part in it.

Full article here

Serge Savard Leaving the Battle For the Canadiens

Serge Savard has told La Presse that his consortium will not be in the race to buy the franchise now that the Molson family is interested in buying the team. Savard said he has always been close to the Molson family and does not want to fight against them to obtain the team. Savard consider himself part of the Molson family. He also doesn't want to fight for nothing. He is now on the side lines.

Full Article here

The Red Wings Were Interested In Mikael Johansson

The Detroit Red Wings assistant general manager, Jim Nill, told La Presse that they were interested in signing Mikael Johansson. Jim Nill said :

"We had the rights on him, but he has not developped enough to sign a contract with us. He became unrestricted free agent, but his habilities continued to progress. Today he has become a legitimate prospect."

The Wings later wanted to sign him as a UFA, but Mikael Johansson believed that he has better opportunity with other teams.

Full article here

François Allaire Back with the Canadiens?

With Roland Melanson leaving the Canadiens organization, Bob Gainey will need to find a replacement for the position of the Habs goalie coach. The media have already started some rumours and speculations on who that next goalie coach will be and only one name kept coming to everyone's mind : François Allaire.

Who better to develop your young star goaltender Carey Price than the co-founder of the Butterfly style? François Allaire has helped Patrick Roy develop his popular goaltending style that is now so widely use by almost all goalies around the world. François Allaire's contract with the Anaheim Duck will end on june 30th, it is therefore not surprising that he would be the top candidate for this position.

Reporter Marc Antoine Goding from La Presse has spoken to Allaire about his current situation. Allaire told him that he has received a new contract offer from the Anaheim Ducks, but that nothing is finalized yet. He is currently studying the offer with his family. Link here

Another reporter from La Presse, Mathias Brunet, has confirmation from François Allaire himself that indeed he has asked permission from the Ducks GM Bob Murray to discuss with different teams before the end of his current contract, but he has not have a response from his DG yet. Concerning his interest in joining the Montreal Canadiens, Allaire only limited himself in saying that he is still on contract with the Ducks until June 30th and according to the NHL regulations, he is not permitted to talk about it. According to Brunet, he has the impression that Allaire would want to come back to Montreal because of his desire to be closer to his family. Link here

Assistant Coach and Special Advisor

According to CKAC, rumours are that Jacques Martin's assistant coach would be Mario Tremblay and Jacques Lemaire will act as special advisor with the Montreal Canadiens.

Roland Melanson Won't be Back

The Habs goaltender coach Roland Melanson will not be back with the Montreal Canadiens next year have announced Bob Gainey in today's Presse conference. Bob thanked him for his services and gave him permission to speak with other teams.

Jacques Martin Is The Habs New Head Coach

Wow! what a shock! First off, we never have thought that Bob Gainey would have hired a head coach so soon, especially after what he have said at the NHL Combine in Toronto. He told everyone that the main focus is the sale of the team and that the new owner might take a new direction. Normally, he should be waiting for the franchise to be sold before making any moves.

The second surprise is the new coach who is hired! No one could have predicted that Jacques Martin would become the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens. If you look back at all the potential candidates for the job, his name has never came up on the list. We have all led to believe that the next new head coach must be someone who is available and is currenly without a job. Well, Bob Gainey had someone else in mind. He decided to hire a current GM to become a head coach! Don't ask me how he was able to convince him to come to Montreal. It's already hard for me to believe that any GM would leave their job to become coach. Bob Gainey has everyone fooled.

By looking back at the criterias for the head coach position, we have to admit that he is the best fit person for the job. He is a very experienced coach in the NHL. He is bilingual and he is a very defensive system coach, just how Bob likes it.

This was one of the factors that I was the most worried about when I first heard the news. Are we going to have a defensive hockey club to watch for the next 2.5 years like the Florida Panthers? I hope not! For once we have an exciting offensive team in Montreal, pleast don't take that away from the fans.

Canadiens Ranked 2nd Best Prospect Organization

Hockey Future have made a list of organization which have the best prospects that are not yet in the NHL and the Habs are in 2nd position right after the St-Louis Blues. According to HF, the Habs best forward prospect is Max Pacioretty and defensive prospects are Ryan Mcdonagh and P.K. Subban.

Here are the top 5 prospects :

1. Ryan Mcdonagh
2. Max Pacioretty
3. Ben Maxwell
4. P.K. Subban
5. Kyle Chipchura

You can read the full article here

For more information on the Habs prospects go here

The Canadiens Selling for $600 Million?

$600 Million is the amount that the Habs is currently selling for according to reporter Martin Leclerc from ruefrontenac.com. He has learned this information from a group that have now decided to leave the race for the franchise. He said that their group have analyzed the financials records and were willing to pay a huge sum of $450 Million to buy the team. Unfortunately, the offers of other consortium such as Bell and Quebecor are much higher.

Full article from ruefrontenac.com here

Meeting Between Molson and Gillett

According to CKAC radio, they have learned that Geoffrey Molson and George Gillett have had a meeting last week. The Molson Brothers would like to acquire the 80.1% shares of the Canadiens and would not want to touch the 19.9% owned by Molson Coors.

Here is the link

Bob Gainey Talks About the Sale of the Team

For the first time, Bob Gainey comments and confirms the selling of the Montreal Canadiens. Ever since we have learned about the sale of the team, no one from the organization have officially confirmed it. At least now, we know that it is for sale. Bob Gainey believes that there will be a new owner and it is possible that the new owner might want a new direction. But for now, he has been told to keep doing his job normally.

About the new coach
Bob Gainey says that he has some names in head and that he has been in contact with them, but he won't be making any announcement anytime soon. Right now, the focus is on the sale of the team.

About the UFA
He says that sometimes he sees the glass half full and sometimes he sees it half empty. Bob Gainey reconizes that the negociations with the players have not advanced much, but he has been in contact with them. The GM added : "We know which are our priorities, but it doesnt mean that we can afford to rehire all of them."

About Vincent Lecavlier
When asked about Vinny Lecavalier, Bob Gainey said that he didn't want to comment on other team's player. Both Gainey and Lawton admitted that they have spoken to each other after Gainey have publicly criticized Lawton. Lawton also repeated that Lecavalier is not for trade.

Full article from La Presse here and here

The Kostitsyn Brothers Cleared by Police

Le Journal de Montreal have learned that Andrei Kostitsyn, Sergei Kostitysn and Roman Hamrlik have been fully cleared by the Police of any wrongdoing related to the arrest in Febuary. The Police have went through 2000 of the 5000 of Mangiola calls that involved the Kostitsyn and did not find any evidence of illegal or criminal activities.

Kovalev's Agent Denies Rumours

The agent of Alex Kovalev, Scott Greenspun, denies the rumours of his client of having received an offer worth of $6 Million for 1 season. He has told RDS that they did not have any conversation with Bob Gainey yet, but he expects things to progress when Kovalev comes back from his vacation in Russia in the next week.

Molson Family Interested In Buying the Canadiens

After BCE, it is now the Molson Family who are interested in purchasing the Montreal Canadiens. Here we are not talking about the Molson Coors company who already owns 20%, but of the three Molson Brothers : Geoffrey, Andrew et Justin Molson. We still don't know if they want to join a consortium or if they will submit an offer alone. One thing is for sure, the Molson family is now the leading favorite in obtaining the Canadiens because of their relationship with George Gillett and the Montreal Canadiens organization.

Patrick Roy Stays in Quebec

According to La Presse, Patrick Roy will announce today at noon that he will stay with the Quebec Remparts for the next season putting an end to various rumours and speculations. Patrick Roy has been rumored to become the Habs head coach. He is also rumored to have received an offer to the job of DG and head coach in Colorado.

Kovalev Gets $6 Million Contract?

According to website From The Rink, there are rumours from the russian media that Alex Kovalev have been offered a 1 year $6 Million dollard deal by the Montreal Canadiens. Link to full article here.

Habs interested in Peter Laviolette?

According to rumour website The Fourth Period, the Canadiens are eyeing Peter Laviolette to become the Habs head coach. Here is the link

Would Mike Babcock Become a Habs?

Would it be possible for Mike Babcock to become the Montreal Canadiens head coach one day if he is no longer with the Red Wings? This is the question that reporter Serge Vleminckx from ruefrontenac.com has been asking. Vleminckx has learned from a friend of Babcock that his wife and one of his girls are planning to go to Paris for a few weeks to learn French. Babcock also added that he too intend to seriously learn French in the next few weeks.

BCE Will Invest 60mil in the Canadiens

The Journal de Montreal have learned that BCE is willing to invest up to 60mil to help Serge Savard's consortium to purchase the Montreal Canadiens. Bell Canada is therefore trying to protect their television rights since BCE owns 15% of CTV globemedia which owns RDS. They are also trying to conserve their name on the Bell Center that they have purchased from Gillett for $100 million for a period of 20 years.

Emelin Close to Signing with Habs

According to the website Russian Prospects, Alexei Emelin is very close to signing a contract with the Montreal Canadiens.

Here is the link
http://russianprospects.com/public/profile.php?player_id=398

Habs Sign Mikael Johansson

The Montreal Canadiens have signed Mikael Johansson a two-way contract for period of 1 year according to the paper Sportbladet and on the website of Varmlands Folkblad. Johansson is a centerman of 23 years old who was drafted in the 9th round by the Detroit Red Wings in 2003. He is 5'10 and weights 180 lbs. He has collected 6 goals and 28 assists in 49 games in the SEL last season.

Here are some of Johansson highlights and video

Bell Canada Joins Savard to Buy the Canadiens

With all the rumours concerning the sale of the Montreal Canadiens to Quebecor, it would only be a matter of time to see Quebecor's main competitor Bell Canada (BCE) joining the battle for the hockey club. According to La Presse today, they have confirmation from four diffrent sources that Bell Canada have joined Serge Savard's consortium. One of these sources also added that the Fonds de solidarité FTQ is also part of Savard's consortium.

Here is the article of the paper
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/sports/hockey/200905/21/01-858674-bce-et-quebecor-se-battent-pour-le-ch.php

Guy Boucher to Hamilton

Sports Junior have learned from a sure source that the head coach of the Drummonville Voltigeurs will become the Hamilton Bulldogs head coach. According to their source, the deal is already signed and will be announced somewhere after the memorial cup and before the 2009 draft in Montreal.

Alex Tanguay Coach By Hartley or Roy

According to Bertrand Raymond in an article on ruefrontenac.com, Alex Tanguay have had dinner with his former coach Bob Hartley and have said to him that he would like to be coached by him or Patrick Roy. Alex have also said that he will not accept anything with the Canadiens before knowing the identity of the head coach.

Briere as a Habs?

According to Chuck Gormley from the Courrier-Post who covers the Philadelphia Flyers, the Habs and the Flyers have been in discussion concerning Daniel Briere. The Habs would also be interested in a first round choice or an excellent prospect such as James Van Riemsdyk or Luca Sbisa. In return, the Canadiens would trade Carey Price and the rights of negociation with pending UFA Mike Komisarek. Joffrey Lupul could also be in the mix.

New Rumours On the Sale of the Canadiens

There is a new rumour regarding the sale of the Habs, it was announced last night on 110% show by Tony Marinaro. He has received a call by a close friend of Serge Savard telling him that there is a possibility that Quebecor will buy the Bell Center and Gillett Enternainment Group and Savard would buy the Montreal Canadiens. He also added that one of the names that has been circulating to become GM could possibly be Vincent Damphousse if Savard actually becomes the owner of the Canadiens.

Habs Sign P.K.Subban

The Montreal Canadiens have announced today the signing of P.K Subban for 3 years. The offensive defenseman who has greatly impressed during the junior hockey championship this year have collect a total of 14 goals and 76 pts in 56 games in the OHL. He has also finished 2nd in points for defensemen the league.

More News On the Sale

La Presse has learned from an informant very close to the sale situation of the Montreal Canadiens that there is currently four groups who are very interested in buying the Canadiens, the Bell Center and the Gillett Entertainment Group. There are two groups from Quebec and two from USA. The two Quebec groups are led by Quebecor and Serge Savard. Also according to this source, the Habs could be sold by mid-june.

Here is link to the arcticle :
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/sports/hockey/200905/11/01-855574-bataille-pour-le-ch.php

Canadiens Not For Sale Anymore?

On 110% panel show on TQS last night, Daniel Poulain claims that he has learned from a very reliable source that the Montreal Canadiens would not be sold anymore. His contact has told him that the Société général de financement du Québec (SGF) has agreed to become George Gillett's silent partner in the Montreal Canadiens and the Bell Center. The SGF would be willing to finance up to 49% of the franchise.

You can watch a clip of the show here
http://www.tqs.ca/videos/110/2009/05/debat-110----partie-1-44585.php

Latendresse Wants a 5 years Contract

In an interview with CKAC tuesday morning, Guillaume Latendresse, who is going to be a restricted free agent on July 1st, said that he is looking for a somewhat long term deal with the Montreal Canadiens. He knows that he won't be signing any 10 years contract, these kinds of deals that a player like Carey Price might get. For him, he hopes to sign a 5 years contract. He also added that he understands the reality of the league right now and that the salary cap will be lowered in the next two years.

Here is the link
http://www.corussports.com/canadiens/latendresse_aimerait_contrat_5-20090505-1546351.html

Why Should the Habs Rebuild?

It has been a few weeks now that our favorite team has been eliminated from the playoffs and all I have been hearing on TV from the French media is that we should rebuild the team. I know that we have just had a really terrible and disappointing season for the centennial year, but I don't think it is the right thing to do. If we take a step back and look at the entire situation, we will see that it is not as bad as we think. We don't have a crappy team in Montreal. Just in the first half of the season, we have had our best first half season in twenty or so years! I remember we were in the 4th position in the East, we were only a few points behind Boston that had a phenomenal year. At one point of the season, we were only 5 pts away from them. We could've been 2nd or 3rd if it isn't because of the division leaders rule for the standings. And we were able to accomplish that even with many injuries to our top players, a complete line was not dressed for a big part of the season. Yet, we were still winning our games. This is not because of luck. We have a really good depth to support our star players. They were able to temporally replace players like Koivu, Tanguay, Higgins which is really good already. We should have lost many games while they were out. Our "friends" from the media seems to have forgotten this point and never mentioned it to the public.

But if they are so good, how do you explain the terrible second half of the season one might ask. Well, usually in a season, NHL teams gets about 3-4 major injuries to their players. We are not talking about key players here, but players overall. Now look at the Habs, 3 major injuries to our key players in the first half of the season. Each of them were out for 4-6 weeks. Again, normally, players comes back and the team is healthy again with maybe some minor injuries to some players. But again, not for the Canadiens, as more key players get injured. Robert Lang was out when he was the team's best scorer. Guillaume Latendresse was hurt on the same night, he too was playing excellent hockey with Lapierre. When Tanguay came back from his injury, he was hurt again only after a few games. There was also Bouillon and Laraque. At the end of the season, Markov, again our top scorer was injured. In the playoffs, Schneider and Tanguay. I mean, you see there is a limit to every team's depth, when there is that many injuries in only one season...it is actually a miracle that we were able to get in the playoffs. There is no team in the NHL who can be competitive in those circumstances, let alone get through the first round and beat Boston.

Remember last year when we had an amazing season and finished first. Our team was so exciting to watch. At the start of this season, every expert would agree that the Montreal Canadiens were the team to beat this year. Bob Gainey's new acquisitions of Alex Tanguay, Robert Lang and George Laraque and with essentially the same players, the Habs would be even stronger this year. Now suddenly, after an unfortunate series of injuries which led to this disappointing season, these same experts say that we need to kick all the UFAs out of Montreal and trade all the young prospects we have away. What the hell? They are contradicting themselves. We have waited 5 years to build this team and now you want to rebuild again? Instead, I would give another year or two for this team to mature and then if they are really that bad, we can start over. It doesn't make sense. It would be illogical and stupid to rebuild after only 1 bad year. We will never have a competitive team if we keep on rebuilding forever.

Larry Robinson For Head Coach?

According to RDS yesterday, Larry Robinson would also be interested in becoming the Montreal Canadiens head coach.

The former Habs defenseman have won the Stanley cup as coach with the New Jersey Devils in 2000. He has also coached the Los Angeles Kings for 4 years from 1995-1999.

Larry is also bilingual and as won the Norris Trophy twice and a Conn Smythe Trophy in his career as a player.

Patrick Roy Would Listen to the Canadiens

In an interview with CKAC radio station, Patrick Roy told them that if he would receive a call from the Montreal Canadiens to be coach, he will listen to what they have to say. Back when Guy Carbonneau was still the head coach, Patrick Roy kept on saying that he wasn't interested in the position, and wished that Carbo would stay head coach of the Habs for a long time. But now, a few months later, after the firing of his good friend Guy Carbonneau, Patrick Roy finally opens the door to the possibility of coaching the Montreal Canadiens. He also added that coaching the Habs is an interesting challenge for any coach.

Roy also played the GM when he was asked who he would see the best fit as the head coach. He believes that Bob Hartley could do a very good job. He has experience, he is an excellent professor, he is passionate of hockey and is probably the person that knows the game the most that he has seen. He would be the perfect candidate for the Canadiens.

Carey Price Video With The Score

Here is the video of Carey Price giving an interview with The Score's Cabbie. This took place right after game #1 when the Habs lost to the Bruins 4-2. It made some sort of controversy in Montreal because during the whole series, Carey Price wasn't available after the games with the media, but was available to give this interview. The media was also frustrated that Carey seemed having fun even after a lost.

Oh and George Laraque was also in this video, I kinda find it weird that the media only pointed fingers on Price but didn't say anything on Laraque.

Carey Price's Press Conference

Carey Price responded to the media's questions about the Patrick Roy gestures that he has made during game #4. He says that he regrets lifting his hands to the fans after the sarcastic cheers. He explains that it was a way of expressing himself. The fans wanted to express themselves, so he did the same. He could've held his composure a little bit more. He later added that he wanted to remind the fans that booing does not always help.

You can watch the entire press conference here

Bob Gainey's End-of-Season Press Conference

Just one day after being eliminated by the Boston Bruins, the Montreal Canadiens GM Bob Gainey held his end-of season press conference at the Bell Complex Sportif at Brossard.

One of the many questions that everyone wanted to know is : Will Bob Gainey be back next year or will he resign? Well, Bob answered that he is expecting to be back next year, but he understands that he too has a boss above him, and that will evaluate the overall of his work and might have a word to say about it.

The next question : Will he be back as the coach next year? After game #4, Bob said to the media that coaching wasn't for him. Now, he says that he will give himself a few weeks before making a decision and explained that he wasn't prepared for the question the day before.

A reporter asked Gainey if it was true that two weeks before firing Carbo, Gainey has promised him that he won't fire him. Bob answered by saying that he wished that private conversation stays private. He also added that Guy's situation was difficult for Guy, for himself and for the team. At one point, he had two choices, do nothing or to fire Carbo. He decided to choose the second option.

Question regarding why he hasn't put Jaroslav Halak in net instead of Carey Price. Gainey answered that a year ago he has taken the decision to give Price the chance to gain a lot experience to accelerate his development. He added that he believe Carey has been playing really well and that if he was a player on the ice, he would say "Man, he's a good goalie!".

And finally one of the most interesting things that Gainey have said during his press conference was that one of the reasons that his team start to have problems in the second half is the names of players that he has spoken with Brian Lawton for Vincent Lecavalier became public. He believes that it was a disgrace that Christopher Higgins, Josh Gorges and Thomas Plekanec had to hear these things.

You can also watch the press conference here

Canadiens Vs. Bruins 2009 Playoff Game 4

Montreal Lose 4-1 Against Boston

That was it, the season is now officially over. I thought we would have a much longer and exciting series with the Bruins, but additional injuries made it almost impossible to compete with the top team of the East.

For a second straight game, I thought we had started the game pretty well with good intensity and emotion. We were able again to score the first goal of the game with a nice wrist shot by Andrei Kostitsyn. Finally, he scored a goal. At some point in this series, I wondered if he would even get a point. We had the control of the game up until near the end of the period, Roman Hamrlik just gave away the puck right in the slot for a slapshot. Price had no chance on that one, it was really a bullet by Ryder...And then came their second goal, again by Ryder's line. Mike Komisarek went out of position to give a bodycheck, Higgins lost his battle for the puck and couldn't cover his man which led to the goal.

Before the end of the 1st period, the Habs had a few really good scoring chances to tie the game. Koivu's line created 3-4 scoring chances in last minute of the game, including Kovalev's chance with that open net he has missed with 0.5 sec left. If we were able to capitalize on those chances, the game would have changed completely. Even in the 2nd period, the Habs kept on playing well with a few other good chances, but a bad pass by Matt D'Agostini during the powerplay caused a turnover just when Phil Kessel was getting out of the penalty box. Again, Carey Price had no chance against a scorer like Kessel on a breakaway.

After that, the game was pretty much over. The players just gave up on the game when again Ryder scored another goal to make it 4-1 for the Bruins.

During the game, Carey Price responded to the sarcastic cheering of the fans exactly the way Patrick Roy did in 1995. I thought the fans were really harsh on him, it wasn't his fault that the Habs were losing this game, but he should not have done that. It was really immature of him to do such a gesture and it was disrespectful to the fans. He needs to learn how to deal with the pressure in Montreal.



There were also chants of Guy Guy Guy and Carbo Carbo Carbo at the end of the game. Showing their frustration of the firing of Guy Carbonneau to Bob Gainey. Letting him know that he took the wrong decision in firing Carbo and that it wasn't Carbo the problem in this team.

It really sucked to see this centennial year end this way. The season started with so much expectation, enthusiasm and celebration for the 100th year; and had to end up like this by a humiliating sweep in the first round. It has been a very disappointing and frustrating season for all of us.

Canadiens Vs. Bruins 2009 Playoff Game 3

Montreal Lose 2-4 Against Boston

At the start of the game, I believe that everyone was as surprise as I was when they announced that Alex Tanguay and Mathieu Schneider would not able to play in this game because of an injury. There were no signs prior the game which could indicate that these two important players would miss the game. I was so frustrated and disappointed. It was frustrating because we have been having too many injuries all season long. We have never had a full roster since the beginning of the year. And now, in the most important game of the series, we lose two more talented players? Why this bad luck for the centennial season? It was disappointing because I knew deep down that the chances of the Habs winning have just drastically lowered to near zero before the game even started.

I was really amazed at how the team started the game in the first period. The Canadiens have started the game the way that I have never seen before. They were very intense and physical. They were throwing their bodies around and crushing the Bruins against the boards. They had great scoring chances. They were shooting the puck from every direction and literally dominating their opponents. Our players worked very hard to earn their first goal of the game. I liked the way George Laraque played, he was a physical presence for us. I also like how Andrei Kostitsyn played next to Koivu and Kovalev. He has just played his best game so far in this series. He needs to keep shooting that puck to the net.

Everything was going our way, until the Bruins scored their lucky goal...It all started from a turnover from the one and only Mike Komisarek. Yup, him again. The one that the media named the future captain of the Montreal Canadiens. He gave the puck right on the tape of the Boston Bruins player and created a turnover that led to the tying goal. Wow...I am really fed up of this player. He used to be one of my favorite player, but during this last few games, and even the last few months, he showed me how bad a defenseman he is. We could finally see how much Andrei Markov made him look good on the ice. He can't shoot at the net, he can't handle the puck, he can't make a tape to tape pass and he can't even clear the zone by the boards. As a defenseman in the NHL, you must be able to do at least one of these things correctly. If he is really getting 4-5 million per season in his next contract, then I hope we don't sign him and let him go elsewhere. We are better off signing another free agent during this summer say Franscois Beauchemin would be much better than Komisarek.

In the second period, the Habs start to lose the momentum of the game. The Bruins were able to score the next goal and get the 2-1 lead against the Habs. Although we able to tie it 2-2 with an accurate shot in the five hole by Yannick Weber, Carey Price gave them a goal by leaving a big rebound directly to Ryder.

Even though, the Canadiens were only 1 goal short in the third period, we could see that our players didn't have anymore energy in the tank. They gave everything they have got in the first period and didn't have enough left to score another goal. During the powerplay, we could see how much we miss Tanguy and Schneider. We didn't even get a decent scoring chance.

Today, right before game #4 of this series, we are losing 0-3 to the Boston Bruins. The series is not over, but it seems less and less likely that we would be able to get out of it. All we can hope for is at least a win tonight to not be humiliated by the Bruins. If only we had a few less injuries to the team, I am sure we could compete against them and have an exciting series. And If only we had a full healthy team, with Markov and Lang, I am convinced that we could've won this round easily. It is just disappointing to celebrate the centennial year this way.

Carey Price Scaring a Bruins Fan...

I don't know if you guys have seen this or not, but at the start of the third period in game 2, this is what Carey Price was doing to a Bruins fan...That's really an immature thing to do.

Canadiens Vs. Bruins 2009 Playoff Game 2

Montreal Lose 5-1 Against Boston

It was an ugly game to watch from a Habs fan point of view. The Canadiens didn't show up to play hockey. They were lazy and took really stupid penalties that cost us the game. We literally gave them the win. Our goaltender was weak and didn't do the important saves to keep us in the game. It was frustrating game to watch.

After the Bruins took the 2-0 lead, Kovalev scored again to cut the lead to 1. I said to myself, alright, we are back in the game and we might tie it again like in game 1! Nope, not this time. The bad penalties killed us before we even get any scoring chances. We needed Carey Price to make those saves for us at 2-1 and he didn't.

Other than Kovalev and Koivu, no one else showed up. It's a playoff game. Maxim Lapierre and Guillaume Latendresse were invisible. People say that their line is made to play in the playoffs., but we haven't seen them so far. What happened? Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn also didn't do much again.

On top of that, the referees aren't on our side. They gave us 6 straight penalties! What the Hell? and none for the Bruins. I am not saying the the Habs didn't deserve them. Some of them, yes, but not all of them. It's the playoffs, the refs should just let the players play hockey. Not change the course of the game. At least if you are going call everything, do it for both teams. And when they finally gave a penalty to Lucic, it's too late, the game is already over.

Well, I am glad that the league decided to give a suspension to Lucic for that crosscheck right in Lapierre's head. By the way, Lucic always start shit around when the game is almost over. I think that only 1 game of suspension is not enough. If the NHL wants to eliminate these kind of events at the end of the game, they should suspend them much longer. One game isn't enough for a player to think twice before doing the same thing again.