Habs Bill-Masterton Trophy Candidate : Patrice Brisebois

Patrice Brisebois has been selected by the media to represent the Montreal Canadiens for the Bill-Masterton Trophy. The trophy is giving to the player which shows the most perseverance to hockey. Well deserved honor for Patrice who had to suffer a back injury that almost ended his carreer two years ago when he was in Colorado. Plus, he had the courage to come back and play for the Canadiens even after the boos from the fans in Montreal. Congrats Patrice!

Christopher Higgins Might Miss the Game Tonight

Christopher Higgins might be out for tonight's game because of a flu. Bob Gainey hasn't comfirmed officially if he would be scratched. We would need see how he feels tonight before the game to know if he would play or not.

Also Carey Price would be in net tonight and would face Christobal Huet.

Habs Loses in SO versus Sabres

Montreal Lose 4-3 in shootout against Buffalo

Sure we let 1 point slip away from us last night by losing in the shootout against the Buffalo Sabres, we could have taken the them out of the race for a playoff spot, we could have joined the New York Rangers at the 7th position. But we tend to forget that it could have been much worse, we could've lost in regulation and not have any point at all in the standings. We were losing 2-0 at one point of the game. Good thing the Habs kept playing hard and didn't give up.

Christopher Higgins scored a nice goal with his wrist shot in the top left corner. He got the team back into the game with that goal. I don't know what happened to him, ever since he is playing on the 4th line with Metropolit and Dandenault, we see the old Christopher Higgins from last year again. He is more intense on the puck, he plays more physical and protects the puck very well.

Saku Koivu is also on fire lately with Tanguay and Kovalev. He made a nice play around the net to give the Habs the tying goal. Even though the goal was credited to Kovalev, I still think Koivu deserved the goal, Kovalev barely touched it. Anyways, it doesn't matter much, the important thing is a tying goal for the team.

And the third goal, awesome play by Mathieu Schneider to fake the shot and pass to Kovy right beside the net. The powerplay is back and producing again! Nice move by Bob Gainey. Let's hope they keep it up.

It is just too bad that in the 3rd period, the Canadiens started to play on their heels, protecting a 3-2 lead at the beginning of the 3rd isn't the way to go. Carey Price played a solid 3rd period and also in the shootout. I was surprised he was able to stop that many players 1 on 1. Remember last time when he let in 3/3 in the shootout? Yeah...I had that in mind. He did good, gave us a chance to win, if only plekanec's shot didn't hit the post. Oh well...

We are 1 pts from the Rangers with 1 game in hand, similarly we are also 1 pts ahead of the Panthers with 1 game in hand. The situation isn't that bad, we got 5 pts out of a possibility of 6. We'll have the opportunity to get back at it on Tuesday night against the Chicago Blackhawks. I expect an exciting and fast skating game.

Two excellent game

Finally!!! The Habs started winning again. They have played two excellent hockey game against the Thrashers and the Bolts. Winning 6-3 and 3-2(OT) is a huge confidence boost for them.

The first line Tanguay-Koivu-Kovalev is doing great! I was there at the Bell Center for the first game they were together. Wow! What an awesome night I have to say. I never expected the Habs to have such an offensive and explosive night. I was a little sceptic seeing them on the same line. I wasn't sure if they would be able to perform, since we have seen them together once already during the season and it didn't work out. This time, we could see that they want to make it work. They know that the pressure is on them to get the team into the playoffs. They must make it work. There isn't many game left in the season. It is amazing to see the nice plays they are doing on the ice. Maybe a bit too generous sometimes, they would pass instead of shooting the puck, but it will come with more games together. The Bell Center was extremely loud that night. Its been a while that the fans didn't have a good game from their team in a long time. Tanguay 2 goals 3 assists for 5 pts, Koivu 1 goal and 2 assists, Kovalev 2 goals and 1 assists. Wow! If only all the games which I attend to would turn out this way. :D

The game last night against the Lightning was really good. A rare game where the Habs are actually dominating their opponent. The Canadiens were able to outshoot them 36-19. They have played a solid 60 min game. Every line contributed in their own way. The first line again have scored the important goals for the team. They didn't play as well in the other game, but they were still very good. Lots of scoring chances, a couple of posts. We can't expect them to get 5 pts every game. The Bolts goaltender Ramo was excellent. He robbed the Habs from many goals. I thought that Plekanec line did pretty well and had their share of scoring chances. D'agostini played a good game, much better than Andrei Kostitsyn did in the last few games before his flu. Guillaume Latendresse is on fire these days scoring a beautiful wrap around goal. It is always fun to see our team come out strong in this time of the year where every points is crucial.

I know we only beat 2 teams that are out of the playoffs, but at least we are winning now. We needed to start somewhere to gain back that confidence and momentum back. The team needed some wins to get that team spirit back and be less stressed when they are holding their sticks. The next game is very important. We are playing against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. We have a chance to take them out of the playoff race. Go Habs Go!

Sergei Kostitsyn Called Up, Max Pacioretty Sent Down

After another horrible game against the Maple Leafs, the Habs called up Sergei Kostitsyn from the Hamilton Bulldogs. He has collected a total of 14 pts in 16 games in AHL.

As a result, Max Pacioretty have been sent back down to Hamilton. Pacioretty obtained 3 goals and 8 assists with the Habs in 34 games.

Montreal Canadiens For Sale?

According to La Presse, the Montreal Canadiens owner George Gillett is thinking of selling his NHL franchise. He has asked a firm to study all the financial possibilities related to the future of his team, the Bell Center and the Gillett Entertainment Group. The Habs President Pierre Boivin has confirmed it to La Presse that BMO Capital Markets was asked to evaluate all possible strategies of the Gillett family's properties in Montreal. Boivin states that it could be for capitalization, financial restructuration, new investors or the sale of the enterprise. He also added that they are only at the beginning of the process. The Habs president explains that in this difficult economic period, these advisers will maximize the assets of the company and reorient the financial strategies of the Gillett family if needed. The Gillett family have asked four financial adviser groups for their services in Europe, US and in Canada to establish strategies for all of the Gillett family's business. These businesses include the FC Liverpool soccer club, the Montreal Canadiens and the Bell Center, NASCAR, but also other industries such as the food, ski and golf.

The paper also talked to professor Tom Cannon, a specialist in professional sports economy, and said that if the financial difficulty of George Gillett forces him to sell one of his franchises, it would be the Montreal Canadiens that would be sacrificed. It is always easier to sell the assets that you control. George Gillett only owns half of the FC Liverpool team, but owns 80.1% of the Montreal Canadiens. In addition, there is a clause in his partnership contract with Tom Hicks which prevents him from selling his parts of Liverpool as he wants. Cannon also said that the most profitable franchise between the two is Liverpool which has gained a value of 131% since last year whereas the Canadiens only gained 18% according to Forbes magazine.

Here are the links to the original articles in La Presse :
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/sports/hockey/200903/22/01-839138-gillett-songe-a-vendre-le-canadien.php
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/sports/hockey/200903/23/01-839144-sacrifier-le-ch-avant-le-fc-liverpool.php

Another lost...

Habs lost 4-5 vs. Senators

I don't know what to say anymore, even if I want to stay as possible as I can, I don't see this team making the playoffs. Even if we do make them, it would probably be because of the teams behind us that have a bad schedule at the end of the season and depending on the teams they face. What is the point in getting in the playoffs if we don't even have a chance to get through one round? For George Gillet's wallet? What about the fans? I mean, it's terrible to watch a Habs game now, every night, watching them getting beat by teams that won't make the playoffs, it's just humiliating and insulting even.

I don't understand the decision of Bob Gainey to put Carey Price in net for this game. Just by seeing how he played in the shootout versus the Rangers the other night. You know that he has lost his confidence once more and you put him in net...What is he trying to prove? Why not just let Carey take some break and give him time to get his game back. He is still young, there is no rush in breaking even more. Halak has a bit more experience than Carey, he is a bit older, and he has been playing very well lately. Right now we need a goaltender that is constant, which isn't the case with Price.

Another thing I don't understand, why is he placing Mike Komisarek on the ice with Josh Gorges? These two guys are playing really bad lately and by putting them together you will only increase the mistakes they make together. Each time I see Komisarek handle the puck, or shoot the puck, I stop breathing for a second and hope doesn't create a turnover. And by taking stupid penalty also doesn't help the team. I never thought I would say this, but we need to take him out of the roster. He is actually hurting the team right now.

The only good decision Bob has made tonight was putting back the lines that Carbo made a few months ago. Although Plecky's line didn't do much tonight again, but the other two lines have. Latendresse was on fire tonight. We could see the importance of stability in the lines. Higgins have been visible tonight, at least we see him with more intensity and winning some battles in the boards more with Saku and Tanguay.

I continue to say, if Carey was a little bit better tonight, we would have won. These points are so important now, you cannot afford to lose any one of them. The Panthers have also won tonight, they are only at 1 point from the Habs...Come on wake up Canadiens!!

Carbo! Carbo! Carbo!

A week after replacing Guy Carbonneau behind the bench, Bob Gainey couldn't put the team back on track. We saw the same mistakes again and poor defensive coverage. It was the same team on the ice. They can be good in one period and horrible in the next period. The Habs weren't even able to clear their own zone unless creating an icing call. The players were taking lots penalties and allowing more than 45 shots every game. It became pathetic! The Canadiens have only obtained 3 points out of a possibility of 6. One of which losing against the worst team in the whole league in OT. No wonder the crowd shouted :

"Carbo! Carbo! Carbo! "

in the 3rd period while the Habs were losing against the New Jersey Devils last Saturday night. When was the last time you have ever heard this happening? The crowd chanting the name of the former coach? They are showing their disapproval to Bob Gainey of the firing of Guy Carbonneau. This demonstrates how much the fans loved Guy Carbonneau and that they know he has done everything in his power to make the team win. Of course, Guy has to take part of the blame, but it isn't entirely his fault. The fans know that it is the players that are the main problem here, not the coaches. It is up to the players work harder and win hockey games.

By the way, I have to congratulate Patrice Brisebois for his 1000th career game in the NHL. It takes a lot of hard work to get there. It also takes a lot courage to it in the Montreal Canadiens uniform after what has happened to him. It has been really harsh for him the last few years when he was still wearing the number 43. He didn't give up after all the things that were being said. I think he deserves this honour. Way to go Patrice!

Congratulation Martin Brodeur!

Bravo Martin for tying Patrick Roy's record for most wins by a goaltender. As a Habs fan point of view, it is always frustrating to see you beat our favorite team game after game through all these seasons, but I have to say that I admire your talent and recognize this tremendous achievement that you have just done. It only shows that you are the best of the best out there. It is always pleasant to see guys from Quebec succeed in the NHL, especially from Montreal, and become one the greatest of all times. The best of all is that you still have a lot of hockey left in you. Let's say you finish the rest of your contract, which is 3 more years, and win an average of 40 per season. That is about 120 more wins. 551+120=671 wins. That's putting the bar pretty high for the next generation of goaltender that would like to break your record. Heck, you can even hit the 700 wins cap! Once again Congrats Martin.

Martin Brodeur's Press Conference at the Bell Center

At about 10:45 am this morning, Martin Brodeur held a press conference at the Bell Center to talk about the possibility to tie Patrick Roy's record for the most wins by a goaltender of 551. He says that these are exciting times and that he will try to enjoy every moment of it. He never expected he would have the possibility to tie this record, he was just happy to be able to play in the NHL and win the Stanley Cup.

He says that Patrick Roy spoke to him this morning at the hotel and wished him good luck for tonight's game. Patrick Roy came to Montreal today to assist to the game tonight. Brodeur explained that him and Patrick aren't that close, they are 6 years in age difference, they aren't the type of people that will frequently talk on the phone with, but when they see each other, they will spend some time together. Brodeur says that Patrick is a goalie that he looked up to when he first started his career. His only regret was losing a playoff game 7 against Patrick and he would like to have that one back.

He was able to learn things from many excellent goaltenders like Patrick Roy, Dominic Hasek and Eddie Belfour. When asked which was his best performance in his career, Brodeur answered a game versus Dominik Hasek, the game ended in a 0-0 tie. Both of them had to face about 40 shots each. It is a game that he still remembers today.

Martin Brodeur said that he has never had Montreal in mind to tie the record. He didn't know how he would perform after his injury. It was only when they won 8 straight games that Montreal became a possibility.

Brodeur emphasizes that this game is more to it than his personal record. He knows that his teammates will do whatever it takes to help him win this game, but this is also an important game for the team too. They have a chance to get closer to the Bruins. They can widen the gap between them and the Flyers in the same division. And there is also the Washington Capitals.

Martin Brodeur finishes the conference by saying that his objectives is to tie the record tonight, to break it afterwards, and then to get his 600 wins. He also noted that there is 3 more years to his contract and that he would like to honour it. He is therefore not ready to retire just yet he says.