Oh to be a fly on the wall ....

I'm starting to get confused though, when I used to play sports competitively you'd have bad games or slumps but you'd still try your best.. the other teams were just better than you or were hungrier for the win... I want to say that every team facing the Canadiens is prepared to take on "the best in the east" when they get on the ice that night to play the Habs but the Habs do see very lost out there... I really hope they can get back on track :)

"Okay, let's call this meeting to order. Today we vote on who leaves the island based on lack of effort, energy, and inspired play... Results are in and the following players can pack their bags: .......................EVERYONE!" Gainey: "Don't worry Carbo. We've renamed the teams to the Montreal Bulldogs and the Hamilton Canadiens"

Hmmm...a 60-minute meeting? Did the team attend the whole thing, or just show up for twenty minutes of it? http://habsloyalist.blogspot.com

This is completely off-topic. What if the NHL decided that wins from shootouts only give the winning team 1.5 points instead of 2? I think ideally you'd give 3 pts for a regulation win and leave the rest the same but then that would make comparing point totals with previous seasons cumbersome and confusing. I think this way would encourage teams to try and finish the game in regulation or OT and make the "skills competition" aspect of the shootout have less of an impact. Personally I like having the shootout but a shootout win to me is a "lesser" victory than one in regulation or OT. Another optional addition to the OT format that I like is adding a 5 minute 3 on 3 OT period. The only problem is a penalty. Is having a 3 on 2 situation fair? I wouldn't mind if they just extended the 4 on 4 OT period to 10 mins. I also like the idea of going with 5 shooters in the shootout instead of 3 but I'm fine with the current format. I think they should definitely add that any penalty that doesn't expire before the end of overtime should disallow the player who committed the penalty to take part in the shootout.

Enough about super Tom. Everyone knows he did not try to hurt Van Ryn, he was just trying to forecheck and get the puck. Too bad some of the other Habs wouldn't put in the effort that TK does every shift of every game. We have too many players trying to score and padding their stats for the big contract. Saku said it right earlier in the day, too much offense. With the talent on this team they can score 2 or 3 goals a period just off turnovers. Too many guys in the press box too. Trade GBL, Dandy and Lats and get a good #2 or #3 defensive dman. You can't blame the goalies either for the past few games. No help at all from the forwards and the dmen can't cover everyone. Maybe these couple of games will knock some sense into a few players heads and we can start playing like a team again instead of a bunch of want-to-be superstars.

KK Hockey - Kostopoulos suspended three games ..... http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/hockey/comments/kostopoulos_suspen... ..................... Press release from the NHL: Montreal Canadiens forward Tom Kostopoulos has been suspended for three games, without pay, as a result of being assessed a game misconduct during NHL game #197 against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Nov. 8, the National Hockey League announced today. “While it is my determination that Kostopoulos did not deliver a check to an unsuspecting opponent, his actions caused injuries,” said NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell. Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Kostopoulos is considered a repeat offender. Accordingly, he forfeits $32,926.83 based on the number of games in the season (82), rather than the number of days (186). The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

It is really disheartening to see a team with so much talent put in so little effort. In the past when there was a lack of effort it was frustrating as a fan but not as much because the talent level and expectations were lower. I wonder how much the pending UFA status of so many players on the team is creating a problem. You would think this to be counter-intuitive since they should want to play hard for the best results but the best team results aren't always "in line" with the best individual results.

Yes!! The Site's first demotivational feature! Ex nihilo nihil fit

Totally agree with Dickie, who like me, is a long time Habs fan. How Latendresse is in the lineup is like how is Mike Keenan an NHL coach? It's crazy!

Great poster choice. These are two of my favorites: http://www.despair.com/mis24x30prin.html http://www.despair.com/proc24x30pri.html

New York Times Morning Skate : NHL New Injury Disclosure Policy Draws Heavy Criticism .. by Stu Hackel ..... http://slapshot.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/10/the-morning-skate-nhls-new-... ................................ Monday Afternoon Required Reading .. Sean Leahy's Going Five Hole ..... http://goingfivehole.blogspot.com/2008/11/monday-afternoon-required-read...

I knowwww. What was I thinking.I was including the intermissions Habs Fan 4 Ever & Ever Amen.

Well we will see if they respect the coaches and the crest on their sweaters tomorrow night!!!more than what is written on their back. If they don't come out with intensity and keep it for 60 min. then it will be Bob Gainey"s move, and believe me it won't be the coaches who get moved.

I am a die hard Habs fan and a big fan of Gainey and Carbonneau but tell me when they are going to wake up and see that Lats is never going to pan out as the power forward they so desire. I have watched every Habs game for the past 2 years...this guy cannot take a pass, cannot give a pass he is not an NHL calibre hockey player. Not to take away from Lats I am sure he is a great person and he just got put into a bad situation. It is time for the Habs to part ways with this guy or make him what he should be a career minor leaguer. I hate to write anything bad about my beloved Habs but I read the posts and can't believe that some of you think this guy will turn out to be our saviour or a decent NHLer..I know I will get some people who disagree this is fine it is my opinion but coming from somebody who has played lots of hockey and watches a lot of hockey it is not hard to see that he just does not have the NHL talent to compete night in and night out. The game in Toronto was bad but we will bounce back, just need to tighten up the "D" and protect our goaltenders a little better.

ONLY 75 MINUETS OF PRACTICE..If I was the coach.I would have them play 3 periods and make them skate thier little butts off.Then have them shoot,shoot and keep shooting till they can score a goal!!!Then they will be in shape for tomorrow nights game and play hard because they don't want to have a practice like that before every game LOL Habs Fan 4 Ever & Ever Amen.

Monday's 5 Things by Scott Burnside : What has been the Best Offseason Trade so far? and four more ..... http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/story?columnist=burnside_scott&id=... ................................... Three KHL Players Found to have Heart Problems : Last week the KHL announced it was undertaking medical evaluations across the league and invited media members to observe the process. Today, after the first round of evaluations have been completed on some 67 players under the age of 20, some preliminary results were made public: Based upon the first round of examinations, three KHL players were found to have heart problems. These athletes were referred to cardiologist specialists to undergo more testing.

A couple issues should be at the forefront of the Habs turnaround. First, discipline on the ice - we've been taking too many penalties of late, which keeps our players on the defense, doesn't allow us to roll four lines and establish an offensive flow to the game, and keeps non-PK'ers (like rockstar Tanguay) off the ice. The Habs need to stop thinking that their talent alone can bail them out of a game regardless of how many PKs they have to kill. Second - fiscal discipline. We have Dandy and Begin eating up $1.725 and $1.025 on the sidelines. I think BG should let Dandy (at least) go to free up space and to inject some more affordable youth (D'Ag - he has 9 goals on the farm) into the lineup. If we are seriously going to make a run this year, we may also need space to acquire a deadline player (like past teams have done with Hossa, Brad Stuart, etc.). That said, I stick by my view that SK74 should be playing with Koivu and Tang; Higgy with Lang and D'Ag; and Lats with Max and BGL/Kosto, yielding: AK46-Pleks-Kovy SK74-Koivu-Tang Higgy-Lang-D'Ag Lats-Max-BGL/Kosto

Not even a penalty on the head shot that KO'ed Kostitsyn... he's not a Maple Leaf. No punishment to Weight for nearly killing young Sutter, nor Pronger for taking Datsyuk's head off with a flying elbow recently either. Ah Colin Campbell's version of justice, he's as legitimate as a disciplinarian as Paris Hilton is as an actress/singer.

Off-yet related topic. The guy who leveled Andrei Kostitsyn a while back, what sort of punishment did he get? Any?

Larocque vs Neil ,ya baby!