Canadiens right on target: Carbo

The 10 Stupidest Hockey Stories in 2008 .. Two Line Pass ..... http://thetwolinepass.com/2008/12/the-10-stupidest-hockey-stories-of-200...

Is this the Start of a Rocky Year in the NHL in 2009 : ESPN's Scott Burnside Reports - Yotes Owner in Dire Financial Straights and now the NHL is involved (an excerpt) ..... Because the primary goal of Coyote's owner Moyes and the NHL is to keep the Coyotes in Phoenix, BlackBerry inventor Jim Balsillie would be ruled out, at least for the time being. His interest in NHL ownership generally has been limited to teams he might at some point be relocated to Ontario ............ Hollywood movie and television mogul Jerry Bruckheimer, long thought to covet an NHL franchise, has been linked to the Coyotes ........... and the rest of the story ..... http://beta.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=3790207

You Call It - Newsmaker in the NHL : Sidney Crosby's Controversial Overtime Winner ..... http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2008/12/23/newsmakers-in-the-nhl-sidney-crosbys-... ................................................... Also Sid Vicious Fighting Dirty ..... http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2008/12/19/sidney-crosbys-fighting-style-dirty-a...

Thanks for the Updates, Stat_ic Ed.

Pat Hickey says "The Canadiens have 42 points after 33 games. At the same point last season, they had 37 points. They are on a pace to finish with 104 points, the same total they reached last season when they led the East." _________________________________________________________________________________ I think the Canadiens will finish with over 100 points, and it's interesting to see that it took 37 games to reach the 42 point mark last year. They are 4 games ahead of last year's pace, but I believe they really picked it up last year after a 4-1 loss in Dallas. It's also interesting to do a 3 year comparison after 33 games: 2008-09 - 42 points 2007-08 - 37 points 2006-07 - 45 points http://canadiens.nhl.com/team/app?service=page&page=TeamSeasonComparison The team was doing so well in 2006-07, but then in January that infamous flu bug hit. The PP has done well in the last 3 games, and let's hope it stays this way. In the 2nd game of the season, the Habs went 3 for 6 on the PP in a 6-1 win over the leafs, and we all said who needs Mark Streit. The PP sure dropped off after the early season success. Who knows. Maybe it's back to stay.

Talk about the Habs Players being lazy. The Habs Fans don't fair any better. Price has fallen behind MC Flury now..... Come guys & gals please cast your votes......

the 1 thing that bothers me about Kovalev, is all the selfish penalties he takes, and at the most crucial time of the game. In the game against Buffalo, he was forced to score the game winner, because he was the reason the team was behind! This team is extremely inconsistent, and the fact remains, we have given away too many points, to teams below 500. It come back to haunt the habs if we miss the playoffs by 2-3 points. But honestly, unless Gainey makes some significant moves by the trade deadline, this team will be toast, come playoff time. Not to be negative, but realistic. here's what happens: the team plays well for a couple of games, and everyone thinks the team is turned around, and then they revert to their bad ways, just like the loss to Carolina. So, the motto is:" don't get too high on a win, and not to get too low on a loss. This team is an average team, not great, but not as bad as NYI. I don't think anyone will be happy with just squezzing into the playoffs. that's what happens every year(minus last year's fluke) and go out in the 1st round. Do we want a repeat performance? NO!

Don't know if y'all saw this already, but an excellent report card on our man Streit on the Island. Sure miss that cat... http://thehockeynews.com/articles/21010-Top-Shelf-Streit-going-straight-... Peace Out ______________________________________________________ Lord Bugs Potter, esq. Earl of Fluppitburg, Baron of Flopshlupshire and Knight of the Flannel Republic.

Hang in there, I also have been disappointed with some of there performances this year. But you and I know that we have the very best GM in place, and we are not privy to what is in his and Gillette's mind. They want a cup just as much as we do. More importantly, they have the health of the franchise long term to build. The season starts after the new year, the game gets faster and the players start to focus more on the job at hand. So yes call a spade a spade, but don't forget, as i do sometimes, we are the greatest sport franchise in the world, and were on the mend, after years of neglect. Let alone that we are the best hockey fans on the planet.!

Best line of the above: "A dispassionate look at the team’s standing indicates Carbonneau might have the best handle on where his team is and where it’s headed." Second best: "But Carbonneau also said he recognizes that fans and media have different expectations. Carbo has driven me nuts at times, especially two years ago when I never thought he'd figure out how to handle people. He continues to have an annoying habit of randomly cycling lines when the team goes into a funk, rather than displaying either patience or logic: no one benefits when you're PP stinks so you send out your fourth line when down by one. HOWEVER, this has been Carbonneau's best year to date in terms of his coaching. He's more or less resisted the urge to pick favorites. I'd prefer he hadn't called out SKots but the kid has turned it around and I don't pretend to know what was discussed behind closed doors. And notwithstanding the incredible challenges and poor performance by the PP, it's turned it around in the last three games and could be a huge difference maker in the second half. I like where we sit, and feel we'll safely make it into the playoffs with a 6th, 7th, or 8th seed; better if we get consistent, although highest ranking appears to be 4th unless the Bruins come back down to earth. We've had zero consistency but are in good position already and have played our best hockey over the last few weeks. The things that might make me stay up at night surround: 1. Finding another defenseman 2. Signing Komisarek before its too late 3. Figuring out which players have trade value and should be sent off before being lost as UFAs (Higgins, Pleks) We still have a ton of reasons to be excited about the future but Gainey needs to make some decisions sooner rather than later what with a shrinking cap. . . I think Higgins became dispensable because of D'Agostini, and Pleks has been disappointing although still better than Higgins in my view. I'm still a Kovalev apologist - only thing wrong is a return to his one-man-band approach: needs to pass more and get off the ice earlier. Koivu is still solid and will show up come crunch time so is a keeper. My thoughts for 2009-10? a. Send Higgins in a package with Latendresse if anything of value comes in. If you can add something and get Kovalchuk it's a no-brainer: just prefer picks to Max Pac or McDonagh, who will both be impact players and fill necessary voids. We don't get free agents so we need to make a Kovalev like move and should put together the package that takes without mortgaging our future. b. Let Tanguay go: the experiment has failed. Will put up points by end of season but just an older version of what we can probably develop, and too one-dimensional - SKots and Akots will both be as good in a year or two with more of a physical game. c. Let Lang go - good player but not going to get us over the top and old. d. Sign Kovalev and Koivu if feasible and affordable e. Sign Komi now If we end up with the following next year/post-trade deadline we'd be awesome: Centers: Koivu, Pleks, Lapierre, Chipchura Forwards: Kovalchuk, D'Agostini, SKots, Akots, Kovalev, Begin, Kostopoulos, Laraque, +/- Pax Defense: Markov, Komisarek, Hamrlik, Gorges, ?Weber, ?Stable vet Yes center is stil suboptimal, but can probably do the annual find a third-line center thing. Off the top of my head so I know I'm missing someone.

All I want to hear is Kovy, Koivu, and Komisaurus got their contract extensions! DO IT! :(

All the best to my fellow posters and the amazing group of hard-working folks at The Gazette and Habs Inside/Out who provide us with everything we could possibly want to know about our beloved Habs - 2009 will be our year, especially with our future in the more than capable hands of Bob, Guy and Trevor. http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=260582&lid=sublink07&lpos=headlines_nhl

In other words, if I may be allowed to paraphrase: Don't worry, baby. And with your kind permission, if I may be allowed to sing again: my rendition of the tune accompanied by the Holy Beach Boy Choir, Well its been building up inside of me for oh I dont know how long. I dont know why but I keep thinking "Somethings bound to go wrong". But Guy looks in my eyes and makes me realize And he says "Don't worry baby, don't worry baby, don't worry baby Everything will turn out alright." I guess I shouldve kept my mouth shut when I started to brag about my team But I can't back down now; I pushed our enemies to the seam. They sure know how to play but we'll destroy them anyway. So I say "Don't worry baby, don't worry baby, don't worry baby Everything will turn out alright." Heard Bob told Kovy, "When you play today, just take along my heart with you And if you know how much I loved you, Kovy, nothing could go wrong with you." Oh, what Ivan does to me when he scores goals for me And he says "Don't worry baby, don't worry baby, don't worry baby Everything will turn out alright." Don't worry, baby; don't worry, baaaaby... And so on and so forth. Peace Out ______________________________________________________ Lord Bugs Potter, esq. Earl of Fluppitburg, Baron of Flopshlupshire and Knight of the Flannel Republic.

I'll start to believe this if we beat the Pens next game. I do think the team is starting to come together, but you can say we're only x points behind last year, and if not for this or that or the other, we'd be ahead of last year... but all those things are what make winners and losers - and when we lose, we lost. No 'if's or 'buts'. And we lose too many games we 'should' win, whether because we outply the team but it doens't show on the scoreboard, or because we seem unprepared, tactically out-managed, or just out-hustled by teams low in the standings. No doubt we have a good team, but whether we have a strong team, one with the discipline to prepare for every game and the will to take on all comers, I can't say that. ~ Listen to the smart dog - he knows his poop!

Well Carbonneau is easier to please than I am I guess. Seems to me the team has too many 'tell-tale' bad habits. Also a negative record against teams holding playoff spots, a negative record of one goal wins/losses in regulation. Inbetween games 20 and 40 is pretty much when you can see who will make a run for the cup. Teams that turn it on late in the year dont make cup runs. The time to start playing your heart out is now.

I did my homework last night and dug up some old information. It's just some food for thought. Some interesting stuff that I found though. http://canadienscentral.blogspot.com/2008/12/just-food-for-thought.html Anyway, in regards to this, I'm actually surprised that we're doing as well as did last year, if not better. However, we didn't have expectations last year, nor Tanguay, Lang and Laraque. Kovy is steadily putting points up, and has for the entire season. I was his worst critic and for that, I feel real bad. He isn't scoring as much simply because our powerplay isn't working. I think he had something like 17 goals on PP last season?

Thanks Dave and Pat for writing and posting the good news. I think Carbo is right. The team is doing well. Its a long season. In the end, it doesn't matter who is on a tear in December. Performance in April, May and June is what counts. We are a better club than last year. We just need some fine tuning to go deep in the playoffs.

I totally agree with Guy on this. Actually, if truth be told, I'd say that Guy agrees with ME on the matter. That's IF I were the braggin' type. Which I ain't. So I won't say it. A lot of folks think (me included, which makes those "folks" ACES in my book) that it's the RESULT that counts and not how you get there. If we were told at the beginning of the year that we would have 3 points more than what we had at the same time last year, I think we'd be pretty happy. We just gotta keep our composure down the stretch and rack up the wins, even if they ARE ugly and inconclusive. So what? The points still count. Let's keep our composure like The Artiste, biding our time and strategizing our machiavellian plans that we'll execute once we get into the playoffs. Ok?! Not freak out! Just keep it together and hold on to our composure! We can DO this! Ok?! Relax! We've come to far to back down! Don't give in to wild panic!!! Gotta keep our composure!!! Peace Out ______________________________________________________ Lord Bugs Potter, esq. Earl of Fluppitburg, Baron of Flopshlupshire and Knight of the Flannel Republic.

Stats are funny. Kovalev is doing fine, but fans and some sports pros are on his case. I think Keenan said it a couple weeks ago, Alex is not playing badly. I think the oddest stat is that a kid can come up from the Bulldogs as an injury replacement and carve himself a niche in short order. Stats are funny for what they say, and for what they don't say. Me, I have this impression in my skull that even strength opposing players can get into the box in front of the goalies, and into the crease backing the goalies up by a foot or two, and changing the angles. There isn't a stat for that, only playoff results.

omg, are we still going to get to read all the negativity after such a column? Everyone was so worried that the Habs were counting too much on the PP last year, and they were right. When the PP dried up in the playoffs, so did the Habs. This year, we can play 5 on 5 with the best of them. If the PP continues rolling a little, that'll be a nice bonus. I think, so far, we look like a team built a little more for the playoffs! I believe! Go Habs Go!! "I can't hear what Jeremy(Roenick) is saying because my Stanley Cup rings are in my ears" - Patrick Roy Habsrule

Looking at the above stats, we are in great shape then. No Worries Mates. I don't think that Pits will loose another game like that 7-3 beating by the Leafs. But The Habs will beat them though.

If the Leafs can beat the Pens 7-3, I would hope this Saturday should be a cakewalk :-)

Maybe Carbo knows his team better than fans? They're adults. He's treating them as such. They'll practice on Boxing Day. What is making them skate and deal with the media two days before Christmas going to accomplish other than annoy the players?

Agreed Showey... remember what the Roadrunner said about first place... Habs focused too much on that last year and paid the price.

quite honestly i don't want first in the conference,history proves it has been nothing but a curse.The bruins can have it then lose in the first round to the #8 seed like they do every other time.

All I want for Christmas Santa is an offensively skilled CMan and a big physical DMan and I wish Santa that they were to practice, practice, practice before Christmas and not have a 4 day holiday! "We will win the Cup only with Carey Price in the nets"

Sounds OK, but I thought the powerplay had climbed to 25th after the last few games. Also I don't understand why Carbo is holding no practice this week. Just about every other team is playing. I'm afraid that when we face Pittsburgh on Saturday, we'll be slow and lazy. It happened both times earlier this season when we had long stretches between games. The more so after over-eating and drinking for Christmas!