Round 1, Game 3: Bruins push Habs to the brink

The most difficult obstacle is the Montreal media, and especially the french media. I love this site but the constant exposure to the Habs bashing and accompanying links are wearing me down. Today's message...Let's trade, sell or fire everyone! Every player sucks! Gainey is worse than Carbo. Ryder is better than anyone in the lineup. Price is a bantam B goalie......etc.etc. The media pumped this slightly better than average team up to ridiculous heights. We believed it. Now the media is tearing them to shreds! And habs "fans" are hovering like vultures. BTW..Booing the US anthem?? Embarrassing... "If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail." (anon)

no offense guys like 97% of you were happy to see ryder gone. now you're saying they shouldn't have let him go. make up your mind next time eh

Last night was really hard to swallow. Not the losing part, becasue I've been getting accustomed to that for the past 16 years, but it was the behavior of the fans booing the US national anthym that was most embarressing. I realized at that point that the Bruins would be doing us all a favour by putting an end to the season and depriving our unruly fans of another opportunity to trash St. Catherine St. Let's come to grips with the new reality: The days of our team being #1 are long gone and, I am really, really sorry to have to say this but here goes - OUR FANS HAVE NO CLASS. You can flame me if you want but I have one more thing that is hard to say but must be said - Go Bruins. Sorry, really sorry, to have to say that...

Michael Ryder!

Wednesday night, Gainey will sigh deeply, scrawl a date on the letter of resignation he's been carrying since the AllStar game, and hand it to George Gillett. That will leave the Habs with: 13 UFAs - how many will want to sign? how many do we want/ Tanguay 30 Koivu 35 Kovalev 36 Lang 39 Kostopolous 30 Bouillon 34 Dandenault 34 Komisarek 27 Schneider 40 Brisebois 38 Henry 30 Janik 29 Denis 32 6 RFA's Higgins 26 Plekanec 27 Latendresse 22 D'Agostini 23 Chipchura 23 Stewart 23 No head coach and a gaggle of ineffective (perhaps worse) assistant coaches. No General Manager Talk about a rebuild

Alot on my mind at this point. First of all be Gracious losers...the Bruins don't suck...give them props..they have a heck of a team. If the french boys Bergeron and Savard played for the Habs you would love them. Props to the Bruins. Not happy with the fans booing the U.S national anthem and thus, Higgins, Komaserik and Scneider. We are suppose to be classy and more peaceful, you have embarrassed me, fellow hab fans, your team, your city, your province and your country. Nice job, gracious loser and class act. I am a broken record yelling the TV this year...I don't know how many times I have yelled stop trying to thread the needle, and I see happen way in advance and boom..giveaway after giveway after giveway. Amatuer hockey at it's best. It's not rocket science boys, do the basics. Play your game, use your skill and speed, be smart and discipline, don't give the puck away, when you have a shot dont hesistate and then sweep it towards the net, launch a rocket right away without hesitation. But know ..trying to make the perfect pass and perfect shot..NOT. When you are on defence...I can't tell you how many times you didn't clear the puck when you should have, trying to pass it to a team mate in your defensive end...sweeping at it thinking there is lots a ice...pick your stick up off the ground and rocket launch it the heck out of there when you are in trouble.... god ..no heart and desire that is the only thing that explains it. For you trouble maker fans, on Wednesday...please show some class during both anthems, cheer your team and support them ...and the way Canadians should...with class, and peaceful attitude. If we do lose ..give a Boston a hand...they are just doing what they are suppose to ..win..it will be the Habs fault for not trying hard enough to do the same. Injuries are a prob and we are over matched unfortunatley. Thing of note that bothers me as well. The last two years we really failed to get any better...nothing at trade deadline both years...even teams like Calgary and Boston who were fine still felt the need to improve..but us no..sitting back ..we are fine...no worries..lets fire Carbo .. no worries the team will fine... well sorry Gainey..the team is not fine... and you didn't address two years in a row at deadline and you refuse to negotiate contracts during the regular seasons which pisses players off and make them wonder about their future and have doubts about their future. I wouldn't be surprised if a hand full of players were not happy all year and could not focus all year cuz not trust on faith was instilled into them coming from Gainey's direction. Thats my rant ..I am out...and for the love of god...fans..Wednesday nite show some CLASS !!!!

C'mon Boston. Bring it on! That ain't nothing! Just a flesh wound! You still have to win the last game. And if you do? You still suck and whoopee, you then have eliminated the 8th place team. Cup? That and $1.50 will get you a cup of coffee at Tims. Bruins aren't going to win anything. Go Brodeur!!!

The biggest suck thing about the game last night were the collection of low life morons who decided to wander down Asshole Lane and boo the national anthem. Neanderthal pieces of crap, you embarrass yourselves and make the rest of look bad. May you catch something horrible that makes certain body parts rot and fall off!! Once a Habs fan, always a Habs fan Halté-là! Les Canadiens sont là!!

Could we assemble a team next year that plays with a little less suck?

This team, with or without the injuries they had to endure this year, is clearly missing the big center that has eluded them... Now, any team that had to get by with so many regulars out on a consistent basis would have trouble. Gainey made some nice moves picking up the likes of Lang and Tanguay. Completely healthy I think they could have built on last year's success...but having that big center would make all of the difference in the world... This off season will be interesting...with so many UFAs are we rebuilding again? Montreal couldn't attract that big free agent for the centennial season...who can they acquire now? We'll see... With Regards from FuzE_gus

Hey 123456, Michael Ryder plays on the 3rd line in Boston. Gets some PP time but not as much as Lang and Tanguay does. Ryder has done more for Boston this year and lead the league in GWG's. Ryder is a proven 25-30 goal scorer per season. Were is Lang and Tanguay too? Tanguay can't handle the heavy going and is very soft and often gets injuried. I take Ryder over Tanguay any day. Who would you have Ryder's 4m or Tanguay's 5.5m? A big difference of 1.5m. But I am a Newfoundlander and I might just be a bit bias as to you with Tanguay who is FRENCH. GO RYDER GO!!!! Bring the cup home!!!!

Carbo was fired because he played Halak too often.

... A little something from Bruin's blog Stanley Cup of Chowder: Habs may want to look up this site ..... http://www.teetimes.net/index.html

This team has taken five steps backwards. They've went from a team on the brink of being a perennial contender to a team that struggles just to make the playoffs. What a joke! "Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?" - Johnny Rotten

Habs are a joke. The Bruins showed them how a real team plays.

Reflecting on the season, i am proud of the team. No one can say they didn't face a great deal of adversity this year, with key injury stacked on key injury, and other distractions abound. To have made the playoffs and to fight like they did tonight is a success. This year, although we saw disappointing seasons from several players, we also saw the emergence of some new players like LaPierre and Halak. The season's not over yet, but regardless of how many games this series takes I'll still be proud of this season of adversity.

"Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?" - Johnny Rotten

It doesn't look good. But I would still like to make a few comments. One key event during the Canadiens season was Lang's injury. He's not in the elite of the league but certainly he performed beyond most people's expectations and was valuable to the Habs. This is not to excuse the Habs performances but the injuries (Markov, Tanguay, Latendresse, Schneider, etc) killed this team and they did not have the depth to overcome them. Any team in the playoffs now that would lose their top scorer, defenseman and a top 3 forward, Bouillon's grit etc. would be in the Habs position. Price's goaltending is mediocre at best (hopefully he's able to pick it up next season). You have to go to Halak for game 4 as he's been the only goalie that was able to "steal" some games this year. Habs have lost 7 in a row..... tough to win series. As for next year one thing the Canadiens have to look at is the uni-dimential make up of this team. I love the Euro skill but we need Canadian grit and mostly size with talent (I don't really know whats available out there). One final comment please no more Koivu bashing. Who's been better and more representative of courage and skill in the last 20 years on this team. can you name 3? What wingers has Koivu had since he's come to the Canadiens that had the skill to play up to his level? More recently Kovalev and Tanguay but it may be a bit late as he's also moving on in age. Koivu has handled the press bashing, fan abuse and has taken it all and has continued to perform. Can you imagine where this team would be without him? There has been no one there to have taken his place as #1. Although if he does come back next season he would do better as a second line centre with maybe 12-15 minutes a game max. But then again who's going to be #1?

There is really nothing left to say about this team. Since January it's been all down hill. Yes we have had and still have alot of injuries, but the bottom line is the Bruins are the better team this year. Alot of things need to be reevaluated in the off season. I Just hope they have enough self respect left to at least win 1 game and not be swept.

There's always next season! ... Gainey will resign/get fired this weekend, don't worry guys... Gillett will sell the club and we might just have a real captain next year! _____________________________________________________________________________ -Time to end Koivu's reign. Enough is enough. -Come back home Vincent... We need you.

suck it up!

I knew they would lose...probably in 5...but I'm still heartbroken!

Why is it that when I click on the Saku link it gives me the the Higgins audio? KEEP BELIEVING (I guess)

Time to say Goodnight Irene to this horror-show of a season with its bongs and mobmen and ridiculous retro jerseys and flu epidemics and never-ending injury parades and never-ending octogenarian ceremonies and horrid team chemistry and ownership controversies and unresolved free-agency distractions and goalie controversies and ill-advised coaching change and... oh God, just let it be over. I want to erase 2008-9 from my memory banks (with help from the sternest bottle of Highland scotch I can get) and begin pondering what 2009-10 might be like.

We need a morale boost. Any hot Habs ladies want to post some pics? :)

gainey should let carbonneau behind the bench to coach game 4 and if they don't both win they're both gone

Stop talking about the ghosts of the forum. We're in the Bell center. Only ghost there is Donald Audette's jock strap.

GHOSTS OF THE FORUM?? Some fans still feel that the team's 1996 desertion of the Montreal Forum is partly responsible for its long Cup drought: it has never won one in its current home, the Bell Centre. The Forum was generally but quietly regarded as having protective ghosts, one of the reasons the team's old changing room was faithfully re-created in the new arena, but so far this gesture has not convinced the ghosts to bring the team the Stanley Cup. taken from http://www.montreal.com/habs/index.html

It's been an awfully disappointing season but I'd still be willing to resign all the rfas and give them at least one more season to redeem themselves. Although none of them warrant significant raises.

so what's the excuse for loosing tonight boys ? lets start a list: the refs the coach the goalie the foreginers the injuries the all star game the trade deadline the draft the owners the NHL c'mon man lets break it down and see how reasons we can come up with to prove we have all the answers and the canadiens are a better team

Hey everyone...we got some good news...bulldogs win...go dogs --------------------------------------------- "Play game 1 like its game 7"- Tom the Bomb

All I can say is huh? That's the question I've asking since the playoffs began. I admit that Gainey has forgotten more about hockey than I'll ever know, but I can't for the life of me figure out what the hell he's doing out there. We've finally establish something that resembles a consistent lineup after 80 games and he picks the playoffs to start mixing them up. I just don't understand. Gainey is doing exactly what cost Carbo his job. At this point the those of us who are left to cheer this team on are desperately searching for a reason to support this team besides the logo on the front of their jersey and I for one can't find a damn thing.

What the crappy crap is going on in here tonight . What a game kinda reminded me of being in a Porter Potty. Very stinky. Good 10 mins then aprox 40 mins of pure crap. Then ya got some goofball talking about usa kil kil i forget what his name is maybey its the dude marty`s talking about. What a crappy season and i`m already looking forward to next year. I hate to write them off but come on who am i trying to kid. Oya who did T Bay want for Vinnie. Thats about the time that the season went sour. Heck trade Pleks for anyone. Tangauy `s prolly the biggest wuss in the history of wuss`s what was wrong with him tonight? Cut himself shaving his legs? Oya a coach and a GM wouldn`t hurt. I`d hire Yzerman and Tedy Nolan but who and the crap am i? Just another big mouth habfan. Still hate the Bruins . Never give them credit for anything. I`m thinking win next 2 put some pressure anything might be remotly posible ya never no. Look at Obama. Well enough of this depressing bull crap i`m off to think if my World Championship jokes to my friends, family who happen to be Leaf fans are gonna bite me in the buttocks. I can see Brezzer there now. Haha.Thats a joke. Night night fello Hab fans. Keep on keepin on or somwhere`s close to on. Whatever that means.

It has been 30 years since the "too many men on the ice game" and I still cannot watch replays. It still hurts. I loved that Bruins team of overachievers. For years I was convinced there were ghosts in the Forum who took special pleasure in torturing the Bruins. With age comes wisdom and I now know realize it is simply talent, brains and heart. Your great teams of the 70’s had all three this version has none of those elements. One thing I know is that you will recover and be back and the B’s and Habs will have at it again. Believe me I know the pain you feel but you have to admit this is a great rivalry. PS lay off the booing of the anthem it makes you look foolish. We have a few knuckleheads in Boston who start but are quickly put in place. Go Bruins

This will be my last suggested roster change. Get S. Kosts in there...might not do a thing for us but we need to score more goals. He's more likely to score than say Laraque or Kosto. Halak in, Price out. Everything else the same. No I don't expect to see Markov, Lang or Tanguay in game 4.