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About Kevin Mio
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Kevin Mio
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Kevin Mio is a Montreal Gazette editor who grew up playing hockey, watching the Canadiens every chance he could on television and reading articles about the team by some of the people he works with today. He still remembers going to the Forum with his father to watch the Canadiens and was even fortunate enough to skate on Forum ice with his minor hockey team.
From Mats Naslund to Saku Koivu, he has always enjoyed watching the small, speedy and skilled players, while also admiring the gritty players that are essential to any team’s success.
From his one-on-one interviews with members of the team to a look at other coverage of the Canadiens, he will keep fans posted on their favourite team and looks forward to sharing his love of hockey with other passionate fans.
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Sergei is an excellent hockey player, with a ton of potential. He is arguably better than Pacioretty and D'agostini, and I would argue, given that he's coming off surgery, he probably had about as good a camp as could be expected on most fronts.
The issue is attitude. All attitude. Anyone who trashes his skill level is being disingenuous. He is skilled. But he is a skilled man, with the mind, and attitude of a spoiled child.
In some markets, he could get away with that, but not here. The media, and the public are too intensely focussed on those who wear our sweater, to allow this kind of nonsense, and that is why he was sent to Hamilton. Missing the bus? Not doing as you are instructed in practice? Not reporting to wherever the heck the GM tells you to? Not acceptable.
Looks like its time to package SK to anyone who is willing to cough up a puck moving defenceman (wow would that McDonagh kid from the Rangers be a nice pickup...muck muck) - the Markov injury is so huge! Let's see if we can take 2 negatives and turn it in to at least a small positive over the next couple weeks.
DD...
I can't imagine what guys like Beliveau, Richard, Moore, and every other member past and present thinks of this kid.
He (Sergei) doesn't have a clue what he's throwing away, and like I said last week, needs his big brother to set him straight.
If I were GM I would not trade this guy, I'd make him sit it out and then just let him go. No matter future (stats), these guys have to learn.
Sholi2000.com
2nd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
My New Rec Room- http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/Canadiens/My%20Hockey%20Room/
He should be winging with Lapierre and Moen. Get that other slow "power forward"(LOL) off the ice.
It's no secret I'm a fan of his style and grit but this just reads as pure idiocy. Really? He doesn't have a clue why? Right now there's a winger on the Bulldogs that's more deserving a job than him but probably won't get one yet as he's still working on his game there. Similar size, similar grit, magnetically attached to the net, buzzes around the o-zone, has no problem doing what coaches ask of him. I'm talking about Brock Trotter. Frankly Sergei should just do like Kovy said on his blog and report on the farm. Guess "reconditioning" never crossed his mind either?
As an aside: crappy news for the Bulldogs, since David Desharnais broke his foot, probably while blocking a hard shot in the final seconds of a pre-season game to help preserve a shutout (he limped off the ice). Commendable, yes, but...saaaaaad panda T_T Out 4-6 weeks.
i frankly am not a fan of the "he's dealt with crap so this is how he's going to behave " menatlity, i think it speaks great volumes when someone handles their past with class and dignity and doesnt use it as excuse for ridiculious behaviour....byebye sergei good luck finding another nhl team that will put up with your holier then thou attitude..
Though it will make the bigots happy, it seems like it's time to admit that the overwhelming majority of Russian hockey players are apriori damaged goods. Their upbringing is often brutal and the shock of playing here makes them behave like manic victims of abuse. Talent aside, they need very special care or it doesn't work.
Sergei who?
I have to say, I have a hard time taking that interview seriously. Did that sound like a real interview to anyone? He said his agent has been in contact with other teams - wouldn't that be tampering? Seriously.
It would, but it also sounded from the interview like Gainey agreed to trade him, so he might have freed up Kostitsyn's agent to seek interest.
SERGEI, LOSER I hope Bob chills you off-ice for months.
...unless We received an unsolicited offer from another team that is too irresistable to resist ...IF I was Bob ...I would let him stew as a suspended player for as long as Sergei insists He will not report to the Bulldogs
...Time ...Time To Reflect ...Time To Receive Good Counsel ...MAY result in a more rational reflection by Him ...because I believe a Sergei Kostitsyn with a good head on His shoulders will be a potent weapon in the near future
...I would NOT trade Him to another NHL team ...IF He walked to the KHL (something that is NOT Sergei's first choice) c'est la vie
Habitant means PASSIONATE HOCKEY
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=423049
I am sorry folks, it isn't his talent, it is his primma donna attitude. End of story.
It's pretty sad that most of the same people on this site praise the 2 brothers last year and now the same guys are destroying one of them. Why don't you ask yourself, "Why are these supposed Incidents with good players all happening to the Habs?" Do you see any disgruntled players on other teams? other than Heatly.
Something Is wrong, but It does not always mean It's the player that's at fault.
I LOVE the Habs!!!
Considering only one game has gone on (First place as expected ...even the weiner Bruins fans), there is lots things to talk about.
Price looked as good as anyone I have ever seen let in 3 in a game. Get rid of those pads and they are a lock for the Jennings (Halak will steal a few for us in Markov's absence - he always does)
Komisarek's crosscheck on Gionta deserved a smack...not even a *%$ penalty.
I admit it. I always liked OB despite his miscues, I think he has the potential to become a POOR man's Larry Robinson if he can muster a bit more nastiness. Been a while since a habs D has had such fast, long strides moving the puck. Also, I love watching him throw those big 6'5" haymakers.
A lot of posts wondering where the bulldog mentality has gone from SK. Most players who play like that do so out of a stubborn, tenacious personality...it is ingrained and not waivering. There aren't too many things that alter fibres of a personality. Fame maybe, but my guess is there is an 80's expoesque stink to his loss of drive and effort. Sometimes rumours have some fact to them. He has gone from a favourite to spare part at best and it is very unfortunate.
Brian Gionta could have scored 5 last night. Whet energy - cant wait to watch him buzz around Chara!
Watching the game in the post-Carbo era was like watching a different kid playing the hockey video game. Martin will give them a better chance to win by making smarter decisions during the course of the game each night. (Insert Carbo coaching decision rant, Ignore potential Metro PP duty rant)
Markov - the ultimate kick in the soft spots. The only good news is that he couldn't possibly have more time to recover in the same season. There as nothing good about this but maybe some good can come from it. Spacec is looking like a brilliant aquisition right now as they still have a good puck mover - hopefully they will survive and then peak when he ruturns.
Sorry to be so long winded. been a while!
Ribeiro and Grabowski may have fine statistical careers, but they will never be fine players. Both have gone to desperate or dead end teams that had nothing to lose talking them. Dallas was in trouble, Toronto was in Toronto. Sergei is of the same sort - he will probably do well in the NHL for a couple of years but won't be a leader or a significant player for long. It's too bad. Like many players from many places, he has the ability. He just doesn't appear to have the smarts.
He's no Kovalev, and not even an Alexandre Daigle. Just a spoiled cocky kid without enough evident talent for that to be worth ignoring. Once he was sent to the minors, he ceased to be a short term asset to the team. So if he sits til he reports, let him sit. And if he never reports and wanders off to the KHL, let's tell ourselves he had a head injury and had to leave the game.
No future with the Canadiens? After this? What planet is this guy living on?
I really question the mental ability of a player who thinks he is a "lock" on a team based on a comment by the GM that he should be ready to play.
He fails to mention that his agent told him to "honor his contract".
"Changes in the night with mounting losses there'll be changes in the night" ex Frank Sinatra
You'd be hard-pressed to ever win a thing at the NHL level with a guy like Sergei.
He would be perfect on a shytty team in a non-hockey market, where he could get his 60-odd points and all the dullards would think he's a good player and he could maintain his overinflated sense of self.
He could never play on the top two lines of a true contender, so he's essentially a spare part if we have any real aspirations.
Give me a Travis Moen-type, who's willing to pay the real price to win, any day over a talented, petulant POS that we'd be lucky to get a bag of pucks for now.
Good management should never shoot yourself in the foot. Granted, Sergei needs to grow-up. Just get rid of him as a lot of posters suggested would be a total loss. Whether Sergei will change or not, we should at least help him to get back on his feet and get some value out of him.
I agree that Sergei is to blamed for his action. Just pin him to the corner is not going to help the club. The management needs to work something out with him in private. All the negative posts on him will not help the situation.
I propose a swap with Ufa Salavat Yulayev. They take Sergei and send us back Perezhogin and we'll see if we can't make something out of him instead.
Sergei
frankly I don't give a flying fig about your opinion of your own talent and how you deserved this or that. There's no room for primadonnas in Habs' ranks. Being considered a quality player at the NHL level requires a lot more than what you have shown so far.
So, why don't you shut up and report to Hamilton, eating a little humble pie will do ya a lot of good, trust me. However if you want to keep this attitude then, I hope Gainey leaves you to rot for the rest of the year. After that, don't let the door knob hit you on your way out.
Sheesh, the kid hasn't proven anything but only that he's a stupid jerk and wants to be treated like a royalty as if he were Ovie (incidentally Ovie, Crosby or Malkin don't act like that somehow!).
Ali B.
After reading that article I would almost guess that the NHL is sort of a mystery to Sergei. He makes assumptions, then takes them for fact several times. A NA kid would be quick to avoid any hint of tampering whereas Sergei alludes that his agent is shopping him around.
You know it might just be that this talented kid is simply as thick as a brick, in any language.
We let the prima dona Kovalev go, traded the prima dona, Higgins and let quite a few others go and this kid still hasn't gotten the message. Stupid and arrogant with bad hair is no way to go through life son.
I'm really hoping this gets sorted out soon, I still am willing to overlook this as he's a kid basically and doesn't understand this situation as well as he thinks. Montreal really needs all hands on deck right now after the Markov situation and if Sergei would just choose to play, rebound in Hamilton than he will play for Montreal again this season and he'll be doing it consisently, he just has to show the work ethic.
Please Bob, sort the kid out, we could use all the help we can get right now.
- I shall always remember Captain Koivu.
You've got to be kidding? Who has anointed this jerk as the second coming of Guy Lafleur? He's a kid. So was Lafleur and a ton of other good players in the past, but they didn't pull the garbage this idiot has. He will be no help at all if he doesn't grow up and realize nobody owes him anything in life. He has to EARN it! As for the Markov situation, tell me how this malingerer would help out with the loss of Markov? Markov is a star, and a defenseman with a great, proven talent, a great work ethic and attitude. Kostitsyn isn't even a good player, he's a winger, with potential but no proven talent, and a lousy work ethic and attitude. Yep, I think he's the perfect player to step up for Markov.
I didn't annoint him as anything, I don't know if he'll ever get to be a top line player and of course you can't compare him to Lafleur.
My view is if he shapes up, plays a couple strong months in Hamilton and then is called up, he could take a Top-6 role as he's shown he can do in some points in the past and help deliver some scoring, as Montreal will have to offset the loss of offensive ability from the back end and the fact that our defence won't be able to keep out as many goals as we'd like with the lynchpin of the Defensive system gone. No one can step up for Markov of course, but having a potential Top-6 player actually hit his potential to some degree and give Montreal more scoring up front? That would help a BIT and that's what I was saying.
I am willing to let this crap go for now because he's a kid with talent that he just has to utiilize consistently, it was a mistake bringing him up early from Hamilton before he proved he could be a consistent player and could handle the NHL game and player lifestyle (which he didn't do) as he did get too much into the distracting off-ice activities. Why throw the kid away for nothing (which is what we'd get for him, 7th-round draft choice sound good to anyone in exchange?) and then in 5 years, everyone would be saying it would be the worst move ever if he does become a great player elsewhere.
- I shall always remember Captain Koivu.
Good Riddance.
I have only said this about 10 times so I better repeat myself. I hope he reports to Hamilton, addresses the issues with his play that the club wants improved and makes it back on the team. If the team welcomes him back, I certainly do as well.
And with our particular team? I am of the opinion Campbell would fit rather well.
So would Sharp for that matter...
Respectfully,
Lord Bugs Potter, esq. Major-General of Fort Gainey Demolitions Depot, Rear Admiral of the II-Class Destroyer Red Armada, and Under-Secretary of Defense of The Flannel.
something about a salary cap....just saying.
I find that "Respectfully" to be so so...disrespectful.
Leave it to bugsy.
No room for Campbell's salary under the cap and for whom. We would have to move over $10 million back to them in salaries to make him fit.
Sergei has a point. He was sent down because of his attitude and, most likely, to set an example for the rest, not because of performance. Half the team sucked in pre-season games and he was at least as good as the other young guns, so I'm not sure about the example part.
In any case, whatever his attitude, his anger is not a bad sign. Good players are often nasty little pricks that score hundreds of goals. Let him rot and fester until he reports to Hamilton, then consider a trade or call-up, not before.
Ak should be talking to his bro. He could still be an important part of this team so don't let him be part of any other one just yet.
Do you not think that his attitude had any impact on his performance? And by extension, his performance any impact on his team's performance?
Respectfully,
Lord Bugs Potter, esq. Major-General of Fort Gainey Demolitions Depot, Rear Admiral of the II-Class Destroyer Red Armada, and Under-Secretary of Defense of The Flannel.
Yes...if there were any real demonstrations of hockey to talk about so far.
The only performance I have seen to this point was from a handful of players who were ready for the third period of yesterdays game.
The brat that he most certainly is, Sergei probably snickered at the wrong time, period.
Now they have to convince him to report to Hamilton or Martin and Gainey lose face and a big investment that will certainly involve AK as well. Ask the Sedins.
Hmm... reminds me of the kids in class who talk and misbehave until the teacher's had enough and sends them to the office. They then spend the next 15 minutes explaining to the vice-principal that they have no idea why they got kicked out of class, and show that they got 75% in their last test.
I'm probably not the only one that thinks that SK wouldn't be too interested in telling the press that the coach cut him because he had a questionable work ethic and a bad attitude.
na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, good-bye!
Ok well since this is all bublic now his trade value is slim to none. All the GMs out there know the Habs need to get rid of this player. So Bob will have to be creative and put together a package of players. Say Pleks, Hamer, SK and/or maybe a prospect and go out looking for either that always elusive big center or a defenceman that shoots right or potentially both if we throw in some draft picks. I'm sure Chicago might be interested to re-unite him with Kane or the Oilers with Gagne despite his attitude problem.
Time to start speculating what's on your Bob's wish list?
Honestly?
He's just acting like a whiny little four year old boy. Didn't play well enough to be on the team, expected to get what he wanted anyway, now he's stomping his feet and throwing a tantrum because he can't have his way.
Wow ... that is the worst interview I have ever read.
Sergei, if you don't understand something, then ask! I watched him play in those Pre-Season games, other then the goal yhe scored, he did absolutely nothing. What happened to the bulldog who broke into the league two years ago and would do anything to get the puck? Where has his passion gone? All he does now is float and wait for the pass. That will not fly with Jaques Martin as he quickly learned. I wish him all the best and really hope he pulls his head out of his *** and starts playing some real hockey. He could be a great Hab if he would just get over it and grow up.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Never judge another man's decision poor until you actually have proof of it failing!
This could be the problem:
"I played alright during the pre-season."
He's right. But alright doesn't cut it. Thta he woudl say that (or somethign like it) shows his immaturity. But if the team is not communicating with him it shows that last year's lesson was not learned.
We've lost guys because of immaturity who went on to get the support they needed elsehwere: Ribiero, Graovsky are the obvious ones.... let's hope Bob and Jaques provide Sergei with the steady hand he needs. And if he doesn't respond to that. Let him sit the year out and think. No way this guy should be traded for a bag of pucks.
--------------------------------------------------- `Could this team miss the playoffs? Who knows?' - Bob Gainey on the new Habs.
Except SmartDog, his assessment of "alright" is still above others that made the team. Stewart and Pacioretty did not earn their spots in the lineup. Sergei was better than both of them in the games that he played. His reasons for being sent down is completely due to attitude, and that's contrary to what's been stated by the club as well as what many people on this site have been saying.
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http://berkshireonthehabs.blogspot.com/
Pacioretty showed up to camp in impeccable condition, and doesn't get caught in all this off ice non sense.
I was at the game in Boston, and Sergei was doing what he wanted on the ice, and not following the game plan. That's what Martin meant about him needing to mature.
Stewart is a fourth line player, and is a different piece of the puzzle than Sergei is.
You don't get to show up and play "alright" after the season he had last year, and expect to have a spot on the team. Also by cutting him, it sends a message to the rest of the roster that the country club attitude is over.
I disagree. I didn't see anything special from him and I thought MaxPac played well, and also brings a dimension we need. Sergei might have scored but his goal was a tap-in... and one goal doesn't say much by itself in pre-season. Attitude IS important, it has to be. And everyone is taking Sergei at his word for what he was or wasn't told. We don't know that these things are true. For my money, neither Kostitsyn delivered much in pre-season. Andrei was the same last night, until the last 10 minutes. And where does this entitlement come from? Chips was great in pre-season last year but didn't stick.
--------------------------------------------------- `Could this team miss the playoffs? Who knows?' - Bob Gainey on the new Habs.
Double post
Okay one game into this years season, this is were we stand:
...Our best defenceman is out for 2-4 months. (hopefully 2)
...One of the best YOUNG stars in the Canadiens lineup wants out. (another player for us to BOO)
...BGL got an assist, and a fight, IN THE SAME GAME!!!!
...The habs are undefeated with Plakanec, Cammelleri, Metropolit, and Gorges among the scoring leaders!!
...And I tried to bite my tongue, but I have to say it: Price looks amazing!!
All that needs to be said is that this year will be a crazy year. I really hope the Habs can pull it together and do well this season. Get well soon markov, we need you.
Easiest way to do this, is shelf the kid without pay. Just because he demanded being traded doesnt mean BG is obliged to trade him. Then see if the kid will own up to his responsabilities and show up to Hamilton, and play his whiney arse off, and EARN the spot on the Habs roster.
Losers Even After Forty two Seasons
Respectfully,
Lord Bugs Potter, esq. Major-General of Fort Gainey Demolitions Depot, Rear Admiral of the II-Class Destroyer Red Armada, and Under-Secretary of Defense of The Flannel.
He's suspended, so already being shelfed without pay. Sergei is a pretty hard-headed guy...can the team afford to play an extended battle of wills, with all the disruptions and PR entaglements that go with such, with a player?
Players have leverage in today's NHL, so trying to apply heavy-handed discipline to them a la 1970 when the players had no leverage is simply delusional.
What's delusional is Sergei's prima donna attitude. Let him rot in suspension-land until he comes to his senses. It's time to take a stand on idiots like Sergei and the Dan Heatley's of the NHL.
_________________________________________________________________________
Beliveau- his legend is 600' tall and growing...
"It's time to take a stand on idiots like Sergei and the Dan Heatley's of the NHL."
Perhaps, but the ill-will generated by that move with the NHLPA and its members would be a rather foolish price to pay for our principles.
It's like the cyclist that tries to get into a road-rage argument with a car driver when they knew they did everything by the book...it doesn't matter that you did everything right if you're dead. Sometimes you have to realize that the fight isn't worth fighting.
Exactly what leverage does he have? He is in clear violation of his contract, KHL has been told they cannot touch him and they have agreed. He has two choices, work out his problems in Hamilton so that Gainey can get something for him or go home and work on the farm.
Franklin the Beagle, 7/1/2002-7/13/2009
The Habs cannot suspend him indefinitely if he changes his mind and decides he will report to Hamilton. I think 2 or 3 weeks suspension is reasonable in that case. Anything more will bring in the NHLPA.
If he decides he won't report to Hamilton, then the Habs can suspend him indefinitely.
I think that is what I said, Report or stay suspended.
Franklin the Beagle, 7/1/2002-7/13/2009
I think what Chris is trying to say is that if we refuse to trade him and suspend him indefinitely the union may get involved and cause problems. And we know the media will make a big spectacle of it.
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http://berkshireonthehabs.blogspot.com/
Isnt Sergei on a 2 way contract?
Losers Even After Forty two Seasons
Yes he is. So not reporting to Hamilton is a breach of his contract for sure.
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http://berkshireonthehabs.blogspot.com/
Correct me if Im wrong, but that means the NHLPA cant do squat for him if they get involved, seeing as hes in breach of contract....unless players are allowed to breach their contracts cause they feel obliged to play in the big leagues?
Losers Even After Forty two Seasons
I'm not entirely sure Propwash, my opinion of unions has soured after working in several different places using them. It seems that those who abuse the system the most get the greatest benefit of union representation, and the NHLPA is no exception. For example last season when Avery was suspended the union greived it.
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http://berkshireonthehabs.blogspot.com/
SK - we don't care about you. We have bigger things on our minds. Shut up.
BG - just leave him hanging until he reports and then decide if you care. Don't trade him for nothing - let him die on his own for nothing.
And his brother is going to accept and not be effected!!
Didn't we go thru all this BS speculation about AK46 last year when SK was sent down? The kid is turning out to be a drama queen!
"Don't trade him for nothing - let him die on his own for nothing."
And AK would be OK with this.
IMO, this was f**ked up. Not that he was sent down but how. Trade the kid and be done with it, he can turn into a bigger distraction then he already is.
"BG - just leave him hanging until he reports and then decide if you care. Don't trade him for nothing - let him die on his own for nothing."
Accomplishing what, exactly? The Habs already tried to send a message to and using Sergei Kostitsyn. He, at the very least, wasn't in a listening mood.
In minor hockey rep teams and junior they always have exit interviews for kids that don't make the team and tell them specific skills, attitudes, etc. that they need to work on. Just giving Sergei a bus ticket isn't helpful.
Who is Sergei's agent? His agent should have advised his client that perhaps he didn't shine in preseason, note other clients that have spent time in the AHL, and perhaps told him refusing to report has negatively affected his market worth. The best way to get a trade or back on the big club is to play in the AHL, work hard, and show what you can do.
Respectfully,
Lord Bugs Potter, esq. Major-General of Fort Gainey Demolitions Depot, Rear Admiral of the II-Class Destroyer Red Armada, and Under-Secretary of Defense of The Flannel.
I believe it's don mehan.
Perhaps if Gainey would have given Sergei the same treatment as he gave Kovalev we could have avoided this situation. Sit him down and have a good talk, calm him down and assure him that Hamilton is very temporary. Hell, I already think it was a massive mistake to keep Pacioretty up over him.
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http://berkshireonthehabs.blogspot.com/
You mean give a sophomore the same treatment as a 17-year All-Star, Stanley Cup-winning NHL veteran? Uhhh, I dunno...
Respectfully,
Lord Bugs Potter, esq. Major-General of Fort Gainey Demolitions Depot, Rear Admiral of the II-Class Destroyer Red Armada, and Under-Secretary of Defense of The Flannel.
If we can coddle a 35 year old veteran with attitude problems, we should be able to coddle a 22 year old prospect with attitude problems. Kovy was treated like a king here and spat in our faces, far as I'm concerned Sergei still deserves better than him, even after the trade request. He has the benefit of being immature to give him a grace period, Kovalev is just a baby.
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http://berkshireonthehabs.blogspot.com/
" Kovy was treated like a king here and spat in our faces"
================
Sorry, I don't agree. Kovy tried to dicker for more money and a longer contract, something that is called negotiation. I'll bet, given the Habs success in previous years, that Kovy never expected the signings of Gionta and Cammellari (sp?) to happen. Kovy's attempt to negotiate backfired on him, but I don't believe that negotiating is "spat in our face".
As the lyrics say: You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em, Know when to walk away and know when to run....Kovy tried to hold em, when he should have run.
REB, negotiating is a two way street, you have to actually call people back that you're negotiating with. Kovalev and his agent used Montreal's offer as leverage to get a better contract SOMEWHERE ELSE. After the season he had, and at his age Kovalev should have been taking a massive home town discount to stay here, not asking for a raise.
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http://berkshireonthehabs.blogspot.com/
Respectfully,
Lord Bugs Potter, esq. Major-General of Fort Gainey Demolitions Depot, Rear Admiral of the II-Class Destroyer Red Armada, and Under-Secretary of Defense of The Flannel.
Because of Markov's injury. Sure.
__________________________________________
http://berkshireonthehabs.blogspot.com/
Respectfully,
Lord Bugs Potter, esq. Major-General of Fort Gainey Demolitions Depot, Rear Admiral of the II-Class Destroyer Red Armada, and Under-Secretary of Defense of The Flannel.
And because Koivu and Tanguay woke him up in the last 10 games.
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http://berkshireonthehabs.blogspot.com/
Second of all, he STILL finished first in pts.
So you agree with me.
Respectfully,
Lord Bugs Potter, esq. Major-General of Fort Gainey Demolitions Depot, Rear Admiral of the II-Class Destroyer Red Armada, and Under-Secretary of Defense of The Flannel.
Yeah, a bit of a pattern emerging here with Gainey. From Ryder to Grabovsky to Sergei. This ain't 1976 any more. And they said Carbo had problems with communication!
Come on guys, how many times are we going to fall for the "no one told me I was not performing" BS. It doesn't work in high school, it shouldn't work here. He's a big boy who knows exactly what was expected and he did NOT do it!
Franklin the Beagle, 7/1/2002-7/13/2009
You need to stop thinking that the organization is always right, and maybe listen to the player's side of the story a little. It is possible that there was a communication problem between both parties.
If he was in fact told by the head coach that he had a spot on the team, and then if he was cut without being explained (not just told) why, then it's understandable that he's a little frustrated.
Don't just go out and bash the player without fully listening to both sides of the story, cause there is a possibility that he's telling the truth.
I love Gainey as a player, person and even as a GM most of the time, but the way he lets players go doesn't sit right with me. I remember reading Ryder saying in an interview that Gainey didn't even call to say thanks for your time in Montreal, I think that's really sad because aside from one bad season with lingering injuries Ryder was a fan favourite here, and a great player.
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I wouldn't go as far as saying that Ryder was a great player. He was a good goal scorer, but he was pretty terrible without the puck, and erratic in his own end.
That's true, great is an overstatement. But it can't be denied that in his first three years in Montreal he was one of our top players, and probably our most dangerous goal scorer.
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PAX is 10x better than SERGIE will ever be...PAX is hardnosed with talent and a great attitude, doesn't have that "i'm too cool" attitude that the newly minted wealth from belarus has...taking his hometown feud onto the ice at great disrespect to the Habs Organization, going after that other IDIOT GRABS....
stop loving players because of some imagined glory you think they'll deliver, instead appreciated hard work and sweat that comes from guys like MOEN, STEWART, METRO, LAPS and LATS....guys like GIONTA and CAMM who stick their necks out when the going gets tough.
little punks like SERGIE have no place in a MANS TEAM...a team that is building itself and its chemistry for postseason aspirations.
the very fact that he is talking the way he is .....is immediate grounds for dismissal...in fact I already question GAINEY for not pulling the trigger on this punk and jettisoning him already..expect it soon.
and don't dare compare to KOVY, who was benched and told to stay home, and he did, and appreciated it actually.
I don't know if Patches is better than Sergei, but he seems to be more of a team player, and also seems to have a great attitude. I think that if he listens to his teamates and coaches he'll develop into a solid top 6 forward.
Problem with Sergei is that he doesn't seem to want to listen, and isn't buying into the system.
"stop loving players because of some imagined glory you think they'll deliver"
THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE DOING!!!!! Pacioretty has done NOTHING in the NHL, he lasted on the top line last night for about 10 seconds. He can't score at this point, all the hype about Pacioretty is based around him being a power forward. Power forwards score, Patches can't. Sergei is just as hard nosed, if not more so than Pacioretty, he was great in the playoffs as well when the going got tough. Your blind hatred for Sergei and love for Pacioretty has nothing to do with play, and everything to do with where they come from. It's obvious by your constant harping on about NAG and insulting Sergei for being from Belarus. You don't like Europeans, that's all there is to it.
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good comeback...I respect that.
but for the record, N.A.G. is not an exclusive North American BORN club....I've made that clear many times... it just happens that being born here and run through this system automatically gives you a great chance of adapting that STYLE....but that is not to say that a player raised on the north american system can be void of the N.A.G. style...as well a Euro-Zone upbringing can still have a remote chance of adapting the N.A.G. superiority of play...see OVECHKIN who is a pure N.A.G. player.
Shouldn't have made that my first sentence if I were you. Understand we all not very happy with Le Bon Serge right now but that's no reason to be delusional.
Sergei has as much grit as the Pac-Man AND he has vision AND he can pass AND he can score. So far, I've seen Pac-Man drive to the puck and to the net and be unable to do anything once he gets near both.
Respectfully,
Lord Bugs Potter, esq. Major-General of Fort Gainey Demolitions Depot, Rear Admiral of the II-Class Destroyer Red Armada, and Under-Secretary of Defense of The Flannel.
repectfully, I like to lay out my statement, and then back it up with unquestionable proof based on facts and examples until not a hint of doubt remains of MY OPINION!....I don't skirt and riddle around my points, they are solid as etched in granite....
just like the principles that founded and guided our great elite organization, therefore I stand as a guard to those fickle and weak to grant a supplicant as SERGIE any mercy.