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About Mike Boone
Full Name
Mike Boone
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http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/columnists/mike_boone.html
About
I grew up in Park Extension, within walking distance of Dickie Moore's Dairy Queen on Jean Talon. Moore had a place on L'Acadie Blvd., and we used to see him driving around in his convertible with a Samoyed and a very dishy wife.
While "studying" at McGill University during the 1960s, I used to attend games at the old Montreal Forum. My fellow undergraduate reprobates and I would scramble up the stairs to get centre-ice spots in the top standing room section, where aged ushers didn't know or care what we were smoking.
I stood out in the cold for six hours to get tickets to the 1975 New Year's Eve game between the Canadiens and Central Red Army. With the exception of the birth of my daughter, the 3-3 tie was the greatest event I've ever seen in my life.
The Canada-U.S. Gold medal game comes close .... but I wasn't there.
I've been a professional journalist since 1974, when I joined the Montreal Star sports department. I've covered the 1976 Olympic Games, the 1979 Expos, pop music and MSO tours of Europe and Asia (classical musicians are WAY more fun to drink with than athletes). I wrote a TV & Radio column for 20 years and, since 2000, have written a City column for The Gazette.
The best part of being a Habs Inside/Out contributor is attending games at the Bell Centre. I think it's a great building: noisy, raucous and packed to the rafters with Montrealers and visitors who live for hockey.
And I still get goosebumps every time Michel Lacroix booms out "Accueillons nos Canadiens ..."
Having seen the Boston Red Sox win two World Series and the Pittsburgh Steelers add a couple Super Bowl titles, I suppose I can die happy ... but not before another Stanley Cup parade. And I'd really like my daughter to see a historic New Year's Eve game.
I like all the players. Covering baseball gives me a profound appreciation of pro athletes who aren't jerks.
My weltanschauung was summarized by the late great Bill Hicks when he said "all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, there is no such thing as death, life is only a dream and we are the imagination of ourselves."
Have a nice day.
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Watching Steve Mason flounder tonight (as he has for most of the season), people complain about Carey Price?__________________________________________
http://berkshireonthehabs.blogspot.com/
AB - When will teams finally learn that you can't rush young players before they are ready? For every Crosby or Hawerchuk who can directly make the jump, there are dozens of young guys who have their careers ruined because they looked good in training camp or were hot shots coming our of junior. I'll get laughed off this site, but it wouldn't hurt Subban to even spend two years in Hamilton.
There is absolutley no reason why the Habs should even consider bringing Subban up in the next season and a half. Maybe MAYBE towards the latter parts of next season depending on how things look.
By the way, your view on Subban is one of the least reasons why you will be laughed off this site : 0
Uh. That's because we're Habs fans. We'll complain about Steve Mason when he stones us.
I was going to comment about this topic too..
Carey Price and Steve Mason are having a very similar beginning to their careers..
They are facing very identical situations.
A smashing rookie season continuing with sophomore struggles..But Carey does have the edge as he started off very strong (16-4-4). And much of the blame this year does goes to the team's defense. Even though over 50% on this website will disagree with me and start throwing Carey under the bus.
I agree we shouldnt throw Price or any other youth on the team under the bus or boo them. Id have to wonder why you feel the need to give the edge to Price over Mason though; looking at each's division, Mason probably sees a lot more quality than Price. So no we shouldnt throw them under a bus but we shouldnt elevate them on a pedestal when they havent earned it either.
I disagree.
lol. kidding.
Ex nihilo nihil fit
LOL..I actually did laugh out loud. hahaha
Imagine paying $15,000 only to find Latendresse sitting at your table (or almost any other player on this year's roster). I would demand a refund!
Really, they should pay the poor suffering fans a handsome amount if they gets stuck having to eat hotdogs with AK46.
___________________________________________________________________
This concludes our broadcast. Goodnight.
or sitting at laraques table and having tofu as the main course mulvena72
I have to agree with several posters that ,this season's Habs are just plain lousy..I doubt any 'gelling' Jelling' whatever way you spell it is just a smoke screen, The Habs Stink & that's the end of it, Almost 30 years since the Habs were even considered a threat of any kind , with any kind of consistency.....(again the 2 exceptions ,where they snuck in the back door,..'86 & '93) Otherthan that, this franchise is full of ***,they don't have a Franchise player nor do they have many half decent players ( jmho) Both this thread & old Boone's are waning quickly ,Reality seems to have no relevance here,were even down to posting youtube videos too take our minds off the real topic (or should be) the Habs. There's better blogs out there re: the Habs and more intelligent posts. Now I'm sure I'll be met by some of the bed wetters who think they know about hockey,but probably have never seen a dynasty in action ,let alone a good team....A group that is predominatly fascinated by the T-Shirt cannon. As much as I want to remain a Habs Fan,it's becomming increasingly difficult to bother.......... I'll watch for a while & see what happens,good luck to you perennial Price Fans & the like.......To the many positive posters & intelligent posters ,continue the good work,but even you must be getting very frustrated at this years (and the last 20) poor performance.......
Good luck Habs,..but let's see some hockey & not just hocket jersey's from the past............Play like the Past Champions,..that will go farther to garner new fans & secure old ones than the horrible example we see iced today............
times change. nothing you can do about it. move forward. remember there are other teams that have never and will never win the cup....parity is what it is. no more dynasties. all sports are run this way now.
living in the past must be so painful, nevermind the fact that the NHL is different now, I guess that doesnt matter, thet "dynasty" teams now means winning 2 cups in a row or maybe even just having 2 stellar season in a row., not 4 or 5 a la Islanders or Habs.
Nervermind the global expansion of the game, and that the players are 20 times better than before, goalie can't even compare...The fact is the Habs suck right? They are lousy...theres no hope, and until we get a dynasty going, those days are over, this NHL is reality, and until you stop missing that train, it will continue to be painful.
It's a shame many "knowledgeable" fans and Habs haters all say that '86 and'93 were flukes. That's all bullshit. The Habs won the Cup those years. Which team was better than the one that won the Cup? (The answer is none, btw.) I guess the '89 Cup final loss doesn't exist in yor mind, either, but what's the point of stating the obvious?
_________________________________________________________________________
Beliveau- his legend is 600' tall and growing...
then stop watching if it's become so difficult.
Seriously, it's a no-brainer.
You'd think after 30 years of being so awful you would have found another team to follow...
He speaks the truth.
No, he doesn't. He speaks conceitedness; he speaks self-promotion; and he speaks falsely. If he is not a troll, he writes like one. I myself blog, but Mr. Boone and the rest of the HIO are pros who interact with the team every day. They have every leg up, objectively, over fanboys (enjoyable as they are ) who blog.
And they are not 'just plain lousy.' I've seen lousy teams (hey, I live in Vancouver) and what strikes me about our Habs now is how hard they work, how keen they are to succeed, and how much legitimate skill and grit several of our players have.
Winning is great (I loved the Habs of past decades), but the effort and cheer I've seen in several games this season have made me realise that pro Sport is entertainment, and I am being entertained.
Put Brian Burke down for a couple of tickets...while he keeps saying Toronto is the centre of the hockey universe,we all know how he really feels.
Habs rank 3rd, behind Toronto and New York.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=ys-forbesnhlvalues111109&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
i would love to have a peak at the revenue side of the organization,,habs that is.
Anyone see that 20 player shootout?
I'd like to see Trent Hunter in a Habs uniform -- big, strong, can play the PP and PK, right shot. His goal to tie it was sick.
We need about 5 Hunters.....
Varly was GOOD!
"All you need in hockey is good character, luck and skills" - Ovie
http://sports.ca.msn.com/top-stories/cbc-article.aspx?cp-documentid=22574792
...it looks like the NHL ...with Our The Bob at the forefront ...are again looking at remedies to the issue of head-shots, and even improved boot-protection to prevent cuts from sharp blades, and broken bones from shot-blocking
...it is unlikely anything will be resolved until next season (as sent to a 'sub'committee' for further 'study' ...yet again)
...meanwhile ...what are your opinions ? ...does NOT urgently addressing this problem, by putting immediate regulation in-place, ABSOLVE the NHL of Legal Culpability ...IF another player is seriously concussed or should die this season ?
...or do you Accept ...the NHL delaying this until Next Season ...or the next ...OR the next... ?
Habitant means PASSIONATE HOCKEY
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=423049
does anyone know how maxwell is doing in hamilton?
http://www.hamiltonbulldogs.com/stats
- we need a MARKOV.
Detroit pummels Columbus 9-1 at home on Hitchcock's 1000th game! I don't know what I'd rather see....losing 1-0 or 9-1...hmm.....
"All you need in hockey is good character, luck and skills" - Ovie
Worst home loss in franchise history... Happy 1000th!
Ex nihilo nihil fit
Wow hitchcocks not gonna like that lol
Did Columbus ever get smoked tonight!
Boone, I'm a little busy right now, can you go ahead and get me a ticket? I'll get you next time...
Caps are without their best player and still scored 4 tonight.
The Isles don't have Okposo and they still put up 3.
What's our excuse -- no Markov? Come on.
Its not new we have a hard time to score at even strength. Its because were too small at centre. Other teams know this, and it keeps our offense to the perimeter as a result, its also why we always make other goalies look good. When Markov comes back itll only improve the PP goals, even strength goals wont improve that much.
Most every game Ive seen the habs play, Ive also found our forechecking to be much worse than the opposing teams. Martins got to get on the ball with that IMO.
Great post.
--------------------------------------------------- Gomez said he has something to prove this year. So far he's proving he can suck even more than last year.
jay leach is the 824th highest paid player in the league(cap hit wise),yes that is dead last. Also according to nhlnumbers.com we are the youngest team in the east and 5th youngest in the league. We also lead the league in minor penalties against. Yes,i'm bored.
Leach was solid last night.
i agree,i think he played a very solid 17+ minutes last night.
I'd rather see Leach stay than MAB or Gill.
Bored? Check out the Devils-Ducks game. Clarkson was on fire in the second period.
And we're only on the hook for half of that.
On the other hand, Gomez is 6th highest, but somewhere a quarter of the way down from the top in points.
Ergo, Leach brings 10 times more value.
--------------------------------------------------- Gomez said he has something to prove this year. So far he's proving he can suck even more than last year.
Plus, Gomez doesn't speak French.
Ex nihilo nihil fit
I don't think your watching the same games I am, but if you are: you seem to have dollar signs clouding your vision whenever Gomez touches the puck. He is, without a doubt, the best player on our team at breaking into the opposing team's blueline and definitely the best passer. Money is important, in a salary cap league, I'l give you that; but Gomez is without a doubt one of our best players. He is not a goal scorer, and never has been. But remember, you need people to score to get assists, regardless if the pass is exceptional or not. Keep in mind, you are not paying for Gomez's salary, it's not like when you look into your pockets that you're missing 7 point something million dollars. As for saying leach brings in 10 times the value, that might be the least qualified statement I have ever heard. Leach has played one game, and like he said he would be, he was invisible. No hits, no shots and a zero on the plus minus.
Upon further analysis.....you're right! We should have ten Jay Leaches on our team. SUCH GREAT VALUE! Think how much money we could save! Team building 101. Bob Gainey should hire you and pay you Scott Gomez's salary to make decisions like that. An astounding visionary! A revelation!
All this Gomez hating is ... confusing. In a season where there has not been a ton to cheer about so far, Gomez entertains every night.
i agree...people seem to make the most insane comments under prejudices.
- we need a MARKOV.
bah, flimshaw.
Did Gomez kick your puppy or something?
No, he's just plugging up one of the two most important positions on my favorite hockey team. And sucking an eigth of the cash, while being one of the poorest performing 1st line centers in the league.
--------------------------------------------------- Gomez said he has something to prove this year. So far he's proving he can suck even more than last year.
Blame the GM then for not closing the deal twice on Big Centres in Sundin and Lecavalier.
Bob is really good at making poor deals with Plan D acquistions.
I agree, a good GMs got to seal the deal.
Hey don't blame Bob for that. Sundin was worn out by unrealistic whining Leaf fans and media. He wanted no part of being the go-to-guy in Montreal. As for Lecavlier isn't he basically a 2nd line center this year? I wonder how he would have panned out here?
Hope they serve the current players copious amounts of extra-firm Jello for desert.
___________________________________________________________________
This concludes our broadcast. Goodnight.
I wish this organization would spend at least one third of it's effort getting the cup back to Montreal as it does promoting its 100 years of existence.
They already sell out the Centre every game, they needed new creative ways of getting money. It's too much work to get the Stanley Cup when you're making millions without it.
Ex nihilo nihil fit
Excellent post.
I agree, these ceremonies are getting a little much.
They just replaced the entire team. Seems like they are trying pretty f'in hard to me.
replacing the team is not trying hard. its foolish desperation
Your suggestions then?
It's only half the team, but who's counting!
Am I seeing things or are tables available for the low low price of between $4000.00 and $25,000.00???? I truly hope I'm reading this incorrectly...
$15,000.00 to sit with one of the current Habs and discuss how great the season is going? What if your stuck with George Laraque, do some of those energy drink girls come along? If you sit with AK, does SK come along as well?
I hope you also noticed that proceeds from the event go to the Canadiens Children's Foundation.
Well I hope the forum ghosts show up! They've been noticably absent this campaign although what can you say about all those OT/shootout wins!
In a way I'll be happy when it's all over and we can concentrate on winning hockey games and cut down on the pomp and circumstance or bread and circus whichever way you look at it! I think it was a distraction last year and while I appreciate the long and storied history of the franchise it's time to move on to the next hundred years. Think the Leafs will win a cup by then??? Not!!!
It won't be anything like the 3 day bash at the 2009 HIO Fan Summit. in 9 days.
Looking forward to it Ian!
Also moi, Howard
And so will end the only decade in which the HABS haven't won a cup. Not counting 1900 of course.
Truly saddened.
It's not over till the fat lady sings!
she's not the fat lady anymore. i heard she had a miscarriage
Technically it was over last season as the decade lasts from 2000-2009. So this year if we won it would be the first year of a new decade.
__________________________________________
http://berkshireonthehabs.blogspot.com/
Correct.. Our last chance already passed, but the decade still hasn't ended which was my point.
When Jan 1 comes around the men in my family will recall the decade and all the dissapointments this will be one of many.. Of course the wives will be upstairs lest we say something that'll land us to share bedding with the dog.
Ah, the classic "when does a decade start/end" debate, which people seem to be bringing up even more in the first decade of the new millennium.
The only way they are going to perpetuate the glory that once was the Montreal Canadiens is to produce a new feature film each year. They are considering two projects for next season: "Oh, What a Pair: The True Tale of The Breezer and Patrick Traverse" or "What No Buybacks? The Bobby Sheehan Story."
the centenial is just a smokescreen to cloud the fact that we haven't won a cup since 93....
We're 5 points ahead of the fricken Mape Leafs people!!!!
I hope they are serving Filet Mignon and Scampi...maybe it will help the suckers forget...
Ahhh, but at least it is EXCITING hockey (for the most part)...I'll take this team over the team of last year any day!
Exciting hockey?
What team are you watching?
This team is dull.