Log in & Sign up
You are not logged in.
Young Americans
posted by Mike Boone at 21h26 EST on Jul 7
"There's always pressure in this kind of camp," said McDonagh. "Granted, it's my second time around. But there's always new guys they've picked up in the draft and you want to show you haven't fallen behind."
McDonagh felt he "got stronger as the year went on" during his first season at Wisconsin. He thinks his skayting and his strength are his primary assets.
"There aren't many defencemen my size who can move laterally, forward and backward as well as I," said the 6"1", 210-pounder. McDonagh said he's hoping to increase his offensive production after playing behind three senior defencemen who got most of the power-play time at Wisconsin last season.
"At the end of year meeting with our coach, Mike Eaves, he told me straight to my face I'm going to be a go-to guy this season. That only excites me because I want to help the team win and it helps my development."
As to how long he'll stay at Wisconsin, McDonagh says he's taking things year by year.
"I still need to get stronger and work on a few things before I turn pro. I'm fine with that. I'm not rushing myself. I'm enjoying college and enjoying my teammates. It's good."
Fischer talked about his weight – or lack of same. He is "flirting with 200", which hardly conjures up Moose Vasko when a player is 6'5". Fischer is nursing a wrist injury which has hampered his work in the weight room.
"I want to be playing at about 205, 210 this year," Fischer said. "Hopefully when my time in Montreal begins, I'm going to be playing comfortably at 215ish, 220ish.
"A guy my height, it's a matter of packing the meat on. It's really hard taking guys like Laraque in the corner if you don't have the beef to take them down. It's a part of my game I'm working on, but it's a marathon, not a sprint."
Fischer says he is working on moving the puck quickly, "keeping the play in front of you, not massaging it so much ... but also playing with more confidence, carrying the puck into the offensive zone, being involved."
On the pressure of being a first-round pick, Fischer said "everyone has expectations, but deep down it's the expectations I set for myself that are important."
"I don't think about the past. I'm playing the game I love and I'm a lucky guy."
Pacioretty said "thi is a big summer for me." He trusts the Canadiens to offer sound advice on whether he should turn pro or go back to Michigan.
"I couldn't tell you right now. We have to talk more about it and figure out how they (Canadiens) feel and tht'll help my decision."
Pacioretty is aware that the big club could use a power forward.
"I think that's where they see my upside," Pacioretty said. "I'm able to play a more physical role. But I've got a lot of work to become a power forward.
"Every shift wears on your body a lot. I have to spend a lot of time in the weight room."
Citing the "unbelievable season" racked up by Andrei Kostitsyn, Pacioretty says he's encouraged by the way the Canadiens nurture young talent.
"It's great that this organization cares about their younger players and develops them," he said.
Share the agony and ecstasy of Habs fandom and read live blogs from every game with Gazette columnist Mike Boone.
Habs Inside/Out main RSS feed
Mr. Boone,
first of all, thanks for some good articles lately, during this relatively slow off season.
Second, and I don't mean to be too critical, but I've spotted spelling mistakes in the last 3 articles. I don't mean to sound like your editor, but surely a quick spell check wouldn't hurt before you post your work ?
I don't care if there are 24 American born players on our roster or 24 Russians, etc.., as long as they wear the Habs jesey with pride.
"We will win the Cup only with Carey Price in the nets"
Mike, no pics of the young guns??
Do we know when the 2nd annual HIO event at the bell Centre will be????? I missed last year and I saw how much fun everyone had. Especially the pictures taken behind the coaches press room!
It's NEVER over til it's OVER!
Will you guys (Habsinside Out website) post some pictures of the development camp? It would be nice to see some... as you did during the last season.
Cheers
MB: "the young Americans are bright and well-spoken"
Hey, put even a hockey player in a Division 1 university and they learn a thing or two about diction and decorum.
I'm sorry, did you want George Gillett to raise the Cap for the Habs only. I'm not sure what this posting has to do with the NHL??? Are you aware that the Brewers are a Baseball team? What exactly would you like to see our owner do?
Congratulations, you hit a new low on faceoff.com.
http://www.faceoff.com/hockey/teams/toronto-maple-leafs/story.html?id=26...
Many of us are aware of your habit of making posts using the handles of people from HIO, but in your final two entries last night, you managed to make fun of of a gentleman who has learned to read and write despite all odds, while in the same breath insinuating I am a pedophile. There have been several complete losers that have come here for whatever juvenille reasons, but you take the cake.
Yes, I imagine it's very healthy for team morale when the players have the TVs on in the clubhouse, speculating about who is about to be traded.
Two things: the Brewers are chronic losers. The Habs aren't. Pretty much anything Melvin does at this stage is an improvement.
And I don't give a sh!t what the fans say. The GM manages the team. The team wins. The GM promised a scoring / speed based game. We got it. The GM said he'd pick up an impact player, he got a point-per-game guy in Tanguay. This team would be in tatters if the GM made moves the please the fans. We would've given up Higgins and gawd knows who else for Hossa, only to lose him. We would've paid thru the nose for Shanahan, who had a meh season this year and is clearly on the downswing of his career.
You're boring, dude.
Glad to see you found another sport to interest you. Does that mean we won't be seeing you here again, or are you just giving us false hope?
Garnet Exelby (DL) 26 years old may be available by Xmas. Exelby has dropped down on the depth chart due to the emergence of Zack Bogosian (3rd overall) , free agent signing Ron Hainsey and very possible signing of Ilya Nikulin (DL-31st overall/2000-26 years old) from AK Bars Kazan who may need a month or two in the AHL to get acclimated to the North American game. With Havelid and Enstrom holding down their spots it leaves Ken Klee , young Boris Valabik (DL- 10th overall/2004 - 6' 7"/230) and Exelby fighting for the 6th spot. Many posters on this site have expressed their liking for Exelby who has 2 years left in his contract at 1.4/1.75 million so now he is not considered an untouchable and there is a window. Read more in an article by Bill Tiller .. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ..... http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/ajc/thrashersfans/entries/...
Canoe Sports Forum : Subject RE : The Canadiens players should they learn French? .. google translated ..... http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.canoe.com...
Who cares, to be honest with you. This is information we can all do without, don't you think?
Prospects strut their stuff for Hab's brass ,, by Pat Hickey ..... http://www.faceoff.com/hockey/nhlnews/story.html?id=86b23e9e-f53e-415d-9...
The Morning Skate : Fabulous Fabian Missing - Lists Best Available Free Agents - Blake Geoffrion is Preds Hometown Boy ,. By Stu Hackel .. NY Times ..... http://slapshot.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/07/the-morning-skate-bronx-bom...
Max is probably ready to turn pro but it would be best for him to play another year at michigan and for the u.s.a at the wjc.
I agree. Watched most of Michigan's games last year and he might be ready, but with the great system they've got there and the fact that he was on the first line last year (which was arguably the best line in the country) both his linemates are gone and he will most likely be looked upon as the leader and go to guy. Don't think he would get the 'C' bet definately be a leader. I can't wait to see how he turns out!!
i basically just copied off boone but i didn't see his first....I SWEAR!!!! haha
sounds like Timmins thinks Pacioretty is ready to turn pro and start the season in Hamilton.
No, he'll go back to Michigan. He played on a line with two great players who have left the school and the Canadiens will want to see how he does carrying more of a load. Also, it's to the team's economic advantage (delayed free agency, etc.) to keep players in school for at least a couple years.
Max played with the Hobey Baker award winner Kevin Porter who will be on the Coyotes roster at the start of the season. It is an economic advantage to keep them in college for two to three years and the fans myself included always forget that fact.
thanks for the heads up. I thought I had heard Timmins say that he thought Pacioretty was physically ready to turn pro.
I like the way our team is going. Great potential to the young soon to be NHL players.
Looks like the habs are adding some size to the bulldogs
http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=242769&lid=sublink03&lpos=headlines_nhl
Not size.... Toughness.. Go onto you tube and see some of his fights.... Kinda like Chris Simon
" Drive is on for Cup # 25 "
Except, unlike Simon, this guy seems to lose every fight he gets in. I watched five of them and he lost them all - badly.
Dobermans and German Shepherds to run with the Chihuahuas!
__________________________________
Good analogy. I was thinking pitbulls with laso apso's or horny jack terriers!
I really like the attitude of these young studs and it hasn't changed since they been drafted , the future looks solid.
An inspiring read for sure. I'm not quite a certain about Fischer's potential, but years from now i get a gut feeling that the Pacioretty and McDonagh picks will be singled out as two of Timmin's and staff's best.
In my dreams it goes something like this...
The Gazette Early June 2011
The Montreal Canadiens won their second Stanley cup in the last three seasons yesterday evening despite a determined effort from the rapidly improving Chicago Blackhawks. There were many reasons why the Habs were able to seal the deal in just five games when many thought the series would go longer. Carey Price was superb in the finals, as he had been for the entire playoffs, the Kostitsyn brothers continued to pace Montreals offence, but it was a pair of youngsters, allumni from the 2007 draft year that had more to do with it than many casual fans may realize.
Flash back to game six of the conference finals, when hard rock defenseman Mike Komisarek was lost to the team due to a badly sprained ankle, second year defenseman Ryan McDonough stepped up and was able to fill in admirably, delivering a crunching hit on Sydney Crosby that let every Penguins player know the deputy was ready to fill in for the ailing sheriff.
Back and forth the teams skated but the game was still tied at the end of regulation time. Nobody on the Canadiens wanted to go back to Pittsburgh for a seventh game, enter the Habs second pick of that fateful 2007 draft. When Max Pacioretty banged home the rebound from Roman Hamrliks point shot with time winding down in the fourth period, nobody was happier than Trevor Timmins, with the exception of Pacioretty himself.
Pacioretty and McDonough continued to assert themselves throughout the final series against the Hawks, McDonough racking up quality minutes in Komisareks absence while Pacioretty picked up 4 more goals including the overtime winner in game three. Looking back on this successful post-season fans will speak glowingly of the Kostitsyn brothers, of the scintillating netminding of Carey Price, of the heady two-way play of Plekanec and Higgins, but without McDonoughs solidifying presence on the blueline, without Paciorettys overtime goals, things might have turned out differently.