Log in & Sign up
You are not logged in.
Something in the air
posted by Mike Boone at 8h28 EST on Aug 25
Georges Laraque talks to Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal about why he chose the Canadiens over the Oilers.
• • •
Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe compiled a list of teams that are over and under the salary cap:
If teams exceed the new salary cap figure of $56.7 million for the upcoming season, they have until their opening night to get under the threshold. As of today, a half-dozen clubs will have to do some pruning (payroll figures from nhlnumbers.com):
1. Philadelphia $61.217 million
2. San Jose $59.926 million
3. Chicago $59.208 million
4. Washington $58.955 million
5. Calgary $58.179 million
6. Anaheim $58.013 million
And the half-dozen lowest payrolls to date:
25. Columbus 44.927 million
26. Nashville $42.873 million
27. NY Islanders $42.339 million
28. Phoenix $39.067 million*
29. Atlanta $37.719 million*
30. Los Angeles $27.756 million*
* Clubs must be within $16 million of the maximum cap figure, so Phoenix, Atlanta, and Los Angeles must "spend up" to $40.7 million.
Dupont also reports "Newest Bruin Michael Ryder has decided to purchase a downtown condo, continuing the trend of players eschewing green suburban lawns for bright city lights."
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
SUMMIT OCT,25 vs the DUCKS, meet your fellow HIO posters.
We have sold 70 tickets
We have left 14 tickets
Seats are together, all are $68 each.
Robert L. needs to hear from you today if you want to be part of this great weekend in Montreal.
Check out the Habs' classy new front page: http://canadiens.nhl.com/
1. www.flickeringpictures.com - not a hockey site, but still kinda neat
2. Josh Gorges on Montreal's attack: "They're comin', they're comin' and they keep comin'. Just line after line, wave after wave..."
Anyone going to the 10/30/08 Habs game at St. Paul (Minnesota)? If so, where's the party?
~Goose~
October 30, how about a midwest "mini-summit" in St. Paul???
matts has earned the right to weigh his options and see what is real value is out there.just hope he doesnt pull a neidermayer show.either matts decides before training camp starts or retire.luv to see matts in mtl with tanguay and kovalev.enough summer drop the puck!!
Seasons numbers 10 and 11 are now up and running.
1918-19 The Cup That Almost Was
http://wwwrealitycheckeyesontheprize.blogspot.com/2008/08/1918-19-cup-th...
1919-20 Newsy And Joe Malone Battle It Out
http://wwwrealitycheckeyesontheprize.blogspot.com/2008/08/1919-20-newsy-...
Van's Wellwood eager to turn things around .. by Brad Ziemer .. Faceoff.com ..... http://www.faceoff.com/story.html?id=8532b9ad-6b92-4869-9905-09113aacf1d...
Maxim Lapierre's hopes of Sundin playing for the Habs are fading , he has gained over 15 pounds of muscle and will not stop yapping on the ice now that Big George has arrived .. by Pierre Durocher .. Journal de Montreal (french version) ..... http://www.canoe.com/sports/nouvelles/archives/2008/08/20080826-065602.h...
Lapierre on Laracque (translated):
"He's an excellent acquisition, like Alex Tanguay," he said. "Georges commands respect and he's the best fighter in the league, in my opinion."
"Since the beginning of my career, I've never had a chance to play with such a (best equivalent word I could think of here is 'hardass'). Laracque's presence will make all our players play two inches taller. No one's going to intimidate us."
"On top of knowing how to fight, Georges is a good hockey player. It's hard to get the puck away from him."
Folks, I'm so glad there's a new sheriff in town -- and just as glad that he can play hockey, too. We never needed a goon -- we needed a hardass who can play. Can you imagine the success we would have had last year if our boys had never been physically intimidated? I'm so pumped about this season...
1. www.flickeringpictures.com - not a hockey site, but still kinda neat
2. Josh Gorges on Montreal's attack: "They're comin', they're comin' and they keep comin'. Just line after line, wave after wave..."
Great read Bryan, thanks. I will do a translate and post it at my spot later this morning.
On route and thanks , Robert , the news these days is as slow as a reporter is when it's his round.
I hear ya, Habs sign Chad Anderson hits the front page. August is a hockey fans desert!
There's Still Nothing to Write About .. by Seth Rorabaugh .. Empty Netters ..... http://community.post-gazette.com/blogs/emptynetters/default.aspx
It would be funny it after all this it came out that a deal for Sundin had been reached in principle back when the Habs had negotiation rights earlier in the summer. The whole wait of 08 being orchestrated to give Sundin a break from all the reporters this summer. I mean the media in Toronto would be all over him if he signs with a dreaded rival. Now all he has to say all summer is "I'm not sure if I'm coming back". If they had declared it in the beginning of the summer then it would be a whole summer of "Why did you chose Montreal over Toronto Mats?" "Why not this team, why not this team, why Montreal Mats?" "Is Montreal going to win a Cup with you Mats?" "Who are your line mates Mats?" etc. etc... Plus all the Montreal press on top of it. And I still believe that Mats has some loyalty toward the Leafs so this way if they come out with the news right before training camp, then it will be a huge story for a small time and all of a sudden the camps start and there is so much more to talk about that the story dies more quickly.
Just a thought... or is it wishful thinking?
He's pretty devious all right. Throwing everyone off track when the Habs called by having Barry try and get permission to talk to the Rangers instead. That mischevious little devil!
Yes ,as funny as that that would be at this point Sundin pulling my finger would be funnest ,lol
I have rationalized this logical conclusion all along!
...and hence the trading of Grabovski to Toronto already?!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If a man speaks in a forest where no woman can hear him, is he still wrong?
Maybe, but maybe not. I thought the Canadiens already got a good return on him, with out without anything to do with Sundin playing into it.
Apparently Sundin decided tonight that he wanted some....
His gf/fiance has denied that rumour....
Seriously though:
Not sure ifanyone mentioned this but The Score's Fantasy Forcaster has our Habs finishing behind the Sens in the Northeast and 4th Overall.
Their Top 4 goes:
1. Philadelphia
2. Ottawa
3. Washington
4. Montreal
For fantasy players/rankings:
Carey Price is ranked #6 for goalies AHEAD of Brodeur and Luongo.
Kovalev is the highest ranked Canadiens skater at #42
Montreal isn't generally the best choice for fantasy players- the team has traditionally played a defense-first game, and more recently the coaching staff tend to roll four lines, which (from a selfish fantasy perspective) takes ice time away from the big guns. We finished as the #1 scoring team in the league, but that scoring was spread around pretty evenly. I think Kovy was our only guy among the leading league scorers. Proud to say, I had Pleks and Markov, and I was very happy. But as a general rule, I rarely have more than a couple Habs on my fantasy rosters.
And anyhow: I couldn't give two farts about what a Fantasy Forecaster says about Montreal. Last year, on paper, Tampa Bay was a great source of fantasy players, but in reality, the team was pretty shabby. Fantasy rankings are pretty meaningless.
Okay people, enough is enough. Forget the rumors and the speculations about Sundin.
If he decides not to retire, what we know for sure:
He has another couple of seasons left in him.
He wants to stay in Canada.
He wants to play for a contender.
Do the math.
he also said he wanted to finish in T.O.....contender???
I BLEED BLEU BLANC ET ROUGE!!!
I also think/hope Bob and Mats have already agreed to something.
I BLEED BLEU BLANC ET ROUGE!!!
Most likely they agreed that Barry would call Gainey before Matts signs.
This is what I have to say about all the talk lately...if teams are gambling on what Sundin does, there are alot of problems with "these" teams. I, for one, am NOT worried at all. Think about what BG has done this off-season, BRILLIIANT!
One club should never have to depend on one player sooo much in what they will do, and MTL does not.The HABS will do fine with/without him people. These kids (which most are) and veterans, are going to put everything and then some in this season, you can count on that....THE CLUB IS 100 HUNDRED YEARS OLD!!!
That is something in it's self to set you back a bit, not too many teams make it (i.e. Winnepeg Jets, Montréal Expos). If Sundin signs elsewhere, it is HIS loss, and HIS ONLY.
For crying out loud, MTL signed Marc Denis to a two-way contract, Bob locked up AK46, signed GL17, AT## (no number yet), ML40, JH41, RO'B03, etc. This team is going to kick some ASS people, get in the spirit. September 22 is coming fast, we get a look at the talent that may stay and play and some of the old faces for another day...
So, just relax, let Sundin make up his mind, if he goes elsewhere, now that is something he will have to live with for the rest of his life, but in the end, our beloved HABS will still be a great team.
GO HABS GO!
GO HABS GO!
GO HABS GO!
Robert Lang will be traded to Montreal, just as soon as Sundin signs on the dotted line with the rangers. So Sundin, please get your ass over to NY so the rest of the hockey world can get on with business. geez, this guy thinks the whole continent stands still for him. talk about prima donnas!
lol!!!
I call him Putz Sundin from now on!
"We will win the Cup only with Carey Price in the nets"
Nice move by the Flyers and i believe in giving tryouts that have talent but not the tryouts to appease someone with pull. I like the way Berard can skate and i had hoped the Habs could convert him into a forward and backup "D" and PP specialist a la Streit , my longshot. Berard gets tryout with Flyers .. by Kevin Allen ..... http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/hockey/comments/berard_gets_tryout...
NM49 - I have to admit that I pondered the thought of Berard as a Plan B to the lack of immediate defensive depth on our present day roster. I trust that the cost of his lumbar supports and acupuncture treatments will not count against the Habs' cap hit.
The Original 24 Cups
24 - I heard he had an eye on you also. I forgot about his bo bo last year and the Islanders went south after that and must of missed his defensive prowess, lol. Really i was just trying to save bucks for your salary cap issues over Dandy or even Brittlebois , it seems now i always take that into account. Berard was first pick overall in 95.