Log in & Sign up
You are not logged in.
Magic ... to the Max
posted by Mike Boone at 18h08 EST on Sep 30
Ville Leino: Goal
Max Pacioretty: Goal
Hossa: Save
Robert Lang: Goal
Valtteri Filpulla: Save
• • •
Very entertaining game.
Canadiens started slowly but then held their own.
Shots are 28-26, Detroit.
Kovy finds Pacioretty in full flight.
Exciting stuff.
• • •
Weber gets good shots on the PP, with Gui! parking his big body in front.
Robert Lang knows his way around the offensive zone. Smart hockey player.
• • •
Chipchura has REALLY helped himself tonight.
Worked his ass off. Skated well for a slow guy. Very heady in the O-zone.
Heroic PK.
Pre-season, regulars missing on both sides but what a game!
• • •
Miraculous arm save by Price.
But now it's 5-on-3
• • •
Why are they booing?
O'Byrne clearly hauled down Downey.
• • •
Kovy booed!
OK, by only one guy, after yet another cross-ice pass was intercepted in the Detroit zone.
But still.
Scrum in the Detroit goalmouth elicits the first "Gui!" chant of the pre-season.
• • •
Great shift for D'Agostini and friends
• • •
Breezer negates a power play.
He's fadin' as the game wears on against a skating team
• • •
Blocked shots: Canadiens 16, Wings 4 (I screwed it up after the first period).
Chipchura a respectable 6-6 on faceoffs. And he has three shots.
Pacioretty: a goal, two hits and a blocked shot.
• • •
Bob McKenzie raving about the Wings on TSN.
Max Pacioretty got some face time on national TV.
The guy has can't miss written all over him.
Chipchura is really good tonight, against a good team.
• • •
Another good shift: Lapierre, Tom the Bomb and D'Agostini.
• • •
What a sequence. Great work by Chipchura, Latendresse, Dandenault. A shot dinged off the post. Rebound nearly in.
• • •
Wings aren't as bedazzled by Kovalev as some other teams.
I can't survive 41 car races, plus playoffs.
• • •
First skirmish: Gregory Stewart and Kyle Quincey
• • •
Ugly PP. Detroit had the better chances.
• • •
First PP: Lang conferring with Kovy and Max-Pac. Weber and Breeze on the points.
• • •
Ville Leino walks right in.
1-1
• • •
Lovely feed by Sergei. Some posters think he's not having a good pre-season.
I'm not one of them.
• • •
MAX PACIORETTY!
Goal.
1-0
• • •
Some dimwits in the cheap seats chanting "Wings suck!"
Hello. Stanley Cup champs.
• • •
Breezer has been rock solid tonight.
• • •
Odd stat: Canadiens haven't blocked a shot. Wings have blocked 12. Canadiens have seven giveaways, Detroit one.
Niklas Kronwall and Brian Rafalski each played more than eight minutes, Brett Lebda 7:36.
Mike Komisarek: 9:01
• • •
Review of complimentary press lounge water: Eska is pretty good.
Komisarek jacked up Tomas Holmstrom pretty good.
• • •
Price: 12 stops already, few of them easy.
• • •
Hossa is going to have a huge season in Detroit.
• • •
Canadiens have finally come to life, keyed by the kids.
• • •
What a PK shift by Max-Pac. Spectacular hustle and skating. Crowd loves him.
• • •
This is what, the fourth Detroit PP in less than 12 minutes. Hustle and skill will do that.
Price was very good on Darren Helm, who's quick as a cat.
• • •
O'Byrne and Komisarek have bounced off Hossa.
• • •
Good PK by a whole lotta guys. And they're getting plenty of practice.
• • •
First good shift: Chipchura, Stewart, Dandenault
• • •
Man, the Detroit PP passing is a sight to behold.
Presentation of Béliveau Award to Kovy: Place goes predictably nuts,
beginning when the great Jean shows up on the video screen during
Michel Lacroix's intro.
Red Wings banging their sticks for Béliveau, not so much for Kovy.
No Pavel Datsyuk.
No Nicklas Lidtsrom.
No Henrik Zetterberg.
Jimmy Howard in nets.
• • •
The last time Detroit played at the Bell Centre was Dec. 4, 2007 – and the aforementioned guys were in uniform.
They won 4-1 – and it wasn't that close.
Shots were 34-16 – Canadiens' lowest of the season, despite five power plays.
Detroit went 27-18 on faceoffs.
Trailing 3-1 after 40 minutes, the Canadiens had four shots in the third period.
The Red Wings schooled 'em ... and looked very much like a Stanley Cup team.
• • •
Tonight's lines, per RDS:
Max Pacioretty - Robert Lang - Alex Kovalev
Guillaume Latendresse - Tomas Plekanec - Sergei Kostitsyn
Tom Kostopoulos - Maxim Lapierre - Matt D'Agostini
Gregory Stewart - Kyle Chipchura - Mathieu Dandenault
Carey Price in nets.
On defence: Patrice Brisebois, Josh Gorges, Mike Komisarek, Francis
Bouillon, Ryan O'Byrne and the people's choice, Yannick Weber.
• • •
We're Number 1!
The Hockey News rates goaltender confidence.
Jaroslav Halak and Carey Price top the list.
As starter last year, Carey Price proved he’s ready for prime time.
The keeper was pulled in just five percent of his starts as a rookie,
but it was a sick .615 winning percentage that really boosted his
stock. And the Habs lose nothing when Jaroslav Halak is in net; he
actually led the league with an overall score of just 48, courtesy of
his stellar work during spot-duty in 2007-08.
• • •
From Habs I/O's Kevin Mio:
The Leafs honour Wendel Clark on Nov. 22, the same night the Canadiens
retire Roy's No. 33.
I wonder which ceremony the CBC will cover this time?
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
The Canadiens should (for the start of the season at least) start Pacioretty down in Hamilton.
http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/18236-Canadiens-Blog-Habs-shoud-be...
T.C.
tc.denault@habsworld.net
Very nice article summing up everything that needs to be considered in this circumstance. Another thing worth noting is that Pacioretty seems to understand that he should start in Hamilton. There seems to be less risk of the big disappointment factor that sometimes plays into the situation.
I know that this has been commented on a bit already, but there is absolutely NO way that Pacioretty should be starting the season in Montreal. As a few posters have already pointed out, this same hype surrounded Guillaume Latendresse after his first training camp, that his "youthful enthusiasm" (to borrow one of Pierre McGuire's tired cliches) was absolutely necessary to add to the Montreal roster. There is a huge difference between playing against a team missing half of its own regulars (Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Lidstrom, Stuart, Franzen, Cleary, Hudler and Stuart) and playing against an NHL-calibre lineup in a regular season game that actually counts.
We are finally in the position that partially defines great teams: we have depth and flexibility on the big club. What this means is that a guy like Pacioretty, who realistically needs to be on one of the top two lines, does not need to be forced into the NHL until he's had a bit more seasoning and time to adapt to Montreal's offensive and defensive systems. If we run into injury problems, then by all means call him up as the first replacement. But until then, I don't want to see a repeat of the mistake that was made with Latendresse, rushing him up to fill a roster spot as a third line winger (a role that he wasn't really suited for). Don't get me wrong, as I am pretty stoked that Pacioretty looks like a real gem (that Rivet deal is turning into a masterpiece!), but Montreal no longer needs to rush its young talent. And that is a wonderful thing!
And I'm once again amazed at how quickly people are willing to give up on Latendresse. I still think he needs another year or two before we will see what he really brings to the table. I certainly don't see any great upgrade over Latendresse in D'Agostini or Stewart, so I'm content to roll the dice with Gui and won't be at all surprised to see him potting 20-25 goals this season, especially if playing on a line with Lang and S. Kostitsyn.
ypu're joking about Latendresse, right?
he supposedly has been working on his skating but he still lacks speed and for the most part puck smarts...
he always seems to be lost out on the ice and unsure about where to go....
if he gets 20-25 goals as you say, they'll be tap-ins that my 90 year old Zia Loretta could score with her Glaucoma eyes shut
I agree. Lats has no hockey smarts. There's been enough time to evaluate. Its like Price. If he had continued to have outings like the playoffs and then carried over for another two years than people would have come to the same conclusion. Lat lacks hockey smarts, puck skill, goal scoring touch, and he is hesitant to go in the corners. He's psyhically big only and a native quebecer. Unfortuneately not enough. Its too bad really I would have liked to see him succeed. I see him as a 12 to 18 goal scorer only and he will be a good minor leaque player is my prediction.
No matter if Max scores 50 goals in the next 2 games, management realizes they wont make the same mistake they did with latendresse...
Max in the Hammer for the season, with some callups along the way!
I dont see any rookies making it in honesty, the 23 man lineup is set!!!
But those unavoidable injuries, will get us to see many bulldogs this season.
Well, he's scored 16 goals the past two seasons skating at roughly the same speed as a tree. If his skating improves in any way, or he figures out that just standing in front of the net could add 4 goals to his total, then he could easily get 20. And he DOES have the size and the soft hands to get those garbage goals, he just needs to get the desire to accept the punishment that will come his way in exchange for them. Playing with a smart centre like Lang and a winger with the vision of Sergei Kostitsyn can only help, as long as he knows and accepts his role.
here we go again, settling for mediocrity...
anyone with half a brain cell can see that PAX should be a regular along with CHIP.
Breeze was terrible, almost scored on his own net, fell down half a dozen times and was generally timid at best. Dandy, although I give him an A for effort, his time is up....how he could ever get into the lineup before PAX or CHIP is totally and utterly folly.
Patience Patience Patience!
Pax will get plenty of ice time in Hamilton and when he's ready to come to Montreal, watch out!
I do not want the kid to be rushed so quickly into the NHL.
He still needs alot to learn in our system and a good training camp for him and others mean we are deep on the farm to perhaps make a trade for an elite offensive centreman we are in dire need. I'm excited that the young kids are sprouting so quickly!
If you want to see Max play, come down to Hamilton where a good ticket is no more than 20 bucks and you support not only the Bulldogs but the Habs as well!
"We will win the Cup only with Carey Price in the nets"
Retro....Max is a major motivator in getting me down to some Bulldogs games this year. I will be checking their sched....I'm back in coaching at the Midget level this year, so it will depend on what nights/days the home games are. But I definitely have the Dogs on my "must see" list this year. Max is the the big reason, but there are others that will make this a pretty good year in Steeltown, I imagine. I'd be more than pleased to hook up with you for a game or two.
good way to look at the positives!, PAX in Hamilton is great for the Bulldogs and their fans!.
Was Breezers first game of the pre season.....U talk about those mistakes but you dont speak of the O'byrne give away, which lead to a goal..... Dont hate on Breezer......
may have been his first game of this preseason, but very far from his first game...been watching that guy since 1993. Obryne has all upside, breeze only downside. by the way, its not 'hate', that would be personal, its strictly about putting our best players on the ice.
With the heart and effort Tom the Bomb showed last year, especially in the playoffs, I would hate to see him lose a spot in the Habs line-up. I'm surprised at how many folks are writting him off.
I love Tom the Bomb but........to build a top team and keep a team in top form dictates a constant evolution of of tweaks and changes.You can't keep all the players soooo...somebody's got to move on.
Caught the last half of the game last night.... few observations.... resigning Brisebois proves that even Bob has his off days....oy.... hope his ice time is limited
I was not impressed with Latendresse last year and from what I see now... not much has changed.... give his spot to Max Pac PLEASE!!!!!!!
It was an exciting game at times....scary in our end at other times... but hey, understandable, being an exhibition game and all.
I just hope players earn their spot on the roster because of talent and not because of their heritage.... Guy and Bob let's ice the best team puhlease!!!
hey Robert L in my opinion you should apply for a job in the Gazettes sports page because your reads are a real treat. nothing against Mr. Boone or anyone else in the sports section but Roberts articles are fabulous.
Did anyone else feel like that was playoff hockey in the third last night?! Wow, what a game!!!
Absolutely. Both teams were playing guys trying to impress to stick around and it showed. I'm thinking a lot of GMs were watching that game having wet dreams about the depth the Habs and Wings have access to. And nightmares about having to face these teams.
_____________________________________________________
Mad Pax...Beyond Powerdome
Watching the game down here in mexico was a treat.Alot of people have said the canadiens and the wings have alot of talent,and another poster mentioned that alot of GMs were at the game last night.With the downturn on wall street i think alot of owners might need to make the playoffs this year.Gainy has alot of assets to deal with a la San Pollack if he wants.I think we can end up with some good draft picks.Max had a great game last night but i also liked Chips play alot.
I like the Habs chances. Figure that Detroit did not have 4 solid super stars out of the lineup we could make a solid case that we had some great hockey players sitting also. Our cup quest will come down to whether we get the goaltending; I was especially critical of Price at the end but amazing how much quicker he got. If he could plug up his weak spot woh we got a goalie. I think experience and grit will also play a part. On another note were being to lenient with players like Latendresse and Lapierre. I saw three rookies yesterday that clearly should over take these players. We need to get another good solid defensemen if were going to win it all. It become very clear yesterday that O/b, Weber, Breezer are not going to fill that void. With the surplus of youth on board a defensemen in the likes of a Kaberle etc would do wonders for our cup quest. Figuring that we have 8 to 9 months until our quest begins were looking good. Does Lang impress anyone or does he take time to ramp up?
Ton, the quest you talk about, began 5 years ago, when Boivin did the only thing IMO thats keeping him in as president, in hiring Gainey, in 8 months will be the reward for the then 6 year process.
Agree wiht you on the deffense however, need more great canadiEn shot blockers!!!
GO HABS GO
I thought O'Byrne had trouble too but he was playing on his wrong side and with Weber. Put him back with Hammer and I have no trouble with him. I think Breezer was being Breezer. Good at times and bad at times. It's not like that will be surprising for Gainey and crew and they still signed him. I doubt that they're sitting there this morning saying: ``woah, where did those mistakes come from? Gotta replace him stat.``
I thought Lapierre played well last night but Chips will force the team's hand. Laps didn't take a demotion well the last time it happened and I doubt it will this time around. I think he'll be demoted and traded if he raises a fuss.
_____________________________________________________
Mad Pax...Beyond Powerdome
Rookie Shines In Win Over Cup Champs - Dave Stubbs
http://www.faceoff.com/hockey/nhlnews/story.html?id=ca469a4f-3907-45a9-a...
Max will be coming to Hamilton no question. Give the kid 20 minutes of ice time in Hamilton.
Such a confidence booster for the young kid to play with Lang and Kovalev.
Don;t be surprised if he gets called up mid season or if we make a trade in mid season.
I am looking forward to seeing Max and others in Hamilton donning a baby Habs jersey!
"We will win the Cup only with Carey Price in the nets"
I think he'll go down to Hamilton, but I don't think it will take until mid-season for him to be called back. 10 or 15 games with the Bulldogs will show that Dandy or someone else, maybe Begin, isn't being nearly as productive as Max would be.
Don Lever will be the man to give the approval to Bob Gainey if Max is ready before mid-season.
"We will win the Cup only with Carey Price in the nets"
Fully agree 100%.
The possibilities are getting more interesting with the "arrival" of Max Pac. Reminds me a bit of the same scenario with Gui a couple of years ago. There was big disappointment when he was sent back to junior and the club was forced to keep him up the second year instead of sending him to Hamilton. In our lust for a power forward Gui's developement was certainly rushed. Patrick Roy was right when he said that if Gui wasn't a Fracophone he probably would have been in the minors.
That being said, I think Max Pac has a better upside than Gui. More speed, power and a soft hands as evidenced by last night.
In an interview with Pierre Mcguire on Monday he said that Max had to spend at least a year or more in Hamilton.
Last night on TV he was raving how Max MUST make the team! I love Miller and Mcguire. Miller is a wealth of anecdotes and Mcguire is a wealth of hockey knowledge.
I feel that Max is ready. He has to play on one of the top three lines so I've revised my lines.
A Kost Pleks Kovy
Max Pac Lang Tanguay
Higgins Koivu Gui
Chipper/Maxwell Stewart BGL/Begin
Markov Komi
Hammer Webber
Bull Gorges
O'byrne
The odd men out are Dandy, Kosto, Breezer.
When Bob signed Breezer I don't think he foresaw the ascendance of Webber who has a killer shot and could help the pp.
Weber is too vulnerable playing his true role, playing defense. He's definitely Hamilton bound.
Higgins, on your 3rd line, will be one to watch early in the season. His name always comes up when trade rumours start.
It's getting crowded in the dressing room. If they move your locker near the door it should give you a pretty good hint that there's a taxi standing by outside the Bell.