Bergeron, Pouliot out until March

Pat Hickey — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:37:00 -0500

Coach Jacques Martin confirmed today that Marc-André Bergeron and Benoit Pouliot won't be back in the lineup until next month.

Bergeron has a knee injury and will be out at least six weeks. The Canadiens are sticking with upper-body injury for Pouliot but say he won't play this week.

Tom Pyatt, who was recalled on Monday, will line up with Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta on one of the top lines.

Bergeron out 6-8 weeks

Pat Hickey — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:16:16 -0500

Marc-André Bergeron wasn't at practice today and the word is that he will out of action for 6-8 weeks. Bergeron left the Feb. 4 game against Boston after he was hit in the leg with a shot. He missed the weekend games against Pittsburgh and Boston and was limping noticeably in the press box Saturday.

Day off? Sure, tell us another one

Dave Stubbs — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:29:32 -0500

The Canadiens return to practice today after having had a day off – the players, if not management.

An 11 am practice in Brossard will begin to set the table for tomorrow night's formidable challenge, i.e., the visit of the Washington Capitals, they of the 14-game winning streak.

Updates to follow from Pat Hickey, who will be at practice today and no doubt will have the reaction of players about yesterday's resignation of general manager Bob Gainey.

Gauthier in, Gainey steps down as Habs GM

Mike Boone — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:05:02 -0500

Canadiens president Pierre Boivin (left) with newly appointed executive VP and general manager Pierre Gauthier.
Pierre Obendrauf, Gazette

• AUDIO: Bob Gainey, Pierre Boivin and Pierre Gauthier (with the clicking of camera shutters as an intro) | Jacques Martin

• Indefatigable Robert Lefebvre compiles complete list of all the transactions of the Bob Gainey era

• Gainey steps down: Hickey
• Gainey was team first, right to the end: Stubbs

The new general manager of the Montreal Canadiens plans to keep the team's top scorer. And its two young goaltenders.

Pierre Gauthier, Bob Gainey's successor, says the Canadiens have talked to Tomas Plekanec's agent, Rick Curran, and a "process" is underway to keep Plekanec in blue-blanc-rouge.

"I think Tomas would like to stay with the Montreal Canadiens," Gauthier told a jam-packed afternoon press conference at the Bell Centre.

"The process will continue. We're interested in keeping Tomas."

Gauthier also sees goaltending as one one of the club's strengths.

"We have two strong young goaltenders who give us a chance to win every night," the new GM said. "We believe we can go forward with them, and they give us our best chance to get into the playoffs."

It is worth noting, however, that when Gauthier was general manager of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, he publicly stated the team would not trade Paul Kariya or Teemu Selanne – and then did.

When asked about the Canadiens' salary commitments for next season – $45 million for 14 players, excluding Plekanec, Carey Price and Jaro Halak – Gauthier said the team had a "manageable" salary cap situation.

Gauthier's first move was something less than a blockbuster:

The Canadiens announced Brock Trotter and Ryan White would be returning to Hamilton, with Tom Pyatt called up to the big club.

Gainey said he had decided to resign as general manager after a "long and difficult period of reflection." With his contract due to expire in June, Gainey approached Pierre Boivin during the Christmas holiday period, telling the Canadiens' president he was not interested in staying on "for four, five or rix years."

"Given the choice between staying too long and leaving early, I prefer to leave a little bit too early," Gainey said. "I did my best. Now iyt's time to pass the torch."

Gauthier, a native Montrealer who will be 57 in May, joined the Canadiens as director of pro scouting a month after Gainey became general manager in June, 2003. Gauthier added the title of assistant general manager three years later.

During the press conference, Gauthier and Gainey repeatedly cited their close collaboration in making the Canadiens' hockey decisions. Gainey referred to Gauthier as "a colleague and a friend."

Gainey will stay on as special advisor to his successor.

"I'm leaving the team I love in good hands," Gainey said.

"Dans ma coeur pour toujours, je suis Canadien," the Hall of Famer added.

Gainey said he was "extremely pleased" with the players and the future of the Canadiens. The general manager is "convinced this can be a playoff team" – words that echoed Gainey's vote of confidence imn the team Guy Carbonneau was coaching a year ago.

Asked to assess the highs and lows of his tenure, Gainey said he was happiest to see a new generation of fans, citing the "youth, enthusiasm, joy and passion of people hoping for the same experience their parents and grandparents had."

Boivin was at pains to debunk rumours that Geoff Molson was at odds with Gainey's decisions and taking a more active role in the hockey operations of the club. Boivin characterized suggestions of owner interference as "absolutely not true."

After 25 minutes of introductory remarks and q&a, Gainey left the podium to Boivin and Gauthier.

The new general manager said his goal would be to elevate the Canadiens to the "top tier" of teams that focus on how far they'll advance in the playoffs, as opposed to whether or not they'll qualify for the postseason.

"I like our team," Gauthier said, adding he was "very comfortable" with Jacques Martin and his coaching staff.

Gauthier talked about Gainey's transformation of the club: 11 new players from nine different teams over the last 12 months, most of the others with the team for less than two years.

It takes trime, Gauthier said, to develop identity, chemistry and internal leadership.

With some wondering how widely the Canadiens had cast their net – citing Detroit assistant general manager Jim Nill as an outstanding candidate – Boivin underscored the importance of language as a job criterion.

"You bet it's important," the team president said. "French is the language spoken by 2/3, 3/4 of our fans and clients. It's a matter of respect and sensitivity to the reality of Quebec."

Gauthier has experience as president, general manager and director of pro and amateur scouting for the Ottawa and Anaheim organizations. He is a vegetarian who's the wrong person to ask about nutrition, unless you have an hour to spare.

Gainey was the team's 15th general manager. He succeeded Andree Savard on June 2, 2003.

The Canadiens made the playoffs in four of five seasons under Gainey's stewardship. The advanced to the second round twice.

The team finished atop the Eastern Conference in 2007-'08, beat Boston in the opening round and were eliminated by Phildaelphia.

Under Gainey, the Canadiens were 241-176-46-7 in 470 regular-season games.

A Hallof Famer, Gainey saw his number raised to the Bell Centre rafters on Feb. 23, 2008.

Pyatt called up, White, Trotter sent to Bulldogs

Kevin Mio — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:28:33 -0500

Tom Pyatt has been called up from the Hamilton Bulldogs on Monday, whlle Ryan White and Brock Trotter have been sent back to the farm club.

Monster week leads Habs to Olympics

Dave Stubbs — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:34:41 -0500

By this time next week, Habs defenceman Andrei Markov will be wearing the jersey of his native Russia at the Vancouver Olympics. Markov is seen in action at the 2006 Turin Games.
Elsa, Getty Images Sport

The Canadiens will enjoy the day off before returning to practice ice tomorrow, a huge week on the schedule leading to the two-week Olympic break.

The Habs are home Wednesday to the Washington Capitals, now on a 14-game win streak. Then Friday it's on to Philadelphia, whose Flyers sit in the Eastern Conference's eighth and final playoff spot, three points behind No. 6 Montreal but with four games in hand. The Flyers make up one of those games tonight, home to New Jersey.

Montreal returns home next Saturday to face those same Flyers before shutting down, the Olympic Winter Games taking centre stage in Vancouver. The Habs open post-Olympics with four games on the road – Boston, San Jose, Los Angeles and Anaheim – before returning to the Bell Centre to face Tampa Bay on March 9.

Game 60: Not so super: Bruins blank Habs

Dave Stubbs — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 17:35:11 -0500

Bruins' Blake Wheeler and Canadiens' Ryan O'Byrne exchange pleasantries during Sunday's first period.
Christinne Muschi, Reuters

• AUDIO: Tomas Plekanec | Brian Gionta | Jaroslav Spacek

• At a Glance: A super Sunday but, alas, only for the Bruins, with a goaltender other than the Canadiens' Jaroslav Halak stealing the show. Riding a 10-game winless streak, one more loss from tying a franchise record for futility, Boston scored twice in the first period then held on for a 3-0 victory over the Habs at the Bell Centre. Adam McQuaid scored the first goal of his career to open the scoring at 17:32, that coming on a heavy-traffic slapper, then Marco Sturm beat Halak with less than four seconds on the clock, a deflected puck landing on Sturm's stick with Halak moving the other way. The second period was all Montreal's, the Habs outshooting their visitors 15-3, but Boston goalie Tuukka Rask, who made 36 saves to Halak's 24, was equal to them all. Sturm salted the game away midway through the third, his snap shot deflecting off defenceman Josh Gorges's stick past Halak.

• Key Moments: Sturm's goal in the last gasp of the first period. And Rask, who was dominant throughout, twice robbing Tomas Plekanec in the second, first with a glove grab, then later on a breakaway with a terrific right-pad stop.

• What It Means: With a win, Montreal could have pulled three points ahead of Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference standings. Even with the loss, however, the Habs remain in sixth place, their 62 points one ahead of the Lightning but with Tampa holding three games in hand.

• What's Next: The Canadiens return to action at home on Wednesday vs. the Washington Capitals of Alexander Ovechkin, who scored a hat trick and assisted Sunday in the Caps' 5-4 overtime win over Pittsburgh – Washington's 14th (!) straight win. Montreal then plays back-to-back Friday and Saturday against the Flyers, opening in Philadelphia then at the Bell Centre to send themselves into the Olympic break.

Game 59: Shorthanded Habs solve Penguins

Kevin Mio — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 18:20:32 -0500

Tomas Plekanec celebrates his first-minute, first-period goal against Pittsburgh.
Francois Lacasse, NHLI via Getty Images

AUDIO: Jacques Martin | Mathieu Darche | Brian Gionta | Ryan White | Brock Trotter

• At a Glance: The Canadiens were missing two more key players thanks to injuries and played with a fourth line made up of three members of the Hamilton Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon. But they found a way to defeat the defending Stanley Cup champions 5-3 at the Bell Centre, a third straight win for Montreal. With Benoit Pouliot and Marc-André Bergeron placed on the injured reserve list, David Desharnais, Brock Trotter and Ryan White were called up and played on a line together Saturday, arguably the best one on the ice for either team. Tomas Plekanec opened the scoring 29 seconds into the game when Marc-André Fleury was knocked down behind the net by Mathieu Darche, leaving the net wide open. Pascal Dupuis got that one back 33 seconds later on a rebound given up by Jaroslav Halak after a great save on Jordan Staal. Brian Gionta scored on a breakaway in the second and Scott Gomez made it 3-1 midway through the second with a power-play goal. Bill Guerin made it 3-2 before the period was over, but Darche scored seven minutes into the third with a slapshot from the faceoff circle, chasing Fleury. Gionta scored his second of the game with nine minutes to play on Brent Johnson, who took Fleury's place. Evgeni Malkin made it 5-3 with three minutes to play with a shorthanded goal seconds after he left the penalty box. It was the first time Montreal defeated the Penguins this season, who had outscored the Canadiens 12-4 in the previous three meetings.

• Key Moments: With the game tied 1-1, the Canadiens killed off three Pittsburgh power plays and Gionta scored 13 seconds after the end of the third penalty in the second period.

• What It Means: Montreal solidified its hold on sixth place in the Eastern Conferece with 62 points (28-25-6), three points ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers and Tampa Bay Lightning. That could change later Saturday as both teams are in action.

• What's Next: The Canadiens play the Bruins on Sunday in the second half of their weekend matinées. The red-hot Washington Capitals are in town on Wednesday and then the Canadiens play a home-and-home series against the Philadelphia Flyers Friday and Saturday before heading into the Olympic break.

O'Byrne playing with a heavy heart

Dave Stubbs — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 07:29:14 -0500

It's been said the Canadiens are a family unto themselves. It's something Habs defenceman Ryan O'Byrne has learned in the past weeks and months, leading to and since last Sunday's loss of his mother, Lorelei, to breast cancer.

The 25-year-old flew home to Victoria early last month to spend a few days with his mother, who was in the final stages of a disease she'd been battling since O'Byrne was in junior hockey. Canadiens GM Bob Gainey encouraged him to take 10 days, time O'Byrne now cherishes before he'll attend his mom's memorial service back home during the Olympic break.

O'Byrne sat quietly in the dressing room after practice yesterday and shared a little of what has been on his mind, and how he's taken strength from those around him. Here's that story.

Horrible news

Mike Boone — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 07:03:33 -0500

Brian Burke's youngest son, 21-year-old Brendan, was killed in a car accident yesterday.

You may love the Leafs' bombastic general manager.

You may not love him.

But you have to feel for him.

There is nothing worse in this world than having to bury a child.

Brendan Burke was in the news last November when an ESPN story revealed he was gay.

To his immense credit, Brian Burke was fully supportive of his son.

Busy clinic prompts three callups

Dave Stubbs — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:23:41 -0500

• AUDIO: Jacques Martin (courtesy Andie Bennett, Team 990) | Brian Gionta (begins speaking about not taking a therapy day) | Gionta on scaling Mount Chara | Carey Price (begins speaking about Super Bowl)

• Courtesy of Rod Francis at the Team 990, Pierre McGuire offers some cautionary words on the Tomas Plekanec contract situation

• UPDATE, 12:20 pm: Therapy days for Tomas Plekanec, Marc-André Bergeron, Benoit Pouliot and Sergei Kostitsyn
• UPDATE, 5:22 pm: Canadiens recall David Desharnais, Brock Trotter and Ryan White from Hamilton

So who's in the lineup Saturday to kickoff the Super Bowl matinée weekend?

The Stanley Cup-champion Pittsburgh Penguins at the Bell Centre Saturday at 2 pm, the badly limping Boston Bruins paying a return visit to Montreal Sunday at 3 pm following the Habs' 3-2 shootout win last night in Boston. Thank goalie Jaroslav Halak (again) for last night's victory. There's no sign of Jaro cooling off, any time soon.

Four Canadiens took therapy days, and late this afternoon the team confirmed it was recalling forwards David Desharnais, Brock Trotter and Ryan White from Hamilton. One or more of them will see duty today, Bergeron declared out for the weekend with a lower-body injury after having stopped a shot against Boston on Thursday.

Pat Hickey reports this callup puts Bergeron on injury-reserve; he cannot play until next Friday vs. Philadelphia.

The other three clinic patients might be game-time decisions, or they might have been in for regular maintenance.

Live updates on Twitter.

Canadiens recalling trio: reports

Dave Stubbs — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:49:44 -0500

CKAC and RDS are reporting that the Canadiens are recalling forwards David Desharnais, Brock Trotter and Ryan White from the Hamilton Bulldogs.

Details to come, but Sergei Kostitsyn, Benoit Pouliot, Marc-André Bergeron and Tomas Plekanec all took therapy days today. Bergeron seems unlikely to be ready to play this weekend with a lower body injury, suffered while blocking a shot last night in Boston. The status of the others remains unclear, so this could be a just-in-case recall in two of the three instances.

Game 58: Gionta scores winner, Halak shines again

Kevin Mio — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 22:35:16 -0500

Canadiens' Brian Gionta scores the winning goal in the shootout Thursday night on Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask. Adam Hunger, Reuters

• At a Glance: For the second straight game, Jaroslav Halak faced more than 40 shots on goal and once again, he was the difference for the Canadiens as they stole two points in Boston with a 3-2 shootout win over the Bruins on Thursday night. Two nights after making 45 saves against the Vancouver Canucks, Halak stopped 45 Boston shots while his teammates could muster only 25 shots on Tuukka Rask. Mark Recchi scored his 11th of the season on the power play in the first period, during which the Bruins outshot Montreal 15-5. Blake Wheeler made it 2-0 early in the second period and it looked like they were on their way to an easy win. But the Canadiens scored two goals within 39 seconds near the end of the second period to tie things up. Glen Metropolit scored his 11th of the season on a power play, his first goal since December. Roman Hamrlik tied it 2-2 with a shot that Rask couldn't see thanks to Mathieu Darche being parked in the goaltender's crease. Brian Gionta scored the winning goal in the shootout with a great move and a backhand shot under the crossbar.

• Key Moments: The Canadiens were able to kill off a Boston power play in overtime, and limited the Bruins to only one goal in six man advantages. Montreal was 1-for-2 on the power play.

• What It Means: Montreal improves to 27-25-6 for 60 points, moving the Canadiens into sixth spot in the Eastern Conference. Montreal also puts some distance between themselves and the Bruins, who are at 56 points but have three games in hand. The Bruins have now lost nine straight games.

• What's Next: The Canadiens are back home for afternoon games this weekend with the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Bell Centre on Saturday and the Bruins in Montreal on Super Bowl Sunday.

Our condolences to Ryan O'Byrne

Dave Stubbs — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:42:02 -0500

Habs Inside/Out, on behalf of the site and its readers, expresses its sympathies to Canadiens defenceman Ryan O'Byrne, who lost his mother, Lorelei, to breast cancer on Jan. 28.

O'Byrne had taken a leave of absence early last month, missing four games for family reasons, when his mother was critically ill. Her passing is announced in this notice.

O'Byrne is expected to remain with the team, a memorial service for his mother to be held in Victoria, B.C., next Tuesday.

(Nice idea from reader Peter Stone in a comment below: if you wish to send your wishes to Ryan, visit the link above and sign the guestbook at the bottom of the notice.)

Halak gets the nod; Spacek returns

Pat Hickey — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:19:26 -0500

Carey Price may be 2-0 against the Bruins but Jaroslav Halak will make his third consecutive start in goal tonight as coach Jacques Martin elects to stay with the hot hand.

Defenceman Jaroslav Spacek returns to the lineup after missing three games with an upper-body injury. He'll be paired with Roman Hamrlik and Yannick Weber will be a healthy scratch. Brian Gionta,. Scott Gomez, Benoit Pouliot and Sergei Kostitsyn all skipped the morning skate.

The lines:

Pouliot-Plekanec-S. Kostitsyn
Maxwell-Gomez-Gionta
Bergeron-Lapierre-Darche
Moen-Metropolit-D'Agostini

Defence: Markov-O'Byrne; Hamrlik-Spacek; Gill-Gorges

Updated audio: Canadiens at Bruins

Dave Stubbs — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:35:20 -0500

• AUDIO: Jacques Martin | Roman Hamrlik | Bruins coach Claude Julien | Patrice Bergeron | Steve Bégin

The Canadiens are in Boston to take on the Bruins tonight. A few words, then, from the dressing rooms after morning skate, culled by The Gazette's Pat Hickey.

(Retracting earlier claim... that wasn't Hick's lucky sweater, so I've unlinked the photo.)

24 Cups on the Bruins

Mike Boone — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 06:39:19 -0500

Steve Kerley ffers this scouting report on tonight's opponent:

Stop me if you have heard this story before.

An NHL team surprises everyone by having a brilliant year that leads to the Eastern Conference championship. Everything goes right for them as the team excels at all facets of the game.

Listed as heavy favourites, they eventually run out of magic and falter in the playoffs.

Undaunted, they make a few minor tweaks during the summer as they get ready to take it to the next level during the following season.

Sadly, everything that had gone right has now turned sour. Major injuries, a lack of scoring and underachieving players leads to a season of fumbling and stumbling. Things are so bad that the team may not even make the playoffs after having finished 1st the year before.

• Both Boston and Montreal wearily enter the month of February as they face the very real prospect of not making the playoffs. They are set to play two home and away series against each other in a span of 13 games. Two of those games are this week while the other two are right after the Olympic break. In theory, the traditional four-pointer could be as much as a collective 16 pointer by the time all the dust settles.

• Simply stated, the main problem with the Bruins this year is their inability to score. How bad is it? Last year the Bruins were 2nd in overall league scoring with 270 goals. They have gone from an average of 3.24 goals a game to 2.34. Right now they are dead last in goals scored in the NHL. They have gone 12 games without a regulation win and have scored just nine goals in their last seven games. Boston is 1-9-2 in their last 12 outings, a stretch that has seen them score a measly 19 tallies. They have lost their last eight in a row (being outscored 28-12!) which is their worst losing streak since 1955. They haven’t won at home since the Winter Classic back on New Year’s Day. The last time that happened to the Bruins was way back in 1925 (Mike Boone remembers it well).

• So what has brought about such a steep decline in offensive production? Well for starters, there is no Phil Kessel scoring 36 goals. Marc Savard (9/16/25/5) has missed 23 games due to injury, while Milan Lucic (3/5/8/0) has been out for 32 contests. Andrew Ference is presently out of the line-up and has missed the past 13 games. Zdeno Chara has been playing hurt since November 20th and will probably have surgery on his hand during the summer. All of these ailments and missed games start to add up.

• There are also some players who have taken a step back in terms of their expected output. David Krejci (3 goals in his last 20 games) is first and foremost, followed by Michael Ryder (2 in his last 17). Krejci (10/19/29/5) has been unable to step into Savard’s shoes and Ryder (12/8/20/4) is showing once again that he is unable to handle 1st line responsibilities. Second year winger Blake Wheeler (12/17/29/2) has just scored once in his last 11 games but still manages to be the 2nd leading scorer on the team. Right now, Patrice Bergeron 12/21/33/0) is the leading team scorer with 33 points. How brutal is that? Washington has 7 players who have more points than Boston’s leading scorer. Seven! Still not convinced? Scott Gomez even has more points than the Bruins top point getter. In fact, the only forward on pace for a 20 goal season in Beantown is Marco Sturm (16/9/25/2) who presently has 16 goals. Things were so bad that the Bruins were forced to bring in Miroslav “It’s Twilight Time” Satan. He’s presently lining up with Savard and Lucic so it’s a golden opportunity for him to stay in the NHL. So far he has 2 goals in 13 games. Mark Recchi (10/18/28/7) is now 42 years old yet still holds down 5th spot on the team scoring stats. He also leads the team in PPGs with seven markers. I guess the big question for management is whether or not these guys all had career years last season, or whether they are just in a bad slump that has them performing under their scoring benchmarks?

• Secondary players such as Daniel Paille (7 goals), Steve Begin (3), Byron Bitz (4) and Shawn Thornton (1) haven’t been part of the problem although Thornton has been in a slump lately. He was a healthy scratch against Washington on Tuesday as was Bitz. In fairness, these guys are there to provide some grit and energy and only log a minimal amount of ice time. I thought that Vladimir Sobotka (4) might have broken through this year but he only has one point in his last 21 games.

• The lack of production by the forwards might also be a reflection of the defense’s inability to get the puck out of their own end. Chara is not having a stellar year and Dennis Wideman has slipped badly enough to the point of being part of possible trade rumours. Mark Stuart broke a finger in a fight last week and is now gone until after the Olympic break. Derek Morris has been better than I thought he would be while Matt Hunwick is racking up some points even though he is -11 defensively. The Boston blueliners haven’t been playing that badly in terms of their defensive game as the team ranks 3rd in the Eastern Conference for goals against (same stat applies to the PK). Boston also has a goal differential of -9 which is only one more than Montreal. Adam McQuaid has been called up to fill in for the injured Stuart.

- Tim Thomas (35/13/15/7/2.52/.910) hasn’t been quite as good as last year but he’s also losing a lot more low scoring games. His 2.52 GAA average is still on a par with that of Halak and Price (combined 2.58). Tuukka Rask (19/10/7/2/2.13/.920) has shown signs of brilliance at times and is having a very good rookie campaign. This guy is the real deal. We should see him in one of the contests as Boston is playing four games in six nights.

* Is there any good news in Boston these days? Despite their losing streak, they have put in decent efforts against their last three opponents, all of whom were division leaders. The Bruins are also in great shape for the future as they have four 1st round picks and five 2nd round selections during the next two years. I guess the only question is whether or not Peter Chiarelli plans on moving any of these assets to help provide some short term relief. Regardless of what he does, I seriously doubt that the Bruins will be Cup contenders this spring. It’s probably best to take their lumps, lick their wounds, and re-tool for further down the road. Yes, we’re still talking about the Bruins.

• Stat pack: GF: 30th, GA: 6th, GD: -9, GAA: 2.46, PP: 19th, PK: 3rd, STT: 104.3%, FO: 51.8%, CS: $1.4M

• Injury Report - Ference (groin), Stuart (hand)

Boston is down for the mandatory eight count as it staggers from the unwavering punishment of it’s present losing streak.

The Habs will never find a better time to deliver the death blow than during these next two encounters. Four points in the next 72 hours is the prime objective. Make it so.

Audio from practice

Mike Boone — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:08:52 -0500

Pat Hickey checks in with words of wisdom from Jacques Martin, Brian Gionta, Ryan O'Byrne, Jaroslav Spacek and Paul Mara.

• • •

Zen wisdom from Andrei Markov this morning:

Reporter: "What do you like about Ryan O'Byrne?"

Markov: "That's a tough question."

Reporter: "Do you miss Mike Komisarek?"

Markov: "Is he here in this room? I have no memory of him."

Spacek ready to return

Pat Hickey — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:08:51 -0500

The final decision won't be made until tomorrow but look for defenceman Jaroslav Spacek to play against the Bruins. Spacek practised with the team yesterday and said he felt much better than he dd on Tuesday. He has missed three games with an upper-body injury.

The Canadiens had a brisk 45-minute workout berfore flying to Boston. Roman Hamrlik, Benoit Pouliot and Scott Gomez all took therapy days. Paul Mara (upper body injury) practised and accompanied the team to Boston but won't play.

Jaroslav Halak figures to be the goaltender but the always coy Jacques Martin noted that Carey Price is 2-0 against the Bruins this season.

Video: The story behind Jacques Plante's mask

Kevin Mio — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:09:17 -0500

Here's a short video courtesy of WatchMojo.com on Canadiens legend Jacques Plante and how he came to wear the mask that literally changed the face of hockey. In the video, Plante biographer Todd Denault fills you in on how Plante's decision was ridiculed by other goaltenders.