Not a fun night

posted by Mike Boone at 11h22 EST on Dec 11


Game lost to the 30th-place team in the NHL.

Captain Saku Koivu lost to injury.

Any glass-half-full fans out there?

Check the main site for very subdued room audio. 


3P 00:00:

Boooooooooooooooooooooooo!

3P 1:39:

Little petulant there, Vinny?

Pull Halak? 

3P 2:14:

Woo-hoo! Great PK. Tocchet takes timeout. he must be nervous. Why?

3P 3:49:

That sums it up: Kovalev trip in the O-zone

3P Break:

Just a bad night for all concerned. I'm just hoping for no more injuries.

3P 6:00:

The old goat has made 27 saves

3P 8:22:

Koivu won't be back. Maybe flu?

3P Break:

Did anyone see what happened to Koivu?

3P 10:00:

Koivu isn't on the bench. Start prayin'

3P 11:41:

One of the better shifts: a Pleks rush, some Gui! forechecking. But they shoot everything right at Kolzig.

3P 13;20:

Lots of BS after the whistles

3P Break:

Sergei is in a fog, Downie is running Halak. What a mess!

3P 15:08:

Kovy, Andrei K and D'Agostini

3P 15:20:

I don't smell a comeback here

3P 16:56:

RDS shows the GMs chewing gum in unison

3P 17:21:

Pleks has been really good, His linemates not so good.

3P 19:00:

They've made it too easy for a crap TB defence

3P 19:50:

Vinny gives Max an extra shot off the faceoff.

3P 20:00:

OK, here comes the big comeback

2P 00:00:

Oh, just stop it now

2P 1:20:

Halak's rebound control is horrible

2P 3:36:

Brilliant! AK46 in the O-zone. Someone give Carbo a Prozac

2P Break:

Shots are 11-3 but they can't put anything past 67-year-old Kolzig. Sheesh!

2P 4:40:

Latendresse, Sergei and Bouillon on the PP?

2P 5:37:

Not Markov's best night

2P 6:19:

Kovalev is snakebit!

2P 7:02:

Not that it's changing the game, but Vinny gets away with a few .. until now

2P 8:28:

Koivu's second shift this period

2P 8:39:

Woo-hoo! A save on St. Louis

2P 9:00:

Gui! makes a crowd-pleaszing – and ineffective – forecheck

2P 10;11:

If you like slick passing, the PP is a thing of beauty. As for shooting ..

2P 11:29:

Just brutal. The PP craps the bed, and St. louis breaks away .. with predictable results

3-1 

2P 12:31:

Sergei on the first wave, with D'Ag, Andre K, Markov and Breeze

2P Break:

Number 36 again ... draws a penalty with a good tip up the boards

2P 13:20:

Kovy comes close, from Tanguay. Canadiens putting some good shifts together

2P 15:00:

At last, life! Plekanec

2P 16:00:

Sergei centring his brother and D'Agostini

2P 16:29:

Max, Tanguay and Kostopoulos. Here we go

2P 16:50:

Gui! goes to the net on the PP, but nothing works

2P 18:54:

AK46 draws another penalty.

2P 19:20:

Kovy turnover and a TB chance off the backboards

2P 20:00:

Lang line called back for Max against Vinny

More stats:

Vinny: 7-0 on faceoffs ... Eight shots and another three blocked at home against a 30th-place team? Quel honte!

The PP:

1-for-2 ... but the last one was hopeless.

Stats:

The top six forwards are each minus-1. Andrei Markov is minus-2. Carbo must be livid.

1P 00:00:

UGLY!!!

1P 00:49:

Lousy PP. When Mark Recchi is killing you on the PK ...

1P 2:45:

Good time for another PP goal

1P 3:08:

Even the pluggers look messed up

1P Break:

Shots are 11-6, and TB has had better scoring chances. Horrible period for the Canadiens.

1P 6:00:

Booing Lecavalier? Shots are 10-5 TB

1P 7:47:

Getting uglier by the minute. Sergei goes for tripping

1P 7:57:

Brutal. Loose puck for Vinny, who makes no mistake

2-1 

1P 8:02:

That was nearly 2-1. Canadiens are giving up their blueline too easily. Geeting sloppy.

1P Break:

Canadiens passes are imprecise, hopping over sticks. AK46 is being too fancy. This isn't the hockey that's been winning games.

1P 9:11:

St. Louis gets behind O'Byrne and drills one

 

1-1 

1P 10:00:

Breeze the Basher: good hit on Prospal

1P 11:50:

Sergei on the PK, with Pleks. Halak makes a HUGE glove save on Vinny. O'B gets some PK time, too.

1P Break:

Max goes for laying out Stamkos. Welcome to the league, kid.

1P 14:26:

Too many passes during first wave. But then Kovy feeds Breeze in the slot.

1-0 

1P 15:27:

D'Agoastini makes a brilliant pass to AK46 and Canadiens go on the PP

1P 16:06:

Kovy loses his helmet and puts on a show

1P 17:00:

Max Lapierre is skating like the wind

1P 17:35:

TB will try aggressive forecheck

1P 17:37:

Bouillon into it early with Zenon Konopka. gave away a few inches, got in some shots

1P 18:23:

First shift for new Pleks line

1P 19:50:

Tanguay took a big hit from Steve Eminger

Anthems:

The "legendary voice of the Montreal Forum", Roger Doucet

That idiot Steve Downie:

is dressed for TB

Starters:

Lang line against Lecavalier, St. Louis and Ryan Craig

Empty seats:

Again. People unaware of the 7 o'clock start?

Organizational consistency:

Tampa Bay has rookie owners, a rookie general and a rookie coach

Teaching them the right way:

Mark Recchi and Steven Stamkos are each minus-12

Vinnie:

Nice shiner

Managerial brainpower:

A lot of it in the house tonight: Ken Holland and Stevie Y, Kevin Lowe, Doug Armstrong. Cool the jets on trade rumours, though. They're here to talk about the 2010 Olympic team

Pierre McGuire says:

To get Bouwmeester: Christopher Higgins, Max Pacioretty, first-round choice

Fatigue:

Lightning got in late today after a chaotic night in Buffalo that involved changing hotels. No morning skate for them.

ESPN rankings:

Canadiens fifth, behind SJ, Boston, Detroit and Pittsburgh.

Luongo:

Left practice early yesterday. He's having a rough season.

Way cool!:

Canadiens have launched an historical web site Home page features Jacques Demers grad picture: no 'stache, no glasses, dark hair.

D'Agostini:

If he scores tonight to make it five straight games, the kid will equal the Canadiens' rookie record, set by Bernard Geoffrion in 1951-'52

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Comments

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pranxx's picture
Submitted by pranxx on Fri, 12/12/2008 - 15:27.
kovy really needs to make his helmet more tight , he always looses it its waaay too loose, it looks silly

pranxx's picture
Submitted by pranxx on Fri, 12/12/2008 - 15:24.
wow i didnt get to watch the game yesterday, but geeeeez does that sound horrible,and Breeze scores the only goal???!!! haha cool.

Batalla's picture
Submitted by Batalla on Fri, 12/12/2008 - 13:20.
That game was just terrible. I don't mind losing, but not like that... At least the PP clicked for the first goal (lucky as it was): http://habsbros.blogspot.com/

Submitted by V on Fri, 12/12/2008 - 08:08.
The loss is no big deal. They're not perfect and are going to dial up a stinker every now and then. Koivu is my only concern. Hope he is OK.

RJ's picture
Submitted by RJ on Fri, 12/12/2008 - 07:51.
Something needs to change. This division and conference is too good to surrender easy points. They let the Lighting outhit, outskate, outscore and out intimidate them.

G-Man's picture
Submitted by G-Man on Fri, 12/12/2008 - 06:59.
A game against the lowly Lightning should be one for the young guns to shine. Instead,pretty much the whole team was flat. Halak had an ordinary night and the Habs made Kolzig look good. The only thing to take away from this one is that this version of the Habs rarely plays 2 absolute stinkers in a row. Gilbert 2008/09 is the season of the Habs

Kristopher7's picture
Submitted by Kristopher7 on Fri, 12/12/2008 - 05:33.
"Pierre McGuire says: To get Bouwmeester: Christopher Higgins, Max Pacioretty, first-round choice" I'd do it.

24 Cups's picture
Submitted by 24 Cups on Fri, 12/12/2008 - 08:17.
In that case, I'm glad you're not running the Habs. That's a pretty short-sighted trade that would haunt us for years to come. Going For The Brass Ring - 25 Cups In 100 Years

vaya_'s picture
Submitted by vaya_ on Fri, 12/12/2008 - 03:49.
anybody think they're conserving energy for the playoffs? they know they'll finish somewhere in the top 5 and they don't feel the need to humor teams like the lightning? maybe there's some consensus in the locker room that they should take it easy...

punkster's picture
Submitted by punkster on Fri, 12/12/2008 - 01:43.
I'm not particualarly surprised by their lack of motivation tonight. They seem to lay one of these eggs every few games, or for a period or two in a game, or for a few minutes in a game...whatever...at regular intervals. Almost like they play hard for the top teams and slack off for the bottom teams. They haven't figured out that it takes 100% all game every game to make a champion. Maybe they'll wake up before the second half of the season starts. In the mean time I'm not giving up hope. This team has tremendous talent and delivers exciting hockey...sometimes. HOWEVER...A POWER PLAY WOULD BE NICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Submitted by Timo (not verified) on Fri, 12/12/2008 - 02:22.
And this is the saddest part... the lack of motivation was not at all surprising meaning that it is this team's natural patern of behavior to not work hard and be prepared for the game.

G-Man's picture
Submitted by G-Man on Fri, 12/12/2008 - 06:51.
You are right. Where's Chris Nilan? Now he hated to lose. Gilbert 2008/09 is the season of the Habs

Y's picture
Submitted by Y on Fri, 12/12/2008 - 01:28.
Someone wanna photoshop the Lecavalier and St. Louis pic on the front page? I want them to be put in wedding clothes, with Martina in a dress and the stick changed to a bouquet of flowers.

Habbu's picture
Submitted by Habbu on Fri, 12/12/2008 - 01:07.
goin' over to Wal*Mart to see if I can find something to clean the puke out of the living room rug before the old lady comes home from Bingo.

thefallen29's picture
Submitted by thefallen29 on Fri, 12/12/2008 - 00:59.
I suppose when trying to look objectively, this was the sort of banana-peel game tailor-made for a complacent performance - at the end of an epically-long and successful homestand against an opponent riding a nine-game losing streak. Still, these are points that a good team picks up along the course of the season. Seriously, how often do the Red Wings lose games like this? How many times do you think the Sharks are going to entertain a bottom-feeder like this and play 6 minutes of competent hockey? The answer is rarely or never, which is why they are legitimate Stanley Cup contenders, and we I fear are not. The team fell victim to one of the worst momentum-killers in all of hockey - having your goalie give up a bad goal directly after the opposition had gifted you one. Kolzig was nothing special. We made a mediocre netminder look like the reincarnation of George Hainsworth again. Oh, and Ryan O'Liability really needs a ticket back to Hamilton. He was brutal again... Canadiens, Arsenal FC, NBA, MMA, Boxing: The Ship Be Sinking

filincal's picture
Submitted by filincal on Fri, 12/12/2008 - 01:04.
mmm...how about the first game of the year?....lowly leafs. I BLEED BLEU BLANC ET ROUGE!!!

BIG-D's picture
Submitted by BIG-D on Fri, 12/12/2008 - 00:28.
Thank God that we did not have Men like these Habs on the front line in WII, cuase we would definitly have lost the war............

Kwanzaa..'s picture
Submitted by Kwanzaa.. on Fri, 12/12/2008 - 00:37.
comparing apples and oranges. No, make that apples and foie gras.

twocents's picture
Submitted by twocents on Fri, 12/12/2008 - 00:30.
They lost. Blew two points, it happens. I didn't think they would get through the home stand without a regulation loss and I prefer they beat the better teams. They clearly have a problem motivating themselves against weaker teams and that needs to be rectified, because those points can be useful at the end of the year. The thing to remember though is that they will not be playing the weaker teams in the spring, those teams will be golfing. How they play against stronger teams is far more meaningful. That doesn't mean they don't need to learn to close the deal, when it's there for the taking. Championship teams need to. Hopefully they learn that lesson by... let's say February at the latest.

LongIslandHabsFan's picture
Submitted by LongIslandHabsFan on Fri, 12/12/2008 - 00:04.
Well if we only managed one goal against the worst team in the league, how good are we going to make Theo look on Saturday night? I can't stomach him getting another shutout.

MTL LOVE's picture
Submitted by MTL LOVE on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:45.
It was Lecavalier and St.Louis who beat them...so sad :( Really hope Saku comes back for Saturdays game. Does that mean Kovy wears the C ?

LongIslandHabsFan's picture
Submitted by LongIslandHabsFan on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:51.
I'd hate to lose Koivu for even one game, but the "C" might break Kovy from his trance.

Submitted by HabinVan on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:56.
If Vinny and marty had an H-on for the rest of the nhl like they do MTL the lightning would be in first place.

moser17's picture
Submitted by moser17 on Fri, 12/12/2008 - 00:03.
does 'H' stand for 'hard' or 'hate'?

NLhabsfan's picture
Submitted by NLhabsfan on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:34.
Oh and the power play is DOA....Time to try something different.

NLhabsfan's picture
Submitted by NLhabsfan on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:32.
Well the guys stunk the house out tonight. Kovalev has great puck handling skills but he is killing me lately.Same moves ..same move when he looses the puck...same miss when he tries to score.You can crap on O'Byrne all you want but there were a lot of eggs laid tonight by different players.

Keith's picture
Submitted by Keith on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:31.
That game was like an over-used douchebag.

G-Man's picture
Submitted by G-Man on Fri, 12/12/2008 - 07:02.
Wow, that whole comment sinks! Gilbert 2008/09 is the season of the Habs

doug's picture
Submitted by doug on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:35.
i don't really know what that means but it sounds pretty bad.

LongIslandHabsFan's picture
Submitted by LongIslandHabsFan on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:45.
I don't know what it means any more than Carbo knows why his team lost tonight.

TripleX's picture
Submitted by TripleX on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:29.
Hope someone airs out the Bell tonight, the Habs absolutely STUNK the place out! BG, please lead us out of the wilderness before the entire season is lost.

LongIslandHabsFan's picture
Submitted by LongIslandHabsFan on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:54.
Halak was weak on the first St Louis goal after O'Byrne turned into a pylon. But he wasn't the reason we lost. We scored one friggin' goal at home against the worst team in the league!!!

doug's picture
Submitted by doug on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:32.
i think bouillon is a solid 5 or 6 and plays a spirited game. have always liked him and still do (and am not suggesting that you're attacking them - obviously not from your tone and comments)

Submitted by ebk on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:34.
Bouillon is the smallest Dman the Habs have and on most night, especially with Komisarek out, he's the most physical by a mile. If O'Byrne played half as tough as him, he be a star in this league.

LongIslandHabsFan's picture
Submitted by LongIslandHabsFan on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:58.
O'Byrne actually got face washed by a European. Cube would have levelled the guy.

Submitted by ebk on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:52.
They have a few others who need to go before him.

HAB-PROFESSOR's picture
Submitted by HAB-PROFESSOR on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:36.
agreed - Cube is a keeper

HAB-PROFESSOR's picture
Submitted by HAB-PROFESSOR on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:22.
CoachDOUGH said below: we stood up for ourselves... what a load of shi&^%$%^%(^&%... Lecav owns the bell centre doing what he wants at will...including spearing (i don't care if it was a light tap, its the principle that counts) steve psyco-ward Downie runs our goalie and NOBODY DOES ANYTHING then or or later...some giant anitookin face washes at will...Breezewaist gets smacked around like an old torn rag doll by downie and does nothing NOTHING... my God when the playoffs come we'll be out 4 straight if thats the way we standup for each other...NO PASSION. NO BROTHERHOOD. BEGIN, KOSTOP, LATS & Breeze are useless... 1. I've gotten tired of critiquing Mr.Breeze, I'll let his play speak for itself...

RudeMood19's picture
Submitted by RudeMood19 on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:33.
I gotta tell you man, your comments, your "critiques" are useless

Submitted by ebk on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:32.
whoever the Dman was that had the angle on Downie and tried to poke check him when he was barrelling down on Halak, made a candy assed play. He needed to keep skating and protect his goalie. It was a rec hockey league play.

HAB-PROFESSOR's picture
Submitted by HAB-PROFESSOR on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:37.
yeah, but not pressing that creeps face into the glass and facewashing him just to let him know that you don't roll over the goalie without the least hint of avoidance...thats pure cowardice on our part. At least BGL would have put him in a vice grip headlock and then kindly asked him to drop the gloves...thats better then nothing.

Submitted by ebk on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:56.
all the guy had to do was keep skating and use his body to protect Halak, it's what they get paid for. I'm going to tape Canadiens Express and see who the big wussy was.

HAB-PROFESSOR's picture
Submitted by HAB-PROFESSOR on Fri, 12/12/2008 - 00:06.
the defenseman got beat, thats the first problem, the second problem, the bigger problem is no payback. Yeah, two problems...

doug's picture
Submitted by doug on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:20.
was it last year that kovalev became captain and all was great in habsland? if koivu's out for a week (and hopefully not more) perhaps there's a light at the end of the tunnel. i am not always a carbo apologist but he has handled kovalev very well this year in my opinion, including double-shifting and standing behind him despite the "slump" that includes 22 points and six in his last five games.

Moey's picture
Submitted by Moey on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:29.
Doug, From where I'm sitting Carbo will start pulling the reins tighter. He was not a happy camper and rightly so. There were two points for the taking and the boys blew it off, nothing to do with leadership IMO, every thing to do with not following orders. Should be interesting, as much as the boys hated Scotty, they still got the job done. I think we'll be seeing some "tough love" sooner than later. http://moeymusings.blogspot.com/

doug's picture
Submitted by doug on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:37.
Maureen - It's either a sign of how far we've come or how far down the rest of the place has gone. . . but you're one of the most lucid posters out here! :)

Moey's picture
Submitted by Moey on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:58.
I suspect I've always have been, but I needed seasoning!! It's a tough crowd ya know....and God knows Doug, we've seen them all. http://moeymusings.blogspot.com/

TripleX's picture
Submitted by TripleX on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:36.
I am sure Carbo has already tried everything he knows of doing. The room is not listening, the team leaders are not listening. The only real weapon a coach has in todays NHL is ice time, Carbo either uses incorrectly or not at all. I think Carbo has favorites and whipping boys.

Big Bird's picture
Submitted by Big Bird on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:32.
Well said. Well said.

JB_15's picture
Submitted by JB_15 on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:18.
Anyone need some inspiration to get even more angry? Tsn's headline: DOUBLE WHAMMY - Koivu injured as Canadiens lose to lightning! For those who dont speak mongoloid, the translation is "go leafs go"

Gary320's picture
Submitted by Gary320 on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:10.
I was FAR from disappointed by tonights games, and all honestly.. the best player tonight was by far Kovalev for me.. I liked what I saw, Kolzig was RED HOT tonight though... any other goalie we might have been on the winning side. The best loss we have played this season by far.

Harani's picture
Submitted by Harani on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:06.
The Pens invited the Islanders for the party and are running the clinic! 9-2 with two minutes to go. That kind of makes sense no? And also no scoring from Crosby and only one by Malkin! They get the two and come back to haunt us in our standings!

Submitted by habs 4 life on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:06.
Carbo has to be the worst coach in the league. Habs down by 2, and he doesn't take a timeout! habs down by 2, and Carbo plays the 4th line continuously in the 3rd period. TB gets physical, yet Carbo decides not to dress Laraque. What did we get him for? It's time bring up Pacioretty, Maxwell, Weber, and send SK, OB, and Lats to Hamilton. It's just time, Mr. Gainey! do it or continue to lose! oh BTW, remember Atlanta, a horrible team who we couldn't beat? Pitt is beating them 8-1.

Habsrule1's picture
Submitted by Habsrule1 on Fri, 12/12/2008 - 11:01.
You do know there's only 1 timeout per game, right? If I had a penny for every time a coach took a timeout when they were down 2 goals....I would not have very many pennies! You ever think before you post? Just a suggestion. Go Habs Go!! "I can't hear what Jeremy(Roenick) is saying because my Stanley Cup rings are in my ears" - Patrick Roy Habsrule

G-Man's picture
Submitted by G-Man on Fri, 12/12/2008 - 07:07.
5th in the league and Carbo and Gainey suck. Sure. Duhhhhh. Gilbert 2008/09 is the season of the Habs

TripleX's picture
Submitted by TripleX on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:25.
Hear, hear!

TripleX's picture
Submitted by TripleX on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:25.
Hear, hear!

chuckles3's picture
Submitted by chuckles3 on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:12.
do you mean the Islanders? well that's because the Pens don't have O'Byrne on D..... (i kid, i kid)

JB_15's picture
Submitted by JB_15 on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:14.
God i hate Obyrne.

LongIslandHabsFan's picture
Submitted by LongIslandHabsFan on Fri, 12/12/2008 - 00:15.
But the opposing teams LOVE him.

doug's picture
Submitted by doug on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:10.
yeah, i remember atlanta: it's the team we beat 5-4.

coachdoug's picture
Submitted by coachdoug on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:04.
Best loss all year! C'mon naysayers...don't crash your bandwagons when you hear that! The Good: 1. Halak did not melt away... 2. Last period...tons of scoring chances and hard work until the end 3. Pleks...would have had two assists if he was paired with good linemates. 4. We stood up for ourselves...without BGL...jettison him ASAP The Bad: 1. I rarely agree with TV play by play jockeys but...playing the fourth line against their first was stupid...St Louis was happy though. 2. The Refs (Tocchet paid them off...I saw them kissing his ring at the end.) 3. Barry Melrose "Place" for pissing of Vinnie and Martin... The Ugly: 1. Latts sucks...can't skate...can't pass...no hockey sense...jettison him now. Talk about a guy who does not belong in the NHL. 2. That damn snake that has bittten Pleks and Kovy will not die! Unreal...Kolzig needs to buy a lotto ticket!

BIG-D's picture
Submitted by BIG-D on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:18.
read my words "NOTHING GOOD CAME FROM THIS GAME"

Submitted by ebk on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:03.
The 4th line played very well, Lapierre in particular. Lang's line continues to generate chances but can't bury them. The rest of the team was pretty bad. Down 2-1 with Kouvi out and the Habs send out a PP of D'Agostini, Sergei and Andrei when Lang, Tanguay and Kovalev were playing well.

Harani's picture
Submitted by Harani on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:01.
I don't want to disappoint or put down anyone but listen to this. Starting the third the scoreboard lead 5-1. And Boom the comeback began for the flyers. Scott Hartnell scores 2 goals, one each for Upshall and Gagné and guess want the game went to a shootout wich Philly won...what do you see from this? They got character! And they were not playing the worst team in the NHL! It is worrisome that our stars cannot pull something off when we actually need them.

JB_15's picture
Submitted by JB_15 on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 22:59.
I just dont understand the mentality of keeping some of these guys with the big club. Why is latendresse being forced into this lineup instead of calling up ben maxwell or max pacioretty. Why is Obyrne still getting serious minutes despite coughing up the puck at least 5x per game. Is there seriously no one better in Hamilton than him?

doug's picture
Submitted by doug on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:01.
hey jb- think the issue with latendresse is sending him down means he can be picked up on waivers, which the team isn't prepare to do. so it's press box or team. . . and kind of a hard position - and i've never been a fan due to his skating (dis)abilities. RE: O'Byrne, I really don't think we have any NHL-ready defensemen down there, but others may have better info. We should be okay soon with Komi returning anyways.

BIG-D's picture
Submitted by BIG-D on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:20.
Who cares. LATS is useless....

JB_15's picture
Submitted by JB_15 on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:06.
hey doug, thanks for the info. Im just surprised the team isnt prepared to part ways with Latendresse. At what point do you cut your losses, grin and bear the fact that your french-canadian prodigal son wasnt the second coming of the flower, and just move forward? I am also shocked at how little progress Obyrne has made. He cant hit, despite being twice the size of the likes of st louis and others, he consistently just dumps the puck into the zone of the other team, thus stifling our rush, or he just turns it over in the neutral zone. He is slow moving laterally when we have offensive pressure, and from what I can tell, his only redeeming quality is a decent shot that connnects about 10 percent of the time. Our Hamilton D must be really bad if he is the best we can offer.

Norm0770's picture
Submitted by Norm0770 on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:22.
Lats should have started in his career in Hamilton, but now the wavier system makes it difficult to do anything with him. Lats is only 21 and scored 16 goals in each of his first two seasons. Joe Thornton only scored 3, 13, and 23 in his first 3 years in Boston and everyone was talking about how Samsonov was the real future star. We all know where that is 10 years later. I am not saying that Lats is the second coming Thornton, not by a long shot, just something to consider. With that said, the management must see some potential that many fans do not. Even if that is just trade value I'm pretty sure Gainey would consider trading him for picks/prosects. It would be tough to give him up for nothing.

doug's picture
Submitted by doug on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:27.
although giving up grabovsky for nothing and ribeiro for proxy-for-nothing are still worse, even if someone did pick him up. honestly, i wouldn't care if we lost him. i think he's not going to get any better - and i feel bad for him. he's a human being and a father first, a 21 year old boy second, and a guy in tough situation. not nice to watch; i wish him the best.

Submitted by ebk on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:28.
Latendresse couldn't have started his career in Hamilton, two year ago the options were either send him to junior or the NHL. Last year was the first year Montreal could have snet him to the AHL. I thought he was pretty decent last year but he did struggle later in the season. This year after a quick start, he slumped badly.

Norm0770's picture
Submitted by Norm0770 on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:41.
I guess junior wouldn't have helped his development, but would have hurt it? I agree that Lats played well last year but most people here including Boone were slagging him then, and now it seems just the thing to do. When the Habs lose all of the comments are "Breezer sucks" and "Lats can't skate", it is like no one actually watches the game they just pile on their favourite whipping boy. About his quick start though, I don't think it is a coincidence that all of the guys who have played with Koivu have put up their best numbers in that time, with the exception of Kovalev.

Submitted by ebk on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:58.
I think keeping him was the right move but if you are going to keep a 19 year-old in the NHL, you better make sure the coaches are working with him as much as possible.

doug's picture
Submitted by doug on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:14.
i am definitely not knowledgeable re: hamilton d. . . hopefully someone else can help us out. i agree that there's not much to like about lats. . . no idea how he stuck it out without hitting the pressbox two years ago, etc. did hear someone say something interesting about his either having to go back to junior or play with the habs two years ago and decision was best for development to be with the club. now i think he's missed out on having played the AHL training the other guys like pleks/komi/higgins got, and poor dude's dangerously close to be an ex-NHL player at 21 with a wife and a kid. no substitute for a good education. . .

t1tan5's picture
Submitted by t1tan5 on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 22:58.
Following a Loss: Oh no! It's all over. This season is over! Carbo sucks, Kovy sucks, trade everybody! Gainey has the IQ of a pen! Following a Win: #$@# Yeah! Ca sent la coupe, mon esti! We're going all the way! This team showed real guts and HEART tonight! B.I.P.O.L.A.R

Norm0770's picture
Submitted by Norm0770 on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:09.
Are you new here? It seems you're not used to this. ;)

longbow's picture
Submitted by longbow on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:15.
P.J.Stock is right.It is more fun when they lose.The commentary is much more interesting than when they win.

t1tan5's picture
Submitted by t1tan5 on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:12.
lol...I've been a member as long as you have. I'm very used to these mood swings from fans, it just gets to me sometimes.

Submitted by habs 4 life on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:01.
piss off !

longbow's picture
Submitted by longbow on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:07.
LOL

doug's picture
Submitted by doug on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:02.
?? dude, i wish i thought you were joking. you seriously have issues. . . or you're kidding around/a troll.

doug's picture
Submitted by doug on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 22:56.
good night, ladies and gentlemen. may you go to bed without committing a violent crime, sleep through the night without fits and nightmare, and wake up to see another day. i think we'll be ok. only concern is saku koivu, our best player all year.

Kaptain K's picture
Submitted by Kaptain K on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 22:54.
HAd an exam today and because of my all nighter i fell asleep and missed the game... sounds like it was the best thing to happen too. why do we rise up to the good teams and drop lower than the bad ones?

BIG-D's picture
Submitted by BIG-D on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 22:54.
The Habs of the 70's would not let a player like "Dirty Vinny" pull that *** tonight. He would have more than a black eye.... 2008/09 Montreal Candiens have absolutley NO GUTS or HEART. If they did they would not be pushed around like they were tonight....

LongIslandHabsFan's picture
Submitted by LongIslandHabsFan on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:24.
Absolutely right. Serge Savard, being interviewed by *** Irvin in a piece that aired between periods, said that the '76-'79 team was great because it was like a family. You wouldn't have seen a guy blatantly poke one of our star players right in the CH and not have to pay for it.

Ground Chuck's picture
Submitted by Ground Chuck on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 22:58.
^^^ Anger management issues?

doug's picture
Submitted by doug on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:06.
i think we could definitely get a group discount tonight and help sean avery out with the money he's losing for his suspension.

Ground Chuck's picture
Submitted by Ground Chuck on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 23:16.
:)

Submitted by Momesso_17 on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 22:51.
You know, traditionally I don't really harp on officiating being the reason behind a loss. When we lose, we lose, and it's usually the team's fault. Tonight however, I have to derail from this usual philosophy due to the sheer fact that this had to be the most unbalanced game in terms of refereeing that I've seen in recent years. I think that the starting point was the moment where Lecavalier speared Plekanec in the gut DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE REF who in turn did absolutely nothing. Granted, it wasn't a full fledged injury causing spear, not that an injury of some sort should be the balancing stone that warrants a penalty (otherwise I could think of several situations that would have required such a call in the recent past [Koivu's stick to the eye C/O Justin Williams, Markov's recent dental work, etc.]) The second most prominent missed call was the blatant running down of Halak. At this point, I'm thinking, "What's it gonna take?" The answer came with 1:39 left in the third period. A phantom hook which resulted in Lecavalier understandably chirping, which led to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. It seems that the refs got the memo too late. They were supposed to make it seem even at some point DURING the game. Not when it was already over. My opinion for this game; Montreal - 0 pts Tampa Bay - 0 pts Referees - 2 pts

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