Alex Tanguay

In town for NASCAR – the prayers of millions can't get him here, but he comes for a stock car race? – Vincent Lecavalier heaps praise on new teammate Alex Tanguay.

In April, after the Boston debacle, Tanguay talked about his desire to return to the Canadiens and his willingness to sacrifice money for term.

So the guy who was worth a first- and second-round draft choice in 2008 and made $5.25 million to score 16 goals in 50 games reportedly signs a one-year deal that will pay him $2.5 million in TB (if he passes a physical).

Question of the Day: Will Alex Tanguay bounce back?

• Speaking of bounces, Paul Kelly has been fired as exec director of the NHLPA after less than two years on the job. Batter up! Bring back Alan Eagleson. Or Red Fisher. Ken Campbell of The Hockey News doesn't like the move.

• Mathieu Schneider is happy to be in Vancouver. He's probably happy to be anywhere. Francis Bouillon and Mathieu Dandenault? Not so happy.

• Eric Engels' Canadiens predictions

• Canadiens web site has a feature on Jaro Halak. And a q&a with Red-Light Racicot.

• Scott Burnside of ESPN likes the Blackhawks this season.

 

Continue reading "Vinny likes Tanguay" »

It will be sunny later on today, but a cool autumnal morning in Montreal is the kind of weather that puts one in mind of ...

HOCKEY!!!!

It's the only sport we give a puck about.

Canadiens training camp opens Sept. 12. Golf tournament precedes it on the 10th (no Guy Carbonneau this year, so bird-flipping is unlikely).

Set your alarm. Start the countdown. Get your Mike Komisarek 8 jersey out of mothballs.

• First question at camp: Hey Carey, what's with the Nats' hat?

• Alex Tanguay should have a job by then. La Presse says it's down to the Wild or the Lightning.

• Serge Savard tells RDS that back in the day, the players elected their captain.

• Paul Mara talks about his beard. Kevin Spacey is usually pretty circumspect about his.

• Kevin van Steendelaar reports that McFarlane toys, citing the tough economy and low demand, has cancelled production of some Canadiens Centennial figurines. This makes the Saku Koivu/Alex Kovalev and Guy Lafleur/Steve Shutt sets collectors' items.

• The always-excellent Stephen Brunt on Jim Balsillie's smart lawyer.

• Sidney Crosby, our favourite smart lawyer's least-favourite hockey player, brings the Cup home to Nova Scotia. The Kid is 22 today.

• Bruce Dowbiggin reports James Cameron will direct a 3D history of hockey.

And with training camp in mind, TGIF Theatre presents the great Neil Young singing Harvest Moon ... or as we like to say in Canadiens Country, Harvest Moen.

 

Continue reading "36 more sleeps" »

At ruefrontenac.com, beat man Pierre Durocher reports Alex Tanguay has fired his agent, Bob Sauvé.

After 37 days of free agency, what's 10 per cent of SFA?

 

Fugitive financial planner Earl Jones is still at large – and Alex Tanguay is still available.

In a recent ESPN column, Pierre LeBrun described Tanguay as "an immensely talented forward".

But in his last Globe and Mail column before heading off on vacation, Eric Duhatschek offers a more sober assessment:

The fact that Tanguay remains available is marginally surprising given that Montreal gave up a first-rounder to get him from Calgary only a year before. But Tanguay's reputation – skilled, but soft – and the fact that he's recovering from off-season surgery suggests that any team interested in his services wants him for the short term to start, just to see if he's healthy and a fit with their team.

Also unsigned: Robert Lang, Mathieu Schneider, Francis Bouillon, Mathieu Dandenault and Patrice Brisebois.

Do the math:

Thirty teams in the NHL and almost three weeks into free agency, six former Canadiens have zero contracts among them.

Just how bad was that team?

Bad enough that after Bob Gainey got a close look, he decided to blow it up.

Wingers with potential free agency status on July 1st:

Alex Kovalev (UFA)

Alex Tanguay (UFA)

Chris Higgins (RFA)

Guillaume Latendresse (RFA)

Tom Kostopolous (UFA)

Gregory Stewart (RFA)

Matt D’Agostini (RFA)

Barring any big signings or trades, it’s expected that all RFAs will be made qualifying offers, with everybody receiving a modest raise. Perhaps arbitration will be necessary to settle a deal with Higgins, but after last season he doesn’t have much negotiating leverage. It’s highly unlikely that any other team will try to grab one of our guys with an offer sheet (and equally unlikely that we send out an offer sheets of our own).

That leaves Kovy, Tanguay, and Kostopolous.

Tom the Bomb is a great team guy and a useful grinder, but he can be replaced by a younger, cheaper call-up (i.e. Stewart). If necessary, worry about TK in August.

Kovalev is a fan favorite, but Gainey should look into other options before giving l’Artiste a new deal. He’s 36 and infuriatingly inconsistent. While Kovy can still produce, there won’t be a line-up for his services on July 1.

No need to rush.

It was reported earlier in the week that Gainey has not had much in way of talks with Tanguay or his agent because he has been working on something big. Presumably – and this is a big presumption – that something big is Vincent Lecavalier. (And if we’re to believe Jean Perron, you can also throw Martin St-Louis’ name into that mess of a rumour.)

On Tuesday, league Czar Gary Bettman gave operational control of the Lightning to co-owner Oren Koules, but Len Barrie still holds a veto vote. Any trade involving Lecavalier might have to wait until mid-July when this dysfunctional Tampa ownership (hopefully) gets sorted out. Whether or not that trade involves the Habs remains to be seen.

Continue reading "Wingmen" »

The Habs are playing like the Habs again. The boys are scoring goals, skating hard, playing defensively sound and maybe most importantly – smiling.
And who can we thank for this last minute resurgence? Look no further than behind the bench. Coach Gainey has implemented a system that uses players to their strengths and creates a team chemistry that helps overcome individual weaknesses.
This is the team that GM Gainey had envisioned at the beginning of the season. This is the team that, on paper, looked like it could compete deep into the playoffs. Continue reading "Making a Statement" »

• AUDIO: Guy Carbonneau (begins with discussion about Tanguay, also covers tonight's game, Carey Price and the pressures of playing in Montreal)

Canadiens forward Alex Tanguay, who tonight misses his 24th game since suffering a separated shoulder Dec. 30 vs. Tampa Bay, did not get medical clearance today from a team doctor, and isn't expected to get the green light much before early next week.

Jaroslav Halak is in goal for the Canadiens vs. Vancouver tonight. Captain Saku Koivu has rebounded from the flu and is expected to be in Carbo's lineup, which should look something like this:

Kostitsyn-Plekanec-Kovalev
Higgins-Koivu-D'Agostini
Pacioretty-Lapierre-Kostopoulos
Stewart-Chipchura-Dandenault

That again leaves forward Steve Bégin on the sidelines, for the fourth straight game and 17th time this season, along with forward Georges Laraque and injured defenceman Francis Bouillon.

OK, bag the groin pull jokes.

This isn't funny anymore.

The latest victim: Alex Tanguay. He joins Alex Kovalev, Georges Laraque, Roman Hamrlik and Patrice Brisebois.

Guillaume Latendresse is hampered by a hip problem.Robert Lang and Christopher Higgins are also banged up.

Your Montreal Canadiens, who skated through the 2007-'08 season with no significant injuries – are being decimated in training camp.

The lineup (subject to change after morning skate) for tomorrow night's Bell Centre game against the Senators: 

jaroslav Halak and Marc Denis

Shootout hero Andrei Markov, Ryan O’Byrne, Josh Gorges, P.K. Subban, Alex Henry, Yannick Weber

AK46, SK74, Tomas Plekanec, a recovered Kovy, Max Pacioretty, Ben Maxwell, Gregory Stewart, David Desharnais, Matt D’Agostini, Steve Bégin, Max Lapierre, Tom Kostopoulos

The Pleks-Kovy-AK46 line will be back together tomorrow night. SK74 will play with Max-Pac and B-Max.

Continue reading "Dropping like flies" »

Newly-acquired Alex Tanguay tells Pierre Durocher of the Journal de Montréal he's delighted to be a Canadien and is looking forward to training camp.

"This is the most mythical hockey team. I feel like a baseball player that just got traded to the New York Yankees."  

Here's the original Journal story.

Durocher predicts Tanguay will burn up the links at Laval-sur-le-Lac today. The newcomer brings a four handicap to the Canadiens golf tournament. 

Dave Stubbs, tanned, rested and ready after his Beijing holiday, is at the tournament and will file an update later today.

•  •  •

It's opening day in the K.H.L. 

Who do you like in the big Vityaz Chekhov-HK MVD Balashikha showdown?

 

 

Want to impress the girls?

Being listed in the Canadiens' media guide adds two inches ... to your height.

The team has Josh Gorges at 6'1". That's an exaggeration, but you can't overstate the size of his heart.

Gorges, who turns 24 today, won a starting job last season by working his butt off from training camp on. The native of Kelowna has a nice skill set for the new NHL: good skater, makes a smart first pass, does not panic, despite taking a pretty good pounding, decent point shot.

Gorges played junior in the Dub and is the former captain of a Memorial Cup team. He does not shy away from heavy traffic and is right there to back up teammates if things get hairy.

No, Gorges is not your d-man to contain Alexander Ovechkin. But he teamed with Francis Bouillon to give Guy Carbonneau 15 to 18 minutes of solid hockey per game.

The media ignored Gorges until December last season before he became a go-to guy for honest and intelligent game analysis.

Canadiens got Gorges and the draft pick they used to select Max
Pacioretty in the trade that sent Craig Rivet to San Jose. It was one of
Bob Gainey's better deals, and Gorges was rewarded with a three-year
contract this summer.

 

Continue reading "Happy birthday, Josh Gorges" »

The Gazette's Pat Hickey, reporting on the Canadiens' acquisition of Alex Tanguay from the Calgary Flames, was able to speak with Tanguay via conference call on Friday night and collected the following thoughts from the newest Hab.

"I think they're a team that has worked hard to become an elite team in the NHL and they proved they're one of the best teams by finishing first in the Eastern Conference," Tanguay said. "They're a skating team and I think that fits my style."

Hickey added that Tanguay waived his no-trade clause to join the Habs and hopes to sign a contract extension with the team.

And Tanguay says he has prepared himself for the pressure of playing in Montreal:

"I know there will be some pressure, but it's not like I'm Guy Lafleur," he said. And Tanguay said the move was good for family reasons.

"My wife and I just had a baby girl and now we'll be closer to both families," he said.

Read Hickey's full article here.

Continue reading "Tanguay happy to be a Hab" »

The Alex Tanguay file:

• A plus player every year of his career, including plus-35 his sophomore season in Colorado and plus-11 this past season in Calgary

• Durable: 78 games this season, 81 the year before, never fewer than 69

• Two shorthanded goals this season

• Career shooting percentage of 19.4; doesn't waste shots

 McKeen's 2007-'08 Hockey Yearbook on Tanguay:

Newcomer played a central role in Calgary's rejuvenated offence with a career high 59 assists and 81 points (in 2006-'07), though his efforts were offset by a soft playoff performance punctuated by some costly mistakes ... a deft passer and puckhandler who sees the ice exceptionally well ... languid skater with deceptive range and first-step speed ... can get lazy defensively and will lose 1-on-1 battles due to a lack of intensity and fortitude, vulnerabilities illuminated in the tougher playoffs ... remains a fussy, albeit efficient, shooter who often shuns openings in favour of the fancy set-up ... continues to hover in the not-quite-a-star territory, though has produced consistently strong numbers in each of the last four seasons.

The Score's yearbook:

Few NHL players have Tanguay's natural ability. While some weave their magic with stickhandling and taking defenders one-on-one, Tanguay beats you with silky passes through traffic and by finding the smallest of holes. At his most confident when contributing big numbers, he can also disappear when his head is filled with self-doubt. He has decent size and great speed, but is far from a physical player. 

 
•  •  •

The Globe & Mail's Eric Duhatschek has a column on why Mats Sundin would be a good fit for the Canadiens:

Gainey would not disclose what the Canadiens would give up, if he can convince Sundin to sign on the dotted line, but it could be as much as a first-round pick. Gainey characterized his conversation with Sundin as "an introductory phone call" and said they would hook up again in the near future for a follow-up chat. Gainey plans to sell Sundin on Montreal in the same way he would talk to any unrestricted free agent in July, explaining why he would be a good fit for the Canadiens and why the Canadiens would be a good fit for him.

In some ways, Gainey shares many of the same qualities as Sundin. They are both soft-spoken, resolute and like to do things in orderly fashion.

Ladies and gentlemen, start your calculators.

Alex Tanguay is now the highest-paid forward (and third highest-paid player, after Andrei Markov and Roman Hamrlik) on the Montreal Canadiens.

His $5.375 million pushes the Canadiens' 2008-'09 salary cap hit and bonus cushion to $42.6 million for 17 players.

If, as expected, the cap goes to $56 million, Bob Gainey has $13.4 million to sign Mats Sundin and RFAs Andrei Kostitsyn, Josh Gorges, Jaroslav Halak and Ryan O'Byrne.

Pass the KY. This is gonna be tight.