Ryan O'Byrne

Canadiens defenceman Ryan O'Byrne has been cleared of all charges related to an incident at a Tampa Bay bar, RDS is reporting.

He has recently completed a five-month transition period where he apologized to the woman involved in the incident, completed community service and was on his best behaviour.

It's good news for the blue-liner as a criminal record would have hurt his NHL career as travel to the U.S. would be extremely difficult. 

Ryan O'Byrne has signed a three-year contract worth $2.825 million. He will make $700,000 this season, $725,000 in 2009-'10 and $1.4 million in the final season of the deal.

O'Byrne made $590,000 last season.

The signing leaves the Canadiens $6.8 million under the salary cap.

From the Mother Ship:

Montreal Canadiens General Manager Bob Gainey announced today the signing of defenseman Ryan O’Byrne to a three-year contract (2008-09 to 2010-11). As per club policy, financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“Ryan acquired a great deal of NHL experience last season. He is part of our young core of defencemen and certainly has the potential of becoming a very good NHL player. He is big, intense and his physical play are important assets for our team,’’ said Bob Gainey.

O’Byrne, who will turn 24 on July 19, will begin his second season in the NHL this fall. In 2007-08, he scored seven points (1 goal, 6 assists) and served 45 minutes of penalty in 33 games with the Canadiens, averaging 13:23 minutes of ice time per game. The 6’5’’, 228 lbs defenceman also played 20 games with the Hamilton Bulldogs, posting eight points (2-6-8), a plus-4 differential and 49 penalty minutes. He was named to the Canadian AHL All-Star Team.

A native of Victoria, British Columbia, O’Byrne was selected in the third round by the Canadiens, 79th overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He played three seasons with the ECAC Cornell University Big Red from 2003 to 2006.

Shawn Belle under contract
The Canadiens also announced today the signing of defenseman Shawn Belle to a one-year, two-way contract (2008-09). Belle, 23, was acquired from the Minnesota Wild on July 11 in return for forward Corey Locke.

When the Canadiens selected defenceman Ryan O'Byrne in the third round of the 2003 National Hockey League entry draft (79th overall), he was viewed as a long-term project. Judging by the progress he has made so far, the team's project deserves a high grade.

After three seasons at Cornell University, O'Byrne turned pro in 2006, joining the Hamilton Bulldogs for their Calder Cup championship season last year in the American Hockey League.

The Victoria native has progressed rapidly since turning pro and made his NHL debut in December, only to have his rookie season interrupted by a broken thumb he suffered during a fight a few weeks later.

But the 6-foot-5, 228-pounder has come back strong and hasn't looked out of place against NHL competition. He has one goal, four assists, and a plus-4 rating in 30 games, along with 45 penalty minutes, including 15 in last night's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Read this week's One-on-One here.

As we await further details – Canadiens will issue a mealy-mouthed statement after their 4 p.m. practice today – let's be thankful that the incident did not involve guns, knives, illegal drugs, underage girls, strippers, ladies of the evening, racial slurs, DUI, brawls with bouncers – or star players.

Ryan O'Byrne and Tom Kostopoulos, however, are in deep sewage with a conservative (with gusts to uptight) organization that frowns on rookie dinners ending with last call and an overnight stay in the nick.

The timing sucks. This debacle will be a huge distraction as the team prepares for back-to-back games in Florida, then a home-and-home with the Flyers.

What's with O'Byrne in the Sunshine State? He breaks his thumb fighting the Panthers. Then on the team's next southern sojourn, the big galoot gets busted for stealing a woman's purse ... and tells the cops she's his girlfriend .... and when they ask her name he doesn't know it.

For this O'Byrne spent three years at an Ivy League university?

You learn better manners in major junior.

And back in the day when I used to close bars, you could rely on anyone whose last name began with O' to be the last man standing.

The Canadiens have recalled defenceman Ryan O'Byrne from the Hamilton Bulldogs after he played only two games since being sent down on Feb. 7.

The Gazette's Pat Hickey reports that  head coach Guy Carbonneau was not happy with his defencemen after Saturday's game. It's unclear who might sit, but Patrice Brisebois played less than 10 minutes against the Senators.

Here is the team's official release on O'Byrne's recall:

The Montreal Canadiens announced today that defensemen Ryan O’Byrne has been recalled from the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League.

The 23-year-old rookie played 11 games with the Canadiens this season, scoring two points (2 assists) while delivering 20 hits and blocking 18 shots. He was assigned to Hamilton on February 7 after missing 16 games due to a hand injury suffered on December 28 in Florida. With Hamilton, O’Byrne registered eight points in 20 games (2 goals, 6 assists), a plus-3 and 49 penalty minutes.

O’Byrne will join the Canadiens on Sunday in Tampa Bay.

The Canadiens announced right before the game on Thursday that rookie defenceman Ryan O'Byrne has been assigned to the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League.

This is likely a conditioning stint as O'Byrne continues his recovery from a broken thumb. He was at the Canadiens' practices this week and appears ready to return to action.

He will rejoin the Bulldogs on Friday. 

Habs' Ryan O'Byrne had two assists in his NHL debut Thursday.
Bruce Bennett, Getty Images

The Gazette's Herb Zurkowsky writes that Canadiens defenceman Ryan O'Byrne made quite an impression during his NHL debut on Thursday night in Boston.

O'Byrne recorded two assists in 14:30 of ice time over 20 shifts. He also had two hits and blocked a shot.

"Things went pretty well," O'Byrne said Friday, after the team's practice in Verdun. "I kept it simple. I got a couple of points, we got the win and I had some hits.

"Absolutely, I was nervous," he added. "Something's wrong if you're not nervous."

The Canadiens today announced that they have recalled forward Maxim Lapierre and defenceman Ryan O'Byrne from the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League.

The team also announced that Mikhail Grabovski has been sent to Hamilton to make room on the roster for Lapierre and O'Byrne.

This is from the team's official release:

Lapierre, 22, ranks second in scoring with the Bulldogs with 14 points in 19 games (seven goals, seven assists). He is a plus-2 with 63 penalty minutes.

O'Byrne, 23, collected eight points in 18 games (two goals, six assists). He is a plus-4 with 43 penalty minutes.

Grabovski, 23, played in 12 games for the Canadiens this season. He recorded two points (one goal, one assist).