Sergei Kostitsyn

Tomas Plekanec is on a goal-a-game pace at the Olympics.

Pleks scored in the Czech Republic's 5-2 win over Latvia on Friday. He had four shots on goal and played 17:10, second among Czech forwards to Patrik Elias's 18:37.

Sergei Kostitsyn played 16:51 and had a SoG but was kept off the scoresheet in Belarus's 4-2 loss to Sweden.

Jaro Halak will be in action Saturday afternoon at 7:30 when Slovakia plays Latvia.

And on Super Sunday, it will be Pleks and the Czechs against Andrei Markov's Russia at 3 p.m., followed by Canada vs. the U.S. in what should be a prime-time classic, then Sweden vs. Saku Koivu and Finland at midnight.

Andrei Markov played 15:29 on Tuesday night in Russias 8-2 win over Latvia, collecting an assist, registering two shots on goal and was a plus-2 at the end of the night.

The Czech Republic and Slovakia face off tonight, pitting teammates Tomas Plekanec and Jaroslav Halak against each other, and Belarus, with Sergei Kostitsyn, takes on Finland with former Canadiens captain Saku Koivu.

Scott Gomez denies he and Sergei Kostitsyn fought during a party at the end of September, hours before SK74 was sent to the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs.

On TSN, he said it was "complete B.S," and that he was with Kostitsyn's older brother Andrei when he first heard it on Thursday and both had a good laugh.

"It was kind of funny," he said. "There's absolutely no truth to it. But it is a good story. Everyone's been calling. I guess that's what happens here in Montreal."

Where's Sergei?

Don Meehan, his agent, doesn't know.

Is he suspended?

No announcement yet from the Canadiens.

Has he seen the error of his ways and decided he'll continue to languish in the AHL on a two-way contract paying $65,000 while at least four guys who can't carry his jock – Max Pacioretty, Matt D'Agostini, Kyle Chipchura, Gregory Stewart – and maybe a fifth and sixth, Guillaume Latendresse and Maxim Lapierre, collect NHL salaries?

Stay tuned.

•  •  •

Brian Gionta is NHLPA's Player of the Day for last night's heroics.

•  •  •

Elliotte Friedman on why the Thrashers have to re-sign Ilya Kovalchuk.

RDS is reporting that disgruntled Canadiens forward Sergei Kostitsyn will finally join the Hamilton Bulldogs on Tuesday after refusing to report to the AHL team last week after being cut from the Canadiens during training camp.

Sportsnet is reporting that the Canadiens made a deal with Kostitsyn to have him report to the Bulldogs in exchange for promising a trade to a new NHL team.

And Franccois Gagnon reports that SK74's two-way contract would pay him $585,000 – with the possibility of $265,000 in bonuses – were he to stay in Montreal, while his Bulldogs salary is $65,000 .... less than a Montreal bus driver.

Sergei Kostitsyn has been silent since requesting a trade after his demotion to the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs by the Canadiens a week ago.

But Dmitry Chesnokov spoke with the Canadiens winger recently. He said he expects to be traded and sees no future for himself with the Canadiens.

Read the full interview here.

From the gang at pucku.ca, a "Belarusian news report" on the Kostitsyn-Grabovski feud.

Hilarious.

(Caution: contains a few low-voltage cuss words)

First off, I love the kid. I think he's more versatile and tougher than his brother.

My friend and colleague Patrick V. Hickey still tells the story of watching a London Knights OHL playoff game in which Sergei killed an entire London penalty, stayed on and scored 1:37 later.

A four-minute shift! And brilliant all the way.

We may see that talent in a Canadiens' uniform with number 74 on the back.

Or we may not.

When Sergei came up two years ago, the French media picked up on his toughness. He was praised as a player with qualities du chien, which is a compliment and refers to dogged tenacity.

Problem is that after a promising start, the chien has turned into a bit of a dog.

Jacques Martin strongly believes in character, leadership and team-building. That's why the new coach has sequestered the boys at Teen Ranch this week.

By excluding Sergei, Martin has sent a powerful message to the other players: Get with the program, or get on a bus.

It's a gamble only in as much as it may screw up Sergei. Let's see how he handles the demotion. Maybe Guy Boucher, a McGill man who understands psychology, can get the kid back on track.

But the move helps the team.

An unproven player who misses the team bus to QC and screws up in practice is not going to impress Brian Gionta, a consummate professional who busts his *** on every shift.

I don't know how well your Montreal Canadiens will fare this season.

Honestly can't see them cracking the Top 4 in the East.

But they will be a team.

They will play a system.

And there will be no BS.

Sergei has huge upside.

Let's hope we see it ... once he extracts his head from his anal orifice.

(Shout out to Timo for the candid below)

You like to see a Montreal guy geting rich(er).

Roberto Luongo, the pride of St. Léonard (along with Maxim Lapierre ... and that goaltender in New Jersey), has signed a 12-year contract extension, worth $64 million, with Vancouver.

François Gagnon analyzes the deal and points out that Marc-André Fleury is signed through 2013-'14 at $5 million per. Pierre Lebrun's take.

The Luongo and Fleury contracts will be among benchmarks for Carey Price's agent to cite when The Franchise is about to become a RFA next summer.

And anyone who mentions Rick DiPietro is being very churlish indeed.

• Pat Hickey on the Jim Balsillie soap opera and Red Fisher on Jacques Martin.

• The Globe and Mail's Tim Wharnsby on the Paul Kelly debacle. Kelly talks to ESPN.

• The Canadiens web site has a feature on Max-Pac and SK74.

• SI has a photo gallery feature on hockey's great nicknames. Leading off and wearing number 9 for the Montreal Canadiens ...

No, this is not a gay Belarusian wedding.

RetroMikey, who reads 86 languages, found this account of Sergei Kostitsyn and sworn enemy Mikhail Grabovski kissing and making up.

OK, maybe they didn't kiss.

But they didn't fight, either. And they're totally  cool now.

Which means when the Canadiens play the Leafs, they can focus on hammering Mike Komisarek without the distraction of a lightweight undercard.

Just as an aside: Don't they have hair stylists in that country?

A Journal de Montréal report today has Montreal police clearing brothers Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn and Roman Hamrlik of any wrongdoing in a situation that a Montreal newspaper reported in a sweeping, multi-page exclusive this season would bring the franchise to its knees.

RDS reports that Sergei Kostitsyn will undergo surgery on his right shoulder on Thursday. It's a minor operation and he waited for the end of the season for surgery after suffering the injury several weeks ago.

RDS also says that  Alexander Perezhogin - remember him? - plans to stay in Russia.

Sergei Kostitsyn after having been run over by Chicago's Aaron Johnson.
John Mahoney, Gazette

The Gazette's Herb Zurkowsky reports, without bitterness, that the media outnumbered the players on the ice at this afternoon's optional practice in Brossard before the team was to board a flight for Long Island and tomorrow night's game vs. the Islanders.

Sergei Kostitsyn, who left Tuesday's game in the first period after being splattered into the end boards by Chicago's Aaron Johnson, will not make the trip. Upper-body injury, the report remains. Defenceman Roman Hamrlik, who left the game in the second after a weird collision along the Blackhawks bench, will travel to Long Island.

The hardy few on Brossard ice: Matt D'Agostini, Ryan O'Byrne, Gregory Stewart, Georges Laraque and Jaroslav Halak.

•  •  •

Et le but!

Credit Christopher Higgins with the Canadiens' fourth goal against Chicago. Higgins tipped the point drive of Mathieu Schneider during a Canadiens power play.

•  •  •

Mark Streit has a wonky groin and is a Maybe on the Island tomorrow. 

AUDIO:  • Gainey  • Komisarek  • Higgins

Presumably because of the callup of Sergei Kostitsyn, the Canadiens today farmed Max Pacioretty back to the AHL Hamilton Bulldogs.

They could have kept him up, but clearly he'll get more ice time in Hamilton.

•  •  •

Lines at practice this morning:

Kovalev - Koivu - Tanguay
A. Kostitsyn - Plekanec - S. Kostitsyn
Latendresse - Lapierre - Kostopoulos
Higgins - Metropolit - Dandenault

Extras: Laraque, Stewart, D'Agostini

• No goaltending decision for Tuesday's game vs. Atlanta before tomorrow morning.

Sergei Kostitsyn, riding the buses in Hamilton since mid-February, is on his way back to Montreal. The forward was recalled today by the Canadiens and will rejoin the team at Bell Centre practice tomorrow.

Kostitsyn, shipped to the Bulldogs on Feb. 17, had five goals and nine assists in 16 games with the American league club.

Bob McCord
Photo courtesy Society for International Hockey Research

Happy 22nd birthday to Canadiens farmhand Sergei Kostitsyn.

And 61st to Bobby Orr.

And 75th to 1950s Montreal junior Canadien Bob McCord, who went on to play 316 games on defence in the NHL with Boston, Detroit, Minnesota and St. Louis from 1963-73, with plenty of minor-league time along the way.

If you don't remember McCord, you don't recall his being claimed by the Habs from Minnesota in the Intra-league draft on June 9, 1970, or being traded back to Minnesota for cash two months later.

Sergei Kostitsyn: a goal, two assists, four shots on goal.

Hmmmmmm ...

Can you think of any NHL teams that might need a late-season spark?

•  •  •

Rangers beat Flyers 4-1

First star: Sean Avery (two goals on the PP)

Second star: Nik Antropov  (A goal on the PP, his 24th of the season)

•  •  •

Allan Muir, writing in Sports Illustrated before last night's game, thinks Canadiens have "just enough in the tank" to make the playoffs.

Sergei Kostitsyn to Hamilton

Gregory Stewart recalled.

Was it just a year ago we thought SK74 would be the next Canadiens superstar?

What the heck happened to this guy?

Look on the bright side, kid: you're that much closer to Mikhail Grabovski.

Here's an exhaustive interview with Sergei Kostitsyn. sent along to us by Greg Wyshynski, editor of Puck Daddy, Yahoo! Sports Blogs.

Sergei discusses Crosby, Ovechkin, Kovalchuk, his feud with the Toronto Maple Leafs and more.

The Canadiens most potent line has been broken up – at least to start the exhibition season.

When the Canadiens take on the Boston Bruins Monday night in Halifax, Tomas Plekanec will still have Andrei Kostitsyn on his left wing. But coach Guy Carbonneau says Sergei Kostitsyn will play RW on the line.

Has Alex Kovalev been placed on waivers?

Of course not. Kovy will make his exhibition season debut Wednesday night in Detroit, Carbo  said, with the linemates who joined him at this morning's practice: Robert Lang and Guillaume Latendresse.

Another new line that Carbonneau will try Monday: Prized acquisition Alex Tanguay with two rookies: Ben Maxwell and Max Pacioretty.

This is what training camp is for. Carbonneau, an inveterate line-tinkerer, can really go to town.

This is a double posting. I'll leave it up just to retain the comment thread.

- Mike Boone

RDS, which had the Bob Gainey scoop on Mats Sundin yesterday, reports Guy Carbonneau plans to switch Sergei Kostitsyn to centre.

Could work.

The kid is a terrific passer with superb hockey sense.

SK74 would be particularly effective centring his brother. Working with third-liners might be more problematic.

(Photo from Getty Images)

In an interview with a Belarussian paper, translated by the Russian Prospects web site, Sergei Kostitsyn second-guesses Alexander Radulov's decision to play in the KHL.

Asked if he would make a Radulovian career move, SK74 is unequivocal:

“Right the opposite. To leave the best league in the World?.. No, thank you.”

More good stuff:

Don't you feel regret that even after successful debut in the NHL you'll have to play for Montreal on the rookie contract without the right to re-negotiate it? And we're talking about Russia, where you'd been offered double of "untaxed" at least.
"I'll get over. There is time for everything."

- You earned the spot in the line-ups in part because of your gritty stile of play. We never knew you like that before.
"I'm not trying to be a tough guy, but when I'm being challenged I'm not gonna shy away."
 

Trevor Timmins, Canadiens' director of player recruitment and development, was on his way to Peterborough for an OHL game when I caught up with him on his cell phone yesterday and asked about Sergei Kostitsyn.

Specifically: How did the younger K last seven rounds and become the 200th player selected in the 2005 draft?

"He played in Belarus in his draft year," Timmins recalled, "and that's not the same level of competition as the Russian league."

What impressed Canadiens about Sergei, even in the lower-tier league, was  his toughness.

"Even then, he had the jam in his game that we're seeing now, " Timmins said. "Sergei is a player who likes contact."

The key to Sergei's development was getting him into the Ontario Hockey League. Canadiens would have liked Andrei Kostitsyn, the team's first-round choice in 2003, to play junior in North America (if only so they could monitor  his medical condition), but the older brother was playing pro in Russia and did not join the Hamilton Bulldogs until the 2004-'05 season.

"Sergei played in London, which was a bonus for us," Timmins said. "He got very good coaching and development time. He came over right away after he was drafted and spent two seasons in major junior, which really helped his development in the North American-style game."

Kostitsyn's coach in London was Dale Hunter. The transformation was immediate.

During his draft year in Belarus, Sergei Kostitsyn played 40 games. He scored four goals, added 10 assists and had 24 minutes in penalties.

First season in the OHL, Sergei played 63 games. He scored 26 goals, had 52 assists and  racked up 78PiM. In 19 playoff games, Sergei had 13 goals, 24 assists and 44 PiM.

In 59 games with the London Knights last season – playing with Patrick Kane and Sam Gagner – Sergei's totals were 40 goals, 91 assists (nobody in major junior had more) and 76 PiM. His totals in 16 playoff games were nine goals, 12 assists 39 PiM.

In conversation with The Gazette's Pat Hickey during the OHL playoffs, Dale Hunter  said Kostitsyn was his most NHL-ready player – ahead of Kane and Gagner. 

His play with Canadiens is proving Sergei's ex-coach's prescience.  The kid looks like he belongs – never more so than against New Jersey last night.

"We always knew he could play at a higher level because of his hockey smarts and puck skills," said Timmins.