From the Blues

A season that began deluged with questions, ended with a single, stark statement:
Les Glorieux are back.

A bit over a week has gone by since the 2007-08 season came to an end for the Montreal Canadiens, and there is now one week less to go until the start of next season. The team may have lost their final game and with it, their 2nd round series to the under-estimated and much maligned Flyers, but the Habs most definitely did not finish the year as losers.

Now or never. (THE GAZETTE/John Kenney)Carey “I’m Rested” Price is getting the nod.
Alex “Something to Prove” Kovalev is going to be reunited with linemates Andre Kostitsyn and Tomas Plekanec.
The Montreal “Must-Win” Canadiens return to the friendly confines of the boisterous Bell Centre for Game 5.

But maybe most importantly – Guy Carbonneau will sport “the tie”.

You’re down 2-1 in a series.
You’ve lost home-ice advantage.
Your starting goaltender was pulled from his last start.
Your team is playing well, but not winning games.

What do you do?

Phew!

How many times this season do you think we’ve heard, “this was a game the Canadiens shouldn’t have won…”?

Where do you cheer on the Habs? (THE GAZETTE/ Pierre ObendraufWhere do you watch Habs games?

Do you have a sweet HD set-up that keeps you glued to your couch? Or do you have a local good luck watering hole where you catch all of the games?

Personally, I love watching from home. I can sit on my couch, put my
feet up, stockpile a couple cold ones in the fridge, and flip between
channels to keep an eye on the other games. I’ve got a good view of the screen, the sound is adjusted perfectly, and everything I need is at
arm’s length.

So do I watch that many games from home? No, not really.

To:

Scott Moore, Executive Director of CBC Sports
Sherali Najak, Executive Producer of Hockey Night in Canada

Subject: Hockey Night in Canada

As a longtime viewer of Hockey Night in Canada, a fan of the NHL, and a proud Canadian, I am writing to profess my complete disappointment with CBC-TV for continuing to air a show that alienates viewers, does damage to its reputation, and also tarnishes the respectability of all Canadian broadcasters.

Tom Kostopolous earns some PIM. REUTERS/CJ Gunther (UNITED STATES)There has been much debate about how the Habs have managed to clinch a playoff spot and set the pace in the Eastern Conference. Some say it’s all because of Kovalev; others give credit to the powerplay (which is, as of this writing, still first in the NHL at 24.2%); some think that the young guns, like the Kostitsyns, are the driving force behind the Habs unexpected success this year.

Personally, I think it’s because the planets are aligning.

On Thursday, March 13, I had - for the first time - the good fortune of watching a game from the Reds. My brother-in-law offered me a ticket and I jumped at the opportunity. The seats were at center ice, just a few rows back from the penalty boxes and the RDS cameras. With the Canadiens fighting for first place with the visiting Senators, I prepared myself for an exciting night.

Stats. The international language of sports enthusiasts.

Give and you shall receive - Scott Hartnell gives Mike Komisarek a taste of his own medicine.(THE GAZETTE/John Mahoney)

Endless totals, fractions, percentages, milestones, streaks and slumps – the numbers flow plentifully from the fast-moving mouths of professional analysts and bar stool commentators. Stats can be used to prove anything - and often mean nothing - especially as the game clock ticks down. We strive, in vain, to predict the outcome of tomorrow’s game from the result of yesterday’s.

Carey "The Puck Stops Here" Price. (THE GAZETTE/John Mahoney)

From the comments here on Inside/Out, it was obvious that some fans were happy with the Huet trade, while some were sad and disheartened, but mainly it seemed that people were surprised - and even mildly confused - that Montreal's Number One netminder had been moved to the Washington Capitals. You can count me among that perplexed majority.

The NHL trade deadline is a very short week away. With Peter Forsberg's return put on hold (again), the cost of making a big, splashy trade just went up. Is Montreal still in the market?

Richard Zednik's condition continues to improve after undergoing life-saving surgery at Buffalo General Hospital. Yesterday, Zednik was upgraded from stable to good condition and has been moved from the intensive care unit to a private room.

A little over a month ago, Bob Gainey didn't see any glaring deficiencies on what appeared to be a solid Montreal Canadiens' roster. After Ottawa completely dismantled that very same roster on Saturday night, however, the Habs' GM might be taking a closer look as the NHL trade deadline quickly approaches.

Just in case you don't have the time to read all of the great comments that are posted on Inside/Out, we are starting up a weekly shout-out recognizing some of the best.

The comments may differ by being witty, insightful or silly; and they may cover the entire spectrum of the Habs' universe, but all of them represent what it means to be a fan of the Montreal Canadiens. 

While the NHL’s only game on Super Bowl Sunday might have been one too many for Cristobal Huet's liking, it was one too few for Jaroslav Halak.

With the Habs up 3-0 over the visiting Rangers, Huet allowed 5-straight goals over the final 37 minutes of play. The goals were not entirely his fault as the Rangers managed to use their muscle and their hustle to completely dominate a weary Montreal team. The Habs got off to a great start thanks to a sizzling powerplay that went 3-for-5, but they were unable to cope with the bruisin’ Blueshirts during 5-on-5 play.

Midway through the second period, after Brandon Dubinksy cut the Habs’ lead to one - 24 seconds after Michal Rozsival had broken the ice for New York – Jaroslav Halak took a quick glance in the direction of his coach. The back-up netminder, who very nearly saved Montreal’s season last year, has not had the chance to start a game in the NHL this year. And it looks like he might not get that opportunity.

Less than a month after getting the call to come up to Montreal, Halak is heading back down to Hamilton.

It will be interesting to see how the young Slovakian netminder handles this latest setback. Disappointed with being assigned to Hamilton straight out of training camp, Halak quickly regained his form after a slow start to the season; he posted a 9-7-2 record with a 2.26 GAA and a 0.922 save percentage before being called up to Montreal.

The 22-year old is a restricted free agent at the end of the season and it was earlier rumoured that he was thinking of playing in Russia if he did not see quality ice-time. While it is extremely unlikely that another NHL team will send Halak an offer sheet during the off-season, it is a real possibility that he could decide to sign a lucrative contract with a Russian team, in the same way that Alexander Perezhogin jumped ship after last season and signed with Russian Super League team Salavat Yulaev. Perezhogin’s salary jumped from $627 000 with the Habs to nearly $1.8 million.

The Canadiens’ organization obviously has tremendous faith that Carey Price has the potential to become a franchise goaltender. The only reason that Halak was even called up to Montreal was so that Price could log heavy minutes down in Hamilton. While Price’s development is important for the Canadiens, they should be careful not to alienate their other assets.

Yann Danis, who broke into both the AHL and the NHL with shutouts, now finds himself assigned to back-up duties for the Bulldogs. The 27-year old Lafontaine, Quebec native becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and will most certainly end his relationship with the Habs and look for opportunities elsewhere.

While Huet’s position right now as the Habs’ number one goaltender is unquestionable, he may not see much of a future in Montreal if Carey Price is stealing away starts down the stretch. The French goalie has done a good job of answering the critics who have questioned his ability to be a reliable netminder in this league. Last year he was named to the Eastern All-Star team, the previous year he led the league with the best save percentage (0.929), and last month he was the NHL’s Third Star, posting an 8-2-1 record, a 2.40 GAA, and notching one shutout. Huet has great skill, an uncanny calmness, and is a great team player. If he remains unsigned by July 1, he may be one of the hottest item’s in this year’s free agent market.

Imagine this worst case scenario:

As an unrestricted free agent, Huet signs long-term contract with another NHL team.

Jaroslav Halak, disappointed with his ice-time, bolts for Russia.

Yann Danis signs a one-year deal with a club willing to take a chance on him.

That leaves Carey Price as an untested number one puck-stopper and maybe Cedrick Desjardins as a backup? Not the most inspiring of situations – and that’s not even mentioning the fact that those 3 players could leave without the Habs getting any form of compensation.

The next few weeks will be telling as we’ll see how Halak reacts to being snubbed in Montreal, how Price fairs with the big boys again,and how Huet deals with the pressures of being the go-to netminder on a team hoping to capture the top spot in the East.

Chris Aung-Thwin
Photographed in the cheap(er) seats

We're happy today to introduce you today to Chris Aung-Thwin, whose regular new blog, View From The Blues, will bring you a fan's perspective of the Canadiens and their roller-coaster ride toward the playoffs.

Of course, we feature Mike Boone's blog before, during and after every Canadiens game. Dave Stubbs and Kevin Mio keep you up to date with original content and links to Habs news elsewhere, and The Gazette's Pat Hickey joins us regularly for our weekly round-table PuckCast.

Chris now joins us with the eye of a fan. You're welcome to agree, or not, with his views in the form of the comments you've never been shy to express. We welcome him to our roster.