HAPPY NEW YEAR? MAYBE NOT FOR TANGUAY

It’s not every day that your number one line is sitting in the press box.
But that could indeed be the case when the Canadiens return to action Friday in New Jersey after closing out the 2008 calendar year with three victories in four nights; win number three coming last night in Tampa thanks to a [...]

THE NATURAL

This was a hockey game that was decided in 6:39 seconds of hockey. And it was decided by Maxim Lapierre’s hustle, desire and second-effort, which led to a three-goal performance by number 40.
Let’s take you back to the second period of last night’s game at Bank Atlantic Centre: the Habs vs. the Panthers. [...]

MID-TERM REPORT CARD

School’s out for the term, and members of the Montreal Canadiens are enjoying the Christmas break until they return to class Dec. 27 in Pittsburgh against the Penguins.  Report cards have been issued for all students.  Some have excelled, others need to show more effort.  Here are their grades:
Andrei Markov.  Andrei has been a very [...]

KOVALEV THREADS NEEDLE FOR WINNER IN O.T.

Alex Kovalev always predicted that, when the goals started coming, they would start coming in bunches.
He was right.
Kovalev scored his third in three games, this one the winner in overtime, to lead the Canadiens to a 4-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres Saturday night at the Bell Centre.  The deciding goal came on the power [...]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NUMBER 20

One day after “Plan A” announced his signing with the Vancouver Canucks, Bob Gainey’s “Plan B” celebrated a birthday; his first as a member of the Montreal Canadiens.
Plan A was Mats Sundin. You remember Mats Sundin, right? The guy who refused to waive his no-trade clause last March because he just didn’t [...]

MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS AS HABS FALL IN RALEIGH

With game 31 of the regular season in the books, a 3-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricaines in one of the strangest hockey games you’ll ever see, I’m left pondering the question:
Where are these guys?
Where is the Tomas Plekanec who emerged as a truly splended centreman last season on a line with Andrei Kostitsyn and [...]

HABS END HOMESTAND WITH A THUD

It says here that you’re not going to win too many hockey games when you can only score one goal.
For the second straight game, the Montreal Canadiens could score but one goal. And for the second straight game, that goal scorer was Patrice Brisebois, who might not be Sheldon Souray or Mark Streit. [...]

CANADIENS LOSE GAME, KOIVU

“Lower body injury.”
With those words, Canadiens’ head coach Guy Carbonneau explained the somewhat mysterious disappearance of Saku Koivu from last night’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightening.
Also somewhat mysterious to The Coach, was the disappearance of his club on a night when they knew exactly what they had to do, to send the Lightening to [...]

COSTLY WIN OVER CALGARY

The final stats on Chris Higgins and Mathieu Dandenault were lost in the shuffle of last night’s impressive 4-1 win by the Canadiens over the Calgary Flames at the Bell Centre.
Higgins:  3:33 of ice time.
Dandenault: 9:16 of ice time.
Both players left early after taking significant hits along the boards which left them both with “upper [...]

WAITING FOR KOVALEV

NHL, National Hockey League, Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, Alex Kovalev, Chris Higgins, Carey Price, Guy Carbonneau