Winger, Brian Gionta, will be out of the Montreal Canadiens lineup indefinitely due to a broken foot.    This isn’t great news for the team, obviously, but coach Jacques Martin is hoping it will inspire the rest of the Habs to step up their effort.
“The players will have to raise their game to try to make up for it,” coach Jacques Martin said. “It opens a door for someone. We’ve been waiting for that since the start of the season.”
Gionta is tied with fellow newcomer, Mike Cammalleri, for the most goals on the team (8) and was signed to a five-year, …read more

With Carey Price struggling, Jaroslav Halak has been used as the starting goaltender more than some expected.  I’ve been pretty happy for the backup goaltender since I think he’s got some talent but needs more ice time to develop.  Price has actually been pretty cool about it (I even have wondered if he was being too cool) so I think the fact that Halak’s agent Allan Walsh took a swipe at him on Twitter makes him a douche.

All of this went down after the Montreal Canadiens lost 3-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night.  Walsh decided to do …read more

Whoa, whoa, whoa… Carey Price has all but relinquished his #1 spot as the Montreal Canadiens goaltender – for now.   At practice yesterday, Price spoke of backup netminder Jaroslav Halak and said:  “Everybody wants to play, but when the team’s doing well you have to think of the team first and that’s what I’m doing right now. He’s on a streak right now. He’s been playing well, so he deserves his playing time.”
What fresh hell is this?  Yes, I realize that Price lost his first four starts and Halak won his first four starts but I didn’t think that Price …read more

The Calgary Flames took on the visiting Montreal Canadiens last night and it was actually a pretty intense game.  The Flames are now 3-0 for the season so far which is the best they’ve done at the beginning of the year since 1993-1994.

The Flames can thank some unlikely heroes for saving the day, though.  Staffan Kronwall and Adam Pardy really stepped it up adding two assists each (Kronwall actually got his first NHL goal which ended up being the game-winner!) but it was Eric Nystrom who really made the difference.  He scored two goals and I’m willing to go on …read more

I’m not completely sure but I think the Montreal Canadiens have made the most changes since the end of last season out of any of the other teams in the league.  If they aren’t at the top of that list, they’re close.  Of course, any time a club alters things drastically you’ve got to wonder if the gamble is going to pay off.
Since winning the Stanley Cup back in 1993, they have failed to make it very far in the playoffs.  It’s sad because of their rich history and past accomplishments but, for whatever reason, they just haven’t been able …read more

Another day, another Montreal Canadiens player gone.  It’s becoming a recurring theme, isn’t it?  Whether it’s a trade, fired coach or retiring player, that team is changing more and more with each passing day.
This week, a Habs staple announced his retirement.  After 16 seasons with the team (during which time he won the Stanley Cup in 1993) and 18 seasons in the NHL, Patrice Brisebois is saying goodbye to hockey.
He wore his championship ring during his announcement:  "I wore it today for the first time since 1993 because I told myself that I’m a winner.  No one can ever take …read more

The Tampa Bay Lightning have agreed to terms to add Alex Tanguay to their roster and I’m really not happy about this one.   First of all, I think the Montreal Canadiens are stupid for dealing this guy away (along with a lot of their talent) and secondly, I hate to see another great player get sucked into the Bolts organization.

I know he’s a little soft but he’s a solid playmaker.  I think Tampa Bay got a good deal here but I don’t know how great it is for Tanguay.  I’ll try to stay optimistic since he really could work well …read more

With all of the changes that the Montreal Canadiens have been making, I can’t help but breathe a sigh of relief over the news that they have re-signed right-winger, Matt D’Agostino, to a one-year contract.

It’s a two way deal that will pay him $500,000 (USD) if he stays in the NHL.  Of course, the numbers go down if he ends up being sent to the minors.  No pressure!
The 22-year-old dressed for 53 games with the Habs last season and had 12 goals and nine assists.  He was drafted in the sixth round by the club in 2005.
I am glad they …read more

The Montreal Canadiens have signed goaltender, Curtis Sanford, to a one year contract (no financial details were disclosed).  This is just the latest in a flurry of activity surrounding the transformation of the Habs. 
Being out on the west coast, I’ve seen Sanford in action a lot and I like him.  In two seasons he’s had a 11-11-1 record, 2.69 GAA and .903 save percentage in 35 regular season games with the Vancouver Canucks.  I don’t think he’s ever going to be a starting goalie but I think he’s a pretty decent backup (at the very least, you’ve got …read more

Now that the Ottawa Senators have acquired Alex Kovalev from the Montreal Canadiens, I wonder if things have changed for Dany Heatley.  He’s been asking to be traded and could be stuck on the team which, of course, isn’t an ideal situation since no one wants a disgruntled, pissy player on their team.  I’m hoping that this trade will make things seem a little less bleak.
Ottawa GM Bryan Murray seems to think so.  At a press conference yesterday, he said: "We can fit both of those guys on our team very nicely, maybe one on left and one on …read more