All Entries Tagged With: "montreal canadiens"
No Tag Day Needed For Niemi
In what has been a whacky NHL summer it appears the craziness hasn’t stopped.
It has been reported by Hockey Buzz that Antti Niemi is close to agreeing to terms with a new team. Unless something goes upside down the story appears accurate. More important, and somewhat of a surprise is that my whispers indicate Niemi [...]
Crimes of Fashion
Mercifully September is right around the corner, and as I prepare to flip my calendar from Christopher Higgins and Sean Avery to Henrik Lundqvist, I’m looking forward to finally having something to talk about. Today several of the New York Rangers participated in pre-training camp workouts. The Traverse City tournament starts on September 11th [...]
Interview With Michael McKinley, Author Of Hockey: A People’s History
When I was approached to conduct an interview with Michael McKinley about his 2006 book, Hockey: A People’s History, I was excited for the opportunity, but slightly hesitant about reading the book. Most of us, as hockey fans, think we know anything and everything there is to know about the sport we like to call our [...]
Off-Season Analysis: The Goaltending
Over the last few weeks, we’ve taken in-depth looks at the forwards (first the top six and then “the best of the rest”) and defense of the Montreal Canadiens, grading their 2009-10 season, ranking the players amongst each other and looking ahead to what their 2010-11 season might look like.
While there may have been a few players that [...]
DAILY RUMORS: Canadiens Interest in Mitchell and Carey Price Only Seeking a Two-Year Contract
We at HockeyIndependent.com want to be your resource and filter for what is going on in the NHL. We try to disseminate the noise in the blogosphere. We don’t look to to attack those sources, but to question the veracity of the rumor with cold logic, hockey smarts and knowledge. To do that… we have [...]
Off-Season Analysis: The Defense
Breaking: According to the team, the Montreal Canadiens have traded AHL goaltender Cedrick Desjardins to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for goaltender Karri Ramo. Ramo, a 24-year-old native of Finland who has played 48 NHL games since 2007, played for the Omsk Avangard of the KHL this past season, and has one more year [...]
Tinordi Leaves Notre-Dame, Will Play for London Knights
Look who’s here?
Jarred Tinordi must have had a conversation with Louis Leblanc this past week.
The Canadiens’ 1st round pick in this past June’s draft will be leaving Notre-Dame of the NCAA to join the OHL team that held his rights, the London Knights.
Tinordi was selected 22nd overall at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, with the [...]
Analyzing the Habs Forwards: “Best of the Rest”
While the players you normally see the most of are the one who score a lot of goals, the ones who put up the most points and the ones who make the most money, they are often the ones who are overrated, over-paid and over-hyped. Every team has players in this category, and the Montreal [...]
Off-Season Analysis: The Top-Six Forwards
In anticipation of the season to start, or frankly, for anything hockey-related to happen, it’s time to slowly start to get back into the groove of things. Reading about hockey, writing about hockey, and of course, eventually, watching hockey.
As the anticipation for the upcoming season looms, it’ll start to get easier. But for now, I’m [...]
DAILY RUMORS: Once Again… Dismissing Rumors of Carey Price Being Dealt
We at HockeyIndependent.com want to be your resource and filter for what is going on in the NHL. We try to disseminate the noise in the blogosphere. We don’t look to to attack those sources, but to question the veracity of the rumor with cold logic, hockey smarts and knowledge. To do that… we have [...]
Slats Pulls Another Rabbit Out Of His Hat
Harry Potter. Angus MacGyver. Glen Sather.
All 3 manage to work magic to somehow get themselves out of sticky predicaments, and you have to suspend a bit of reality to believe it. Where the similarities end are that Potter and MacGyver are fictitious characters. Sather, as we all know, is quite real.
Today, Sather somehow managed to [...]
Niemi or….Turco or Theodore or Price????
Does Antti Niemi stay or go?
My objective opinion is Niemi will continue to improve and the Hawks should try to keep him. That said, my gut feeling is the team may still go in a different direction. Niemi was popular among his teammates and that might be the best thing going for him.
Initially the biggest [...]
Leblanc Chooses Montreal; Habs sign Picard
Finally, some blog-worthy news to come out of the Montreal Canadiens’ camp.
It was announced on Friday evening that the Montreal Canadiens have signed 1st round pick Louis Leblanc to a three-year contract. While terms of the contract were not released, you can expect it to hover around the league maximum for an entry-level contract.
The deal [...]
DAILY RUMORS: Canadiens Not Trading Carey Price For Another Starting Goalie
We at HockeyIndependent.com want to be your resource and filter for what is going on in the NHL. We try to disseminate the noise in the blogosphere. We don’t look to to attack those sources, but to question the veracity of the rumor with cold logic, hockey smarts and knowledge. To do that… we have [...]
TALE OF TWO CITIES: A Scouting Story
Funny dichotomy…
NY Rangers lose their head European scout CHRISTER ROCKSTROM. Christer Rockstrom, the man with the rockstar name, was a member of the New York Rangers organization for the past 21 years, including the past five seasons as Director of Player Personnel – Europe. He previously served as a European scout for the Rangers for 16 [...]
Canadiens Sign Maxim Lapierre to 1-Year Deal
According to various sources, Maxim Lapierre has re-signed with the Montreal Canadiens for the upcoming season. His new, 1-year deal is slated to be worth between $840,000 and $900,000, depending on the source, but which ever number ends up becoming official, it would be a great figure for the 3rd line forward and for the [...]
“Methodical” Building Of Bolts Continues
New Tampa Bay Lightning GM Steve Yzerman continues to remake the Lightning roster. After re-signing Marty St. Louis and signing goalie Dan Ellis and defenseman Pavel Kubina last week, Stevie Y stayed busy this week.
Bolts re-sign defenseman Mike Lundin and forward Teddy Purcell
The Lightning re-signed both defenseman Mike Lundin and right wing Teddy Purcell to [...]
Blues Sign Halak; What it Means for the Habs and Price
The St. Louis Blues have ensured that they will have a starting goaltender for the foreseeable future today, inking Jaroslav Halak to a 4-year, $15 million deal, which will average out to $3.75 million per season. Halak was acquired by the Blues from the Montreal Canadiens last month in exchange for prospects Lars Eller and Ian [...]
No Moves? No Problem! (for now)
If you were a Habs fan on July 1st, then odds are you spent the day either drinking and celebrating Canada Day, or in front of your laptop, TV (tuned to TSN2) and/or cell phone, waiting for news of a big signing by Canadiens’ General Manager Pierre Gauthier.
Odds are, when you put all that technology [...]
Canadiens Trade Sergei Kostitsyn to Predators
The Montreal Canadiens have traded problematic forward Sergei Kostitsyn to the Nashville Predators.
The deal is simply an exchange of pending free agents, as Montreal received center Dustin Boyd (RFA) and goaltender Dan Ellis (UFA) in return. Future Considerations are involved for both teams, presumably if any of the players end up signing or not.
The relationship [...]
DAILY RUMORS: Lyle Shoots Down Talk of the Montreal Canadiens Having Interest in Stephen Weiss
We at HockeyIndependent.com want to be your resource and filter for what is going on in the NHL. We try to disseminate the noise in the blogosphere. We don’t look to to attack those sources, but to question the veracity of the rumor with cold logic, hockey smarts and knowledge. To do that… we have [...]
Attention NHL Shoppers: Lightning Free Agent Frenzy Is Here!
Now that the draft is over, Bolthead Nation can focus on the “Free Agent Frenzy” that begins on Thursday, July 1.
The Tampa Bay Lightning probably won’t get involved in signing an upper echelon free agent player. The free agent pool is shallow as compared to other years and new GM Steve Yzerman simply cannot afford [...]
With the 27th Pick, the Montreal Canadiens Are Proud to Select…
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In this year’s draft, the Montreal Canadiens will be selecting 27th overall, thanks to their impressive run in the Stanley Cup playoffs. To put things into perspective, if they hadn’t amassed that single overtime point they did in the final game of the season against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Canadiens would be drafting in [...]
Analyzing the Plekanec Deal + A Second Look at the Halak Trade
For the first time in a long time, Montreal Canadiens’ fans can actually relax heading into the Free Agent Frenzy of July 1st.
With a week left to go until this year’s set of NHL contracts are due to expire, the job seems to be half done for GM Pierre Gauthier and the Montreal Canadiens. The [...]
2010 Mock Draft
Here’s how I see things going down…
1. Edmonton – Taylor Hall LW – Edmonton, like the Islanders a year ago, are in a no lose situation. They will either pick the super talented Hall or the kid who compares to Steve Yzerman. I say they take the flashy Hall and never look back.
2. Boston – Tyler Seguin [...]
Halak to St.Louis…and other Blues news
Change is inevitable. It’s a common thread throughout history. As time has passed since the lockout the Blues have been in a continual, yet gradual, state of change.
Dismantle, sale, rebuild.
Today the Blues started the warp drive and jumped forward in to the next generation of Blues history. They traded their [...]
Blog Watch: A Few Quick Hits on The Jaroslav Halak Deal
The NHL’s off-season was certainly kickstarted when the St. Louis Blues acquired goaltender and playoff hero Jaroslav Halak from the Montreal Canadiens this afternoon.
Here are a few quick hits on what the hockey blogosphere is saying about the deal:
Puck Daddy: Good news for Carey Price? as well as what the Habs’ GM and Blues’ President had to say [...]
BREAKING NEWS: Halak Dealt To Blues
According to various sources, the Montreal Canadiens have shipped goaltender Jaroslav Halak to the St. Louis Blues in return for Lars Eller and Ian Schultz.
If you asked yourself ”who?” when looking at that trade, well, you wouldn’t be the only one.
Lars Eller looks like a decent prospect. Drafted 13th overall in the 2007 Entry Draft, [...]
It’s Your Turn, Pierre: The Great Captaincy Debate
Yesterday, the Toronto Maple Leafs ended an entire season of speculation when they announced Dion Phaneuf as their new captain, the 18th in their long storied history.
The decision was generally met with approval from most Leafs fans. Phaneuf certainly represents the team that Brina Burke has built this far well, in terms of truculence, belligerence, hard [...]
Habs Lose Boucher to Lightning
UPDATE: According to Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal, Habs assistant coach might be the next one to leave the organization, having been offered the job to coach the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings. Along with Boucher and potentially Kirk Muller, this could mean some big changes in management for Montreal this summer.
According to various sources, the [...]
Blog Watch: Some Morning Quick Hits
Some morning NHL quick hits in the blogosphere: Conn Smythe for Pronger? Canuck draft picks. Verbeek to Lightning scouting staff. Spezza. The underwater classic between Florida and Tampa.
Report: Yzerman Gets His Man. Guy Boucher Will Be Behind The Lightning Bench
A Quebec media source, Rue Frontenac, is reporting that Guy Boucher will be named the Lightnings new coach on Wednesday. TSN’s Bob McKenzie is confirming this on his Twitter page. Earlier today Boucher was offered the Columbus Blue Jackets job but turned it down. Speculation that Yzerman already had him ran rampant. The report calls [...]
Report: Habs to Visit Flames in (2nd) 2011 Winter Classic
According to Bob McKenzie and TSN, there will be 2 (count ‘em, TWO!) NHL Winter Classics in 2011.
TCL reported nearly two months ago that Pittsburgh would be hosting the traditional Winter Classic on January 1st, 2011 against their rivals, the Washington Capitals, but it seems like the NHL is going to reward hockey fans [...]
ZerOle!
The Philadelphia Flyers are one win away from a spot in the Stanley Cup Finals. Fans of the Orange and Black should put their celebration caps on, right? Hold your britches. Let’s hop aboard the DeLorean and take a trip back to the 2000 Eastern Conference playoffs.
Philadelphia comes storming back in their second round series, [...]
Talk Is Cheap
As the NHL’s Eastern Conference Final shifted to Montreal, the team with the 2-0 series lead vowed to play better. The Philadelphia Flyers echoed sentiments of improvement, despite having outscored the Canadiens 9-0 at the Wachovia Center. Well, as Chris Pronger so delicately put it early this postseason, “talk is cheap.”
For the fourth straight [...]
Diagnosing the Problem
Two games, two consecutive shutouts, and with their latest 3-0 lost at the Wachovia Center last night, little to no hope left for the Montreal Canadiens, in their quest to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers and make it to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in two decades.
Most people will tell you that anything [...]
Leighton stays perfect as Flyers take 2-0 lead to Montreal
The story of the 2010 NHL playoffs has been focused around a team and a goaltender. The team being the Philadelphia Flyers, which we all know the story. The player, well, that belongs to Flyers netminder Michael Leighton.
FACT: Last night’s game 2 3-0 shutout win for the Flyers was Leighton’s second consecutive playoff shutout. Becoming the first Flyers [...]
Leighton Strikes
From waiver wire to Conference Finals, Michael Leighton has found his game and is providing the Philadelphia Flyers solid goaltending. Wait, waiver wire?
Habs – Flyers Game 2: UGLY
Ugly.
Probably the word that best describes Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. At least for the Montreal Canadiens.
Words such as embarrassing, cringe-worthy, disconcerting and humiliating also come to mind, but when you really get done to the nitty-gritty of what happened Sunday night in Philadelphia, UGLY is really the most accurate term you [...]
Habs – Flyers Game 1: Destinies Collide
Yeah, Yeah. By now, we’ve all heard of what the Philadelphia Flyers have accomplished. Coming back from a 3-0 series deficit, only the third team in history to accomplish such a feat. Moreover, coming back from a 3-0 deficit in game 7 to win by the score of 4-3. Kind of poetic, isn’t it?
Leave it [...]
A Team to be Proud of
You might be wondering why it took me nearly two days to roll out a blog on the Montreal Canadiens game 7 victory. Simply put, I had no words to describe what myself, and nearly every Montreal Canadiens fan, especially the ones in this city, were feeling on Wednesday night.
And really, there ARE NO WORDS [...]
Like a swift kick to the head: Season comes to end for Penguins
Game 7: Montreal 5 @ Pittsburgh 2
“It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart,” wrote the late Bart Giamatti, describing the latent disappointment that ensnares any long-time passionate baseball fan. Giamatti, a former commissioner of Major League Baseball, used these two sentences to lead off an essay detailing his obsession with the Boston Red Sox and [...]
Remembering Game Sevens good and bad in Penguins’ history
While getting in the Game 7 mood over the last two nights, I looked up the playoff history of the Pittsburgh Penguins and noted eleven Game 7s all-time. Pittsburgh has a 7-4 record in those games but just 2-4 at Mellon Arena where they will host the Canadiens tonight. Surprisingly, I can vividly recall the [...]
How the Penguins can keep the dream alive tonight in Game 7
One game for all the marbles, as Penguins’ long-time radio voice Mike Lange would say. Tonight at 7 pm in Mellon Arena, the upstart Montreal Canadiens will try for a second straight unthinkable upset of an NHL powerhouse. After stunning Washington, the top team in the regular season in the opening round two weeks ago, [...]
Penguins Preview – Round 2, Game 7
Win or hit the links. More inside.
