Q&A With NHL Insider Darren Kendrey

I heard about Darren, and listened to him on a couple of hockey radio shows on the west coast. I loved his straight forward approach and analysis on the progress allot of teams have made over the first quarter of the season, I sent him an email and he kindly agreed to take my questions in a Q&A format

Q – Darren, who emerges from the west as quiet and under-rated so far ?

A – Watch out for Colombus, San Jose and the St. Louis Blues, I know the east gets allot of noise on Detroit, Chicago, Vancouver and Dallas but not allot of people are talking about what guys like Rick Nash (Clb) and Paul Kariya (Stl) are doing in the west.

Q - Have you been watching any of the eastern conference teams ? Any favorites ?
A – I love teams that have a dramatic atmosphere around them, teams that have great elements that are the life … well and the death of that team when they don’t show up, Tampa has been a blast to watch through their ups and downs, I like watching Toronto and Pittsburgh as well.

Q - How does the northeast look for you and how do these teams compare to any teams in the west ?

A - Ottawa has the ability to take it all this year, but I think we're starting to realize that without Daniel Alfredson, it's a team that depends on Spezza who I compare allot to Alex Kovalev in his prime and Danny Heatley who is a tempermental scorer. This team is in trouble as the other lines take advantage of that pep produced by line 1 to drive games home.

Toronto has an incredible game breaker in Mats Sundin but is starting to look allot like the New York Yankees, older guys who are trying their best

Buffalo looks good but I think that team still has a persona to build and I'm hoping a Tim Connolly finds a groove and profile in this league, I'll go as far as saying Tim Connolly can be allot like Jason Spezza when all cylinders are clicking.

Montreal is a team that keeps teasing you but always ends up dissapointing, I feel that they could have made the Cup Finals that year when Koivu came back from Cancer, they were a better team than the Canes. But it's a team that loses itself in it's identity, I look at players like Higgins and Latendresse, they still can't figure what kind of game the team wants from them.
good coaching gives you that plus.

Q - What would a team like Montreal need to be a mainstay top team ?

A - Allot, give those guys stable goaltending, give them consistent scoring, give them smart players and dangerous snipers, they have good guys coming up but a team can't make the Stanley cup finals with six fifty point guys, you need an impact guy.

As October Ends ...

Habs 3 Stars for October

1 - Alex Kovalev
2 - Cristobal Huet
3 - Roman Hamrlik

What do you guys think ?

The Saint Symphonic Streets player

Exhibition so far, Who we think is underrated

So it's easy to look at the last 4 games and point the finger at Carey Price, Ryan O'byrne and Andrei Kostitsyn being the standout guys in exhibition.
But the bottom line for me on all 3 guys is, will they rot on the stands ? will they play enough games and will they have their chance to shine on the proper spots. If Guy is honnestly thinking that playing Kostitsyn with Begin and Kostopoulos will be enough to evaluate his potential '' NHL'ishness '' he is sorely mistaking and I hope the same goes for Ryan O'byrne, we've had enough Ron Hainsey's and Francois Beauchemin go on to be top 3 guys on other teams to get a clear idea the '' Brains '' on this team have no clue how to evaluate D-men.
I am actually not the only hockey person to think this, talking to the '' always talkative '' Francois Gagnon from La Presse, and looking at the poor performance the Habs D-men delivered last year on defensive coverage, one can't help but wonder
What in heavens are the Habs waiting for ?
Give our D a coach, we're talking about 9 GUYS in camp playing D, we have a coach entirely dedicated to our goalies, 3 GOALIES
I was told something pretty interesting on the D-front as well.
Is Timmins drafting this year and last year damage control for Bob Gainey's inability to retain and properly evaluate the Defensive needs and cohesion on this team ?
Who knows ... I'm just a blogger, your just a reader, and Bob Gainey is a Stanley Cup winning GM-Captain etc ... etc ...
But results speak for themselves, as far as I can say this camp on D has been allot of noise on Ryan O'byrne's progression, nice hipchecks and more comparisons to Mike Komisarek than you can shake a stick at, but I won't play that game with you ...
I won't jump on the O'byrne band wagon because I've honnestly never seen so much over-hyping in my life ! Am I saying O'byrne is a bad Defenceman ? Nope ! he'll probably go on to have a pretty good career in the NHL playing solid on his end and not being a liability for his team. But I can't help feeling that guys like Josh Gorges, Pavel Valentenko and Jamie Rivers have gotten the Yann Danis treatment over the Habs Brass being too busy chest thumping Ryan O'byrne's progression.
Josh Gorges in particular has been surprising and largely efficient no matter who he has been paired with in camp, Valentenko has been physical and solid and Jamie Rivers as far as I'm concerned has had a great camp along with Mark Streit who has been dominant.

On forward ( and on forward indeed ) we have finally seen the kids the Habs have been blabbing on about all summer and three of them have been absolutely exalting to watch, Thomas Beauregard, Matt D'Agostini and Sergei Kostitsyn.
Beauregard is a pint sized goalscorer who has managed to make me forget about Corey Locke's exemplary play early on in camp, one feels Beauregard although he is quite young already has the offensive maturity and nose for the net to be a good NHL player, his overall game is clearly lacking in physical strength and what some Habs coaches are calling '' All around zone coverage ''

Ok I have a problem with this ... Some players are good all around players, we all know them, they usually score around 40 points a year and are usefull, but enough with the friggin allusions to all around play,

Beauregard, S.Kostitsyn, A.Kostitsyn, Kovalev, Locke etc ... etc ... will NEVER be all around players, they are offensive guys and someone in the organization needs to remember you don't win a cup with a team full of Carbonneaus and Gaineys, EVEN the Devils need a Petr Sykora, Scott Gomez and a Patrick Elias.

It isn't because they can't play D, that they don't deserve to be NHL players.

Matt D'Agostini has been great in camp, and he should start the year in Montreal although I feel bad the Habs can't ice a fifth trio because you can't help feel that you'd find D'Agostini and S.Kostitsyn on it.

The Goalie situation :

There is no situation, Huet will start in Montreal due to Halak and Price forgetting they are supposed to stand on their head to get a shot at the starting job !

Rookie Training Camp - Who is looking good in Pierrefond ?

So after a couple of days at the rink and another couple of days talking to players on MSN and outside the rink here is my report on the Top 3 players in Camp so far !

1 - Carey Price : it's easy to see the mark of a dominant goalie on the ice, there are characteristics that don't lie, when José Theodore attended his first training camps in the late 90's you could see a fast goalie, maybe a bit small, but with definite template indicators when it came to his potential as well as shortcomings, José Theodore and Carey Price have VERY little in common and that much is apparent when you sit down at camp and watch this kid go, the first thing that is telling is the sheer mass of the individual, I'm 6'4 and standing next to him on skates, Carey almost looks 6'6, which brings back bad memories of other huge format goaltenders ( anyone remember Garth Snow ? ). What makes Price just ridiculously well packaged is the combination of lightning reflexes, EXTREMELY well honed rebound control skills and Stick-work, Carey Price has allot of promising markers that seem tailor made for dominating the NHL, will he deliver that promise ? only time, patience and goaltending will answer that.
So far in camp Carey has been benchmarked against Loic Lacasse and particularly Cedric Desjardins who has kept Roland Melanson busy, Carey and Loic have a healthy competition going, they are both big kids but the main difference as it stands now is largely between the ears, Loic looks discouraged at times and gives up on shots too easily, doesn't respond to speed well either, but don't dismiss Loic as a lost cause, it's easy to see the progress in this guy ! As for Price, the rest of camp will tell on his overall preparedness and quickness.

Glove hand ++++
Blocker ++++
Puck Control +++++
Pad Speed +++++
Drop Recovery ++++
Anticipation ++++

in comparison Loic Lacasse would rate as such

Glove hand +++
Blocker ++++
Puck Control +++
Pad Speed +++
Drop Recovery ++++
Anticipation +++

2 - Kyle Chipchura : Kyle Chipchura is BIG, he has the charisma that makes guys captains and has an on ice strut that shows someone in control and well aware of his job come crunch time, this rookie camp is a bit of an oddity for him as he isn't generally the kind of player that is formated for on ice drills, this was evident durin stickhandling drills. Neverrtheless he didn't have a bit of trouble with any of them and showed exemplary fitness and stamina throughout the sessions, Kyle made a couple of guys look lazy too, Ben Maxwell and Ryan White haven't been too high on my radar this camp, D'Agostini and Chipchura look like NHL'ers even though none are projected to score more than a dozen goals and definitly look like your '' 40 point '' guy, it is quite telling when Maxwell especially looks outworked by those guys.


Offensive projection +++
Defensive projection +++++
Puck Control ++++
Speed +++
Stamina - Strength +++++
Creativity +++
Passing ++++
Slapshot +++
Wristshot ++++
Response to coaching +++++

in comparison Ben Maxwell would rate as such

Offensive projection ++++
Defensive projection +++
Puck Control +++
Speed ++++
Stamina - Strength +++
Creativity +++
Passing +++
Slapshot +++
Wristshot ++++
Response to coaching ++

2 - Janne Lahti : Janne is BIG, quite BIG, and if his mobility, obvious nose for the net and speed hasn't sold you on him, well ... you haven't been watching him play ... BUT let us not forget, for now he is skating with kids and it isn't as hard as tht for this veteran of the SM Liiga to stand out, but that doesn't minimize what he is doing at all, in camp are core members of Hamilton's championship team and if we are to evaluate the AHL as being at a better level than the Liiga, than what Lahti is doing in camp is absolutely great so far, you can't help to love the hussle this guy has, at times reminded me of a Andrei Kostitsyn with a little less skill and allot more hussle, but also made me realize a couple f things about Andrei Kostitsyn ( even though he isn't part of this camp ) I've watched rookies now for the past 5 years, I've seen guys like Higgins in camp, I've seen Plekanec all the way to Josef Balej and Hainsey strut their stuff for the coaching stuff and what I can tell you is that our current core would DESTROY these guys in camp, put our training camp of 2000 lineup vs these kids, and it would be a 12 - 2 game ( with Riberio probably assisting on 2 goals for a losing effort ). Janne Lahti is a very talented player, but if in the NHL Lahti is a 50 point guy, Kostitsyn should definitly be a 90 point guy, well at least thats the impression I get comparing my memory of these 2 guys from last years camp and this year. Kostitsyn would be your Elias type player in camp, Lahti reminds you of that player who plays a rough and tumble game managing to notch 40 - 50 points ...

Offensive projection ++++
Defensive projection +++
Puck Control +++
Speed +++
Stamina - Strength +++++
Creativity ++++
Passing ++++
Slapshot ++++
Wristshot ++++
Response to coaching ++++

in comparison Sergei Kostitsyn would rate as such

Offensive projection +++++
Defensive projection +++
Puck Control +++++
Speed ++++
Stamina - Strength +++
Creativity ++++
Passing ++++
Slapshot +++
Wristshot +++++
Response to coaching ++++

Other Notables : Ryan O'byrne, Valetenko, Fortier, D'Agostini

Pacioretty & Mcdonagh VS Esposito and Veilleux

I exchanged e-mails with Penguins Blogger Manny K. he followed the Pens developmental camp and I used his stuff to compare a bit what our guys looked like in Camp compared to the Penguins guys

Angelo Esposito & Veilleux :


Week of the 25 of June

Manny K says : Yes it's a conditioning stint ... but Angelo is an exciting player to watch, the first thing that makes my day on this kid is his speed, he looks like a tap dancers on some of these drills : Stops and gears up like a Porsche out there, and like a Porsche he knows how to get the rubber from point A to point B flawlessly. Anyone who had doubts on his vision and creativity should be biting down on their lips, Angelo was clearly the best guy on the ice throughout camp and in my opinion won't look out of place in full camp untill .!.!.!
Untill the drills got a bit physical, and this is when I started worrying : Put the puck in the corner and Angelo is one of those guys standing behind the battle, get in the action, get in the moshpit !!! this is the NHL ! Yeah .. Angelo is a Porsche ... but when the road gets bumpy he isn't a Cayenne ... he's still a 911.
Keven Veilleux is a different puppy altogether, not as fast on his skates as Esposito, can definitly pass and be at the right place at the right time, he's a big guy with great vision, loved his communication on the ice, but I guess I expect a big guy to be physical and he isn't that guy, I think he doesn't realize it yet, and he'll need to learn to be a tough customer to survive in this league, he'll need to learn how to hurry up back to his zone as well, if Esposito is a 911, Veilleux is more like Sabre Dainius Zubrus, whatever car Zubrus is lol !

In my judgment we'll have plenty of space for Espo in the lineup this year, put him on a line with Roberts and he'll have the guys to fetch it out of the corner for him, can't wait to see him in camp ! Veilleux needs to improve on his NHL'ness if you know what I mean but is definitly going to be a dangerous forward !


What Roen Weiss thunks :



We all knew what the knock on Espo was, sometimes .. well. .. sometimes he doesn't show up, he didn't have a great year without Radu ( as he admitted in my interview with him pre-draft )
and to be quite frank sometimes he forgot you have 5 players on the ice you can pass it to .

Nevertheless Manny has confirmed what we all knew about him ... but then again the Pens end up with 2 skilled guys who don't fancy roughing it up ...

On the other hands the Habs shored up on excellent and flexible 2 way talent, who funny enough might end up being the worst nightmare guys like Veilleux and Esposito to face.

Here is what central scouting has to say about Mcdonagh :

Central Scouting Report: A skilled
offensive defenseman with the skill to rush
the puck... has good first step quickness and makes quick
accurate passes in the defensive zone... has a good shot from the
point... strong along the boards as well as one-on-one in the
corners... has the ability to dominate a game, but needs to play to
his level every night... his offensive style sometimes leads to risky
decisions.

Notice what I highlighted ... and what Manny said about Espo

Now look at Pacioretty !

This is what the Flyers Chris Pryor had to say about him prior to the draft :

“Max Pacioretty is a good-sized kid, who works extremely hard. He’s plays up and down the ice and has a little edge to him. He moves really well and has decent hands.”
– Director of Hockey Operations Chris Pryor

What was the knock on Veilleux ? the way Manny put it, is especially telling about Keven's intensity.

Michel Bergeron had a comment on 110 % following the Habs draft :

'' Pittsburgh a dévalisé le Canadien ''

The way I see it, we avoided a Proto-Ribeiro-Chouinard draft, the future will prove us wrong or right.

But as far as I'm concerned, Timmins gets an A

All the way !

A couple of words from the Subbanator

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Interview with Olivier Fortier

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Q&A with Ryan Mcdonagh

Fat '' stick '' Lady got in the way of audio quality. Here it is transcribed !

Q - Ryan any essentials the coaching staff asked you to keep an eye on ?

A - Always improving stuff like skating, stick handling and positioning, going from high school to a camp with guys who are pretty much full time on allot of this time definitely opens your eyes to what you tend to do right or wrong.

Q - Trevor and a couple of other observers say that some aspects of your game already look NHL ready while others still need a bit of polishing, anything in particular you think will be the focus of your training this year ?

A - Meeting the staff here, It was a relief to hear that there isn't one aspect in particular that I'm going to have to focus on, just raising the level on allot of stuff, making sure I can compete and get my game to the next level.

Q - Any chance on you getting a couple of french classes in this fall ?

A - ( laughing ) Oui ... for sure !


Q - How is the freshman year shaping out to be ? looking forward to a new environment ?

A - There is going to be allot of competition and allot of guys with allot to prove, I hope I can make my way into being a go to guy as soon as possible !

Q&A with David Fischer

Interviewed during the development camp.
Fat '' stick '' lady got in the way of my recording quality so I transcribed it

Q - David any essentials the Habs told you to keep an eye on ?

A - Definitely allot of all around stuff like conditioning, but my shot especially ( laughing ) definitely my shot !

Q - Your skating and overall stamina has been impressive and a definite improvement this camp, any chance we'll see you rough some guys up ?

A - ( Laughing ) yeah I need to put on some pounds and start making alot of these guys look Bad !

Q - What are you looking foward to going back to university in fall ?

A - A national championship, hopefully as soon as possible, this year is going to be crucial for us and they expect allot of guys, me included to stand up in the room and on the ice.

Q - A little more ice time maybe ?

A - ( laughing ) Allot more hopefully !

Loic Lacasse

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Max Pacioretty

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PK Subban Evaluation

Training Camp Report & Evaluations : Montreal Canadiens

Rookie Camp Report - SOON to come as well - Loic Lacasse and J.T Wyman who both had pretty good camps ! Sorry ... Subban doesn't make it ... CLICK ON THEM TO SEE THEM IN REAL SIZE

Q&A with Michel Guest from ISB Groupe

Michel Guest was kind enough to E-mail me back a Q&A I had sent recently, Michel has been involved with scouting NHL talent for a few European teams and has been very involved with getting NHL or AHL players such as recently departed Bulldog André Benoit the right offer to move their families to a new continent and a new hockey reality, I asked him a bit about the Emelin deal and another bunch of stuff , enjoy folks ! ( translated from french )

Q - Michel, what is the difference ( playing style, players that develop out of them ) between the different Premier European Hockey leagues ?

A - They are quite different and to an extent few people realize, playing hockey in Lauzanne ( Switzerland ), Helsinki or Stockholm and playing hockey in Moscow is a world of difference, but it doesn't just stop on style and play, it also affects the player they develop and is a testament to each program as they have had Alumni's that represent them quite well.

In Finland you have very fast players who play in a style similar to north americans when it comes to offense, it is a rugged game but far from the physical play you see in North America, it gives the players a bit more breathing room and a makes them more comfortable which is great for the offensive production, but not that brilliant for some portions of NHL play, alot of players who come from Finland have a hard time finding a good balance between a reckless physical style and good offensive delivery, when the line blurs, that is when they get hurt, and you've seen this especially from players like Saku Koivu who plays hard but was never really developed to take the punishment the NHL can be known for, I think it accounts for a good portion of his injuries , even though in later years he has found a good balance.

In Russia, I believe that the physical side is not well developed in forwards and even worst, they back off too easily from physical play, alot of people saw this when Phaneuf shut down Ovechkin at the juniors a couple of years back, the good thing is that it is a flaw that is addressed early in their development and a guy like Ovechkin benefited from his team addressing that issue which made him a much more effective player, he is not intimidated by anyone and I hope that the Rangers do the same for Cherepanov as he is in the same situation Ovechkin was by many scouts assessment, but to come back to the Russian game, Russian Defencemen on the other hand are extremely gifted when it comes to on-ice vision and Physical play, this year saw alot of young defenceman such as Anton Volchenkov and Fedor Tyutin show that Russia knows how to develop solid defencemen.

As for Sweden, the Swede game is better known for the way it is complete, it packages alot of what you see in the way Finnish players play the game but is more fine tuned and less sloppy in many aspects including the development of offensive acumen and defensive responsability, this is the league were guys like Peter Forsberg, Daniel Alfredsson, Marcus Naslund and Niklas Lidstrom were develloped, these players do many things very well as opposed to the SM- Liiga were players are better developped in specific roles. There is many concern that the Swedish Elite League is not developing players as well as before, Niklas Backstrom will be a good NHLer but many people doubt he will emerge as the same kind of player you've seen from the elite Alumni of the SEL.


Q - NHL players are getting great offers from Russian teams, a trend to come ?

A - I have had the chance to watch Russian hockey alot this year as allot of Russian teams are scouting NHL players to be more competitive, the bottom line though, is that Russian hockey is a far cry from the excitement you get at the NHL level, games are often boring and do not attract many people so unless players are completely money oriented, it is often better to make 1 million and get the quality of life from north america and play in front of 20 000 people than to make 2 million and play in front of 5 000 in Moscow.

Q - the Montreal Canadiens have lost out on Emelin as he heads back to Russia, what is the noise around that deal ?

A - It isn't pretty, and I believe his NHL team is not pleased at the fact he used them to get another agent to negotiate for him in Russia, it has made alot of noise in many circles and it is said he used the offer he had in North America to sign the contract he wanted in Russia, his agents in Canada were very surprised and I think he will have to find new representation if he ever wants to negotiate with Montreal, I know his team in NHL had some Russian players involved in this bridge as well to encourage Alex to come, he has not made many friends to say the least.

Q - André Benoit has left North America to head to Europe, what solidified his choice ?

A - André is an excellent young player who will have a very important spot with Tampere, he will be playing at an excellent level in a country were quality of life, team incentives and cost of living will be a great advantage, he will also be able to play on the larger ice surfaces and be part of an elite group of Canadian players who, if his play is good, will participate in great events such as the Spengler cup and other great games, people think European Hockey is '' small '' but they are always amazed at the ambiance and thrill of many games especially around Scandinavia and central Europe, Paul Di Pietro is having the time of his life in Europe and is being treated like a legend in Switzerland for what he has accomplished on the international stage, in North America he would never had the chance to do some of the things he did
, If I had told you after Salt Lake City were Canada won the gold, that in a couple of years Paul DiPietro would beat Canada with the swiss team, it's unthinkable.
And thats the dream alot of these players find in Europe, unthinkable success against apparent failure in North America.

Q - What do you think of the possible creation of a European NHL division within the current dynamic between the NHL and IIHF ?

A - It is an excellent concept and I think that we are starting to see early signs of the NHL tiring of the un-fruitful push into the United States, I do not know how much gas Gary Bettman has left in his tank and I guess that he will be trying to push for success there to cement his legacy once he is gone, but a new comissioner will have to push that vision further and there are lessons there to be learnt fromthe way Ecclestone handled Formula 1, Hockey has the potential to be a major sport in Europe if the NHL enters carefully and well positioned strategically, there is a possibility there for ridiculous amounts of income if this is done properly, money and sponsors are everywhere in Europe and I have heard that some sponsors such as Volkswagen group ( who own Skoda ) have made it clear that they are very interested to be part of it, it's now in the NHL's hands.

Q - Wouldn't there be salary issues and talent being further diluted ?

A - If there is more hockey presence in Europe, more talent is created, more children want to play and you expand the amount of kids seeing premier talent like Crosby and Ovechkin, you expand your talent pool right there, it will give more quality NHL players down the road, it should not be an issue and, I think quite opposite, you will have a new fan base across 20 countries watching these elite NHL players play close to home, not once every 4 years, but every year, as for the dynamics of how it is to happen, I leave that to greater minds, but it is quite exciting.

Habs brass extremely high on Ryan O'byrne

I've had the chance to briefly discuss with some of the Dogs following the Bulldog's AHL championship this year and ask around about what some guys felt the future had in store.

Alot of it, of course, depends on the evaluation Head Scout Trevor Timmins and Head Coach Guy Carbonneau can make in incorporating that young talent into the Habs lineup

Guys like Timmins keep bringing up a couple of names to watch out for in training camp this year including Jonathan Ferland, Kyle Chipchura and Ryan O'byrne.

Ryan O'byrne is a point of focus for me and he has generated alot of interest from fans who were encouraged by the hard hitting right handed defenceman's play in this year's AHL championship.

Ryan O'byrne is a tower of a man closing in on 6'6 and 230 pounds, and some scouts have dismissed the Cornell product as a Hal Gill dopellganger, but a closer look at O'byrne's development shows a great package of fast skating and well developed hockey sense.

The better known face of O'byrne's game is of course, the physical delivery of that '' package '', Ryan has shown no hesitance in delivering devastating hits and making sure there is a price to pay for offensive zone incursions.

Ryan's potential definitly hints at top 4 NHL talent with time, especially if he can settle into a 25 -30 point form at the NHL level, he is slated to develop into a hard nosed stay at home defenceman with a great first pass and an affinity for all situations.

Blog on hiatus

Due to a job offer writing in sports I've recieved in the last weeks I'm holding off on adding anything untill all the '' conflicting interest '' stuff gets sorted out ! I will post on occasion when something comes by my desk ! thanks for dropping by !

Cheers !

Roen

Why this D-Day might be a mistake by the Habs ...

An hour before it started I finally get an answer from Berube in Colombus, the arena is filling up, kids everywhere, I can barely hear him but the gist of our conversation is resumed in him saying ‘’ not a lot of foreign kids ‘’.

I get put on hold for what seems an infinity and finally get cut in as I think Anthony ended up putting his phone back in his pocket thinking I hung up …

Well Anthony hope that phone bill won’t be too insane …

As the ceremony got started I got the chance to exchange messages on MSN and the Habs Forum with a lot of guys, but needless to say a lot of the speculation leading up to that point was that the Habs would ideally pick Esposito by moving up or having him available at 12.

I doubted it, and some people were cringing to see the Rempart’s centerman in a Habs jersey. Nevertheless when Cherepanov and Esposito were available at 12 and Ryan Mcdonagh climbed up to receive la Sainte Flanelle from the Habs, I couldn’t help but feel a mix of confusion and tranquility wash through me …

I had posted previously that this year the BPA would not apply to the Habs and that a more ‘’ core specific ‘’ approach would be taken in approaching this draft, but I was convinced that the Habs were in need of the offensive ‘’ Zest ‘’ Esposito could bring to the line-up … smarty pants that I thought I was so convinced that Gainey’s armistice with the French media was almost signed that I even hassled Kevin Veilleux ( A massive LHJMQ forward ) to give me a post draft Q&A, convinced as god-given candy, that both these boys would be Habs.

Well all in all, I quickly realized I had all but setup to make this a Pittsburgh D-day to my disarray, and oh well … both my guys are going to the Pens … but hey, Trevor Timmins isn’t writing this blog right ?

The Habs picked Mcdonagh, and I knew a ‘’ teeny weeny ‘’ bit about the kid from reading some information about him off a blog, what quickly sprang into my mind were the words – Defenceman and Big.

But right after those words left my mouth I quickly said to myself … nope, your thinking Fischer … But hell googling confirmed this, and I was a bit bemused by Timmins’s selection to say the least.

You see the selection of Paciorety and Mcdonagh opens up a can of worms that I do not believe the Habs needed entering training camp, if the Habs were not going to select Esposito, then why is Timmins saying things like : ‘’ We don’t think he’ll be available come our time to chose ‘’, why do guys like Boivin say that the Habs will definitely put an emphasis on Quebec born players come the time to put a ‘’ stamp ‘’ on the future …

Timmins also had Esposito at the Bell Centre for more tests and stated he was impressed wit the kid's result, ONLY to state after the draft ... we had him rated lower ...

Bad PR Move Trevor, you created an '' expectation '' and we can't even say it was unintentional ! We were teased !

Right now the Habs have a brilliant future ahead, but it sure ain’t parlez vous Francais, and not that there is anything wrong with that, but here is maybe what the difference is between running a hockey team and running the Montreal Canadiens :

Rule 1 – You can’t run the Canadiens like you run a regular hockey team.

Montreal is more than a hockey hub, it’s the MECCA of hockey, people breathe it, eat it, see it, talk it, spend countless hours on hockey boards typing about it, criticizing and passing judgment on every single move this organization makes.

You will be scrutinized by countless journalists, radio hosts, fans, bloggers, babies etc … etc …

When you know all this, you have to have a manipulative edge to you to insure longevity and general contentedness, especially if your present team isn’t producing any results, and most importantly, you HAVE to throw the french '' Bone '' here and there to keep the media and french fans happy.

Gainey stayed honest and played his cards like a good GM would.

The result of this produced an uproar in the city this weekend !

People were genuinely angry. Angry at the organization, for snubbing talented Quebec born forwards.

If the Draft was truly not as deep as Gainey and other scouts stated, it could have been a perfect opportunity to throw the fans a bone, instead he let Timmins do the homework necessary for draft day, which is exactly the thing a smart management operator tells you to do.

But come training camp Paciorety and Mcdonagh will have the weight of countless failures ala Doug Wickenhiser and Denis Savard to be confronted with. This along with seeing Crosby tryout a new linemate in Esposito, and a huge third liner with pretty good hands called Kevin Veilleux, will create a negative environment and approach towards these two kids

Even though the media has quickly forgotten Bildodeau and Chouinard ( Both tremendously touted by local media )

These kids are genuinely going to need the organization to protect them, Especially from the brain dead questions you heard from some of the RDS crew.

because as I’ve stated …

Montreal ain’t no regular hockey town.

Ryan McDonagh - Post Draft - Report from Scouts, Publishers etc ... ( Coming soon )

Still compiling responses and E-mails this is gonna be HUGE, be patient guys.

4 Questions avec Kevin Veilleux

Q - Plusieurs des jeunes de ce repêchage disent qu'il faudra attendre un moment avant d’enlever ce chandail tout neuf, comment on se sent en Pingouin ?

A – C’est sur, c’est une sensation formidable, une organisation comme Pittsburgh, c’est excitant, c’est une organisation qui compte sur la jeunesse et qui a de bons jeunes bien entourés.

Q – Un premier camp avec Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Recchi, Roberts parmi d’autres, un joueur en particulier que tu vas regarder avec attention ?

A – Ben, c’est sur que regarder Sidney Crosby ça va être excitant, mais faut leur prouver que tu as quelque chose a apporter, je ne vais pas la bas pour regarder jouer, je veut faire ma place dans un avenir proche.

Q – Tu rejoins une filière de jeunes québécois avec Michel Ouellet, Maxim Talbot et tu t’ajoutes avec Angelo hier soir, a quoi est-ce que Michel Therrien peut s’attendre a voir en Septembre de ta part ?

A – Je suis un joueur qui n’a pas peur de s’impliquer, j’ai un gabarit bien adapté au style de jeu de la ligue nationale, je dois leur prouver que je peut garder le rythme, je peut jouer a n’importe quel position et le faire de manière efficace, j’espère qu’ils prendront ça en compte.

Q – Certains de tes détracteurs parlent d’un manque d’implication à certains moments, pense-tu que c’est trompeur comme analyse ?

A – Il y a des saisons difficiles, parfois des petites blessures te ralentissent ou te rendent moins efficace, il y a aussi des hauts et des bas dans une saison mais c’est fini maintenant et c’est a moi de prouver sans aucun doute que j’ai ma place dans l’alignement des pingouins le plus tot possible.

Trevor Timmins and Bob Gainey both claim they've found a '' rare pearl ''

In Today's La Presse Mathias Brunet has an interesting discussion with Gainey :

The words translate as this :

There is one player by our evaluations, that is far superior to any other in this year's draft, If we have to, we'll move up to get him.

It seems the Habs have their man ! What makes this peculiar ? Well in previous years Timmins would operate with a sheet lodging his top 5 in every position that his scouts had judged as the BAP ( best availabe player ) come their time to pick

With Timmins adding to that the '' We're going for a home-run '', you can't help but think the Habs think they know something other teams don't ...

Speculation is the Habs could be a different team after the deadline ...

More to come, just got a call returned, Alot of guys won't be sleeping tonight, People are talking to me about Brad Richards available for peanuts ... who da hell has space in their cap ????

Hicks and Gillett to team up again and a look at Tony Salmelainen

I'm waiting for a couple of Q&A's to come back and I've got some great stuff coming along, I've had an opportunity to maybe start writing for a small French Hockey magazine and they are looking at some of the stuff that I was supposed to post on the Blog ( maybe I'll make a few dineros on it, who knows ... ) So be patient with posts folks !

As early as yesterday we've learned that Tom Hicks and George Gillett are teaming up again, but we're not talking about a Sports team here, nope ... they are both Vice Chairman to the Board of Governors, what does it mean to Habs fans ?

Well the board itself rules pretty much on err .... Rule Changes, improvements to the game, Salary discussions, Team discussions ( relocation, expansion ) etc ...

What is surprising to most is the election of Jeremy Jacobs to the post of Chairman, who knew JJ was that popular among Team owners !

Well just in resume for us Habs fans here are the new rules :

- From now on faceoffs can only be taken on one of the 9 positional spots on the ice ( no more referees taking faceoffs right behind the blue line )

- If a player conducts an act of interference with intent ( or result ) to injure ( crashing on a goalie with intent for example ) the referees can kick those players out of the game instead on just giving them a minor.

- If a player breaks away from his zone and gets hooked or tripped when he has a clear opportunity for a break away, he can get a penalty shot ( it used to be reserved for offensive zone penalties )

- The term Gross misconducts is apparently errr .... GROSS, so they've decided to just call it game misconducts !


----



Salmelainen is a speedy player the term '' marchand de vitesse '' applying beautifully in his case, what has plagued Salmelainen since his arrival in the league is the inability for the small Finnish Forward to ... err... well to finish pretty much anything ...

but don't sell him short ( no pun intended on his 5'9 frame ), Salmelainen has proven himself a fearless PK'er with Elite breakaway speed and even though there is doubt on his abilities to stuff the net at an elite level, he IS one of those players ( whether you look at his stats in the SM Liiga or the AHL ) that has shown a need for a period of adaptation.

One of the Hamilton Bloggers I read told me that he remembers watching Salmelainen and Marcel Hossa play in the AHL, their NHL stats look similar in some aspects and they're progression is earily similar, here is quote from him :

'' Salm had drive but no hands, Hossa had hands but no drive ''

I have heard that there is possibility that if Salmeleinen can't break through this year, Helsinki has an offer ready for him, the Habs would still retain his rights I believe.

Habs and Blue Jackets talking Chimera

A Source out of Columbus has told me that the Blue Jackets are shopping for an Experienced D-man with leadership and playoff experience as well as a young forward with good potential.

The Habs have already recieved interest from Columbus regarding Duncan Milroy and it's rumoured that the Habs are interested in Jason Chimera due to the possible ( some say inevitable ) loss of Radek Bonk and Mike Johnson who were not tendered offers to remain with the team.

Chimera is a speedy winger who has been known to be streaky scoring goals, at 6'2 he does not shy away from playing physical, he has found a home on Columbus's PK and has shown the ability of being a relentless forechecker.

Columbus would also be interested in getting the services of one of the Hab's Roster D-man and one the Hab's 1st Round Draft pick as well positioning Colombus to take Voracek and Esposito.

Although he is coming off a tough season, Bouillon who is a great skater and tough hitter, has been shown to be money come playoff time, and could be an interesting option.

My thoughts : If at the end of the day by losing Chimera the Blue Jackets come out of it with Duncan Milroy an experienced D-man and Voracek ( they pick at number 7 ) as well as another first rounder, it could definitly be an interesting trade off, but on one hand Chimera has flourished under Hitchcock and it's unlikely they'd pull the trigger that easily, as for the Habs, it's a steep price to pay for a player that hasn't blossomed into anything more than an excellent forechecker.

Although he would be a great piece for a premier team.

Panthers talking Nathan Horton, Gainey listening

I've heard alot of sources talk about Nathan Horton leading into the draft

Horton is a huge piece of what the future will look like in Florida, I am amazed at the ammount of noise going on prior to draft day regarding this RFA.
Although Horton has been quite vocal per staying in Florida since he stated in February that he wanted out, there has been reports of Jacques Martin packaging the forward to get a promising young goaltender and young scoring forward.

Some people have said the Habs are showing 2 cards called Ryder and Halak, but then again it'll be curious to see how negotiations go between Horton and Martin, Horton is an RFA !

3 Questions with Anthony Berube - NHL Scout

Anthony Berube was kind enough to take my questions ! Here we go

Q - The word this year among GM's is that the 2007 draft isn't as deep as previous years, what are your thoughts on that ?

A - Perception and necessity is everything in the world of Pro-sports, Is this a Mario Lemieux draft ? definitly no, but is this a draft that will produce solid NHLers, no once can say, it's definitly a draft with some talent and character players.

Q - How much influence do the players these kids grew up watching have on them ?

A - I recently spoke to Brian Burke about the biggest difference between these new kids we've been getting and veteran guys when they got here their rookie year.
One thing people forget is that these new kids grew up watching hockey, older guys came into the league and most of them had never seen their stars play, when you speak to guys like Patrick Roy, and you hear him talk about gathering around a Radio with his brothers to listen to the games, you knew these kids had to use all their imagination to play the game in their heads, heck some of these kids back then didn't know what the opposing Jersey looked like .
You can't help but wonder how much a kid's imagination plays a part in the way he develops, I think alot of kids nowadays lack imagination in their play, scoring a reel goal isn't everything, is it ?

Q - Any solid Mid-First Rounder this year ?

A - It's hard to say.
Alot of kids in the top 10 would be bottom first rounders in an excellent draft, the first round this year is more of a good second round. I think guys like Turris and Azner can definitly help a team, but are they sure-fire NHLers ? There isn't any certainty any of these kids can be good NHLers.
Someone recently said that the potential for a '' Scott Gomez '' type player out of this first round is the most you can expect, I agree with that.

4 Questions with Habs Insider Marek Brahms

Marek runs and moderates a couple of forums with Habs related content, I've exchanged PM's with him the last couple of years and I always appreciate his insight on the Habs organization, Marek has been a season ticket holder since 1987 and I often tease him on having 20 years on the job, but he's a great guy !

Q - In 20 years sitting in the reds what was your favorite edition of the Habs ?

A - We get excited every year, in '95 the team kept changing faces and you had the new guys from Philly and Long Island, guys leaving, it's always exciting when you have Pierre Turgeron centering that first line in his prime, there was a real good thing going with Recchi and Damphousse, it was encouraging, that team the next year had alot of potential, it was a mix of skilled guys and Thibault wasn't that bad either, but it was the beginning of the end and it hit home when Keane left. I really liked alot of players from these years, they carried a notoriety with them you don't find on any of the current editions.

Q - Alot of damage has been attributed to guys like Rejean Houle for the Habs lack of presence during those '' dark '' years, what is your perspective on it ?

A - Rejean Houle wasn't a bad GM, and he desperately wanted to improve his team, people say the Roy deal and other deals are proof enough, but the truth is Roy's play that year spoke books on his unwillingness to be a team guy, but don't get me wrong Patrick is the greatest goalie of all times, but I think that he needed that slap in the face from Montreal to realize he had to calm down and level with his teammates and coaches.
When Demers left, he lost a father in a sense and Mario Tremblay was an old school coach with no cred, you can't expect respect, you have to earn it, and Tremblay wasn't keen on that.
I don't blame Rejean Houle for the Roy debacle though, Ronald Corey and Mario Tremblay are the ones responsible, Corey was jealous of Roy's notoriety and larger than life stature ( as well as the fact he had an incredible influence over the team ) as for Tremblay he just didn't know any better.


Q - The years of poor drafts, who is to blame on the Habs side ?

A - Ronald Corey wanted a team with veterans but Molson didn't want to throw money out the windows for the Canadiens, it was a tough time financially as well, the Canadiens had perspectives on getting guys like Pavel Bure and other good players, but couldn't package anything because the young guys were average at best and the older guys didn't produce, the team still tried to draft with a poor scouting system and a basically crapshoot approach, but it was like watching a castle of cards collapse, Rejean Houle was barely starting to put a real '' team '' together and he was struggling to try to keep everyone happy, the draft at that point was the last thing on their mind.

Q - This year the Habs missed the playoffs but the Bulldogs win a championship ! What is your perspective on that ?

A - The Habs this year are still a team like Atlanta and the Islanders, which is a fringe team, Gainey could have sacrificed a couple of top prospects to push the Habs in the first or second round, but what is the point ? the Bulldogs are a team full of players you can see in the NHL, they are young, they are talented, they are a mean bunch and they are winners !
Would it have been worth it trading a Carey Price to get a guy like Tkachuk ?
Sure not making the playoffs by 1 point is no fun, but that one point was not worth Carey Price.

Q - Is it fair to say Gainey has some responsability in the team not making the playoffs this year ?

A - When all your players say : we need help, and a guy like Koivu says he sure hopes this isn't another rebuilding phase, you know you've failed your players in a sense, alot of guys had hoped for a Messiah to carry this team on, but that is just ridiculous and shows more of a lack of leadership on the player's side than anything, Gainey was in a position where he could have got a guy to give a new wind to the Habs, but he was probably torn between trading away active assets on his roster and sacrificing a brilliant future, I think that by chosing the status quo, he actually showed that this was a playoff team with a brilliant future, and unlike the Islanders and Thrashers, he still has a stacked championship farm team !

The best the Q has to offer !

This year the QJMHL top 3 will be represented at the draft by Jakub Voracek, Angelo Esposito and David Perron, let's get a look at their profile !



Jakub Voracek : At 6'2 and 190 pnds, Voracek is a talented winger with great size, a nose for the net and exemplary determination along the boards, don't under-estimate his play making abilities, for a rookie in the Q, he was named Offensive player of the week twice, won the Michel Bergeron trophy ( Rookie producing offense ), RDS Trophy ( rookie of the year ), All Star Rookie team and Rookie of the month for October ! Voracek has always excelled at all levels and is already showing the N.A game is a great fit for him.

Angelo Esposito : At 6'1 and 185 pnds, Esposito packages a great mix of talent, skill and determination. After a stellar rookie season and an adaptation period following the loss of Offensive jugernaut Alexander Radulov, Esposito went on to have a good season for the Remparts, some have mentionned the knock on Esposito is his inaction in the corners and lack of physical play, but he answered the call this year with a strong Top 50 finish in the Q with hits and showing physical implication. He captained the Under 18 team at the world championships and took home the Mike Bossy trophy ( Best professional prospect ), He was invited to the top prospect game in the CHL and made the CHL all star game both years he has spent in the Q.

David Perron : At 6'0 and 180 pnds, David Perron has all the tools it takes to be a power-forward. A physically imposing player in the Q, with great intial speed on the rush and a damning presence in front of the net, Perron has shown an ability to make the ice look bigger for his teammates with good hockey sense and puck protection, the knock on Perron is consistency, but he plays a man's game and to expect his body to be at peak during 80 games might be asking too much, and may be construed as a lack of effort. David Perron got Rookie of the month honors early on this season and also made it to the Top Prospect and All Star game, As Lewiston went on to the Memorial Cup he notched a three point effort in 4 games which is respectable !

Beauchemin

Ever ask yourself what are the things that make an Elite D-man :

Defensive zone converage ? First pass ? Physical play ? Offensive upside ?

Well ... you need a bit of all of that, but that isn't everything, what puts guys like Beauchemin and Foote on a pedestal are the fact they know EXACTLY how the brain of an elite player works.

And the bottom line is THAT's why a guy like Beauchemin ( and not other Ducks D-men like O'donnel, Ric Jackman, Huskins or DiPenta ) is part of Anaheim's big three .

But don't be fooled into thinking the Habs missed the boat on Beauchemin, He was one of Carlisle's project and as former Norris Trophy winner, the Duck's coach knew exactly what Beauchemin needed to do to take his game to the next level.

You can't help but think though ... Rivet and Beauchemin have both proven that the Habs D's are an under rated bunch, give these guys a coach capable of harnessing a collective effort, and sky is the limit, it's imperative in my opinion the Habs get a D coach.

Return of Kansas City and Let's welcome Vegas !

I've been on this for about 2 weeks since the rumour came out, there is almost no doubt anymore that the 2009 - 2010 will see an expansion draft in the NHL Las Vegas and Kansas City are the leaders by a WIDE margin to recieve teams.

Remember this jersey ?



My point of view :

Call this a last ditch effort by Gary Bettman to leave a lasting foot-step in the US market, after the flamboyant failures of expansions in Miami, Nashville, Colombus, Anaheim, Carolina etc ...
we're seeing another attempt by the NHL to make headway in the USA.

Now don't get me wrong, Carolina won a cup and Anaheim might be on the brink of winning one, but Carolina is still struggling with attendance and Anaheim will be too ...

The problem with the US market isn't american hockey fans, they are actually a commited bunch, but let's be frank, teams are left to themselves to advertise within their market, the league has no marketing plan and there is barely any grassroots push. Teams like Colombus and Nashville have so little ''awareness '' in St. Paul and Nashville that most of the people and commercial interests have little will or interest to attend or invest.

You have to make people WANT, CRAVE hockey, make it omni-present, push it into people's mentality, send people in schools give equipment, it would cost : under half a million dollars US ( for all these city's high schools we're talking 200 highschools ) to supply these city's schools with floor hockey sticks and goalie equipment, send NHL people, talk about it, make the kids DREAM hockey.

What the NHL did was some slave video with Forsberg ...

Who should the Habs draft ? a simple calculation should get us close ...

Well I recently had the chance to discuss with Hockey pros and Amateurs and here are the points they all agree on once you correlate everything ( the number are the urgency to get these attributes on the Habs on level from 1 to 10 ) :

- Size up front, physical presence ( 7 )
- Smooth skating with a nose for the net ( 4 )
- Right handed Centerman ( fine I get it ... ) ( 9 )
- Smart 2 way player ( 5 )
- 5 on 5 play !!! ( 9 )

Well ... here at Puckmania our picks for the Habs are ( considering your points ) :
Obviously the Habs would have to trade up

- Kyle Turris - From Burnaby BCHL - 6'1 170 pnds - Right Handed Centerman
( projected to go early first )

Pros : Some scouts have called him a mix between Doug Gilmour and Steve Yzerman, there is no doubt there is potential, great skater, can put the puck in the net !

Cons : at 170 pounds, can he compete with men ? Physical play isn't stellar and at times he is overprowered, although his talent makes up for it.

Our view : Remember Eric Staal's first season with the Canes ? unless Turis puts on some weight, his career will look like Staal's first season : signs of dominance but physically incapable of keeping up with physical players almost 70 pounds heavier.

- Vitali Karamnov - From Moscow Dynamo - 6'2 190 pnds - Right handed Centerman
(projected late 1st early 2nd pick )


Pros : Deceptively fast for his size, has quick hands, a great balance of skills and size.

Cons : He will need to learn the N.A game as fast as possible as physical implication isn't a hallmark of his play, but would he come over ?

Our view : He's got hands and size and is HARD to push off the puck, but at some point the name DAINIUS ZUBRUS creeps into your mind when you see him play and you can only snicker once thats done ...


- Sam Gagner - London Knights - 5'10 191 pnds - Right Handed Forward
( projected to go mid-first )

Pros : Can play center and wing, a truly gifted and multi-faceted hockey player and HARD worker, he will work, work, work and do whatever it takes to make sure he isn't being outworked by anyone

Cons : How much of a product of Kostitsyn and Kane is Gagner ? No one really knows ...

Our view : Yes, he isn't 6'4 , but at 190 pounds, try knockingthis guy off the puck, you can definitly understand the comparisons some have made to Doug Gilmour and Chris Higgins ( especially on puck possession ), and the leader qualities are a strength, he is TRULY one of those examples where you wish the NHL could push the draft age a bit to see how some kids develop.

Considered :

- Zach Hamill - Everett in the WHL - 5'11 180 pnds - Right Handed Centerman
( projected late first rounder )

- Patrick White - Tri-City USHL - 6'1 186 - Right Handed Centerman
( projected to go in the Second )

Angelo Esposito Interview

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George Gillett talks about Kovalev Lahti & Price also Bill Daley denies cap could reach 52 million !

In today's La Presse I read an excellent interview with George Gillett on Kovalev, the Habs youth and Revenue Sharing.
Here are the main points :

- The Habs have 25 million dollars a year in revenue that they have to give to the city and to other teams
- Cap should be just under 50 million
- Haha ... he goes on about Janne Lahti saying the guy is a beast «gros, fort, très rapide, toujours prêt à foncer au filet et habile en défensive» ( I guess he found a gem ! )
- He says Price has all the tools to be HUGE
- Nascar team will sport the Habs colors in Nascar ?

Angelo Esposito - Pierre Lerner ( IIHF) in Toronto !!!

5 questions on the phone , we will have more on Angelo , I will try to have some translate it for us, enjoy the transcript ! And pardon my french I did my best ...

Question 1 - Plusieurs éclaireurs parlent d'Angelo comme une combinaison idéale de forces physiques et de talent d'hockeyeur, éxpliquez sa chute au classement de L'ISS ?

- Ce que certains éclaireurs ont remarqué dans le development d'Angelo, c'est quelques lacunes dans son implication physique lors de sa deuxieme saison. Il n'y a rien d'aquis aux yeux des éclaireurs, le rang d'un joueur est directement associé a son travail, et ils s'attendent a une progression constante.
Angelo a eu une trés bonne saison mais plusieurs personnes s'entendent a dire qu'elle etait a certains niveaux en deca des attentes, la nouvelle LNH récompense et prise les joueurs qui sont travailleurs, Angelo doit se replacer dans l'estime des équipes qui le voient comme une option viable.

Question 2 - Angelo a dis a plusieurs reprise que jouer avec le Canadien serait un reve, mais le Canadien a - t - il besoin d'un Angelo Esposito ?

La réponse vous decevra ( rires ), mais je pense que les eclaireurs du Canadien vont évaluer ce qu'ils jugent etre le plus approprié a leurs besoins, une équipe comme Ottawa est mieux adaptée a developer le talent offensif, et selon moi Angelo aura plus de succés dans une organisation qui prise le jeu dans la zone offensive, si vous regardez les joueurs et les entraineurs du Canadien, on parle de joueurs complets, c'est ce que les amateurs veulent voir, Angelo n'a pas montré une volonté de s'impliquer dans les deux zones de maniere réguliere, ce qui n'est pas un défaut non plus, c'est un talent offensif, et il exploite ses abilités .

Question 3 - Qu'est ce que Angelo a besoin d'ameillorer pour faire son entrée dans la LNH ?

Si vous éssayez de changer un joueur comme Angelo Esposito, c'est perdu d'avance, il ne sera pas un Jere Lehtinen, et il ne sera pas Sidney Crosby, il est un joueur talentueux offensif et il excellera dans son domaine, si une équipe est prete a investir dans son conditionement et son acumene pour le filet, ils en sortiront gagnant.

Question 4 - A qui est-ce que Angelo s'apparente le plus dans son jeux au niveau de la LNH ?

Quand on le regarde jouer c'est certain qu'il y a des paralleles avec Michael Nylander a certains moments, Mike Ribeiro des fois , surtout les mains, mais quoi qu'on dise, il sera Angelo Esposito avant tout !

Question 5 - Alexandre Daigle ?

Non, surement pas , il aurait pu faire des etudes en medecine, il a une excellente tete sur les epaules !

Scotty Bowman on Carey Price

Reading Yvon Pednault's colums in today's Journal de Montreal we get a glimpse of how consultants operate within teams and how they are often the eyes and ears for some GM's.
Scotty Bowman remembers being told by sources about an AHL goaltender who is following the same steps Patrick Roy once did.
Bowman scouts the guy and when Yvon Pednault asks him what he thinks, Bowman says Price has all the tools to be a premier goaltender, the words '' can't miss '' are spoken
And that gives you a good idea of the effect Price is having on other scouts !

Tending towards the future !

Looking at the amount of shots Carey Price has faced so far against Hershey, you can't help but flashback to Luongo's tenure wih the Panthers were the elite goaltender routinely faced upwards of 40 shots.

Is Price a Luongoesque goaltender ? they share the same unflusterable temperament and the same ability to recover from a bad game, but there the similarities stop and it's all Brodeur from there on ... But then again he isn't quite Brodeur either ...
So what do you make of Carey Price ?

Well as head coach Don Lever put it there isn't much that can make the guy lose his control of a game, his stick work is already on par with what you'd see from Marty Turco and his angle coverage and drop-recovery remind of Theodore's hey-days when Jeremy Roenick would say at the All-Star game '' he's got the fastest pads in the game ''.

But that's were all comparisons stop and you realize how unique this kid is.

Now Price's success shouldn't overshadow the work guys like Danis and Halak have done this year, in Halak's case, you can only stand back in awe at a kid who was an MVP in Lewiston and starts his pro career as an MVP in the AHL, and don't balk at Danis either, he is a talent to be reckoned with as is Cedric Desjardins who is dominating the ECHL.

One thing I will say folks though ... ( and some people may not like this ) don't be fooled by a fake sentiment of security when it comes to our goaltending prospects, although Price has shown to be a solid goaltender these AHL playoffs have also shown alot of room for improvement, his tendency to drop a bit early are still evident although we're not talking of David Aebischer, Halak has battled with inconsistency early on and Danis has had trouble being a mainstay at number 1 with the bulldogs being supplanted by Halak and Price.

Yes there is solid goaltending ahead for the Habs, but to claim the future is stellar is jumping the gun in a major way, training camp will put all these guys on equal footing, let us see what they can accomplish against each other !

Interview with Russian Hockey Digest Publisher Ruslan Salikhov on Emelin, Sherepanov etc ...

We would love to thank Ruslan for his help, and hopefully we will be able to get more contributions from him, enjoy folks !

 1 - Alot is made on the lack of a transfer agreement, this will be a  second year since the expiry of the agreement with the IIHF, what do you  think are the sticking points which neither party can agree on ?

What the Russian clubs are saying is that the players from Russia should be acquired only as free agents otherwise it is impossible to build teams around their star players. Now if NHL club wants a certain player who is signed with a Russian club, then these clubs should negotiate between them and not according to some organisation, which really should not even be handling hockey transfers.

NHL of course will not accept this for a reason that it will destroy their principle of farm system, which includes not only their North American affiliates but also the countries who are part of IIHF agreement.



2 - Recently players like Alexei Morozov and Alexander Perezhogin have  decided to remain in Russia for tangible sums of money instead of  returning to the NHL, is this the start of a wave of players who will  decide to stay in Russia, do you think it will affect the way GM's in  the NHL view Russian prospects ?

I do not see it as a wave, Perezhogin felt that he is underappreciated and therefore will be underpaid so he decided to make a change. Morozov is a different case - he is just a superb player for big European ice and is treated like a superstar in Russia. He just decided that he does not want to change what is not broken. To summarize it all NHL GM's will draft less and less Russians simply because nobody wants extra headache. On the other hand that is exacty what Russian clubs want to achieve - the least amount of Russian born players to be drafted by NHL clubs.


3 - the Montreal Canadiens have prospects Pavel Valetenko and Alexei  Emelin as well as Konstantin Korneev playing at the Elite level in  Russia, what do these players bring to their teams ?

I can only comment on Emelin - he is going to be one of the best Russian defensemen for the next decade. He is still learning the game but his great personality and love for physical play will reward him and his clubs. He does sometimes takes stupid penalties but he will learn in that department too.

4 - Can any of these players make the kind of jump and potentially get  to a level where a player like Andrei Markov is?

Well, Emelin should become a regular on Russian national team and that is already high level. Of course Emelin and Markov are different players and have different strengths, Emelin is more physical while Markov is terrific on powerplays. For me there is no doubth that Emelin can become an elite player of Markov's caliber one day.

5 - Are there any underrated players in the Russian Elite League this  year with a potentiel equivalent to what we've seen from Malkin and  Ovechkin?

I do not see any for now. Ovechkin and Malkin are once in a decade type of players and Russia was really lucky with these two.

6 - What can you tell us about this year's top rated player : Cherepanov 

I am still holding my judgement on Cherepanov - so far he is overrated. His Russian league numbers are great but in my observation he usually does not play well in important games, that could suggest that he is not of the same breed as Malkin and Ovechkin.


7. do you think the comparisons to Pavel Bure are justified ?

Not to me yet. Of course he is very young and has a lot of time to improve but I do not think he can be compared to Bure. I hope I am wrong.

You gotta give the guy some credit ...

So in the space of a couple of hours writing my Kovalev post, Alex '' Mother Theresa '' Kovalev strikes !

He was touring a hospital with sick Russian Kids, said he apologized to Gainey, bla bla bla ...

His publicist must be god

Artishnitzel ... ( article )

My perspective on the Kovalev Interview in Rushockey and a Crisis in Habs lore

Kovalev Interview in RusHockey


I just read this interview again although it's been out for a while, there are a couple of things that strike me in Kovalev's comments especially this part :

'' I have no right to be offended. They are the coaches, let them decide, who to include in the roster and who they will have an easier time working with. ''

This is in regards to the National Team coaching staff and administration such as guys like Bykov and Nemchinov

as well as

No. The man made his decision. To convince him otherwise, in the hopes of hearing: “Okay, you can come”… I don’t need that.

'' I want to reaffirm: I am not taking offense. And I am not planning on excluding the national team from my future. If a coach ever wants to invite me to the national team, I will always say yes. To play for your country – it’s every kid’s dream right from the time they begin playing hockey. ''

As we all can see, Kovalev is an eager to please guy when he wants to, right ?

Well I'll fore go his quotes in La Presse but here is his quote on a coach AND team who actually supported him and defended him all season long ( such as Carbo's statement that he didn't beleive for a second that Kovalev had lied to him )

Here is Carbo's ( and Latendresse's ) Defence of Kovalev

And here is Rushockey'S quote

'' when your club doesn’t support you through this, benches you, doesn’t let you play without explanation… Its hard to take such pressure from all sides. For me money is secondary. Most important is to enjoy the game. So far, this isn’t happening in Montreal. ''

I think that in Gainey's evaluation of Kovalev you have to consider the two intangibles that are quintessential to all hockey players, their ability to mesh to your team's core, and thier ability to show up.

Kovalev has not had any success on any line with the Habs this season, he hasn't managed to be consistent with Koivu, Lapierre, Bonk or Plekanec, he has also been a distraction off the ice.

In my opinion, Gainey has to also weigh some other intangibles, players like Kovalev and Samsonov had no hesitation to point at the organization's failings, which even Patrick Roy, Vincent Damphousse and Craig Rivet among others who left on bad terms NEVER dared do.

The Habs are seen as a divine obession in Quebec and the CH is revered as an almost religious symbol, when a player comes out to ridicule and even threaten his position on the team, it is imperative something be done so that '' Habit '' is punished appropriatly.

The fact that nothing was done opens the door to other players to publicly '' hose down '' the Habs, which is bad.

Players like Craig Rivet and Francois Beauchemin were core components in their team's playoff run, even though the Habs prefered other players, we are still willing to forgive the front office for those mis-steps

Overall Gainey has had a lucky hand with the Habs during his tenure, but a wind is blowing that has whiffs of

In Bob we trust ... right ?

You be the judge.

A Perspective on Francois Allaire's interview in '' Le Journal ''

Writing four books on goaltending and being the mentor to Patrick Roy should be enough to put you on top of the goaltending world, right ?
Well Francois Allaire's modesty in today's interview by Le Journal gives a great perspective on this amazing hockey mind.

What strikes me the most are the comments on Mario Tremblay's arrogance and lack of respect for the on ice staff.

As Allaire was starting to work and get results with Jocelyn Thibault, Tremblay would back off, but Rejean Houle's confusing contract offers and poor asset management made it impossible for Allaire to realistically make the Thibault - Jablonski duo give any long term result.

Once he left the Habs , Anaheim jumped on the opportunity and here was Guy Hebert, Anaheim's goaltender who Allaire described as ( tout croche ! )

A little while later Guy Hebert was an All - Star ...

Interview with SM - Liiga Insider Mika Peltonen regarding newly acquired Janne Lahti

Following the Habs signing Janne Lahti, we decided to ask Mika for as much insight as possible into the Janne Lahti acquisition, very little is known about Janne and what the incentive was for him to sign with the Habs after a stellar seaon in Finland. Mika asnwered our questions and more !

Question 1 - Lahti has had success in the SM Liiga this year during the
season and in the playoffs, how much of his success is given to playing
on a team with Makiaho and Uusikartano who have also had good years ?

I think both Mäkiaho and Uusikartano made Lahti's life much easier
during the season, but in the playoffs those two guys didn’t show up.
At the same time Lahti had six goals against Helsingin IFK in the
quarterfinals end led HPK to the semifinals against Helsingin Jokerit.

Lahti’s problem is that sometimes as winter goes by it looks like he loses interest in the regular season. One he hits the playoffs, everyone loves him. That's probably the most underrated part of his game. Just name one coach who wouldn’t take a
player on his team who will single handedly execute other teams in the playoffs? When we are looking at the big picture, it has taken many years before Lahti broke
into the Finnish elite. We’ve been talking about three years that this
for this to be his year, but it took longer than anyone expected.

The Last two years he has been a very important player for us and last spring when HPK won their first Finnish Championship Lahti was very big piece of it, actually I
could say the biggest. I’m sure that HPK and Hämeenlinna will miss this guy
next season.

Question 2 - What did Lahti bring to HPK this year that made it such a
difficult team to beat ?

Well, Lahti is a big guy with a big heart. If you look at his play in the
lineup, his power in corners gives his teammates more time on the ice to make
some plays. Add to that he is one heckuva scorer.

When I look back on his career I can't believe the ammount of scoring chances this guy missed  Nowadays he really is a good powerforward and the last two years he has
shown that he can put it in the net when it counts.

Question 3 - What do you think are his chances in regards to adapting to
North American Hockey ?

It’s always very hard. Our problem in Finland is that we don’t have
superstars like Ovechkin, Malkin or Crosby. We have just players who can
play strongly at both ends. When we need some snipers, we just have
all around players. And that is Lahti’s problem too. I’m 100% sure that if
they give him a right role, he is ready to play in NHL. He’s big, strong,
athletic and a good scorer, so I have no doubt about that. But if he had to
play with little icetime at fourth line and defensive role – you can send
him home already!:) He’s better than that, I think. But also we have to
remember it takes some time to settle down and learn the American way to
play hockey. So I believe he can play at NHL, but I doubt if he gets
opportunity to show it.

Question 4 - Lahti has had alot of ups and down throughout his 7 years
in the Liiga, what are his shortcomings ?

As I said, he has been one of the most important players in HPK last two
years. Before that there was just a player with huge potential. He stole
the show in the Finals (2005-2006) against Porin Ässät when he had nine
(5+4=9) points in thirteen games. Against Ässät he scored every game and
was one of the biggest reasons that we made our first title.  This year he
was our best forward in the playoffs and as I said he led HPK to the semifinals
against Jokerit.

Question 5 - How would you describe his game as a player ?

He is a strong winger and good scorer. Offensively he can make some
surprising moves and he plays his best hockey always in playoffs.
Defensively he’s not that good, but usually defensive end is always that
part of the game forwards should made better.

Question 6 - Do you feel there are alot of underrated players in the
Liiga as over-agers ? whom do you think after this years champonship was
a revelation ?

- no I don’t think so. We have only allround players and most of them are
not that good that they could play in NHL. They can be underrated, but not
international stars. Player who dominate in Liiga usually not do it at
NHL. Theres many examples of that. We don’t have stars, only hard workers.

Best Wishes !