Montreal Canadiens - Road to 25

[duff88]

Training Camp opens in Montreal

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Alex Kovalev will try to regain his form after a tough season

September 6th 2007 - Training camp was opening with team meetings and some fitness tests today as 37 Montreal Canadiens players were present at the Bell Centre.

There's still a long month ahead before the team opens the season in New Jersey on October 6th, when the roster will be reduced to 23 players, 20 of whom will be dressed to play in this game. The first day of camp was obviously nothing too intense, but it interesting to meet some of the team's stars and their expectations coming into the season.

Captain Saku Koivu made the headlines this summer when he said he didn't think the team had a lot of chances to make it to the Stanley Cup, but he was quick to come back on his words:

"I'm sure we can make it, but if you look in publications we're not considered favourites. We still have a strong team and if we can compete hard every night, you never know what happens. We can win, that's for sure."

Alex Kovalev was probably the player who gathered the most attention. The russian star had a subpar year in 2006-2007, posting a mere 18 goals and 47 points:

"I don't want to talk about last year. I had a tough summer, I think it's time for a new start and I want to help the team. It's not about Alex Kovalev, it's about the team now."

The team's youth turn in Montreal has been going for a few years now, and we can now expect the likes of Chris Higgins, Mike Komisarek and Tomas Plekanec to play an increased role this year.

PLAYERS IN CAMP
G Yann Danis
G Jaroslav Halak
G Cristobal Huet
G Carey Price
LD Andrew Archer
LD Francis Bouillon
LD Jean-Philippe Côté
LD Josh Gorges
LD Roman Hamrlik
LD Andrei Markov
LD/LW Mark Streit
LD Pavel Valentenko
RD Mathieu Biron
RD Patrice Brisebois
RD Mathieu Carle
RD Mike Komisarek
RD Ryan O'Byrne
LW Steve Begin
LW Mikhail Grabovski
LW Chris Higgins
LW Andrei Kostitsyn
LW Guillaume Latendresse
C Kyle Chipchura
C Saku Koivu
C Maxim Lapierre
C Corey Locke
C Ben Maxwell*
C Tomas Plekanec
C Brian Smolinski
RW Matt D'Agostini
RW/RD Mathieu Dandenault
RW Jonathan Ferland
RW Sergei Kostitsyn
RW Tom Kostopoulos
RW Alex Kovalev
RW Duncan Milroy
RW Michael Ryder

* marks a prospect invitee

[duff88]

First cuts announced

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19 years old Ben Maxwell was sent back to the Kootenay Ice of the WHL

September 18th 2007 - Head coach Guy Carbonneau announced the first cuts today, as the team sent down 10 players to the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL, sending another back to his junior team, going down from 39 to 28 players:

LD Andrew Archer
LD Jean-Philippe Côté
LD Pavel Valentenko
RD Mathieu Biron
RD Mathieu Carle
LW Mathieu Aubin
C Corey Locke
C Ben Maxwell*
RW Jonathan Ferland
RW Francis Lemieux
RW Duncan Milroy

*returned to Kootenay of the WHL

[duff88]

Price impresses

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Carey Price has been Montreal's most impressive goaltender so far in pre-season.

September 24th 2007 - There were a lot of question marks about what should the Montreal Canadiens do with goaltender 20 years old goaltender Carey Price coming into the 2007-2008 NHL season. After winning a gold medal in the World Junior Championships, while being named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, Carey Price was named the CHL Goaltender of the year.

It didn't end there though. After his junior team, the Tri-City Americans, were eliminated in the WHL Playoffs, Price signed a contract to finish the season with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL, the farm club of the Montreal Canadiens who detained Price's NHL Rights. Hamilton weren't considered an American Hockey League powerhouse, but Price was incredible during the Calder Cup playoffs, leading the Bulldogs to the championship and being named Playoffs MVP. Some reputed scouts and media members qualified Price's play during the finals as one of the most dominant goaltender performance ever witnessed.

And so, after an incredible season, Price came into camp where he was expected with mixed expectations from pretty much everyone from fans to journalists to staff members. Some thought the young goaltender, who was probably not ready to steal the starting job from french goaltender Cristobal Huet, should start the year in Hamilton in order to get playing time while others thought he should battle it out with goaltender Jaroslav Halak for the backup job in Montreal, no matter if he was going to play 30 games as it was going to be against the world's best players.

Even the team's GM Bob Gainey and Head Coach Guy Carbonneau disagreed. A few days after Carbonneau claimed Price was either going to be starter in Montreal or starter in Hamilton, his general manager went the opposite direction and said if Price was better than 22 years old Jaroslav Halak, with whom he'd battle for the backup role, then he'd be the team's backup.

And after an excellent training camp and two very good pre-season games against Pittsburgh and Boston, it looks like the young goaltender may start the year as backup to Cristobal Huet while slovak Jaroslav Halak and 26 years old canadian Yann Danis, who had an outside chance at the backup job but who will need to clear waivers, would be sent down to the Bulldogs.

"There's no doubt he has been great." said Carbonneau on the eve of the final cuts' announcement. "I'd say all four of them have been excellent, but Carey performing like this as a 20 years old goaltender is very promising. We're still not set; I think the decision we take tommorow may not be final, we have the advantage of being able to move Halak and Price up and down to the AHL without them being eligible for the waivers, and we'll want to use that."

There are 28 players still at camp, and the team will need to send down 5 of them in order to be set for the season:

G Yann Danis
G Jaroslav Halak
G Cristobal Huet
G Carey Price
LD Francis Bouillon
LD Josh Gorges
LD Roman Hamrlik
LD Andrei Markov
LD/LW Mark Streit
RD Patrice Brisebois
RD Mike Komisarek
RD Ryan O'Byrne
LW Steve Begin
LW Mikhail Grabovski
LW Chris Higgins
LW Andrei Kostitsyn
LW Guillaume Latendresse
C Kyle Chipchura
C Saku Koivu
C Maxim Lapierre
C Tomas Plekanec
C Brian Smolinski
RW Matt D'Agostini
RW/RD Mathieu Dandenault
RW Sergei Kostitsyn
RW Tom Kostopoulos
RW Alex Kovalev
RW Michael Ryder

[duff88]

Final cuts announced

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Jaroslav Halak will start the year in Hamilton.

September 25th 2007 - Carey Price will start the season in Montreal! Head coach Guy Carbonneau announced the final cuts today as the team sent down 4 players to go from 27 to 23 players:

G Yann Danis
G Jaroslav Halak
RD Ryan O'Byrne
RW Sergei Kostitsyn

[duff88]

Yann Danis claimed off waivers

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Danis will now play for the Norfolk Admirals of the AHL.


September 26th 2007 - Yann Danis was claimed off waivers by the Tampa Bay Lightning today. The 26 years old goaltender from Saint-Jérôme will likely be sent down to the team's AHL affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals, where he will share the starting job with Kari Rämo.

"I'm excited. There were no openings in Montreal, even if there were injuries there was no chance I was going to be called up, and I barely played in Hamilton since I wasn't on the team's plans. It's a new start for me."

Jaroslav Halak will be therefore be the starter in Hamilton and will be backed up by Loïc Lacasse.

[duff88]

A look at the 2007-2008 Montreal Canadiens: Goaltenders

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#39 Cristobal Huet - 32 Years Old - 6'0/194 - France
The french goaltender will be starting his third year in Montreal. He may not be considered an elite goaltender, but he has maintained some of the best stats in the NHL since his arrival with the Canadiens; he'll now need to show he can play dominantly for over 60 games to prove he's a real starting goaltender.


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#31 Carey Price - 20 Years Old - 6'3/212 - Canada
The former 5th overall pick is coming out of a sensationnal season, but now the fans will need to be patient as he develops. Goaltenders are known to need a few years to mature, and it's always risky for the prospects' development to rely on him so young, especially in a backup role where he won't play as much.

[duff88]

A look at the 2007-2008 Montreal Canadiens: Defensemen

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#79 Andrei Markov - 28 years old - 6'0/185 - Russia - 5,750,000$ - 4 Years
Andrei Markov could have been an unrestricted free agent, but he decided to re-sign a long-term contract in Montreal for what now seems like a discount. One of the best defensemen in the entire league, Markov impresses with his excellent offensive skills combined with a very good defensive game. He is the team's quarterback on the powerplay and their main shut-down defenseman.


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#8 Mike Komisarek - 25 years old - 6'4/230 - USA - 1,700,000$ - 2 Years
The huge american defenseman will try to solidify his status as a beast defensively. Komisarek is a mean defenseman who can deliver bone crushing hits, he is a solid player who can be relied on to play very hard every game. He has excellent chemistry with Markov, with whom he forms the team's best defensive pairing.


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#44 Roman Hamrlik - 33 years old - 6'2/210 - Czech Republic - 3,500,000$ - 4 Years
The former first overall pick, who has now become a seasonned veteran, signed with Montreal as an unrestricted free agent during the summer. In Hamrlik, the Canadiens hope to find a defenseman that adds a dimension that has been gone for a long time in Montreal, a solid second defensive pairing.


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#32 Mark Streit - 29 years old - 5'11/198 - Switzerland - 600,000$ - 2 Years
Streit was drafted as an over-age player in 2004 after impressing as captain of the Swiss Olympic team. After a difficult first season where he had problems adapting to the North American style, Streit has found a niche in Montreal as a versatile player who can play many roles. An intelligent, offensive minded player, Streit can play both defense and on the wing, and he is a very good player on the point of the powerplay.


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#71 Patrice Brisebois - 36 years old - 6'2/201 - Canada - 800,000$ - 1 Year
Many fans questionned the decision when the team decided to sign Patrice Brisebois, a player who had been chased from Montreal four years ago after being booed by fans for his constant defensive mistakes. Brisebois is brought back at a low price and is expected to play a role of leadership on the team.


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#51 Francis Bouillon - 32 years old - 5'8/190 - Canada - 1,875,000$ - 3 Years
Few people expected Bouillon, a small defenseman who was never drafted, to have a long career in the NHL. A rock solid player, Bouillon can surprise by delivering big hits. He is prone to mistakes defensively and had a tough season last year, but he is a local player and a favourite among young fans.


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#26 Josh Gorges - 23 years old - 6'0/180 - Canada - 495,000$ - 1 Year
Acquired from the San Jose Sharks for long time Canadiens Craig Rivet last season, Gorges has become a forgotten player. Still very young, he is flying under the radar of a lot of people who don't think he should be in the Canadiens' plan. Gorges plays a simple game, he is solid defensively and makes a solid first pass, but he can be beat by bigger forwards.

[duff88]

A look at the 2007-2008 Montreal Canadiens: Left Wingers

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#21 Chris Higgins - 24 years old - 5'11/192 - USA - 1,700,000$ - 2 Years
The team's first round pick in 2002, Higgins, who was expected to become a solid two-way player, emerged to become a very solid goal scorer at the NHL level. His role is growing, and the player hailed as the team's future captain will wear a A on his jersey this year. He has developped a chemistry with Saku Koivu and Michael Ryder, who are often his linemates.


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#46 Andrei Kostitsyn - 22 years old - 6'0/183 - Belarus - 800,000$ - 1 Year
The team's first round pick in the very strong 2003 Draft, a lot of people have already given up on Andrei Kostitsyn. Even with his great skill set, his development has been very slow and people are starting to wonder if he can put it together. His younger brother, sergei, will start the year in Hamilton.


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#84 Guillaume Latendresse - 20 years old - 6'2/222 - Canada - 850,000$ - 3 Years
The young Latendresse has become a fan favourite in Montreal. He started his career at 19 years old last season when he won a roster spot at camp, and after having ups and downs through the year, he finished with 16 goals and 29 points. A power forward in the making, Latendresse can't be expected to have a big role this year, but he will need to continue developping because he could still be sent back to Hamilton.


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#22 Steve Bégin - 29 years old - 5'11/190 - Canada - 650,000$ - 3 Years
Bégin is not the most talented player on the team, and will have to fight for his spot all season long, but he is a valuable player that will do everything to stay in the lineup. Bégin gives everything he has anytime he is on the ice; he plays a high energy game, throwing hits and blocking shots. He is an effective player on the penalty kill. Injuries are always a concern when a player plays with his style.


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#54 Mikhail Grabovski - 23 years old - 5'11/181 - Belarus - 450,000$ - 2 Years
Grabovski is a spectacular player; he is small, quick as lightning and he keeps his feet moving all the time. An excellent offensive player at all levels, it is still questionnable if he can take his game to the big leagues as he is not a strong player and can be slowed down by big defensemen.

[duff88]

A look at the 2007-2008 Montreal Canadiens: Centres


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#11 Saku Koivu - 32 years old - 5'10/180 - Finland - 4,750,000$ - 3 Years
After a tough career in which he battled cancer and sustained a serious eye injury, Koivu is ready to start another season, hoping he can make it to the end without any injuries. A hard working player, the Canadiens captain is an excellent playmaker who can be expected to score between 60 and 70 points.


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#14 Tomas Plekanec - 24 years old - 5'10/189 - Czech Republic - 1,500,000$ - 2 Years
The young czech forward really emerged in the second part of the last season, and he is now a crucial part to the Canadiens' success. A gifted offensive player, Plekanec is a quick skater who uses his linemates very well and who comes out big when needed.


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#20 Bryan Smolinski - 35 years old - 6'1/205 - USA - 2,000,000$ - 1 Year
Signed as an unrestricted free agrent during the summer, Smolinski will play a defensive role on the third line. Known to be an inconsistant player offensively, the team hopes he can play a shut down role and be a good exemple for the young players.


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#40 Maxim Lapierre - 22 years old - 6'2/174 - Canada - 560,000$ - 2 Years
Lapierre plays a in-your-face style, he is a pest on the ice who plays with a lot of energy and who gets under his opponents' skin. A very good skater, Lapierre can be used both on an offensive or a defensive role, but you can't expect him to be your best player on any of these roles.


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#28 Kyle Chipchura - 21 years old - 6'2/197 - Canada - 600,000$ - 3 Years
Entering his rookie season, Chipchura is a smart two-way player who works hard and who can ship it in offensively. Chipchura will play a limited role through the year, if he stays up with the big club.

[duff88]

A look at the 2007-2008 Montreal Canadiens: Right Wingers


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#27 Alex Kovalev - 34 years old - 6'2/215 - Russia - 4,500,000$ - 3 Years
A lot of people consider Kovalev as one of the most naturally gifted players in the NHL, but he is an inconsistent player who rarely plays at the top of his form. After a difficult season, he is expected to come back strong and show he can still be a go-to guy on the team.


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#73 Michael Ryder - 27 years old - 6'0/196 - Canada - 2,400,000$ - 1 Year
After scoring 30 goals in each of the last two seasons, Ryder can be considered to be the best sniper on the team. He will still be asked to give more to the team; to be more involved on the ice and better defensively. He has an excellent shot and will need to continue using it, but he has other strenght he needs to take advantage of.


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#25 Mathieu Dandenault - 32 years old - 6'1/200 - Canada - 1,700,000$ - 3 Years
After playing defense for a few years, Dandenault was switched back to right wing after being stolen his roster spot in training camp. A great skater, Dandenault will need to work hard and play a solid two-way game to keep his place on the team.


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#6 Tom Kostopoulos - 28 years old - 6'0/205 - Canada - 900,000$ - 2 Years
Kostopoulos will play different role on the team through the year. Even though he is not a fighter, he will be asked to drop the gloves when things are getting nasty. He will need to play an intense game and to be solid defensively, he will also kill penalties. Any goal coming from him can be considered a bonus.

[NoSkillz]

Sweeeet! An Eastside dynasty! Good luck but don't beat up on the Sabres too much! ;)

[duff88]

Canadiens set for season opener

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Saku Koivu will start his 8th season as Canadiens captain.

October 5th 2007 - The Montreal Canadiens arrived in Newark today where they will play their season opener tommorow against the New Jersey Devils in the inauguration of the new Prudential Center.

Even if they are not favourites to even make the playoffs this year, the team has made it public that they have high hopes. The lineup for opening night has been announced already, as Saku Koivu will centre his usual wingers, Chris Higgins and Michael Ryder, on the first line. The second line, formed of Andrei Kostitsyn, Tomas Plekanec and Alex Kovalev, have big expectations after showing a lot of flashes during the pre-season. The third and fourth line will play more of an energy-shutdown style.

#21 Chris Higgins [A] - #11 Saku Koivu [C] - #73 Michael Ryder
#46 Andrei Kostitsyn - #14 Tomas Plekanec - #27 Alex Kovalev [A]
#84 Guillaume Latendresse - #20 Bryan Smolinski - #25 Mathieu Dandenault
#22 Steve Bégin - #40 Maxim Lapierre - #6 Tom Kostopoulos

#79 Andrei Markov - #8 Mike Komisarek
#44 Roman Hamrlik - #71 Patrice Brisebois
#51 Francis Bouillon - #32 Mark Streit

Mikhail Grabovski, Kyle Chipchura and Josh Gorges will therefore watch the game from the press box. Meanwhile, in a surprising move, Guy Carbonneau announced that Carey Price was going to start the opening game.

"We're playing two games in two nights to open the season, we face Ottawa tommorow and I want Cristobal to start against the Senators. It doesn't really matter if it's the first game, Cristobal hasn't lost his starting job, it's simply a question of trying to get as many points as we can and we feel we stand a better chance with starting Carey tonight and Cristobal tommorow."

Montreal's last victory in New Jersey goes back to February 2nd 2002.

[duff88]

Canadiens lose season opener 4-3

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Zach Parisé scored the game winner 26 seconds after Higgins' tying goal.

October 6th 2007 - The Canadiens took a big risk by using 20 years old goaltender Carey Price in nets for the season opener, and they were proven wrong. 26 seconds after Chris Higgins tied the game at three in the opening minute of the third period, Zach Parisé beat Price with a low wrist shot from a bad angle as the Devils went on to win the the game 4-3, shooting 26 times on the rookie goaltender.

"He surprised me. I should have stopped that one." said a disappointed Price after the game.

The Devils had taken a 2-0 lead soon in the first period before Tom Kostpoulos scored. After a shorthanded goal by Devils' Jay Pandolfo, Tom Kostopoulos dropped the gloves against Aaron Asham to wake his team up. Tomas Plekanec scored on a powerplay late in the second period to reduce the lead.

"We played a good game, the Devils are a strong team." said Carbonneau. "It's difficult to start the season on this note, but we'll come back."

New Jersey Devils 4 , Montreal Canadiens 3
Shots: 26 - 29
NJ PP: 1 of 6 (10 shots)
MTL PP: 1 of 3 (4 shots)

Boxscore for the game:
------------------------------------------------------------
09:37 1-0 NJ Brian Gionta [1] (Zach Parisé, Patrik Elias)PP
12:37 2-0 NJ Dainius Zubrus [1] (Sergei Brylin, Johnny Oduya)
13:39 2-1 MTL Tom Kostopoulos [1] (Mathieu Dandenault, Francis Bouillon)
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25:33 3-1 NJ Jay Pandolfo [1] (Jamie Langenbrunner, Vitaly Vishnevski)SH
38:05 3-2 MTL Tomas Plekanec [1] (Alex Kovalev, Mark Streit)PP
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40:57 3-3 MTL Chris Higgins [1] (Michael Ryder, Mike Komisarek)
41:23 4-3 NJ Zach Parisé [1] (Paul Martin, Karel Rachunek)
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[duff88]

CSS Preliminary 2008 NHL Draft Rankings released

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Steve Stamkos is considered by many as the most likely first overall pick in June.

WHL Skaters
1. Kyle Beach - C
2. Zach Boychuk - C
3. Luke Schenn - D
4. Mitch Wahl - C
5. Colten Teubert - D

OHL Skaters
1. Steve Stamkos - C
2. Drew Doughty - D
3. Alex Pietrangelo - D
4. Michael Del Zotto - D
5. James Livingston - RW

QMJHL Skaters
1. Mikhail Stefanovich - RW
2. Kelsey Tessier - C
3. Joël Champagne - C
4. Philippe Cornet - RW
5. Nicolas Deschamps - C

USA Skaters
1. Colin Wilson - RW
2. David Toews - LW
3. R.J. Chevaldae - LW
4. Eric Kurvers - RW
5. Merc Meyer - LW

European Skaters
1. Nikita Filatov - LW
2. Mikkel Bødker - LW
3. Johan Motin - D
4. Teppo Nurmi - RW
5. Mattias Tedenby - LW

North-American Goaltenders
1. Kevin Poulin
2. Don Michelson
3. Doug Erlec

Europen Goaltenders
1. Cenek Vondracek
2. Marek Benda
3. Damiano Ciaccio

The 2008 NHL Draft will take place on June 20th and 21st at the Scotia Bank Place in Ottawa. Several scouts have voiced their opinion that the draft is strong at the top but gets thin after the top 15 or so players.

[duff88]

Montreal beat Sens in Ottawa

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Alex Kovalev scored the game winning goal midway into the third period

October 7th 2007 - Cristobal Huet blocked 26 out of 29 shots and Alex Kovalev scored the game winning goal midway into the third period tonight at Scotia Bank Place as the Montreal Canadiens beat the Ottawa Senators 4-3.

Huet, who was kept on the bench as backup in the team's first game of the season, made a strong case for himself in the last minute of the game as he repeatedly shut the door against Dany Heatley, who had already scored two goals in the game.

"I had no problem with the decision." said a calm Huet after the game. "Obviously I want to play as much as possible, but I also want the team to win. And It's all good between me an Carey so I'll help him get better as much as I can."

"We played a very good game out there." Saku Koivu said. "We never let them take control of the game, and we won our battles."

The Canadiens will play their home opener against the Edmonton Oilers on October 10th.

Ottawa Senators 3 , Montreal Canadiens 4
Shots: 29 - 31
OTT PP: 2 of 6 (9 shots)
MTL PP: 2 of 7 (11 shots)

Boxscore for the game:
------------------------------------------------------------
06:45 0-1 MTL Andrei Markov [1] (Saku Koivu)
08:36 0-2 MTL Alex Kovalev [1])PP
09:13 1-2 OTT Dany Heatley [1] (Wade Redden, Joe Corvo)PP
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29:09 2-2 OTT Daniel Alfredsson [1] (Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza)PP
36:11 2-3 MTL Andrei Kostitsyn [1] (Tomas Plekanec, Roman Hamrlik)
------------------------------------------------------------
47:13 3-3 OTT Dany Heatley [2] (Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza)
50:45 3-4 MTL Alex Kovalev [2] (Tomas Plekanec, Andrei Markov)PP
------------------------------------------------------------

[duff88]

Canadiens crush Oilers in home opener

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Patrice Brisebois scored the first goal of the season at the Bell Centre

October 10th 2007 - The Bell Centre was sold out with 21 273 fans tonight as the Montreal Canadiens recieved the Edmonton Oilers in their home opener. It was a succesful night as the Canadiens scored three goals early, pulling the other team's goaltender along the way, on the road to a 7-3 win.

Patrice Brisebois was anxious for this game, his first back at the Bell Centre in a Canadiens uniform after being chased out of the team by booing fans. It didn't take long for Brisebois to quiet them though as he scored two minutes into the game to open the score.

"I wanted to do well, play a solid game without gaining any attention." Brisebois said. "The goal was a nice bonus."

Christobal Huet was in net and blocked 23 out of 26 shots for the win.

Montreal Canadiens 7 , Edmonton Oilers 3
Shots: 30 - 26
MTL PP: 1 of 8 (8 shots)
EDM PP: 1 of 4 (6 shots)

Boxscore for the game:
------------------------------------------------------------
02:06 1-0 MTL Patrice Brisebois [1] (Alex Kovalev, Andrei Kostitsyn)
03:12 2-0 MTL Mark Streit [1] (Guillaume Latendresse, Bryan Smolinski)
10:31 3-0 MTL Saku Koivu [1] (Maxim Lapierre, Roman Hamrlik)
------------------------------------------------------------
27:24 3-1 EDM Jarret Stoll [2] (Ethan Moreau)
29:19 3-2 EDM Marty Reasoner [1] (Sam Gagner, Jarret Stoll)
31:53 4-2 MTL Michael Ryder [1] (Saku Koivu, Chris Higgins)PP
34:18 5-2 MTL Andrei Kostitsyn [2] (Chris Higgins, Saku Koivu)
------------------------------------------------------------
41:31 5-3 EDM Ales Hemsky [1] (Joni Pitkänen, Jarret Stoll)PP
51:58 6-3 MTL Saku Koivu [2] (Mike Komisarek, Cristobal Huet)
53:38 7-3 MTL Mathieu Dandenault [1] (Francis Bouillon, Roman Hamrlik)
------------------------------------------------------------

[duff88]

Montreal wins fourth game of the season, loses key player

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Mike Komisarek will be out indefinitely with knee injury

October 19th 2007 - Roman Hamrlik scored a powerplay goal 53 seconds into overtime to give the Montreal Canadian their fourth win of the season, a 4-3 OT victory over the New York Islanders.

Saku Koivu scored one goal and added two assists while Alex Kovalev scored his fifth goal of the season. Carey Price was in net for the first time since his loss in the opening game of the season, blocking 19 of the 22 shots against him for his first career win.

It will be tough accept for Montreal though as they lost one of their core players, defenseman Mike Komisarek, after a knee-on-knee incident with New York's Vaclav Varada. Varada was penalized 5 minutes for attempt to injury on the play, but the Canadiens couldn't capitalize. Komisarek is going to be out indefinitely as the staff re-evaluate his situation; a MRI is scheduled tommorow when we should have more news.

"It was a dirty play, by a dirty player." said coach Guy Carbonneau. "Komisarek is a tough guy; you need to coward to resort to these kind of tactics to take him out. The tape will be sent to the league, hopefully a suspension will be given."

Meanwhile, Kovalev's goal marked his 800th career point.

New York Islanders 3 , Montreal Canadiens 4
Shots: 22 - 36
NYI PP: 0 of 4 (2 shots)
MTL PP: 2 of 10 (15 shots)

Boxscore for the game:
------------------------------------------------------------
10:52 0-1 MTL Chris Higgins [4] (Mike Komisarek, Saku Koivu)
11:31 1-1 NYI Mike Comrie [4])
------------------------------------------------------------
21:42 2-1 NYI Bill Guerin [2] (Chris Simon, Petr Schastlivy)
25:26 2-2 MTL Alex Kovalev [5] (Mark Streit)PP
28:16 2-3 MTL Saku Koivu [4] (Michael Ryder)
------------------------------------------------------------
55:16 3-3 NYI Petr Schastlivy [1] (Chris Simon, Josef Vasicek)
------------------------------------------------------------
60:53 3-4 MTL Roman Hamrlik [2] (Saku Koivu)PP
------------------------------------------------------------

[duff88]

Varada not suspended, Komisarek out 6 to 8 weeks

http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/5999/varadaat2.jpg
Vaclav Varada wont be suspended for the knee-to-knee incident with Mike Komisarek

October 20th 2007 - NHL Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell anounced today that New York Islanders forward Vaclav Varada wouldn't be suspended for the knee-to-knee incident with Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Komisarek because there wasn't clear intent to injure on the play.

The results of the MRI to determine the extent of the injury on Mike Komisarek were also released today. The injury won't need any surgery and Komisarek should be able to come back in 6 to 8 weeks. Those results are positive for Komisarek and the Canadiens who had feared the worst.

Josh Gorges will take Komisarek's role at the right side of Andrei Markov. Meanwhile, Kyle Chipchura will stay in the starting lineup after replacing Maxim Lapierre successfully on the fourth line of the team. Lapierre was scratched after a subpar start to his sophomore season.

[Icy]

EHM07?

[duff88]

Eastside Hockey Manager :D

[duff88]

Canadiens finish October with a 6-3-1-1 record

http://www.corusnouvelles.com/nouvelles/2007/11/05/images/521972_230.jpg
Saku Koivu won the October segment of Molson Cup

November 1st 2007 - The Montreal Canadiens started the 2007-2008 regular season very well with 6 wins, 3 losses, 1 overtime loss and 1 tie in 11 games during the month of October.

Saku Koivu was the Molson Cup winner for October after scoring 4 goals and adding 11 assists for 15 points in 11 games. Koivu surpassed Alex Kovalev and Andrei Markov, who were the other considerations.

Paul Kariya was the NHL October Player of the Month after scoring 8 goals and 10 assists in 11 games with the St. Louis Blues. Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks was the NHL October Rookie of the Month; Toews registered 6 goals and 6 assists in 11 games.

MONTREAL CANADIENS
11GP - 6-3-1-1 - 14 Points [4th in the East]
41 Goals For [8th in the League]
33 Goals Against [8th in the League]
16.28% on the Powerplay [14th in the League]
81,67% on the Penalty Killing [19th in the League]

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/349/october2007un6.jpg

[duff88]

Price sent down, Halak recalled

http://www.hokejportal.sk/photos/halak.jpg
Jaroslav Halak will be in nets on November 8th against the Atlanta Thrashers

November 5th 2007 - After suffering his third loss of the season to the New York Rangers, allowing 4 goals on 31 shots, Carey Price was sent down to the Hamilton Bulldogs. The Canadiens recalled slovak goaltender Jaroslav Halak, who will start the next game in Atlanta on November 8th.

"Carey showed that he still has a lot to learn. He has a great future, but if we think about both his development and the team's success, he's better down in Hamilton where he'll get a chance to play more. This is not a definitive move, we may see him back soon." head coach Guy Carbonneau said.

Halak didn't have great stats in Hamilton with only 3 wins in 9 games. He kept a 2.75GAA with 1 shutout during that period.

Mathieu Dandenault was scratched in favor of Mikhail Grabovski in the game against the Rangers. Carbonneau didn't hesitate to ask more from his veterans:

"There are kids pushing, and if you don't work hard, your spot isn't guaranteed. We have a lot of options."

Forwards Mathieu Dandenault and Bryan Smolinski as well as defenseman Patrice Brisebois seem to be among the players who will need to work harder to maintain their place in the starting lineup.

[duff88]

Habs meltdown in front of rookie goalie

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/Marian_Hossa_2007.jpg/250px-Marian_Hossa_2007.jpg
Marian Hossa lead the Thrashers to a win with 2 goals and 1 assist

November 8th 2007 - Jaroslav Halak was looking very good coming into the third period with his team holding a 2-1 lead in his first start of the season, but the team in front of him stopped playing during the last period and the Thrashers came back to win 4-2.

Steve Bégin and Mikhail Grabovski had scored in the first period before Marian Hossa cut the lead in the second period. The Canadiens were dominating Atlanta 26-10 in shots, but were 0-for-8 on the powerplay.

In the third, Ilya Kovalchuk scored his 11th of the season with a laser in the top corner, then Slava Kozlov surprised Halak after a penalty to Saku Koivu and finally Marian Hossa put the icing on the cake with a shorthanded breakaway goal.

"This was the worst game of the season." said an angry Carbonneau out of words. "You can't stop playing for an entire period. You can't go 0-for-11 on the powerplay; this is pitiful. Everyone needs to look at himself in the mirror tonight."

In his first AHL start, it didn't go better for Carey Price who's Hamilton Bulldogs lost 5-2 to the Chicago Wolves.

Atlanta Thrashers 4 , Montreal Canadiens 2
Shots: 25 - 31
ATL PP: 2 of 8 (12 shots)
MTL PP: 0 of 11 (17 shots)

Boxscore for the game:
------------------------------------------------------------
08:43 0-1 MTL Steve Bégin [2] (Tom Kostopoulos)
12:29 0-2 MTL Mikhail Grabovski [1] (Bryan Smolinski, Guillaume Latendresse)
------------------------------------------------------------
37:42 1-2 ATL Marian Hossa [5] (Ilya Kovalchuk, Todd White)PP
------------------------------------------------------------
43:38 2-2 ATL Ilya Kovalchuk [11] (Marian Hossa)
46:52 3-2 ATL Slava Kozlov [5] (Mark Recchi, Bobby Holik)PP
48:01 4-2 ATL Marian Hossa [6] (Alexei Zhitnik)SH
------------------------------------------------------------

[duff88]

Panthers humiliate Canadiens 7-4

http://cdn.nhl.com/photos/mugs/8470596.jpg
Nathan Horton scored 2 goals and 3 assists for the Panthers.

November 23rd 2007 - It was a game with ups and downs, but the truth is the Florida Panthers made the Canadiens look bad tonight on the way to a 7-4 win.

The Panthers took a 3-0 lead in the first period, leading shots 15-5. The Canadiens came back into the game in the second period, and in the start of the third quick goals by Chris Higgins and Alex Kovalev, his second of the game, tied the game at 4. The team then stopped playing once again as they never shot again towards Craig Anderson's net; the Panthers scored three goals and won the game 7-4.

"There are going to be some changes." Guy Carbonneau said about the lineup for the next game against Buffalo.

Florida Panthers 7 , Montreal Canadiens 4
Shots: 32 - 28
FLA PP: 3 of 6 (12 shots)
MTL PP: 2 of 4 (5 shots)

Boxscore for the game:
------------------------------------------------------------
09:17 1-0 FLA Kenny Jönsson [4] (Richard Zednik, Olli Jokinen)
10:33 2-0 FLA Jan Bulis [4] (Stephen Weiss, Olli Jokinen)
19:07 3-0 FLA Olli Jokinen [5] (Richard Zednik, Nathan Horton)PP
------------------------------------------------------------
27:39 3-1 MTL Patrice Brisebois [2] (Chris Higgins, Saku Koivu)PP
31:27 4-1 FLA Richard Zednik [8] (Nathan Horton)PP
39:31 4-2 MTL Alex Kovalev [10] (Andrei Kostitsyn, Mark Streit)PP
------------------------------------------------------------
42:45 4-3 MTL Chris Higgins [11] (Andrei Markov, Saku Koivu)
43:48 4-4 MTL Alex Kovalev [11] (Patrice Brisebois, Andrei Kostitsyn)
44:55 5-4 FLA Nathan Horton [10] (Kenny Jönsson, Jay Bouwmeester)PP
48:14 6-4 FLA Ville Peltonen [2] (Jozef Stumpel, Nathan Horton)
50:22 7-4 FLA Nathan Horton [11] (Richard Zednik)
------------------------------------------------------------

[duff88]

Carbonneau revamps lines, Komisarek makes surprise return

http://www.corusnouvelles.com/nouvelles/2008/01/10/images/650872_230.jpg
Brian Smolinski won't be in the lineup against Buffalo

November 24th 2007 - For the first time of the season, head coach Guy Carbonneau has decided to form completely new lines, and some veterans won't be happy. For the game against the Buffalo Sabres tommorow, Mathieu Dandenault, Bryan Smolinski and Patrice Brisebois will all be left in the press box. It's the first time this season Smolinski and Brisebois are scratched.

Meanwhile, after returning to practice earlier this week, Mike Komisarek will be back in the lineup for the game against Buffalo. It's a surprise return because Komisarek, who missed five weeks of action, was not expected to be back before December.

#84 Guillaume Latendresse - #11 Saku Koivu - #27 Alex Kovalev
#21 Chris Higgins - #14 Tomas Plekanec - #46 Andrei Kostitsyn
#54 Mikhail Grabovski - #40 Maxim Lapierre - #73 Michael Ryder
#22 Steve Bégin - #28 Kyle Chipchura - #6 Tom Kostopoulos

#79 Andrei Markov - #8 Mike Komisarek
#44 Roman Hamrlik - #26 Josh Gorges
#51 Francis Bouillon - #32 Mark Streit

Cristobal Huet will be back in nets and will hope to come back strong after a bad performance. Halak has done a good job so far as his backup with 2 wins in 3 games. Meanwhile, Carey Price is getting better and better in the AHL and now has 5 wins in 8 games with a 2.11 goals against average.

[duff88]

Difficult month of November for Montreal

http://cdn.nhl.com/canadiens/images/upload/2007/09/CRW_1104xx.jpg
Tomas Plekanec won the November segment of the Molson Cup

December 1st 2007 - The month of November was where we saw the first struggles of the Montreal Canadiens this year. The team didn't go on a slump per say, but the team showed a lot of inconsistency, performing for some periods and stopping to work in others.

Goaltender Carey Price has been sent down to the AHL, and it seems to be a good choice so far. Halak is proving to be a reliable back up to Huet, and Price is posting impressive numbers in the AHL, improving with every game. Sergei Kostitsyn, the younger brother of Andrei and another player on the Hamilton Bulldogs, may get a look for an eventual recall as he is performing very well in the AHL with 13 goals and 23 points. His teammate, Eric Manlow, who isn't a potential NHL player, is second in the league with 35 points.

Tomas Plekanec was the Molson Cup winner for November after scoring 9 goals and adding 7 assists for 16 points in 15 games. Plekanec surpassed Alex Kovalev and Andrei Markov, who were the other considerations.

Ryan Getzlaf was the NHL November Player of the Month after scoring 10 goals and 6 assists in 14 games with the Anaheim Ducks. James Sheppard of the Minnesota Wild was the NHL November Rookie of the Month; Sheppard registered 2 goals and 8 assists in 10 games.

MONTREAL CANADIENS
26GP - 13-10-2-1 - 29 Points [5th in the East]
91 Goals For [4th in the League]
83 Goals Against [16th in the League]
18.42% on the Powerplay [4th in the League]
89.43% on the Penalty Killing [29th in the League]

http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/9242/novembre2007am8.jpg

[duff88]

Perezhogin traded to Ducks

http://www.habsworld.net/isource/albums/pics/10002/perezhogin_001.jpg
Perezhogin was a first round pick in 2001

December 7th 2007 - The Montreal Canadiens announced today that they had traded the rights to Alexander Perezhogin to the Anaheim Ducks. In return, the Habs get the Ducks' 1st round pick in the 2009 NHL Draft.

Perezhogin, who was the 25th overall pick in 2001, played 128 games in two seasons for the Canadiens, scoring 15 goals and 19 assists. The 24 years old right winger had gone back to Russia for this season after recieving a much better offer than what was expected from the Canadiens.

[duff88]

Alexander Perezhogin signs with Ducks

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/4451/perezhoginiw6.jpg
Perezhogin signed with the Ducks 5 days after his acquisition.

December 12th 2007 - The Anaheim Ducks signed 24 years old winger Alexander Perezhogin to a 1 year, 1.8M$ contract today, five days after acquiring him from the Montreal Canadiens.

Perezhogin is expected to dress for his first game in his new team tommorow against Columbus on the right wing of the Ducks' fourth line with Samuel Pahlsson and Brad May. He will wear #37.

Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers, who sit 28th in the league in front of only Washington and Buffalo, have announced the firing of GM Kevin Lowe and head coach Craig MacTavish. Glenn Healy will take the place of Lowe while the new head coach will be Brian Sutter.

[Travis]

Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers, who sit 28th in the league in front of only Washington and Buffalo, have announced the firing of GM Kevin Lowe and head coach Craig MacTavish. Glenn Healy will take the place of Lowe while the new head coach will be Brian Sutter.

You know, I hate the Healy for Lowe portion of this, but it might be worth it to remove MacT from behind the bench.

But still, for a Sutter..........shudder.

[duff88]

December goes by, Montreal falls in the Standings

http://www.habsworld.net/isource/albums/pics/10002/front_Hamrlik~0.jpg
Roman Hamrlik won the December segment of the Molson Cup

January 1st 2008 - The team played fairly well during the month of December, but it wasn't quite enough as the Canadiens fell from the 5th to the 7th place in the Eastern Conference. Things are looking up though as the team could very well be first right now had they been more opportunistic.

Roman Hamrlik was the Molson Cup winner for December after scoring 3 goals and adding 6 assists for 9 points in 13 games. Hamrlik surpassed Chris Higgins and Andrei Markov, who were the other considerations.

Sidney Crosby was the NHL December Player of the Month after scoring 7 goals and 14 assists in 15 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Andy Greene of the New Jersey Devils was the NHL December Rookie of the Month; the defenseman registered 2 goals and 11 assists in 14 games.

MONTREAL CANADIENS
39GP - 18-14-3-4 - 43 Points [7th in the East]
127 Goals For [11th in the League]
120 Goals Against [14th in the League]
17.33% on the Powerplay [8th in the League]
80.85% on the Penalty Killing [28th in the League]

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/6225/dcembre2007vk0.jpg

[duff88]

Three Canadiens prospect at the World Juniors

http://www.radio-canada.ca/images/2007/12/06/180x135/071206paciorettymax_n.jpg
Max Pacioretty, a first round pick by Montreal in the 2007 Draft, will play for team USA

January 3rd 2008 - The 2008 World Junior Championships will start in two days in Switzerland and three Canadiens prospects have been invited: Winger Max Pacioretty will play for team USA, centre Ben Maxwell will play for team Canada and defenseman Yannick Weber will play for team Switzerland. A notable disappointment was the omission of american defensemen David Fischer and Ryan McDonagh, the team's first picks in the 2006 and 2007 Draft. Here is a pre-tournament look at the eight (out of 16) best countries, in order, and their best players:

Canada
Kyle Turris - C - Phoenix Coyotes
Milan Lucic - RW - Boston Bruins
Karl Alzner - D - Washington Capitals
Drew Doughty - D - Eligible in 2008
Leland Irving - G - Calgary Flames

Sweden
Patrick Berglund - C - St. Louis Blues
Simon Hjalmarsson - LW - St. Louis Blues
Robin Figren - RW - New York Islanders
Oscal Möller - RW - Los Angeles Kings
Joel Gisdetd - G - Phoenix Coyotes

Russia
Alexei Cherepanov - RW - New York Rangers
Artem Anisimov - C - New York Rangers
Vladimir Zharkov - RW - New Jersey Devils
Semyon Varlamov - G - Washington Capitals
Ivan Vishnevsky - D - Dallas Stars

USA
James Van Riemsdyk - LW - Philadelphia Flyers
Kyle Okposo - RW - New York Islanders
Mark Mitera - D - Anaheim Ducks
Jamie McBain - D - Carolina Hurricanes
Bill Sweatt - LW - Chicago Blackhawks

Czech Republic
Jakub Voracek - RW - Columbus Blue Jackets
Michael Frolik - RW - Florida Panthers
Michal Neuvirth - G - Washington Capitals
Vladimir Ruzicka - C - Phoenix Coyotes
Tomas Kana - C - St. Louis Blues

Finland
Riku Helenius - G - Tampa Bay Lightning
Oskar Osala - LW - Washington Capitals
Jan-Mikael Juutilainen - C - Chicago Blackhawks
Jesse Joensuu - RW - New York Islanders
Robert Nyholm - RW - Columbus Blue Jackets

Slovakia
Tomas Marcinko - C - New York Islanders
David Skokan - RW - New York Rangers
Juraj Valach - D - Overager eligible in 2008
Richard Lelkes - RW - Overager eligible in 2008
Branislav Konrad - G - Overager eligible in 2008

Switzerland
Reto Berra - G - St. Louis Blues
Yannick Weber - D - Montreal Canadiens
Luca Cunti - C - Detroit Red Wings
Janick Steinmann - C - Overager eligible in 2008
Etienne Froideveaux - C - Overager eligible in 2008

[duff88]

Russia wins WJC!

http://www.hockeysfuture.com/players/v_zharkov.jpg
Vladimir Zharkov scored two goals in the finals against Canada

January 16th 2008 - Russia completed a perfect tournament today by beating the Canadians in the gold medal game of the World Junior Championships. Vladimir Zharkov, of the Devils' organisation, was the leader for Russia with two goals, his 6th and 7th of the tournament. Sweden won the bronze against Slovakia.

Gold - Russia
Silver - Canada
Bronze - Sweden
-
4th - Slovakia
5th - Czech Republic
6th - USA
7th - Finland
8th - Switzerland
9th - Germany
10th - Latvia
11th - Ukraine
12th - Japan
13th - Slovenia
14th - Poland
15th - Norway
16th - France

TOURNAMENT LEADERS
1. Simon Hjalmarsson - F - Sweden - St. Louis Blues - 39th overall in 2007 - 5G - 7A - 12PTS
2. Vladimir Zharkov - F - Russia - New Jersey Devils - 77th overall in 2006 - 7G - 4A - 11PTS
3. Milan Lucic - F - Canada - Boston Bruins - 50th overall in 2006 - 5G - 5A - 10PTS
4. Gennady Churilov - F - Russia - Undrafted - Eligible as a overager in 2008 - 4G - 6A - 10PTS
5. Artem Anisimov - F - Russia - New York Rangers - 54th overall in 2006 - 4G - 6A - 10PTS
6. Kyle Turris - F - Canada - Phoenix Coyotes - 3rd overall in 2007 - 3G - 7A - 10PTS
7. Tony Lagerström - F - Sweden - Chicago Blackhawks - 76th overall in 2006 - 2G - 8A - 10PTS
8. Johan Motin - D - Sweden - Undrafted - Eligible in 2008 - 0G - 10A - 10PTS
9. Nick Foligno - F - Canada - Ottawa Senators - 28th overall in 2006 - 6G - 3A - 9PTS
10. Alexei Cherepanov - F - Russia - New York Rangers - 17th overall in 2007 - 4G - 5A - 9PTS

TOURNAMENT MVP: Vladimir Zharkov (Russia)
BEST FORWARD: Vladimir Zharkov (Russia)
BEST DEFENSEMAN: Johan Motin (Sweden)
BEST GOALTENDER: Semyon Varlamov (Russia)

TOURNAMENT ALL-STAR TEAM
Simon Hjalmarsson (SWE) - Kyle Turris (CAN) - Vladimir Zharkov (RUS)
Karl Alzner (CAN) - Johan Motin (SWE)
Semyon Varlamov (RUS)


CANADIENS PROSPECTS
Ben Maxwell - F - Canada - 49th overall in 2006 - 0G - 5A - 5PTS
Max Pacioretty - F - USA - 22nd overall in 2007 - 1G - 0A - 1PTS
Yannick Weber - D - Switzerland - 73rd overall in 2007 - 2G - 2A - 4PTS

[duff88]

CSS Releases Mid-Season 2008 NHL Draft Rankings

http://www.tsn.ca/images/stories/20070912/storm_80561.jpghttp://www.tsn.ca/images/stories/20070912/STAMKOS_79544.jpg
Drew Doughty (left) has surpassed Steven Stamkos (right) as favourite to go first overall

North-American Skaters
1. Drew Doughty - D - Offensive defeseman - Canada - Guelph Storm (OHL) - 6'0/185
2. Steven Stamkos - C - Offensive forward - Canada - Sarnia Sting (OHL) - 6'0/170
3. Kyle Beach - C - Power forward - Canada - Everett Silvertips (WHL) - 6'3/180
4. Zach Boychuk - C - Offensive forward - Canada - Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL) - 5'9/176
5. Alex Pietrangelo - D - Offensive defenseman - Canada - Mississauga Ice Dogs (OHL) - 6'3/192
6. Cody Hodgson - C - Playmaker - Canada - Brampton Battalion (OHL) - 5'11/182
7. Tyler Myers - D - Defensive defenseman - Canada - Red Deer Rebeles (WHL) - 6'7/225
8. Luke Schenn - D - Physical defenseman - Canada - Kelowna Rockets (WHL) - 6'3/210
9. Colin Wilson - RW - Playmaker - USA - Boston University (NCAA) - 6'1/215
10. Michael Del Zotto - D - Offensive defenseman - Canada - Oshawa Generals (OHL) - 6'0/190
11. Joe Colborne - RW - Offensive forward - Canada - Notre Dame (NCAA) - 6'3/175
12. Joshua Bailey - C - Playmaker - Canada - Windsor Spitfires (OHL) - 5'11/167
13. Mitch Wahl - C - Playmaker - USA - Spokane Chiefs (WHL) - 6'0/175
14. Mikhail Stefanovich - RW - Goalscorer - Belarus - Quebec Remparts (QMJHL) - 6'2/202
15. Zach Bogosian - D - Offensive defenseman - Canada - Peterborough Petes (OHL) - 6'2/190
16. Jordan Eberle - C - Goalscorer - Canada - Regina Pats (WHL) - 5'10/162
17. David Toews - LW - Two-way forward - Canada - North Dakota (NCAA) - 5'11/185
18. Philippe Cornet - RW - Offensive forward - Canada - Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL) - 6'0/207
19. Tyler Cuma - D - Physical defenseman - Canada - Ottawa 67's (OHL) - 6'2/175
20. Jared Staal - RW - Offensive forward - Canada - Sudbury Wolves (OHL) - 6'3/195

North-American Goaltenders
1. Don Michelson - G - USA - Miami-Ohio (NCAA) - 6'3/211
2. Kevin Poulin - G - Canada - Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL) - 6'2/210
3. Justin Leclerc - G - Canada - Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL) - 5'11/194
4. Nicola Riopel - G - Canada - Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL) - 5'11/171
5. Doug Erlec - G - USA - Michigan (NCAA) - 6'2/211
6. Stacy Erian - G - Canada - Prince George Cougars (WHL) - 6'0/182

European Skaters
1. Nikita Filatov - LW - Offensive forward - Russia - CSKA Moscow (RUS) - 6'0/165
2. Johan Motin - D - Defensive defenseman - Sweden - Färjestad (SWE) - 6'2/200
3. Mikkel Bødker - LW - Offensive forward - Denmark - Frölunda (SWE) - 5'10/182
4. Teppo Nurmi - RW - Offensive forward - Finland - JyP Jyväskylä (FIN) - 6'1/207
5. Daniel Adsit - C - Offensive forward - Czech Republic - Slavia Praha (CZE) - 6'3/228
6. Pavel Terpak - D - Offensive defenseman - Slovenia - HC Kosice (SVK) - 6'1/204
7. Mattias Tedenby - LW - Offensive forward - Sweden - HV 71 (SWE) - 5'11/176
8. Reima Miettinen - RW - Offensive forward - Finland - Ilves Tampere (FIN) - 5'11/176
9. Vyacheslav Voynov - D - Physical defenseman - Russia - Tsheljabinsk (RUS) - 5'11/180
10. Per-Johan Bøe - LW - Playmaker - Sweden - HV 71 (SWE) - 6'3/203

European Goaltenders
1. Alexey Shakirov - G - Russia - CSKA Moscow (RUS) - 6'3/221
2. Marek Benda - G - Czech Republic - Karlovy Vary (CZE) - 5'11/165
3. Damiano Ciaccio - G - Switzerland - HC Fribourg (SWI) - 6'1/165
4. Cenek Vondracek - Czech Republic - Sparta Praha (CZE) - 6'4/204
5. Teuvo Kyllonen - G - Finland - Kärpät Oulu (FIN) - 6'0/174
6. Mark Owuya - G - Sweden - Djurgarden (SWE) - 6'2/191

[duff88]

Four Canadiens at all-star game

http://images.tsn.ca/images/stories/20060201/markov_82238.jpg
Andrei Markov is 7th among NHL defenseman with 33 points

January 19th 2008 - The all-star game rosters were announced today by the NHL, and the red hot Montreal Canadiens will be the most well represented NHL team, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Los Angeles Kings, with four players participating in the annual game. Centre Saku Koivu, right winger Alex Kovalev and defenseman Andrei Markov will suit for team World while Chris Higgins will suit for team North America. Here are the complete rosters:

North America
LW - Paul Kariya - St. Louis Blues
LW - Alex Tanguay - Calgary Flames
LW - Brendan Shanahan - New York Rangers
LW - Chris Higgins - Montreal Canadiens
C - Sidney Crosby - Pittsburgh Penguins
C - Joe Thornton - San Jose Sharks
C - Joe Sakic - Colorado Avalanche
C - Eric Staal - Carolina Hurricanes
RW - Dany Heatley - Ottawa Senators
RW - Glen Murray - Boston Bruins
RW - Brian Gionta - New Jersey Devils
RW - Nathan Horton - Florida Panthers
D - Wade Redden - Ottawa Senators
D - Dion Phaneuf - Calgary Flames
D - Rob Blake - Los Angeles Kings
D - Mathieu Schneider - Anaheim Ducks
D - Bryan McCabe - Toronto Maple Leafs
D - John-Michael Liles - Colorado Avalanche
G - Martin Brodeur - New Jersey Devils
G - Andrew Raycroft - Toronto Maple Leafs
G - Roberto Luongo - Vancouver Canucks

Europe
LW - Daniel Alfredsson - Ottawa Senators
LW - Martin Straka - New York Rangers
LW - Ladislav Nagy - Los Angeles Kings
LW - Alexander Ovechkin - Washington Capitals
C - Mats Sundin - Toronto Maple Leafs
C - Saku Koivu - Montreal Canadiens
C - Pavol Demitra - Minnesota Wild
C - Anze Kopitar - Los Angeles Kings
RW - Jaromir Jagr - New York Rangers
RW - Maxim Afinogenov - Buffalo Sabres
RW - Marian Hossa - Atlanta Thrashers
RW - Alex Kovalev - Montreal Canadiens
D - Sergei Zubov - Dallas Stars
D - Nicklas Lidstrom - Detroit Red Wings
D - Lubomir Visnovsky - Los Angeles Kings
D - Andrei Markov - Montreal Canadiens
D - Kenny Jönsson - Florida Panthers
D - Tomas Kaberle - Toronto Maple Leafs
G - Miikka Kiprusoff - Calgary Flames
G - David Aebischer - Phoenix Coyotes
G - Kari Lehtonen - Atlanta Thrashers

This years All-Star weekend starts Saturday February 9 with the Super Skills competition and continues on Sunday February 10 with the clash between the North America All-Stars and the World All-Stars.

[NoSkillz]

My goodness, what the heck is wrong with the Sabres in this dynasty? Last place? :(

[NoSkillz]

Dola: Great dynasty by the way...nice tables!

[duff88]

January finishes with an ongoing 9 game winning, 12 game undefeated streak.

http://www.fanatique.ca/images/canadiens/carbo.jpghttp://www.fanatique.ca/images/canadiens/bobgainey.jpg
Captain Saku Koivu praised the work of his head coach Guy Carbonneau and GM Bob Gainey for the team's success

February 1st 2008 - The Canadiens have been on fire through the month of January and are now only two points away from the Anaheim Ducks and the first place in the NHL. Lead by five players nearing a point per game, three excellent defenseman and two goalies on fire, including Jaroslav Halak who has not lost a game, out of nine, since his defeat to the Atlanta Thrashers in his first game of the season, the Canadiens are currently the team to beat in the league. The month of January can best be described by saying the Canadiens lost only one game, a 7-3 loss to Pittsburgh on January 5th. The team maintaned a 12-1-0-1 record through the entire month.

Alex Kovalev was the Molson Cup winner for January after scoring 9 goals and adding 10 assists for 19 points in 14 games. Kovalev surpassed Andrei Kostitsyn and Andrei Markov, who were the other considerations.

Pavol Demitra was the NHL January Player of the Month after scoring 8 goals and 12 assists in 14 games with the Minnesota Wild. Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks was the NHL January Rookie of the Month; Toews registered 7 goals and 5 assists in 13 games.

MONTREAL CANADIENS
53GP - 30-15-3-5 - 68 Points [1st in the East]
191 Goals For [2nd in the League]
158 Goals Against [8th in the League]
19.72% on the Powerplay [1st in the League]
82.72% on the Penalty Killing [22nd in the League]

http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/6783/january2008tw9.jpg

[duff88]

Canadiens not unbeatable in February

http://www.sportal.de/photos/08/01/56a41f4fcf0c6f6e82c8174810877755.jpg
Marco Sturm scored with less than four minutes to go to lead the Bruins to victory

February 1st 2008 - Marco Sturm ruined a nice comeback by the Montreal Canadiens tonight in Boston. With four minutes left in the game, Sturm scored the game winning goal, inflicting the Canadiens their first loss in twelve games. Things seemed to go well for Montreal as Saku Koivu, Andrei Markov and Roman Hamrlik had scored the last three goals to tie the game at 3-3, but after killing penalties to Michael Ryder and Tom Kostopoulos, the team's problematic penalty kill failed and allowed a goal on a penalty to Kyle Chipchura.

"We can't get penalized in a tie game with less than 10 minutes to go." said captain Saku Koivu. "This is something we'll have to learn and correct."

"The team had worked hard for the last 12 games, period after period. Tonight we didn't work in the first, and that's what ultimately killed us."

This was the Canadiens' first loss after a 12 game winning streak.

Boston Bruins 4 , Montreal Canadiens 3
Shots: 23 - 28
BOS PP: 2 of 5 (4 shots)
MTL PP: 0 of 3 (2 shots)

Boxscore for the game:
------------------------------------------------------------
18:35 1-0 BOS Brandon Bochenski [15] (Jan Hrdina, Matthew Lombardi)PP
------------------------------------------------------------
27:25 2-0 BOS Chuck Kobasew [15] (Andrew Ference)
28:32 3-0 BOS Matthew Lombardi [12] (Brandon Bochenski, Matt Lashoff)
31:02 3-1 MTL Saku Koivu [23] (Alex Kovalev, Andrei Markov)
------------------------------------------------------------
41:04 3-2 MTL Andrei Markov [10] (Tom Kostopoulos, Mathieu Dandenault)
49:02 3-3 MTL Roman Hamrlik [8] (Josh Gorges, Tomas Plekanec)
56:39 4-3 BOS Marco Sturm [13] (Matthew Lombardi, Brandon Bochenski)PP
------------------------------------------------------------

[duff88]

All-Star fun in Atlanta

http://i.a.cnn.net/si/2007/hockey/nhl/specials/preview/2007/10/01/eastern.atlantic/p1_jagr.jpg
Jaromir Jagr was the Player of the Game with 3 goals and 3 assists

February 11th 2008 - The Skills Competition and NHL All-Star game were held this weeked in Atlanta.

On Saturday night, the annual All-Star event kicked off today with the skill competitions. Team North America and Team World competed in six different races and the fans got to see their stars shine.

Team World won the puck control relay with a team of Alexander Ovechkin, Jaromir Jagr and Marian Hossa. Paul Kariya of Team North America won the fastest skater competition, beating Maxim Afinogenov in the final. Rob Blake of Team North America won the hardest shot competition with a result of 100.7 MPH. Joe Thornton of Team North America won the accuracy shooting competition, beating Alexander Ovechkin in the final. Kari Lehtonen of Team World won the goalie competition (pass&score), beating Martin Brodeur in the final. Team World won the breakaway relay with a team of Ladislav Nagy, Daniel Alfredsson & Alex Kovalev.

Team World won the All-Star game on Sunday, beating Team North America 11-7. Jaromir Jagr was the star of the stars, scoring 3 goals and 3 assists. Among the Canadiens representation:

Saku Koivu had a goal and an assist playing with Martin Straka and Ladislav Nagy. Alex Kovalev had an assist playing with Pavol Demitra and Alex Ovechkin. Andrei Markov had an assist, on a pairing with Kenny Jönsson. Chris Higgins had an assist playing with Joe Thornton and Brian Gionta.

[duff88]

Canadiens under .500 during February

http://www2.canoe.com/archives/sports/nouvelles/media/2008/01/20080103-194811-g.jpg
Despite his team's insuccess in February, Alex Kovalev continues to be dominant.

March 1st 2008 - The Canadiens had more losses than wins in a month for the first time of the season during February. The team was coming into the month with a 12 game undefeated streak, but the streak was quickly ended by the Boston Bruins and the team never quite came back as strong. The team fell from the first, down to the fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

Alex Kovalev didn't slow down though, and he was the Molson Cup winner for February after scoring 8 goals and adding 11 assists for 19 points in 12 games. Kovalev surpassed Saku Koivu and Andrei Markov, who were the other considerations. Alex Kovalev was also named the NHL February Player of the Month. Nicklas Bäckström of the Washington Capitals was the NHL February Rookie of the Month; Bäckström registered 5 goals and 7 assists in 11 games.

MONTREAL CANADIENS
65GP - 35-21-4-5 - 79 Points [4th in the East]
230 Goals For [1st in the League]
197 Goals Against [9th in the League]
19.95% on the Powerplay [1st in the League]
83.33% on the Penalty Killing [18th in the League]

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/7033/february2008yl8.jpg

[duff88]

Trade deadline one week away

http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/5509/nylanderje7.jpg
Michael Nylander will try to help the New York Islanders into the playoffs.

March 7th 2008 - The trade dealine is one week away, and after a season where there were very few moves, a first important trade took place. The Washington Capitals traded centre Michael Nylander to the New York Islanders for prospects Mark Katic, Jesse Joensuu and Simon Lacroix.

A native of Sweden, Michael Nylander was originally drafted to the NHL by the Hartford Whalers in the 3rd round of the 1991 entry draft. He has appeared in 873 NHL games during his career, notching 210 goals and adding 446 assists along with 435 penalty minutes. The 35 year old center had played 65 games with the Washington Capitals this season, totalling 21+26=47 with 23 PIM.

In Montrea, with the recent good play of depth forwards Bryan Smolinski and Mathieu Dandenault, the Canadiens are not expected to make any moves for forward. There are possibilities of a trade for a veteran defenseman to solidify the defensive corp.

[duff88]

Major three team, nine players deal one day from deadline

http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/3331/hortongt2.jpg
A lot of future stars were dealt, but Nathan Horton is the current centre-piece of this trade

March 13th 2008 - Only one day from the trade deadline, the Florida Panthers, Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils made a major deal with a total of nine players changing teams.

In this deal, New Jersey recieves Nathan Horton (FLO) and two minor league players from Philadelphia, Garrett Klotz and Mattias Trattnig. Florida recieves last year's second overall draft pick James Van Riemsdyk (PHI), Nathan Paetsch (PHI) and Karel Rachunek (NJ). Finally, Philadelphia recieves Travis Zajac (NJ), Vladimir Zharkov (NJ) and Shawn Mattias (FLO).

New Jersey hopes this move will permit them to go far in the playoffs. Florida recieves one of the top prospects in the league while Philadelphia probably recieves the biggest value from this trade with two good prospects and a young player with a lot of potential.

[duff88]

Montreal deals for De Vries

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/1502/devriesmk4.jpg
Greg de Vries will add experience and stability to the Canadiens blue line

March 14th 2008 - On a relatively slow trade deadline day, the Montreal Canadiens were one of the few teams who made a move to strenghten their team in view of the NHL Playoffs. The Canadiens traded young belarussian forward Mikhail Grabovksi to the Nashville Predators for veteran defenseman Greg de Vries.

A native of Sundrige in Ontario, Greg de Vries has appeared in 800 NHL games during his career, notching 48 goals and adding 147 assists along with 686 penalty minutes. The 35 year old defenseman has played 70 games with the Nashville Predators this season, totalling 5+16=21 with 42 PIM. de Vries won the Stanley Cup in 2001 with the Colorado Avalanche.

"We wanted to add a veteran defenseman to solidify our team." said GM Bob Gainey. "Greg is going to come in and add stability to our team, he is a hard worker, a solid defensive player and he is a real leader."

de Vries is expected to suit up for the first time with his new team on March 17th against the Boston Bruins. He will be paired with Roman Hamrlik and wear #77.

It was a very slow trade deadline day. Among other important moves, Alexander Radulov was traded to the Washington Capitals, Rostislav Olesz to the San Jose Sharks, Tuomo Ruutu to the Edmonton Oilers, Sergei Fedorov to the Calgary Flames and Alexei Zhitnik to the Pittsburgh Penguins .

"Everyone waited to see what others were doing, and in the end few people moved." said Gainey. "We think we needed to add a piece to the puzzle in order to be real contenders."

[NoSkillz]

Which rosters are these? Buffalo is pretty crappy this year but Detroit in last place in the West?!? Yikes...

[duff88]

Which rosters are these? Buffalo is pretty crappy this year but Detroit in last place in the West?!? Yikes...

There's only one real 07-08 roster available for EHM, the one created by the excellent community on FHockey.com.

It's a big surprise seeing Detroit last in the West, and Los Angeles second in the league, but what can I say... I still think the results are pretty accurate; not a 07-08 simulation but an alternate reality.

[duff88]

Canadiens end March on the way to first place

http://www.coupestanley.com/images/andrei-markov-epaule.jpg
Andrei Markov won the March segment of the Molson Cup.

April 1st 2008 - The Canadiens had an excellent month of March and are now on a race with the New Jersey Devils, and less closely the Carolina Hurricanes, for the first place in the Eastern Conference. The race for first place could end in the final game of the season as the Devils and Canadiens are expected to meet in Montreal on April 7th.

Andrei Markov was the Molson Cup winner for March after scoring 2 goals and adding 10 assists for 12 points in 14 games. Markov surpassed Saku Koivu and Cristobal Huet, who were the other considerations.

Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who scored 15 goals and 4 assists for 19 points in 15 games, was the NHL March player of the month. Nicklas Bäckström of the Washington Capitals was the NHL March Rookie of the Month; Bäckström registered 7 goals and 10 assists in 13 games.

MONTREAL CANADIENS
79GP - 45-24-4-6 - 100 Points [1st in the East]
276 Goals For [1st in the League]
230 Goals Against [5th in the League]
21.49% on the Powerplay [1st in the League]
83.91% on the Penalty Killing [14th in the League]

http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/8171/march2008iy2.jpg

[duff88]

Montreal face Devils for first place

http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/7793/weekessx5.jpg
Cristobal Huet hopes to surpass Kevin Weekes in net

April 7th 2008 - The Montreal Canadies (46-23-4-7) are one point ahead of the New Jersey Devils (46-25-3-7) in the race for the first place in the Eastern Conference with one game to play in the season. And that game will have those two Eastern Conference leaders go head-to-head; the Devils need a win in order to finish first, a tie or loss would give the Canadiens the first place. Kevin Weekes, usually backup to Martin Brodeur, will be in net for this game.

The team who finishes second will face the Tampa Bay Lightning who have lost only 3 of their last ten games. The team who finishes first will have to wait for the result of tommorow's matchup between the Washington Capitals and the Tampa Bay Lightning. If Washington wins the game, they will finish 8th and make it to the playoffs. If they tie or lose, the Boston Bruins, who have already completed their season, will retain this position.

[duff88]

Scoring fest between league's two highest scoring team

http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/topstory/sports/ryder_michael040205.jpg
Michael Ryder scored his 30th and 31st goals of the season to help Canadiens get past Devils

April 8th 2008 - The race for first place ended tonight with a match to decide who would finish first in the Eastern Conference. Both teams fought hard, but the Montreal Canadiens came back from a 4-3 deficit midway into the third period to win the game 6-4.

Michael Ryder scored his second goal of the night with ten minutes to go to tie the game at four before Mike Komisarek scored the game winning goal three minutes later. Tom Kostopoulos completed the score in an empty net.

The Montreal Canadiens will have to watch tommorow's game between the Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning to know who, of Boston and Washington, they will face in the first round of the playoffs.

Montreal Canadiens 6 , New Jersey Devils 4
Shots: 24 - 31
MTL PP: 2 of 2 (5 shots)
NJ PP: 0 of 4 (9 shots)

Boxscore for the game:
------------------------------------------------------------
08:24 1-0 MTL Saku Koivu [35] (Guillaume Latendresse, Steve Bégin)
13:28 2-0 MTL Andrei Markov [17] (Michael Ryder, Guillaume Latendresse)PP
------------------------------------------------------------
33:04 2-1 NJ Zach Parisé [34] (Paul Martin)
34:52 2-2 NJ Dainius Zubrus [28] (Sergei Brylin, Mike Rupp)
39:57 3-2 MTL Michael Ryder [30] (Andrei Markov, Saku Koivu)PP
------------------------------------------------------------
44:51 3-3 NJ John Madden [16] (Mike Rupp, Sergei Brylin)
49:13 3-4 NJ Zach Parisé [35] (John Madden, Paul Martin)
50:32 4-4 MTL Michael Ryder [31] (Bryan Smolinski, Tomas Plekanec)
53:42 5-4 MTL Mike Komisarek [3] (Alex Kovalev)
58:55 6-4 MTL Tom Kostopoulos [7] (Greg de Vries, Mike Komisarek) EN

[duff88]

Capitals makes it

http://cdn.nhl.com/photos/mugs/8470120.jpg
Alexander Semin was the first star of the game with 4 points

April 9th 2008 - Alexander Semin scored a goal and three assists while Brian Pothier netted two goals as the Washington Capitals beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-1 to steal the 8th place to the Boston Bruins and make it to the NHL Playoffs.

The Capitals will face the first place Montreal Canadiens in the first round.

[duff88]

Regular season ends

http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/1558/tellqvistcq3.jpg
Waiver pickup Mikael Tellqvist had a great season to lead the Los Angeles Kings to the President Cup

April 9th 2008 - The Los Angeles Kings, lead by the brio of their first line of Ladislav Nagy, Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown as well as the excellence of goaltender Mikael Tellqvist, won 9 of their last 11 games of the season to steal the first place in the league to their closest neighbor, the Anaheim Ducks, and win the President Cup.

At the bottom of the league, the Buffalo Sabres may have ended the season well, but it was still a disastrous performance by the team who was one of the powerhouses last year. The Detroit Red Wings were another big deception, betrayed by a lack of depth and subpar goaltending highlighted by the team's last place in Goals Against.

Sidney Crosby once again won the Art Ross trophy, scoring 49 goals and 58 assists for 107 points, twelve more than the second in list as the only player above the 100 points mark.

Nicklas Lidström was the top point scorer among defenseman with 18 goals and 49 assists for 67 points, but he was a surprising -16, a huge indicator of his team's insuccess.

Jonathan Toews was the best scorer among rookies with 30 goals and 37 assists for 67 points in 82 games, but Nicklas Bäckström's 21 goals and 31 assists in 60 games deserve an honorable mention.

Most Goals
1. Sidney Crosby (PIT) - 49 Goals
2. Eric Staal (CAR) - 46 Goals
3. Jaromir Jagr (NYR) - 42 Goals
4. Dany Heatley (OTT) - 41 Goals
5. Alexander Ovechkin (WAS) - 40 Goals
-. Henrik Zetterberg (DET) - 40 Goals

Most Assists
1. Sidney Crosby (PIT) - 58 Assists
2. Daniel Alfredsson (OTT) - 57 Assists
3. Vaclav Prospal (TB) - 56 assists
4. Joe Thornton (SJ) - 55 Assists
5. Paul Kariya (STL) - 54 Assists
-. Ladislav Nagy (LA) - 54 Assists

Most Points
1. Sidney Crosby (PIT) - 107 Points
2. Eric Staal (CAR) - 95 Points
3. Ladislav Nagy (LA) - 92 Points
-. Joe Thornton (SJ) - 92 Points
5. Alex Kovalev (MTL) - 90 Points

Most Defenseman Goals
1. Nicklas Lidström (DET) - 18 Goals
2. Andrei Markov (MTL) - 17 Goals
3. Wade Redden (OTT) - 16 Goals
-. Sergei Zubov (DAL) - 16 Goals
5. David Tanabe (CAR) - 14 Goals
-. John-Michael Liles (COL) - 14 Goals

Most Defenseman Assists
1. Nicklas Lidström (DET) - 49 Assists
-. Wade Redden (OTT) - 49 Assists
3. Andrei Markov (MTL) - 47 Assists
-. Dion Phaneuf (CGY) - 47 Assists
5. Tomas Kaberle (TOR) - 46 Assists
-. Brian Rafalski (DET) - 46 Assists

Most Defenseman Points
1. Nicklas Lidström (DET) - 67 Points
2. Wade Redden (OTT) - 65 Points
3. Andrei Markov (MTL) - 64 Points
4. Dion Phaneuf (CGY) - 60 Points
5. Sergei Gonchar (PIT) - 58 Points

Most Rookie Points
1. Jonathan Toews (CHI) - 67 Points (82-30-37-67)
2. Nicklas Bäckström (WSH) - 52 Points (60-21-31-52)
3. Patrick Kane (CHI) - 45 Points (74-19-26-45)
-. Andy Greene (NJ) - 45 Points (82-8-37-45)
5. James Sheppard (MIN) - 28 Points (42-11-17-28)

Best Goals Against Average (Min. 40 Games)
1. Jean-Sébastien Giguère (ANA) - 2.60 (61GP, 37-15-3-6, 90.6, 2.60, 4SO)
2. Martin Brodeur (NJ) - 2.64 (63GP, 36-18-2-5, 91.0, 2.64, 2SO)
3. Marty Turco (DAL) - 2.68 (61GP, 36-16-2-5, 90.9, 2.68, 5SO)
4. Miikka Kiprusoff (CGY) - 2.69 (65GP, 33-23-3-5, 90.7, 2.69, 4SO)
5. Mikael Tellqvist (LA) - 2.72 (53GP, 32-12-3-5, 91.1, 2.72, 3SO)

MONTREAL CANADIENS
82GP - 47-24-4-7 - 105 Points [1st in the East]
289 Goals For [1st in the League]
237 Goals Against [5th in the League]
21.54% on the Powerplay [1st in the League]
84.28% on the Penalty Killing [8th in the League]

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/2531/march2008wi6.jpg

[duff88]

First round preview: 1 Montreal Canadiens vs. 8 Washington Capitals

http://cdn.nhl.com/photos/mugs/8471214.jpg
Alexander Ovechkin may miss the first games of the serie

April 9th 2008 - Things were not looking good for the Washington Capitals after the first half of the season. With only 14 wins in 44 games, the Wasington Capitals only trailed the Buffalo Sabres for the title of worst team in the league. And then, as the second part of the season started, the wind changed direction. The Capitals went 21-13-1-3 in the last 37 games of the season, including 4 wins in their last 5 games, to make it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Alexander Ovechkin may be out for the first two games in Montreal; he is out day-to-day with a lower body injury. There are still chances to see him play though as this is the playoffs and the Capitals can't afford to lose many games. Here are the probable lineups for each team:

Montreal Canadiens (47-24-4-7)
#84 Guillaume Latendresse - #11 Saku Koivu [C] - #27 Alex Kovalev [A]
#21 Chris Higgins [A] - #14 Tomas Plekanec - #46 Andrei Kostitsyn
#73 Michael Ryder - #20 Bryan Smolinski - #25 Mathieu Dandenault
#22 Steve Bégin - #28 Kyle Chipchura - #6 Tom Kostopoulos

#79 Andrei Markov - #8 Mike Komisarek
#44 Roman Hamrlik - #77 Greg de Vries
#51 Francis Bouillon - #32 Mark Streit

#39 Cristobal Huet
#41 Jaroslav Halak


Washington Capitals (35-38-5-4)
#8 Alexander Ovechkin [A] - #28 Alexander Semin - #22 Alexander Radulov
#19 Nicklas Bäckström - #21 Brooks Laich - #25 Viktor Kozlov
#26 Craig Johnson - #18 Matt Pettinger - #17 Chris Clark [C]
#87 Donald Brashear - #51 Harold Druken - #10 Matt Bradley

#44 Steve Eminger [A] - #2 Brian Pothier
#52 Mike Green - #3 Tom Poti
#27 Ben Clymer - #23 Milan Jurcina

#37 Olaf Kölzig
#1 Brent Johnson



http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/2497/stanleyox0.jpg

[duff88]

Canadiens take the first game

http://multizones.unblog.fr/files/2007/03/bilde2.jpg
Alex Kovalev celebrating his first of two goals

April 11th 2008 - Alex Kovalev scored two goals, including the game winner, to help lead the Canadiens to a 4-2 victory over the Washington Capitals in the first game of the best of seven. Andrei Kostitsyn and Tomas Plekanec got the other goals for Montreal. Cristobal Huet blocked 20 of the 22 shots against him.

"It's nice to win the first game." said Kovalev after the game. "The crowd was great, they were loud."

Alexander Ovechkin wasn't in uniform for the game. He was replaced by Nicklas Bäckström on the first line while Jaroslav Balastik played on the second line.

Other games:
Los Angeles beats Vancouver 6-3
Edmonton beats Calgary 6-2
St. Louis beats Minnesota 6-3
Dallas beats Anaheim 4-3 (Steve Ott scored 1:09 into the first OT)
New Jersey beats Tampa Bay 6-2
Carolina beats Pittsburgh 6-1
Ottawa beats Toronto 3-2 (Antoine Vermette scored 6:08 into the first OT)

Montreal Canadiens 4 , Washington Capitals 2
Shots: 34 - 22
MTL PP: 0 of 3 (10 shots)
WSH PP: 0 of 1 (2 shots)

Boxscore for the game:
------------------------------------------------------------
05:18 1-0 MTL Tomas Plekanec [1] (Chris Higgins, Guillaume Latendresse)
10:06 1-1 WSH Steve Eminger [1] (Brian Pothier)
------------------------------------------------------------
30:29 2-1 MTL Andrei Kostitsyn [1] (Chris Higgins, Tomas Plekanec)
------------------------------------------------------------
43:09 3-1 MTL Alex Kovalev [1])
47:42 3-2 WSH Matt Pettinger [1] (Ben Clymer, Milan Jurcina)
50:44 4-2 MTL Alex Kovalev [2] (Saku Koivu, Guillaume Latendresse)
------------------------------------------------------------

[duff88]

Brent Johnson stops Canadiens

http://cdn.nhl.com/photos/mugs/8462161.jpg
Brent Johnson allowed only 2 goals on 36 shots in Capitals' win.

April 13th 2008 - Brent Johnson was in net for the Capitals for the second game of the series against the Montreal Canadiens, and he proved his coach's questionnable decision right. Backup goalie to Ollie Kölzig all season long, Brent Johnson was the first star of tonight's game, blocking 34 of the 36 shots against and leading the Capitals to a 3-2 win. Swedish rookie Nicklas Bäckström scored the game winning goal with less than 10 minutes to go in the third period.

Andrei Kostitsyn and Guillaume Latendresse scored for the Canadiens, who were a pitiful 1 for 11 on the powerplay.

"We played a good game. The Capitals were strong defensively and their goaltender had a great game." said captain Saku Koivu. "We will have to score on the powerplay if we want to beat them.

Alexander Ovechkin wasn't in uniform for the second straight game. This time, it was huge Austrian forward Christoph Brandner who was on the second line. Ovechkin is expected to come back in the next game, at the Verizon Centre in Washington. He will take back his spot on the first line with Bäckström going back to the second line.

The serie is now tied at one.

Other games:
Los Angeles beats Vancouver 5-4 ----- 2-0 LA
Calgary beats Edmonton 3-1 ----- 1-1
Minnesota beats St. Louis 4-3 ----- 1-1
Anaheim beats Dallas 5-4 ----- 1-1
New Jersey beats Tampa Bay 4-1 ----- 2-0 NJ
Pittsburgh beats Caroline 5-2 ----- 1-1
Ottawa beats Toronto 4-3 ----- 2-0 OTT

Montreal Canadiens 2 , Washington Capitals 3
Shots: 36 - 18
MTL PP: 1 of 11 (21 shots)
WSH PP: 1 of 4 (6 shots)

Boxscore for the game:
------------------------------------------------------------
00:51 1-0 MTL Andrei Kostitsyn [2] (Roman Hamrlik, Greg de Vries)
10:36 1-1 WSH Alexander Semin [1] (Nicklas Bäckström, Steve Eminger)
------------------------------------------------------------
no scoring
------------------------------------------------------------
46:49 2-1 MTL Guillaume Latendresse [1])PP
49:03 2-2 WSH Viktor Kozlov [1] (Christoph Brandner, Matt Pettinger)PP
52:37 2-3 WSH Nicklas Bäckström [1] (Alexander Semin)
------------------------------------------------------------

[duff88]

Canadiens make a statement in third game

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/4688/bginku2.jpg
Steve Begin showed he's a warrior as he helped the Canadiens win 6-2

April 15th 2008 - Steve Bégin opened the score with a beauty with the Habs down a man two minutes into the game, on his way to one of his best career games as he lead the Canadiens past the Washington Capitals 6-2 in the third game of the series.

Bégin's great game started with his sequence on the penalty kill after Andrei Kostitsyn was penalized for roughing. Bégin first made a perfect slide to block the shot of Mike Green. Ovechkin got the rebound from the blocked shot on the other side of the point and passed it right back to Green for the one timer, but Bégin was quick enough to get up and jump right in front of another shot. This time Tom Kostopoulos took the puck as Green tripped and the Habs descended on a two-on-one, Kostopoulos passed to Markov who's shot was blocked by Johnson who let a huge reboud straight on, who else, Steve Bégin's stick in the slot as the Canadiens player put it right past the keeper to give his team the lead.

The Canadiens never looked back. Saku Koivu, Bryan Smolinski, Andrei Markov, Michael Ryder and Kyle Chipchura all scored their first goal of the post-season as the Canadiens were on their was to a 6-2 win.

"It hurted." said Bégin about the first blocked shot. "I barely had time to get up and there he was winding another one, and I instinctively jumped right in front of it. That one didn't feel too good either."

Alexander Ovechkin was dangerous all game long, but he was shut down successfully by the Markov and Komisarek defensive pairing. Every players on the Capitals lineup was a minus in the game. Glen Hanlon, the Capitals' coach, confirmed that Johnson would be his go-to-guy for the rest of the first round:

"Kolzig can't play at 100% right now, and we're moer confident with Johnson."

Montreal takes a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven serie.

Other games:
Vancouver beats Los Angeles 4-3 (Markus Näslund scored 12:47 into the first OT) ----- 2-1 LA
Edmonton beats Calgary 6-3 ----- 2-1 EDM
Minnesota beats St. Louis 3-1 ----- 2-1 MIN
Dallas beats Anaheim 5-3 ----- 2-1 DAL
New Jersey beats Tampa Bay 5-3 ----- 3-0 NJ
Pittsburgh beats Caroline 6-2 ----- 2-1 PIT
Ottawa beats Toronto 5-3 ----- 3-0 OTT

Washington Capitals 2 , Montreal Canadiens 6
Shots: 24 - 32
WSH PP: 1 of 6 (8 shots)
MTL PP: 0 of 3 (5 shots)

Boxscore for the game:
------------------------------------------------------------
02:08 0-1 MTL Steve Bégin [1] (Andrei Markov, Tom Kostopoulos)SH
04:23 0-2 MTL Saku Koivu [1] (Kyle Chipchura, Andrei Markov)
------------------------------------------------------------
27:42 1-2 WSH Alexander Semin [2] (Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Radulov)PP
31:39 1-3 MTL Bryan Smolinski [1] (Mark Streit, Greg de Vries)
34:16 2-3 WSH Brooks Laich [1] (Mike Green, Viktor Kozlov)
37:43 2-4 MTL Andrei Markov [1] (Mike Komisarek)
------------------------------------------------------------
45:21 2-5 MTL Michael Ryder [1] (Mathieu Dandenault, Mark Streit)
49:54 2-6 MTL Kyle Chipchura [1] (Steve Bégin, Tom Kostopoulos)
------------------------------------------------------------

[duff88]

Alexander the Great!

http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/7623/sanstitredb6.jpg
Alexander Ovechkin took matter into his own hands to beat the Canadiens

April 17th 2008 - Alexander Ovechkin showed his superiority and his ability to rise to the occasion tonight in the fourth game of the serie against the Montreal Canadiens. With his team down 2-0, Ovechkin took matter into his own ends, scoring the next three goals of his team, a natural hat-trick that would lead the Capitals to a 3-2 victory to tie the serie at two.

The Canadiens showed a lack of discipline, getting penalized 5 times in the final period, allowing a total of eight powerplays that were converted into two goals. The Canadiens themselves didn't have a single powerplay, but you have to wonder if it would helped as the team is currently the worst among all playoff teams with 1 goal out of 17 occasions for less than 6%; a truly embarassing stat for the team that lead the league by a fair margin during the regular season.

Tomas Plekanec, on the PK, and Chris Higgins had scored the first two goals of the game. Plekanec's goal means the Canadiens now have two shorthanded goals in the playoffs, more than they have powerplay goals.

The serie is now tied at two and will be back in Montreal for game five.

Other games:
Los Angeles beats Vancouver 4-1 ----- 3-1 LA
Calgary beats Edmonton 2-1 ----- 2-2
St. Louis beats Minnesota 3-2 ----- 2-2
Dallas beats Anaheim 6-2 ----- 3-1 DAL
Tampa Bay beats New Jersey 4-3 (Brad Richards scored 4:32 into the first OT) ----- 3-1 NJ
Pittsburgh beats Caroline 4-3 (Gary Roberts scored 18:53 into the first OT) ----- 3-1 PIT
Ottawa beats Toronto 3-2 ----- 4-0 OTT

Washington Capitals 3 , Montreal Canadiens 2
Shots: 30 - 21
WSH PP: 2 of 8 (11 shots)
MTL PP: 0 of 0 (0 shots)

Boxscore for the game:
------------------------------------------------------------
06:16 0-1 MTL Tomas Plekanec [2] (Greg de Vries, Roman Hamrlik)SH
------------------------------------------------------------
21:46 0-2 MTL Chris Higgins [1] (Roman Hamrlik, Andrei Markov)
27:55 1-2 WSH Alexander Ovechkin [1] (Alexander Radulov, Mike Green)PP
------------------------------------------------------------
42:42 2-2 WSH Alexander Ovechkin [2] (Alexander Semin, Alexander Radulov)
49:11 3-2 WSH Alexander Ovechkin [3] (Alexander Semin, Mike Green)PP
------------------------------------------------------------

[duff88]

Canadiens win fifth game

http://www.rds.ca/images/chroniques/243611_resize.jpg
Alex Kovalev scored the game winner and added an assist in the win

April 19th 2008 - The big players in Montreal stood up for game five, leading the Montreal Canadiens to a 4-2 victory over the Washington Capitals. Alex Kovalev scored the game winning goal to start the third period, and added an assist on the last goal midway into the same period. Michael Ryder, Saku Koivu and Andrei Markov scored the other goals. Even though the team is winning, there are a lot of worries about some problems that have been ongoing since the start of the playoffs. The powerplay's misery is more apparent than ever now as the team went 0 for 9, even allowing a shorthanded goal to Chris Clark along the way. The team is now 1 out of 26 in the playoffs, also having allowed one shorthanded goal.

"We'll be lucky if we continue winning games." said head coach Guy Carbonneau. "We'll have to try to get it going, because we won't go far if we don't correct this."

Steve Bégin suffered a lower body injury in the second period of the game, and will be out for the rest of the first and second round. Maxim Lapierre will take his spot on the fourth line. The Canadiens had recalled forwards Sergei Kostitsyn, Matt D'Agostini and Duncan Milroy, defenseman Ryan O'Byrne and goaltender Carey Price from the eliminated Hamilton Bulldogs before the start of the playoffs in case of injuries. One of them may be dressed if more injuries are to happen, although Patrice Brisebois and Josh Gorges are also available if a spot on defense is needed, and defenseman Mark Streit could play up front if necessary.

The Canadiens now lead the serie 3-2 and will hope to win it in the sixth game at the Verizon Centre in Washington.

Other games:
Vancouver beats Los Angeles 4-3 (Aaron Miller scored 6:12 into the second OT) ----- 3-2 LA
Edmonton beats Calgary 4-2 ----- 3-2 EDM
Minnesota beats St. Louis 4-3 (Brian Rolston scored 18:49 into the second OT) ----- 3-2 MIN
Anaheim beats Dallas 5-2 ----- 3-2 DAL
Tampa Bay beats New Jersey 3-1 ----- 3-2 NJ
Pittsburgh beats Caroline 3-1 ----- 4-1 PIT

Montreal Canadiens 4 , Washington Capitals 2
Shots: 29 - 24
MTL PP: 0 of 9 (12 shots)
WSH PP: 0 of 3 (8 shots)

Boxscore for the game:
------------------------------------------------------------
08:25 1-0 MTL Michael Ryder [2] (Bryan Smolinski, Mark Streit)
11:37 1-1 WSH Chris Clark [1] (Mike Green, Ben Clymer)SH
------------------------------------------------------------
25:46 2-1 MTL Saku Koivu [2] (Andrei Markov)
33:34 2-2 WSH Alexander Semin [3] (Alexander Radulov, Nicklas Bäckström)
------------------------------------------------------------
41:51 3-2 MTL Alex Kovalev [3])
50:23 4-2 MTL Andrei Markov [2] (Alex Kovalev)
------------------------------------------------------------

[duff88]

CSS releases final 2008 NHL Draft Rankings

http://vmedia.rivals.com/uploads/960/297479.jpg
Steven Stamkos has reclaimed his place at the top of the Central Scouting Service list

North-American Skaters
1. Steven Stamkos - C - Offensive forward - Canada - Sarnia Sting (OHL) - 6'0/170
2. Drew Doughty - D - Offensive defeseman - Canada - Guelph Storm (OHL) - 6'0/185
3. Colin Wilson - RW - Playmaker - USA - Boston University (NCAA) - 6'1/215
4. Alex Pietrangelo - D - Offensive defenseman - Canada - Mississauga Ice Dogs (OHL) - 6'3/192
5. Kyle Beach - C - Power forward - Canada - Everett Silvertips (WHL) - 6'3/180
6. Jordan Eberle - C - Goalscorer - Canada - Regina Pats (WHL) - 5'10/162
7. Zach Boychuk - C - Offensive forward - Canada - Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL) - 5'9/176
8. Tyler Myers - D - Defensive defenseman - Canada - Red Deer Rebeles (WHL) - 6'7/225
9. Luke Schenn - D - Physical defenseman - Canada - Kelowna Rockets (WHL) - 6'3/210
10. Joe Colborne - RW - Offensive forward - Canada - Notre Dame (NCAA) - 6'3/175
11. Cody Hodgson - C - Playmaker - Canada - Brampton Battalion (OHL) - 5'11/182
12. Joshua Bailey - C - Playmaker - Canada - Windsor Spitfires (OHL) - 5'11/167
13. Mikhail Stefanovich - RW - Goalscorer - Belarus - Quebec Remparts (QMJHL) - 6'2/202
14. Zach Bogosian - D - Offensive defenseman - Canada - Peterborough Petes (OHL) - 6'2/190
15. A.J. Jenks - LW - Goalscorer - USA - Plymouth Whalers (OHL) - 6'2/210
16. Tyler Cuma - D - Physical defenseman - Canada - Ottawa 67's (OHL) - 6'2/175
17. Kelsey Tessier - C - Playmaker - Canada - Quebec Remparts (QMJHL) - 5'9/164
18. Mitch Wahl - C - Playmaker - USA - Spokane Chiefs (WHL) - 6'0/175
19. James Livingston - RW - Offensive forward - Canada - Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) - 6'1/193
20. Philippe Cornet - RW - Offensive forward - Canada - Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL) - 6'0/207

North-American Goaltenders
1. Kevin Poulin - G - Canada - Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL) - 6'2/210
2. Don Michelson - G - USA - Miami-Ohio (NCAA) - 6'3/211
3. Doug Erlec - G - USA - Michigan (NCAA) - 6'2/211
4. Stacy Erian - G - Canada - Prince George Cougars (WHL) - 6'0/182
5. Justin Leclerc - G - Canada - Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL) - 5'11/194
6. Kris Lazaruk - G - Canada - Kootenay Ice (WHL) - 6'1/165

European Skaters
1. Nikita Filatov - LW - Offensive forward - Russia - CSKA Moscow (RUS) - 6'0/165
2. Vladislav Peregudov - RW - Goalscorer - Russia - Salavat Ufa (RUS) - 6'5/228
3. Johan Motin - D - Defensive defenseman - Sweden - Färjestad (SWE) - 6'2/200
4. Mikkel Bødker - LW - Offensive forward - Denmark - Frölunda (SWE) - 5'10/182
5. Teppo Nurmi - RW - Offensive forward - Finland - JyP Jyväskylä (FIN) - 6'1/207
6. Mattias Tedenby - LW - Offensive forward - Sweden - HV 71 (SWE) - 5'11/176
7. Per-Johan Bøe - LW - Playmaker - Sweden - HV 71 (SWE) - 6'3/203
8. Daniel Adsit - C - Offensive forward - Czech Republic - Slavia Praha (CZE) - 6'3/228
9. Reima Miettinen - RW - Offensive forward - Finland - Ilves Tampere (FIN) - 5'11/176
10. Pavel Terpak - D - Offensive defenseman - Slovenia - HC Kosice (SVK) - 6'1/204

European Goaltenders
1. Alexey Shakirov - G - Russia - CSKA Moscow (RUS) - 6'3/221
2. Damiano Ciaccio - G - Switzerland - HC Fribourg (SWI) - 6'1/165
3. Marek Benda - G - Czech Republic - Karlovy Vary (CZE) - 5'11/165
4. Cenek Vondracek - Czech Republic - Sparta Praha (CZE) - 6'4/204
5. Teuvo Kyllonen - G - Finland - Kärpät Oulu (FIN) - 6'0/174
6. Mark Owuya - G - Sweden - Djurgarden (SWE) - 6'2/191

[duff88]

Canadiens eliminate Capitals

http://www.rds.ca/images/chroniques/243152_resize.jpg
Andrei Kostitsyn was the first star of the game

April 21st 2008 - Tom Kostopoulos gave the Canadiens a 3-2 lead midway into the second period and the Habs never looked back, on their way to a 5-2 victory to eliminate the Washington Capitals and take them to the second round of the playoffs. Andrei Kostitsyn was the first star of the game with a goal and an assist. Saku Koivu, Mathieu Dandenault and Maxim Lapierre, in his first game of the playoffs, scored the other goals.

"The job is far from done." said captain Saku Koivu to calm some of the over-excited journalists

The Canadiens won the serie 4-2 and, after facing Alexander Ovechkin in the first round, will now take on Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round of the playoffs.

Other games:
Vancouver beats Los Angeles 2-1 ----- 3-3
Edmonton beats Calgary 3-2 ----- 4-2 EDM
Minnesota beats St. Louis 5-2 ----- 4-2 MIN
Anaheim beats Dallas 4-2 ----- 3-3
New Jersey beats Tampa Bay 3-2 ----- 4-2 NJ

Washington Capitals 2 , Montreal Canadiens 5
Shots: 25 - 26
WSH PP: 0 of 2 (3 shots)
MTL PP: 0 of 2 (2 shots)

Boxscore for the game:
------------------------------------------------------------
03:04 0-1 MTL Saku Koivu [3] (Kyle Chipchura, Cristobal Huet)
09:48 1-1 WSH Alexander Ovechkin [4] (Alexander Radulov, Alexander Semin)
13:52 2-1 WSH Viktor Kozlov [2] (Nicklas Bäckström)
15:47 2-2 MTL Mathieu Dandenault [1] (Mark Streit, Greg de Vries)
------------------------------------------------------------
27:06 2-3 MTL Tom Kostopoulos [1] (Andrei Kostitsyn, Chris Higgins)
------------------------------------------------------------
52:31 2-4 MTL Andrei Kostitsyn [3] (Tomas Plekanec, Greg de Vries)
54:41 2-5 MTL Maxim Lapierre [1] (Kyle Chipchura)
------------------------------------------------------------

[duff88]

California stopped!

http://www.corusnouvelles.com/nouvelles/2007/12/23/images/626542_230.jpg
Mike Ribeiro is tied for the lead in playoffs scoring with 10 points

April 23rd 2008 - The Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks both lost their first round series in 7 games! The Kings lost 5-3 to Vancouver in the seventh game while the Ducks were beat 4-2 by the Dallas Stars. The two californian teams, who were respectively first and second in the regular season standings, are now eliminated. The Montreal Canadiens are therefore the team still in the hunt for the Stanley Cup who had the most regular season points. All four highly rated western conference teams were eliminated in the first round.

Mike Ribeiro, with 5 goals and 5 assists, and Henrik Sedin, with 3 goals and 7 assists, are tied for the lead in playoffs points. The best goal scorer in the regular season, Sidney Crosby, was completely shut out by the Carolina Hurricanes who held him to 4 assists in 5 games.

Series result:
1 Los Angeles Ducks vs. 8 Vancouver Canucks ----- 4-3 VAN
2 Calgary Flames vs. 7 Edmonton Oilers ----- 4-2 EDM
3 St. Louis Blues vs. 6 Minnesota Wild ----- 4-2 MIN
4 Anaheim Ducks vs. 5 Dallas Stars ----- 4-3 DAL

1 Montreal Canadiens vs. 8 Washington Capitals ----- 4-2 MTL
2 New Jersey Devils vs. 7 Tampa Bay Lightning ----- 4-2 NJ
3 Carolina Hurricanes vs. 6 Pittsburgh Penguins ----- 4-1 PIT
4 Ottawa Senators vs. 5 Toronto Maple Leafs ----- 4-0 OTT

[duff88]

NHL Conduct 2008 NHL Draft lottery

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/indepth/gfx/392-gary-bettman.jpg
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced the results of this lottery live in a short TV segment

April 24th 2008 - The NHL Draft lottery was conducted today at the NHL headquarters in Toronto. The Buffalo Sabres, who finished last in the standings, had the most chance of getting the first overall pick as they had 250 of the 1000 lottery balls numbers:

30th - Buffalo Sabres - 1-250
29th - Philadelphia Flyers - 251-438
28th - Columbus Blue Jackets - 439-581
27th - Detroit Red Wings - 582-688
26th - Nashville Predators - 689-769
25th - New York Rangers - 770-831
24th - Florida Panthers - 832-878
23rd - Phoenix Coyotes - 879-914
22nd - New York Islanders - 915-941
21st - Atlanta Thrashers - 942-962
20th - Boton Bruins - 963-977
19th - Chicago Blackhawks - 978-988
18th - Colorado Avalanche - 989-996
17th - San Jose Sharks - 997-1000

Ball 218 was picked and the Buffalo Sabres will therefore hold the number one overall selection, which is predicted to be either centre Steven Stamkos or defenseman Drew Doughty. The NHL Draft will take place on June 20th and 21st in Ottawa.

[duff88]

NHL announce awards nominations

http://thetwhl.com/Pics/Awards/Hart.jpg
Eric Staal, Sidney Crosby and Joe Thornton are the nominees for the Hart Trophy as league MVP

April 26th 2008 - The NHL has released the annual list of award nominees. For each category in which the winner is voted, there are three nominees. The annual NHL Awards Ceremony is held right after the Stanley Cup Finals.

Here are the candidates for season 2007-08:

Jack Adams Award - Coach of the Year
Brent Sutter (NJ)
Marc Crawford (LA)
Guy Carbonneau (MTL)

Calder Memorial Trophy - Rookie of the Year
Andy Greene (NJ)
Nicklas Bäckström (WAS)
Jonathan Toews (CHI)

Hart Memorial Trophy - MVP
Eric Staal (CAR)
Sidney Crosby (PIT)
Joe Thornton (SJ)

Lady Byng Memorial Trophy - Sporstmanship
Eric Staal (CAR)
Jason Spezza (OTT)
Paul Kariya (STL)

James Norris Memorial Trophy - Defeseman of the Year
Nicklas Lidström (DET)
Wade Redden (OTT)
Andrei Markov (MTL)

Frank J. Selke Trophy - Defensive Forward of the Year
Shane Doan (PHO)
Ryan Getzlaf (ANA)
Milan Michalek (SJ)

Georges Vezina Trophy - Goaltender of the Year
Mikael Tellqvist (LA)
Martin Brodeur (NJ)
Marty Turco (DAL)

[duff88]

First round preview: 1 Montreal Canadiens vs. 6 Pittsburgh Penguins

http://cdn.nhl.com/penguins/photos/mugs/8471675.jpg
20 years old, two times Art Ross trophy winner, Sidney Crosby is the leader of the Penguins

April 28th 2008 - The Pittsburgh Penguins convincingly beat the third place Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the playoffs, and are now slated to face the first place Montreal Canadiens in the second round. The Canadiens are favourites coming into this game, but there's a big question over how much Montreal's deficiency on the powerplay was affected by the excellent PK play by Washington, and if the Canadiens will be able to get it going.

Sidney Crosby, who has won the scoring race for the second straight year at only 20 years of age, will be the player to watch for Montreal. The native of Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia could be very dangerous after a rather quiet showing in the first round, with only four assists in five games. Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, Ryan Whitney and Marc-Andre Fleury are other young guys to watch, rounded by a good veteran core with Petr Sykora, Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts, Sergei Gonchar and Alexei Zhitnik.

Montreal Canadiens (47-24-4-7)
#84 Guillaume Latendresse - #11 Saku Koivu [C] - #27 Alex Kovalev [A]
#21 Chris Higgins [A] - #14 Tomas Plekanec - #46 Andrei Kostitsyn
#73 Michael Ryder - #20 Bryan Smolinski - #25 Mathieu Dandenault
#40 Maxim Lapierre - #28 Kyle Chipchura - #6 Tom Kostopoulos

#79 Andrei Markov - #8 Mike Komisarek
#44 Roman Hamrlik - #77 Greg de Vries
#51 Francis Bouillon - #32 Mark Streit

#39 Cristobal Huet
#41 Jaroslav Halak


Pittsburgh Penguins (40-29-7-6)
#12 Ryan Malone [A] - #87 Sidney Crosby [C] - #17 Petr Sykora
#10 Gary Roberts [A] - #71 Evgeni Malkin - #20 Colby Armstrong
#33 Ryan Stone - #11 Jordan Staal - #18 Adam Hall
#14 Milan Kraft - #25 Maxime Talbot - #27 Georges Laraque

#55 Sergei Gonchar - #19 Ryan Whitney
#44 Brooks Orpik - #77 Alexei Zhitnik
#5 Darryl Sydor - #3 Mark Eaton

#29 Marc-André Fleury
#30 Dany Sabourin



http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/4553/stanleyjf5.jpg

[duff88]

Petr Sykora gives Penguins first game in OT

http://www.hokejportal.cz/obrazky/clanky/2090.jpg
Petr Sykora scored the game winning overtime goal for the Penguins

April 30th 2008 - Petr Sykora scored 3:44 into the first overtime period to give the Pittsburgh Penguins a 1-0 lead in the first game of this second round serie. Alex Kovalev had scored the first goal of the game only 32 seconds in, but the Penguins had come back to take a 2-1 lead with goals by Adam Hall and Maxime Talbot. Halfway into the third period, Guillaume Latendresse tied the game at 2 and the game was on its way to overtime. Cristobal Huet stopped 23 of the 26 shots against, he was admitedly weak on the first and third goals.

"I'd like to see these shots back." is all he said in the post game interview.

"We didn't play well." said Christopher Higgins. "We were lucky to even make it to the overtime."

Other games:
Dallas beats Vancouver 3-1
Minnesota beats Edmonton 4-2
New Jersey beats Ottawa 4-3

Montreal Canadiens 2 , Pittsburgh Penguins 3
Shots: 23 - 26
MTL PP: 0 of 4 (6 shots)
PIT PP: 0 of 3 (5 shots)

Boxscore for the game:
------------------------------------------------------------
00:32 1-0 MTL Alex Kovalev [4] (Andrei Markov)
03:42 1-1 PIT Adam Hall [1] (Sidney Crosby)
------------------------------------------------------------
20:19 1-2 PIT Maxime Talbot [1] (Milan Kraft)
------------------------------------------------------------
50:22 2-2 MTL Guillaume Latendresse [2] (Alex Kovalev, Tom Kostopoulos)
------------------------------------------------------------
63:44 2-3 PIT Petr Sykora [4] (Ryan Malone)

[duff88]

Slovakia wins World Championship in Quebec City

http://www.volny.cz/vico/images/zed4.jpg
Richard Zednik was tournament MVP

May 1st 2008 - Slovakia beat Czech Republic 6-4 in the World Championship finals to win the gold medal. Vladimir Orzagh was the hero of the game with 2 goals and an assist. Team USA won the bronze medal game 6-3 over Sweden. Canada had a disappointing tournament as they had previously been eliminated by the Americans in the quarterfinals. Richard Zednik was the tournament MVP.

1. Richard Zednik (SVK) - 6 Goals - 6 Assists - 12 Points
2. Radim Vrbata (CZE) - 6 Goals - 6 Assists - 12 Points
3. Milan Hejduk (CZE) - 5 Goals - 6 Assists - 11 Points
4. Chris Drury (USA) - 4 Goals - 7 Assists - 11 Points
5. Rostislav Olesz (CZE) - 2 Goals - 9 Assists - 11 Points

[duff88]

Penguins sweep Canadiens in Montreal

http://cdn.nhl.com/image-upload/whitney_ryan_194x255.jpg
Penguins defenseman Ryan Whitney contributed with a goal and two assists in the win

May 2nd 2008 - The Pittsburgh Penguins completely dominated the second game of the serie in Montreal tonight as they beat the Canadiens 4-2. Ryan Whitney was the first star of the game after a one goal, two assists performance. Guillaume Latendresse and Alex Kovalev scored the goals for Montreal, who were outshot 29-18. It's been a constant problem in the playoffs, and the powerplay doesn't seem like it's getting any better. The team hasn't scored on a powerplay in the last 25 occasions and have only one goal in 36 attempts in the postseason.

"I hate to do this, but we'll have to try experiments."

Steve Bégin will be back in the formation in the third game, Maxim Lapierre will give back his place.

Other games:
Dallas beats Vancouver 3-2 ----- 2-0 DAL
Edmonton beats Minnesota 3-2 ----- 1-1
New Jersey beats Ottawa 3-1 ----- 2-0 NJ


Montreal Canadiens 2 , Pittsburgh Penguins 4
Shots: 18 - 29
MTL PP: 0 of 4 (3 shots)
PIT PP: 1 of 5 (9 shots)

Boxscore for the game:
------------------------------------------------------------
03:11 0-1 PIT Ryan Stone [2] (Colby Armstrong, Jordan Staal)
04:59 1-1 MTL Guillaume Latendresse [3] (Saku Koivu)
------------------------------------------------------------
20:42 1-2 PIT Ryan Whitney [2] (Brooks Orpik, Adam Hall)
26:31 1-3 PIT Milan Kraft [2] (Ryan Whitney, Mark Eaton)
------------------------------------------------------------
43:24 1-4 PIT Petr Sykora [5] (Sidney Crosby, Ryan Whitney)PP
52:47 2-4 MTL Alex Kovalev [5] (Mike Komisarek)
------------------------------------------------------------

[DeToxRox]

Duff - Can you PM a link on where to DL the original?

[duff88]

I'll post it here for anyone who may want to download it:

Fhockey (www.fhockey.com)

I recommend to use version 1.16 or 1.15.

The new rosters are on their message board.

If you have never played it, I'll recommend reading some of the EHM101 tutorials on how to edit stuff because some editing is useful to truly getting the most out of the game.

[duff88]

Powerplay gets going, Habs win in overtime

http://www.coupestanley.com/images/kovalev-plekanec.jpg
Tomas Plekanec scored the game winning OT goal

May 4th 2008 - The recent changes brought to the powerplay paid off tonight as the Canadiens scored three powerplay goals on their way to a 4-3 victory in Pittsburgh. Things got scary in the third period as the Canadiens, who were leading 3-1, conceided a goal to Sergei Gonchar in the third period and to Adam Hall with less than 20 seconds left. Tomas Plekanec scored the game winning goal in OT on a five-on-four because of a penalty to Ryan Stone.

"It was nice to finally get it going" said Koivu. "We need to keep going and tie this serie before coming back to Montreal."

Sidney Crosby still hasn't scored a goal in the playoffs, but he has performed very well nonetheless with 9 assists in 8 games. Andrei Markov is now the Canadiens' top scorer in the playoffs with 3 goals and 6 assists for 9 points in 9 games.

Pittsburgh leads the serie 2-1.

Other games:
Dallas beats Vancouver 4-2 ----- 3-0 DAL
Edmonton beats Minnesota 3-2 (Tuomo Ruutu scored 2:13 into the second OT) ----- 2-1 EDM
Ottawa beats New Jersey 5-1 ----- 2-1 NJ


Pittsburgh Penguins 3 , Montreal Canadiens 4
Shots: 23 - 28
PIT PP: 1 of 2 (1 shots)
MTL PP: 3 of 9 (16 shots)

Boxscore for the game:
------------------------------------------------------------
18:25 0-1 MTL Saku Koivu [4] (Andrei Markov, Chris Higgins)PP
------------------------------------------------------------
29:21 1-1 PIT Petr Sykora [6] (Ryan Malone, Sidney Crosby)PP
31:32 1-2 MTL Andrei Kostitsyn [4] (Tomas Plekanec, Roman Hamrlik)
------------------------------------------------------------
44:19 1-3 MTL Andrei Markov [3] (Chris Higgins, Michael Ryder)PP
47:07 2-3 PIT Sergei Gonchar [1] (Ryan Malone, Sidney Crosby)
59:43 3-3 PIT Adam Hall [2] (Sidney Crosby, Jordan Staal) WG
------------------------------------------------------------
63:27 3-4 MTL Tomas Plekanec [3] (Alex Kovalev, Andrei Kostitsyn)PP

[duff88]

Habs in danger

http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/5584/76850759rx6.jpg
Adam Hall was the first star of the game,

May 6th 2008 - The Pittsburgh Penguins took a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven serie with the Montreal Canadiens by beating the Habs 4-2. Andrei Kostitsyn gave the Canadiens the lead early in the game, but consecutive goals by Ryan Whitney, Petr Sykora and Adam Hall shut down Guy Carbonneau's team for the rest of the game. Plekanec reduced the lead to one goal five minutes after the Penguins' third goal, but the Canadiens were never into it and Jordan Staal completed the score to give the penguins the win.

Adam Hall was the first star of the game with a goal and an assist. Hall has been one of Pittsburgh's best players in this serie with 3 goals and 2 assists in 4 games, an excellent amount for a player who totalised only 17 points in regular season.

"We'll just have to come back strong next game." said Alex Kovalev. "If we win in Montreal, we go back to Pittsburgh and it's a whole new serie."

Pittsburgh leads the serie 3-1.

Other games:
Vancouver beats Dallas 5-2 ----- 3-1 DAL
Edmonton beats Minnesota 3-2 ----- 3-1 EDM
New Jersey beats Ottawa 4-1 ----- 3-1 NJ

Pittsburgh Penguins 4 , Montreal Canadiens 2
Shots: 29 - 24
PIT PP: 0 of 3 (8 shots)
MTL PP: 0 of 4 (8 shots)

Boxscore for the game:
------------------------------------------------------------
04:47 0-1 MTL Andrei Kostitsyn [5] (Chris Higgins, Tomas Plekanec)
06:04 1-1 PIT Ryan Whitney [3] (Sergei Gonchar, Sidney Crosby)
10:33 2-1 PIT Petr Sykora [7] (Sidney Crosby, Ryan Whitney)
------------------------------------------------------------
no scoring
------------------------------------------------------------
40:51 3-1 PIT Adam Hall [3] (Evgeny Malkin, Brooks Orpik)
45:45 3-2 MTL Tomas Plekanec [4] (Alex Kovalev, Mark Streit)
51:01 4-2 PIT Jordan Staal [4] (Colby Armstrong, Adam Hall)
------------------------------------------------------------

[duff88]

Canadiens crumble to elimination

http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/402/sanstitreyt0.jpg
Adam Hall scored the serie-winning overtime goal

May 8th 2008 - Things were looking very good for the Canadiens when Michael Ryder scored to give them a 3-1 lead with less than 14 minutes to play in the third period. But that's when the Canadiens crumbled... Less than three minutes later, goals thirty seconds apart by enforcer Georges Laraque and goalscorer Petr Sykora had tied the game.

In overtime, Adam Hall, who had gained a reputation as a Habs killer by his surprisingly great play, solidified his status in history by scoring 5:11 in to eliminate the Montreal Canadiens. Goaltender Cristobal Huet would probably have wanted to get that shot back.

"It's disappointing." said Saku Koivu who had very good playoffs despite only scoring 6 points in 11 games. "We had a great team this year; we'll have to look back and see where things went wrong."

Pittsburgh won the serie 4-1. Sidney Crosby leads his team with 0 goals and 13 assists in 10 games.

Other games:
Dallas beats Vancouver 4-1 ----- 4-1 DAL
Minnesota beat Edmonton 4-3 (Brian Rolston scored 11:06 into OT) ----- 3-2 EDM
New Jersey beats Ottawa 3-2 ----- 4-1 NJ

Montreal Canadiens 3 , Pittsburgh Penguins 4
Shots: 20 - 30
MTL PP: 0 of 3 (5 shots)
PIT PP: 0 of 1 (3 shots)

Boxscore for the game:
------------------------------------------------------------
04:33 1-0 MTL Andrei Kostitsyn [6] (Greg de Vries, Tomas Plekanec)
10:42 1-1 PIT Milan Kraft [3] (Sergei Gonchar, Ryan Whitney)
------------------------------------------------------------
24:59 2-1 MTL Bryan Smolinski [2] (Michael Ryder)
------------------------------------------------------------
46:01 3-1 MTL Michael Ryder [3] (Mark Streit, Greg de Vries)
48:34 3-2 PIT Georges Laraque [3] (Darryl Sydor, Mark Eaton)
49:04 3-3 PIT Petr Sykora [8] (Sidney Crosby, Ryan Whitney)
------------------------------------------------------------
65:11 3-4 PIT Adam Hall [4] (Evgeny Malkin, Sidney Crosby)

[duff88]

Canadiens Playoffs review

http://www.ledevoir.com/2007/04/10/images/can_ar_100407.jpg
Andrei Markov was the best Canadiens in tough playoffs

May 11th 2008 - After a great regular season, the Canadiens had a tough time during the playoffs. Even during the first round win over the Washington Capitals, it was obvious that the team was having difficulties. Montreal couldn't correct those deficiencies and against a much better team in the second round, the Canadiens were exposed and eliminated.

The stat that will be remembered the most is the powerplay. The league-leading powerplay during regular season had a dysmal percentage in the playoffs; 4 out of 56 for 7.14%, and that's including a game where the team scored three powerplay goals. Taking that game out, the team falls to 1 out of 47 for 2.12%.

"Looking back, you've got to see the positive and negative. We had a young team, and we made the unexpected by being one of the best teams in the league." said Saku Koivu. "Still, I can admit I am ashamed of our performance as a team during the playoffs. Hopefully this is remembered next year."

Patrice Brisebois has already announced his retirement and Greg de Vries had already made it public at the start of the year; Bryan Smolinski has not denied the possibility of looking into it as well. The Canadiens have until July 1st to negotiate with Josh Gorges, Maxim Lapierre and Andrei Kostitsyn, who will be Restricte Free Agents, as well as Cristobal Huet, Mark Streit and Michael Ryder, who will be Unrestricted Free Agents.

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/773/playoffsks6.jpg

[duff88]

Conference finals set

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[duff88]

Edmonton and Devils set to face in Finals

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Zach Parisé hopes to lead the Devils to a third Stanley Cup

May 26th 2008 - The Edmonton Oilers, lead by Jarett Stoll, Tuomo Ruutu, Joni Pitkanen and Mathieu Garon, dominated the Dallas Stars for four games to win the Western Conference and make it to the Stanley Cup finals for the second time in three teams, once again against all expectations.

In the finals, Edmonton will play the New Jersey Devils who came back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in seven games, despite an amazing five goals, four assists performance by Sidney Crosby in the conference finals. Zach Parisé is currently the best scorer still active in the playoffs.

1. Sidney Crosby - C - PIT - 17GP - 5G - 17A - 22PTS
2. Zach Parisé - LW - NJ - 18GP - 7G - 13A - 20PTS
3. Ryan Whitney - D - PIT - 17GP - 4G - 14A - 18PTS
4. Jarret Stoll - C - EDM - 17GP - 7G - 10A - 17PTS
5. Brian Gionta - RW - NJ - 18GP - 7G - 10A - 17PTS
6. Mike Ribeiro - LW - DAL - 16GP - 6G - 11A - 17PTS
7. Nathan Horton - C - NJ - 18GP - 6G - 11A - 17PTS
8. Henrik Sedin - C - VAN - 12GP - 4G - 13A - 17PTS
9. Mike Modano - C - DAL - 16GP - 8G - 8A - 16PTS
10. Jere Lehtinen - RW - DAL - 16GP - 6G - 9A - 15PTS

Patrik Elias and Mike Rupp won't play during this serie for New Jersey because of injuries. Defenseman Vitaly Vishnevski could also miss some game. No Edmonton player is unavailable at the moment.

Edmonton Oilers (42-32-6-2)
#8 Geoff Sanderson - #16 Jarret Stoll - #15 Tuomo Ruutu
#14 Raffi Torres - #10 Shawn Horcoff [A] - #83 Ales Hemsky
#18 Ethan Moreau [C] - #89 Sam Gagner - #27 Dustin Penner
#91 Oleg Saprykin - #34 Fernando Pisani - #19 Marty Reasonner

#25 Joni Pitkänen - #44 Sheldon Souray
#24 Steve Staios [A] - #23 Dick Tärnström
#2 Matt Greene - #55 Ric Jackman

#32 Mathieu Garon
#35 Dwayne Roloson

New Jersey Devils (46-26-3-7)
#9 Zach Parisé - #11 John Madden [A] - #18 Sergei Brylin
#16 Dainius Zubrus - #19 Nathan Horton - #14 Brian Gionta
#24 Barry Tallackson - #12 Nicklas Bergfors - #15 Jamie Langenbrunner [C]
#20 Jay Pandolfo - #22 Aaron Asham - #45 Petr Vrana

#7 Paul Martin - #6 Andy Greene
#29 Johnny Oduya - #5 Colin White [A]
#8 Thomas Pöck - #42 Richard Matvichuk

#30 Martin Brodeur
#1 Kevin Weekes

[duff88]

Devils face elimination

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/7471/ruutuzb4.jpg
Tuomo Ruutu has been the best player for Edmonton so far in the finals

June 5th 2008 - The Edmonton Oilers have taken a 3-1 lead in the Stanley Cup finals and will try to win the championship as soon as tommorow in New Jersey. Tuomo Ruutu has been the best player so far in the finals, scoring a goal in each of the games played so far, including two game winners. If the Oilers win the Cup, Ruutu, centre Jarrett Stoll, defenseman Joni Pitkänen or goaltender Mathieu Garon could all be solid candidates for the Conn Smythe trophy is a playoff MVP.

The New Jersey Devils will wear their away jersey at home for the 5th game; New Jersey was the best road team in the league during regular season and have won all four season games where they wore this jersey.

[duff88]

Game 5 goes to OT

http://cdn.nhl.com/oilers/images/upload/2007/10/photo-gagner.jpg
Sam Gagner tied the game with 6 minutes left in the third period

June 6th 2008 - With their team facing elimination, the New Jersey Devils will have tons of pressure in the next few minutes. A goal by Sam Gagner with less than 6 minutes to go in the third period tied the game at three, and the Edmonton Oilers and New Jersey Devils game is now headed to overtime.

Ales Hemsky and Geoff Sanderson had scored the other goals for Edmonton while Jamie Langenbrunner and Nathan Horton, twice, were the scorers for New Jersey.

Results to the game will be available as soon as possible.

[duff88]

Edmonton wins the Stanley Cup

http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/4788/horcoffzh1.jpg
Shawn Horcoff after scoring the game winning OT goal

June 6th 2008 - The Edmonton Oilers are Stanley Cup Champions!

13:37 into the first OT, Shawn Horcoff recieved a pass after some excellent forecheck by Tuomo Ruutu and fired a wrist shot that passed over Martin Brodeur's left shoulder to win the game. The Edmonton Oilers eliminated the Devils in five games.

After celebrations and a hand shake, commissionner Gary Bettman came onto the ice:

"Congratulations, Edmonton Oilers, for this 6th Stanley Cup and to the New Jersey Devils for a great run. First, let's present the Conn Smythe trophy for Most Valuable Player in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The winner is Tuomo Ruutu!"

Ruutu, a surprising trade deadline acquisition by the Edmonton Oilers, scored 11 goals and 7 assists for 18 points in 21 playoff games. The 25 years old is the first Finnish player, and the second european, to win this trophy.

"Ethan Moreau, you may come and get the Stanley Cup!" said the commissioner after Ruutu's brief photo with the Conn Smythe.

Moreau took the cup high above his head with his teammates cheering around him. Shawn Horcoff was the player that recieved the cup in second, then Conn Smythe trophy winner Tuomo Ruutu, who passed it to veteran backup Dwayne Roloson, the oldest player on the team who had led the Oilers to the Finals two years ago.

[Travis]

Congrats on your playoff run, I'd imagine next year your guys will take that next step and at the very least make a finals appearance. Glad to see the Oil not only upset the Flames, but get a Cup win in before the Monteal dynasty begins ;)

[duff88]

Congrats on your playoff run, I'd imagine next year your guys will take that next step and at the very least make a finals appearance. Glad to see the Oil not only upset the Flames, but get a Cup win in before the Monteal dynasty begins ;)

To tell the truth I was not expecting to be this succesful in my first season, the loss to Pittsburgh hurt twice as bad because I had gotten my hopes up. ;)

[duff88]

Mr. Crosby

http://www.fanatique.ca/images/lnh/crosbyhart.jpg
Sidney Crosby with the Art Ross, Hart and Pearson for the second year in a row.

June 10th 2008 - The annual NHL award ceremony was presented tonight in Toronto. Sidney Crosby was, for the second year in a row, the star of the night, winning the Art Ross for most regular season points, the Hart for MVP of the league and the Lester B. Pearson for best player as voted by his pears. Crosby beat Eric Staal and Joe Thornton for the Hart trophy. Here are the other winners:

Jack Adams Award - Coach of the Year
Brent Sutter (NJ)
Marc Crawford (LA)
Guy Carbonneau (MTL)

Calder Memorial Trophy - Rookie of the Year
Andy Greene (NJ)
Nicklas Bäckström (WAS)
Jonathan Toews (CHI)

Lady Byng Memorial Trophy - Sporstmanship
Eric Staal (CAR)
Jason Spezza (OTT)
Paul Kariya (STL)

James Norris Memorial Trophy - Defeseman of the Year
Nicklas Lidström (DET)
Wade Redden (OTT)
Andrei Markov (MTL)

Frank J. Selke Trophy - Defensive Forward of the Year
Shane Doan (PHO)
Ryan Getzlaf (ANA)
Milan Michalek (SJ)

Georges Vezina Trophy - Goaltender of the Year
Mikael Tellqvist (LA)
Martin Brodeur (NJ)
Marty Turco (DAL)

[duff88]

Penguins-Kings trade prospects

http://www2.canoe.com/archives/sports/nouvelles/media/2007/06/20070619-055301-g.jpg
Angelo Esposito's rights will now belong to the Los Angeles Kings.

June 13th 2008 - A major trade happened today, but none of the players involved have played a single game in the NHL. The Pittsburgh Penguins traded their first round pick in last year's draft Angelo Esposito to the Los Angeles Kings for their own first round pick in 2006, goaltender Jonathan Bernier.

[duff88]

Draft Preview - TSN's Top 30

http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/472/filatovxh2.jpg
The biggest question heading to the draft is how far will Nikita Filatov fall?


June 15th 2008 - The draft is in less than a week, and people are still unsure who will be the first overall pick. Scouts are very divided on whom of Doughty and Stamkos is the better player, and it will likely come down to team need for the Buffalo Sabres tommorow; in that case Stamkos would be the choice.

With still no transfer agreement with the Russians, you can expect those to fall big time on draft day. A team should take a chance on Filatov in the top 10, simply because he's such a huge prospect, but most scouts are very hesitant on using a draft pick in such a situation.

The Canadiens hold the 28th overall pick.

#. NAME - POS - STYLE - NATIONALITY - TEAM (LEA) - HEIGHT/WEIGHT (CSS RANK) - STYLE COMPARISON
1. Drew Doughty - D - Offensive defeseman - Canada - Guelph Storm (OHL) - 6'0/185 (CSS #2 NA) - Nicklas Lidström
2. Steven Stamkos - C - Offensive forward - Canada - Sarnia Sting (OHL) - 6'0/170 (CSS #1 NA) - Joe Sakic
3. Nikita Filatov - LW - Offensive forward - Russia - CSKA Moscow (RUS) - 6'0/165 (CSS #1 EU) - Pavel Datsyuk
4. Luke Schenn - - D - Physical defenseman - Canada - Kelowna Rockets (WHL) - 6'3/210 (CSS #9 NA) - Robyn Regehr
5. Alex Pietrangelo - D - Offensive defenseman - Canada - Mississauga Ice Dogs (OHL) - 6'3/192 (CSS #4 NA) - Mattias Öhlund
6. Zach Bogosian - D - Offensive defenseman - Canada - Peterborough Petes (OHL) - 6'2/190 (CSS #14 NA) - Dion Phaneuf
7. Mikkel Bødker - LW - Offensive forward - Denmark - Frölunda (SWE) - 5'10/182 (CSS #4 EU) - Marian Gaborik
8. Vladislav Peregudov - RW - Goalscorer - Russia - Salavat Ufa (RUS) - 6'5/228 (CSS #2 EU) - Vincent Lecavalier
9. Kevin Poulin - G - Canada - Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL) - 6'2/210 (CSS #1 NA G) - Roberto Luongo
10. Colin Wilson - RW - Playmaker - USA - Boston University (NCAA) - 6'1/215 (CSS #3 NA) - Rod Brind'Amour
11. Kyle Beach - C - Power forward - Canada - Everett Silvertips (WHL) - 6'3/180 (CSS #5 NA) - Ryan Getzlaf
12. Johan Motin - D - Defensive defenseman - Sweden - Färjestad (SWE) - 6'2/200 (CSS #3 EU) - Chris Phillips
13. Alexey Shakirov - G - Russia - CSKA Moscow (RUS) - 6'3/221 (CSS #1 EU G) - Nikolai Khabibulin
14. Zach Boychuk - C - Offensive forward - Canada - Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL) - 5'9/176 (CSS #7 NA) - Mike Cammalleri
15. Mikhail Stefanovich - RW - Goalscorer - Belarus - Quebec Remparts (QMJHL) - 6'2/202 (CSS #13 NA) - Marian Hossa
16. Joe Colborne - RW - Offensive forward - Canada - Notre Dame (NCAA) - 6'3/175 (CSS #10 NA) - Olli Jokinen
17. James Wright - C - Two-way forward - Canada - Prince George Cougars (WHL) - 6'2/180 (CSS #54 NA) - John Madden
18. Jordan Eberle - C - Goalscorer - Canada - Regina Pats (WHL) - 5'10/162(CSS #6 NA) - Milan Hejduk
19. Mattias Tedenby - LW - Offensive forward - Sweden - HV 71 (SWE) - 5'11/176 (CSS #6 EU) - Ladislav Nagy
20. Joshua Bailey - C - Playmaker - Canada - Windsor Spitfires (OHL) - 5'11/167 (CSS #12 NA) - Mike Richards
21. Colten Teubert - D - Physical defenseman - Canada - Regina Pats (WHL) - 6'4/180 (CSS #32 NA) - Adam Foote
22. Per-Johan Bøe - LW - Playmaker - Sweden - HV 71 (SWE) - 6'3/203 (CSS #7 EU) - Alex Tanguay
23. Tyler Myers - D - Defensive defenseman - Canada - Red Deer Rebeles (WHL) - 6'7/225 (CSS #8 NA) - _____
24. David Toews - LW - Two-way forward - Canada - North Dakota (NCAA) - 5'11/185 (CSS #24 NA) - Marco Sturm
25. Jonas Pontusson - RW - Offensive forward - Sweden - Timra (SWE) - 5'9/163 (CSS #34 EU) - Brian Gionta
26. Cody Hodgson - C - Playmaker - Canada - Brampton Battalion (OHL) - 5'11/182 (CSS #11 NA) - Kris Draper
27. Josh Kensett - C - Offensive forward - Canada - St. Michael's Majors (OHL) - 6'4/201 (CSS #95 NA) - Nik Antropov
28. Don Michelson - G - USA - Miami-Ohio (NCAA) - 6'3/211 (CSS #2 NA G) - Olaf Kölzig
29. Reima Miettinen - RW - Offensive forward - Finland - Ilves Tampere (FIN) - 5'11/176 (CSS #9 EU) - Petr Sykora
30. Steven Styles - RW - Offensive forward - Canada - Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL) - 6'3/219 (CSS #26 NA) - Corey Perry

[duff88]

Carey Price named to second AHL All-Star team

http://www.rds.ca/images/chroniques/243868_resize.jpg
Carey Price was sent down to Hamilton after an unsucessful try with Montreal

June 16th 2008 - Goaltender Carey Price was the only Hamilton Bulldogs player named to one of the two AHL All-Star Teams. In 55 games, Price had 26 wins, a 1.83GAA, a 90,5% save percentage and 11 shutouts.

1st All-Stars
Robbie Schremp (EDM) - Phil Kessel (BOS) - Bobby Ryan (ANA)
Jack Johnson (LA) - Danny Syvret (EDM)
Michael Wall (COL)

2nd All-Stars
Devin Setoguchi (SJ) - Brandon Prust (CGY) - Lauri Tukonen (LA)
Alex Picard (PHI) - Jakub Kindl (DET)
Carey Price (MTL)

[duff88]

Two Canadiens in first NHL All-Star Team

http://www.fanatique.ca/images/canadiens/markov.jpg
Andrei Markov, Norris trophy winner, was without surprise named to the first all-star team

June 16th 2008 - Canadiens defesenman Andrei Markov and right winger Alex Kovalev were named to the first NHL All-Star Team.

1st All-Stars
Ladislav Nagy (LA) - Sidney Crosby (PIT) - Alex Kovalev (MTL)
Andrei Markov (MTL) - Nicklas Lidström (DET)
Marty Turco (DAL)

2nd All-Stars
Alexander Ovechkin (WAS) - Eric Staal (CAR) - Jaromir Jagr (NYR)
Wade Redden (OTT) - Dion Phaneuf (CGY)
Mikael Tellqvist (LA)

1st All-Rookies
Nicklas Bäckström (WAS) - Jonathan Toews (CHI) - Patrick Kane (CHI)
Andy Greene (NJ) - Erik Johnson (CAR)
Pekka Rinne (NAS)

2nd All-Rookies
James Sheppard (MIN) - Sam Gagner (EDM) - Mason Raymond (VAN)
Marc Staal (NYR) - Matt Lashoff (BOS)
Dmitri Pätzold (SJ)

[duff88]

2008 NHL Draft results

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/2030/stamkospn6.jpg
The first overall pick by the Buffalo Sabres was center Steven Stamkos

June 21st 2008 - The 2008 NHL Entry draft was conducted for the last two days in Ottawa. After seeing three Canadians going one-two-three, respectively Steven Stamkos to the Buffalo Sabres, Drew Doughty to the Philadelphia Flyers and Alex Pietrangelo to the Columbus Blue Jackets, things started to get wild.

The Detroit Red Wings made a somewhat surprising pick at fourth overall, going for danish winger Mikkel Bødker. Experts were thinking the speedy winger was going to be drafted in the second tier of the first round because teams would shy away from a non-hockey country player so soon in the draft.

The big event during the draft was the expected, but still surprsingly big, fall of the russians. Nikita Filatov, considered by many as a top-3 player in the draft, fell all the way to #16 when he was drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning. It was somewhat a surprise to see him go to Tampa Bay as they are not a team that has particularly good relations with Russia or any good assets that will help them sign Filatov, but it's always a plus when you get a player like Filatov. Vladislav Peregudov and Alexey Shakirov also fell, going respectively #22 to the Calgary Flames and #29 to the Anaheim Ducks.

With their first round pick, the Montreal Canadiens drafted strong two-way forward James Wright. The big center from the Prince George Cougars does every thing well, he is particularly effective physically, is a leader and isn't affraid to drop the gloves. Montreal Canadiens head scout Trevor Timmins described him as "someone who does everything well, but nothing amazing."

In the second round, Montreal selected slovenian defenseman Pavol Terpak. Playing in Slovakia, the offensive defenseman is a great skater who has amazing vision and is very good defensively without being physical, in a style reminiscent of Andrei Markov's. Terpak also has a great slap shot.

Speedy right winger Tom Adams, stay-at-home defenseman J.C. Kay and playmaking power forward Louis-Nicolas Leblanc were the other picks for Montreal.

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/2363/2008draftte0.jpg

[duff88]

Streit wants to test the market

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Mark Streit should recieve many offers, but doesn't rule out a return to Montreal

June 26th 2008 - Swiss defenseman Mark Streit has told his club that he is going to test the unrestricted free agents market. Streit, who is well known for his offensive skills and versatility, few players can succesfully play both as a defenseman or a forward, hopes to recieve offers in the two millions per year range. He hasn't ruled out a return to Montreal.

In other contractual news, the Canadiens have extended offers to Michael Ryder and Cristobal Huet, who could also become unrestricted free agents. Andrei Kostitsyn, Maxim Lapierre and Josh Gorges recieved qualifying offers and will become restricted free agents if they don't re-sign.

Bryan Smolinski, Patrice Brisebois and Greg de Vries, who have all speculated on retiring, will not be offered a contract.

[duff88]

Huet re-signs!

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Cristobal Huet will be back for the 2008-2009 season.

June 29th 2008 - The Montreal Canadiens have agreed on a contract with goaltender Cristobal Huet. Reports say Huet signed a 1 year deal, which contains a second year option at the team's discretion, for 4M$. The deal would also include a no-trade clause.

A native of France, Cristobal Huet was originally drafted to the NHL by the Los Angeles Kings in the 7th round of the 2001 entry draft. He has appeared in 196 NHL games during his career, booking 16 career shutouts and allowing 475 goals. The 32 year old goaltender will be in a three goalie fight with Jaroslav Halak and Carey Price, unless one of the young kids is traded.

[duff88]

Ryder won't be back

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Michael Ryder will wear a new uniform in 2008-2009

July 1st 2008 - Michael Ryder has rejected a two-year offer from the Montreal Canadiens and both parties decided to part ways as Ryder became an unrestricted free agent. It looks like the Canadiens will not try to have further negotiations with Ryder. Ryder will be the headline of an incredibly thin pool of free agents.

Among re-signed players, Andrei Kostitsyn has agreed on a 4 years contract, Maxim Lapierre on a 2 years deal and Josh Gorges on a 1 year deal.

Here is a list of other players who parted ways with the Canadiens:

Andrew Archer
Mathieu Biron
Jean-Philippe Côté
Cédrik Desjardins
Jon Gleed
Eric Manlow
James Sanford
Mark Streit
Cory Urquhart

[duff88]

Andrei Markov wins 2007-2008 Molson Cup

http://www.ledevoir.com/2007/11/21/images/mar_ar_211107.jpg
Andrei Markov can add the Molson Cup to his trophy room

July 1st 2008 - Without much surprise, Norris trophy winning defenseman Andrei Markov won the 2007-2008 Montreal Canadiens Molson Cup as the team's most valuable player. Markov had won only one segment of the cup, in March, but was among the considerations for the award multiple times.

Steve Bégin won the Jacques Beauchamp trophy as the player who contributed the most to the team's success without earning any particular honors. Bégin succeeds Mark Streit as winner; it's the second time he wins the award as he had won it in 2005-2006. He becomes only the fourth player, after Craig Ludwig, Mike McPhee and Benoît Brunet, to win the award more than once since it's first presentation in 1982.

[duff88]

Ryder wastes no time

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Michael Ryder will be a Philadelphia Flyers

July 1st 2008 - Only a few hours after the start of the free agency period, former Canadiens Michael Ryder was the first player to sign a contract with a new NHL team. The right winger from Newfoundland signed a 3 year deal that will have him earn 2,4M$ every year.

Ryder has scored 30 goals in each of his last three seasons. Rumors say the Canadiens had offered him a 2 years contract with a slightly higher salary.

[duff88]

Canadiens sign Scott Nichol

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Scott Nichol spent the last three seasons with the Nashville Predators

July 5th 2008 - The Montreal Canadiens have signed a two year, 900K$ per year contract with 33 years old centre Scott Nichol. The Canadiens hope to bring a role player in Nichol, an assurance policy that they won't be affraid to place in the starting lineup. The small 5'8/173 centre plays a smart, physical two-way game. He is excellent on the forecheck, very effective at killing penalties and he is among the bests of the league on faceoffs.

A native of Edmonton, Alberta, Scott Nichol was originally drafted to the NHL by the Buffalo Sabres in the 11th round of the 1993 entry draft. He has appeared in 322 NHL games during his career, notching 34 goals and adding 38 assists along with 613 penalty minutes. His season was short lived last year, playing only 21 games because of a wrist injury. He scored 4 goals and 4 assists during this season. Nichol will wear #24.

Among other notable free agent signings, Sami Salo will continue his career with the Dallas Stars.

The Canadiens also signed some of their prospects that will likely play for Hamilton. David Fischer, the team's first round pick in 2006, and Ben Maxwell, second round pick in the same year, are among the group. Ryan White, Cameron Cepek, Philippe Paquet, Andrew Conboy and Joe Stejskal were the others.

[duff88]

Canadiens looking at young swedish free agent

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Some call 23 years old winger Fabian Brunnström the next Daniel Alfredsson

July 13th 2008 - It looks like many teams have offered a contract to 23 years old swedish winger Fabian Brunnström. A quick offensive player, Brunnström is said to have elite offensive skills and could be a star player in the NHL. The drawback is how his style is going to adapt on the North American rink size; there have been many overrage future stars who finally never were.

Rumors say Brunnström is considering offers from the Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks and two undisclosed teams.

[duff88]

Streit is back

http://www.news.ch/news_img/article/125323-mark-streit.jpg
Mark Streit decided he wants to pursue his career in Montreal

July 19th 2008 - After testing the free agent market, defenseman Mark Streit has decided to sign a three year deal to come back with the Montreal Canadiens. Terms of the deal were not announced, but it looks like it is somewhat below what Streit was expected to get on the market; he took somewhat of a discount to come back.

A native of Switzerland, Mark Streit was originally drafted to the NHL by the Montreal Canadiens in the 9th round of the 2004 entry draft. The 30 years old has appeared in 206 NHL games during his career, notching 20 goals and adding 58 assists along with 74 penalty minutes.

[duff88]

Brunnström a Canuck

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Fabian Brunnström will start his NHL career in Vancouver

July 24th 2008 - Swedish winger Fabian Brunnström, who was a player highly touted by the Montreal Canadiens and many other NHL teams, has finally decided to sign a two-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks, where he will find another Swede who has had a successful late-starting career, Markus Näslund.

Canucks general manager Dave Nonis has made no secrets, he wants Brunnström to start the year on his top two lines and will give him every chance to do so. The swedish forward will wear #96.

[duff88]

Forsberg returns to the NHL

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Peter Forsberg will return to the NHL with the St. Louis Blues

August 3rd 2008 - After one year away from hockey while healing injuries, 35 years old centre Peter Forsberg has decided to come back to the NHL for one last season. The swedish playmaker signed a one year, 6.5M$ contract, including a no-trade clause, with the St. Louis Blues where he hopes to win one last Stanley Cup.

Here are some other notable signings through the summer:
Jan Hrdina - LW - Boston Bruins
Jeff O'Neill - RW - Chicago Blackhawks
Robert Esche - G - Chicago Blackhawks
Alyn McCauley - RW - Colorado Avalanche
Martin Lapointe - LW - Colorado Avalanche
Mike Leclerc - C - Dallas Stars
Sébastien Caron - G - Detroit Red Wings
Jan Bulis - LW - Florida Panthers
Nils Ekman - LW - Los Angeles Kings
Jason Allison - C - Minnesota Wild
Petr Nedved - C - Minnesota Wild
Patrik Stefan - LW - Minnesota Wild
Tom Preissing - D - Philadelphia Flyers
Martin Rucinsky - LW - Phoenix Coyotes
Taylor Pyatt - LW - Phoenix Coyotes
Valeri Bure - RW - St. Louis Blues
Andrei Nikolishin - C - St. Louis Blues
Alexei Yashin - LW - St. Louis Blues
Ville Nieminen - LW - Toronto Maple Leafs
Danny Markov - D - Toronto Maple Leafs
Éric Dazé - LW - Vancouver Canucks

[duff88]

Canadiens sign prospect Emelin

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22 years old defenseman Alexei Emelin signed a two year deal

August 24th 2008 - Only a few days before training camp, the Montreal Canadiens have finally come to an agreement with defenseman Alexei Emelin. With the difficult relationship between the NHL and Russia, the Habs had been having difficulties signing the russian defenseman for the last three years.

Emelin could start the year with the big club, but chances are he is going to do so in Hamilton to get used to the North-American game. His style suits the league though; Emelin is a physical player who gets under his opponent's skin and who plays a very solid defensive game. He is a bit undisciplined and has become known as a dirty player, which may hurt him in the long run.

[duff88]

Canadiens open training camp for centennial season

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Huet-Halak-Price: Will the Canadiens do something about their goaltender threesome

September 5th 2008 - Training camp was opening with team meetings and some fitness tests today as 44 Montreal Canadiens players were present at the Bell Centre.

There's still a long month ahead before the team opens the season at home against the Chicago Blackhawks on October 5th, when the roster will be reduced to 23 players, 20 of whom will be dressed to play in this game. The first day of camp was obviously nothing too intense, but after last year's playoff meltdown, the players wanted to make it clear that they were going for the Cup for the centennial season.

"We surprised a lot of people last year, and it was not just some random luck." said captain Saku Koivu. "We lost some key experimented players, but our kids were already pushing hard, and they are a year older. We will be better, and this time we know how to react when the pressure comes in."

PLAYERS IN CAMP
G Jaroslav Halak
G Cristobal Huet
G Loïc Lacasse
G Carey Price
LD Francis Bouillon
LD Alexei Emelin
LD Josh Gorges
LD Danny Groulx
LD Roman Hamrlik
LD Andrei Markov
LD/LW Mark Streit
LD Pavol Terpak*
LD Pavel Valentenko
RD Mathieu Carle
RD Cameron Cepek
RD David Fischer
RD Mike Komisarek
RD Ryan O'Byrne
RD Philippe Paquet
RD Pernell-Karl Subban*
RD Yannick Weber*
LW Mathieu Aubin
LW Steve Begin
LW Andrew Conboy
LW Matt D'Agostini
LW Chris Higgins
LW Sergei Kostitsyn
LW Guillaume Latendresse
LW James-Thomas Wyman
C Kyle Chipchura
C Saku Koivu
C Maxim Lapierre
C Corey Locke
C Ben Maxwell
C Scott Nichol
C Tomas Plekanec
C Ryan White
C James Wright*
RW/RD Mathieu Dandenault
RW Jonathan Ferland
RW Olivier Fortier*
RW Andrei Kostitsyn
RW Tom Kostopoulos
RW Alex Kovalev
RW Fancis Lemieux
RW Duncan Milroy

* marks a prospect invitee

[duff88]

Scott Nichol suspended

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Newcomer Scott Nichol will miss 6 games while serving a suspension

September 11th 2008 - After a hit from behind incident, Scott Nichol has been suspended for 6 regular season games. The hit happened in the second period of a pre-season game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, when Nichol was overly aggressive on star forward Sidney Crosby. Crosby injured his shoulder on the play and will be out indefinitely. Although the hit was not incredibly dirty, the fact that Nichol is a repeat offender and that his opponent will be out for a long period contributed to a harsher decision.

"Obviously that's not what I wanted to happen." said Nichol. "Hopefully he heals quickly."

[duff88]

Canadiens trade Halak to Nashville

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Jaroslav Halak (left) and Cody Franson (right) in their new uniform.

September 12th 2008 - The Montreal Canadiens have decided to cut short the goaltender overload by trading young slovak goaltender Jaroslav Halak. Halak, who has recently turned 23 years old, was traded today to the Nashville Predators for 21 years old defenseman Cody Franson. Halak will get a chance to start in Nashville, but he will once again have to surpass two NHL caliber goaltenders; veteran Chris Mason and young Pekka Rinne.

"It is not a surprise, I couldn't go to Hamilton, and the team had to make a move." said Halak. "I'll go to Nashville and prove they made the wrong one."

Jaroslav Halak was originally drafted to the NHL by the Montreal Canadiens in the 9th round of the 2003 entry draft. He has appeared in 31 NHL games during his career, booking 2 career shutouts and allowing 86 goals.

A native of Salmon Arm, British Columbia, Cody Franson was originally drafted to the NHL by the Nashville Predators 79th overall in the 2005 entry draft. He has appeared in 5 NHL games during his career, notching 1 assist along with 4 penalty minutes. The 6'4/205 right handed defenseman is still young, but he projects to be a solid defenseman on both sides of the ice. He still can go to the minor without clearing waivers, so if he doesn't win his spot in training camp, we could see him in Hamilton. He will wear #56.

[duff88]

Canadiens make first cuts

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Francis Lemieux has been a huge surprise, surviving the first cuts.

September 16th 2008 - Head coach Guy Carbonneau announced the first cuts today, as the team sent down 13 players to the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL, sending five others back to their junior team, going down from 44 to 28 players:

G Loïc Lacasse
LD Alexei Emelin
LD Pavol Terpak*1
LD Pavel Valentenko
RD Cameron Cepek
RD David Fischer
RD Philippe Paquet
RD Pernell-Karl Subban*2
RD Yannick Weber*3
LW Andrew Conboy
LW James-Thomas Wyman
C Ben Maxwell
C Corey Locke
C Ryan White
C James Wright*4
RW Jonathan Ferland
RW Olivier Fortier*5
RW Duncan Milroy

*1 returned to HC Kosice in Slovakia
*2 returned to Belleville of the OHL
*3 returned to Kitchener of the OHL
*4 returned to Prince George of the WHL
*5 returned to Rimouski of the QMJHL

In other news, Jaroslav Halak impressed in his first pre-season start with his new team. With a team lead by rookies against a more veteran-heavy Columbus Blue Jackets, Halak blocked all 39 shots against to earn the shutout in a 1-0 win.

[duff88]

Fight for roster spots

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Ryan O'Byrne has been a deception in the last two years

September 24th 2008 - The are 28 players left in Montreal with only a few days to go before the last cuts, but there are very few openings. The goaltending, after the departure of Jaroslav Halak, is set with Cristobal Huet and Carey Price. On defense, there will be openings for the 6th and 7th defensemen. Finally, there will be a fight for the 12th and 13th forwards on the team, who has said they plan on keeping only 22 players.

Five defensemen are already guaranteed a roster spot: Norris trophy winner Andrei Markov, Mike Komisarek, Roman Hamrlik, Mark Streit and Francis Bouillon. This means the fight for the bottom pairing and backup defenseman is fought between Josh Gorges, Ryan O'Byrne, Cody Franson, Mathieu Carle and Danny Groulx.

Gorges is the only one who has played regularly in the NHL; the 24 years old played 58 games last year in Montreal, scoring 12 points. O'Byrne was expected to spend the last year in Hamilton before graduating as a beast on the Montreal defense, but he has been a disappointment and it would be a big surprise if he'd even play in Montreal this year. Franson was only recently acquired, and as a young player with only one professionnal year behind his belt, we can expect him to start the season in Hamilton and only be a potential callup. The youngest of the group, Carle played with the Bulldogs last year and should once again play there this year. He has developped very nicely, but he is prone to defensive mistakes which could make him somewhat risky in the NHL. Finally, Groulx is the elder of the group at 27 years old. With no NHL game in his career, Groulx is still one of the favourites because he can be used without having to worry about mistakes, and he can contribute offensively.

At forward, five players will fight for three spots, at least until Scott Nichol's return from his suspension. Left wingers Mathieu Aubin, Sergei Kostitsyn and Matt D'Agostini and right wingers Francis Lemieux and Duncan Milroy will try to earn a place in the roster, although only one of them can realistically expect to start the year on the starting lineup.

A big 21 years old winger, Aubin had a good season with the Bulldogs last year but really surprised during training camp, showing he developped nicely during he off-season. Sergei Kostitsyn, the younger brother of Andrei, is a future core player but he is not expected to stay with the big club unless it is to play regularly. Matt D'Agostini had a poor year with the Bulldogs last year, which may confirm his chances are very thin of staying with the big club. Francis Lemieux was another player who came out of nowhere during camp; nobody even expected to see him get past the first cuts, yet there are slightly good chances he stays with the big club. Finally, Duncan Milroy has developped into a nice scorer at the AHL level, but he has yet to establish himself in the NHL, and this could be his last true chance.

[duff88]

Carbonneau makes final cuts

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Danny Groulx will start the year in Montreal

September 27th 2008 - Guy Carbonneau announced the final cuts today and fixed the team's roster for the start of the season. The team went from 28 to 22 players, with Scott Nichol as the 23rd player once he has served his suspension.

RD Mathieu Carle
RD Cody Fransson
LW Mathieu Aubin
LW Matt D'Agostini
RW Jonathan Ferland
RW Duncan Milroy

[Nugget699]

I'm enjoying the read KUTGW. I haven't nearly as much success with the Islanders but this game is still the best one available imo.

I always heard that draft classes never develop aswell as they should ruining the long term playability of this game. Do you know if thats the case?

[duff88]

I'm enjoying the read KUTGW. I haven't nearly as much success with the Islanders but this game is still the best one available imo.

I always heard that draft classes never develop aswell as they should ruining the long term playability of this game. Do you know if thats the case?

Never really noticed that about draft classes.

Updates may start to be more distanced because of university exams coming up and my recent TBCB 2.5 purchase.

[duff88]

A look at the 2008-2009 Montreal Canadiens: Goaltenders

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#39 Cristobal Huet - 33 Years Old - 6'0/194 - France
The french goaltender will be starting his fourth year in Montreal. He proved last year that he can be relied on as a very solid starting goaltender. He recently signed a one year contract, and it could very well be his last in Montreal as the team will want to make Carey Price the starter as soon as possible.


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#31 Carey Price - 21 Years Old - 6'3/212 - Canada
It was a bit of a let down last year when Carey Price was sent back to Hamilton, but it was probably the best move for his development. Price got better and better as the year went on, and he proved in camp he is now a much better goaltender than at the same time last year. He will probably play between 20 to 30 games this year as backup to Cristobal Huet.

[duff88]

A look at the 2008-2009 Montreal Canadiens: Defensemen

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#79 Andrei Markov - 29 years old - 6'0/185 - Russia - 5,750,000$ - 3 Years
Coming off an amazing season where he was handed the Norris trophy as the league's best defenseman, Markov hopes to come back as strong on the Canadiens blue line. It will be a tough task to live up to the expectations raised by his last season, but he should still be one of the best blue liner in the league.


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#8 Mike Komisarek - 26 years old - 6'4/230 - USA - 1,700,000$ - 1 Year
Mike Komisarek may have been helped by playing with the league's top defenseman, but he was one of the revelations of last year. Among the league's leaders in hits and shots blocked, the huge defenseman was rock solid defensively. He is expected to carry on the same role this year while starting to play a bigger role as a leader.


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#44 Roman Hamrlik - 34 years old - 6'2/210 - Czech Republic - 3,500,000$ - 3 Years
Roman Hamrlik proved his GM right by having a very good season last year, adding a whole new dimension by solidifying the team's second defensive pairing. He is aging, so it would be unfair to expect more, but we can certainly expect him to continue playing that reliable veteran role.


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#32 Mark Streit - 30 years old - 5'11/198 - Switzerland - 1,200,000$ - 3 Years
Streit decided to sign back at a discount in Montreal after testing the unrestricted free agent market, and he will now play a bigger role than ever. A key component of the powerplay, Streit's versatility will once again be a big asset in Montreal.


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#51 Francis Bouillon - 33 years old - 5'8/190 - Canada - 1,875,000$ - 2 Years
Bouillon is expected to continue on last year's solid but unspectacular play as a bottom pairing defenseman. He will need to play hard every night and limit mistakes if he wants to keep his regular spot.


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#26 Josh Gorges - 24 years old - 6'0/180 - Canada - 550,000$ - 1 Year
Gorges played more than expected as the team's seventh defenseman last year, but he will need to step it up another notch this year if he wants to stay on the starting lineup. There are a lot of players pushing in his back, but he should keep his place if he doesn't try to do too much and keep things simple.


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#49 Danny Groulx - 27 years old - 6'0/210 - Canada - 525,000$ - 4 Years
It took a long time, but Danny Groulx has finally made it to the NHL. The 27 years old has yet to play an NHL game, but he is expected to be able to come in an play solid hockey if needed. He is an intelligent player who skates well and who is solid on both ends of the ice.

[duff88]

A look at the 2007-2008 Montreal Canadiens: Left Wingers

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#21 Chris Higgins - 25 years old - 5'11/192 - USA - 1,700,000$ - 1 Year
Higgins was unbelievable last year, combining his excellent offensive skills with great two-way hockey. It will be tough for him to reach last year's totals again, but he will be expected to continue playing his hardworking style on every shift; his skills should do then do the job.


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#84 Guillaume Latendresse - 21 years old - 6'2/222 - Canada - 850,000$ - 2 Years
Even though he didn't score 50 points, the young Latendresse had a great end to last season playing on the first line with Saku Koivu and Alex Kovalev. He is expected to start the year on that line again, and we should expect to continue seeing him develop at a quick pace.


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#22 Steve Bégin - 30 years old - 5'11/190 - Canada - 650,000$ - 2 Years
Not certain of his roster spot, Bégin surprised pretty much every experts in the league by having a great season last year. His defensive play earned him the fifth place in Selke votings, and his hard-working, high-energy game has contributed to make him a solid part of the Canadiens lineup.


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#74 Sergei Kostitsyn - 21 years old - 5'11/174 - Belarus - 625,000$ - 2 Years
The younger brother of Andrei, Sergei Kostitsyn comes in with expectations to score many points as an NHL rookie. A bit less skiled than his brother, Sergei plays a more high-energy game and although he is much smaller, he has become known as a surprisingly physical player.

[duff88]

A look at the 2007-2008 Montreal Canadiens: Centres


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#11 Saku Koivu - 33 years old - 5'10/180 - Finland - 4,750,000$ - 2 Years
Saku Koivu had a great year last season, but fans are growing tired of the team's insuccess and he is getting most of the blame as team captain. Some may thing it's not faire, but we can expect it will be his last year in Montreal if the team doesn't come closer to the cup, especially in their centennial year.


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#14 Tomas Plekanec - 25 years old - 5'10/189 - Czech Republic - 1,500,000$ - 1 Year
Tomas Plekanec scored 71 points last year, and coach Guy Carbonneau is the first to say that we can still expect more from him. Not that he is not working hard, but Plekanec has continued developping ever since he came over to North America after being drafted in the 3rd round in 2001.


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#24 Scott Nichol - 33 years old - 5'8/173 - 900,000$ - 2 Years
Scott Nichol comes in with expectations to complement Steve Begin as an energy defensive specialist who will make hits and excel on the penalty kill. He has had injury problems in his career and has yet to really establish himself truly at the NHL level, but the Canadiens staff seem confident he can be a valuable fourth liner.


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#40 Maxim Lapierre - 23 years old - 6'2/174 - Canada - 625,000$ - 2 Years
Lapierre played only 13 games last year, but he is expected to be a regular this season. The hard-nosed high-energy forward will not score tons of points, but he should be a valuable fourth liner. Lapierre may play on the right wing when the roster is full.


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#28 Kyle Chipchura - 22 years old - 6'2/197 - Canada - 600,000$ - 2 Years
After scoring 16 points in 76 games in his rookie season, Chipchura will play a more prominent role with the Canadiens this year. He is expected to contribute more offensively while getting more time on the penalty kill and against the other team's top line.

[duff88]

A look at the 2007-2008 Montreal Canadiens: Right Wingers


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#27 Alex Kovalev - 35 years old - 6'2/215 - Russia - 4,500,000$ - 2 Years
People were hoping Alex Kovalev would have a good season in 2007-2008, but I think no one really expected anything that big. His 37 goals, 53 assists season earned Kovalev a place on the league's first all-star team and was a major part in leading the Canadiens to the playoffs. Kovalev has already said he wants to play until he is 50, but you have to wonder if he can continue his dominance as he gets closer to 40.


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#46 Andrei Kostitsyn - 23 years old - 6'0/183 - Belarus - 1,800,000$ - 4 Years
The former 10th overall draft pick might have been labelled as a bust too soon. The 23 years old finally exploded last season, scoring 33 goals and 75 points. It may also be only a beginning as the Kostitsyn brothers, Andrei and Sergei, are expected to be the future of the Canadiens.


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#25 Mathieu Dandenault - 33 years old - 6'1/200 - Canada - 1,700,000$ - 2 Years
Mathieu Dandenault had a lot of problems re-adjusting to playing on the right wing last season, but when he finally adjusted, he proved to be a very solid depth player. He is a quick skater and a hard worker, so we can expect him to play solidly as a reliable forechecker on the bottom lines.


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#6 Tom Kostopoulos - 29 years old - 6'0/205 - Canada - 900,000$ - 1 Year
Kostopoulos was one of the biggest surprises on the Canadiens last season. With 26 points and 200 PIMs, Kostopoulos proved to be a solid player who could be used in any situation. The veteran forward will once again play many roles, including penalty killing, but he'll need to continue playing hard to keep his roster spot.


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#63 Francis Lemieux - 24 years old - 5'11/185 - Canada - 460,000$ - 1 Year
After scoring 42 points with the Hamilton Bulldogs last year, Lemieux came into camp as a player most expected to just be passing by. He was quite a surprise! Arriving in surprisingly good physical shape, Lemieux played hard and drove the net while playing very well on both sides of the ice to earn him a roster spot. He can't expect to play much, but he'll be a part of the Canadiens.

[Travis]

I'm enjoying the read KUTGW. I haven't nearly as much success with the Islanders but this game is still the best one available imo.

I always heard that draft classes never develop aswell as they should ruining the long term playability of this game. Do you know if thats the case?

This was a problem that was addressed by one of the later patches. So long as you're fully patched prior to starting your career (think it worked with existing games, but only affecting players regen'd once the patch was applied), you shouldn't have any problems.

I can definitely vouch that whatever they did works. Just finished up the 2053/54 season last night and there are plenty of super stars in the league, both developed by myself and the AI through multiple generations of regens.

[duff88]

Canadiens ready for centennial season opener

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Alex Kovalev and Tomas Plekanec will be key factors in Canadiens success

October 4th 2008 - The summer was long for the Montreal Canadiens after a tough elimination in last year's playoffs, but they will finally get the chance to redeem themselves, starting tommorow night in Montreal. The Chicago Blackhawks arrived in town today, and even though they should not be taken lightly, you have to consider the Canadiens favourite in the first game of the season.

#84 Guillaume Latendresse - #11 Saku Koivu [C] - #27 Alex Kovalev [A]
#74 Sergei Kostitsyn - #14 Tomas Plekanec - #46 Andrei Kostitsyn
#21 Chris Higgins [A] - #28 Kyle Chipchura - #25 Mathieu Dandenault
#22 Steve Bégin - #40 Maxim Lapierre - #6 Tom Kostopoulos

#79 Andrei Markov - #8 Mike Komisarek
#44 Roman Hamrlik - #32 Mark Streit
#51 Francis Bouillon - #26 Josh Gorges

Francis Lemieux and Danny Groulx will therefore watch the game from the press box. Meanwhile, Scott Nichol will be serving the first of his six games suspension. Cristobal Huet will be starting the game with Carey Price as his backup.

This season will mark the centennial mark for the Montreal Canadiens and will include several celebrations, including the NHL All-Star game and NHL Entry Draft. The expectations are very high; nothing less than a Stanley Cup would satisfy the public in Montreal.

[duff88]

Blackhawks ruins party in OT

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Duncan Keith scored the game winning goal for Chicago

October 5th 2008 - There were big celebrations for the home opener of the centennial season of the Montreal Canadiens, but a goal by Duncan Keith in overtime ruined the party as the Chicago Blackhawks took the game 5-4.

The Kostitsyn brothers, in their first game together in a Canadiens jersey, had been the hero of the game up to that point. Combining for nine points on their line centered by Tomas Plekanec, Andrei and Sergei were the most dangerous players for both team for most of the night.

The Canadiens will recieve the Anaheim Ducks tommorow before a 5-day break.

Montreal Canadiens 4 , Chicago Blackhawks 5
Shots: 40 - 34
MTL PP: 2 of 9 (14 shots)
CHI PP: 1 of 2 (5 shots)

Boxscore for the game:
------------------------------------------------------------
07:55 1-0 MTL Andrei Kostitsyn [1] (Tomas Plekanec, Sergei Kostitsyn)
08:49 1-1 CHI Jack Skille [1] (Jim Vandermeer)
------------------------------------------------------------
22:04 2-1 MTL Sergei Kostitsyn [1] (Tomas Plekanec, Andrei Kostitsyn)PP
23:15 2-2 CHI Jeff O'Neill [1] (Antti Laaksonen, Andrei Zyuzin)
24:44 2-3 CHI Vladimir Orszagh [1] (Cam Barker, Duncan Keith)
------------------------------------------------------------
47:06 3-3 MTL Tomas Plekanec [1] (Sergei Kostitsyn, Andrei Kostitsyn)PP
47:27 4-3 MTL Mathieu Dandenault [1] (Francis Bouillon, Josh Gorges)
48:23 4-4 CHI Martin Havlat [1] (Vladimir Orszagh, Jonathan Toews)
------------------------------------------------------------
62:54 4-5 CHI Duncan Keith [1] (Martin Havlat)PP

[duff88]

CSS Preliminary 2009 NHL Draft Rankings released

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John Tavares has been talked about for years, and is expected to go first overall.

WHL Skaters
1. Braydon Schenn - C
2. Jared Cowen - D
3. Stefan Elliott - D
4. Landon Ferraro - C
5. Jonathan Wilderton - RW

OHL Skaters
1. John Tavares - C
2. Ryan O'Reilly - C
3. Matt Duchene - C
4. Kent Herbert - RW
5. Tarek Hill - LW

QMJHL Skaters
1. Steven Anthony - C
2. Alain Charbonneau - C
3. Daniel Sivertsen - RW
4. Gleb Loginov - D
5. Justin Matte - C

USA Skaters
1. Jordan Schroeder - C
2. Marty Couch - C
3. Dale Stewart - RW
4. Tommy Thurell - RW
5. Terry Reece - D

European Skaters
1. Victor Hedman - D
2. Magnus Pääjärvi - LW
3. Andrei Kuchin - RW
4. Toni Rajala - LW
5. Vitalijs Louskins - LW

North-American Goaltenders
1. Samuel Charette
2. Dmitri Sidorov
3. Richard Little

Europen Goaltenders
1. Pyry Loivamaa
2. Aki Kampula
3. Andrei Ivakina

The 2009 NHL Draft will take place on June 19th and 20th at the Bell Centre in Ottawa. Several scouts have voiced their opinion that between ten to twelve of the top players would be among the three bests in most recent drafts, but it gets weaker after those.