Paging Geoff Molson

You know what you have to do. Sternly instruct GaineyGauthierMartin you will not stand for any more players like Pyatt and Moen. The inexplicable affinity Jacques Martin has for no talent bums like these will no longer be tolerated.

No more head games with young players like Pouliot, Lapierre, Latendresse, AK74, O'Byrne, D'Agostini, Grabowski etc. What a waste!

No more shabby treatment of guys who not only did the job but did it well: Halak, Moore, Metropolit, Lang, coach Carbonneau et al.

No more drafting from Japan (!!!) and Germany.

More players from the Quebec league, this is the Montreal Canadiens not the New York Americans.

No more Smurfs!!! At least one Laraque/Boogard-sized nasty bastard who will 'deal with' the likes of Chara, Luchicken, Pronger, Clutterbuck etc. It's a dirty violent game. You must have a policeman and several bigger players who will prevent things like the Chara brutality and other bullies taking liberties with your stars.

Remember Fergy, Nilan, Bugsy and others.

Lots of work to do. We went backwards this year, unacceptable, and the beatings Pacioretty, Markov and others took was disgraceful.

Time to take your so-called brain trust out to the woodshed. This ain't Woodstock, lose the flowers in your hair or lose again and again.

Taliban Jack under scrutiny

That's a wrap

Great effort by les boys but we’re still way short on size and talent. PK (birth of a superstar), DD, Eller, White, Price and MaxPax give us hope, they became men. BUT: MartinGaineyGauthier gave up too soon on Grabowsky, AK74, D’Agostini, Ryan M, O’Byrne, Latendresse. The brain trust (!) is poor judges of talent and worse motivators. They eat their young.

Guys like Pyatt and Moen belong in the AHL with Gomez. No talents. Nothing. Stop the mind games with Pouliot and trade him. And don't make it a gift, he's good. You'll see once he escapes Martinamo Bay prison camp.

With size and a ‘policeman’ like Fergy or Nilan other teams' goons would not be teeing off on Markov, Gorges, Pacioretty, Halpern and we’d be readying for the next round instead of grieving. Lots of needs to address.

And stop that gawdawful ‘kitty bar the door’ garbage hockey. I will pop a cork of French bubbly when Martin leaves town. Goof.

BROONS SHAKEUP COMING

You get the feeling Cam Neely cannot wait to bully Peter Chiarelli and dismiss Claude Julien ASAP. Watch for ch-ch-changes in Beentown win or lose tonight.

"Game sever."

你將永遠不會征服我的國家。

Props to Price

Price ain't no Halak (last night was his first home win in over three years) and the Broons' tying goal was a(nother) stinker but he did what he had to do to win and we're headed to Bahstan for game seven, where for one team it will be game sever.

Without a productive Pleky, injured Pacioretty, released Domenic Moore Glenn Metrpolit, Robert Lang, traded Sergei Kostitsyn, wounded Wiz, sprained nkee'd Desharnais and Go35gameswithagoalmez thinning the ranks one way or another, Gio, PK and Cammer are all the Canadiens have.

The strange Jacques Martin philosophy whereby it is preferable to have Travis Moen (0 goals) and Tom Pyatt (0 goals) in the lineup rather than hot and very cold Benoit Pouliot continued, as did the ridiculous (but successful, this time at least) 'kitty bar the door' hockey.

No doubt the CH will explode out of the gate in Beentown (sic) and try and get the first goal (or two) and sit on it like mother goose trying to hatch a second round appearance. Time for Andrei Kostitsyn and Pleky to make an appearance and a goal from the so called grinders would certainly help.

Game "sever." Anything is possible.

"Canadiens South" May Advance

I've had it with chatrooms.

Boy, half the columnists and chat room idiots at the Gazette website should be making mud pies for each other.

Finger painting drooling adolescent 'Einstones.'

Caged chimps (or less evolved simians) throwing scat at the world and each other.

Guy Boucher and the Tampa Bay Lightning just may advance to the second round with OLD FORWARDS like Vinny and Marty. I capitalize 'old forwards' because of the nose thumbing that greeted my 'sign Teemu Selanne' post especially from 'head' genius Mike Boone. Wednesday niight we'll know for sure as they could become one of the few teams trailing a series 3-1 to come back.

Well Boone, Teemu Selanne had 31 goals and 80 points this year. Name the Canadien who did (or ever will do) that.

If OLD FORWARD Teemu came to the Canadiens he would immediately be the Canadiens' best forward statistically as well as talent-wise. Hell, he would be their best player.


Oh and for the numbskulls who have been dissing Guy Boucher (late of the Hamilton Bulldogs): again, Guy Boucher and his "old forwards" just might advance to the second round of the playoffs. One more win...

Will Jacques Martin, Carey Price and the other blue chippers be able to even get to a seventh game?

Carey Price's moment of truth

So the predictable "experts" (Hockey Insideout peanut gallery at the Gazette's fanatic site) are still teeing off on Jaroslav Halak.

I have never understood this resentment against the little underdog who never got any respect from the likes of them, Canadiens coaching staff, management or the media.

Point final: your grapes and envy can never erase the wonderful miracle of 2010 and your delusional assessment of Carey Price is pathetic.

Price has now lost seven straight playoff games at home. Seven. Listen sweeties, if you give him praise when he wins and it is justified, more power to you. But if you can't see there's a spook between his ears and he's folding like a cheap card table there's something wrong with your blind loyalty.

No, this is not another case of "they love you win or tie," it's a call for balance, fairness and class.

Just admit Jaro never had any respect, any expectations and he exceeded our wildest dreams for playoff thrills and success.

Price on the other hand, as I've said (too) many times, is a poster boy, phenom, blue chipper, who when he was given the keys to the franchise has repeatedly faltered. Yes he took a big step in his development with what was generally an exceptional regular season.

But sports history is littered with the bodies of those regular season heroes who lay a big one in the playoffs. Joe Thornton and Roberto Luongo are the two reigning chumps.

If Price bakes another brownie in Boston he'll be on his way to confirming what I have feared for the last three years: he should have played an entire season in Hamilton in the AHL as a character and career-building exercise. Instead he was promoted too early and has been given a free pass time and time again. This is not even his fault, it's just another example of the poor judgement of the Canadiens brain trust.

He's all alone now, let's see what he's really made of. Blue chipper or a flameout?

The Cuckoo's Nest

No wonder free agents won't touch La Belle Province. A large segment of the fan base and press are completely looney tunes. While some in the media and most recently Bob Gainey castigated the hyena brigade for their pathetic propensity to make players into whipping boys (Patrice Brisebois) and others joined in the fray, it's happening yet again and the new guys are Scott Gomez, Benoit Pouliot and...Jaroslav Halak!?!?

Bizarre and boorish behaviour is nothing new to certain boo birds (in the press and the stands both) but the Pouliot and Halak targeting are on the one hand silly and out of place and on the other completely bizarre.

Pouliot is 23 and was a high draft pick by Minnesota and may never develop into the NHL player scouts predicted but to saddle all the team's missteps and under achieving on him is silly, uncalled for and inaccurate. Plenty of blame to go around. Let's face it, this is not a blue chip team deep in talent. If they don't score first, play the trap and play it hard and the goalie isn't a thief they lose.

The continued jabs at Halak by big mouthed wags on the Gazette's HockeyInsideOut website are completely unfathomble and I'm not going to analyze the psyche (or the IQ) of these Einsteins.

Put this in your pipe: until Carey Price wins one playoff series he is a bigger bust than Benoit Pouliot. Anybody can be a man in the regular season. It's the guys' cojones who clang like iron in the playoffs that matter.

Turning on the only hero Canadiens have had since the last cup win (1993) makes about as much sense as the fawning over Saku Koivu by certain lovestruck teenyboppers. Brian Gionta is a better captain and a better hockey player. Hell, Mike Keane was a better captain.

Time for Price - and the hyenas - to sober up. Time for Carey to deliver on his promise. If he blows this series it's time to pull his free pass. He hasn't gotten it done yet. Win this series. Be the superstar they say you are. Until then you're Chuck Connors.

Trade Halak? "The mother of all brain dead decisions" according to Red Fisher. What did they get for him? Two nobodies with fewer goals than...Benoit Pouliot.

Halak Anniversary I

We're almost at the one year anniversary of the wonderful miracle that began last spring in Montreal thanks to a guy from Slovakia named Jaro.

There is nary a peep now and perhaps not a single English speaking 'journalist' who gave or will give the guy credit for his inhuman 50+ save performances, his .923 save percentage and his knocking off the best team in the league followed by his elimination of the reigning Stanley Cup champions. Not to mention denying the two best players in the game time and time again.

I am filled with deep sadness, anger and bitterness.

Time to quote Red Fisher, who has covered the Canadiens for 50 years: "The mother of all brain dead decisions."

Listening, Molson Bros.? Brain dead.

They hate you, win or tie?

Wtf is it about certain open-mouth Habs fans who have this hate-on for Jaroslav Halak? To this day many hate him and refuse to give him credit for the miraculous run during the 2010 playoffs with a mediocre Canadiens team that allowed 50 shots against per game. He has a lifetime .923 save percentage in the playoffs. He was a hero at the Olympics, almost stealing a medal for Slovakia. He bailed out the Canadiens when Price went in the shipper and earlier when Huet and Aebischer stank the house up.

Larry Robinson said Canadiens fans "love you win or tie."

Sometimes they hate you even when you win. Even if you single handedly carry the team past the best team in the league, the highest scoring offensive power, the most dynamic player in the game and then do it all over again against Crosby and the Stanley Cup Champions.

Carey Price certainly has some Spruce Bedspring cult-y charisma or something that has brought blind devotion from Gainey, Gauthier, Melanson, The Gazette and the "Koivu is better than Gretzky" crowd. To their credit the French press has been more sensible and objective. Price has been receiving the keys to the city since he was drafted and has yet to deliver. The regular season this year was good but game three last night was a giveaway (two actually) and let the Broons back in the series. Can Price rebound? How could he be so cavalier, so dopey in such a crucial match?

But these 'fans'...would it kill them to give credit to Halak for what he did? Are they so blind they insist the Halak trade was a good one, that Canadiens got fair market value for the player of the year in the 2010 playoffs? For the biggest Canadiens hero since Patrick Roy c. 1993?

Tony Marinaro, who distinguished himself in a schoolyard 'debate' live on-air with Broons shock jocks dissed Halak on air this week only to cover his hiney and say Halak's performance last year was "the best goaltending he had seen. Ever. Even better than Patrick Roy."

Halak schooled the team, taught the Canadiens (including Carey Price) what it took to overcome great odds in the playoffs. And for that remarkable 2010 playoff run he gets scorn, ridicule and Price is anointed. Again. Having so far delivered...an AHL championship.

Larry Robinson, you're going to have to rewrite your quote. But then again, Canadiens shafted you too. Twice.

Jaro you rule. There was a reason almost 10,000 fans turned out at the Fairview shopping centre last fall to keep you signing autographs for 3 1/2 hours. English media snobs and Price cultists can't see, won't do the right thing and give you your props. We salute you, the 2010 playoff run was the most fun I've had as a Canadiens supporter since 1993 and my faith in the team has been severely shaken by the shoddy treatment of Halak by management and fans alike.

No class.

Is it resentment because he showed up Price?

Almost exactly a year ago: April 26, 2010

Scarey stuff

Who'd a thunk it???

I'd a thunk it.

In fact I predicted a Canadiens series win. Yeah I know it's way early and it seems like I've become one of those Ole` Ole` second period singing lunkheads but I'm not celebrating anything yet.

But: even if FrankenChara returns tonight there's no way he will be his usual "Herman Munster on Steroids" self. And while he is the leader of the Big Sad Bruins where are the other stars on the team? His absence doesn't explain the collapse. Where's Dr. Recchi? Krejci? Kaberle?

Thomas has been outplayed by Price. Not even close. Rask will start tonight. Bergeron? Pleky has been better. He's finally no longer the "little girl." There may not be a more responsible (or more effective) two way forward in the league. Pleky has the defense of a Carbonneau and the hands of a playmaking goal scoring standout. PK has been growing, maturing, improving defensively and still shows the offensive flash and hot-doggery we love from him. Balance. The other D have been nearly letter-perfect.

Neely's unprofessional comportment in the "loge" hurts his team and sullies the B's image. You want that kind of intensity from the players, not an executive. It's like cutting off Julien's legs and introduces more doubt into the players' minds. It's not Julien's fault Luchicken has turtled again, the goaltending is average or that Chara got sick.

Remember I did say Canadiens in six and while I predict a CH win tonight it remains unlikely there'll be a series sweep, no matter what happens I think the Broons are too good and too proud for that. But the "Bumble B's" being 0-26 in a series when trailing two games to nothing it looks very good for a Canadiens triumph within the next week.

Sweep? Probably not. But a round one win? Likely. Somehow they dug down and whether it's muscle memory or some 2010 flashback they're getting it done again. There's a quiet confidence and businesslike aplomb. Ole`.

Fan-Dumb

The chara (he doesn't deserve capitalization after that cheap hit on MaxPax) controversy brought to light the appetite for violence and the ridiculous, almost caveman partisanship of certain sports fans. The delight and pride verging on mob bloodlust over the 'hockey play' was even more appalling than the shocking premeditated hit itself.

Certainly there are cretins on the Canadiens fan side, the Ole` Ole` idiots who start in the first period, the nitwits who picked on Brisebois and Roy etc. but the lunatics in Boston, in the media and on the team itself (thank you Recchi, Luchicken, chara et al) should be roundly criticized and have been. I doubt however they are capable of shame.

The shock jocks on Boston sports radio forget (or omit) what happened to their stars Savard and Bergeron (both French Canadian by the way). The ugly anti French Canadian, anti Canadian jingoism is particularly absurd - The Gardens crowd chanting "USA! USA!" as the Bruins ran up the score in the 7-0 regular season post-chara rout. Testosterone and xenophobia over good sportsmanship and even common sense. Pacioretty is American you complete nitwits! Canadiens have eight Yanks on their team, Bruins have two.

In summary, if you would rather glorify John Wensink, Scott Thornton and chara's vicious hit than Bobby Orr you're entitled to but you have all my pity. Last night was the ultimate up yours to goon hockey and your recent sad chest-beating. In the end, all you'll have is your bitterness.

Montreal leads the series 1-0. How do you like me now?

Oh Count Iggy!

ROUND ONE TO CANADIENS

Very nearly perfectly scripted, Coco Martin. The best players were the best. Except for Max Pacioretty, who was off somewhere embellishing his injury.

What's Molson brewing?

We Canadiens fans can't lose. It is almost certain the Habs will play the broons in the first round. I'm not afraid of this. Win or lose, we win.

How so?

Well if the Canadiens exact revenge for the obscene dangerous chara hit on Max Pacioretty this will be sweet indeed. If the broons kick ass again as they did in the 7-0 Beatoff in Bean Town this will force Geoff Molson to say have a word with Messrs. Gauthier Timmins and Martin and caution them they have been naive to the point they will be endangering their positions should they not make a correction.

In the off season there have to be at least four players acquired who are 6'3" or more, players who can play and guys with character. Simple enough for some scribes and most fans. Why hasn't management gotten the message yet? Time for the Molsons to brew up some courage, intensity, character and a return to the Bowman era when the Canadiens snatched back the leadership of the hockey world from the Philthydelphia Phlyers.