penaltykill.net» Montreal Canadiens http://penaltykill.net/blogs "Where we're always playing short handed" Thu, 02 May 2013 21:11:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 en Montreal Canadiens: Halak vs Price, Price Vs It All http://penaltykill.net/blogs/montreal-canadiens-halak-vs-price-price-vs-it-all/ http://penaltykill.net/blogs/montreal-canadiens-halak-vs-price-price-vs-it-all/#comments Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:34:37 +0000 chissler http://penaltykill.net/blogs/?p=2460 Montreal Canadiens On December 29th 2008, the Bell Centre faithful looked down upon Carey Price as the next generation of great Montreal goaltenders. A class reserved for the Roy’s, the Dryden’s and the Plante’s of the NHL. Without blinking an eye the followers of the Canadiens forgave the shakiness witnessed that previous April & May in the second round against the Flyers. After all, the kid who’s placement on the season opening roster came with controversy and was apparently against the will of his own head coach, was surely in a position to be offered the benefit of the doubt. Here we are less than two years later and the benefit of the doubt has run dry. As I said, on December 29th of 2008, he was beloved by all. As on December 30th of that year was the night Carey went down with an injury that kept him out for several weeks. Throughout this injury, the team’s back-up goaltender Jaroslav Halak stepped in and stepped in a big way. On the shoulders of Halak, the team continued with their great season and pushed towards the top of the standings where they ultimately finished at year’s end. Finishing first in the conference was a huge accomplishment for the Habs organization that have either missed or skidded into the playoffs in recent years. For the latter part of the Habs season in 2008 and in the playoffs of that year, Price was unquestionably the number one goaltender of the team. General Manager, Bob Gainey, traded away the team’s number one goalie at the deadline for a second round draft pick for a reason; he clearly had faith that Price was ready. As the Canadiens suffered an early second round exit, grumblings began. Although throughout the 2009 season which was plagued with more inconsistencies from Carey Price, he remained the team’s number one goaltender. And throughout it all, both goalies kept their heads down; mouths shut and just kept doing their job.

This season the controversy rose to a boil. Halak’s agent via Twitter was happy to fuel the fire, although he was not alone as the media has continued to push this story each and every day. In spite of Price’s inconsistent play and Halak’s seemingly steadiness each night, Carey seemed to remain the number one goalie, even as duties were shared evenly. It wasn’t until early February of 2010 when Halak received a start after a loss, which wasn’t done all season, that it appeared he had finally toppled Carey Price as the team’s number one goaltender. Where we go from here is unknown, however it seems clear at this point that Halak is the Canadiens’ number one goaltender and Price continues to struggle in finding his place with the team.

My objection to this scenario is the double standard, as I see it. In a January game against the St. Louis Blues, Price picked up the loss in a game that had its ups and downs. Two of the goals that night were tipped in and were not going to be stopped. Another was banked in off Price that could easily be attributed to blown coverage by his defenseman. Yet each media outlet for the team immediately pointed the finger at Price as they do each game. When a shot is tipped and goes through Halak, a word is rarely said. As it shouldn’t, when a shot is tipped and goes into the net, the defenseman needs to be looked at for not clearing out the front of the net. Halak is afforded the benefit of the doubt on these as are most goalies in the league. Most! Carey Price is not a goaltender that is afforded the benefit of the doubt by almost anyone involved in the delivery of a hockey broadcast to its fans. It is a fact that Price lets in shots that he should stop, I do not deny that. However, he is a scapegoat for losses where the burden of that evening’s performance does not rest with him. Criticize him where it fits but step back and stop jumping on the kid every time a puck finds a way into the net. This controversy has been so blown out of proportion and media driven that I believe it has infiltrated its way into the Habs dressing room and likely impacts the two goaltenders we speak of. Price was put into a situation that few kids are. Initially he was great and since he has struggled. He has never been surrounded by an experienced goaltender to lean on and he was not given a chance to mature in the minors. He was catapulted into the spotlight and thrown to the wolves far too soon. His upside is incomparable to any other young goaltender in the league. It would be a huge mistake for the Canadiens to give up on this kid. I think it is a mistake to trade either goalie. Halak is a very good goaltender who will be a number one goalie in this league for years to come. Price is a guy who if matures and develops to his true potential, can be a Vezina award winner.

The Habs need to offer Price one thing that they have yet to offer this young kid, patience!

]]> http://penaltykill.net/blogs/montreal-canadiens-halak-vs-price-price-vs-it-all/feed/ Despite the Fresh Faces, Habs’ Heritage Restored http://penaltykill.net/blogs/despite-the-fresh-faces-habs%e2%80%99-heritage-restored/ http://penaltykill.net/blogs/despite-the-fresh-faces-habs%e2%80%99-heritage-restored/#comments Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:24:22 +0000 chissler http://penaltykill.net/blogs/?p=2440 Montreal Canadiens After each ceremony that is hosted by the Montreal Canadiens, the same comment is made time and time again. It’s stated that only two places know how to truly run a proper ceremony; Buckingham Palace and the Bell Centre. In Montreal, we is an all encompassing term. It represents the players, the organization and the fans. There are few professional sporting teams where the term “we” represents the fans, however in Montreal I firmly believe it does. And with the rollover of so many familiar names in this off season, it was an unspoken concern of many on whether or not the tradition of the Montreal Canadiens would be lost. With two young goaltenders in net, a large group of young, unproven players coupled with a number of fresh faces, the tradition that the Habs have represented for the past ten plus years was suddenly gone. Fan favorites in Komisarek & Begin were gone. Despite rallies at the Bell Centre by thousands of fans, Alex Kovalev was not resigned. And team captain for the past decade was let go without hesitation. On opening night when the bleu, blanc et rouge hit the ice it was a new experience and it seemingly represented a new era for the Habs organization. Then when our leader, our anchor on the point and thought-to-be Captain went down with a bad injury on opening night, the Markov-less Habs were even tougher to recognize.

As wins & losses began to pile up and the team floated through mediocrity in the first half of the season, it is tough to know much of the team at this point. One thing is known and that is the team is not going anywhere without Markov on the point. And goaltending controversy aside, the Habs team this season remains a bit of an unknown. Will they make a late season push and solidify a playoff position? Will they remain at 500% and fight for a playoff birth? Or will they tank and lock in some good tee times in April and May?

This is known though and it comes with a huge sigh of relief. Despite the fresh faces and the new names on the back of the jersey, the heritage that is the Montreal Canadiens remains. The Koivu, Komisarek and Kovalev’s of our team have long since left and are now replaced by a Gionta, a Cammallari and a Scotty Gomez. In half a season, the new faces are finally being recognized as a Hab first and their name second. The CH emblem on the front of the jersey is always bigger than the name on the back of the jersey and it was certainly my concern initially on whether or not this fresh group of players would fit in with the tradition that comes with our team. And despite a mediocre season thus far, it is comforting to know that our heritage remains. The “Koivu tap” is a thing of the past, but nowadays we have Paul Mara to thank each home game for giving the two youngsters a tap on the pads as he is the last Habs player to hit the ice. The next step we need is our team Captain being named sooner, rather than later.

The only piece of the puzzle that doesn’t seem to fit these days is that of the man behind the bench.

]]> http://penaltykill.net/blogs/despite-the-fresh-faces-habs%e2%80%99-heritage-restored/feed/ .500% Hockey Without Markov Is A Victory For Montreal http://penaltykill.net/blogs/500-hockey-without-markov-is-a-victory-for-montreal/ http://penaltykill.net/blogs/500-hockey-without-markov-is-a-victory-for-montreal/#comments Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:06:34 +0000 chissler http://penaltykill.net/blogs/?p=2342 Montreal CanadiensAndrei Markov has been the anchor on the backend for the Montreal Canadiens for several years. He is one of the best defenseman in the league year in and year out and he does so quietly without generating a whole lot of attention for himself. Markov is not the best at much and is the worst at nothing. The man is as consistent as they come and is the epitome of a professional. He shows up each day and does his job and does so in a manner that reflects very positively on the bleu, blanc et rouge of the Montreal Canadiens.

In this season alone, Markov has missed as many games as he has in the past several seasons. As consistent as he is on the ice, he is also a workhorse who remains healthy, which in Montreal is not always an easy feat. When Markov does feel the bite of the injury bug, the production of the Habs usually drops with him. Since 2005, Montreal has averaged around .208 as a winning percentage with Markov out of the line-up. In that same time span with Markov in the line-up, Montreal has had almost a .550% as a winning percentage. He had led the team in scoring for much of the season last year and finished second to only Alex Kovalev by one point after 27 got hot late in the season. So clearly Markov has proven to be crucial to the success of the Montreal Canadiens in recent seasons.

This is a stat and a fact that does not escape most Hab fans. So you can imagine our agony when Markov went down with a serious injury so early in our season. Running with a winning percentage of .200% for much of the season was not going to set us up well for a late push for the playoffs. However, Montreal has done the unthinkable and remained in contention. Since Markov went down, Montreal has a winning percentage of .454%. While not great in and of itself, if the presence of Markov can boost our team has it has in recent years, the Habs will have set themselves up nicely for a second half push for the playoffs. Montreal has had some strong teams in recent years that have gone on to finish 1st in the Eastern conference. Yet these teams have been unable to do what our current group has, which is play .500% hockey without 79 in the line-up. If this year’s team can see even half of the .300% percentage point boost that we have seen in recent years, the bleu, blanc et rouge should not be counted out.

.500% hockey without Markov in the line-up needs to be viewed as a huge win for the team thus far. In the second half of the season, Montreal fans are hoping for 79 to be in the line-up a little more frequent.

]]> http://penaltykill.net/blogs/500-hockey-without-markov-is-a-victory-for-montreal/feed/ Carey Price And His Mental Toughness Or Lack Thereof http://penaltykill.net/blogs/carey-price-and-his-mental-toughness-or-lack-thereof/ http://penaltykill.net/blogs/carey-price-and-his-mental-toughness-or-lack-thereof/#comments Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:25:18 +0000 chissler http://penaltykill.net/blogs/?p=2321 Montreal Canadiens To put it mildly, Carey Price is the engine that runs the Montreal Canadiens. When he goes, the team goes. And when Carey does not, the team does not. This has been true of Carey and the team since his arrival in 2007. It all began with a great start to his 2006 season with the Tri-City Americans, earning himself the starting position with Team Canada’s World Junior team. After backstopping Team Canada to one of the most memorable gold medals in history, Price’s stock was skyrocketing. By the end of the season, he was hoisting the Calder Cup as league champions of the American Hockey League. Not only did Carey lead his team to the championship, he also did so in MVP fashion by taking home the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the Calder Cup playoffs MVP. At the start of the 2007 season, Price was named to the Canadiens’ roster. This decision did come with a bit of controversy as it was believed that head coach Guy Carbonneau wanted to assign Price to Hamilton and General Manager Bob Gainey stepped in to say that Price would be staying with the team. Through the first half of the season, Price had his ups and downs and spent some time in Hamilton. However, that all changed when Gainey surprised everyone and dealt the teams’ number one goaltender, Christobal Huet, thus naming Carey Price their number one goalie. Montreal was atop the Eastern conference and threatening to make a run to the cup finals for the first time since 1993. The city was abuzz and the team was facing tremendous expectations. Having a 19 year old Carey Price catapulted into this position was a shock to almost all Montreal fans. However, after the deal Carey seemed to get better and better with each start and the fans were put at ease.

In the second round against Philadelphia, things began to come apart for the team and for Carey. While nobody seemed to point the finger directly at Price for his play, it was largely responsible for the team’s early exit. The Bell Centre crowd seemed to allow Price to skate freely on this one due to his age and lack of experience. Heading into Price’s sophomore season, expectations remained high and it was assumed that the team would make another run for the Stanley Cup in what was their centennial season. Price got off to a great start and the team was hot. Although after an ankle injury on December 30th 2008, Carey was forced to miss a month of action. Upon returning, he never seemed to find his groove again and the team stumbled into the playoffs and was swiftly eliminated by the heavily favored Boston Bruins. At the beginning of the current season, questions loomed over Price and whether or not the starting position was a role he could fill. After what many considered to be a rocky start, Price & Halak juggled the position until Price pulled ahead and established himself as the true number one goalie in November.

In only his third season, Carey has seen many ups and downs. The underlying theme in almost all of his downs is usually related to his mental toughness. The Bell Centre faithful expect a lot and are vocal when they do not receive it. With his mental lapses against Philadelphia in the 2nd round of the 2007 season still fresh in the minds of many Hab fans, this is an image that Carey has struggled to shake. In recent weeks, Price has once again displayed a level of play that few goalies around the league can match. He makes saves that brings the crowd to its feet. And usually does so with a bit of swagger that keeps the Bell Centre on its feet. However, even through this physical dominance, questions loom on whether or not his mental toughness has established itself to where it needs to be for the number one goaltender in Montreal. The Canadiens suffered an embarrassing loss in Vancouver early this season which seemed to rattle Carey for weeks. It was reported last year that when Price was benched for the game in Vancouver , this too stuck with him. Carey being a native of British Columbia, it seems that the added pressure he attaches to games can stay with him long after the buzzer sounds. So through this season for the Habs, which has had our usual ups and downs, fans wait each day to see who Coach Martin will have as his starter for that night. Supporters of Price sit idly wondering if each game that Halak starts, the effect that this may have on his confidence. It’s an image that Price should one day shake, however with the added pressure that comes with playing for the Habs, it will not come easy.

In Montreal, it is usually what have you done for me lately? Fans should be patient with Carey when a bad game does happen. His upside is a level of potential that is reserved for the true elite of the league. So here is hoping that the Canadiens buck the trend of recent years and keep our talent in the bleu, blanc et rouge; as opposed to watching them where new colors and go on to greatness.

If you have any comments on this article, please feel free to add them and if you wish to hear more, you can follow me on Twitter @ www.twitter.com/chisslerr.

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