I liked what Boullion had to say. Last nights games saw the most aggressive work by some of the defensemen when they were on the ice, were the Quebecois players, the russians and the other hired hands, no show yet again.

Unless Carbo brings up Kosty to buck up Koivu and Kovalev, heck bring up Grabby too to buck up Souray…

Actually, this is the team we were supposed to have from the beginning of the season. Be honest, did any of you expect come January, that we would be in 4th place? NO! I t wasn’t a realistic prediction. But when we were winning all those games ( even tho we didn’t play that great),we got used to it, and started to expect it every game, and got spoiled(just like all those cup winning years). Then a dose of reality set in, and we had to start reexamining this team. Are they that good, or are they that bad? I suspect it’s somewhere in the middle. So what you are seeing now, are the REAL canadiens, What you saw for the last 3 months, was a group of players playing over their heads, and over achieving. guys, let’s face it. our PP isn’t that good, nor is our penalty killing. When we were winning, I kept saying: ” how are we scoring, with only 1 line, and how come our PP is #1, when it really doesn’t look any different from other teams, nor our penalty killing. Well, Souray was scoring from the point, until other teams started paying attention to him, and other teams figured out our configuration killing penalties, and started to exploit it. But I now know the team we had for the last 3 months will not return, because it wasn’t REALISTIC! I’m not saying we won’t win any games, but it will not be the explosition of wins we want.
In September, honestly, where did you guys figure we would finish?
We need to go back to that mentality in our heads, and stay there. We do not have the talent to be in the top 4, and you guys know it. It was nice to rent that spot for awhile, but it was a R E N T A L ! now deal with it, and ACCEPT REALITY!

Once again, coutNY_HabsFan you’re spot on. At least from what little I read. Did you stay up all night writing that?

As for Garth, I’m sad to see him go too but mostly because of the promise he failed to live up to. Who goes when Begin gets back? He’s supposedly day-to-day (since 12-11), so I’d think he’d be back soon. Hopefully Gainey can work some more magic and somehow dump Samsonov, or even Niinimaa.

I have to agree with High4Habs and some other posts here that the Canadiens were playing over their heads earlier and this is the REAL Montreal Canadiens we are seeing now. They are NOT a very good team and will likely miss the playoffs. They need to make some changes right away and get a sniper because they do not have one right now and they desperately need a game-breaker like Heatley in Ottawa, Hossa and Kovalchuk in Atlanta, etc. They need defence as well. Rivet has to go. Are you listening Gainey? Rivet, Ninny, Downie, Samsonov, they all need to go. They need to build around Kovalev, Higgins, Ryder, Koivu, Perezhogin, Bonk, Komisarek, Markov, Bouillon. These are the players they should keep. How long do you guys think it will take for the Canadiens to be a bonafide contender? Can they turn it around this season before it’s too late? Also, what suggestions do some of you people have to try and make the Canadiens better. Maybe we can give Gainey some instructions as to how to improve this team. What about Pierre McGuire saying the Canadiens should definitely try and pursue Scott Gomez. Would he be the answer? Also, can we acquire a free agent via a trade to help us. Any players out there? Anyways, let me know about this because I like every other Habs fan am getting very ******* pissed off at this losing streak. We were spoiled when they were winning all those games earlier in the season and we thought the glory days were returning but I was stupid and should have known better. This team built my hopes up only to crush them. They are starting to remind me of the Boston Red Sox of hockey, ouch! Is it possible that we might be under the “Curse of St. Patrick” much the same way the Red Sox were under the “Curse of the Bambino”? I’m not saying the Colorado Avalanche will ever become like the Yankees and win 26 championships but they were a contender after Roy joined them and Montreal still has not recovered. What do you guys think about this? Are we cursed like the Red Sox were?

Ziman

I guess the habs have played so magnificantly that they deserve a day off. huge mistake! I hate saying this, but I am so envious of the talent on Ottawa, and the garbage we have to settle for! Why can’t we have the kind of talent they have? This habs team, is probably THE LEAST TALENTED TEAM IN 20 YEARS!!!! no skill, no heart, and no anything. They only thing they do well, is TAKING PENALTIES! Can you imagine, there is such little talent, that they are forced to put defensive players on the 1st line! DISGRACEFUL! these players or whatever you want to call them, can’t score, can’t pass the puck, can’t clear the puck from their own zone, and can’t stop the puck from going in their net! a total embarrassment to this city! the fans have every right to boo them when these impersonators tries to portray themselves as a hockey team. they are just a poor excuse for hockey . But they are entertaining, because we are all laughing at them. They are a J O K E !

Many of you think Gainey is a genius, but he is not! look at some of his blunders: He signed as a UFA Bonk, a complete disaster. Remember Bonk was signed to score goals, NOT to be a defensive player. Then of course there’s Samsonov, what a disaster!. How about the trade getting Kovalev? what are the most goals he scored for us in a season? not very many; he’s much better at giving away the puck allowing the opponent to score. Then Gainey traded for Aebischer, who allows constantly soft goals, and never wins. How about the players available that Gainey didn’t go after? I commented back in September, when I realized as did everyone else, that we needed a 2nd line center. I said , go get PERREAULT ! we could have had him for next to nothing as a UFA. Gainey did NOTHING. guess what? Perreault has scored 16 goals for Phoenix, and selected to the allstar team! He would have been perfect. Then there was Comrie, and Nedved. Gainey has done nothing to improve this team over last year. He is, in my opinion a lame duck GM. He is unbelievably passive. And for all of you who disagree, who’se so great down in Hamilton? Is anyone burning up the AHL? The only reason we landed Price, is because we got a #5 pick. The idea is to find diamonds in the rough. look at all the great players we passed on; the list is extensive. This team is no better than the team we had last year, and in fact, we are WORSE! So come April, when we are out of the playoffs, or barely in, tell me how much better we are from 1 year ago! I’m not trying to denegrate Gainey, because as a person and player, he was great. But great players don’t necessarily translate into great coaches or GM’s. Just because he was GM in Dallas and they won the cup,it doesn’t mean he was a great GM. They just lucked out that year. After all, wasn’t Savard, GM when we won the cup in 1993? We all know how bad a GM Savard was. So please people, stop trying to make Gainey into a saint, or ” In Gainey we trust”! it’s all ****. And when Gainey was coach last year, we BACKED into the playoffs. The best 2 GM’s in the game today are: Holland in Detroit, and Lamouriello in NJ. Take a lesson, Mr. Gainey, and learn!

High for Habs, Serge Savard was the GM in 1993. Andre Savard was the GM I was talking about.

Riser 8 , you’re dead wrong. the cup in 1993 was with a MEDIOCRE team! purely luck! In 1986, it’s because of Roy, not because we had such talented forwards. they were not great teams, in those years and everyone knows it! When you win 10 straight games in overtime, that’s L U C K !
Gainey has made lousy decisions lately! he is NOT one of the best GM’s in the league. And I’ll bet most of the fans who booed at the Bell center last night, agree with me. It doesn’t matter what stats you have, look at the product on the ice. It’s nothing to be proud of! It’s embarrassing!

high for habs, we could also use a couple of Claude Lemieux’s and Douggie Risebough’s type players,guy’s that would do anything for the team,you know,stur stuff up ,throw the other team off thier game ,stand in front of the net and cause KAOS,GUY WITH TONS OF HEART AND EMOTION,that can skate and score aswell.Screw the primadonnas,get rid of them before they influence the new upstarts.This Habs team is like having a woman that just lies there and then asks you if your done.

At this point, I’m not fussy. As long as they can score, sign them! Any chance Muller will lace up the skates and play? I think a team like Columbus , Chicago or St. Louis might be willing to deal, because they aren’t going to make the playoffs, and they aren’t in the eastern conference. How about Guerin?
or maybe Weight? Anyone with ideas who could be available at the right price?

Not a bad pickup Xhabsfan I agree.
Getting an Allison for cheap (at the same time not giving anything up)
and a Bertuzzi at the trade deadline could seal the deal.

yanic perreault are you kidding me, just one more player to turn it over. while were at it lets get brisebois. perreault is ****. i remember when the canadiens were in the playoffs and they had a faceoff in their own zone in the dying seconds of the game lost the draw and a shot when in from the point and the media was like why wasnt perreault taking the face off? you know why cause hes ****. cant skate and cant play in his own zone. we still desperately need a center. but there is limited cap space so i dont mind gambling on allison (who’ll probably play 5 games and get injured). i liked allison i just dont think hes fast enough. but hes a smart player and he might just spark kovalev and samsonov. and shouray is gone guaranteed. and bertuzzi is washed up. if i sound negative its cause the habs need to get out of this slump. they will regardless if they make a trade or not and win the stanley cup. best team in the league!!!!

Alot of the hockey analyst, even TSN noted early in the year the Habs had all the makings of a successful team, largely because of the rookies.

Don’t blame Savard or Houle, hey all they know is listen to Gainey.

Early in the year when Montreal was doing great, they had the rookies. As soon as they were coasting Gainey thought he could get the veterans to play along. Suprise all the veterans did was do what they do best. Stand around and make crappy passes and then the first few checks they complain about their groin, ankle, concussion, heck even Samsonov complained that he was checked so hard it destroyed his perm…so what does Gainey and Carbo do? They take it. Sure Sammy, we’ll pay to send you to Switzerland so you can get a decent hairdo, we can’t have split ends ruin your skating style…man Carbo and Gainey have their hearts in the wrong place.

Then when Kostysisn, Grabby and all the other rookies deliver and do well, what does Gainey and Carbo do? they send them down.

All the other NHL teams that have young talent use them. Not Montreal.

So no rookies, means no entry into the first round of the playoffs. Simple.

That was an article from the feds,no more tax talk.

Here are some interesting stats: Florida is the league leader in short handed situations , with 271. Habs are next with 260. NJ is the best disciplined team in the league. They have only 160 short handed situations. That means, the habs have taken 100 MORE PENALTIES THAN NJ! unbelievable!
As well, Huet has lost 7 of his last 10 starts, and in his last 2 games, he has let in 10 goals on only 49 shots!
This team is in an extremely FRAGILE state right now, and if we lose tonight to Atlanta, and on Saturday to Buffalo, look for heads to roll !
I believe Gainey will put more players on waivers, and demote them to Hamilton.

Don’t forget Chelios in 86.

And, smarties, what was their record when they finished the season? Did they finish #1, in the standings? NO. Did they finish #2 in the standings? NO!
They were a very mediocre team who lucked out because of Roy, and because better teams that were supposed to be there, got knocked out!
I have been following the habs before you guys were even born, and I’ve seen it all, including fans who want to believe a team who wins the cup must be great. WRONG! End of discussion. Try looking at all the criteria before making statements, and live in the reality now, not 20 years ago!

Memo to high 4 habs: You must have followed the Habs since the 1950′s if you think that you were watching them before I was born. God you must be as old as the great Red Fisher…..maybe you are Red Fisher. Look all kidding aside, we have both seen alot of games over the last five decade’s…the great team’s of the 60′s and 70′s as well as the very competitive team’s in the 80′s and early 90′s to the current addition. I have alot of patience with this organization because I feel they are a part of me and will always be a part of me (just like thousand’s of other Hab fan’s probably feel). Am I happy when they lose..of course not, but I usually get over it pretty quick as I have other priority’s now in life such as raising a family and earning an honest living. Trust me when I tell you that when it come’s to the Hab’s winning or losing hockey game’s it is far down my list of concern’s. I can see the improvement in the organization over the last three year’s and I believe we will continue to see improvement over the next number of year’s as well. With a 30 team league and salary cap restriction’s you will never see a dynasty in this league again. Anyway if you want to ***** and complain all the time go right ahead, that is your right…myself I will sit back and enjoy the good and bad time’s of this great franchise. By the way..nice road win tonight.