Pre-Game Talk: Game #1 Habs vs Knights, Monday June 14th 9pm

[bonneaug]

Everyone says that Bergevin learned from his mistakes, can't others learn from theirs? Bob Gainey is pure class and this organization needs to bring some of that back in any form they can get it.

Yeah, you can be a bad GM but be an inspiring person nonetheless.

 

[CHfan1]

Trying to find the tweet:

“This years semi-finals are the same as last years: VGK, TBay, Isles and Corey Perry’s team”

 

[Habs]

Those of you who said Leafs in 4 should be banned from here. Those of you who said Jets in 4 should be banned and grouped up with the Leaf predictors and go work for sportsnet.

 

[Banjo Cat]

I am scared about this series, but I also wish it would start sooner. Haven't had a Habs game since Monday.

 

[BLONG7]

Yeah, you can be a bad GM but be an inspiring person nonetheless.

Gainey was far from perfect, but he did a very good job for the most part. No where near a bad GM...unlike the clown we have had now for 9 years...
Semantics, I guess.

 

[Matthew McConaughay]

I'm not scared about the Golden Shower Knights, you will see that the Habs, are way better than you all think.

 

[BigDaddyLurch]

Those of you who said Leafs in 4 should be banned from here. Those of you who said Jets in 4 should be banned and grouped up with the Leaf predictors and go work for sportsnet.

 

[Banjo Cat]

Gainey was far from perfect, but he did a very good job for the most part. No where near a bad GM...unlike the clown we have had now for 9 years...
Semantics, I guess.

I don't think either Gainey or Bergy were great. Gainey was far too conservative until his job was on the line and then he traded away McDo and signed Cammy and Gio. Before that we let UFAs walk with nothing to show for it. Gainey also was kind of a 'bargain bin' GM too. I see a lot of similarities between the Gainey and Bergevin, except for the fact that Bergevin believed in size and moar toughness, while Gainey believed in speedy smurfs. With both GMs I feel we missed opportunities to sell of assets for the future.

 

[Conflicted Habs fan]

Those of you who said Leafs in 4 should be banned from here. Those of you who said Jets in 4 should be banned and grouped up with the Leaf predictors and go work for sportsnet.

I correctly predicted Habs > Leafs in 7, Habs > Jets in 4. I now predict Habs > Vegas in 4.

 

[BigDaddyLurch]

I correctly predicted Habs > Leafs in 7, Habs > Jets in 4. I now predict Habs > Vegas in 4.

...and the Hockey World explodes...Butthurt Everywhere!!...

 

[BLONG7]

I correctly predicted Habs > Leafs in 7, Habs > Jets in 4. I now predict Habs > Vegas in 4.

You should buy a lotto 649 ticket....
Hope you are right once again!!

 

[SENATOR]

Habs in four. Remember this post LOL

 

[Banjo Cat]

I'm not scared about the Golden Shower Knights, you will see that the Habs, are way better than you all think.

That is certainly possible. At this point though it's just so hard to tell. Did we underachieve all year? And if we are now performing the way we should is our success due to the division we play in the way everyone says? I don't think anyone really knows for sure. This is a weird situation because everyone has been playing the same teams all year long. So who knows.

What scares me is Vegas seems to be bringing an element to their game we haven't seen from the other teams. They are competing. They have erased leads. They have heart. They are hitting. In any case, I just wish it would start already.

 

[Tyson]

Boy did the competition ever become more fierce

 

[OldCraig71]

Yeah, you can be a bad GM but be an inspiring person nonetheless.

LOL, shame on you. The Russians once called Bob Gainey the best player in the world. When that man walks into a dressing room I would imagine that those in the trenches would be eager to hear what he had to say. Punk!

 

[themilosh]

Yes, he was. Steve Penny back stopped the Canadiens last improbable playoff run in 1983/1984 when Montreal upset both Boston and Quebec. The 1983/84 playoffs were the last hurrah for both Guy Lafleur and Danny Gallivan. I can still hear Gallivan's stirring call of Lafleur's last great rush in the game Montreal was eliminated by the then defending champions, the New York Islanders. It was a blazing, heroic effort to hold back time and the inevitability of defeat. Nothing has ever been the same since.

As for Penny, he was exposed as a mediocre goalie over the next year and was replaced by Roy who I actually managed to see in his first pre-season game against the Oilers. In fact, Penny for years became a synonym for a rookie goalie who flashes in the playoffs and is never able to recapture that initial glory.

Oh i know who he is. I was 8yo on that run, so early 80s is when i started watching religiously on our familys black amd white tv. Lol

 

[Captain97]

Habs in four. Remember this post LOL

We will, if we lose we accuse you of a jinx if we win in 4 we shall thankyou for your kindness.

 

[habsfan891]

Its actually awesome that we have a shot at being the only east team to ever win the western conference championship trophy along with being the only team to ever win the north division would be halarious

 

[OldCraig71]

Gainey was far from perfect, but he did a very good job for the most part. No where near a bad GM...unlike the clown we have had now for 9 years...
Semantics, I guess.

Blong7 is telling the truth.

 

[Galaxydoggystyle]

Gainey was far from perfect, but he did a very good job for the most part. No where near a bad GM...unlike the clown we have had now for 9 years...
Semantics, I guess.

You are correct and people still forget about this -

Gainey breaks silence on daughter's death

 

[Habssince89]

yup... Price will need to be at his best. Outdueled Helleybuck, and will need to be even more definitively better than fleury.

that "punishing" defense got absolutely shell shocked by Toronto. Vegas is both just as dangerous offensively and far more imposing physically. Much more difficult match-up for our lumbering group that defaulted to icing the puck religiously to stem the pressure Toronto was able to put on.

I didn't watch much of Minnesota this year, so can't comment on their "structure"... though for how much better they did despite a roster that didn't look like a playoff-worthy team and had several young guys stepping in, i'd be surprised to know that they didn't have a tight, structured approach.

Your assessment of COlorado as "less structured" i don't think is accurate. A team doesn't post the second fewest GA, in front of a goalie like Grubauer, without playing pretty structured hockey. They have the horses to take more risks and open things up, sure, but that doesn't mean they weren't structured. They dismantled the blues easily, giving up less than 2 goals/game and holding them to 27 shots/game. In game 5 & 6, they held vegas to 23 & 25 shots against and still lost. Vegas is just that good.

Not....really....the D took the series over and broke the leafs attack

 

[MTL-rules]

Interestingly enough, not a word when Habs completed the comeback against the Leafs or the sweep of the Jets about this xenophobic crap.

Not to mention:

1) William Carrier: Sabres sent a 6th round pick to Vegas to ensure they select Carrier.
2) Jonathan Marchessault: Panthers traded Reilly Smith to Vegas to ensure they select Marchesseault.
3) Marc-Andre Fleury: Pens traded their 2nd round pick to Vegas to ensure they select Fleury.
4) Nicolas Roy: Acquired via trade from Hurricanes for Erik Haula.

So aside from Roy, all of their Quebec-born players were selected in the expansion draft with incentive. Hardly something to preach about.


By the way, did any of you see one radio personality wrote that he wished the Habs lose only so they can see that not having enough Quebec-born players is hurting them:

I highly doubt CTV news is xenophobic, Ferrandez is now a "chroniqueur" who want to stir shit in order to get $$$. Like a ton of his collegues, he'll say whatever crap passes threw his head. This is a sad truth about our medias around the world.

As for the Quebecers on Vegas, who gives a shit how they got there, they are all important parts of a winning roster, it's not better to disrespect them than to glorify them.

 

[peate]

We lose game one, but prevail, in 6.

l=w=w=w=l=w

 

[BLONG7]

You are correct and people still forget about this -

Gainey breaks silence on daughter's death

Such a tragedy....25 yrs old.
No wonder, he left the reins to Gauthier. There is no way he could do the job, the way he needed to do it.....he got us close, in 2010, and to be frank, the majority of the 2014 team, that rode Price, was put together by Gainey/Gauthier tandem.
MB got the credit, but that is now how it should be remembered.
Let's hope Gainey's messages to the current group recently have hit home with our current group. I will give Mol$on and Bergevin kudos for asking BG to come speak the guys.

 

[Gael]

We need Anderson to start producing, it would help us big time, he brings speed and physicality but we need points from him if we're going to win Lord Stanley's cup. I think Caufield is gonna be able to find holes and snipe it on Fleury more than on Hellebuyck who's giant.