Monday December 24, 3:00 PM
Here's hoping these fine folks find what they're looking for under the Christmas tree (and you too):
Cristobal Huet-a thank you note with his parting gift
Michael Ryder-two weeks in Hamilton
Saku Koivu-a badly swollen middle finger
Guy Carbonneau-Brenden Morrow (oh wait...)
NHL Officials-a muzzle for Guy Carbonneau
Bob Gainey-Size and strength down the middle
Michel Therrien-a safety net
PJ Stock-An English/French dictionary
Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens et al-lie detector tests
Bud Selig-a pink slip
Washington Nationals-a fire; without the sale
Donald Fehr-Bah, humbug!
Michael Vick- a cell full of rabid rottweilers
Bill Belichik-a '72 Dolphins dartboard
Anthony Calvillo-a healthy family
Jim Popp-a Jack Todd whoopi cushion
Jack Todd-empathy, heart, soul & a baby seat in Popp's hummer
The Green Room-an Open for Business sign
Hurley's, Irish Embassy, Ye Olde Orchard, McKibbin's, Champs & Vargas-a very very Green Christmas
And from a very creative listener:
The following are a few of the gifts santa plans to hand to the HABS:
Francis Bouillon: 2 inch lifts.
Michael Ryder: A soccer net.
Andrei Markov: "Searching for Bobby Orr" by Steven Brunt.
Mike Komisarek: Darcy Tucker with his head down.
Christopher Higgins: 2 highly trained dobermann pinschers, Zeus and Apollo (A.K.A. "The Lads").
Tom Kostopoulos: A weekend with Bob Probert.
Andrei Kostitsyn: An invitation to Paul Maurice's house.
Maxim Lapierre: A double wide "tempo" for his Hummer. (St-Leonard style).
Sergei Kostitsyn: A fake ID card.
Saku Koivu: Subscription to the Journal de Montreal.
Patrice Brisebois: Already got his present... (Christmas was in July for Pat this year!)
Carey Price: 2 cases of REDBULL!
Guy Carbonneau: A perpetual road trip.
Doug Jarvis: A day off. (FINALLY!)
Bob Gainey: Alexander Ovechkin... or a win on Dec 23.
The rest get a $10 gift certificate to the Barfly. Thanks for all the good work.
Girth
Back in a few days with some suggestions for your eyes & ears.
Peace.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Snow Balls and Baseballs
Sunday December 16 4:30 PM
What a great day to do nothing but eat and drink-oh wait, we did that Friday at our station Christmas party. Snow days like this remind me of elementary school, specifically Churchill school in Chomedey (later renamed Irving Bregman Memorial) where our gym teacher was future Queen's football coach Ian Breck. Those of us who were within walking distance actually looked forward to heading to school on snow days because Ian would gather some fellow teachers in the library for a bull session with students. A couple of times he introduced us to one of his roommates who looked vaguely familiar. Turns out he was an American Hockey League goaltender named Wayne Thomas. (The Canadiens' top farm team was based in Montreal for one year. Their home rink was the Forum. Some of the other players included Bobby Sheehan, Phil Roberto, Chuck Lefley, Bob Murdoch and another goaltender named Ken Dryden.)
The next time I met Wayne Thomas was in the early 1980's very late one night at a bar in Cape Cod. I don't remember how I was introduced to him but I do remember that he said he was part owner of the place. I told him the story about Churchill School in Chomedey. His eyes lit up (just like the rest of him at that point) and he started telling me stories of the Voyageurs. A few minutes later he took me over to another part of the room to introduce me to his partner in the bar. I instantly recognized Nick Fotiu. Oh the stories we could tell...
http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php3?pid=5378
http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=12635
Ian Breck is currently the head coach of Team Canada's Under- 20 Junior Football team.
The Mitchell Report. Just another in a list of "scandalous moments" in baseball. I keep reading of comparisons to the 1919 Black Sox scandal. How about the Dowd report? Or the cocaine scandal of the early 1980's? Have we already forgotten about the collusion cases organized by Commissioner Peter Ueberroth and the pathetic owners in the mid-80's? (if you don't think collusion helped kill at least one market, consider this-players forced back to their old teams included Tim Raines. But free agency rules being what they were, a player couldn't re-sign with his old team until May 1. So the 1987 Expos played the entire month of April with Triple A leftfielder Alonzo Powell. He batted .195. The Expos April record was 8-12. From the moment Raines re-joined the team ( in 139 games in 1987 Raines hit .330 with 18 home runs, 68 RBI's, 50 stolen bases, a slugging pct of .526, an OBP of .429 and a LEAGUE LEADING 123 runs scored) the Expos went 83-59. A total won loss record of 91-71 was good enough for 3rd place in the NL East, just four games behind the division champion St. Louis Cardinals. And what about baseball's biggest scandal of them all-not allowing a single black player to play until 1947?
So spare me the moralizing. There have been worse moments than this.
Two scenes I'll never forget:
Scene #1
A former Expos catcher tapping me on the shoulder in the clubhouse asking me what I thought about a couple of his teammates who were certainly on something (David Segui was one of them). I said if it's obvious to me what's going on how can anybody directly involved in the sport not seem to know or care? He then asked me if I thought it was fair that he should have to decide whether to bulk up or not. If ever there was a rhetorical question that was it. And it was repeated in every clubhouse in baseball. I salute the guys who resisted the temptation and played through through nothing stronger than the odd greenie or (in John Wetteland's case) an over consumption of caffeine.
Scene #2
A bunch of media types gathered at Hurley's Irish pub. I mention to a baseball writer that players are starting to grumble about obvious steroid use. I tell him it's a huge story about to explode. He agrees but says he can't really sniff around because he'd have his "access" cut off. He says it's more of an investigative piece that has to be done on a national level with a parade of sources and an almost unlimited expense account. And then Ken Caminiti won the NL MVP award.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/magazine/12/13/flashback_juiced/index.html
Saku Koivu goes a dozen games without scoring and he's either washed up or a lousy leader or both. He scores two goals against the Leafs and his critics will say the Leafs were tired. I think we're all guilty of over analyzing after each game or block of games. There's still a lot of hockey left to play. Among Koivu's right wingers this season-Michael Ryder, Tom Kostopolous, Mark Streit, Bryan Smolinski, Guillame Latendresse, Alex Kovalev, Mathieu Dandenault and Sergei Kostitsyn. Who's next-Stephen Harper?
Saku Koivu is a special guy. "Un champion", says Bob Gainey. It takes one to know one. Koivu is not part of the problem, never has been. I'd concede that at this point he might not be part of the solution either. The fact that the Habs seem to go only as Koivu goes is not his fault. It's an organizational failure. But if they are to trade him (out west) they had better hit a home run. Steroid-free.
What a great day to do nothing but eat and drink-oh wait, we did that Friday at our station Christmas party. Snow days like this remind me of elementary school, specifically Churchill school in Chomedey (later renamed Irving Bregman Memorial) where our gym teacher was future Queen's football coach Ian Breck. Those of us who were within walking distance actually looked forward to heading to school on snow days because Ian would gather some fellow teachers in the library for a bull session with students. A couple of times he introduced us to one of his roommates who looked vaguely familiar. Turns out he was an American Hockey League goaltender named Wayne Thomas. (The Canadiens' top farm team was based in Montreal for one year. Their home rink was the Forum. Some of the other players included Bobby Sheehan, Phil Roberto, Chuck Lefley, Bob Murdoch and another goaltender named Ken Dryden.)
The next time I met Wayne Thomas was in the early 1980's very late one night at a bar in Cape Cod. I don't remember how I was introduced to him but I do remember that he said he was part owner of the place. I told him the story about Churchill School in Chomedey. His eyes lit up (just like the rest of him at that point) and he started telling me stories of the Voyageurs. A few minutes later he took me over to another part of the room to introduce me to his partner in the bar. I instantly recognized Nick Fotiu. Oh the stories we could tell...
http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php3?pid=5378
http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=12635
Ian Breck is currently the head coach of Team Canada's Under- 20 Junior Football team.
The Mitchell Report. Just another in a list of "scandalous moments" in baseball. I keep reading of comparisons to the 1919 Black Sox scandal. How about the Dowd report? Or the cocaine scandal of the early 1980's? Have we already forgotten about the collusion cases organized by Commissioner Peter Ueberroth and the pathetic owners in the mid-80's? (if you don't think collusion helped kill at least one market, consider this-players forced back to their old teams included Tim Raines. But free agency rules being what they were, a player couldn't re-sign with his old team until May 1. So the 1987 Expos played the entire month of April with Triple A leftfielder Alonzo Powell. He batted .195. The Expos April record was 8-12. From the moment Raines re-joined the team ( in 139 games in 1987 Raines hit .330 with 18 home runs, 68 RBI's, 50 stolen bases, a slugging pct of .526, an OBP of .429 and a LEAGUE LEADING 123 runs scored) the Expos went 83-59. A total won loss record of 91-71 was good enough for 3rd place in the NL East, just four games behind the division champion St. Louis Cardinals. And what about baseball's biggest scandal of them all-not allowing a single black player to play until 1947?
So spare me the moralizing. There have been worse moments than this.
Two scenes I'll never forget:
Scene #1
A former Expos catcher tapping me on the shoulder in the clubhouse asking me what I thought about a couple of his teammates who were certainly on something (David Segui was one of them). I said if it's obvious to me what's going on how can anybody directly involved in the sport not seem to know or care? He then asked me if I thought it was fair that he should have to decide whether to bulk up or not. If ever there was a rhetorical question that was it. And it was repeated in every clubhouse in baseball. I salute the guys who resisted the temptation and played through through nothing stronger than the odd greenie or (in John Wetteland's case) an over consumption of caffeine.
Scene #2
A bunch of media types gathered at Hurley's Irish pub. I mention to a baseball writer that players are starting to grumble about obvious steroid use. I tell him it's a huge story about to explode. He agrees but says he can't really sniff around because he'd have his "access" cut off. He says it's more of an investigative piece that has to be done on a national level with a parade of sources and an almost unlimited expense account. And then Ken Caminiti won the NL MVP award.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/magazine/12/13/flashback_juiced/index.html
Saku Koivu goes a dozen games without scoring and he's either washed up or a lousy leader or both. He scores two goals against the Leafs and his critics will say the Leafs were tired. I think we're all guilty of over analyzing after each game or block of games. There's still a lot of hockey left to play. Among Koivu's right wingers this season-Michael Ryder, Tom Kostopolous, Mark Streit, Bryan Smolinski, Guillame Latendresse, Alex Kovalev, Mathieu Dandenault and Sergei Kostitsyn. Who's next-Stephen Harper?
Saku Koivu is a special guy. "Un champion", says Bob Gainey. It takes one to know one. Koivu is not part of the problem, never has been. I'd concede that at this point he might not be part of the solution either. The fact that the Habs seem to go only as Koivu goes is not his fault. It's an organizational failure. But if they are to trade him (out west) they had better hit a home run. Steroid-free.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Dancing (5th, 6th, 7th, 6th, 8th cha cha cha) With the Habs
Sunday December 9, 1:30 PM
What's wrong with the Canadiens? Let me count the ways.
-they can't win at home
-they can't win key face offs
-they can't score
-they can't kill penalties
-they can't (won't) fight
-their goalies have caved
What did I miss?
The Habs have no home identity-other than the "history" in the soon-to-be 12 year old Bell Center. Opposing teams dictate play. And with little or no physical fear they pretty much do what they want. Playing the Canadiens in Montreal has become ultra-comfortable. A pro sports sin. The only response the Habs have is to hope their goaltender out-plays everyone. From John Ferguson to Pierre Bouchard to Rick Chartraw to Chris Nilan to Lyle Odelein, every successful Montreal team has had a cop, a cop who could play. Some winning teams featured 4-5 guys who could fight. (The last Cup team in '93 featured Odelein, Todd Ewen, Mario Roberge and the league's best middleweight-Mike Keane.) This bunch? I'd rather see PJ Stock out there 3-4 minutes a game than Mark Streit. (I like Streit-as a power play specialist and role player. He gets way too many minutes of ice time).
The stat sheet (always be wary of the Montreal sheets) says the Canadiens won 60% of their face offs vs Carolina. Fact is, other than Koivu, Habs' centermen have been pretty dismal this season. Hard to comprehend with three of the best face-off men of their respective eras behind the bench. Lack of success in the face off circle also explains, partially, the woeful PK record.
I'm not enough of an X's & O's student to further explain the PK problems. Again, with Guy Carbonneau, Doug Jarvis and Kirk Muller to teach, it would be difficult to believe it's poor coaching. And it hasn't been the fault of the goaltending. Kyle Chipchura, Brian Smolinski, Tom Kostopolous and Steve Begin have been the go-to players on the PK unit. Chipchura will be fine but it's not often a rookie is handed that kind of responsibility. He's made some (rookie) mistakes. Smolinski, on the other hand, looks done. He doesn't win battles one on one or along the boards. Unlike Begin and Kostopolous he doesn't block shots. He's been a solid NHL player for a long time but this is beginning to look a lot like Janne Niinimaa revisited. (Which brings us to another area of concern for Hab fans-pro scouting. Ultimately, it's Bob Gainey who rightfully takes the heat for poor signings/trades. But a constant during the Gainey regime is Pierre Gauthier, who's title is assistant GM but who, in essence, is their top pro scout. Among the NHL players brought in during his watch: Radek Bonk, Todd Simpson, Mike Johnson, Sergei Samsanov, Niinimaa, Josh Gorges, Smolinski and Kostopolous. Those in a hurry to see Gainey go should shudder at the prospect of Gauthier as GM in-waiting.)
We knew goal scoring, especially five on five, would be tight for this team. But who could have possibly predicted that Michael Ryder would be stuck on three goals less than a month away from the all star break? It's sad to see. Sadder still is the pssibilty that his NHL career has already peaked. Shoot puck. Score goals. That's his job. He can't skate well or check and has possibly the worst hockey sense of any forward on the team. Shoot puck. Don't score goals. No job.
Goaltending, as mediocre as it's been lately, is a non-issue as far as I'm concerned. Carey Price will be fine. He's discovering that NHL shooters are pretty good. Rod Brindamour alone in the slot can pick a corner a lot faster than the typical AHL'er or Junior player. It's part of the learning curve.
Captain Koivu? Struggling to be sure. A goal here or there would help but remember first and foremost he's a playmaker. What I look for from Koivu is if he's putting the puck on the stick of his linemate(s), and whether it's Higgins, Ryder, Streit, Smolinski or whomever, he's getting that job done. Of more concern is that he looks a step or two slower.
Maybe it's just the late fall blahs, weeks ahead of the Christmas swoon. And what looks piss-poor right now will eventually be straightened out. Until then the Habs will likely drop lower than 8th. Perhaps to 10th or 11th. And two or three games later jump all the way to 6th. The only thing we know for certain about this team is they can't play with Detroit. So they have a lot of company.
In the meantime, Bob Gainey has to find a couple of bodies with some size and toughness and talent. That's all. And he has to find this player or two by himself.
What's wrong with the Canadiens? Let me count the ways.
-they can't win at home
-they can't win key face offs
-they can't score
-they can't kill penalties
-they can't (won't) fight
-their goalies have caved
What did I miss?
The Habs have no home identity-other than the "history" in the soon-to-be 12 year old Bell Center. Opposing teams dictate play. And with little or no physical fear they pretty much do what they want. Playing the Canadiens in Montreal has become ultra-comfortable. A pro sports sin. The only response the Habs have is to hope their goaltender out-plays everyone. From John Ferguson to Pierre Bouchard to Rick Chartraw to Chris Nilan to Lyle Odelein, every successful Montreal team has had a cop, a cop who could play. Some winning teams featured 4-5 guys who could fight. (The last Cup team in '93 featured Odelein, Todd Ewen, Mario Roberge and the league's best middleweight-Mike Keane.) This bunch? I'd rather see PJ Stock out there 3-4 minutes a game than Mark Streit. (I like Streit-as a power play specialist and role player. He gets way too many minutes of ice time).
The stat sheet (always be wary of the Montreal sheets) says the Canadiens won 60% of their face offs vs Carolina. Fact is, other than Koivu, Habs' centermen have been pretty dismal this season. Hard to comprehend with three of the best face-off men of their respective eras behind the bench. Lack of success in the face off circle also explains, partially, the woeful PK record.
I'm not enough of an X's & O's student to further explain the PK problems. Again, with Guy Carbonneau, Doug Jarvis and Kirk Muller to teach, it would be difficult to believe it's poor coaching. And it hasn't been the fault of the goaltending. Kyle Chipchura, Brian Smolinski, Tom Kostopolous and Steve Begin have been the go-to players on the PK unit. Chipchura will be fine but it's not often a rookie is handed that kind of responsibility. He's made some (rookie) mistakes. Smolinski, on the other hand, looks done. He doesn't win battles one on one or along the boards. Unlike Begin and Kostopolous he doesn't block shots. He's been a solid NHL player for a long time but this is beginning to look a lot like Janne Niinimaa revisited. (Which brings us to another area of concern for Hab fans-pro scouting. Ultimately, it's Bob Gainey who rightfully takes the heat for poor signings/trades. But a constant during the Gainey regime is Pierre Gauthier, who's title is assistant GM but who, in essence, is their top pro scout. Among the NHL players brought in during his watch: Radek Bonk, Todd Simpson, Mike Johnson, Sergei Samsanov, Niinimaa, Josh Gorges, Smolinski and Kostopolous. Those in a hurry to see Gainey go should shudder at the prospect of Gauthier as GM in-waiting.)
We knew goal scoring, especially five on five, would be tight for this team. But who could have possibly predicted that Michael Ryder would be stuck on three goals less than a month away from the all star break? It's sad to see. Sadder still is the pssibilty that his NHL career has already peaked. Shoot puck. Score goals. That's his job. He can't skate well or check and has possibly the worst hockey sense of any forward on the team. Shoot puck. Don't score goals. No job.
Goaltending, as mediocre as it's been lately, is a non-issue as far as I'm concerned. Carey Price will be fine. He's discovering that NHL shooters are pretty good. Rod Brindamour alone in the slot can pick a corner a lot faster than the typical AHL'er or Junior player. It's part of the learning curve.
Captain Koivu? Struggling to be sure. A goal here or there would help but remember first and foremost he's a playmaker. What I look for from Koivu is if he's putting the puck on the stick of his linemate(s), and whether it's Higgins, Ryder, Streit, Smolinski or whomever, he's getting that job done. Of more concern is that he looks a step or two slower.
Maybe it's just the late fall blahs, weeks ahead of the Christmas swoon. And what looks piss-poor right now will eventually be straightened out. Until then the Habs will likely drop lower than 8th. Perhaps to 10th or 11th. And two or three games later jump all the way to 6th. The only thing we know for certain about this team is they can't play with Detroit. So they have a lot of company.
In the meantime, Bob Gainey has to find a couple of bodies with some size and toughness and talent. That's all. And he has to find this player or two by himself.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
New Month, Same Team
Saturday December 1 2:00 PM
December-finally. I don't mind the blast of cold air-as long as the sun is shining. I'll spare you the metaphors.
Getting ready to watch the Rangers and Senators. Those silly comparisons to the Habs of the late 70's can now be buried for good. Love what Senators coach John Paddock said about his teams' losing streak. "It's part of the ebb and flow of a long season", said Paddock while (just a guess here) silently starting to worry about Martin Gerber. Canadiens fans need to keep that in mind. Look at the standings. As I write this the Habs are 5th in the eastern conference, two points behind the second place team and just two points out of eighth. Welcome to the salary cap era. It's just as tight in the west. Teams that started the season surprisingly slow (Buffalo, New Jersey) have righted themselves. Teams that started surprisngly well (Washington, Ottawa) have also settled into a more realistic zone.
For one of those rare instances this season, the Canadiens actually dominated a first period of play. Last night in Newark (what a great title for a movie, huh?) the Habs dominated, helped out by, but not just because of, the power play. Best save of the night was Martin Brodeur on Alex Kovalev, a low, well aimed wrister that Brodeur cooly kicked away. And as often has been the case the last two seasons, if the Canadiens don't score on the power play they find themselves in a bit of trouble. This season, their penalty killing unit continues to struggle. Lousy combo. One of the reasons Steve Begin and Tom Kostopolous are sitting tonight vs Nashville. The other reason-a team TOTAL of 9 hits the last two road games. Why bother putting on shoulder pads? If Begin and Kostopolous don't hit they don't play. Simple as that. Good move by Carbonneau. Why not Brian Smolinski or Michael Ryder? I think Ryder is next. Smolinski won 9 of 12 faceoffs last night.
So what does Bob Gainey do to improve his team's 5 on 5 play and/or goal scoring? He's not going to find it in Hamilton. The Bulldogs were shutout 6-0 on home ice last night. And their best players to start this season (Sergei Kostitsyn, Maxim Lapierre and Jonathan Ferland) are not goal scorers. Perhaps Gainey was in attendance in an effort to piece together a package for
immediate NHL help (Brad Richards?). In the meantime, Ryder sticks out like a sore thumb. A goal scorer not scoring for a team that needs a goal scorer.
Where have you gone Stephane Richer?
Martin Brodeur's career record against Montreal is 34-12-5. 12 losses? I can barely remember one...You won't have Jack Todd to kick around anymore...he's accepted a buyout from The Gazette...oh yeah, I'll have plenty more to say next month...The Black Hawks are once again fun to watch...They're playing for Denis Savard and Chicago area hockey fans who can once again see them on local TV....and whaddya know, the crowds are starting to return (over 16,000 last night vs Phoenix)...I'm starting to warm to the idea of bigger nets..the highest scoring team in the east is Carolina with 85 goals in 26 games...I'd rather see a little more room on the ice and I no longer buy the notion that ripping out the first few rows of seats in places like the Bell Center automatically means a huge loss in revenue...it's a loss the Habs can easily make up by charging more for premium seats and loges...the white- collared crowd that enjoys a pre-game meal at Queue De Cheval have plenty more money to spend...Angels owner Arte Moreno says baseball fans are "going to be angry and disappointed" when the Mitchell report on steroid use is made public...do you think one of Moreno's own stars might be on the list of players George Mitchell names as a user?...Best wishes to Terry DiMonte in Calgary, even though he thinks John Mellencamp is a better artist than Bob Dylan..Finally got around to actually seeing Nirvana Unplugged, finally out on DVD...It's stunning to see and hear the performance in HD and surround sound (watch for Kurt Cobain's facial expression at the end of Leadbelly classic):
http://www.nme.com/news/32183
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEtDC6MuImU
Happy December.
December-finally. I don't mind the blast of cold air-as long as the sun is shining. I'll spare you the metaphors.
Getting ready to watch the Rangers and Senators. Those silly comparisons to the Habs of the late 70's can now be buried for good. Love what Senators coach John Paddock said about his teams' losing streak. "It's part of the ebb and flow of a long season", said Paddock while (just a guess here) silently starting to worry about Martin Gerber. Canadiens fans need to keep that in mind. Look at the standings. As I write this the Habs are 5th in the eastern conference, two points behind the second place team and just two points out of eighth. Welcome to the salary cap era. It's just as tight in the west. Teams that started the season surprisingly slow (Buffalo, New Jersey) have righted themselves. Teams that started surprisngly well (Washington, Ottawa) have also settled into a more realistic zone.
For one of those rare instances this season, the Canadiens actually dominated a first period of play. Last night in Newark (what a great title for a movie, huh?) the Habs dominated, helped out by, but not just because of, the power play. Best save of the night was Martin Brodeur on Alex Kovalev, a low, well aimed wrister that Brodeur cooly kicked away. And as often has been the case the last two seasons, if the Canadiens don't score on the power play they find themselves in a bit of trouble. This season, their penalty killing unit continues to struggle. Lousy combo. One of the reasons Steve Begin and Tom Kostopolous are sitting tonight vs Nashville. The other reason-a team TOTAL of 9 hits the last two road games. Why bother putting on shoulder pads? If Begin and Kostopolous don't hit they don't play. Simple as that. Good move by Carbonneau. Why not Brian Smolinski or Michael Ryder? I think Ryder is next. Smolinski won 9 of 12 faceoffs last night.
So what does Bob Gainey do to improve his team's 5 on 5 play and/or goal scoring? He's not going to find it in Hamilton. The Bulldogs were shutout 6-0 on home ice last night. And their best players to start this season (Sergei Kostitsyn, Maxim Lapierre and Jonathan Ferland) are not goal scorers. Perhaps Gainey was in attendance in an effort to piece together a package for
immediate NHL help (Brad Richards?). In the meantime, Ryder sticks out like a sore thumb. A goal scorer not scoring for a team that needs a goal scorer.
Where have you gone Stephane Richer?
Martin Brodeur's career record against Montreal is 34-12-5. 12 losses? I can barely remember one...You won't have Jack Todd to kick around anymore...he's accepted a buyout from The Gazette...oh yeah, I'll have plenty more to say next month...The Black Hawks are once again fun to watch...They're playing for Denis Savard and Chicago area hockey fans who can once again see them on local TV....and whaddya know, the crowds are starting to return (over 16,000 last night vs Phoenix)...I'm starting to warm to the idea of bigger nets..the highest scoring team in the east is Carolina with 85 goals in 26 games...I'd rather see a little more room on the ice and I no longer buy the notion that ripping out the first few rows of seats in places like the Bell Center automatically means a huge loss in revenue...it's a loss the Habs can easily make up by charging more for premium seats and loges...the white- collared crowd that enjoys a pre-game meal at Queue De Cheval have plenty more money to spend...Angels owner Arte Moreno says baseball fans are "going to be angry and disappointed" when the Mitchell report on steroid use is made public...do you think one of Moreno's own stars might be on the list of players George Mitchell names as a user?...Best wishes to Terry DiMonte in Calgary, even though he thinks John Mellencamp is a better artist than Bob Dylan..Finally got around to actually seeing Nirvana Unplugged, finally out on DVD...It's stunning to see and hear the performance in HD and surround sound (watch for Kurt Cobain's facial expression at the end of Leadbelly classic):
http://www.nme.com/news/32183
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEtDC6MuImU
Happy December.
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