It’s that time once again Angels and Demons….or as I like to say , Hockey Fans and Leaf Fans.

It's okay Sergei...maybe you will win Trivia next week....?!

Time flies unless you are in prison and even then it has a way of being included in your daily thoughts especially if you have a love life…then time goes much to slow for your liking.

Former NHLer Martin Straka turns 38 years old today as does Mort Walker, the pencil behind the cartoon Beetle Bailey. Something tells me the two have never met…

Toshiyuki Sakai…?The Japanese hockey player? Well,he was born on this date in 1964. Sakai – Saku…Saku – Sakai…

Christobal Huet – the goalie that nobody wants will be spending his 35th year in Switzerland…goalies and Swiss Cheese doesn’t sound right…something about holes...?

Here we go – are we ready for another segment of A Montreal Canadiens Trivia Extravaganza? As usual try not to you use Google or anything that rhymes with ‘Oogle’ …Send your answers to keenerick@hotmail.com.

1.Who was the very first Captain of the Habs?

2.What was the highest goal total in one season for Shayne Corson?

3.Who was Patrick Roy’s back-up in 1989?

4.Where was Habs legend Larry Robinson born?

5.Who’ s the dude to your right?

6.Who played Maurice Richard in the movie about his life…?

7.Who’s the dude on your left?

8.How many ex-Habs are currently involved in the NHL as GM’s or coaches?Name them?

9.What is P.K Subban ’s favorite band? (hint;Canadiens.com)

10.Who was the last Hab player to win the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leading scorer?

As Porky Pig says ; “That’s all Folks….”  Thanks for the support!

Habs sign Price to a two year deal reportedly worth 5.75 million.

Is this the proper deal? I think so…

In his rookie season, Price was awarded the starting position – more or less, and played like a two million dollar a year player.If he had continued his fine play over the course of the following two years, the Habs would be paying him minimum 3 million this year if not more.

Fortunately for the Habs and unfortunately for Price, Carey gave into the temptations of youth and blew not only the starting job in Montreal – he also blew an opportunity to pad his wallet and have his favorite country and western stars perform in his living room making his 70 inch Plasma television obsolete in the process.

Temptations

In agreeing to the present contract – Price and his agent stood their ground which to me is a signal from Price that the competitive juices that make him a great goalie are flowing as strong as when he won all the MVP awards as a junior.

Fans in Montreal and people in general have short memories. ‘What have you done for me lately?’ is the protocol especially for athletes that live in an economic world that is pure fantasy for the average working class family.The crowd at the Bell Center booed Carey into doing his best Patrick Roy during a game this past season when Price failed to live up to their lofty expectations. Ask a player, any player – how their performance suffers when they are in the line-up for a game and then removed for a few games. During their ‘vacation’ in the press box they have too much time to think and the pressure increases in their mind to perform better when the next opportunity arrives at their doorstep. An entire career can be decided in the handful of opportunities they are given and in Montreal especially – those opportunities are magnified two fold, making a coach or a G.M with limited foresight rush into a decision that could ultimately deploy a ’star’ player into the backseat of a ten year American Hockey League voyage.

Focus

Carey Price demonstrated last season that his maturity level had increased. The players on the team that witnessed Price’s juvenile behavior from the previous season, were cautious when the young net minder was in goal and rightly so. There were too many nights that Price demonstrated a lack of focus on the ice and instead of showing the guys that he was out of line – he carried that uncertainty into practices and the dressing room.

Many people in Montreal ridicule Bob Gainey’s  handling of Price during the latter’s rookie campaign.

Bob Gainey is a man that dealt with his own daughters ‘faux pas’ of youth.He handled her situation much like he handled Carey’s situation and that was with tough love. “You wanna dance? Now you must pay the fiddler…” Is what Gainey was saying as he threw Carey to the wolves night after night.This was also the reason that Gainey brought in the likes of Gionta, Moen, Gill, Gomez and Camalleri. In players such as Komasarek, Higgins and Kovalev…there were no role models for Price to learn from.

Carey Price has learned a great deal about the NHL, the Montreal Canadiens, the french media and himself in the past three seasons. When he was forced to watch Halak from the bench last season…what do you think was going through his mind? He was mad at himself and when people get mad at themselves , there are two reactions. The anger either turns inward and they get depressed, turn to blaming others and in the worse case scenario – they turn to drugs and alcohol abuse. The other way they deal with it shows their character as they become determined to make up for their mistakes and prove to everyone, including themselves – that their mistakes are part of the ‘accessories’ and not the ‘design.’

Toyota screwed up and now it is up to them to regain the confidence of the North American market.

Carey Price screwed up and began his atonement during the course of last season. Unlike Toyota’s predicament, Carey does not have General Motors, Honda and the Ford Motor Company to deflect the attention away from him. In the automotive market and most markets, the culprit is allowed to redeem themselves in relative obscurity enabling them to re-appear when they have their acts together. Even a player in any other NHL city would work on his game and come back to slowly regain the public’ s confidence.In any other city, if it did not work out then people would not care and he could rejuvenate elsewhere.

Carey Price plays in a market where the Montreal Canadiens are Toyota, Honda, Ford, General Motors and little Johnny’s go-cart all wrapped into one and he is the city’s sole means of transportation to the Stanley Cup parade.

If Carey understands and accepts the ‘bus fare’ then Habs fans should be in for a long and happy trip over the next few years.If not – then we will all have to settle for the 1993  Porsche that we have been riding in for 17 years.A vehicle that looks great, picks up chicks but when you get right down to it – runs like crap!

Looks Great - Runs Like Crap

It was a cold January day outside of the Montreal Forum in 1984…

I was standing outside the players’ entrance waiting to catch one of them as they arrived for a game that night against the Hartford Whalers.There were a few adults speckled among the crowd which consisted mainly of kids between the ages of ten and fifteen. Photos and scraps of paper filled their young hands as they anxiously awaited the  scribbles of their favorite players.

A car pulled into the driveway and stopped just before the aluminum garage door that was the gateway to the bowels of  hockey’s most famous building. The rear doors of the black sedan opened up and three players emerged – Tom Kurvers, Peter Svoboda and Chris Chelios.

The Shrine of Hockey

One of the kids in a group that consisted of his peers ran toward them leaving his friends momentarily alone to fight the cold. ‘ Hey Chelios….’ One of the kids cried out as the group started toward the trio – pens and pencils waving in the air. One of the kids approached Tom Kurvers and said ; ” Hey… Mr. Kurvers – may I have an autograph? ” Kurvers looked at the young man and said…”Sorry kid – I do not have time.”

Chris Chelios must have heard what Kurvers said and before you knew it…Chelios was standing next to Kurvers  and facing the boy who had asked for the autograph. Chelios grabbed the pen and paper from the pre-teen and with an angry sideways glance toward Kurvers, said ; “Of course he’ll sign your paper…what’s your name kid?”

Not only did Kurvers sign an autograph for that kid, Chelios made sure that Kurvers and Svoboda signed autographs for all the kids in the group. I realized then that Chris Chelios was a special player.

The End of an Era…

Drafted in 1981 by the Habs – Chris Chelios officially retired yesterday at the age of 48 to finalize a twenty-six year career, becoming the second oldest player behind Gordie Howe to play in the NHL.

“I will never forget my start. I had one point in my first 14 games with the Canadiens.  I never even unpacked my bags because I thought I was going to the minors, Serge Savard and ( head coach ) Jacques Lemaire kept playing me and I finally figured it out.  It also didn’t hurt that I had Patrick Roy behind me for the next six years, so thank you, Patrick – a good friend and teammate.”

Chelios played for nine seasons in a Habs uniform, winning the Norris Trophy in 1989 and a Stanley Cup in 1986. Unfortunatley for Habs fans he was traded in 1991 to the Black Hawks for Denis Savard - a player that was originally passed over for Doug Wickenheiser in the 1980 draft. Although the trade is considered to be one of the worst in Habs history, Denis Savard did win a Stanley Cup in Montreal while Chelios did not obtain the same goal in Chicago despite  winning two more Norris Trophies in his hometown – the Windy City.

Captain Chelios

Never to be confused with an Angel, Chelios was outspoken and marched to the beat of his own drum – a drum not unlike that of the Energizer Bunny’s as Chelios would often hit the Montreal nightclubs and keep going and going and going…The Habs – an organization that prides itself with an image that is respected globally, finally had enough of Chelios’ shenanigans and the trade to Chicago was finalized.

Sweet Home Chicago

Following a strict regimen, one that included a forty-five minute jaunt on an exercise bike inside a sauna, Chris Chelios’ NHL career spanned three decades with Montreal, Chicago, Detroit and Atlanta.To put it into perspective – Sydney Crosby was three years old when ‘Chelly’ made his first tour under the the Stanley Cup banners on Forum ice and began his ‘ schooling’.

“I was sitting in bars and restaurants with legends – the Richard brothers, Jean Beliveau, Yvan Cournoyer – listening to their stories about when they played; what it took to win . How all of them put the team in front of any individual play. There was no selfishness in that group of players and I was learning from the best, I always said playing for the Canadiens was like getting a Harvard degree in hockey and I was very fortunate to start my career there.”

Chelios final exam in a Montreal uniform came when he co-Captained the 1989 version into the finals against the Calgary Flames. That team was the best Canadiens team to play since the 1978-79 team that won it’s last of four Cups.They ranked second only to Calgary in regular season points with 113 and lost the Cup in six games to a Flames squad that was just that much better.It was during that play -off run when Chelios perhaps left his permanent mark in Canadiens and NHL history – at least on Youtube.

The Habs were playing their nemesis, The Flyers, at the Forum when Chelios hit Brian Propp from behind and headfirst into the boards. A hit that was considered to be dirty and Propp was helped from the ice and missed the remainder of the series.Chelios was a marked man yet because it was the play-offs , the Flyers could ill afford to retaliate and risk giving a superior Habs squad a two, five or ten minute advantage.Then came game six…

Tongue? What tongue....?

With his team trailing 3-2 in the series and 4-2 on the scoreboard in the game’s final minutes, Flyers goaltender Ron Hextall left the crease and slammed Chelios  into the boards  in retaliation for Chelios’ illegal yet unpenalized hit on Philadelphia’s Brian Propp in Game 1 . After Chelios crumpled to the ice, the Flyers nutca…er goalie continued to beat l him until the referees were able to pull the Flyer goalie off.  Hextall – eyes glazed a la Charles Manson still wanted to get at Chelios and in a move that made everyone wonder about Hextall’s sanity, his tongue flicked back and forth and around for a good two minutes as the linesman kept the pair apart.For his actions, Hextall received a match penalty and was suspended for the first 12 games of the following season.

The Third Period

Exactly ten seasons after that brush with death – Chelios’ address changed from ‘The House of Blues’ to Motown as he joined a Detroit team on the verge of winning a Stanley Cup which they did in 2002 and again in 2007.Following a ten year career with Detroit, Chelios signed on with the Manitoba Moose last season joining ex-teammate and former captain of the Habs – Mike Keane. He signed on with the Atlanta Trashers toward the end of the season playing in seven games , adding zero points and a -2 rating.After playing in 1,651 games,scoring 185 goals and adding 763 assists for a total of 948 points – Chelios realized that he no longer has any gas in the tank and will now join the Detroit Red Wings management staff. One of his duties will be to work with the Wings young defensive prospects.

A True Champion

Chelios played in two Canada Cups, two World Cups, four Olympic Games and two World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He won three Stanley Cups, three Norris Trophies and played in fifteen All Star games.

I hope that kid outside of the Forum on that cold January day in 1984 kept that piece of paper.

Goodbye Chris Chelios and thank you!

According to a ‘tweet’ by CBC news reporter Michel Godbout – Carey Price wants three million dollars a year or he’s going on strike…

I have always been a Carey Price fan. I thought and still do think that the Habs made the right choice by trading Halak and keeping Price. Now – the Habs are running a real risk of commencing the season with Alex Auld as their starter.

The Canadiens organization has commited the same mistake that  many husbands have probably done over the years – they did not make sure that their wives were absolutely satisfied at home before they added a mistress as a sidedish. In other words, they should have had an agreement with Carey – at least verbally , before they traded their star performer in the play-offs.

If the story is true then The Habs are in deep bleu,blanc et rouge doo-doo  and the fans will be all over Carey when and if he starts the season. The problem is not Price however…the problem is the entire salary structure in the NHL which leaves the most astute chimpanzee shaking his head as he reads the news.

Antti Niemi won a Stanley Cup with Chicago and was awarded 2.75 million by an arbitrator. Jaroslav Halak carried the Habs on his back to the final of the Eastern Conference and he is given a contract of 3.75 million a year for four years. That is akin to awarding Pavlov’s  ‘deaf dog’ the can of Alpo when he doesn’t hear the bell.

Price is somewhere in the middle here and he knows it but what makes Price think that anybody will award him that type of money when nobody  seems to be knocking on Niemi’s door to pay him 2.75 million?

Carey Price is selfish. He is thinking of himself and the market in which he belongs. He is not thinking of the mistakes and the embarrassment that he caused the Habs last year and instead of thanking Bob Gainey for sticking by him and  accepting what is probably a very decent offer by Mr. Gauthier, he is acting as if he was wearing Halak’s jersey this past Spring.

The Montreal Canadiens should sign Niemi at his price and let Carey go elsewhere – there is no  ‘ I ‘ in team…

Just ask Tiger Woods.

This will be the one and only time that I do this – I am putting a link to a story I have already written on this subject  for those that may have missed it.

http://awinninghabit.com/2010/08/02/carey-price-warning-absolutely-no-brown-ones/

Can’t say I  didn’t tell you so…..

On Strike...?

John Beliveau – ‘Le Gros Bill’ turns 74 today.

Bonne Fete

Words are not necessary.

Sunday afternoon brings feelings of family, home and comfort…

Laying on the floor – an old black and white movie plays in the background as you read the newspaper, play a game with your children or cuddle with your wife or husband.

What better time to reflect on a week in the NHL ?

Every Sunday, starting today I will provide a synopsis of the goings-on around the league and hopefully this will keep all you busy people up to date with your favourite sport.

This will also be a place where I will post links to favorite stories or antidotes that caught my eye during the course of the past seven days.Check with the other FanSided writers if the Montreal Canadiens are not your favourite team. They will provide a local perspective that you just cannot obtain from the major sport networks or the national news.

Sit back, grab a cup of coffee, a beer or a glass of wine and find out things that Ethel must wait for…!

Cheers!

The Grapes of Kovalchuk…

• As we all know - Ilya Kovalchuk’s mammoth and greedy contract was rejected by the NHL and rightly so. First it was reported that Mr. Kovalchuk threatened to leave the NHL and go back to Russia. Now it is reported that the NHL has approved a new contract between the Devils and Ilya – although the NHL denies any such thing. Kovalchuk has also been offered a three year, 42 million dollar contract by the KHL league in Russia. I wish I had Kovalchuks’s problems…stay in the NHL and be rich or go to the KHL and be rich….frankly I should not waste my effort as the world has far worse problems to report..
• 

  All Done...?

  Paul Career -Ya - Ex – St.Louis Blues forward Paul Kariya announced on Friday that he will miss the entire season due to post concussion syndrome.He suffered a concussion last December and missed six games. in December and January.  Six games…? Then he kept playin…? I am not sure that this is simply not just a way to remove himself from the game elegantly instead of admitting that he is finished. Kariya is a free agent and not too many teams are expressing interest.

• Who wants a goalie? Everyone knows that goalies are a strange breed, who – after all, would stand in front of a vulcanized rubber object that is being launched at speeds of 100 km plus…? I don’t believe that Anti Niemmi, Nabokov,Theodore and Emery are that crazy? Okay maybe Emery is but I find it hard to believe that so many’ possessors of the five hole ‘ are without employment. That’s 1 -800 – rent a goalie..I repeat…, that’s…
• The Maple Laffs . The team that lost their way in 1967 added defenceman Matt Lashoff from Tampa Bay. This brings the total of 22 D-men that Toronto has on their roster – well, 19 because Komasarek, Kaberle and Fingers don’t count. The good news for Leaf fans is that they will allow under three goals a game.The bad news..?They will be negative three in goals for…
• Yes Occifer.…Speaking of crazy goalies -Nikolai Khabibulin was convicted of a drunk driving charge and he
  

  No...! Not the hole....!

  may spend thirty days in the slammer. He must be on his best behavior during his jail time or he will be placed between the pipes of the Edmonton Oilers, hockey’s equivalent of the ‘hole’….Isn’t that the reason he drank in the first place?

• Ce quoi la probleme…? Liberal leader Deins Coderre and Shane Doan of the Pheonix (Winnipeg?) Coyotes have settled out of court to bring an end to their defamation suit. Coderre had accused the Phoenix Coyotes forward Doan of trash-talking a francophone official at a game in Montreal on Dec. 13, 2005 and demanded that Doan be excluded from Team Canada at the Turin Olympic games in 2006. How did the french official know that Anglophone Doan was trash-talking him?Things that make you go hmmmm……
• Directions please? David Spina has signed a one-year, two-way contract with the St. Louis Blues. David is attempting to become the first player to make it through the youth ranks of the Arizona state and play in the NHL. Please.., nobody tell the poor kid that the St. Louis Blues are not an NHL team…!
• Get a hair cut! Carolina Hurricane Sergei ‘Samson’ – ov has been informed that he may start the season as an extra forward with the team. The ‘other’ forward had no comment…
• We tore down paradise and put up a parking lot. Finally – the NHL Hockey Summit came and went and the only concrete decision to arrive was the commitment of 2 million dollars by IHL president Murray Costello towards woman’s hockey. (pending approval). The powers that be were not expecting to walk away with any handshakes regarding new rules or a deciding vote on sending NHL players to the next Olympic games.It astonishes me that people paid 450.00 to line the pockets of executives that are determined to make the game appear more foolish to an American population of which they are attempting to lure in the first place.Shoot-outs should not dictate a winner. If some child can kill 98 out of 100 zombies playing an Xbox game – that does not mean I want him defending my borders if Canada is at war. The players must take it upon themselves to play full out for sixty minutes even if the two team are tied with two minutes to play.Hockey was
  

  Gretzky - Doesn't like shoot-outs...

  played this way for many,many years. If Wayne Gretzky were playing in today’s league – would he be left on the bench during a shoot-out as he was during the Olympics with Marc Crawford behind the bench.Of course not because the line between entertainment and hockey is as blurred as a businessman’s eyesight after a night on the town. The G.M’s also voted unanimously to leave the icing rule in effect. Please do not let me hear you crying if Sydney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin tears up a knee chasing a clearing attempt by the defending team.We know Ovechkin would not be crying if this happens a he accepts the game and the way it is played. Crosby on the other hand will be in his crib, throwing rattles at Betteman and his cronies if anything were to happen to him or Malkin.Leave the rule alone and teach the players to respect one another. That is the answer to all the NHL problems – head shots, stick work and ‘pushing from behind’ penalties.Now play the game and start planting seeds on the parking lot.

There you have it - seven days…and eight tidbits from around the league.

Enjoy the rest of your day and have a wonderful week….! Always remember – keep your sticks between your legs…that way the other joker will get the ‘high sticking penalty!’

Rick

In 1989, the Rolling Stones were considered dinosaurs as they prepared to embark on their ‘Steel Wheels’ tour, Madonna divorced actor Sean Penn and Grant Fuhr, Eldon (Pokey ) Reddick , Tony McKegney and Ray Neufeld were the sole African Americans playing in the NHL.

In 2010, the Rolling Stones are considered dinosaurs as they purportedly arrange for a tour, Madonna is single once more after another failed relationship and there are twenty-four African Americans playing in the NHL. The more things change…the more they change.

P.K Subban

P.K Subban is the next generation of Willie O’Ree’s not just entering the league… but showing true signs of dominating at his position. What has changed in twenty-one years? Have more black players enrolled in the sport because of players such as Fuhr and O’Ree before them? Perhaps the reason African Americans are playing a sport dominated by white people for so many years has nothing to do with Fuhr or Reddick. Does the fact that Tiger Woods not only joined an elite, Caucasian boys club but totally dominated have anything to do with the success of Jerome Iginla, Anson Carter and Mike Grier…?

Woods and Subban are children of their environment. As society goes… so do the people,  regardless of race and colour.

Tony McKegney was the fourth black in NHL history and the first black Canadian player to make an impact in the league when he signed with the Buffalo Sabres in 1978.  McKegney had to suffer the indignities of racial abuse from fans and opposing players as well as suspicious treatment from team management. That was 1978 – a time when you could hurl racist comments and not be out of place in many cities in Canada and the States. Currently, if you harbor such feelings toward any race, black or white – you would be better off to save those judgments to yourself or face becoming an outcast among peers and society in general.

Though not considered one of the greats of the game, McKegney ‘s career was a long and productive one and he is probably responsible for an entire generation of  young black skaters. He scored over 320 goals over his 13 year career in the NHL and he became the first African-American to net 40 goals in a season. His total of 78 points in the same year was the highest ever recorded by a black player until Jarome Iginla surpassed that in 2001-2002 with 96 points. Tony , over a space of 900 games in the NHL , produced eight 20-goal seasons and in 1991 -  became the first minority to play on the Canadian National Team.

Tony McKegney - Role Model

It was in the course of those 900 games that the world around Tony McKegney changed allowing young blacks more opportunities to play hockey. McKegney exposed his talents to young African Americans  and now they had the resources to practice their craft.

Willie O’ Ree made his NHL debut with the Bruins on January 18, 1958, against the Montreal Canadiens, becoming the first black player in league history as he appeared in two games that season. In 1961 he was called up once more and scored four goals and added 10 assists in 43 games. O’Ree never played another NHL game but toiled in the minors for another 19 seasons. Mr.O’Ree cites several factors in the increase of African Americans in the NHL today.

Willie O'Ree

“You have to be around ice to be an ice hockey player. There are more rinks being constructed, there are more opportunities and there are more programs available for African-Americans to get involved in the sport. There are 30 teams in the National Hockey League; when I played there were only six. When I travel around and go to the inner cities, I’m amazed that a lot of these boys and girls have a lot of natural talent. They need to get on the ice and develop from there.

In Canada, the African American population has doubled in the past twenty years from one percent when Tony McKegney was a rookie to two percent when Jerome Iginla made a historic pass to Sidney Crosby at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver. Although seemingly small, that one percent increase can double the amount of black minor leaguers and in turn – increase the percentage in the NHL.”

Like dominoes, everything has a trickle down effect. At one time because of segregation and racism, black people were not given the opportunities to excel and produce high incomes. Hockey – compared to sports such as soccer, baseball and football was pricier to play and many inner city kids simply did not have the money to purchase skates, sticks and all the equipment necessary to play the game. It was a double edge sword at times – you had ice if you lived in Detroit but not enough money, you had money if you lived in L.A but not enough ice.

Now that times have been altered and blacks and whites share the same opportunities, more kids are being introduced to the game in every generation. This means more arenas being built, more equipment is handed down from an older brother or sister, more NHL stars are role models and so it goes.

Tony McKegney was the Tiger Woods of hockey in his day. Unfortunately for Tony and thousands of kids everywhere – the 1970’s did not have the television coverage or the endorsement deals that Mr. Woods has benefited from.  I am not speaking monetarily – I am speaking in terms of pure exposure. Fortunately, the NHL did expand in that decade and that enabled enough exposure to encourage the Jerome Iginlas and P.K. Subbans of the world and begin a process that will add the best talent of all races into the greatest game on ice.

Jerome Iginla

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1145/is_1_40/ai_n9486365/?tag=content;col1

Here we are kiddies, another week has passed – Carey Price is still out in free agent land and Ilya Kovalchuk has threatened to take his puck  and go home…Oh well, Быстрые рецепты as they say!Do we really need a ten million dollar a year Russian who nets 35 goals?

Longtime Canadiens Journalist Red Fisher turned 84 this past Sunday, ex- Hab and ex – broadcaster Benoit Brunet turned 42 on Thursday and Pierre Turgeon turns 41 today. Also on this date in 1991 – Dennis  ‘El Perfecto ‘ Martinez pitched a perfect game in a Montreal Expos uniform against the Dodgers of L.A.

Patrice Brisebois is racing his own car with Nascar… Patrice…! Why don’t you choose a sport where you can screw up a pass and it doesn’t matter! Won’t you ever learn…?

Why all this trivia..? Because it’s that time once again…The Montreal Canadiens Trivia Extravaganza! This week I will mix it up with a few questions and a few photos.

As per usual….you can email me your responses to keenerick@hotmail.com

1. What number did Guy Lafleur wear when he first skated for The Canadiens?

2. Who leads the team in penalty minutes – all time?

3. What was Guy Lapointe’s nickname?

4. What was Serge Savard’s nickname?

5.Who is this on my left?

6.Who was the Habs first pick overall in 1981?

7.Who is the all time leading goal scorer for the Habs ?

8.Who is this handsome fella?

9.Where was Scott Gomez born?

10.What do the initials P.K stand for…?

There you have it…try not to use the computer at first and then try without Google or anything that sounds like ‘Oogle’.

Bonne chance mes amis…!

The 15th day of every month, the Canadiens put on sale additional tickets for the games of the upcoming month (200 tickets per game).

• October 15, 2010: 8 games of November
• November 15, 2010: 5 games of December
• December 15, 2010: 7 games of January
• January 15, 2011: 8 games of February
• February 15, 2011: 7 games of March and April

Purchase limit: one game per person with a maximum of 4 tickets for the selected game

Tickets for monthly on-sales are available only via Internet on canadiens.com

Following a brief sprint to to avoid jail time – I am continuing my journey to find out what’s going on in the league and give my fearless predictions for the upcoming season….

New York RangeRovers……

Glen Sather should call up Bobby Clarke and Harry Sinden and ask them what it feels like to hang around long after they are no longer welcome and past their prime.

Year after year -’Slats’ has attempted to build a Stanley Cup contender and year after year, he has failed. This year promises to be no different as Sather tries to prove that once upon a time…he was a good G.M and coach and that the Edmonton Oilers did not run themselves.

"It's Glen Sather...you know...I used to be a winner..?"

While Sather lingers, he’s not the only problem. Adding John ( where’s a mirror my ego is huge) Torterella was more of a ‘ I’d better find a coach with a name’ solution ‘ for Sather,  than actually adding a good coach. I can see why Sather hired him – he (Torterella ) suffers from the same infliction that nags at Mr. Sather – the pair both received a Stanley Cup for coaching (?)  teams that would have won if Woody Woodpecker and / or Woody Harrelson was at the helm. Everbody, including Mr. Sather needs a friend…

Adding Todd White from Atlanta seems like a good move stat wise but do you think that White will put up such decent numbers ( 73 pts in 81 games in 2008-09 ) without Kovalchuk on his team?

Forwards Vinny Prospal, Erik Christensen, and Brandon Prust have all returned, along with defenseman Dan Girardi. Good job Glen – resign all the players that helped you miss the play-offs last season.The RangerRovers also signed Martin Biron to back -up Henrik Lundqvist which could be the one good thing that Sather did. Sure he added toughness in Derek Boogaard but Boogaard will be too busy making up for rookie Ryan McDonagh and Steve Eminger’s mistakes. New York will retain their ninth position in the Eastern Conference even though Gavorik and Frolov will obtain 80 + points.

New York Wang Dang Doodlers…

If this organization was a horse – someone would have shot them long ago… Rumour has it that they wanted to relocate to Coney Island yet the folks there said it would make us look bad…..At least when they had Mike (around the) Milbury (bush) – they had an excuse for bad performances since Milbury traded away all their top picks..? Now, aside from the Dipietro fiasco….the team appears to be as haggard as their arena.

Ah.....that's his name..I always called him Yo!

Mark Eaton is a good addition to the team, providing some maturity to a bunch of kids. They also added a whole slew of names that will give the p.a announcer fits…Milan Jurcina, Zenon Konopka, Nino Niederreiter and James Wisniewski.If the average guy can’t pronounce the names then how the heck can they call for passes on the ice.My thinking is that we should rename the team the yo – yo’s as in ‘ Jursina..I mean gurk…I mean…o never mind…Yo! Pass the puck!”

Tavares is the real deal and will improve in his sophomore season as long as Streit continues his strong offensive play as the quaterback on the power play.The Isles will improve this season from 15 th last year but not enough to make the play-offs. The Islanders will end up 13th in division – 12th if  Dipietro returns and can actually play goal.