Denis Brodeur – the father of the most successful goaltender of all time , has in his possession, more than 100, 000 hockey photographs. The way that his son Martin is playing, the senior Brodeur will have his lens cap on tomorrow night when his offspring `s team meet with the Canadiens at the Bell Center.
The Habs, on the tail end of a modest two game winning streak , will meet a New Jersey team that is off to it`s worst start since 1983. Lou Lamoriello , the President and General Manager of the team, made an off season pact with the Devil with the signing of Ilya Kovalchuk and that deal appears to be haunting the team. On and off the ice.
Brodeur arrives in his native land with an uncharacteristic 3. 18 goals against average and a less than stellar .887 save percentage. There are several factors attributing to this result and the number one issue appears to be talent or lack of on a team headed by an aging net minder.
Physics dictate that unless you are Terry Sawchuk or the Rolling Stones – time is definitely not on your side. Everyone in the hockey world has been waiting for the day that Martin Brodeur can no longer be Martin Brodeur. Mostly opposing forwards as a weakened Brodeur will enhance their totals both on the score sheet and their pocket books. If Martin has indeed lost an edge, it is up to the rest of the team to sharpen their defensive skills so that the Devils and Brodeur do no trip and fall into the NHL cracks.
Of the top ten scorers on the team, only two have numbers north of the plus / minus equator. Travis Zajac is a plus two while Zach Parise is a positive one. Montreal fans think that their team does not give Carey Price sufficient support. If Brodeur`s team was an absent father – Gary Bettman would be collecting millions a month for child support. Due to Kovalchuk`s contract which is far greater than the GNP of most tiny countries, Lamoriello has nothing to fall back on when his NHL stars start to flounder. Time will tell if Brodeur is starting to feel the effects of a long and storied career or if the Kovalchuk deal is the beginning of the end for a `Mickey Mouse ` to riches fairy tale.
All `s not perfect in Hab Land.
Despite their 3 – 1 -1 start to the season, the Montreal Canadiens have troubles all their own. Carey Price and the defensive play have shown a few cracks but for the most part are the reason for the clubs success in this fledgling season.
P.K Subban has performed much like everyone expected. A mistake here and there is part of his learning process and the coaching staff along with the veterans appear to be maturing the future all- star at a reasonable pace. The same cannot be said for Ryan O`Byrne.
The 6`5 defenceman from Victoria , B.C. finds his head hitting the roof of the Bell Center as he sits in the press box watching newcomer Alex Picard take his place. His play has been erratic, he is too slow on his skates and for a big man – his physical play leaves something to be desired. Do not be surprised if O`Byrne`s `daze `in Montreal are close to finished.
Speaking of finished. Jaroslav Spacek has not been too far behind O`Byrne in the production department. Spacek`s poor man on man coverage has been responsible for six of the goals that have been scored against Price thus far. Spacek will be turning thirty – seven in February and those years are forechecking his ability harder than any bodycheck delivered by former Devil Scott Stevens. If Jaroslav doesn`t shape up soon, he may find himself skating on thin ice with Hab management.
Roman Hamrlik, Josh Gorges and Hal Gill have all held the fort with Alexandre Picard being a surprise. As one of three `Flyin Frenchmen`on the team, the Gatineau, Qc. boy has been consistent every time on the ice. His 6`3 frame is big enough to handle the rough stuff and small enough to add mobility to the defence corps.The former Senator had a strong game against Ottawa last Saturday which is why he will be in the line up tomorrow against the Devils.
Gionta , Gomez and ?
Jacques Martin is a troubled man. His top line is on fire while his second one is eating uncooked marshmallows as they could not find a fire if their lives depended on it. Plekanec, Kostsyn and Cammalleri are up to their usual tricks as they fight Jeff Halpern for the top three spots in the Habs scoring race. Halpern, an old King, has effectively replaced Dominic Moore in the line up and has done more than what was expected of him with two goals and one assist in five games.
Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta are both stalled at two points apiece as Martin does his best Sherlock Holmes impression and seeks out a line mate for the
pair. Benoit Pouliot did not work out nor did Travis Moen. Thursday against the Devils, Martin will be using Pyatt as the next piece of the puzzle. Either way, it is only a matter of time before Gionta and Gomez pick up their games, especially when Andrei Markov returns before the first of November. Markov has a way of doing that to players
Lapierre is the Chesire Cat on steroids this year. He is skating faster and although still very early, the Quebec native appears more mature and is picking his spots when it comes to being a Montreal Sean Avery. No sloppy `deuxiemes `so far. Eller is hot and cold as most rookies are and Dustin Boyd is just there. Noone notices him which is a good thing. That means that he is doing his job as a fourth line checker. The longer he plays in Montreal, the more comfortable he will get and then the points will arrive.
Tomorrow night`s tagline should be `A battle between Young and Old `as future( ? ) hall of famer Carey Price battles the seasoned veteran Martin Brodeur. If both live up to their billing – at least for one night, Denis Brodeur will have to remove that lens cap from a camera that took many memories and mounted them in the minds of hockey fans around the world.
Thank you Mr. Brodeur for your two gifts.