NHL 2017-2018

[Warren Zevon]

   Have a good time, @mcanadiens!  I love watching hockey, but going to games is such a bloody hassle, not too mention expensive.  

   After suffering a few concussions many moons ago, I find very loud sporting events and concerts headache inducing.  Enjoy yourself for those who can’t go.  

[mcanadiens]

15 hours ago, Warren Zevon said:

   Have a good time, @mcanadiens!  I love watching hockey, but going to games is such a bloody hassle, not too mention expensive.  

   After suffering a few concussions many moons ago, I find very loud sporting events and concerts headache inducing.  Enjoy yourself for those who can’t go.  

Thanks. 4-2 CBJ in a decently-contested game. My Leaf-fan friend wasn't too salty about it.

It was astounding how many Toronto fans showed up. Chris was getting high-fives all the way to our seats and consolatory pats on the back on the way out.

You are definitely right about expensive. It's a once-a-year outing for me. $20 dinner, $7.50 for my half of the parking, $100 game ticket and a $10.50 beer. Hockey is TV only for the rest of the year other than high school games. 

Getting in and out is one of the best parts of games at Nationwide Arena. We got to Columbus early to eat and had zero problems and getting out wasn't much harder.  The engineers thought some stuff out when they designed the Area District.

 

[iacas]

You can find cheaper tickets than $100. My family (three of us) just went to a Pens game a few weeks ago (I offered at 3:55pm, we were at the arena by 6:15) for $105, ticket fees included. Not SRO, either.

The seats are obviously not the best, but you can do it.

[mcanadiens]

8 minutes ago, iacas said:

You can find cheaper tickets than $100. My family (three of us) just went to a Pens game a few weeks ago (I offered at 3:55pm, we were at the arena by 6:15) for $105, ticket fees included. Not SRO, either.

The seats are obviously not the best, but you can do it.

I know. My friend bought these. If it were me, we'd have been in the uppers down by the goal and probably paid $40 or so. I actually like the view up there better anyway because it is easier to see the play form.

 

[iacas]

1 minute ago, mcanadiens said:

I know. My friend bought these. If it were me, we'd have been in the uppers down by the goal and probably paid $40 or so. I actually like the view up there better anyway because it is easier to see the play form.

Yeah. Seats within the first three rows, or seats well, well back are better than the whole middle area where you miss a lot but also aren't very close.

[Warren Zevon]

Meh, I’ve only been to a few games, paid upwards of $150+ for not the greatest seats, and watched my team get shutout.  Every time:(

[gogolfing]

I like the guy, but Marc Bergevin has to go. He is too far gone on this journey he is taking the Habs on, and doesn't seem willing to admit that he has made some bad deals. Leaving 9 million in cap space on the table this season, with suspect defense and a lack of scoring has me looking to rebuild mode. I am not usually one to jump on the fire the GM or coach bandwagon, but he has had 5 years, and the team is getting worse, with nothing on the farm. I am a fan of Drouin but he is a play making winger, and is lost at center. I say put Galchenyuk at center, turn him loose and lighten up on the D responsibilities and see what he can do with Drouin on the wing. Trade Petry before his no trade kicks in, and Byron and Pacioretty who both have one more year on a respectable contracts. 

Listening to Bob Mackenzie today, it looks like the top 6 in the year's draft are high end, #1 defense or snipers, both of which the Habs need. I hope the hockey Gods look favorably on the team come draft lottery time. 

I'd rather suffer for 3 or 4 years, but wallowing year after year in the middle of the pack is getting old. 

[gogolfing]

At least there is the World Juniors to watch this week. Canada gets the Czechs tomorrow, US the Swedes. 

 

[mcanadiens]

8 hours ago, gogolfing said:

I like the guy, but Marc Bergevin has to go. He is too far gone on this journey he is taking the Habs on, and doesn't seem willing to admit that he has made some bad deals. Leaving 9 million in cap space on the table this season, with suspect defense and a lack of scoring has me looking to rebuild mode.

Well not a lot seems to be working out, that's for sure.

- Super-long term deals, like the one Price got, scare the crap out of me. Now, he's having his worst season ever.

- The combination of not signing Markov and then not finding another way to address it meant the blue line was in trouble before training camp even started.

- Not that its fair to dump on Drouin, but Sergachev could have really helped the above issue. (Damn, plus 17 with 25 points. He'd be leading the team).

- Letting Radulov go really frustrated me. This team needs offense.

- You'll always have that Subban/Weber trade sitting back there. Again, not a knock on Weber, but its hard to look at what Nashville is doing and not scratch your head a little.

- The cap space follies are just the icing on a really nasty cake.

 

This season is toast. May as well clean house.

Edited January 4, 2018 by mcanadiens

[BamaWade]

While on-topic w/the Canadiens: I was really looking forward to the first matchup w/ Cassidy & Julien...was really hoping to get it in the playoffs last year.  Since that didn't happen, the timing/scheduling have made the wait almost one complete season!  And now that it's about here...what a friggin' letdown.  Virtually zero stakes in that 3-games-in-8-days series that would've otherwise had as close to a playoff feel as you can find in the regular season.  I can't wrap my head around the fall of such a proud and capable franchise, with what I'd thought to be a pretty strong core and setup going into last season.

Re: Claude - I really liked watching Claude-hockey when it was at it's best, so part of me hated to see him go (though it was the right move regardless).  But what Bruce Cassidy and co. have done w/this Bruins team is amazing.  The offensive dynamic is dramatically different (and fun to watch), and while I expected Claude's strong-layers defensive influence to slowly wither away (especially with the issues with defensive personnel), that isn't happening at all.  They're actually a really good 200' team across all 4 lines/3 pairs.

I know the last guy you guys wanted to hear from is a Bruin's fan.  But, get your boys together!  My dislike of the Habs has gone from nuclear my first 40 years, to virtually nil the last 2.  And y'all know full well that's gotta change!  

[billchao]

Just to play a little Devil's advocate here, because I don't think Bergevin is a good GM either, but you can (sort of) defend his moves.

1 hour ago, mcanadiens said:

Super-long term deals, like the one Price got, scare the crap out of me. Now, he's having his worst season ever.

I don't think he was going to be able to "win" this one, no matter the outcome. He needed to extend Price, and Price wasn't going to take less than what he could get on the open market. The alternative is to let him walk. If Bergevin did that, the fans would be calling for his head (especially after the Subban/Weber trade). So the only realistic move is to sign Price to a large contract and hope he plays up to it for a few years before he starts to decline. It's going to be an albatross at some point. Plus, the defense is terrible, that's going to negatively affect a goaltender's numbers.

1 hour ago, mcanadiens said:

The combination of not signing Markov and then not finding another way to address it meant the blue line was in trouble before training camp even started.

The FA class for defenders wasn't great this year. It was headlined by Kevin Shattenkirk... Trade market reflected that, too. Teams trading for defensemen gave up more than what most people thought they were worth.

I think everyone knew that they weren't going to be able to replace Markov if they didn't re-sign him.

1 hour ago, mcanadiens said:

Not that its fair to dump on Drouin, but Sergachev could have really helped the above issue. (Damn, plus 17 with 25 points. He'd be leading the team).

I don't think Sergachev would pad his stats on the Canadiens the way he does on the Lightning, but yea, I'd take Sergachev over Drouin.

2 hours ago, mcanadiens said:

Letting Radulov go really frustrated me. This team needs offense.

That's why they traded for Drouin 

I'm sure the Price extension was a factor to consider for the future, but I don't know. I took a quick look at Cap Friendly and they don't have significant RFAs coming up soon. I think he just blew this one.

2 hours ago, mcanadiens said:

You'll always have that Subban/Weber trade sitting back there. Again, not a knock on Weber, but its hard to look at what Nashville is doing and not scratch your head a little.

You can make the argument (at least for now) that Weber fits the team's needs more than Subban. Weber is a much better shut-down defenseman than Subban is, and that's exactly what they need on the blue line right now. Subban is better at offense, but is not as good in the defensive zone than Weber. Yes, Weber will eventually decline, but the trade so far hasn't hurt Montreal.

2 hours ago, mcanadiens said:

The cap space follies are just the icing on a really nasty cake.

You don't want to sign somebody just because you have the room to. Just sayin'

2 hours ago, mcanadiens said:

This season is toast. May as well clean house.

I agree. Not sure what they're going to do when the trade deadline gets closer. Most of the good players on the team are under control for longer than a year, so it's not like they have FA rentals available for trade.

[gogolfing]

3 hours ago, mcanadiens said:

Super-long term deals, like the one Price got, scare the crap out of me. Now, he's having his worst season ever.

I am fine with the Price deal; there is the debate of how much cap space to tie up in the position of goalie, but he and Weber are the only elite players we have right now, and we will look at both of their salaries down the road and scratch our heads as they age.  I think price's season is a reflection of the poor D in front of him right now. We will be looking at that salary down the road, but Price is still an elite goalie in my opinion. 

3 hours ago, mcanadiens said:

The combination of not signing Markov and then not finding another way to address it meant the blue line was in trouble before training camp even started.

I agree here. When you look at our top 4 D, it is not good. Weber has been hurt, but when Schlemko is your option as his D pairing heading into the season, that's not good. 

 

3 hours ago, mcanadiens said:

Not that its fair to dump on Drouin, but Sergachev could have really helped the above issue. (Damn, plus 17 with 25 points. He'd be leading the team).

 

I'd be willing to bet he'd have 10 points and be a minus playing in Montreal right now. I still think Drouin, if he can ever be used properly will help the team offensively 

 

3 hours ago, mcanadiens said:

The cap space follies are just the icing on a really nasty cake.

I don't agree with spending just to spend, but they opened things up for Alzner, and looking at his stats, the metrics crowd jumped all over this one. Having this money available now makes me believe it is even more important to send Bergevin on his way. He is going to be desperate and I don't want him giving away crazy deals to save his ass. 

Rumours are Pacioretty is on his way out. He could be the next John Leclerc but over his last 60 games, it isn't working. He has a year left at 4.5 million, will likely get double that as an UFA, so I say trade him now while he has that salary and is more attractive to other teams. If there is a rebuild looming, get rid of Petry too. I like him, but he has a no movement that kicks in July 1. 

[gogolfing]

A good listen from Darren Dreger as it pertains to the Habs right now. Habs needs: Top line centre and top 4 D-Men....ya those are easy to find. 

https://www.tsn.ca/radio/montreal-690/dreger-pacioretty-asking-price-is-steep-1.958847

[billchao]

https://www.nhl.com/news/despite-suspension-marchand-can-still-play-in-all-star-game/c-295268094

Marchand is a scumbag. This is the type of play/player they need to get rid of from the league. He gets suspended 5 games (big whoop) for committing an act that has absolute zero hockey merit and can only be interpreted as malicious with intent to cause harm. Even if he was trying to defend himself from being it by Johansson there, you don't do that by lunging at him with your elbow flying. Bullshit excuse by a dirty player.

This is Johansson's second concussion of this season and he was out for a month from the first one. He's likely going to miss far more games than the measly five Marchand will and that's not even considering how the brain injuries might affect him the rest of his life.

[iacas]

24 minutes ago, billchao said:

https://www.nhl.com/news/despite-suspension-marchand-can-still-play-in-all-star-game/c-295268094

Marchand is a scumbag. This is the type of play/player they need to get rid of from the league. He gets suspended 5 games (big whoop) for committing an act that has absolute zero hockey merit and can only be interpreted as malicious with intent to cause harm. Even if he was trying to defend himself from being it by Johansson there, you don't do that by lunging at him with your elbow flying. Bullshit excuse by a dirty player.

This is Johansson's second concussion of this season and he was out for a month from the first one. He's likely going to miss far more games than the measly five Marchand will and that's not even considering how the brain injuries might affect him the rest of his life.

Had Johansson not been injured, he probably would have just received a fine.

That's the NHL for you. "Department of Player Safety" is an oxymoron or something.

How about the hit on Justin Schultz the other day? Same kind of shit.

Schultz returned to practice the next day, and all Brown got was a fine, and even said after the game that he should have just gotten 2:00 instead of the 5:00 and 10:00.

P.S. Malkin lifted his stick into Brown's groin in the game, and even THOSE types of plays should be taken out of the game, but I suspect those smaller things would be the last to go so long as the Marchand and Brown hits are still present.

[Slugox]

At minimum, a player causing injury by blatant infraction should have to sit at LEAST as long as the player he injured. That should be the bare minimum. And repeat offenders should be punished much more severely, if not outright expunged from the league.

[billchao]

5 minutes ago, iacas said:

Had Johansson not been injured, he probably would have just received a fine.

That's the NHL for you. "Department of Player Safety" is an oxymoron or something.

If Marchand hadn't been suspended five times in his previous five seasons of his NHL career, he probably would have just been fined, injury or not. The NHL would just say "hockey is a dangerous sport, sometimes injuries happen" 

11 minutes ago, iacas said:

How about the hit on Justin Schultz the other day? Same kind of shit.

Schultz returned to practice the next day, and all Brown got was a fine, and even said after the game that he should have just gotten 2:00 instead of the 5:00 and 10:00.

There are so many things wrong with that play, I don't even know where to begin.

5 minutes ago, Slugox said:

At minimum, a player causing injury by blatant infraction should have to sit at LEAST as long as the player he injured. That should be the bare minimum. And repeat offenders should be punished much more severely, if not outright expunged from the league.

I agree, but I'm not holding my breath for that to happen.

[iacas]

8 minutes ago, Slugox said:

At minimum, a player causing injury by blatant infraction should have to sit at LEAST as long as the player he injured. That should be the bare minimum. And repeat offenders should be punished much more severely, if not outright expunged from the league.

The problem with that is that on the rare occasion a star player takes out a fringe player, the fringe player may be induced to sit for a loooooooong time.

I don't believe in punishing the result, and sometimes weird stuff happens. That would be punishing the result, not the actual hit. It's the same as not giving a fine/suspension if the player is uninjured, but in reverse.