Habs: Early Season Prognosis 

I have watched parts of three of the Habs' first four games.

And guess what? THEY ARE WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WOULD BE. 

Here's the gawd's honest truth.

This team lacks the depth (especially with the Laine injury) and isn't defensively strong enough to compete for a Playoff spot. Not yet, so this will be another year of baby steps. Woo freaking hoo. 

Anyway. So ya, carrying on...

What I am excited about:

Lane Hutson! This kid is for real. So fun to watch when the puck is on his stick. He is tiny but doesn't seem to get knocked around, or intimidated like I had expected. My knock on him, for now, is that he sometimes gets lost in his own zone. If he can get more reliable on the defensive side of the puck, he'll be a superstar for many years to come. 

Kaiden Guhle! Dude is a stud. So reliable in his own end and showing a steadily improving offensive game. He is the Habs' number-one defenseman. The best we've seen on that side of the ice since Markov. Love him.

The first line! They seem to have picked up where they left off. They show up every game. Cole scores goals, Suzuki is one of the best two-way players in the game, and Slaf continues to improve. They aren't going to break any scoring records, but they will keep other teams honest. That's important.

Jake Evans! Nothing fancy about this guy. He just plays the right way. He kills penalties, wins faceoffs and, rarely makes a bad play. Solid. I have always been a fan.

Gally! Give the banged-up warrior his flowers. He still comes to play, every night. 

Some of the kids. Hutson was already mentioned, but it is also nice to see the progress being made by Kapanen, Heineman, and Dobes (who is in the AHL, for now). The future is bright in Montreal. Patience...

Sam Montembeault... maybe. The presumptive Habs' number-one goalie had a couple stellar starts and one mediocre start. I am still not convinced he is the guy, long term, but I am cheering for him. How is that for tempered excitement? 

And now the bad news...

What worries me:

Mike Matheson. I hope I am wrong, but I think last year's stellar stats were a fluke. He skates well, and can still get the puck down the ice, but he too often looks soft and lost in his own end. My fear is that he is another Jeff Petry. Not a horrible guy to have on your team, but not a true number-one option. 

Kirby Dach. Do I think he can be an impact player on this roster? Of course. I just live in constant fear that he is one play away from a catastrophic injury. Fingers crossed that he can play 70+ games this year. 

Josh Anderson. All the size and speed in the world, never any results. He is never going to put it all together, is he? Waivers anyone?

Joshua Roy. This was supposed to be his breakthrough year. I was expecting 20+ goals and lots of second-line minutes. He is in Laval, the rumours are that he has attitude problems and that he floated through camp thinking a roster position was his. Ouch. 

Cayden Primeau... maybe. He had a rough first start this year. The sample size is too small, yet, for me to pass final judgment. It looks like however, that he is on thin ice, what with the emergence of Dobes, and Fowler a year or so away.

Dare I mention Xhekaj? A fan favourite. The kid can chuck knuckles, but is that as far as it goes with this guy? He hasn't been horrible so far this year. Not too many mistakes in his own zone, but very little presence elsewhere. I am not convinced that he is an everyday NHL player. With Jordan Struble returning from injury, he and Justin Barron might have to split time in the press box.

There you have it. The good the bad and the ugly.

The Habs play the Kings tonight, a team that has been beaten by the Sens and the Buds (giving up a ton of goals in each game) in their last two games. Here is hoping that the Habs make their visit to Upper Canada even worse. 

Go Habs go! 

Photo credit: Charles William Pelletier (La Presse)

 The Problem With Leaf Fans Is...

... they're delusional.

 Oh and why are their team colours blue and white? When was the last time you saw a blue or white maple leaf?

 1967, wasn't that a few years before Confederation?

 Oh, and don't get me going about Toronto.

Hi, I am Joseph, the rational one of this motley hockey blog duo. You see I am the Habs fan. You know, the hockey team with the most Stanley Cups in NHL history, the team that magically qualified for the COVID Playoffs and made it to the Finals (representing the Western Conference), the team from Montreal, Canada's true hockey mecca. 

Right, I know, I know, trust me I KNOW, how bad the Habs have been going on 20 years now. Hell, they haven't won a Cup since '93. There have been spurts of excitement. Carey Price dragging a ragtag team of mostly 3rd liners deep into the Playoffs every few years. It hasn't been all bad, but I am beginning to understand the madness that it is to be a Leaf fan. Cheering for the Montreal Canadiens, for the last 30 years, has been akin to being trapped in a passive-aggressive relationship. Why are they so mean to us when we love them so much?

Shit, come to think of it, this sort of blind loyalty/delusion can be pegged on the fans of any Canadian NHL hockey team. No team from Canada has won the Cup since 1993. The majority of the Canadian teams have made it to the Finals (Nucks, Oilers, Flames, Sens, Habs... tee hee look who is missing) since '93, but it's really been a rough go of it for NHL hockey fans in the Great White North.

Who's to blame for this crime against hockey?

 The Canadian dollar?

 Taxes (geezus are we blaming Trudeau again)?

 The ghosts of the Forum?

 Harold Ballard?

 Complacent owners and fans?

 Gary Buttman... er Bettman?

 All the above? 

The larger question is why are we all still watching (if we can, what with streaming and local blackouts, but that's a rant for another day)? Is our love for the game stronger than the sting of constant failure? Are Gold Medals every 4 years, and World Junior Championships almost every year enough to fill the void left by no Cups?

I don't know. 

Ask David, the Leaf fan, he knows how to cope with never-ending disappointment, it's his superpower.

Leafs/Kings Game Notes – Filed 10/16/2024

 

So far this season the Leafs looks … different.

Of note: newly minted Leaf Captain Auston Matthews (2g 1A) and Mitch Marner (3 apples) finally got off the schnied and recorded 3 points each.  Bobby McMann nets 2.  You da McMann! (sorry).

So yeah, it’s only game 4. The Leafs are 3-1-0 with 6pts, and hang temporarily at the top of the division.

Trust me, no one’s doing backflips. I didn’t just fall off the turnip truck yesterday.  I’m a Leaf fan, after all. Well, a long-time ‘follower’ at least, and we’ve seen this before – NEW SEASON EUPHORIA. But no. Losing to an AHL Zamboni driver stills sticks in the craw. Let’s be cautiously optimistic (VERY cautiously optimistic).

That said,  the Leafs look … different.

Finishing checks, clearing the zone, keeping the shots down to a reasonable number. Who are these guys? Of course, there’s the dour looking guy behind the bench who might have something to do with it. That’d be new Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube.

Initially I was hoping MLSE would snag Barry Trotz or someone like that – not this guy from the team’s distant past. Not the guy who was part of the biggest trade in Leafs history, the trade that brought Doug Gilmour to town? Yeah him.

But you know, it’s working out. He’s got that Pat Burns vibe happening and I like it. Specifically tonight,  I liked Berube’s in-game adjustments. Calling a time-out while the score is at 5-2 and not 6-5 like a certain former coach we all know is a refreshing change. And I’m beginning to appreciate his player management skills. I’m reasonably certain he won’t keep putting Ryan Reaves in the line-up with stubborn regularity like a certain former coach we all know (We stil love ya, Sheldon, just not as our head coach).

Power Play was decent (yay Marc Savard) with 2 goals.

Again, It’s only game 4. The Leafs are looking like an actually NHL team this year and not an AHL affiliate. Yes, the bar has dropped that low when I actually appreciate a boring but steady team. But if this rather boring Leaf team can keep it slow and steady, we may do something this year. I reiterate: it’s only game 4. Don’t plan any parades in the near future.

Notes: Patch (Max Pacioretty) was a healthy scratch tonight, Liljegren played first game (lots of scouts in the building tonight – trade bait?)  Oliver Ekman-Larsson looking like a revelation on the back-end. Morgan Reilly looking good playing with Tanev.  Jake McCabe still taking too many stupid penalties. Overall: solid.

Next up: Leafs/Rangers Saturday Night.

Post-script: that Joseph Lane fella should be appearing soon with words on the Habs (ppffft).  Also – thank Ballard’s bifurcated carcass that the Leafs finally got rid of that terrible Hall and Oates goal song. What was up with that? 

Anyway, I'll just leave this here and call it a night ...

 

 

 

Can a Habs Fan and a Leafs Fan Peacefully Co-Exist? Nah.

 

This may be an historic moment.

A Habs fan and a Leaf fan getting together to do a blog. Who saw this coming?

  Drop the gloves!

As far as I know, these two entities have never done anything of note together except rage at each other for the past 107 years.  

Yeah, yeah, yeah, the Habs have won more cups, and have won more recently (that ’93 cup shoulda been ours, Mr. Kerry Fraser) and yes they have the edge in the overall record … and … overall everything else:

 

Statistics
Meetings total	847
All-time series	413–333–88–13 (MTL)
Regular season series	367–301–88–13 (MTL)
Postseason results	46–32 (MTL)
Largest victory	MTL 11–0 TOR March 30, 1944
Longest win streak	MTL W14
Current win streak	MTL W1

 

To tell the truth, it’s been hard being a fan of either team the last few decades (at least Montreal’s last cup win was broadcast in colour).  The Leafs, though, have had a long sad history since 1967 (a very very long story) and the Leafs even have a futility counter on Twitter: @LeafsIastCup; 20,986 days since a cup win, 1693 days since losing to an AHL Zamboni driver.

Ugh. See what I mean?

So my old writing buddy and consummate Habs aficionado Joseph Lane agreed to go on a journey with me this season to explore our inner feelings in regard to our beloved teams. Yes, a hockey encounter group. No hugs will be exchanged (only crosschecks and can-openers).

Will we resolve anything? Nah.

Will it be fun? Hell yeah.

So, we drop the puck, and may the best (Leafs) man win.

Post-script: as I write this the Habs are getting asses kicked 6-3 by the NHL superpower The Pittsburgh Penguins. Hey, jussayin.

 Toronto, 10:06 PM