Montreal Canadiens

It's evident to any Habs fan that the chances of seeing Jaroslav Halak in another jersey this year is fairly high. Consistenly in trade rumors for over a year now, Halak is showing that he wants to play hockey, whether it's here in Montreal or elsewhere. He performs well when he's on the ice for the Habs, and doesn't complain when Carey Price gets the majority of the starts, but you can tell that he isn't the type of goalie that is content with being the back-up, and it shows in the way he plays. His performance in Ottawa last week, where he made 44 saves and essentially won the game for the Canadiens, started a firestorm of rumors, the most rampant of which was rumors of a deal ...

The Penguins weren't marching yesterday. In fact, the only Penguin-like behavior the Stanley Cup champs were showcasing was the fact that they were grounded. At least their flight was, delayed by a raging snow storm in Montreal. They did, however, make it into town in time to prepare for the game tonight, which will be the first meeting between the Canadiens and Pittsburgh in Montreal. In the two prior meetings between the Habs and Pens at Mellon arena this season, the Canadiens have been outscored 9-2, losing both games thanks to big performances from Sidney Crosby and his gang, and lack therof from their opponents. The first game at the end of October was an embarrasing 6-1 ...

Alex Kovalev was back in Montreal yesterday, promoting the launch of his Off-Ice Training DVD. Is it just me, or is it amusing that Kovalev, now a member of the Ottawa Senators, decides to promote his DVD in this city, instead of promoting it in Ottawa, where Eugene Melnyk has forked over $10 million over two years so that Kovalev can play on the Senators' top lines? Kovalev will be the first person to tell you that Montreal was probably his favorite city to play in. The relationship between the aging Russian star in this city has always been one of love-hate, but there is no doubt in anyone's mind that Kovalev was probably the most exciting player to put on the bleu-blanc-et-r...

I'm all for celebrating major events in sports. I'm all for ceremonies in hockey. And I'm all for the celebration of the Centennial season of the Montreal Canadiens. But I don't think I'm the only Habs fan that will be glad when tonight's ceremony, as well as tonight's game, is over, and everyone can move on. Centennial seasons aren't something that are celebrated very often in sports. Beyond certain baseball teams in the US, and soccer teams in Europe, the Montreal Canadiens are amongst the oldest teams in pro sports. And if you factor in the fact that the Canadiens have never changed cities or names (they've certainly changed jerseys a lot, but I digress..), their Centennial s...