Guy Lafleur

Guy Lafleur

1951-2022

Written by Fred Arshoff

I would like to thank Martine McGuire very much for sending me the cover photo for this article on one of the greatest hockey players I ever watched play.

I will divide this article into several parts. My personal thoughts, his autobiography, list of stats and awards, some of the hundreds of condolences sent to his family, photos and videos and a list of my sources.

My Personal Thoughts

My thoughts go back even before Guy Lafleur played a game for the Montreal Canadiens when the late great General Manager Sam Pollock was making trades to ensure they would get the first overall draft pick in the 1971 NHL Entry draft. I asked my late father why is Sam Pollock making so many trades to get the first overall draft pick. His reply was “because it will be Guy Lafleur and Sam Pollock knows what he is doing”. My God my late dad nailed it on the head.

I was also lucky enough to go to some of the Montreal Jr. Canadiens games and at times when the Quebec Rampart came I saw Guy Lafleur play, and was amazed at his ability (I am thirteen months younger than Guy) so seeing someone with so much talent made me push myself to do the best I can, with the types of talent I had, and it wasn’t playing sports.

Seeing Lafleur score and get so many assists playing hockey truly is a highlight in my life, as not everyone gets a chance to watch in person such a superstar. I did get to see Lafleur play in the Montreal Forum with the Canadiens on several occasions as my late father and I went to many games.

One of my biggest disappointments was after Lafleur retired and came back to play that he decided to play for the New York Rangers. I was always hoping he would start and end his career as a HAB.

Also what still stands out to me is Guy Lafleur’s line with Steve Shutt and Peter Mahovlich still hold the record for most assists by a line.

Lafleur was a legend on and off the ice, he never said no to signing an autograph for a fan even if millions he wouldn’t leave till everyone who wanted his got it. I also loved the way including the last year of his life when he knew he had lung cancer doing charitable work for worthy causes. The closest I have seen doing charitable work is P K Subban with his fund raising for the Montreal Children’s Hospital.

Autobiography

Guy Lafleur was born September 20, 1951 and sadly passed away April 22, 2022.
Lafleur did have not one but two nicknames, “The Flower” and “Le Démon Blond”.

Guy played his Jr. hockey for the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL (Quebec Major Jr. Hockey League) from 1969-70 season to the 1970-71 season. He wore No. 10, although Beliveau originally asked him to take his No. 4 but he had second thoughts saying “Don’t try to be a second Jean Beliveau. Be the first Guy Lafleur. Take a number and make it your own.”

Lafleur was the first overall player pick in the NHL Entry draft in 1971 selected by the Montreal Canadiens due to the wheeling and dealing that GM Sam Pollock did to ensure he would have the first shot at this future Hall of Famer.

In his rookie season he had very little ice time due to so many veterans on the Habs.

In his fourth season, 1974–75, Lafleur had developed his trademark smooth skating style and scoring touch, making him one of the most popular players on a very popular team; fans chanted “Guy!, Guy!, Guy!” whenever he touched the puck.

In 1985, Lafleur’s rocky relationship with Jacques Lemaire had become intolerable for him and he asked to be traded. General Manager Serge Savard refused his request, as trading one of the most popular players in Canadiens’ history would have incurred a severe backlash from fans and the media. With no other options, he decided to retire, and his departure from the Habs was considered acrimonious.

After being inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame Guy came out of retirement to return to the NHL from 1998 to 1991 with the New York Rangers. During this period of time he was one of a few players who didn’t wear a helmet to protect his head.

Lafleur then followed dismissed Rangers head coach and close friend Michel Bergeron to the Nordiques for his final seasons. Intending to finish his hockey career in Quebec where he had started, he reportedly turned down a $1 million offer from the Los Angeles Kings, which would have allowed Lafleur to play alongside Wayne Gretzky.
He managed 24 goals in 98 games with the Nordiques over two seasons.

In 2019, Lafleur began having health issues. In September, he had open heart surgery with five bypasses. In November, he had a cancerous lobe removed from his left lung. In October 2020, cancer was diagnosed in his right lung. He died on April 22, 2022, at age 70. Lafleur died exactly one week after Mike Bossy who also succumbed to lung cancer; both were Quebec natives whose contemporary careers as star right-wingers were often compared.

Condolences

Here are some of the hundreds of thousands condolences sent to the Lafleur family

Hockey Hall of Fame
@HockeyHallFame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is saddened to learn of the passing of Honoured Member Guy Lafleur. We offer our condolences to his family and friends.

IIHF
@IIHFHockey
Guy Lafleur will not only be remembered for what he did on the ice, but also for the impact he made on future generations. Au revoir et merci, Mr. Guy Lafleur.

Boston Bruins
@NHLBruins
The Bruins join the hockey world in mourning the passing of Canadiens legend and Hall of Famer Guy Lafleur. Our condolences go out to his family, friends, and the entire Montreal organization.

Pittsburgh Penguins
@penguins
The Penguins join the hockey world in mourning the loss of Hall-of-Famer Guy Lafleur. Our thoughts are with Guy’s family, the Montreal Canadiens organization, and all those who watched in awe as Guy Lafleur sped down the ice with hair flowing in the wind.
Columbus Blue Jackets
@BlueJacketsNHL

The Columbus Blue Jackets are saddened to learn of the passing of NHL and @CanadiensMTL legend Guy LaFleur. Our love and thoughts are with the Canadiens and the LaFleur family at this time.

Remparts de Québec (Translated)
It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of our greatest legend, Guy Lafleur. Rest in peace, Guy. We love you.

Larry Robinson
@19LarryRobinson
Sad day for me, as I lose a great teammate but an even better friend. My condolences to the Lafleur family especially Lise. Will miss him greatly.

Shayne Corson
When I first came to Montreal you took me under your wing and made me feel so comfortable. We grew close over the years and you were such a superstar and yet an even better person. Flower, you will always be an idol and a hero to me.

Wayne Gretzky
@WayneGretzky
We lost 2 hockey legends this week. It was an honour to play with both. My thoughts and prayers are with their families.

Eric Lindros
@88EricLindros
Guy was a class act and a true legend. Very grateful to have known him. I will always appreciate his support. Sincere condolences to Guy’s family. Rest In Peace my friend.
@JustinTrudeau
Officiel du gouvernement – Canada
Guy Lafleur, or “The Flower,” was unlike anyone else on the ice. His speed, skill, and scoring were hard to believe. A record-setter and a five-time Stanley Cup champion, he inspired countless Quebecers, Canadians, and hockey fans around the world. We’ll miss you, Number 10. Justin Trudeau

Celine Dion
@celinedion
J’offre mes plus sincères condoléances à la famille de Guy Lafleur, à ses proches ainsi qu’à tous ceux qui étaient fans du Démon blond. C’est un honneur que mon fils RC ait eu le privilège de le rencontrer. Ce moment a eu un impact énorme sur notre famille. – Céline xx…
I offer my most sincere condolences to Guy Lafleur’s family and his loved ones as well as all of those who were a fan of “The Flower”. I feel honoured that my son RC had the privilege to meet him. We will always cherish this moment. Celine xx…

Larry Day
It is with great sadness that I have to announce that Hockey Legend and a man I am proud to call a Friend, Guy Lafleur passed away at 1:30 this morning. He will be sadly missed by anyone who was lucky enough to have met him and was touched by his class and generosity. Guy was always there when needed for any charitable cause and his support for the charity events we did together will always be cherished memories. Thanks to the Teresa Dellar Palliative Care Residence staff for all their help in his final days. The world has lost a truly great man. RIP my Friend

Closing

In closing I hope and pray Guy Lafleur you are resting in peace and not suffering any more. You were a great hockey player and I was very privileged that I was able to watch you play.

Photos of Guy Lafleur

Above photo Photo of Guy Lafleur with Chantal Machabee VP communications for HABS

Above Photo of Guy Lafleur with Veronica

Above Photo of Guy Lafleur statue outside Bell Center John Lu of TSN

Videos of Guy Lafleur

Below ceremony honoring Guy Lafleuir before Laval Rocket game April 22

A song that I will always do about Guy Lafleur

Sources

Guy Lafleur statistics and awards
https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=2902
Larry Robinson condolences and photo with Guy
https://twitter.com/19LarryRobinson
Shayne Corson condolences and photo of Guy Lafleur
https://twitter.com/ShayneCorson27
Wayne Gretzky condolences
https://twitter.com/WayneGretzky
Eric Lindros condolences
https://twitter.com/88EricLindros
Hockey Hall of fame condolences
https://twitter.com/HockeyHallFame
IIHF condolences
https://twitter.com/IIHFHockey
Pittsburgh Penguins condolences and Mario Lemieux photo
https://twitter.com/penguins
Boston Bruins condolences and photo
https://twitter.com/NHLBruins
Columbus Blue Jackets condolences
https://twitter.com/BlueJacketsNHL
Remparts de Quebec condolences
https://twitter.com/quebec_remparts/status/1517476470175809537
Prime Minister Trudeau condolences
https://twitter.com/JustinTrudeau/status/1517490541398831105

Celine Dion condolences
https://twitter.com/celinedion (go to page see photo of her son with Guy Lafleur)
Larry Day
https://www.facebook.com/larrydayactor
Photo of Guy Lafleur with children and Martin Brodeur
https://twitter.com/MartinBrodeur
Photo of Guy Lafleur with Chantal Machabee VP communications for HABS
https://twitter.com/ChantalMachabee
Photo of Guy Lafleur statue outside Bell Center John Lu of TSN
https://twitter.com/JohnLuTSNMtl/status/1517544417439191040
Cartoon of Guy Lafleur Aslin of the Montreal Gazette (Terry Moshier)
https://twitter.com/TerryMosher1/status/1517487269875261441/photo/1
Photo of Guy Lafleur with Veronica
https://twitter.com/chile_pepper
Video of the Laval Rocket ceremony to honor Guy Lafleur
Dan Heilich https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPOGXwhccjKHcIjnmlN5QIw

Defending Carey Price

Defending Carey Price

Written by Fred Arshoff

My source for the salary cap hit and goals allowed is at the bottom of the article.

I am writing this article as I’ve seen many people online and speaking in public places that Carey Price hasn’t won a game for the Montreal Canadiens. Give me a break he played in a grand total of two games this season.

Now also let’s examine some facts before blaming him for the two losses against the New York Islanders (his first game this season) and his second game (April 19, 2022 against the Minnesota Wild). In those two games the Habs scored a grand total of 0 goals. How in the world is he supposed to win games with no goal support from the rest of the team. Is he supposed to stop every shot and also score goals as well. To go back even further in game five of the Stanley Cup finals the Canadiens also were shut out so that’s three games with no goal production from his teammates.

Then this season Price missed all of training camp due to his knee surgery and also substance abuse. Training camp is where the players get into shape and get their timing down pat. Also this season when Price did come back, unlike last season, he didn’t go down to the Laval Rocket for a conditioning stint. That makes it even harder.

In the two games Price has played he has given up five goals divide that by two and that’s an average of 2.5 goals a game. That’s not very many at all. No goalie will get a shutout or allow just one goal per game over the course of a season.

Although Price is making a lot of money, to be the Montreal Canadiens goalie, his cap hit is $10,500,000 and the bulk of it is in the signing bonuses he gets each year.

If anything Carey Price should be suing his teammates for lack of support and production.

Source

Carey Price salary and stats
https://www.capfriendly.com/players/carey-price

Mike Bossy

Mike Bossy

January 22, 1957 – April 15, 2022

Written by Fred Arshoff

Before going into this article I’d like to thank Anna Winters for informing me of Mike Bossy passing. Her thoughts on Mike Bossy as well and as well as the cover photo for this article. I’d also like to thank Martine McGuire as she also sent me the same photo to use for the cover of this article.

I will divide this article into several parts. Anna Winters on Mike Bossy, my thoughts on Mike Bossy, his biography, list of accomplishments, Condolences from some of zillion that were sent to the Bossy family. A list of sources, Photos of Bossy and a video of Bossy.

Anna Winters On Mike Bossy

Mike was Ukrainian. He was married to a lovely lady. They had 2 children, I think. After his wonderful hockey career, he bought a farm near Ottawa. He was involved in a terrible automobile accident. The doctors were not sure if he would survive. He lived, however, his memory was erased. He could not remember ever playing hockey. It was so sad. There was a movie made about him. You can find it. He was good looking and a wonderful man. My father and many of our friends used to visit him in Ottawa. I met him and his wife at a dinner party at my Auntie Mary’s house. He was so nice, but we could not ask him about what his life was like before the accident. He could not remember. In his movie, he told his wife they had to start over with a new life. It was sad.

Fred On Mike Bossy

I always liked Bossy’s play and always said he was a great hockey player. I was so happy when he scored his 50 goals in 50 games to tie the legend Maurice Richard. Although I was and still am a HABS fan I appreciated that Bossy could accomplish this by getting the two goals he needed in the last game of the Islanders season, showing he can play under pressure. One of the things I loved about Mike Bossy, although not hockey related, was the work he did for charitable organizations. Also what I admire about Bossy was he stepped away from the game as a player, on his own terms, after playing ten seasons so he could spend time with his wife and children and not play to try and set more records and make more money but have quality time with his family. Although I don’t listen or watch the French media I was happy that he worked there as a great player to say what he thought of the plays.

Biography

Michael Dean Bossy, while others say his name is Michael John Bossy, was born on January 22, 1957. Bossy was the 5th of 10 children, he was the the 5th boy. Bossy was brought up in the parish of Saint-Alphonse, in the Ahuntsic-Cartierville area of Montreal. Bossy attended St. Pius X Comprehensive High School then Laval Catholic High School. His mother Dorothy was English, and his father Borden, who maintained a backyard ice rink at their apartment building, was Ukrainian.

Bossy played his entire 10 year NHL career with the New York Islanders, and now is very rare that a player just played for one team. While playing, for the Islanders, they won 4 Stanley Cups and he was a key part of it (They were in consecutive years).

In 1978, his first year playing in the NHL, he won the Calder trophy (Rookie Of Year award). Please scroll further down to see all his achievements.

Accomplishments

As of 2018, Bossy holds or shares the following NHL records:
• Most consecutive 50+ goal seasons: 9
• Most 50+ goal seasons (not necessarily consecutive): 9 (tied with Wayne Gretzky)
• Most 60+ goal seasons (not necessarily consecutive): 5 (tied with Wayne Gretzky)
• Highest goals-per-game average, career (minimum 200 total goals): .762 goals per game
• Most power-play goals, one playoff season: 9 (tied with Cam Neely)
• Most consecutive hat tricks: 3 (tied with Joe Malone, who accomplished this twice)
• In January 2017, Bossy was part of the second group of players to be named one of the ‘100 Greatest NHL Players’ in history.
He also led the league in goals twice, in 1978–79 and 1980–81 (both predate the Rocket Richard Trophy).
Here is a selected list of other official NHL record categories where Bossy was once the record-holder and/or is ranked very highly:
• Goals, career: 21st all-time with 573; only Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky reached 500 in fewer games
• Goals, regular season and playoffs combined, one season: seventh all-time with 85 (was a record at the time it was achieved)
• Assists by a right wing, one season: second all-time with 83 (was a record at the time it was achieved)
• Points by a right wing, one season: second all time with 147 (was a record at the time it was achieved)
• Goals by a rookie, one season: second all-time with 53 (was a record at the time it was achieved)
• 100+ point seasons, career: fourth all-time with 7
• Goals per game, playoffs, career: Second all-time with .659
• Goals per game, regular season and playoffs combined, career: Second all-time with .747
• Points per game, career: third all-time
• Assists per game, career: eighteenth all-time
• Shooting percentage, career: fourth all-time with 21.18%
• Hat tricks, one season: tied for third all-time with 9 (was a record at the time it was achieved)
• Hat tricks, career: third all-time with 39
Bossy has several significant career achievements that are not official NHL records. He reached 100 career goals faster (in terms of career games played) than any other player in modern NHL history, requiring just 129 games to accomplish this. (Joe Malone-61, Newsy Lalonde-69, Cy Denneny-86, Babe Dye-86, Reg Noble-109 & Frank Nighbor-125 had previously scored 100 goals in fewer games.) He was also the fastest to various other milestones such as 200 (255 GP), 300 (381 GP), 400 (506 GP) and 500 (647 GP) goals at the time he achieved them, but currently ranks behind Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux in most of these categories. In the 1980–81 NHL season, he scored 50 goals in the first 50 games of the season – only the second player, and the first in almost 40 years, to achieve this. He remains one of only five players to do so. He is the only player to score 17 goals in three consecutive playoff years. Bossy was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991. His #22 sweater was retired by the Islanders on March 3, 1992. In 1997, he was ranked number 20 on The Hockey News’ list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players

Condolences

https://twitter.com/NHLAlumni
The NHL Alumni Association is deeply saddened to learn that
@NHL icon, Mike Bossy, has passed away at the age of 65 after a courageous battle with cancer. Mike was known to be one of the greatest pure goal-scorers to ever play the game.

NHL Public Relations
@PR_NHL
The NHL mourns the passing of Mike Bossy, the dynamic winger whose goal-scoring prowess during a remarkable 10-year career ranks, by almost any measure, as one of the greatest in NHL history.

Full statement from Commissioner Bettman: https://media.nhl.com/public/news/15995

New York Islanders

1/3 “The New York Islanders organization mourns the loss of Mike Bossy, an icon not only on Long Island but across the entire hockey world. His drive to be the best every time he stepped on the ice was second to none.” – Lou Lamoriello
Along with his teammates, he helped win four straight Stanley Cup championships, shaping the history of this franchise forever.” – Lou Lamoriello
On behalf of the entire organization, we send our deepest condolences to the entire Bossy family and all those who grieve this tragic loss.” – Lou Lamoriello

Canadiens Montréal
@CanadiensMTL
We’re saddened to learn of Mike Bossy’s passing this morning. Our thoughts and condolences go out to his friends, family, former teammates and TVA Sports colleagues. A legend of our game who will be dearly missed.

Rocket de Laval
@RocketLaval
A natural goal scorer, icon and legend. We would like to wish our sincere condolences to Mike Bossy’s friends and family. A true Laval legend.

Larry Robinson
@19LarryRobinson
The hockey world lost another great player and a better person. RIP Canada Cup Roomie

QMJHL
@QMJHLIt is with great sadness that the QMJHL was informed of the passing of one of the greatest players in its history. Our thoughts and sympathies go out to all of Mike’s family and loved ones.

Chantal Machabee (Translated)
So sad. Mike Bossy was a great man that I loved very much. He was an extraordinary athlete and one of the best scorers in NHL history. RIP Mike!
I had the privilege of meeting and chatting with his daughter Tanya yesterday. Her message to hockey fans “Thank you for the kind words to my dad. Keep talking about him, he deserves it so much”.
“We will do it with great pleasure Tanya.”
My sincere condolences to his wife, Lucie, and daughters Josiane and Tanya and all the family.

NOTES

Below the sources are photos and videos of the late Mike Bossy

Rest in peace Mike Bossy

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Bossy

NHL ALUMNI https://twitter.com/NHLAlumni/status/1514962428269891589

NHL PR
https://twitter.com/PR_NHL/status/1514959583017635844

New York Islanders
https://twitter.com/NYIslanders/status/1514947553908998150

HABS
https://twitter.com/CanadiensMTL/status/1514944889963831298

Laval Rocket
https://twitter.com/RocketLaval/status/1515025443946127365

Larry Robinson (former NHL player)
https://twitter.com/19LarryRobinson

QMJHL
https://twitter.com/QMJHL
Chantal Machabee
https://www.facebook.com/chantal.machabee

Photo below Mike Bossy`s stats

Above Mike Bossy with Team Canada

Above Mike Bossy as New York Islander

Photo above Mike Bossy Ukrainian Sports Hall Of Fame And Museum

Josh Brooks Reassigned to Trois-Rivières Lions In The ECHL

Josh Brooks Reassigned to Trois-Rivières Lions In The ECHL

Written by Fred Arshoff

Before diving into this article I would like to thank Amy Johnson of Rocket Sports Media for the quote from Jean Francois Houle

At the very bottom is a list of sources for this article

On Friday April 8, 2022 the Montreal Canadiens announced that defenceman Josh Brooks was reassigned from the Laval Rocket of the AHL (American Hockey League) to the Trois Rivieres Lions of the ECHL (East Coast Hockey League). For those who don’t know the ECHL is a step below the AHL and Trois Rivieres is the Habs affiliate in the ECHL. They began their affiliation, this season, when Trois Rivieres joined the ECHL.

For those who feel Josh Brooks regressed since being drafted and playing for the Laval Rocket I don’t see any regression in his play but the Rocket, especially this season, having much better defencemen than they did in Brooks’ first season. Let’s remember when the season commenced they had a young defenceman Corey Schueneman (now up with the Canadiens) and Gianni Fairbrother (now injured with the Rocket) and a sent down (to the Rocket) Sami Niku who started playing professionally in North America since the 2017-18 season. That’s a lot of good quality AHL defencemen.

In some ways I am surprised by this move as in the 2020-21 season Brooks was considered one of the Canadiens top defence prospects along with Cale Fleury who they lost in the NHL expansion draft to the Seattle Kraken.

I will admit though that Brooks missed a good part of the start of the season after undergoing knee surgery in the spring/summer of 2021 and was expected to miss a lot of time to recover and rehab his knee. So far he has played in only 6 games and has no points or penalties.

Since Brooks has returned to play he has played in one or two games and then sat out again.

He becomes an RFA July 1, 2022. I’m very sure Canadiens General Manager Kent Hughes will think hard to decide what to do in terms of extending Brook’s contract. To sign him to a long term contract and he can’t play due to injury would be a waste of money and using up a contract spot. Don’t forget teams can only have 50 players under NHL contract, being one way or two way contracts. Presently Brooks is making, on his ELC (Entry Level Contract), $800,000 base pay and has a performance bonus clause of $32,500. What he has to accomplish to get this bonus I have no clue. While playing in the minors Brooks pay drops dramatically to $70,000. Personally I would extend Brooks one year on a two way contract and see how he progresses and if he can play a full season. I don’t hold it against him that he got injured but as a general manager I don’t wish to pay a player who can’t play and waste a contract spot for a long term. Brooks was a second round pick by the Canadiens and 56th overall player drafted in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

This from Amy Johnson who works for Rocket Sports Media: J-F Houle confirms that Josh Brooks assignment to Trois-Rivieres is simply to get him more ice time and get his conditioning back to the same level as teammates who have played 40-50 games this season.

What also goes against Brooks is that Fairbrother has played very well with the Rocket this season until he got injured. Also the trade to get Jordan Barron, the signing of Jordan Harris, not to mention that Mattias Norlinder may be coming back after playing in Europe. Kaiden Guhle is about to make his professional hockey debut as well.

In terms of injuries last spring/summer Joel Teasdale also underwent major knee surgery, for the second time since turning professional, but this 2021-22 season since returning from rehab has played in 32 games scoring 11 goals and 5 assists and has 15 minutes in penalties. He will be an RFA come July 1, 2022. Currently under his ELC he is making $750,000 base pay at the NHL level and in the minors it drops dramatically to $70,000. Joel has no bonus clauses in his contract and he was an undrafted player when former Canadiens GM Bergevin signed him.

While Brooks and Teasdale both underwent major knee surgery to say whose knee was more severely injured I have no idea. Each person takes a different amount of time to recover from surgery or any type of injury.

Sources

Josh Brooks salary and stats https://www.capfriendly.com/players/josh-brook

Joel Teasdale stats and salary
https://www.capfriendly.com/players/joel-teasdale

Sami Niku
https://www.capfriendly.com/players/sami-niku

Corey Schueneman
https://www.capfriendly.com/players/corey-schueneman

Amy Johnson (quote from J F Houle)
https://twitter.com/FlyersRule

April 2, 2022 Recap Of HABS VS Tampa Bay Game

April 2, 2022 Recap Of HABS VS Tampa Bay Game

Written by Fred Arshoff

Before going into this article I’d like to thank Martine McGuire very much for the excellent idea of merging what could have been two articles into one nice package.

One of the reasons for writing this article was that Judy Pitcher asked me about the forward alignment, and as I always try to do is answer in an article so all can see my thoughts on the subject.

Special Moments

First of all this was a very big game for several people in the Montreal Canadiens’ organization who aren’t players. I’ll start with a milestone game for Patrick Langlois who is an assistant to the equipment manager Pierre Gervais. This was Langlois’ 2500th game working for the Habs. This information came from Chantal Machabee Vice President of Hockey Communications for the Habs. This was also the first game against Tampa Bay for Interim Head Coach Martin St. Louis who played for the Lightning and for the 1st time came out from the visitor’s dressing room. Last but not least it was the first game in Tampa Bay for Vincent Lecavalier while working for the Canadiens as Special Advisor to Hockey Operations. I wasn’t present so I’m not sure if he was at the game in the press box or not. I’m very sure, even if not at the game, St. Louis and Lecavalier were smiling from ear to ear for winning against the team they used to play for.
Congratulations to Langlois on his 2500th game working for the HABS. Congratulations to St. Louis for winning his first game as head coach against Tampa Bay in their barn, and the same to Lecavalier, while working in hockey operations.

Below a link to the video of Langlois 2500th game as a HAB, you will have to copy and paste the link to your broswer,
https://twitter.com/i/status/1510653825400676361

Armia Playing Not Anderson

This is the part that Judy Pitcher asked me about. Before preceding my sources for the stats and salary information will be at the very bottom of the article. First of all I’m very sure most of you noticed that Josh Anderson was playing on the 3rd line most of the game and Joel Armia was playing on the top 2 lines. My feeling is that general manager Kent Hughes spoke in passing to Martin St. Louis and told him we would like to move Armia but with his statistics it will be very hard so can you try to increase his production. A general manager per se will never tell a coach what player to play or where as that’s the coaches job. The general managers job is to get the coach the type of player the coach feels will benefit the team the most. The speaking between Hughes and St. Louis is pure speculation, on my part, also any meeting that would take place would remain private between the parties.

I do feel like Judy does that Anderson deserves to be on the top line playing with Suzuki and Caufield, based on the statistics.

Let’s first look at Armia’s stats. In 53 games played he has 4 goals and 8 assists totalling 12 points. He is a -12 but this season almost every player on the Canadiens are a minus so we can’t say it just not him doing his job defensively. Not deserving of a top line. Armia is under contract until July 1, 2025 with a cap hit of $3,400,000. This is straight salary as Armia has no bonus clauses in his contract. This contract was done by former GM Marc Bergevin. If you were a general manager of another NHL team would you make a trade and give up assets to get a player with so little production at such a salary. I hardly think so. I’m guessing the reason for placing Armia on the top lines is to try and better his production so he can be traded.

Now let’s look at Anderson. In 58 games played this season he has 12 goals and 10 assists for a total of 22 points. He is a -22 a worse number than Armia but offers more offence. Josh is under contract until July 1, 2027 with a cap hit of $5,500,000. His contract also like Armia was made by former GM Marc Bergevin. From what I have observed watching the Habs games is that Anderson is very effective when playing with Suzuki and Caufield and will go into the boards to get the puck to them, as they are much better gifted goal scorers than he is.

I would think that the plan is to trade Armia at the end of the season to save salary cap and play the younger players, and get prospects.

The Offence

Besides the Armia and Anderson switch, and this was the second straight game that Joel moved up, I liked the lines. I also like that Ryan Poehling was given medical clearance to play and was inserted into the lineup. Laurent Dauphin was the healthy scratch although Dauphin does have more experience. As the Habs are eliminated from the playoffs it’s better to player the younger players and get them some NHL experience.

The Defence

I liked the defence pairings very much especially that all 3 rookies Corey Schueneman, Justin Barron and Jordan Harris were paired up with a partner who had NHL experience. I also liked when David Savard was paired up with Schueneman and when he made a mistake, on the bench Savard spoke to him to act like a coach. I’m not sure if Alex Burrows, who is acting as defence coach while Luke Richardson is away from the team in COVID 19 protocol, had any input in the pairings or if it was only St. Louis. In either case it was done properly. Also by having Wideman as a healthy scratch it gave the younger defencemen ice-time to develop. For further information on this please see my article at https://montrealsportsblog.wordpress.com/2022/04/02/jordan-harris-and-justin-barron-to-play-april-2-2022/

The Coaching

St. Louis did an excellent job of coaching and even when the team fell behind early in the game he didn’t show any panic. Also when Harris took a penalty, for playing with no helmet, he wasn’t glued to the bench for taking a penalty like that. I’m sure under former head coach Dominique Ducharme he would have been glued to the bench and then sat for games on end in the press box even though he never knew the rule.

also believe St. Louis was right in challenging the goal. It did look like goaltender interference. To me if your goalie says he was interfered with, unless Mario Leblanc (Video Coach) sees it differently, it is worth taking a chance early in the game so you don’t have to play catch up so much. Also it shows the goalie, in this case Jake Allen, that your coach believes in you.

I also believe St. Louis learned something, from this game, to remind the new players from the NCAA if their helmets do come off to go directly to the bench to get a player change instead of taking a penalty for playing with no helmet. I’m not sure if the NCAA has a rule about helmets coming off or playing without your helmet will result in a penalty.

I also liked very much in the overtime that St. Louis didn’t hesitate to play all the young players and let them get experience in overtime and used two of his youngest players in Suzuki and Caufield in the shootout. As for the most part the season is over for the Canadiens St. Louis is doing things to get the younger players ready for the future and that will pay dividends down the road.

Sources

Video of Patrick Langlois’ 2500th game as a HAB from Brendan Gallagher of the HABS

Joel Armia stats and salary https://www.capfriendly.com/players/joel-armia

Josh Anderson stats and salary https://www.capfriendly.com/players/josh-andersonAnderson

Jordan Harris And Justin Barron To Play April 2, 2022

Jordan Harris And Justin Barron To Play April 2, 2022

Jordan Harris And Justin Barron To Play April 2, 2022

Written by Fred Arshoff

Before diving into the article I would like to thank Marlene Wall, very much, for the merging of the two pics to make the cover photo for this article.

The Montreal Canadiens announced on Friday April 1, 2022 that recently signed Jordan Harris will make his NHL debut on Saturday April 2, 2022 against Tampa Bay

Right off the top I will say I’m all in favour of starting Harris and Barron even against the Stanley Cup champions.

The healthy scratch on defence will be Chris Wideman also confirmed by HABS head coach Martin St. Louis barring any illness or injury just before the game.

What I really like about starting both Harris and Barron is they will get more development playing against top NHL caliber players than just watching. Why not let them develop and prepare for the 2022-23 season when the HABS have nothing to lose as they are officially eliminated from the playoffs. If rookie mistakes are made due to nerves or if points are lost it’s no big deal but if they were lost to start the 2022-23 season it would be a problem. Barron has already appeared in three games with the Canadiens, although he is a -2 I am for the most part impressed by his play.

In the case of Harris general manager Kent Hughes knows him from NCAA as does head coach Martin St. Louis. Also for those who don’t know Harris won the NCAA award for being the Best Defensive Defenceman. As we all have seen this season the Canadiens are giving up way too many goals and having a defenceman who is excellent playing defensively will improve the team a lot.

Harris and Barron I see having a long future with the Canadiens and both are young and considered top prospects. Both Barron and Harris were signed by the current hockey operations department. While Harris was drafted by former general manager Marc Bergevin he didn’t sign a contract till this past week with Hughes as GM.

Although assistant coach Luke Richardson isn’t with the team, as he is in COVID 19 protocol, I’m sure Alex Burrows, who is subbing in as defence coach, will help both young players during the game when they are on the bench explaining to them any mistakes they may have made and explain to them what the right play would have been.

The reason I feel Wideman will be the healthy scratch is very simple. He will be a UFA (Unrestricted Free Agent) come July 1, 2022 and I feel he will be one of several free agents the Canadiens won’t be extending due to the rebuild, or retooling or whatever you wish to call it. Also let’s remember Chris was a signing of Bergevin and not the current hockey operations department. I also do see further changes on the defence for the 2022-23 season but as I don’t like to start rumours I won’t say what I believe will be happening.

We will see the Montreal Canadiens future defence lineup starting Saturday April 2, 2022 when two of the team’s youngest defencemen will be playing.

Why Lucas Condotta Has Two Contracts This Week

Why Lucas Condotta Has Two Contracts This Week

Written by Fred Arshoff

I’m writing this article as Bev Seney asked me about this. I also thought he had signed a contract with the Montreal Canadiens before April 1, 2022 when it was announced that he’d signed a PTO (Professional Try Out) with the Laval Rocket. As I always do I like to reply in an article so all will know my answer. In this case it took a bit of research to ensure I was correct and I only wish to give out the right facts when possible.

On March 31, 2022 the Habs announced they signed Lucas Condotta to a one year ELC (Entry Level Contract). This contract takes effect for the 2022-23 season.

This will pay Condotta $750,000 at the NHL level but drops to $80,000 in the AHL. The Canadiens did say, at the time the ELC was signed, the Laval Rocket would give him a PTO. So the HABS are keeping their word.

The reason for the PTO is very simple. They don’t burn a year of a full contract and they can have him play and practice with the Laval Rocket and monitor his development the right away. He is expected to join the Rocket for practice on Tuesday as they are playing in British Columbia, with games Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, and then will fly home.

Lucas is 24 years of age and is 6’2” and weighs 209 pounds. He plays center.

He registered 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists) in 33 games as captain of the UMass-Lowell River Hawks during his senior campaign. Over four seasons with the program, the Georgetown, ON native amassed 52 points (24 goals, 28 assists) in 121 games.