Andrew Hammond Signs With Traktor Chelyabinsk In Russia
Written by Fred Arshoff
Before diving into this article I would like to thank Martine McGuire, very much, for bringing this to my attention. I tip my hat to you Martine.
On Friday September 16, 2022 it was announced that Andrew Hammond signed a contract to play with Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL in Russia.
I’m very surprised that no NHL team offered him a deal. It could have been a two way contract where he could be playing in the AHL like he has for the last number of years. After he played in the NHL for four games with the Montreal Canadiens, and played very well, he also played for the New Jersey Devils for seven games after the deadline trade. In the 2020-21 season Hammond was on a two way contract that paid him $750,000 at the NHL level and $200,000 while playing in the AHL. The $750K Hammond got paid in the NHL was the minimum salary.
I don’t know if an NHL general manager offered Hammond a contract that he turned down. No one will ever find out as those types of things remain private between the general managers, player agents and players. There is no way to know if anyone made him an offer or if an offer for the AHL was too little for his liking. Let’s remember he plays more in the AHL now than in the NHL so he does have to look at the lower pay as that’s where the majority of his income will come from.
If I was an NHL general manager I would have offered Andrew the same $750,000 in the NHL but raise the AHL pay to $399,000. I admit it’s a nice raise for a minor league goalie at this point of his career, but I would have a goalie with NHL experience available if either of my regular two goalies got injured and not have to call up a younger netminder from the AHL. I would rather have my younger goalie play as many games as possible in the AHL so they can fully develop into solid NHL goalies. As an example of the above look at how many times the Canadiens have called up Cayden Primeau, to play a couple of games or serve as a backup, and his development has really been slowed down.
What I worry about for Hammond is in the KHL there is no players union, thus the team in the middle of the season can tell any player we are cutting your salary. It has happened to several players already. With a union like the NHLPA they can’t, in the middle of your contract, change the pay or term of it. Also in the KHL if the team feels like terminating a players contract they don’t have to pay the player for the rest of the contract. I do feel that is completely wrong. The contract should be binding to both parties. If at the end of the contract you don’t wish to extend that is fair game and also happens in the NHL.
In closing I would like to thank Andrew Hammond very much for his excellent play in the four games he played with the Montreal Canadiens. I’d also like thank his wife Marlene for all the kind words she said about Montreal.
On Thursday September 15, 2022 it was announced that Dan Robertson will not be announcing the Montreal Canadiens hockey games on TSN 690 radio anymore. Thankfully for those of us who can get the TSN TV regional Habs games will still be able to hear his excellent play by play of the Canadiens games.
Before going further into the article I would like to say I count Dan Robertson in the same category, of doing play by play, as the late Danny Gallivan and Dick Irvin Jr.
Dan Robertson started doing play by play, of HABS games on TSN 690, four years ago when John Bartlett went to work for Rogers Sportsnet doing play by play of hockey games on TV.
As soon as I heard Don Robertson do his first game I really liked his style, at the time they tried out several people for the job during the preseason games. As far as I’m concerned Dan won hands down.
Dan, over the past couple of years, has done play by play of HABS games on TSN when the regulars weren’t available and he did an excellent job doing those games. To hire him to do all the regional games is a real bonus for us.
Who will be doing the play by play on TSN 690 radio I have no clue. If I was a betting man I would say it would be Sean Campbell who sat in when Robertson was unavailable to do the games on radio. He has also done the Laval Rocket play by play on TSN 690 so has some experience in that.
Video of Dan Robertson doing play byr as if you watch on TV and listen on radio they aren’t synchronized properly. The audio is always behind the video.
Video of Dan Robertson doing play by play
In closing I’d like to thank Dan Robertson very much for the outstanding job he did in doing the play by play on TSN 690 and wish him all the best in his new role of doing the HABS regional TV games.
The Canadiens Captain And Alternate Captains For The 2022-23 Season
Written by Fred Arshoff
I am writing this article as Martine McGuire asked me my thoughts on this as the Montreal Canadiens on September 12/22 announced the core leadership group. As I always do I prefer to answer in the form of an article so here it is. I’d also wish to thank Mike Olmstead for helping with the research on Nick Suzuki’s leadership role while he was playing junior hockey in the OHL. I’d also wish to thank Martine McGuire for her help in doing the research for this article. Also a thank you to Andrew Zadarnowski for the photo of Max Pacioretty, P K Subban, Tomas Plekanec and Andrei Markov named as alternate Captains of the Montreal Canadiens in 2
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Who Was Named Captain And Alternate Captains
On September 12, 2022, at the Habs annual golf tournament before training camp starts, Martin St. Louis, the Canadiens head coach, announced that Nick Suzuki had been chosen as the 31st Captain and the youngest in teams history. Also announced at the same time was that Brendan Gallagher will remain an alternate captain and that Joel Edmundson will also be an alternate captain. As Joel was named the other alternate they took that title away from Paul Byron who last season missed many games due to his hip injury and not expected to be ready for the start of the 2022-23 season due to more procedures done on his hips. See below for a photo of Suzuki, Gallagher and Edmundson.
Some Facts About The Captaincy
There are some facts I thought I would like you to know about Nick Suzuki.
As mentioned earlier he is the youngest captain of the Montreal Canadiens in their history, but the 3rd youngest in the NHL as a whole. The youngest captain ever in the NHL was Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers who was a mere 18 years young when bestowed the honour. Also Suzuki isn’t the first player of Asian decent, to be named captain of an NHL team, the first being Paul Kariya when with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.
Last year when Suzuki wore the “A” for the Canadiens it wasn’t the first time he wore a letter playing hockey. He wore an “A” while playing for the Owen Sound Attack of the OHL in the 2017-18 season.
Also this wasn’t the first time the Montreal Canadiens announced who their captain would be at their annual golf tournament. They did the same when then General Manager Marc Bergevin announced that Max Pacioretty, PK Subban, Tomas Plekanec and Andrei Markov would be alternate captains of the Montreal Canadiens. See the photo below of this announcement. Thanks to Andrew Zadarnowski for this photo.
Why Nick Suzuki
A few years ago, while sitting on the player’s bench, Brendan Gallagher told Nick he would be a great captain. Then this summer, in early July, Habs head coach asked Suzuki to please consider being named the new captain as Shea Weber was traded. St. Louis also did say management will have to come to a final decision and he should think about the job. Suzuki thought about it during the summer, when he stayed in Montreal, this way he was able to learn to speak French. He also started taking online French courses in case he would be named Captain.
When former general manager traded Max Pacioretty he said at the time the biggest piece of the trade was getting Nick Suzuki. Bergevin, in this case was 120% correct, and this is 1 of the trades he made that really have helped the HABs a lot.
Although Suzuki is almost the youngest player on the team he has the respect of all his teammates. Beside him being vocal he leads by example on the ice playing. Suzuki is the only player in the 2021-22 season that played all the games. In fact Nick has yet to miss a game in all 3 seasons so far.
Also being just 23 years of age has it’s advantages. The Montreal Canadiens hockey operations department knows barring any serious injury Suzuki will be captain for many years to come going into the 2030’s. It’s always best to avoid changing captains year after year. As a small sample of captains serving long periods of time with the Habs Maurice “The Rocket” Richard, Jean “Le Gros Bill” Beliveau, Henri “The Pocket Rocket” Richard and Yvon “The Roadrunner” Cournoyer.
Also since being formally named as Captain Suzuki has spoken with former HABs Captain Shea Weber, who gave Nick some advice. Also Carey Price said although he won’t be playing this season, due to his knee injury, he will be with the team the entire season and do all he can in the locker room to help Nick out as captain. I would also like to think if Suzuki called up former HABS great captains, who reside in the province of Quebec, Yvon Cournoyer and Guy Carbonneau would give Suzuki advice, as well, without thinking twice.
Alternate Captain Brendan Gallagher
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Although Gallagher is small in physical stature he has the biggest heart on the team and plays like he is 10 feet tall and weighs 300 pounds. He also always brings his lunch pail to all games. I’ve never seen Gallagher take a game off except if injured and even then he would give you 120% at all times. Although not liked by many referees and given lots of penalties for speaking out or saying he embellished things to try and get the opposition a penalty, I feel Gallagher deserves to continue to serve as an alternate captain. He does have the respect of all his teammates. Although many would have liked to see Gallagher as Captain I feel with his age and number of injuries he has suffered he has perhaps 3-4 years left to play thus being an alternate captain would be a much better role for him. See photo below of Suzuki and Gallagher.
Alternate Captain Joel Edmundson
Although normally you wish to have your captain and alternates play, in most of the teams games, Joel did miss many in the 2021-22 season with a back injury that was found at last season’s physicals just before training camp. Then his father’s cancer took a turn for the worse and then his father passed away. I can’t hold those things against him at all. Let’s all be realistic would Edmundson wish his father’s cancer take a turn for the worse then pass I’m sure we can all agree he didn’t want that at all. So we have to give him a pass on missing so many games.
Also I like and always have liked the idea of having at least one player from a different position than the other two players with letters. Edmundson is the senior statesman on the HABS defence presently so wearing a letter is something that is needed and he gives you all he has each and every game. He did wear the “A” several times last season, as well, so he knows full well what the added pressure will be.
Paul Byron Removed As Alternate Captain
I don’t believe Byron will be angry or upset about losing the alternate captain status as he knows he missed many games last season with a hip problem and had to have another procedure done on the hip again and no one knows for sure when he can return to play, or if he ever will be able to play as skating is the key to his game and to skate you need your hips. What I’m sure of, even if Paul doesn’t play, he will do what he can in the locker room to make things easier for Suzuki. Byron is an ultimate professional hockey player and knows full well what is going on. Byron also, to me anyways, is one of the best pickups Bergevin made claiming him off waivers from the Calgary Flames. This is another great move Bergevin made. There, I said it twice in one article, Bergevin made good moves and credit has to be given where due.
The Language Issue
There are those who are complaining already, although hockey season hasn’t even started, that the captain or alternate captains don’t speak French fluently. I’m very sure if any of the players, wearing a letter, has to address the media Chantal Machabée will write down what the player wishes to say in French but write it out phonetically so the player can easily read it. If it at the end of the game I’m also very sure one of the Francophone players will come out and do the translation properly. The job of the hockey players is to play hockey not be language experts. The members of the media have a university degree and should be able to speak and understand the two languages of Canada. Most hockey players didn’t go to university but practiced hockey more and more to try their best to make a career of it.
In closing I’d like to wish Suzuki, Gallagher and Edmundson the best of luck with their added responsibilities wearing the letter and being the team’s leaders on and off the ice.
Today September 12, 2022 the Montreal Canadiens rookie camp gets underway. The first thing on the agenda is the physicals for all the players invited to the camp.
What Players Are Participating
Before anyone asks why some players aren’t there, not included is any player who will be playing inthethe players. NCAA isn’t allowed by NCAA rules to attend this rookie camp as the NCAA in their wisdom deems it income forAlso normally they invite only players just drafted in the Entry draft a few months before and first or second year players and normally it’s just first year players. They do though invite unsigned players for a PTO (Professional Try Out). One player I’m surprised who was invited is Gianni Fairbrother as this will be his third season with the Laval Rocket. It may be due to the knee injury he suffered and they wish to see how his knee is progressing. Logan Mailloux, although injured, is also at the camp as they wish to see him play in a meaningful game, if able, and also seen more importantly to ensure he is following through with the behavioural therapy he went through last season. For those who don’t know Logan is on a special type of contract where the Canadiens have an extra year to decide if they wish to give him an ELC. If they don’t sign him and another team signs him the Habs will get compensated with a draft choice for losing a first round draft pick. Please see the photo below for the roster of the Rookie camp.
Who Is In Charge Of The Camp
For the practices and games coaching will be carried out by Jean Francois Houle and his assistant coaches of the Laval Rocket. Althoughnot mentioned in the HABs press relthink Rob Ramage Director of Player Development, Francis Bouillon Coach and Marie-Philip Poulin Consultantease I’m very sure other members of the HABS hockey operations will be there to help evaluate the players. I wouldPlayer Montreal Canadiens rookie camp it’s Houle in charge as most of the players participating will be playing for the Laval Rocket. This will give him a chance to seeDevelopment. I can also see Adam Nicholas of Hockey Development being present. Although it’s called thethe players and find out about them and vice versa. Last year, at the rookie camp, to make it easier for Houle and his assistant coaches to learn about the players they sat at tables and chatted with them instead of the coaches having their own table. This is very important for the coaching staff to have excellent interaction with the players.
What To Look For At The Camp
First of all the management won’t be looking at how many games they won or lost, the objective of the camp is toplayers and see how much they have developed since their last game or after going to the teams’ developmentcamp held shortly after the NHL Entry draft. I’m very sure Jean-Francois Houle has a very good idea of which players will be starting the season with the Laval Rocket. Some players may impress him so much he will want them with the Rocket instead of beingsent to the Trois-Rivieres Lions of the ECHL. On the other side of the ledger can be players who don’t live up to their expectations of them thus they will be demotedPlayers like Barron, Harris, Fairbrother, Roy and Kidney we all know are a shoe in for starting with the Laval Rocket.
For those asking why three goalies for just three games is they wish to see what each goalie has to offer and I don’t think any goalie would beable to play 2 games in a few days as they never had any conditioning stint as a team before the games start. I think all three goalies will be sent to Trois-Rivieres for furtherdevelopment. The goalie who I feel has the best chance of making Laval, if any out of this camp, will be Joey Vrbetic
One thing I don’t wish to see at this rookie camp is players getting severe injuries that HABS players have had at this camp including players suffering a concussion. I do
understand fully the players do wish to make an impression on their respective teams but to have a player carried off on a stretcher isn’t my way of liking hockey and make a team by severely injuring another player to show you’re physical. I prefer that players show their own hockey skills.
What Happens After The Camp
For the players who were invited for a tryout depending on their play will be offered either a Montreal Canadiens contract, Laval Rocket contract or if they don’tplay up to what was expected let go and those players will have to look elsewhere for hockey employment. Many players who participatein the rookie camp will be invited to the Canadiens main camp which will give them a chance to leave an impression with the big club.
Montreal Sports 