Jordan Harris activated off IR, Emil Heineman loaned to Laval and why Joel Armia remains with the HABS.

Jordan Harris activated off IR, Emil Heineman loaned to Laval and why Joel Armia remains with the HABS.

Written by Fred Arshoff

Edited by Judy Pitcher

Photo Merge by Marlene Wall

First of all I’d like to thank two ladies who always help when I’ve asked. First is my editor Judy Pitcher and also Marlene Wall for all the photo merges for these articles. A tip on my hat to both Judy and Marlene.

I wrote this article, as originally I was going to write about why Joel Armia shouldn’t be loaned to Laval, as many on social media feel he should be sent down. With the roster moves made on December 28, 2023, I figure I’ll tie them all up in one neat package.

I wasn’t surprised that Jordan Harris was activated off the IR list on December 28th. On December 27th, at practice, he was paired with Jayden Struble on the 3rd defense pair, while Johnathan Kovacevic was on the 4th pair with Gustav Lindstrom Let’s also remember that before the Christmas break, Harris was travelling and practicing with the team, which meant he was close to returning to play.

Although, I do like Emil Heineman, I feel loaning him to Laval is the best move for him to continue his development. Also, Laval is currently short 2 forwards, as both Captain Gabriel Bourque and Jared Davidson are absent due to illness

While up with the HABS, Heineman only played in 2 games, playing on the 4th line and averaging only 6 minutes per game. Prior to those 2 games Heineman was a healthy scratch, none of this is conducive to his development. .

The reason the HABS didn’t send a defenseman to Laval is that Jayden Struble has played too well to be sent down. Before the defense injuries occurred, Justin Barron was the 7th defenseman, but has since been playing well.

With these player moves the HABS no longer have a spare forward in the case of an injury or illness. It would be easier to move a defenseman up to forward than vice versa.

I wouldn’t send Joel Armia to Laval, as it would cut into playing time for the young forwards who must continue their development. While with the HABS Armia can use his veteran presence to be a leader in the dressing room And while up with the HABS, if he plays well, it makes it easier for Kent Hughes to trade him and perhaps pick up an asset, rather to lose him for nothing. I consider an asset to be a prospect or future draft pick. One never knows how a draft pick will turn out. Look at Brendan Gallagher who was a 2010 draft pick from the 5th round at 147th overall and still a warrior with the team. Cayden Primeau was a 2017 draft pick from the 7th round at 199th overall and does a good job as a backup goalie.

As far as I’m concerned, with these moves, Kent Hughes is doing the right thing to help the HABS in the long term.

Peter Forsberg December 30, 1982

Peter Forsberg December 30, 1982

Sent to me by Martnie McGuier

Videos uploaded by Fred Arshoff

Videos below

Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr December 30th

Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr December 30th

Written and edited by Marlene Wall

Videos uploaded by Fred Arshoff

When you talk about the greatest twosome in the history of the game , Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr have to be near the top of your list because of their time together with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Both players had big nights on this date .

Lemieux scored his 35th career hat trick on December 30th, 1995 as the Penguins earned a 6-5 victory over the visiting Florida Panthers.

Jagr has the best offensive night of his legendary NHL career on December 30th, 1999 , when he put up a career high 7 points. He scores his 6th career hat trick and added 4 assists the Penguins 9-2 blowout win over the New York Islanders.

One year later , Lemieux had a goal and 3 assists to lead Pittsburgh to a 5-3 win over the Ottawa Senators. The 4 point performance gave him 1,500 points in his career, making him just the 10th player in league history to reach this milestone. Only 4 more players have joined the 1,500-point club since this date .

Videos Below

Assistant trainer Lefty Wilson forced to be goaler on December 29th, 1957

Assistant trainer Lefty Wilson forced to be goaler on December 29th, 1957

Written and edited by Marlene Wall

Lefty Wilson, the assistant trainer of the Detroit Red Wings, is pressed into service after Boston Bruins goaltender Don Simmons is forced to leave because of a dislocated shoulder during the first period and Boston has no replacement available.

Wilson makes 23 saves and allows one goal in a 2-2 tie at Olympia Stadium. . It’s the 3rd and final time in his 32 years with the Red Wings (1950-1982) that he’s forced to play goal , and the only time he gets a tie.

HABS Prospects at the 2023-24 WJC

HABS Prospects at the 2023-24 WJC

Written by Fred Arshoff

Edited by Judy Pitcher

Photo Merge by Marlene Wall

First of all I’d like to thank these two ladies for their invaluable help with these articles. My editor Judy Pitcher her editing and Marlene Wall for her photo merging for the cover photo for this article. A tip of my hat to both of you for your excellent help, always.

There are 4 HABS prospects playing at the WJC. However, the HABS have more people there than just the players and I will explain why.

I’ll go into the prospects first, as I’m sure that is what fans are most interested in. Who else from the HABS organization could be in attendance, although a list has not been made available? I have a feeling of a couple who might be there doing their due diligence to help the HABS down the road.

All the HABS prospects, with the exception of Jacob Fowler are wearing an ‘A’ for their respective countries. The only reason Fowler wouldn’t be wearing an ‘A’ is the fact that he is a goalie. Goalies rarely wear a letter but can still be leaders in the dressing room and on the ice by their play.

For all the players it’ll and be a big part of their development playing for their respective countries and playing against the best junior players in the World. Unlike playing in junior leagues where some players may be bigger stronger due to their ages or may have more experience This time they are playing against the very best players their own age.

All 4 players are on the HABS Reserve list.

I’ll start with Owen Beck, as he is with Team Canada and the only returning player from the 2023 WJC Gold Medal winning team. Beck plays junior with the Peterborough Petes He played 1 game with the HABS last season on an emergency call-up, while the HABS were on a road trip where he joined the team to play against the Ottawa Senators. At the time the HABS weren’t able to call up a player from the Laval Rocket or the Trois Rivieres Lions on such short notice.

There are rumours that Beck may be traded by Peterborough, shortly, as they are out of the playoff hunt and will be looking to restock. Beck isn’t a point getter but more of a defensive forward. Beck was born on February 3, 2004 in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada

Next I’ll go into the HABS prospects playing for Team USA. I’ll start with Lane Hutson, who is a wizard on defense and I see as a possible first pairing defenseman down the road. Hutson played for Team USA at the 2023 WJC and appeared in 7 games. For more information on Lane Hutson, please see my article at” https://montrealsportsblog.wordpress.com/2023/12/23/lane-hutson-left-defenseman-and-top-habs-prospect/  

Then we have Jacob Fowler who I consider to be the next starting goalie for the HABS in a few years. If he is on his game Team USA will be very hard to beat. Fowler played for Team USA in the U19 WJC in 2023, appearing in 4 games. For more information on Jacob Fowler, please see my article at: https://montrealsportsblog.wordpress.com/2023/12/20/habs-top-goalie-prospect-jacob-fowler/

Last but certainly not least, we have Filip Mesar , whose play since being loaned to the Kitchener Rangers on October 21,2023 has been stellar. In this 2023-24 season he has 13 goals 19 assists for 32 points in 20 games for Kitchener. In the 2022-23 season, also with Kitchener, he had 17 goals 34 assists for 51 points in 52 games. The one disappointment Mesar might have is not playing with Juraj Slafkovsky for Team Slovakia, as they have been good friends since they were kids. I’m sure he understands the reason behind the HABS decision to not send Slaf to the WJC.

Slaf is playing very well and due to injuries the HABS don’t have any other forwards to replace him for 2 weeks. Mesar played for Slovakia at the 2023 WJC where he had 2 goals 4 assists for 6 points in 5 games and also wore the ‘A’ on his jersey.

For more information on Filip Mesar, please see my article at: https://montrealsportsblog.wordpress.com/2023/10/22/filip-mesar-loaned-to-the kitchener-rangers/

Photoe above sent to me by Martine McGuyer

Besides players, the HABS will likely have scouts at the WJC headed by Nick Bobrov who is the co-director of the amature draft.

Photo below Nick Bobrov

I also believe Martin Lapointe, who is the other co-director of the amature draft will be in attendance, along with numerous scouts from Canada and the US. Not only will they be scouting players for the 2024 NHL Entry Draft but also players who will become eligible for the 2025 Draft.

I’m sure they will be making notes on the 4 prospects I mentioned, to see their development since last year. Both Beck and Mesar attended the HABS training camp last season and I’m sure they have developed further this season.

Jean Béliveau, December 28,1967

Jean Béliveau, December 28,1967

Written and edited by Claude Landry

Cover photo sent to me by Marlene Wall

Videos uploaded by Fred Arshoff

December 28,1967 Jean Béliveau is credited with four assists in the Canadiens’ 6-2 win over the Minnesota North Stars at the Forum, passing Richard for second place on the all-time scoring list.

His 967 points are one more than Richard’s total. Only Gordie Howe has more points than Béliveau.

Videos below

Maurice “Rocket” Richard’s December 28th, 1944

Maurice “Rocket” Richard’s December 28th, 1944

Written and edited by Marlene Wall

Videos uploaded by Fred Arshoff

Maurice Richard spends the afternoon moving his family from one apartment to another, the uses the evening hour to set an NHL single-game scoring record.

An exhausted Richard arrives at the Forum for the Montreal Canadiens game against the Detroit Red Wings after an all day move . But he’s not to tired to score 5 goals and assist on 3 others in a 9-1 victory.

Richard has a goal and an assist in the first period , completes his hat trick by scoring twice in 8 seconds early in the 2nd and finishes the period with 4 goals and 2 assists . He scores his 5th of the game midway through the 3rd and assists on Elmer Lach’s goal with 13 seconds remaining to get his record setting eighth point.

When the historic nature of Richards achievement is announced to the crowd , 13,000 fans erupt into one of the longest and loudest ovation the Forum has ever heard .

Richards 8 points remained a single game Canadiens record (Bert Olmstead ties it with 8 points against the Chicago Blackhawks on January 9th, 1954) .

Toronto Maple Leafs center Darryl Sittler had 10 points (6G 4A) on February 7th, 1976 , an NHL record that still stands .

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Glenn Hall 1st NHL game December 27th, 1952

Glenn Hall 1st NHL game December 27th, 1952

Written and edited by Marlene Wall

Videos uploaded by Fred Arshoff

Glenn Hall made his NHL debut in a 2-2 tie with the Montreal Canadiens. He helped the Red Wings extend their unbeaten streak to 14 games (7-0-7).

He played 906 games over an 18-season Hall of Fame career, including playing in a league record 502 consecutive games with the Chicago Blackhawks.

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Laval Rocket sign Kasimir Kaskasuo to a PTO

Laval Rocket sign Kasimir Kaskasuo to a PTO

Written by Fred Arshoff

Edited by Judy Pitcher

First of all I’d like to thank my editor Judy Pitcher for her always excellent editing of my articles. A tip of my hat hat to you, Judy.

DISCLAIMER

This article was written prior to the Laval Rocket game on Friday December 22, 2023. Thus, stats for that game are not included in this article.

For those who may not have heard, on Monday December 18, 2023 the Laval Rocket signed Finnish goaltender Kasimir Kaskasuo to a PTO(professional try-out) contract.

In some ways I was surprised by this and in other ways I wasn’t.

I was surprised because since becoming GM of the HABS and Rocket, Kent Hughes has not given out any PTO’s for Laval. The reason I wasn’t surprised is that the goaltending in Laval has been very bad this season. Although, you can’t put all the blame on goalies Jakub Dobes(under HABS contract) or Strauss Mann.

The Laval forwards haven’t been doing all they could to help defend their end of the ice and causing many turnovers and give-a-ways.

What lead to Laval needing a goalie?

Last season the Rocket had two experienced goalies in Cayden Primeau(now playing with the HABS) and Kevin Poulin who has since retired. An experienced goalie can often overcome mistakes made by a young defense corp, but two young goalies with relatively no professional hockey experience have a difficult time covering up those errors in their own end. Besides Jakub Dobes and Strauss Mann, the Rocket also have Joe Vrbetic.Although Vrbetic is under an AHL contract with Laval, he has played most of this season with the Trois Rivieres Lions of the ECHL. In the few games Vrbetic has played in Laval he looked shakey. I’m sure that if Hockey Operations thought Vrbetic could solve the Laval goalie problem, he would have been promoted.

Let’s look at the goalie stats this season, although as I said, all the bad numbers aren’t solely on the goalies themselves. I’ll start with Jakub Dobes, so far this season he has a GAA 3.83 and a SV% 0,886 in 16 games. He has also been pulled from several games after giving up 5 goals in under 2 periods

Now, let’s look at Strauss Mann, he has a GAA 3.67 and a SV% 0.879 in 14 games. There has also been several games where he has been pulled after giving up 6+ goals.

What does Kasimir Kaskasuo bring to the Laval Rocket?

Kasimir Kaskasuo is a 30 year old Finnish goaltender who was undrafted in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. What he brings to Laval is experience.In 2014-15 he played for the University of Minnesota-Duluth of the NCAA, he had a GAA 2.30 and a SV% 0.917 in 36 games. The following season, again with Minnesota-Duluth he had a GAA 1.92 and a SV%0.923 in 39 games. His AHL experience has been with the Toronto Marlies the Toronto Maple Leafs’ affiliate. In the 2018-19 season with the Marlies he had a GAA 3.07 and a SV% 0.896 in 30 games. In 2019-20, again with the Marlies, he had a GAA 2.79 and a SV% 0.909 in 27 games. In 2019-20 he also played 1 game in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs where he had a GAA 6.00 and a SV% 0.842 but in 2020-21 he again played 1 game in the NHL this time with the Nashville Predators where he had a GAA 0.00 and a SV% 1.00. In 2021-22 he returned to Finland where he played with Leksand IF of the SHL where he had a GAA 2.64 and a SV% 0.910 in 46 games. In 2022-23 he continued to play for Leksand IF where he had a GAA 3.30 and a SV% 0.880.

I will admit he is still a project to work on, but a team can never have too many goalies.

SOURCES

Jakub Dobes STATS

https://www.capfriendly.com/players/jakub-dobes

Strauss Mann STATS

https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/288166/strauss-mann 

Kasimir Kaskasuo STATS

https://www.capfriendly.com/players/kasimir-kaskasuo#:~:text=The%20contract%20has%20a%20cap%20hit%20of%20%24675%2C000 

Judy’s Source – Kasimir Kaskasuo

https://www/eliteprosects.com/player/kasimir-kaskasuo.

HOCKEY WORLD LOSES 2 LEGENDS

HOCKEY WORLD LOSES 2 LEGENDS

Written and edited and cover photo merge by Marlene Wall

Videos uploaded by Fred Arshoff

Legendary goaltender Johnny Bower passed away on December 26th, 2017 at 93 years of age.

It took “The China Wall” some time to finally get a starting job in the NHL, but he became one of the all-time greats once he did .

After 77 games over 3 seasons with the New York Rangers, he played 12 seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs winning 4 Stanley Cups.

He retired in 1970 with 609 professional wins , 250 in the NHL and 359 in the AHL, the most in league history.

Hall of Famer Doug Harvey passed away on December 26th, 1989 at the age of 65.

The Montreal native is considered one of the greatest defenseman to play the game . He played 1,113 games over 20 seasons with the Montreal Canadiens , New York Rangers , Detroit Red Wings and the St. Louis Blues.

Harvey won 6 Stanley Cups with the Canadiens including 5 in a row between 1956-1960. He was awarded the Norris Trophy for being the best defenseman in the NHL 7 times in 8 years . His final Norris Trophy came during the 1961-62 season, his first with the Rangers .

After toiling in the minor league for the majority of five seasons, he returned to the St. Louis Blues for the 1968 playoffs. He then played 70 games during the 1968-69 season at age 44.

RIP MR. JOHNNY BOWER AND MR. DOUG HARVEY 🙏