by Chantal, Managing Editor, All Habs Hockey Magazine
MONTREAL, QC — We are 33 days away from the Habs first pre-season game, and 49 days away from the start of the regular season. Not that I’m counting. In the meantime, let’s chat hockey. As usual, you’ve sent in some great questions, so let’s get to them.
Do you have a question or a topic you would like us to discuss? Okay, here’s what you can do.
Let us know:
- who you are
- where you’re from
- if you wish, send us a photo of you in your favourite Habs gear
- who’s your favorite player, present or past
- and of course, your question
You can contact us via Twitter, our Facebook page or email at info (at) allhabs (dot) net
We’ll feature you, and your question, in the All Habs Mailbag!
Let’s do this:
Who is the Gareth Bale of the NHL?
Michael, Hamilton
My dear Mike, I had no clue who you were talking about until you added this: “Tottenham Spur player – multiple yellow cards for diving this past season, but his team was not very good unless he was in the line-up.” Ahh now we have a fun question!
The obvious answer is the entire Vancouver Canucks roster. I’m curious to see how long John Tortorella will put up with that.
The other obvious answer is Sidney Crosby, but over the last couple of years, the Penguins have proven that they can succeed without him. Phoenix Coyotes Shane Doan is another player that immediately comes to mind. And to be fair, in every other fan base, everyone would point at P.K. Subban.
But in the end, I believe the NHL’s Gareth Bale is Brad Marchand. Not only does he dive, but he gives sneaky, dirty shots and then claims he’s “only protecting himself” while accusing opponents of diving. Alright then. He doesn’t get called much on any of this, but if he did, the Bruins would miss him. No matter how much fans might dislike him, he’s an important piece of that line-up; he can score, he can skate, he can pass, he can hit, he can get under your skin, and he does all that very well. Enjoy this video:
When do Habs activities start up again?
Antoine, Lévis
Hi Antoine! Getting a little anxious? Everything gets started up again in about three weeks. Here’s the schedule as I know it:
- September 3: The Habs Golf Tournament will be held in Laval-sur-le-Lac. Fans are welcomed to go greet the players at the entrance but won’t be allowed on the grounds.
- September 5 to 10: Habs Rookie Camp. We’ll make sure to get you complete coverage.
- September 11: Habs Main Camp begins with medicals. Players are expected to take the ice the next day. Both the Rookie and Main camps will be held in Brossard and on-ice activities will be open to the public.
- Pre-season games begin on September 15 at the Bell Centre against the Buffalo Sabres and close out on September 26 against the Ottawa Senators. Regular season begins on Tuesday October 1st with the Habs hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Hope this answers your question. Hang in there, just a few more weeks to go!
What new rules will be implemented in the NHL next season?
Jeff
Hey Jeff. A few different rule changes have been proposed by the league’s competition committee. Here’s where we stand as of today:
The general managers have approved of mandatory visors for every player entering the league, or having fewer than 26 games of NHL experience.
They have also embraced the use of hybrid icing – a mixture of touch and no touch icing that is left to the referees discretion. This will be in effect during the 2013-2014 pre-season with the possibility of implementing it for the start of the regular season, if they deem it successful.
The players have also agreed to test shallower nets (four inches) during pre-season, as well as implementing video review when four-minute high sticking penalties are called. Both will be introduced next season if approved by the board.
Other discussed changes include:
- Making the “spin-o-rama” illegal during shootouts. (if not yet approved by the board, this will most certainly pass)
- Eliminating the attainable pass – which gave officials the discretion to wave off icing calls on attempted passes. The new standard will be that there must be contact with the stick.
- Making goalie equipment smaller. As of June, there were still discussions to be had with a subcommittee to iron out the details.
The most recent reports indicated that some of these rule changes would be further discussed “later in the summer”. We’re pretty much there, so keep your eyes open. Thanks for the Q!
How many pucks get used in a single NHL game?
Peter G, Long Island
Hi Peter! I believe teams are required to provide 48 frozen pucks (which are easier to control than unaltered pucks) per game. Obviously, they don’t use them all. After much research, consensus seems to be that the average NHL game uses a dozen pucks. They do tend to thaw quickly so they’re constantly being replaced by the officials. Although 12 seems to be the average, as many as 22 have been recorded. They don’t go through as many as they did before installing nets to protect the fans in the stands.
Fun fact: The last NHL game to use a single puck was in 1979. You can find that puck on display in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Will Michel Therrien bring back his mustard colour suit this year?
From colleague David Stein, Montreal
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I SURE AS HELL HOPE NOT.