All Habs Headlines: Saturday October 31, 2015 | Happy Hallowe’en! |
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On this day in hockey history… 1942 — Rookie Maurice Richard played his first NHL game with the Montreal Canadiens. He wore #15, and picked up his first NHL point (an assist) 36 seconds into the game, a 3-2 win for over the Bruins, at the Forum. 1991 — Vancouver Canucks signed Russian forward Pavel Bure to his first NHL contract.
Happy birthday to Mats Naslund and Tomas Plekanec! |
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► Travel day
- The Canadiens overnighted in Calgary and returned to Montreal on Saturday following their game against the Flames on Friday night. Here is our game report: Recap – Canadiens vs Flames: Weise is the Word
- The Habs will meet the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday. For a preview of the games ahead read: Weekly Forecast: Canadiens Face Western Foes
► Reway gets dealt…finally
- The saga between Sparta Praha and one of their best players Martin Reway is finally over after a bizarre couple of days.
- It started with Reway’s head coach making negative comments towards the Canadiens prospect then a demotion to the Czech league equivalent of the AHL. It has now ends as Sparta has dealt the former fourth round pick to the KHL.
- HC Slovan Bratislava acquired the skilled forward.
- According to Ryan Kennedy of the Hockey News Praha was willing to sign the Czech forward long term but he “wasn’t agreeable”.
- The winger was leading his team in points before getting demoted and subsequently traded; he had 15 points in 14 games. Last year was his first full season playing in the Czech league.
► Lingering effects?
- Following the Canadiens’ 4-3 loss at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty was seen with a large ice pack around his left knee.
- However, according to Guillaume Lefrancois of La Presse the American said that he’s fine.
- This past offseason, Pacioretty sustained a knee injury that was said to keep him out for 12 weeks but he came back a week early to play in the team’s second last pre-season game.
- Some wondered if the Habs captain returned to action prematurely but has come out of the gates hot with seven goals and 11 points in as many games.
► Standing up to cancer
- The Montreal Canadiens have a long, illustrious history of supporting the cancer foundation and all within the organization will do the same this season.
- As a start on Sunday’s game versus the Jets in Montreal suite owners will be inviting 70 young fans with cancer to the game and to watch it from their suites.
- They will be received by the players and their wives prior to the game and following that night’s action they will have a meet and greet with all of the players.
- Along with the players wear lavender coloured jersey in the warm ups the NHL will be donation $5,000.
- Also, they will be doing Movember once again this season and the November seventh game versus the Bruins will be dedicated to Procure, a program affiliated with Hockey Fights Cancer.
► MMA training for Condon
- Canadiens backup goaltender Mike Condon burst onto the scene this year after a solid rookie season of professional hockey and MMA training is a part of his success.
- “I was a fat, out-of-shape, Olympic-lifting goalie coming out of college with an NHL contract and no idea how to prepare for it.” Then the goalie met Scott Ream, a former MMA fighter and current trainer. “He pretty much changed everything.”
- “It was a lonely summer, just me and him in a warehouse in the middle of nowhere in Cape Cod. He’s not only a strength coach, but he’s good mentally. As a goalie it can be hard to take advice from people who haven’t played, but there are certain characters you meet that have a lot more credibility in your eyes, who have actually stepped into that proverbial ring.”
- “He’ll be good at it, and he doesn’t have to play a lot of games to be good because of the way he plays and the size he’s got. It’s not like a reactor goalie that has to play a lot to be good. Guys who like to challenge, they have to play a lot of be good. If you play just two or three times a month, that’s tough, but that kind of goalie [Condon], I’m not worried for him,” said goalie coach Stephane Waite about the Massachusetts native being a backup.
► Here to stay
- A couple of highly skilled prospects learned that they would be staying in the NHL past the nine game mark.
- Penguins forward Daniel Sprong was told he would be staying in Pennsylvania and will have the first year of his contract burned.
- Despite being a healthy scratch the Carolina Hurricanes announced that fifth overall pick Noah Hannifin would also be staying in the pros for more than nine games.
- With limited success in the point totals so far, the second round pick is being played on one of the best third lines in hockey with Nick Bonino and Chris Kunitz being his linemates. Through eight games thus far the forward has one goal and no assists with an even rating.
- Hannifin’s opportunity was further opened up after fellow defenceman James Wizniewski went down for six months with a knee injury. In nine games this season the American has two assists and sports a minus-three rating.
► Filling holes
- The St. Louis Blues’ injury situation has been well documented this season and they’ve made moves to fill those gaping holes.
- The team invited Martin Havlat and former Canadien Danius Zubrus as insurance policies.
- Havlat was invited to Florida Panthers training camp earlier this year but was released by the team a short time after.
- With injuries to forwards Patrik Berglund, Paul Stastny and Jaden Schwartz a lot of pressured lied on the shoulder of former first round pick Robby Fabbri to bring some creativity in the bottom six. Now the team has no obligation to keep the winger in the NHL past the nine game mark.
- Zubrus had ten points in 74 games last season with the Devils while is current and former teammate Havlat had 14 points in 40 games.
- The Blues now have three players under contract that didn’t have one at the beginning of the season with Scott Gomez being the other.
► Not getting any better
- One of the many deficiencies with the Calgary Flames this season was the uncertainty between the pipes and that paucity of stability has taken another hit.
- The Flames lost goaltender Jonas Hiller for at least a week due to a lower-body injury.
- The Swiss net minder was injured in a collision with Senators right winger Bobby Ryan on Wednesday.
- The Flames also put Karri Ramo on waivers for the purpose of reassignment and he cleared and was called right back up.
- Now the Flames will turn to Joni Ortio, a player that is held in very high regard within the organization.
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