So what now? "Actually, we're on Plan D," general manager Bob Gainey mused yesterday, between sessions of the week-long Canadiens development camp at Martin Lapointe Arena.
...
Suddenly, it appears Montreal has become the gulag of the NHL.

"I think you've taken a couple of hypotheses. Tell me if (Shanahan) is making more and then ask the question," the erudite Gainey said. "I don't have access to certain things in a person's mind, why they choose to sign with one team and not another."

As the Montreal Canadiens hockey club nears their 100th anniversary, reports are saying that the team plans to mark the occasion with a feature-length docudrama.
...
The Canadiens are also planning to retire several former players' jersey numbers in celebration of the centennial, and have put in bids for the 2009 editions of both the NHL's all-star game and the entry draft.

Canadiens captain Saku Koivu said the shootings help players and other residents "realize how much more important your family, your friends and your health is. It's a tragedy. It touches everybody."
...
Guy Carbonneau, who takes over as head coach from Gainey, said this summer he will try putting Ribeiro at centre between Samsonov and Alex Kovalev. The two wingers played have played together on the Russian Olympic team.

"We had good chemistry," said Samsonov, who joined Montreal after helping Edmonton reach the Stanley Cup final last season. "He's a good player and he's fun to play with."

Mats Sundin says he wants to be a Toronto Maple Leaf for the rest of his National Hockey League career.
...
If the Leafs pick up Sundin's option for 2007-08, they would be charged $6.33-million (all figures U.S.) under the cap, but Sundin's actual salary will be $4.56-million.

However, there is a chance the Leafs will decline Sundin's option and still keep him next season. While general manager John Ferguson has not made his intentions public, he could refuse to pick up the option and negotiate a new deal with Sundin that would pay him in the $5-million range.

Long after he shot the puck that gave him 500 career goals and his team a 5-4 overtime win against the Calgary Flames, Mats Sundin stood by himself on the ice.

The game was over. The rest of the Maple Leafs were already taking off their equipment in the dressing room. But the Toronto captain was not going anywhere.

With the crowd still cheering, Sundin tapped his stick on the ice and then, taking a cue from professional wrestling, pointed the curved blade towards the coloured seats that filled the Air Canada Centre.
...
"I realized the applause and the people standing up in the rink for me," he said of lingering on the ice after scoring three goals, adding an assist and being named the game's first star. "It was just an appreciation for that. It doesn't happen too often. I've been here for many years and it was just a special moment for me."

It is hardly the grand return to Boston that Sergei Samsonov wanted.

The veteran winger, who was the Canadiens' big off-season signing, arrived at practice yesterday to find he was demoted to the fourth line in favour of rookie Guillaume Latendresse.

"I'm not shocked," an angry Samsonov said. "If you keep track of my ice time, that's what I'm getting right now, I'm a fourth-line player.

"When I came here, I thought I was going to be a go-to guy and obviously, that's not the case right now. What is it going to take? I don't know. We'll see."

Coach Guy Carbonneau, who also caught the virus, said eight or nine players as well as the training staff and other team personnel had fallen sick. Some who didn't have the fever, vomiting or diarrhea simply felt weak. The illness lasts between 24 and 72 hours.
...
The entire team was told to stay home Monday while the dressing room, training room and all equipment was washed and sanitized.

"They took everything out," said Carbonneau. "All the equipment, all the gym equipment, the underewear.

"They washed all the sticks. Everything a player can touch, they cleaned."

He was relieved to see the extra energy players had in practice.

"It was fun to hear the players this morning all say they had good breakfasts," he said. " It's not something you can get rid of easily.

Alex Kovalev says it was all made up.

The Montreal Canadiens right-winger insists he didn't criticize coach Guy Carbonneau or his teammates in an interview with a Moscow radio station two weeks ago. An alleged transcript of the interview, in which he says Carbonneau doesn't like Russian players, appeared later in the Russian weekly magazine Football-Hockey.

"I've been blamed for everything that has gone wrong. Why stop now?" Samsonov told the Gazette.

"Obviously, looking back, I regret my decision (to sign with the Canadiens). All you can do is make things different and learn from your mistakes. Things could have been done and handled differently."

The Montreal Canadiens are breathing a sigh of relief after forward Alex Kovalev escaped serious injury after an accident in Grande Riviere, Quebec on Saturday.

Kovalev flew to the town on his own plane to visit one of his fans, and while there he managed to damage a Harley Davidson motorcycle that belonged to the mayor.

So just after midnight, more than two hours after the Montreal Canadiens claimed victory in their National Hockey League playoff series... About a half-dozen Montreal police cruisers were already burning, or about to be burned, as post-game celebrations dissolved into rioting early Tuesday morning. A handful of storefront windows were smashed and some stores were looted along Sainte-Catherine street, where most of the damage seemed to be concentrated.

According to a Canwest News Service report, police arrested 16 people, who face a number of charges -- including breaking and entering a business, armed assault on a police officer, mischief on a police vehicle, assault and various bylaw infractions.

Two 17-year-old males and another 14-year-old boy are among those arrested by police.

"After the Canadiens won their game, people started attacking private businesses, attacking police officers and throwing rocks or any objects they could find at police cars," said Montreal Police Const. Laurent Gingras.

"Officers had to call for backup from the riot squad and from other parts of the city and control was taken back at about 2 a.m. this morning."

Const. Gingras said 16 police vehicles were badly damaged and had to be towed away. As many as six of those vehicles were torched by rioters. A number of private vehicles were also damaged Monday night....

One female police officer was injured in the fracas... Read more>>

There were similar outbursts here in 1993. Vancouver had a brutal riot in 1994. But those explosions came after the Stanley Cup Final. As one Montrealer said, "This is only the first round!"

Several locals were embarrassed as the carnage unfolded, knowing it would be a stain on a beautiful city’s reputation.

You always hear the same thing: These aren’t real hockey fans. Real hockey fans wouldn’t loot a store, burn a patrol car, or toss a brick though a window. But sports fans can be such an angry group that sometimes I wonder. Link

But this is only the first round!

For the record, there was a distinct lack of civility at the Bell Centre Monday night as fans shouted and booed while Charles Prévost-Linton sang the U.S. national anthem.

In his state of the team session with media this morning, Bob Gainey said Guy Carbonneau has signed a new contract.

Old Velcro Lips would not disclose duration of the deal and, God knows, did not reveal any $$$ figures. Habsinsideout

MONTREAL -- Goaltending coach Roland Melanson had a surprise for the Montreal Canadiens at practice on Thursday -- a two-time Olympic gold medallist filling in for sick goalie Carey Price.

That much-decorated athlete was Kim St-Pierre, surely the first woman ever to take the ice with the Canadiens.

MONTREAL - The Montreal Canadiens suspended Pavel Valentenko without pay on Friday after the prospect left the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League to sign a three-year contract with Dynamo Moscow.

Valentenko was in the second year of a three-year, entry-level deal with the Canadiens organization, but opted to sign with Dynamo at the urging of his family, the player's Ottawa-based agent Rolland Hedges said....

... Hedges said Valentenko did not want to return to Russia, but he supports his entire family on his hockey earnings and was unable to do that on an AHL salary....

... Hedges said Valentenko has been supporting his family since he was 15 * *, and took a pay cut to pursue his NHL dream when he signed with Montreal before the 2007-08 season...

"While it is my determination that Kostopoulos did not deliver a check to an unsuspecting opponent, his actions caused injuries," said NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell.

"We came out with an edge but when you see something like that to one of your best D, you really want to make them pay," Leafs forward Matt Stajan told the team's Web site. "It was a dirty hit and it's something that can't happen in the game. Luckily we made them pay."

"I was trying to get in there, get a hit and get the puck," Kostopoulos said. "Like I said, I didn't anticipate him turning and I couldn't stop myself. And I hope he's all right."

NHL suspends Kostopoulos for check from behind


Maple Leafs defenceman Mike Van Ryn suffered a concussion, broken nose and a broken bone in his hand following a checking into the boards by Montreal's Tom Kostopoulos.
(Nathan Denette/Canadian Press)

The NHL determined Monday that Tom Kostopoulos's check from behind against Toronto defenceman Mike Van Ryn was worthy of three games in the press box for the Montreal Canadiens forward.

To me, that hit was the perfect example of the notion that the real key to cutting down on these dangerous hits from behind into the boards has to come from the players themselves.

It's called RESPECT.

They are privileged to be able to earn a very good living and support their families playing hockey. Not one of them wants that taken away from them. They need to respect each others privilege as much as they do their own.

As John Davidson and Phil Esposito put it, they need to make some changes to their own code of ethics before someone winds up in a wheelchair for life.

He also says the NHL's post-lockout revenue-sharing deal to prop up weaker U.S. teams has also left Canadian organizations at the mercy of the dollar's performance.

The Montreal Canadiens made it clear that they are troubled about allegations that three of their players have been socializing with a man recently arrested on drug charges.

The French-language daily La Presse reported Friday that Andrei Kostitsyn and Sergei Kostitsyn had social ties with Pasquale Mangiola, who was arrested Feb. 12.
...
Although it's not known whether NHL security officials did meet Friday with Montreal police investigators, a source familiar with the situation told ESPN.com there is no evidence of the Canadiens players engaging in illegal activities. Players just made "bad decisions with respect to who they choose to associate with," the source said.

The Montreal Canadiens have fired head coach Guy Carbonneau, general manager Bob Gainey will take over behind the bench.

Although they got off to a very strong start, the Canadiens have had their struggles this season. They currently sit in fifth in the Eastern Conference standings with 77 points....

TSN

The Montreal Canadiens could be going up for sale, reports La Presse in Montreal.

The newspaper, citing Canadiens president Pierre Boivin, reported on Monday owner George Gillett is considering options for many of his assets, including the legendary franchise.

... These are the emotions that separate the Canadiens from every other NHL club, making GM Bob Gainey’s team the highest maintenance bride in the league.

Alas, Gainey’s Canadiens are the Liz Taylor to 29 other GMs’ Betty Rubble, in need of flowers and a massage every night of the week...

Mark Spector, one of the best pure writers in hockey

The Montreal Canadiens began their offseason moves with a bang on Monday, as general manager Bob Gainey announced that the club has hired Jacques Martin as their new head coach. Watch it live on TSN.ca now.

Montreal will be Martin's fourth NHL stop as head coach after working for the St. Louis Blues and Ottawa Senators and holding the head coach and general manager positions for the Florida Panthers.

"I think he has a really good reputation from what I hear," Canadiens forward Georges Laraque told TSN on Monday. "He did really well in Ottawa and as GM in Florida and the people will be happy here (in Montreal) because he's bilingual."

It also marks the first time since 1992-93 that the Canadiens have formally hired a coach with NHL experience. The team hired former Blues and Red Wings coach Jacques Demers that season, and have since hired first-timers Mario Tremblay, Alain Vigneault, Michel Therrien, Claude Julien and Guy Carbonneau...
read more on TSN

Jacques Martin is everything the Montreal Canadiens are not -- and never have been.

They are blue, blanc et rouge. He is vanilla.

They are the home of firewagon hockey. He is the neutral-zone trap.

They are emotion and excitement and everything that encompasses the city of Montreal. He represents the yawn of a new era.

They are known for success. He is a epitome of the first-round playoff elimination.

They are the kings of the off-day press conference. He is equally dull in both of Canada's official languages.

The hiring of Martin yesterday is quizzical in so many ways it almost defies logic. We know it was hard for general manager Bob Gainey to find someone less interesting than he is, but he actually managed to do just that. In some ways, Gainey hired a safer, less interesting, less communicative, version of himself to coach hockey's most decorated team.

You've seen the movie Dumb & Dumber? Now meet the Montreal hockey hierarchy: Dull & Duller...

... The modern coach needs to be creative, communicative, inspiring and encouraging, everything Martin is not. He is textbook instead of novel, button down instead of open collar.

He may make the Canadiens less interesting -- in both official languages.

Toronto Sun link

Hockey's most storied franchise has been sold, pending approval from the NHL.

Sources told ESPN.com Saturday that the Molson family has agreed in principle to purchase the Montreal Canadiens and Bell Centre from George Gillett.

The deal needs approval from the NHL's Board of Governors. The league needs to do due diligence on the sale and have a board vote, and a source said Saturday that approval of the sale "will be sometime mid-summer at the earliest."

French sports network RDS reported Saturday that the sale was worth $550 million, but a source told ESPN.com that the price was in excess of that. ...
Read more At ESPN ->

One thing we know for sure about the Montreal Canadiens’ off-season is it won’t include a team-bonding trip to an amusement park.

After all, “You must be this high to go on the rides.”

In truth, if I were a Habs supporter the size of the players brought in by GM Bob Gainey over the past couple days wouldn’t even be my biggest concern.

Today's Canadiens make massive personnel changes without any clear vision for the future. Are Mike Cammalleri, Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta an improvement on Koivu, Alex Kovalev, Chris Higgins and Alex Tanguay? Hard to see how. That's a lot of wee folk at forward, which many hockey people thought was a problem Montreal needed to address, especially at centre.

In place of defenceman Mike Komisarek, a rock of a man who gave the league's forwards a rough time, are a couple of aging veterans in Hal Gill and Jaro Spacek.

After the changes are complete, who becomes the next captain into the uncertain future?

From an outside view, probably 30-year-old Andrei Markov, Montreal's best defenceman.

If so, bet on another Montreal captain not winning a Cup during his tenure.

So Travis Moen landed a nice contract, eh?

So Travis Moen landed a nice contract, eh?

D'oh!

Canadiens General Manager Bob Gainey announced Monday the signing of goaltender Curtis Sanford to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2009-10 season. As per club policy, financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Just when you thought the Montreal Canadiens' marketing department couldn't possibly come up with another way to increase revenues during the team's centennial celebrations, Bob Gainey might have helped them out.

Program sales.

With all the changes to the team's lineup this summer, fans will need to buy a program to figure out who all the new faces are when the Canadiens begin the 2009-10 NHL season.

General manager Bob Gainey told reporters on Wednesday that the team will wait a bit longer before naming a captain and that no one will be wearing the 'C' when they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night.