TranceAddict Forums (www.tranceaddict.com/forums)
- Canada - Montreal
-- Habs 2008 - 2009 Centennial Season Official Thread.
Pages (25): « 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 [14] 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 »

good point.

Habs owner won't apologize for zealous fans


Saturday, 01.10.2009 / 10:00 AM / 2009 NHL All-Star Game
By Dan Rosen - NHL.com Staff Writer

Montreal Canadiens owner George N. Gillett Jr. believes in the numbers, not in the hooey that critics say led to the Habs having four representatives in the Eastern Conference's starting lineup for NHL All-Star Game on Jan. 25 at the Bell Centre.

Gillett told NHL.com Wednesday from Madison Square Garden that Mike Komisarek, Andrei Markov, Alexei Kovalev and Carey Price received more than 5.675 million votes combined in the XM NHL All-Star Fan Balloting presented by 2K Sports only "because of the passion of the fans."

"There is obviously some suspicion that something nefarious was going on and I don't think so at all. I think it was just tremendous fan interest," Gillett said while his team was on the ice for its morning skate. "You have to remember Montreal is a city of about 3.7 million people and the Province (of Quebec) has 7.5 million and they are huge hockey fans. There are 186,000 junior hockey players up there and those kids love it so they all voted.

"Did we have a marketing program going on? No. This is natural passion."

Gillett went on to admit that "there were players that were perhaps not selected to the starting lineup that you might say, 'Hmmm.' Like (Alex) Ovechkin, right? But, the fans spoke. There is a level of passion and interest there and I don't think there is anything wrong with that. That is why we get such huge television ratings and so forth."

Gillett, an American entrepreneur who grew up in Wisconsin and now lives in Vail, Colo., admitted that when he took ownership of Les Habitants in 2001 he underestimated the passion of those who bleed bleu, blanc et rouge.

"It's extraordinary the passion of the fans, and also their knowledge," he said. "Oh, I had no idea. People would say things to me, 'Do you understand this and this?' I'd say, 'Oh sure, oh sure,' but you really don't until you feel it. It's visceral."

That's what has made the 100th anniversary so special to Gillett. The celebration allows him to loosen his tie and step away from the board room table.

"I'm a fan," he proudly proclaims, adding, with excitement, that he can't wait to be in Montreal for All-Star Weekend.

"Absolutely," he said. "Oh yeah. Wednesday through Sunday. Oh, you bet."

Gillett identified the Patrick Roy jersey retirement night as one of his highlights of the Centennial Celebration so far, but his smile grew when he talked about witnessing the history of the club come to life in the vintage jerseys the Canadiens have been wearing on special nights this season.

Montreal has already worn jerseys from 1915-16, 1945-46 and 1970-71 this season. It is planning nine more Centennial Jersey Nights until the Centennial Game on Dec. 4, 2009, the official 100-year anniversary of the franchise's founding.

"Going back and looking at the history, it's just really amazing," Gillett said.

NHL All-Star Weekend will be another way for the Habs to celebrate their history, but Gillett feels it's also going to be a salute to the city itself.

"It really, in many ways, is celebrating Montreal and what it means," the owner said. "It's not just about hockey. It's so much about being able to showcase the beautiful city. That is going to be something very special."

So, too, would an outdoor game next season. Gillett believes it can happen, even if it's not on New Year's Day and isn't called the NHL Winter Classic.

"Hopefully we'll be doing something in November, either an outdoor or a semi-outdoor game," he said. "It's all part of the same celebration."

Contact Dan Rosen at [email protected]

I think people should only be allowed to vote once and zats it.

lecavalier for pk subban, josh georges, chris higgins, tomas pleknanec and 2 draft picks(1st round).

i would love vinnie but i am not sure i would be willing to give that much for a player with bad shoulder problems.

he would look sexy fuck in red though.

lecavalier for koivu, plekanec, chipchura and another promising youngin'......

as much as i would like to get rid of higgins right now, i dont think they would. when komisarek will be the future C of the Habs he will have his buddy Higgins wearing the A right next to him!

man........ lecavalier in MTL. wow. let's keep dreaming just for a little longer... until the Rangers get him lol.

any trade for lecavalier is going to involve Subban, a roster member forward, a first round pick and at least either another draft pick and/or prospect.

Seems like a lot to give up for Lecavalier.

it is a lot to give up and that salary is a pretty huge one. I don't know what to think, but part of me would love to see it and the other part does not get trading away all of the young talent we developed. Gainey has done good so far, so i have to give him the benefit of the doubt.

(assuming this is true to begin with...last year everyone reported hossa being 100% in montreal.)

Kaberle makes a lot more sense, imo.

no thanks...does not want.

quote:

Originally posted by elFreak lecavalier for pk subban, josh georges, chris higgins, tomas pleknanec and 2 draft picks(1st round). i would love vinnie but i am not sure i would be willing to give that much for a player with bad shoulder problems. he would look sexy fuck in red though.

At this price I'm buying! Pacioretty and Ben Maxwell are gonna make us forget Higgins and Pleky in a couple years! PK Subban... I really like him but heck, we got Weber, Mathieu Carle, McDonagh, Valatenko and Alexei Emelin as D with huge NHL potential in the pipeline!

The Lightning is re-building...and we got what they need!

lol ive been hearing lecavalier rumours since highschool

quote:

Originally posted by Spin Laden Kaberle makes a lot more sense, imo.

Kaberle is only good to man the point on the power play and to carry the puck up the ice. Montreal already has a defenceman for that role. If Kaberle goes anywhere it will probably be New Jersey or Pittsburgh.

quote:

Originally posted by ChemEnhanced Kaberle is only good to man the point on the power play and to carry the puck up the ice. Montreal already has a defenceman for that role. If Kaberle goes anywhere it will probably be New Jersey or Pittsburgh.

He can feed the puck to Markov. Pittsburgh will be getting Gonchar back in a few weeks. Should be interesting in any case, several teams in the East feel they can make it to the Finals.

Who wouldn't want to see Lecavalier in a Habs uniform? But they need more help on defence right now, imo..

quote:

Originally posted by Passskal At this price I'm buying! Pacioretty and Ben Maxwell are gonna make us forget Higgins and Pleky in a couple years! PK Subban... I really like him but heck, we got Weber, Mathieu Carle, McDonagh, Valatenko and Alexei Emelin as D with huge NHL potential in the pipeline! The Lightning is re-building...and we got what they need!

while i agree to a certain extent, the problem would lie more in this year. The blue line would be severely weakened (look at josh's plus minus pascal, it is way higher than any defenseman on this team.) It could either pay off big, or leave us lacking depth come playoff time and if anyone gets injured we will be fucked. Those young d guys will be good, but are not ready for the big leagues yet. we don't want to rush them and turn them into O'Byrne's.

Defense and goal tending win Stanley Cups, you only have to look at Tampa Bay after their cup win to see what happens when you remove key defensive personnel from a winning team.

Either way, i have to trust bob, and you will not see me cry at all if vinnie comes here. I just think the price that the media is giving is a little steep. He has had a bad shoulder injury that has made him less of a gritty player, and at 10 million dollars a year he would make signing players to keep this team deep on all lines pretty difficult.

Do you think he actually wants the media pressure in Montreal? Many insider sources around the league say that he is happy in obscurity in Tampa, and does not really enjoy the prospect of being under heavy scrutiny.

He is the big talented center that this team has not had since Jean Beliveau, and he would look great in the uniform. Could he push us over the top? Sure. The thing is we are winning at the moment, have a better record halfway through than last year (mtl has always been a 2nd half team, last year i think they were only one game over .500), and if it does not work we are stuck with that huge salary (for 10+ years),and the no trade kicks in on july 1st)Do we mess with success?

quote:

Originally posted by Enjoy lol ive been hearing lecavalier rumours since highschool

Same, but the money troubles Tampa is having make it very likely that he or another big player will move. They have not paid their coach in over a month, and it seems they have asked the nhl for help to be able to guarantee the players salaries. Tampa's owner is supposedly one of the guys who lost the most money in his other businesses since the whole financial crisis thing happened.


go habs go

It doesn't make sense to bring Vinnie now...maybe 2-3 years ago when we were juss really average going sideways..

Bob build this team to be solid for years to come..its about time..weve suffered long enough. Bob did well with the draft picks he got over the years via trades...don't wanna do what happened to the Leafs.

i bet vancouver is crying just a little right now.... they could've had lecavalier instead of sundin... (i know i know totally different contract types.... but aging sundin vs long-term lecavalier)....

plus no GM is dumb enough to go near his contract ...not in this economy.

quote:

Originally posted by kanaBEATya i bet vancouver is crying just a little right now.... they could've had lecavalier instead of sundin... (i know i know totally different contract types.... but aging sundin vs long-term lecavalier)....

my Canucks

Luongo's back, watch out

quote:

Originally posted by RayRayy It doesn't make sense to bring Vinnie now...maybe 2-3 years ago when we were juss really average going sideways.. Bob build this team to be solid for years to come..its about time..weve suffered long enough. Bob did well with the draft picks he got over the years via trades...don't wanna do what happened to the Leafs.

11 free agents and bob's not even talking to players (at least komi ffs we can't lose him for nothing) about new contracts. Our vision of future and his could be very different. Having Price makes it a hell of a lot easier to flip and try a different approach, so we can't really rule out anything. I would kill to be able to tap his phone line.

quote:

Originally posted by Spin Laden my Canucks Luongo's back, watch out

did you know sundin is swedish for overpriced lemon that is a little too ripe? Go canadian teams, but they have as much chance of getting out of the western conference as the atlanta thrashers have of winning it

quote:

Originally posted by elFreak did you know sundin is swedish for overpriced lemon that is a little too ripe? Go canadian teams, but they have as much chance of getting out of the western conference as the atlanta thrashers have of winning it

very true, San Jose is another thorn out there but funny things happen...

Go Canadian teams for sure.. except those Leafs

i am not even sure the nucks could oust the flames. Luongo is a big equalizer though.

Detroit
Calgary
Anaheim (don't llook at the standings, they are built for the playoffs)
San Jose

possibly chicago.

i just can't see them going past the 1st round this year...i hope i am wrong. I secretly am wishing for a flames vs habs rubber match, but that is not too likely either.

to think that Abercrombie Chelios played in those series

i was going to make a banged Patrick Roy's wife joke, but then I realized that it was Mathieu Schneider.

Powered by: vBulletin
Copyright © 2000-2021, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.