08-09 Montreal Canadiens Thread

[selke71 0]

Can anyone tell me what's going on with O'byrne out there? He looks petrified to be near the puck.

Sent down to Hamilton yesterday.

He didn't look good tonight. I'm hoping it's just rust from not playing much lately...but he looked as confused around AHL players....as he has around NHL players this year.

He took a Roughing penalty in a scrum that started after the final whistle...not sure if 'supplemental discipline' from the League follows those situations.

Habs fans have been talking about O'Byrne as a key piece in virtually every major trade they've been trying to conjure up lately. Between him, Higgins, Latendresse, and S. Kostitsyn I would certainly expect them to be able to get something done. Perhaps Montreal/Hamilton is too much pressure for him. Send him to Florida in a Bouwmeester deal, he'll never have to worry about playing in front of passionate fans on home ice ever again.

[habsfan87 0]

for Bouwmeester? hells yeah, can't see it happening tho. Good to see Chipcura and Pacioretty on the board last night, injuries have not been kind to the club this year

[RadioGaGa 162]

Ah crap....screwing the Bulldogs & Marlies in the AHL isn't enough...they've got Chris Chimaga working the Habs/Leafs game tonight...

[Hidious 0]

You saw it coming Radio...

[RadioGaGa 162]

You saw it coming Radio...

I honestly don't know that I'd question anything either ref has called so far. If the scrums and crap don't stop with a warning...start calling 10's. I have no problem with that.

[kosydar 0]

I have no problem with them calling 10s on the scrums, but they need to make the basic calls first. Regardless of the score this game has been very entertaining. I just wish Boullion would take his visor off if he is going to set up for a fight like that. Pretty bush league if you ask me.

[RadioGaGa 162]

I have no problem with them calling 10s on the scrums, but they need to make the basic calls first. Regardless of the score this game has been very entertaining. I just wish Boullion would take his visor off if he is going to set up for a fight like that. Pretty bush league if you ask me.

Sportsnet guys just said the same thing.

They were also saying during the period that May was trying to get D'Agostini to go?!?!? WTH? D'Ags is not a fighter. I guess bush league leads to bush league...

[kosydar 0]

I think there is a huge difference between trying to get someone to go (and someone who May probably has very little knowledge of), and leaving your visor on to fight, but maybe that's just me. I'm just glad the Leafs aren't getting pushed around.

[Hidious 0]

You saw it coming Radio...

I honestly don't know that I'd question anything either ref has called so far. If the scrums and crap don't stop with a warning...start calling 10's. I have no problem with that.

Really? I have to admit that your point makes sense and i have no idea how i'd proceed to keep this game under control is i had to officiate it but those 4 consecutive 10s looked like a complete joke to me. Common, 10 minutes for a little pushing and talking? Doesn't it sound weird for a hockey game? Moreover, i seriously doubt that those "special" calls changed anything to the rest of the game.

My question is: would Bill McCreary have done the same? <_<

[RadioGaGa 162]

You saw it coming Radio...

I honestly don't know that I'd question anything either ref has called so far. If the scrums and crap don't stop with a warning...start calling 10's. I have no problem with that.

Really? I have to admit that your point makes sense and i have no idea how i'd proceed to keep this game under control is i had to officiate it but those 4 consecutive 10s looked like a complete joke to me. Common, 10 minutes for a little pushing and talking? Doesn't it sound weird for a hockey game? Moreover, i seriously doubt that those "special" calls changed anything to the rest of the game.

My question is: would Bill McCleary have done the same? :)

It's McCreary.

[Hidious 0]

I have no problem with them calling 10s on the scrums, but they need to make the basic calls first. Regardless of the score this game has been very entertaining. I just wish Boullion would take his visor off if he is going to set up for a fight like that. Pretty bush league if you ask me.

I agree that the visor in a fight isn't the greatest thing but he'd have to take his whole helmet off which really gives your opponent a head-start towards punching you in the face effectively.

[RadioGaGa 162]

I love the way the guy at Bell Centre does the "Kov-A-Lev" Goal/Assist announcement.

[Hidious 0]

It's McCreary.

Of course, shame on me...

[RadioGaGa 162]

It's McCreary.

Of course, shame on me...

ha...just buggin'

[kosydar 0]

Grabs should get a game for pushing the ref.

[RadioGaGa 162]

Grabs should get a game for pushing the ref.

They usually come down pretty hard on 'abuse of official' he may get 2 or 3.

I really wanted to see him and Sergei go. I honestly think that would have been an epic non-fighter fight.

[Habs21 0]

Sergei would've crushed him I think. Sergei knows how to fight, he's always trying to go with guys but I was waiting for this game so he could just destroy Grabovski. Refs botched that one up for me. It's gonna happen next game for sure!

[kosydar 0]

Sergei knows how to fight huh.....is that why he has been in 0 career fights according to http://hockeyfights.com/players/let/k ?

[RadioGaGa 162]

Sergei would've crushed him I think. Sergei knows how to fight, he's always trying to go with guys but I was waiting for this game so he could just destroy Grabovski. Refs botched that one up for me. It's gonna happen next game for sure!

Even though i said I would have liked to see it...It was well after the initial scrum. I think they did the right thing by keeping them apart. That could have gone full blown shit storm if they had let that fight go.

Now, Feb 7th, on the other hand...is another story. I will be there. Yeah me!

Sergei knows how to fight huh.....is that why he has been in 0 career fights according to http://hockeyfights.com/players/let/k ?

He has a mentality that could easily lead to fighting...I wouldn't say he knows how to fight.

[mrusse01 0]

Grabs should get a game for pushing the ref.

Eh, I doubt he will....that linesman pancaked him right before that, I'd be pissed too.

Has anyone ever figured out why sometimes the linesmen don't break up fights and sometimes they do? Like why literally throw a player to the ice in one instance and in another let two guys dance around for 30 seconds before doing anything? If anyone is a ref/linesman I'd like to know, are there actual rules/mandates as to when you are supposed to try and jump in and when you just let them go?

I don't think either of those weasely Kostitsyn twins would 'crush' anybody in a fight, but I wouldn't have had my money on Grabovski there, that's for sure.

Boullion was lucky he had a visor on in that fight, if May got his helmet off early there it would have been a pretty bad ass kicking. I tend to not blame a player with a visor though in that case; if you want to fight a guy with a visor on, getting the helmet of his head should be your problem, not his. Especially there, I don't think Boullion was the one instigating that fight.

Decent game to watch at least, if we had got better goaltending and had a few bounces go our way, it would have been a lot closer. Moore missing that empty net was a killer.

[RadioGaGa 162]

Grabs should get a game for pushing the ref.

Eh, I doubt he will....

3 games ---> http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=262538&lid...s=topStory_main

[mrusse01 0]

I guess I should have realized this is the NHL we're talking about, I was using common sense when I suggested I didn't think he'd get suspended....silly me.

[Chadd 916]

I guess I should have realized this is the NHL we're talking about, I was using common sense when I suggested I didn't think he'd get suspended....silly me.

Three games is a minor suspension for abuse of an official. He could have gotten much worse.

[mrusse01 0]

I watched that entire game, and have seen replays. He didn't 'abuse' anybody. The linesman literally pancaked him like an offensive tackle shortly before Grabo slightly pushed at him in an attempt to try and get away to fight.

How does the NHL draw the line between 'abuse' of an official and simply struggling against someone holding you back to fight? It happens all the time.

I don't necessarily disagree with suspending him here, a lot of league take a zero tolerence approach to contacting an official. Then again you never would see Bennett Salvatore body slam Jason Kidd. Regardless, to suspend a player in this case the same length of time as you suspend Tom Kostolopopus for nearly killing Mike Van Ryn, well that's a joke.

[Eazy_b97 1]

Boullion was lucky he had a visor on in that fight, if May got his helmet off early there it would have been a pretty bad ass kicking. I tend to not blame a player with a visor though in that case; if you want to fight a guy with a visor on, getting the helmet of his head should be your problem, not his. Especially there, I don't think Boullion was the one instigating that fight.

Bouillon was definately ready to fight. He started playing the left point for the first fight (Mayers/Kostopolous) and May went at him to fight right off the draw. They stopped for Mayers' fight though. Then Bouillon lines up at right wing beside May, it was a pre-meditated fight without a doubt. Then the square off as well.

I think if it's a quick fight coming in the heat of the moment, the onus isn't on the player to take off his visor, but in a fight like that, where both players know it's coming and are ready to go, he needs to take it off. Especially when he was hiding behind it for alot of the fight.

Three games is a minor suspension for abuse of an official. He could have gotten much worse.

The linesman didn't file a report and I think that saved him from a longer suspension. Doesn't save him from the embarassment though as he looked like an idiot last night.