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Post by Maritimer on Feb 28, 2002 7:59:34 GMT -5
Well here is the update on the damn Cits ;D
Line Combos
Chouinard Darby Ward
Belanger Landry X Delisle
Ryder Poulin Sevigny
Thinel
Hainsey Razin
Filipowiz Beauchemin
Cornacchia Royer
Chouinard - didn't finish a check all night but took a few standing up and the other guy went down. Very solid on his skates. Speed was not a deterent. Scored 2 but one was from the corner off Dupont's skate in front. The second was a beauty 2 on 1 with Ward...cross ice pass and Chewy put it under the crossbar. By assesment is he will have to be a top 2 line player to be effective. If you are looking for strong D from your 3rd line he isn't the guy. I know its been said before but the only thing holding him back is him. Desire is his key.
Ward - hmm what is the best word to describe him....meh...
Decent speed...enough to have a breakaway and pull away from the backchecker on the 2 on 1 goal...Hands of cement have not been chipped away. Gritty but not forcheck gritty more like highstick and crosscheck gritty. He could play on the 3rd or 4th line today. The "budding" power forward is wearing a 3/4 visor...he may be hurt.
Darby - I don't think speed is a factor with Darby....accelaration was his downfall from what I saw. Through the neutral zone this line attacked with speed many times with Darby leading the rush.
Belanger - ran the goalie a few times....banged home a rebound on the pp...otherwise not really a factor
Poulin - looks to good to be in the AHL. speed, size, and grit.
Hainsey - don't flame me for this but I didn't see the next Scott Neidrmyer. He did lug the puck out of the zone a few times when the forechecking pressure was on. Looked decent on the PP. I don't think he is quite ready from last nights game but maybe it was a bad night.
Garon - was very strong. excellent rebound control...quick glove on everything
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Post by Cranky on Feb 28, 2002 8:24:47 GMT -5
This wasn't one of dem'fish story, was it? (I'm suffering from posting Turrets Syndrom.) The thing that interested me was Hainsey. Are we making him out to be more then what he is? A collective "wishful thinking"? I saw the AHL All Star game a short while back and I did not see anything impressive about him. The other thing is, why has AS not called him up? With his size and stregnth, he would be an improvement some of our mighty midgets. Or is he? Your scouting is starting to raise some questions about him. Before BadCompanyTolstoy comes on line and writes 83,467 words about defenseman taking a long time to develope, well, yeah, I am aware of it, but, what exactly has he shown? Is he hitting any moving object, including the Zamboni? Has he scored 30 goals on the power play even if he was a minus 45? Or are the Hab's organization developing the next Traverse?  There you go, another thing to worry about. Thanks for the report Maritimer, it is really appreciated by all and especially by me. All I can do is scout the Mississauga Ice Dogs (ahrut...spit). Cherries/Mcallion(sp?) idea of a joke. |
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Post by Doc Holliday on Feb 28, 2002 8:25:21 GMT -5
A thousand thanks for your report, much appreciated.
I agree on Poulin, he's a victim of depth at this point. Then again I'm not too sure I wouldn't prefer him to Van Allen... But that's shuffling chairs... potatoe, patatoe...
The big question on Ward is can he steal a spot from anyone on our roster at this point? Would he be better then say Asham on a 4th line? How would Hossa/Ribeiro/Ward look?
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Post by Maritimer on Feb 28, 2002 8:58:52 GMT -5
Hmm Asham or Ward?
Molson or Labatts? its all horseps
Seriously I have watched both players in prominent roles in the AHL and Asham is the man by a wide margin. When motivated (probably no question in the NHL) Asham is a far superior hockey player. Asham is tougher than Ward, faster than Ward, bit shorter but weighs the same as Ward and isn't injury prone.
On top of it all Asham has a mean streak Ward will never have. Ward has never impressed me over the year in the AHL. Asham has.
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Post by Maritimer on Feb 28, 2002 9:05:47 GMT -5
HA,
Relax he is already better than Traverse. I would compare him to Darryl Sydor. A decent sized guy who can lift stick in front of the net and go hard to the corners. Good speed and a good shot get him 30 - 35 pts a year.
Invaluable in my coaching experience is the defenseman who can play in all situations...not the guy with the howie from the point or the guy who throws the crushing hits. Its when you can look down your bench and say the same name no matter whats happening on the ice.
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Post by Cranky on Feb 28, 2002 9:14:22 GMT -5
I'm taking my sedatives as we speak.
If he is better then Traverse, why is he not up with the big boys? If the objective is to make the playoffs, then it would make sense.
Having said all that, I have a feeling that we will see him this year for 9 games.
You know Maritimer, an old timer like me has only so much hair he can loose, I like to have at least three left before we see our beloved Hab's contend. Hainsey/Komi is my delusional cry for help. That's why I have these angst about reading anything other then a "glowing" report on those two.
There, the drugs are taking effect now and as soon as find my cognac flavoured soother, all will be well.
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Post by Maritimer on Feb 28, 2002 9:21:28 GMT -5
hey maybe Momma Hainsey call yesterday afternoon to tell him Wolfie got hit by a semi...who knows? Maybe I'm a bad read on talent....
Ask Doc I told him Ribeiro would make the team and score 20 this year. I got ripped apart for that one!
I don't see him being a superstar but a really good defensman who plays 15 years in teh NHL. The Cits d is brutal anyway. Other than him and Razin the rest should go back to working at the supermarket.
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Post by BadCompany on Feb 28, 2002 9:25:58 GMT -5
Hi Maritimer, thanks for the report!
I'll try to keep this short, because I know HA's attention span ain't what it used to be. Heck, were it not for the Viagra he'd be asleep by 8:30 every night.
Anyways...
On Ward, we will have to agree to disagree I guess. Just a quick note on the visor - he started wearing it last year after taking that puck off the face while sitting on Montreal's bench. Another one of those fluke accidents that seem to have plagued us over the last couple of years. It fractured his cheekbone and swelled up his eye pretty good, so I would imagine that is why he has gone to the shield.
On Hainsey, patience is the key. While I rant and rave about him, and think he should be on the team next year, being on the team and having an impact are two totally different things. There are reasons why no defenceman has won rookie of the year in recent memory. Even the extremely highly touted ones, like Mike Van Ryn, Brooks Oprik, Tom Poti, Wade Redden, Chris Phillips, Ed Jovanoski and so on, all hit pot holes or developemental plateaus. This is, afterall, only Hainsey's first year in the AHL. Before this he had played the college game, which is a different style of game entirely. He will be a good one, but like Komisarek, realistically we are looking at a good 5 years before we start calling these guys dominant. I know that is a long time, but they will only be 25-27 years of age in five years, so we need to keep a little perspective.
Which, in passing, is what kind of frustrates me about Markov's handling. The kid is only 23, playing his second year on the smaller ice, with a red line, touch icing and so on, and we are seemingly ready to toss him onto the scrap heap. But I digress...
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Post by Maritimer on Feb 28, 2002 9:43:32 GMT -5
I thought there was a reason behind the Ward visor but couldn't remember. I am a backer of visors but find it hard to watch the shift disturber/power forward types wear them.
I'm not writing Hainsey off. In fact I think he will be great. I have heard reports about him dominating the AHL and it just didn't happen last night. He is a good player all ready and you are right its been less than a year. I've seen some good young d in the past few months and he is right up there.
Another good one I saw this year is Mike Motteau. I think Hainsey is ahead of him already though. Alexie Tezikov is another. The AHL is a great place my friends. $16 for a ticket 8 rows from the ice where you can see future and past stars.
to hell with HA's attention span....I've got all day ;D
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Post by Cranky on Feb 28, 2002 9:43:46 GMT -5
I wearing down my fourth wife, Mr Bad Comapany, if indeed that is your real name. So? Can you claim any such feat of manhood? Ahh, you Laval boys are all talk but can't keep up.
There, I feel better.
The question remains. Why is Hainsey not playing with the big club if he is an improvement over Travesty and defenseSmurf that we have. Can someone argue that he will not develop properly? Green may not be Bobby Orr or Bowman, but he does know his defensive hockey. See the brilliant results he achieved with Brisebois. "Brilliant"? (I need to shock BC's mind in order for him to wake up). <br>
The only reasonable explanation is that AS is trying to move some, uhh, scrap, before he brings him up. But still?!?!
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Post by Maritimer on Feb 28, 2002 10:00:55 GMT -5
You know its funny we are in a hurry to bring him up to eat popcorn.
Things aren't goin great...want to tweak the lineup...lets sit Traverse..in fact lets sit him for 4 games straight. The question than comes up will it hurt his feelings/confidence? The answer - Who gives a rats ass?
We call Hainsey up him and Markov could have a blast eating chili on a stick in the Bell Center luxery boxes.
The article on Fata was interesting because we do have decent situations on defense...he could be called up and learn to play with Rivet as a pair and be nurtured instead of being the 6 or 7 guy who is in and out with Markov.
AS is trying valiently to make the playoffs but not at the expense of long term success. I applaud him for leaving Ron in Quebec
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Post by MPLABBE on Feb 28, 2002 16:48:07 GMT -5
Thanks Maritimer!
I am not worried when it comes to Hainsey.He will play the whole season in the AHL.With the playoffs,he will have close to 80 games(remember,he was injured) of AHL experience.Add a summer of getting stronger(he is 6'3'...he can definitely bulk up to 200-210 pounds) and hopefully he will push aside the midgets and the big stiffs on our defence.He can start out as a #6-#5 d-man next year,not much pressure and we can work him up as the season progresses.
Garon is too good for the AHL.Look what he is doing behind a defence that has more holes than a Swiss cheese!
Poulin is a guy who needs a chance with a team like Columubs or Atlanta or Minny.He needs to play alot,to re-gain his confidence.
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Post by WhyteKnight63 on Feb 28, 2002 17:10:19 GMT -5
for your excellent report. :-) It is nice to hear it from one of us who goes to games. As you know, many posters contribute their reports when they go to games and it benefits all of our community. Especially me, lost in Edmonton, where they give the Oilers the Cup BEFORE the season starts and forget the other 29 teams in the League... :-( Thank God for the Internet and HabsRUs... :-) As far as our defensemen are concerned, I must repeat myself: Patience, Patience, Patience. I know it is extremely hard to be patient when our beloved Habs have stunk for so long but in the long run, we will come out better with a little patience. AND a change of coach... Why bring up Hainsey to the NHL now?  So he can sit in the press box most of the time, with Markov? We already have a great up-and-coming defenseman (Markov) and we are ruining his development by not playing him enough. Do we want to ruin Hainsey too? Wouldn't he be better served by playing in all situations in the AHL? Until Savard, Therrien and Green get their collective heads out of their @$$e$ and figure out that Markov IS better than Traverse, Bouillon AND Robidas, we might as well leave ALL our prospects in Quebec... :-( Heck, not only is Markov a better offensive defenseman AND PP guy and better at transition game, from what I hear he is at least their equal DEFENSIVELY if he has not already surpassed the 3 Amigos... Hopefully, it is as some people mentioned, that we are just showcasing the 3 Mouseketeers (Traverse, Bouillon and Robidas) to get rid of them. Unfortunately, I am somewhat skeptical of that... The article on Fata was interesting because we do have decent situations on defense...he could be called up and learn to play with Rivet as a pair and be nurtured instead of being the 6 or 7 guy who is in and out with Markov. Maritimer, I like the idea of getting a Rivet with a rookie, but if we are not doing it with Markov, I do not see us doing it with Hainsey. Unfortunately! Heck, didn't Markov play with Traverse last night... TRAVERSE!!! There is hope in our future, but hopefully our management team will get their act together soon... |
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Post by MPLABBE on Feb 28, 2002 17:43:28 GMT -5
Nah,Andrei played with Rivet.
What bugs about the handling of Markov,he isn't good enough(according to the Habs) to play on the PP,yet he plays with a few minutes left and a 1 goal lead for us....
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Post by WhyteKnight63 on Feb 28, 2002 17:55:42 GMT -5
Thanks Marc. I thought I saw a replay last night that the commentators were blaming the last (I believe) Hawks goal on Markov. On that play, I saw #54 (Traverse) try to get back into the play. From that, I guessed that they were playing together.
I'd much rather have Markov with Rivet/Souray/Quintal than anyone else on defense, personally.
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Post by seventeen on Feb 28, 2002 21:07:48 GMT -5
Thanks Maritimer....very nice to get a front row seat update. I have absolutely no qualms about Hainsey. Actually I spent my last qualms on a cheeseburger last night...or were those alms? Anyway, your analogy of Sydor is a pretty good one. Hainsey plays a similar style, but he is bigger and I think a slightly better skater. With the additional 10-15 pounds of muscle he can put on, he will be stronger than Sydor and (again in my opinion) a better overall player, but maybe not a Neidermayer. To be fair, Neidermayer has never looked better than in these Olympics, so lets remember he wasn't exactly a bat out of hell or even purgatory earlier in his career. A good player yes.
One thing that seems very clear to me right now....the guys on the Habs that get the most ice time are the veterans. Therrien seems to have a weak spot for them and that may explain why he sits Markov, Asham and plays Ribeiro very strangely. They're too young and Therrien just doesn't understand their music. I was looking at the NHL.com super stats last night and it really stood out that the guys with the most ice time were the older players. Quintal led the parade...Quintal. That same guy who flunked the entrance exams to the mall. Yeesh. Thanks again. Good post.
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Post by Maritimer on Mar 1, 2002 7:44:08 GMT -5
Well to be honest I'm still success hungover.
I'm a Saint John Flame season ticket holder and used to see the Cits 5 or 6 times a year plus playoffs. With last year's Calder Cup and this year struggliing to make the playoffs its been tough to get excited.
Hainsey does need 10 lbs....he looks awfully skinny out there.
Very calm under pressure.
And yes Garon is too good for the AHL as a former goaltender and a coach I can attest to that...although I was never too good for the AHL ;D
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Post by MPLABBE on Mar 1, 2002 18:54:57 GMT -5
Thanks Marc. I thought I saw a replay last night that the commentators were blaming the last (I believe) Hawks goal on Markov. On that play, I saw #54 (Traverse) try to get back into the play. From that, I guessed that they were playing together. I'd much rather have Markov with Rivet/Souray/Quintal than anyone else on defense, personally. Well,I caught the 3rd period on the radio in my bed,but the Nylander goal was on the PP and I doubt Markov has received a minute of PK time all year,so it has to be the big stiff Traverse. |
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Post by MPLABBE on Mar 1, 2002 18:56:48 GMT -5
Thanks Maritimer....very nice to get a front row seat update. I have absolutely no qualms about Hainsey. Actually I spent my last qualms on a cheeseburger last night...or were those alms? Anyway, your analogy of Sydor is a pretty good one. Hainsey plays a similar style, but he is bigger and I think a slightly better skater. With the additional 10-15 pounds of muscle he can put on, he will be stronger than Sydor and (again in my opinion) a better overall player, but maybe not a Neidermayer. To be fair, Neidermayer has never looked better than in these Olympics, so lets remember he wasn't exactly a bat out of hell or even purgatory earlier in his career. A good player yes. <br> One thing that seems very clear to me right now....the guys on the Habs that get the most ice time are the veterans. Therrien seems to have a weak spot for them and that may explain why he sits Markov, Asham and plays Ribeiro very strangely. They're too young and Therrien just doesn't understand their music. I was looking at the NHL.com super stats last night and it really stood out that the guys with the most ice time were the older players. Quintal led the parade...Quintal. That same guy who flunked the entrance exams to the mall. Yeesh. Thanks again. Good post. I don't know where the Niedermayer comparaison came out from...but I doubt Hainsey has the speed of a Niedermayer.I always thought he was a Wade Redden with the shot of a Derek Morris 8). |
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So he can sit in the press box most of the time, with Markov? 