Is this the year the Habs bring the Stanley Cup back to Canada?

Ed. here. We welcome the return of our National Sports (As Long As It's Hockey) Editor, Poor Len Canayen.

Tank youse, Hed. The last Canadian (or Canada-based) team to win the Stanley Cup, emblematic of the championship of the National Hockey League, was the Montréal Canadiens, who brought Lord Stanley's silverware home in 1993. They defeated the Los Angeles Kings in that year's final series. 

Since then, no Canadian team has won the Cup. And no Canadian team has played in the finals since 2021, when the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Habs (for it was them, again) 4 games to 1.

In about 200 minutes, the same two teams will do battle again. in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. They finished the 2025-26 season 2nd (Lightning) and 3rd in the Atlantic Division, behind the surprising Buffalo Sabres by a mere 2 points. Whichever team wins this round will likely meet the Sabres next. 

Who will win tonight? As I point my TV antenna towards Florida, I think of the last match between the Habs and the Bolts in the regular season. It was like the old Henny Youngman joke: I went to the fights the other night and a hockey game broke out! 

Les Glorieux gave as good as they got, and I don't think they're going to be bested in the rough stuff department tonight. I also think the Habs can compete in goal. They have the luxury of two goalies -- the two Jakes -- with save percentages of over.900. TB has only the one. 

As for scoring, Habs are better per the stats after an amazing season. How can anyone stop a power play unit consisting of Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky, Ivan Demidov and Lane Hutson?! The question is defence. 

The loss of Noah Dobson hurts. Alexandre Carrier may be able to play, maybe not. So that puts a lot of pressure on Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj. They've improved greatly in the second half of the season, but can they handle 20 minutes per game? It may come to that because coach will be reluctant to give much ice time to David Reinbacher and Adam Engstrom who, IMHO, aren't yet ready for prime time yet. 

I hear you asking for a prediction. My heart tells me Habs in 7, but I wouldn't bet on it! Ed. says some blog posts end suddenly and inconclusively. This is one of them.

Poor Len analyzes Canadiens' first 6 games

Ed. here. Walt is still in Canada. I suspect he is indulging in Boneshaker IPA with our National Sports Editor, Poor Len Canayen, who has send these comments on the Montréal Canadiens season, thus far. 

Tank youse, Hed. Let's start with stats. Following last night's loss to the New York Rangers -- which the Habs deserved, by the way -- they have registered 4 wins and 2 losses, for 8 points and a .667 average.

That's good for second place in the Atlantic Division, behind the much improved Detroit Red Wings, who also have 8 points but have a game in hand. 

If la Sainte Flannelle can maintain the .667 average through the season, they should wind up with 109 point and a berth in the playoffs. 

But I did say "if".

The 2025-26 Canadiens are fast and super-exciting to watch, especially when Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov. Yet, of the four games they won, they had to come from behind to win two in overtime. And the power play still hasn't hit top gear. Last night, Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki extended their point streaks to five games. Caufield sniped five goals in the first five games.

Noah Dobson scored his first goal in a Habs sweater and has fitted in nicely. After scoring three goals in each of the first three games, Zach Bolduc has gone a bit quiet but looks like a good acquisition. Kirby Dach appeared to have shaken off the rust, but is still injury-prone, missing last night's game with a lower-bodyinjury, as did Kaiden Guhle, who's going to be out for a month.

If the Habs are to sustain their early momentum, some tweaks must be made, not to the strategy of coach Martin St-Louis, but to the lineup. The power play has struggled. Too much passing and not enough presence4 in front of the enemy's net. How about putting Demidov on the right and dropping Juray Slavkovsky down to second, with Dach at centre and, say, Bolduc at left. 

Notice I didn't mention Patrik Laine? Apart from some time on the power play, he's been relegated to the fourth line, where, if he doesn't do much good, at least does little harm. Did anyone else note that while he sat out of last night's game (lower body injury, they said), Jonathan Marchessault was absent from the Nashville Predators lineup vs Winnipeg. Marchessault was showcased in Thursday night's game vs Montréal and I wonder if a trade for Laine is in the works. Marchessault would love to be at home in Québec and It would be a great deal for the Habs.

Then there's the goaltending conundrum. Les Glorieux have scored 21 goals in their first six games, but have allowed 18, a differential of +3. Problem: it wasn't backup goalie Jakub Dobes who allowed most of those. It was the supposed starter Samuel Montembeault. His GAA is 3.26 (sv% .857), compared with Dobes' 1.46 (.940), although the latter played in just two games. Monty's record is 2-2, while Dobes' is 2-0. Do I need to say more? [Please do. Ed.]

Hokay den, here's what dey shoujld do. Send Montembeault down to Laval for some reconditioning, and bring up hot prospect Jacob Fowler to play backup to Dobes for the next few games. See what happens.

[You seem to have a liking for goalies named "Jacob". Ed.] Yeah, well, remember Jake Allen? At the ripe old age of 35, he's still playing for the New Jersey Devils, and putting up respectable numbers. I rest my case. [I think there's still one in there that hasn't been opened. Ed.] Tank youse, Hed.

Poor Len's second look at the Montréal Canadiens,

Poor Len Canayan reports from the National Sports Desk.

Isn't it the truth I told yez, yesterday. A first-rate first line. Tic-tac-toe. Two goals in the Habs' 4-2 victory over the Phlyers of Philthydelphia. [Don't make me use Spellcheck! Ed.] After that, a brother act to watch, and not much else. 

For those who missed it, here are Canada's team's scoring plays: 

1) Less than a minute into the first period, Cole Caufield from Lane Hutson and Nick Suzuki. Tic-tac-toe. Beautiful.

2) Florian Xhekaj, his first NHL goal, causing his mom, watching from the stands, to cry tears of joy for Arber's little brother. 

Ty Thorpe and Luke Tuch assisted. Both were engaged throughout and deserve a serious look to remain with the big club.

3) Nick Suzuki from Juraj Slafkovský and Cole Caufield. Good on Slafkovský for coming back from a nasty slap to the yap, and showing signs of being ready to start playing seriously before mid-season.

4) Arber Xhekaj, into an empty net in the last minute of play... on the second try!

That's just about all ye need to know, except that Arber Xhekaj is going to wind up as the seventh defenceman unless he can learn to keep his temper under control and pick his spots more carefully. In the third period, with the score 3-1 Habs, he was tripped in the Flyers corner, drawing a penalty. But then, right under the eys of the refugee, he skated up behind the penalized player and gave him a shot in the back, hoping to start a fight. The Phlyer didn't bite.  Result: 2 minutes for the Flyer and 4 minutes for roughint to Xhekaj, and a power play goal for Philly.

Jakub Dobes played goal for les Glorieux for the first half of the game and looked solid. His replacement for the second 30 minutes was the much-travelled Kaapo Kähkönen, a UFA who signed with the Habs from one year in July. About ten seconds after he took his position between the pipes, he got scored on. He looked even worse, on the Flyers' second goal, just a few minutes later. 

He redeemed himself (partially) with a good sprawling stop on a breakaway later, but let's just say that he's in no danger of being called on during the regular season unless Sam Montembault, Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler all get sick or hurt on the same day Sorry, Kaapo.

Afterthought: Who told Lane Hutson that he's a defenceman? With his speed, skating, stick-handling and playmaking skills, plus a decent shot, and considering his diminutive size, shouldn't he be playing on a forward line? Mind you, he effectively plays a forward's role when he quarterbacks the power play, but still... 

Further reading (great minds think alike dept.): "Observations et impressions après deux matchs préparatoires", par Richard Labbé, La Presse, 24/9/25.

Poor Len's first look at the 2025-2026 Montréal Canadiens

Our National Sports (as long as it's hockey) Editor, Poor Len Canayen, was thrilled yesterday to find that RDS is carrying all the Montréal Canadiens pre-season games. Here's how he saw last night's match with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Thank youse, Hed. For an exhibition game, last  night's contest was good, entertaining hockey, and le bleu, blanc et rouge won 2-1 in a 5-round shootout. That said, one would have thought that the supposedly improved Habs could do better against a Pittsburgh team that rested Crosby, Malkin, Letang and its other top players. The narrow victory doesn't inspire confidence.

Preliminary indications are that the Habs, in spite of strengthening their defensive corps over the summer, remain a team with just one good line. They rested Cole Caufield, Jury Slavkovsky, and captain Nick Suzuki, as well as ace-to-be defenceman Lane Hutson, leaving fans wondering who could be counted on to score. 

Answer: no-one. The Habs' goals came Owen Beck and, in the shoot-out, Oliver Kapanen, both of whom played a couple of games with the team last season and failed to impress. Give Beck his due, though. He was 70% at the faceoff dot, had 4 shots, and deserved the first star. He played the kind of game he needed to have a shot at filling the only available (on paper) vacancy on the forward lines.

Another forward with a shot, albeit a long one, is Filip Mesar, who played on Beck's right last night. With Laval last year, he had a disappointing 18 points in 42 games. But he made his presence felt yesterday, showing good puck control and patience, as well as willingness to get into the dirty areas, à la Brendan Gallagher. It was he who began the sequence that led to Beck's third-period goal. 

It was nice to see Mesar trying to show some finesse, for he had declared at the rookie training camp that he wanted to show more meanness, and was willing to drop the gloves, although at 5'10" and 184 lbs he's far from the heavyweight class. "We're not looking for a new Chris Nilan," said Coach Martin St-Louis. "You can see he's got good hands and good intelligence. His game has matured, and that's good to see."

And then there was the guy the fans came to see, Ivan Demidov. The problem with him, it says here, is that he needs someone to play with. Last night he was on the right of Jake Evans, not a top centre, with Patrik Laine on the left. I won't riff on Laine for being lazy because in the pre-season one doesn't expect the established players to give their all. Still, he could have done more than take one shot and then go into flotation mode.

It was Demidov who brought the Habs to life in the third period. Tired of waiting for someone to pass the puck to him, he showed that he can keep the puck out of reach of any defender, making moves which decades ago would have been described as "Savardian". He did have a couple of shots but was a bit off-target on one and foiled by the Penguins goalie on the other. No worries about his future with the "A" team. Just please, please put him on a line with a good centre and a mates who like to be part of tic-tac-toe  plays.

And that's it except to say that Jacob Fowler, making his debut between the pipes, looked calm and collected, and pulled off one spectacular save to preserve the tie and force overtime. I could see the coach going with a three-goalie rotation (with Samuel Montembault and Jacub Dobes) for the first 10 or15 games, before deciding which two will be the regular goaltenders. Is it possible to have a Jake as a starter and another Jake as the backup?

Yes! The Habs made the playoffs!

Earlier this month we asked "Are the Habs going to make the playoffs?" Instead of making a prediction, we reposted an article by Brian Wilde in which he said the Canadien rebuild was coming along just fine, but... didn't answer the question.

This morning we are pleased to report that the answer is a big, fat YES / OUI!  For the first time in four years, les Glorieux have earned that nickname, clinching an NHL playoff berth -- second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference -- with a 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes at Le Centre Bell last night.

The last time the Canadiens made the playoffs in 2021, they advanced all the way to the Stanley Cup final before losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning. But that was the COVID-19 shortened season when teams only played 56 regular-season games and the Canadiens had a 24-21-11 record, which ranked 18th in the overall NHL standings. 

The Habs' first home playoff game this year will be the first post-season game at a full Bell Centre since April 20, 2017, when they lost 3-2 in overtime to the New York Rangers in Game 5 of a first-round series. The Canadiens were eliminated in Game 6 two nights later at Madison Square Garden, losing 3-1 to the Rangers. The only member of the Canadiens who played in that series against the Rangers who is still with the team is Brendan Gallagher, the little warrior. 

Walt will be seeing Poor Len Canayen (our National Sport As Long As It's Hockey Editor) over the Easter weekend and will consult with him before opening a book. Odds of la Sainte Flanelle advancing past the first round are likely to be long. However, with another little warrior, Lane Hutson, continuing to amaze the opposition, and yet another, Ivan Demidov, joining the ranks just this week... 

But wait, there's more. Captain Nick Suzuki emerged this season as one of the top three centres in the entire league. And yet another little warrior, Cole Caufield, had a career-high 37 goals and 70 points, playing in all 82 games. With guys like that hitting peak performance this month, les Canadien seront là!

How are the Habs doing? Are they going to make the playoffs?

While we wait for the shoes -- the Trump tariffs -- to drop, let's talk hockey. 

Last night's game between the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers and our beloved Montréal Canadiens was a real thriller. With 10 seconds left on the clock, Habs captain Nick Suzuki scored to lift les Glorieux into a 2-2 tie. Then he did it again at 30 second of the OT, et les boyz ont remporté la victoire, 3 à 2. Olé, olé, olé!

At this point we'd turn this space over to Poor Len Canayen, our National Sports (as long ss it's hockey) Editor, but Len is on sabbatical or something like that, so we're taking the liberty of posting a mash-up of Global TV's Brian Wilde's "Call of the Wilde", which says everything that Len would have said, only better. [And with no run-on sentences. Ed.] Thanks, Brian!

With nine games to play and six at home, the Montréal Canadiens have the advantage for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The opportunity is in front of them, but they have to keep executing. 

Every night is Lane Hutson Night. The assault on the record book continues. He's a point-per-game player since the Four Nations break. Hutson notched an assist on the first goal for the Canadiens on a deflection from Josh Anderson. That line was a handful and the best on the night for Montreal. 

Hutson now has 57 assists in his rookie season. He has moved ahead of Chris Chelios for second in assists all-time for a rookie defender. He trails only Larry Murphy for assists for a rearguard rookie in the history of the National Hockey League. Murphy had 60 assists. Three in eight games for the tie. 

Hutson's 62 points overall is also top-ten in the history of the game for rookie defenders. He could conceivably rise to third overall at his present pace. It must be stressed again that the entire top-15 list is from an era where the average goal total in a contest was 11 or 12; not six or seven goals.

The best this century before Hutson was Quinn Hughes with 53 points on 45 assists. Hutson has obliterated the best numbers in the last 25 years of rookies on the blue line. Hutson is remarkable. They might just scout differently. this kid is so special. 

Smaller players with world-class vision and creativity might not be treated like they will never make the major leagues. What doesn't get enough attention as he makes his meteoric rise to the upper echelon in the history of the game is he is improving tremendously in his own zone as well. 

The Canadiens are in the mix for a playoff spot, and Hutson is, without a doubt, the single biggest change to this roster from last season. Nick Suzuki is having his best campaign. Cole Caufield has had a strong season. Juraj Slafkovsky has had an excellent second half. The Dvorak line is giving the opposition fits these days. Brendan Gallagher is playing the best hockey he has played in years, and Christian Dvorak's best moments as a Canadiens player are right now.

The fourth line had their remarkable run when they were best in the league in goals at one point for a fourth line. On defence, Jayden Struble has improved. Kaiden Guhle is improving still. Alexandre Carrier was a great addition via trade. 

However, all of those reason pale in comparison to the difference Hutson has made to this team in five months. He is just getting started. There are times that it is apparent that he will be even better than this when he sees how much he can actually fool the opposition. They have seen what he can do. They have adapted to him as well as they can. He still is playing chess to their checkers.The rebuild is going just fine, Montréal! 

Montréal Canadiens' October surprise!

WWW's National Sports (As Long As It's Hockey) Editor, Poor Len Canayen, does a bit of gloating.

Tank youse, Hed. It was a wonderful night au Centre Bell for fans of the Bleu, Blanc et Rouge, as the Canadiens started the 2024-25 season by shutting out the Toronto Maple Leafs 1-0. It was the first time the Laffs had lost a 1-0 season opener since 1957, when they were edged by the Blackhawks at Chicago Stadium.

Here's what may be the best hockey action picture of the year [Already? Ed.], as Juraj Slafkovsky shows off his Slavic heritage in front of Leafs' surprise starter, Anthony Stolarz, while Habs captain Nick Suzuki keeps his eye on the puck. 

Slafkovsky and Kirby "Doc" Dach assisted on the Canadiens' winning (and only) goal, scored by the inevitable Cole Caufield on a perfectly executied tic-tac-toe power play at 7:48 of the first period. It was Caufield's 150th career point in his 206th game, making him the fastest Canadien to reach that mark since Saku Koivu in 1997-98.

Goalie Sam "Monty" Montembeault looked as if his third season with the Habs might be the breakout year in which he becomes recognized as a worthy successor to Carey Price. He became the seventh Canadiens goaltender to post a shutout in a season-opening game. Jacques Plante was the only other to do it against the Maple Leafs -- twice, on 6/10/55 and 5/10/60. 

Midway through the second period, Montembeault flashed the leather with a glove save on a one-timer from the slot by Maple Leafs sniper Auston Matthews, who, along with former Hab Max Pacioretty, was booed every time he was on the ice. Monty's 47th save of the night was on another Matthews chance from the slot in the dying seconds of a great game.

So far, my prediction for this season semble pas trop pire, eh!

VIDEO: The Habs in another winter of discontent

Ed. here. Walt's favourite hockey team, the Montréal Canadiens, are enjoying (we hope) a week off ahead of the phoney-baloney NHL All-Star Game. So this is a good time for our National Sports (As Long As It's Hockey) Editor, Poor Len Canayen, to analyse how the Habs are doing, a little more than halfway through the season. Over to you, Len.

Tank youse, Hed. Don't forget dat I already did a mid-season analysis, not dat long ago. But since you're paying (right?), I do have a few more thoughts. Let's start with this.

  

For years now, Brendan Gallagher, although he's never worn the "C", has been the heart and soul of les Glorieux. No one works harder. No one takes more punishment. No one gets fewer calls from the refs. But for three years now he's been playing for a team which is in rebuild mode, not expected to play better than .500 hockey, let alone make the playoffs. 

Brendan's getting older, too. He has a lot of hard miles on the chassis and simply isn't able to do the things he used to do. In recent weeks, his frustration has led to some late-game penalties, a couple of which have cost his team the game. What you saw here is the latest and worst. I was shocked... really! Even Mme Len put down her knitting to take notice.

The Habs won that game, 4-2. Usually the the final score in way too many Habs' games is 3-2... one way or another. No team in the NHL has had more one-goal games, overtime games or shootouts. They  have played 49 games, with 33 to go. They have a record of 20-21-8, which can be read as one game under .500. 

They are tied in points with the Sabres at 48 but Buffalo has two more wins, leaving les Glorieux in seventh place in the Atlantic Conference. Overall, the Habs are ahead of only the Senators and Bluejackets in the Eastern Conference and the Wild, Blackhawks, Ducks and Sharks in the West. 

The chief lesson to be learned from the stats is that what the Canadiens lack is the ability to put the puck in the net. Their goal differential is -39, worst in the East and ahead of only three teams in the West. In spite of the odd flash of brilliance, their power play ranks 19th at 19.88%, a full 10 percentage points behind the Lightning. Their penalty kill is 29th at 73.53% -- not a good number for a young team that takes a lot of penalties. 

There are some bright spots. After a slow start to the season, Cole Caufield is rounding into form, although he needs to get over an understandable reluctance to go into the corners. Captain Nick Suzuki improves every year. Although he's still inconsistent at the faceoff dot, he has proven himself a true leader. Sean Monaham has managed to stay healthy and regained his confidence, to the point where he's suddenly become real trade bait.

On the defensive side, Mike Matheson is having his best season ever, often deserving a star in those tight games. The surprise of the year is D-man Jayden "Apple" Struble, who's come out of nowhere to be one of the three best in bleu-blanc-et-rouge. Unfortunately I can name only one more -- Kaiden Guhle -- who I wouldn't trade. The team also needs an experienced defence/PK coach.

In goal,  Samuel "Monty" Montembeault, who seemed last year like a perennial backup, has been good, and on some nights brilliant. And why not, with the defence allowing opponents almost 40 shots per game. The dilemma for Montréal's management is whether to trade Jake Allen or Cayden Primeau. Ièm not convinced that young Primeau is ever going to be more than a journeyman goaltender.

In October and November there was talk, amongst us fans, that the Habs might make the playoffs earlier than expected, i.e. this year,  But fans have to understand that rebuilds take time. You can't go from last to first in just a couple of years. 

Say what you like about Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton. They have a plan and it's working out, slowly but surely. Coach Martinuting it well. St. Louis is a terrific teacher and communicator, and has fully embraced recent changes to how hockey should be played. The future isn't brilliant, but it's bright enough. And fans should rememer that the future extends beyond June of 2024.

Are the Habs for real? Poor Len Canayen's mid-season report

Memo to WWW National Sports (as long as it's hockey) Editor. Len, you scum-sucking son of a motherless goat, you've got exectly ten hours to get your copy in before tonight's Habs-Oilers matchup. It's a new year and I'll be damned if you're going to draw any salary for sitting on your derrière. Vas-y!

Hokay, Hed! (Hey, you're not going to post dat, are you?) Here's my report on the Montréal Canadiens, to the half-way point in their NHL season. Thursday night's loss to the lowly San Jose Sharks. 

Final score 3-2, and that pretty much sums up the Habs season so far. Lots of one-goal games, and so many games won or lost in overtime or a shootout that I've lost count of them. 

That said, les Glorieux have won their share of those games. They rarely get blown out of the rink, and have 6 wins in overtime or a shootout. Could be worse. They've been playing roughly .500 hockey, currently .488, which is good for 6th place in the NHL's Atlantic division.  

That means -- and this is the "pleasant surprise" part -- that they're not likely to finish in a good position in the draft lottery. Indeed, with a bit of luck, they might get a wildcard position in the playoffs. That's nothing to sneeze at. The 2020-21 Habs finished 16th overall, just barely getting into the playoffs, but made it through to the Stanley Cup finals, which they lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

That les Glorieux still have a chance at this point in the season is due to good coaching from Martin St. Louis, and a much improved team effort, and that without Tanner Pearson, Alex Newhook, Christian Dvorak and Kirby Dach, who played in only 2 games before being laid low by a season-ending injury.

Let's look at who's still on the roster, whoès helping and who's not. This year's team is remarkable in that a lot of scoring is being done by defencemen. For my money, the Canadiens' MVP is D-man Mike Matheson. If Montréal didn't already have a good captain, they should give the "C" to Matheson. The guy's a horse! He's one of the NHL’s leaders in time on ice and his willingness to lead the rush -- it's a pleasure to watch him skate -- makes him the ideal for a team coached by St. Louis.

At the other end of the spectrum is Johnathan Kovacevic, one of half a dozen youngsters who've played in front of Habs goalies this year. "The K-man" is a solid stay-at-home defenceman, who may think he needs a passport to enter the opposing teams' zone. He has scored 5 goals, including the most bizarre goal of the year, into an empty net when eveeryone (except him) thought there had been a stoppage in play. However, Kovacevic is +6, which is a decent +/- stat. The coach doesn't seem to like him, but I do!

I'm not saying Coach is wrong. The Canadiens lead the league in goals by defencemen but they rank a lowly 28th in offence, which means guys up front haven’t been pulling their weight. 

Captain Nick Suzuki leads the team in scoring for a third consecutive season, with Cole Caufield, for whom fans had great hopes, in third place. The aforementioned Mike Matheson has one more point than Caufield.

Caufield's goal production is off, and I think it's because the little guy is playing like a little guy. (Wee Brendan Gallagher, on the other hand, always plays like a giant!) Perhaps Caufield is dealing with the effects of the shoulder injury that sidelined him for the second half of last season. He shys away from the "dirty" areas -- the slot and the blue paint -- and opposing teams have figured that out.

Another forward I like (and wish he could do better) is big Josh Anderson. Talk about slow starts! It wasn't until December that Anderson scored his first goal, not counting an empty-netter. Then he had 5 points in 5 games and now he's gone dry again. It's not that he doesn't try. Bulling his way into the offensive zone he's nearly unstoppable. But when he gets there... hands of stone. Keep trying, Josh!

At present, sophomore Juraj Slafkovsky plays on the right of Caufield and Suzuki. He too had a slow start, but has learned to use his size and skill and looks to me like a keeper. The absence of Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard and Christian Dvorak makes it easier for defences to concentrate on the top line and the lack of depth filters through the other lines, affecting players like Sean Monahan and Jake Evans.

Monahan and Evans are both good at the dot. Props to Evans who is getting a lot more ice time this year, faut de mieux. Monahan is one of the Habs' top goal-scorers and the most consistent faceoff man despite not having much support on the wing. 

Getting back to defence, the Canadiens may have a blessing in disguise, in the form of half a dozen D-men aged under 25, in their first or second years in the NHL. One of them that Coach St. Louis likes is Justin Barron, because he likes jumping into the rush -- too much so, IMHO. He needs to learn to play defence!

A pleasant suprise this year has been the emergence of rookie Jayden Struble on defence. His solid two-way play is the reason why Arber Xhekaj is stuck in Laval, in spite of being a fan favourite for his scrappy physical game. Like Barron, Xhekaj should play defence first, fight later.

Now to another problem that is good to have... maybe. La Sainte Flannelle is the only NHL team playing three -- count `em, three -- goaltenders, more or less in rotation. None of Jake Allen, Samuel Montembeault, or Cayden Primeau has had more than two starts in a row. The save percentages are, respectively, 900, .907 and .905. Those are pretty good numbers, considering that they face an average of over 33 shots per game, the highest in the NHL, which says something about the Habs' defence.

As we approach the trade deadline, it's clear that one of the three will have to go, and there are plenty of teams sniffing around. The question for GM Kent Hughes is what he can get in return for (most likely) Jake Allen. There are gaps to fill on both offence and defence. 

If the team was still in rebuilding mode, he could settle for draft picks and "future considerations". But now that the surprising Canadiens are in danger of making the playoffs (!), fans will be hoping for someone who can make a significant impact right now. As Walt would say, stay tuned!

Poor Len Canayen's Habs report: Déjà vu all over again

We welcome back our National Sports Editor, Poor Len Canayen, for his first look at the 2023-24 edition of Canada's Team, aka the Montréal Canadiens. Actually we had to twist Len's arm more than a bit. It took a case of Crown Royal to get him to promise to endure what looks like being a repeat of last year. Over to you, Len.

Tank youse, Hed, for giving away my punch line. What do you want me to say now? Let's start with this. One of the reasons the Habs got into the draft lottery this spring (read: finished near the bottom of the standings) was injuries. 

There were times last season when half the regulars were in sick bay. Paul Byron and Carey Price didn't play at all. Others -- e.g. Brendan Gallagher and Kirby Dach -- missed so many games that we kind of forgot they were on the team. 

Byron hung up the skates, and got a long standing ovation when we was introduced during the first home game last Saturday. The others are still on the roster. Price is (justifiably) on the LTIR, which brings us down to two. Gallagher is getting old and even slower than before, but he still leaves it all on the ice and is truly the heart and soul of la Sainte Flannelle.

  

Which leaves us with Kirby Dach, who impressed during the Habs' first game vs Toronto, and then for a couple of shifts in the first period of Saturday night's game vs Chicago. Then this happened.

Dach was checked into the Blackhawks' bench by defenceman Jarred Tinordi. After being pushed back onto the ice, he was able to skate just as far as his own bench. He then headed to the locker room and never came back. Merde!

In the 3 1/2 periods Dach played this year, he had two assists, slotting in as the Habs' second-line centre behind Nick Suzuki. Last season -- his first with les Glorieux -- he recorded 14 goals and 24 assists in 58 games, missing the last 24 games due to a lower-body injury followed by an upper-body injury. Before yesterday's game vs Minnesota, the Habs announced Dach had sustained injuries that will require season-ending surgery.Shame....

Now let's talk about last night. Montréal always seems to have trouble with "the Wild". (What kind of a name is that for a sports team? It should be something plural -- animals or birds or even fish.) Last night was no exception. The first two goals of the game were scored by Minnesota... short-handed... on the same penalty! That's all ye know and all ye need to know, except that....

Kaiden Guhle was forced to exit late in the first period due to an upper-body injury. So far the team hasn't given any timeline for his return, leaving us fans with serious concerns about the impact his absence will have on the Canadiens' defensive lineup. 

Looks like Justin Barron is the likely candidate to step into the lineup if Guhle is unavailable for the upcoming game vs Washington. Barron played for the big team in a couple of games last season, faut de mieux. I watched him during this year's exhibition games and have to say that, if he's called up, coach Martin St. Louis had better keep him off the ice during power plays and penalty kills. 

In summary... The Canadiens are 1-1-1 in the first three games of the 2023-24 season. That's .500 hockey, about the same as last year. And they've already lost two "regulars", with not a whole lot of talent waiting in Laval for their big chance. 

Pray to St-Jean-Béliveau that nothing happens to Nick Suzuki or Cole Caufield. One more serious injury will open wide the door to the cellar.

Commentaire de la Presse: Le mauvais film - [Nom du joueur] s’est blessé dans une défaite de [xx à xx] du Canadien face à [nom de l’adversaire].

"Better than expected!" Poor Len reviews the Habs' first quarter

Salut! Poor Len Canayen icitte, with a look at the performance of Canada's team -- the Montréal Canadiens -- as we hit American Thanksgiving.

The significance of the date is that conventional wisdom says that any team which is over .500 at this point in the schedule is bound for the playoffs. Well, guess what? Les Glorieux, after their 20th game on Wednesday -- a thrilling 3-1 victory over Columbus -- are .525! Whoda thunk it?!

Here's how we get there. GP 20 - W 10 - L 9 - OL 1 - good for 21 points, 6th place in the Atlantic Division, and 18th place in the NHL overall.

Kudos to coach Martin St. Louis for moulding a group of rookies, hasbeens and neverwases into a team (or something like it) which plays entertaining hockey. Even when they fall behind 2-0 in the first two minutes. Even when a rookie defenceman scores an own goal, which happened twice in the last week. 

The Habs are fun to watch, and we fans can wear our merch with pride... unlike the fans of another team just five hours west on  the 401. [Can you avoid local references? Americans won't know what you're talking about. Ed.] [Who cares? Len.]

Star performers include the dynamic duo of Captain Nick Suzuki and Cole "Goal" Caufield. Gotta love those kids! They need a better player on the right of that top line, but even so, they're right up there with the likes of Crosby and Malkin or Bergeron and Marchand. Ils ont gagné leurs épaulettes!

Unfortunately, that's about it for the stars. The clubs No. 1 draft pick, Juraj Slafkovsky, has potential, and they're being careful not to push him too far too fast, but I wouldn't count on him for much this season.

Rookie defenceman Kaiden Guhle is proving reliable, if unspectacular,  whereas Arber Xekaj (unaccountably pronounced "Jackeye") is the opposite -- spectacular (already a fan favourite) but unreliable.  

In goal, Samuel Montembault shows considerable improvement, and a good thing too as the old pro, Jake Allen, is starting to suffer from shell-shock. As the +/- stat, -9, shows, they need a better defence in front of them. Weak links need to be replaced if the Habs are going to make it into the playoffs. 

That said, I humbly revise my pre-season prediction that the Canadiens would finish out of the playoffs. Now I think that, with a bit of puck luck, le Canadien sera là! Lifetime pct .988.

UPDATE ADDED 26/11: Yesterday afternoon the Habs eked out a 3-2 shootout win over Chicago, with shootout goals by Caufield, Suzuki and linemate Kirby Dach. 

How about those Blackhawks retro sweaters? Chief Black Hawk has been reduced to a tiny patch on one shoulder. I expect he'll soon disappear altogether, like Cleveland's Chief Wahoo. When will the wokeness stop?!

Previewing the Canadiens' 2022-23 season

Ed. here. Canada's team, the Montréal Canadiens, open their 2022-23 National Hockey League season on October 12th, against the Toronto Maple Leafs. We've had to ask our National Sports (as long as its hockey) Editor, Poor Len Canayen, three times for a prognostication. Here it is.

Tank youse, Hed. Da truth, and da hole truth, is dat I've watched the Habs in three pre-season games this week, and can't find anything positive to say, so I was hoping you wouldn't call on me. The outlook isn't brilliant. Or good. It's grim.

Here's the record. On Tuesday, the Habs lost to New Jersey, 2-1. On Wednesday, the Maple Laffs shut them out, 3-0. Last night, Winnipeg scored with 18 seconds left in regulation time for a 4-3 win -- third loss in three nights for the Bleu, Blanc et Rouge.

It must be said that the teams on the ice were a  quick mix of one or two veterans and (mostly) AHL players and rookies who are unlikely to be with the big team after the final selection is made. From front to back, here's why the Canadiens will struggle to stay out of the NHL cellar.

Forwards: The Habs were outshot in all three games, and held scoreless in the second. Three of their four goals came from superstar-to-be Cole Caufield (2) and old pro Brendan Gallagher. Kayden Guhle [Who he? Ed.] scored the fourth. Jonathon Drouin didn't play, nor did Nick Suzuki.

Rookies Juraj Slafkovsky (first draft pick in June) and Filip Mesar played but we didn't see enough of them to make any predictions. Management would be smart to let Slafkovsky get some experience in Laval before rushing him into the breach.

Gallagher will have to stay healthy (let us pray) and Drouin will have to get healthy, physically and mentally, for the team to have any real scoring punch. That wouldn't matter if the Habs had a solid defence.

Defence: What keeps de cows in de field? De fence! What don't de Habs got? De fence! With Shea Weber retired, Joel Edmundson, who played only a few games towards the end of last season, was expected to anchor the blue line. Alas, his back is bothering him again and he could wind up on the LTIR. 

The alleged defencemen who played this week are hasbeens (Denis Savard), rookies destined for the AHL, or some who belong in the AHL (maybe) but played with the big team last year, faut de mieux. That wouldn't matter if the Habs had reliable goaltending.

Goaltenders: Jake Allen looked good, allowing just one goal in two partial games, with a save pct of about .925. But remember, when the Canadiens brought him over from St. Louis, he was expected to be the backup goaltender, to relieve Carey Price. Things turned out differently. Price is on the LTIR and I predict he won't play at all this year. Which makes Allen the started. Can he go 50 or 60 games? If not, then what?

For two seasons now, management has been saying [hoping. Ed.] that Cayden Primeau was the heir apparent, the next hot French-Canadian goalie, the future Patrick Roy. He hasn't lived up to expectations, allowing the winning goals in both Tuesday and Thursday's games. 

Last year's backup, Samuel Montembeault, of whom nothing was expected, is showing signs of progress, if you don't count letting one go through the five-hole on the first shot he faced on Wednesday. He'll be OK as a backup to Allen this year, but they both still need a decent defence in front of them.

Let me close with a word of encouragement to young Kevin Poulin -- three out of four goalies are francophones -- who allowed two goals in Wednesday's game, both of which were caused by the inability of the defence to handle the penalty kill. If Allen or Montembeault falters, Poulin, not Primeau, would be the man to be called up.

All in all... what can I say. I predict the Canadiens will miss the playoffs for the second straight season. Lifetime pct .980. 

VIDEO: "The little team that couldn't"... COULD... and DID!

Note from Ed.: We have left virtually unedited this report from our National Sports Editor, Poor Len Canayen. Take `er away, Len.

`Ow about dat, hey, boys and girls? For the first time since 2011 a Canadian team will compete for the Stanley Cup, emblematic of the championship of the "National" Hockey League. And that team is Canada's team, the Montréal Canadiens! 

Yes indeed, folks, the team that all the "experts" wrote off at the end of the regular season, when they just barely squeaked into the playoffs, defeated the much stronger Las Vegas Golden Knights last night at the Bell Centre, in a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory. Here's the video

Looking at the final standings for the abbreviated 2021 season, a neutral observer might have said, "No way!" The Habs finished fourth in the NHL's Northern (read: Canadian) Division, the only team to get into the playoffs with a negative GF/GA. The "experts" predicted an early exit, but "les vrais" (the true fans), including me and Walt [and Ed.! Ed.] remained hopeful.

Our hopes were rewarded (and smart bets duly collected) when les Glorieux defeated the heavily favoured Toronto Maple Leafs, 4 games to 3, and then swept the Winnipeg Jets in 4 straight, to become the unofficial Canadian champions. 

But the naysayers and sour-grapers in Toronto refused to be impressed. "Wait until they have to play an American team," they said, predicting the Habs would get swept by Vegas. Wrong! In the immortal words of Nelson Muntz, "HA-ha!"

Looking at the reasons why the Canadiens have prevailed over three (count `em, 3!) supposedly better teams, I go back to what I wrote at the beginning of the season: "Habs off to a good start", WWW 17/1/21. 

Kudos to General Manager Marc Bergevin for some very good acquisitions during the off season, by means of which he put together a well-balanced team  which looked like contenders right from the first puck drop.

It's true that after a great start, the team slumped in the second half of the regular season, owing largely to several long injuries to key players including defenceman Ben Chiarot and star goalie Carey Price. Jake Allen covered admirably for Price, playing more than half the regular season games. And M Bergevin, seeing the need for more bench strength, wisely added old-timers Eric Staal (centre) and two more D-men, Jim Merrill and Erik Gustafsson.

Kudos also to assistant coaches Luke Richardson and Alexandre Burrows, who stepped up admirably after interim coach Dominique Ducharme was stricken with the kung flu before Game 2 of the Vegas series. Very smart of them to not play Merrill and Gustafsson together, but put them on the ice with stronger partners.

Throughout the playoffs, Ducharme and his helpers have had the luxury of being able to roll four forward lines, all of whom contributed to the scoring but also played well in their own zone. I will single out only rookie phenom Cole Caufield, brought in just before the end of the regular season, who has had an outstanding playoff run, including last night's beautiful goal. Caulfield's small but speedy -- reminds me of Yvan "the Roadrunner" Cournoyer, in his rookie year.

So... On to the Stanley Cup finals against either the Tampa Bay Lightning or the New York Islanders, who meet in their Game 7 tonight. (I'd prefer the Islanders but bet on the Lightning.) Four more wins will bring Lord Stanley's silverware home to Canada for the first time since 1993, when it was won by... wait for it... the Montréal Canadiens!

UPDATED: Poor Len Canayen: Latest Habs news (good and bad)

Note from Ed.: I don't think we've ever given this space to our National Sports Editor, Poor Len Canayen, two days in a row, but he has something to say about last night's Habs game... and there's nothing on Walt's alleged mind... so....

Tank youse, Hed., for that enthusiastic introduction.  After I wrote yesterday's column (but before the game vs Winnipeg began), two things happened. 

First, I realized that the teams amazing new rookie is Cole Caufield, not "Caulfield", so a lui, mes excuses. Although he didn't score a goal, he was terrific in  yesterday's game -- a real ball of fire, like hot coals. [Geddit? Ed.] He's going to score real soon... maybe tonight vs Ottawa!

That's good news. The bad news is that the Canadiens announced, just before last night's game, that captain Shea Weber would be out with an "upper body injury". That makes six (6) of the regular starting  lineup hors de combat for one reason or another. 

That meant that both Jon Merrill and Erik Gustaffson, recently acquired to shore up the Habs' defence, had to play as the third pair, and, frankly, they didn't look worth whatever it is they're being paid. Fingers were being point at them (as well as rookie blueliner Alexandre Romanov) after les Glorieux fell behind 2-0 and then 3-1 to the Jets just past midway through the game.

Now back to the good news. Les boyz fought back to beat the Jets 5-3 for an absolutely hyuge victory. Nick Suzuki, who's been on the fans' fecal roster lately, scored twice, while Artturi Lehkonen, Joel Armia and Tyler Toffoli added singles. Toffoli's empty-netter was his 26th this year in 49 games. Could he pot 30 before the end of the season? Can't remember last time a Canadien scored that many.

Goalie Jake Allen wasn't brilliant, especially on the third Jets goal, but played well enough, given the  lacunae of the alleged defencemen (see above) in front of him. The win improved the Canadiens' record to 22-18-9, one game closer to clinching the fourth and final playoff spot in the North (read: Canadian) Division. 

The Habs moved to within four points of the third-place Jets (27-20-3) with one game in hand. If they can get ahead of the Jets and finish third, they would face Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the playoffs, and would have a better chance of advancing to the second round which would be (in all likelihood) against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Go Habs go!

UPDATE added by Ed. 2/5/21. We are pleased to report that Cole Caufield scored the game-winner in overtime as les Glorieux came from behind a two-goal deficit to beat Ottawa 3-2. Jeff Petry and Nick Suzuki scored the other two goals and had very strong games. All this without the aforementioned six regulars. Congrats, les boyz!