Poor Len Canayen: P.K. has left the building

Poor Len Canayen here, waiting to read what Brendan Kelly, alleged sports jock with the Montreal Gazette, has to say about today's news that "transcendant defenceman" P.K. Subban has been traded by the Nashville Predators to the New Jersey Devils for a bag of pucks and other considerations.

OK, it was actually Dave Stubbs who coined the "transcendant defenceman" phrase, not long before leaving the Gazoo for parts unknown, but it was Kelly who called the Montréal Canadiens' Marc Bergevin crazy and several other nasty things for trading the Giant Skating Ego to Nashville just three seasons ago.

Ever since, Kelly has ranted and whined that the Habs got the worst of the deal, that Shea Weber was washed up (especially when Weber missed the first half of this past season) and that Subban is still the best D-man in the business. After all, Stubbs and Kelly both said, didn't P.K. win the Norris Trophy in 2012-13. Yeah, but that was a short, 42-game season because of a Bettman lockout (more to come?), in which Subban had 11 goals and 27 assists, with a plus-minus of +12. This year he played in 63 games this past season due to a back injury, posting career-low 9-22-31 totals with a +5. Nashville saw he's going downhill and gave him a little shove.

This makes the second time in three years, then, that the "transcendant defenceman" has been deemed surplus to requirements by two of the better teams in the NHL. Now he's with one of the worst. Here's what New Jersey gave up to get him: defencemen Steven Santini (split his season between the Preds and their AHL farm team), Jeremy Davies (played for Northeastern University), a second-round pick at this year's NHL Draft and another second-round pick next year. And NJ has to pick up the remaining three years of Subban's 8-year, $72-million contract. Nashville's not eating any of it.

Said Preds GM David Poile, "We appreciate P.K.'s contribution to the Predators and the Nashville community over the past three seasons, which have seen our organization have unprecedented success. We had to make a business decision. With an aim at strengthening our forward corps this off-season, and the continued strength of our defensive group, we felt it was necessary to clear up salary cap space this way." And don't let the dressing-room door hit you in the ass on your way out.

Further reading: "Poor Len Canayen explains Habs' Subban for Weber trade", WWW 29/6/16. Three years and week later, who was right? Messrs Stubbs and Kelly or moi? As Nelson Muntz would say, "HAha!"

Further viewing: If you think I'm the only one who's down on Subban (so to speak), check out yesterday's video from The Hockey Guy, starting at 3:55. THG is kind of soft-spoken, but he's making the same point. If you subscribe to THG's channel, which I recommend, tell him Poor Len Canayen sent ya!

Why did "Dr. C.K." pay $20,000 for this ad?

Poor Len Canayen here with the first of occasional comments on what's happening in the National Hockey League, and the progress of the Montréal Canadiens.

Canada's favourite team opened the 2016-17 season in Buffalo last night, beating the Sabres 4-1. The new-look Habs played nicely as a team, absent the showboating shenanigans of P.K. Subban, traded to the Nashville Predators (as predicted here, ahem ahem) at the end of June. For P.K., Montréal got a great all-round defenceman, Shea Weber, who contributed an assist plus solid checking to last night's victory. I understand Subban got an empty-net goal the other night in Nashville, but, IMHO, the Habs got the better of the trade.

Some Canadiens fans disagree. Just before the last pre-season game at the Bell Centre, one could hear a few of them attempting to get a "P.K.! P.K.!" chant going, but it petered out when the puck dropped, and the disgruntled fans -- Anglos, no doubt -- were silenced by a first-rate performance by Weber as les Glorieux whupped the Toronto Maple Laffs 6-1.

But there are still a few die-hards. One of them, a chap who styles himself "Dr. CK" took out a full-page ad in yesterday's Montreal Gazette to say that the trade has changed the way the "lifelong fan" feels about the team. "Now, I feel anger, disappointment and embarrassment over the treatment of P.K. Subban by team management: the same sentiments that many felt after the Patrick Roy trade," sez the good doctor.

Then comes the praise-singing. "You are an amazing and influential role model for my children," the ad goes on, "and I am going to miss not having you as a Montreal Canadien."

When I read that and the rest of the anti-French drivel -- "Dr. CK" says (in English) he cannot support Habs general manager Marc Bergevin and coach Michel Therrien, and that going to Habs games would be a vote of confidence in their leadership -- I began to wonder about the true identity of the advertiser. Who could "Dr. CK" really be?

The general tone of the loose and omnipotent rubric reminded me of the many articles written by one-time Gazoo sports scribe Dave Stubbs, the one who called P.K. Subban a "transcendant defenceman". See "Poor Len Canayen explains Habs' Subban for Weber trade", WWW 29/6/16. I had described Stubbsy previously as chief cheerleader for Subban, and wondered (in fact if not in print) if Mr Stubbs was getting backhanders from P.K.'s agent to write so effusively about He Who Must Not Be Criticized.

Turns out the author of the ad -- which cost C$20,000 ($15,200 in real money) by the way -- wasn't Dave Stubbs, but one, Dr. Charles Kowalski. Interviewed by CBC News, the man behind the ad said it wasn't just about losing Subban. ​"I think the loss of P.K. Subban from Montreal, the bigger issue than hockey is the loss of his presence in the city of Montreal and his cause of raising money for the Children's Hospital," he said. "This is more important than the game of hockey."

Replying for la Sainte Flannelle, Donald Beauchamp told CBC News, "We have very passionate fans, and everyone is entitled to their opinion." Indeed. Poor Len is one of those passionate fans -- could you tell? -- and my opinion is that the Canadiens are a much better team this year. If Dr. Kowalski thinks so highly of P.K., perhaps he could follow his idol to Nashville. And one more thing, Doctor. Your $20,000 would have made a nice contribution to the hospital, instead of being wasted on this tripe!

Footnote: Yes, I am aware that Dave Stubbs no longer works for the Gazoo. I'm sure his departure from the sports desk in the middle of the season had nothing whatever to do with his adulation of the "transcendant defenceman".

Poor Len Canayen explains Habs' Subban for Weber trade

Last April 6th, in "Re P.K. Subban - Told ya so!", Walt's very close friend, Poor Len Canayen, wrote "Unless something startling happens between now and the end of September, I'll be back then..." Well, as reported here (first!) earlier this afternoon, something startling has happened, so it's with pleasure that I turn the keyboard over to Poor Len.

Shed a tear (he writes) for Dave Stubbs, formerly the Montreal Gazette's cheerleader-in-chief for P.K. Subban, now scribbling for nhl.com. Who will Stubbsy worship now that his hero has been traded by the Montréal Canadiens to (gasp!) the Predators of Nashville?

Mr Stubbs thought that the sun, moon and stars shone out of the arse of the "transcendant" defenceman. The Canadiens management and coaching staff felt otherwise, as did many of his teammates. But the club's owners (Geoff Molson, prop.) loved him... when business was good. When the team missed the playoffs and fingers started to be pointed, minds were changed, and permission was given to GM Marc Bergevin to do what had to be done "for the good of the team". Which is exactly what I'd been advocating for the last two years.

P.K. Subban is a talented hockey player, when he manages to not fall down. But it takes more than talent to be a true star and an inspiration to your teammates. You need good judgment, maturity and, dare I say it, a modicum of humility. Those are the qualities which, combined with hockey skills, made Jean Béliveau, Gordie Howe, and Wayne Gretsky all-time greats. Those are the qualities which, sadly for him, Mr Subban lacks. To him, the game was all about P.K., and the cheerleaders at the Gazoo must take some of the blame for feeding P.K.'s ego, which long since became too big for the dressing room. That was why he had to go... for the good of the team.

Now P.K. has gone to Nashville, where he should feel right at home. Southern hospitality, you know. He will get an especially warm welcome from Nashville's finest if he appears on Main Street dressed as in the picture at right. Oh, they'll love him there, that's for sure.

In return for Subban, the Habs got the Predators' captain, Shea Weber, an all-star defenceman who is older, bigger and wiser than the One whose critics were labelled as incorrigible racists. Weber is not only more experienced, but more reliable on defence. Yet he scored 20 goals and 31 assists in 78 games with the Predators last season, compared with Subban's 6 goals and 45 assists in 68 games for the Canadiens.

In a statement this afternoon, Marc Begevin said, "Nous venons d'effectuer une importante transaction qui, j'en suis convaincu, fera du Canadien une meilleure équipe. Ce fut également l'une des décisions les plus difficiles que j'ai eu à prendre comme dirigeant du Canadien de Montréal. Nous venons d'obtenir, en Shea Weber, un défenseur de premier plan dans la LNH, un leader exceptionnel et un joueur qui, selon nous, améliorera notre brigade défensive et notre jeu de puissance pendant plusieurs saisons. Shea Weber a dominé tous les défenseurs de la LNH la saison dernière avec 14 buts en avantage numérique. C'est un défenseur complet, avec un gabarit imposant qui possède un puissant tir frappé."

For those who don't understand French -- wen you come on top da countree you gotta speak da langue, eh -- the key part is the first sentence: "...an important transaction which, I'm convinced, will make the Canadiens a better team." Ainsi soit-il.

Is Habs' coach Therrien to blame for blaming P.K. Subban?

Poor Len Canayen here, asking the question: Is alleged all-star defenceman P.K. Subban the cause of the Montréal Canadiens problems?

The skinny: The Canadiens lost last night's game against the Colorado Avalanche by a score of 3-2. The game-winning goal was scored by old pro Jerome Iginla after a typical P.K. Subban turnover in the Avalanche zone. With about three minutes left, the all-star showboat tried to go around Colorado’s Mikhail Grigorenko, but was poke-checked and fell to the ice. Grigorenko started a three-man rush the other way that led to Iginla’s game-winner.

After the game, Habs' coach Michel Therrien met the meeja, as usual, and, according to Canadian Press, blamed the loss on "an individual mistake". Asked to elaborate, he said, without naming the induhvidual (seen here wearing the goat horns), "We believe that...he could have made a better decision at the blue line. He put himself in a tough position. We play as a team. When we don’t we could be in trouble and this is what happened." So who he meant was pretty clear, eh.

The headline on Bill Beacon's CP story, as it appeared in the Toronto Star: "Canadiens coach Michel Therrien under fire after pinning latest loss on P.K. Subban". In other words, the heat is on Therrien for pointing the finger at He Who Must Not Be Criticized.

Headline in Pat Hickey's column in today's Montreal Gazette: "In the Habs' Room: Therrien blames Subban for loss to Avalanche". In spite of being part of the Gazoo's team of cheerleaders (Hello, Dave Stubbs!), Mr. Hickey knows his hockey, and is usually unafraid to call it as he sees it. Here's what he wrote: "Coach Michel Therrien didn’t hesitate to point a finger at defenceman P.K. Subban after the Canadiens lost a 3-2 decision to the Colorado Avalanche Wednesday night. 'We played a solid game and it’s disappointing that we lost because of an individual mistake,' said Therrien. The coach didn’t name any names but it was obvious he was talking about his star defenceman, who lost the puck with a little more than two minutes to play in regulation."

Mr. Hickey goes on to give Subban's side of the story -- "I crossed over and lost an edge" -- without taking sides. But the CP story says "On social media, many blamed for Subban for making a selfish play, but just as many defended the team’s scoring leader and top offensive weapon, saying the Canadiens need wins for any hope of making the playoffs and it is up to the club’s best players to try to make it happen."

Among those who think Subban is part of the problem rather than part of the solution is the Habs fan who sent us a Bcc of an e-mail written to Pat Hickey on the 16th -- the day before yesterday's loss. Here's what he wrote:

Saw your piece today quoting (as usual) P.K. Subban, “We didn’t show up” etc. Frankly, I’m tired of the Gazette always writing about Subban, as if there’s no-one else but him (and the absent Carey Price). It’s not you so much as your colleague, Stubbsy, who never gets tired of leading the cheers for P.K. even when he’s obviously a large part of “we”, i.e. part of the problem.

Yesterday the National Post had an article by one of your colleagues...about the problems in the dressing room, including friction between Subban and Pacioretty. I have said before (including previous e-mails to you and Stubbsy) that Subban is more of a liability to the team than an asset. I know you guys will disagree, but it seems to me the question should at least be open for debate. Perhaps moving Subban – if they can find anyone willing to take on a risky (alleged) defenceman at an outrageous salary – would be a step towards a solution.

That's pretty much what I've been saying for the last two years! See (for example) "Memo from Poor Len Canayen to Marc Bergevin" (WWW 13/5/15) and "Subban booed at Bell Centre as Canadiens lose another one" (WWW 27/1/16). I'm glad to see that Subban's deficiencies are at last part of the conversation.

Memos from Poor Len Canayen re: le CH

Note from Ed.: I thought you readers might be tired of seeing the little drawing of our contributor, Poor Len Canayen, which I usually insert into his posts, so have decided to substitute a real photo. I have intercepted a couple of angry e-mails which he sent to the named addressees last night following the Habs' 3-1 loss to the Sharks.

To Dave Stubbs, Montreal Gazoo: How do you like your boy Subban now? On the ice for all three Sharks goals and lucky to finish at only -2. All-star defenceman... hah!

To Michel Therrien, head coach: Hé copain! Would you please read or reread "Poor Len explains what ails the Habs (and it's not just Subban)", posted just last week! Everybody's a Sunday-morning coach, but I have to admit that I diagnosed the team's problems, 3 out of 3. (Lifetime pct .990)

What were you thinking, putting Dustin Tokarski between the pipes for a third straight game? The kid was hung out to dry by Subban and Markov, for sure, but why take the chance. He had a loss and a win in the previous two games. You should've let it go at that and started Condon. Any confidence which Tokarski might have had is gone now.

And what are you going to do about Subban and Markov? Following a couple of sloppy and half-hearted games, you made Nathan Beaulieu watch from the press box for a couple of games, and he came back strong against Ottawa and again last night. Why can't you do that to the Nine-million-dollar Man? I know, I know... Management won't let you. Either that or you're afraid of being called a racist (probably by Dave Stubbs)! As for Markov, maybe he's just worn out guessing what Subban's going to do next. Give both of them a rest for a game.

Finally, what about offence? I admit that's a hard one to fix. Until Brendan Gallagher returns -- possibly for the New Year's Winter Classic? -- I can only suggest that you stop juggling the lines, so the guys know with some certainty who's on the ice with them at any given time.

Michel... don't listen to those other guys! Listen to me!

Le Canadien: bilan de Poor Len Canayen

Note from Ed.: Walt is sitting in front of the TV, waiting to see Game 7 of the NHL playoff series between the Tampa Bay Lightning and "our team", the Montréal Canadiens. Until he realizes that it never happened, we're not likely to hear anything from him. So now is a good time to give Poor Len Canayen his parting shot for the 2014-15 season.

Merci, Ed. My most recent analysis of why La Sainte Flanelle didn't get beyond the second round of the playoffs got a lot of hits. A couple of readers have been churlish enough to suggest that "Memo from Poor Len Canayen to Marc Bergevin" was long on criticism, but short on suggestions as to what M Bergevin should do in the off-season to help the team go farther next year. OK then, here are my recommendations, starting from the goal line.

Goal: In his final interview with the press, Marc Bergevin asked if he should trade Carey Price to get a big centre, because (he said) that's the price to have to pay. Well of course you don't give up Price! It would be nice, though, to have a reliable back-up goalie, someone with more size and experience than the incumbent. Not a priority, but if Jonathan Bernier wants to leave the hell that is Toronto, talk to him.

Defence: Only one change needs to be made here, and regular readers know I'm referring to The Player Who Cannot Be Criticized. What about Markov, I hear you ask. Markov is getting old and slowing down, but I think a part of his mediocre performance in the playoffs was due to his having to mentor -- and cover for -- TPWCBC. We talk of "defence pairs", but what happens when a man doesn't know where his partner is or what he's going to do next? Putting Markov together with Emelin would help them both.

If M Bergevin actually trades Subban -- to get a top line centre, let's say -- that leaves the Habs with a vacancy on the blue line, now that Gonchar and Weaver are gone. I hope they haven't given up on Jarred Tinordi. He's huge and tough. If he can learn to keep his mean streak in check [Geddit? Ed.], he should be able to stick with the big team.

Offence: That's what le Canadien lacked all year long, particularly on right wing. The team has three dependable centres: Tomáš Plekanec, Lars Eller, and Tori Mitchell. And three snipers on the left: Max Pacioretty, Brendan Gallagher -- love that kid! -- and Alex Galchenyuk, who, not matter what they say, is not a natural centre! The following players are, IMHO, surplus to requirements: Devante "Cement Mitts" Smith-Pelly, P.A. Parenteau, Jakob De La Rose, and -- I hate to say it -- David Desharnais.

Without checking on the status of their contracts with other teams, here's my list of forwards I'd like to see wearing the CH. I'd trade P.K. Subban for any of them.
Right wing: James Neal (Pittsburgh); Kyle Okposo (NY Islanders); Jeff Carter (LA); Wayne Simmonds (Philthydelphia). [See? Len's not a racist! Ed.]
Centre: Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh); Logan Couture (San Jose); Matt Duchene (Colorado); Nicklas Backstrom (Washington).
Left wing: Patrick Marleau (San Jose); James van Riemsdyk (Toronto); Matt Moulson (Minnesota); Brad Marchand (Boston). Those who know me will be surprised by that last one, but I'd rather have him in the tent pissing out than outside the tent pissing in.

One more thing. It's time to forget about political correctness or marketing considerations and name a captain. The position requires more than a big mouth. It requires drive, leadership and maturity. (It would be nice to have someone who can speak French, but none of this years four -- count `em, 4 -- assistants is bilingual.) To my mind, the obvious choice is Max Pacioretty. M. Bergevin, don't listen to guys like Dave Stubbs. Listen to me!

Memo from Poor Len Canayen to Marc Bergevin

Walt and I [and Ed.! Ed.] told you so.

See "If Canadiens lose to Lightning, this will be the reason", "Playoff recap: Montréal Canadiens vs Ottawa Senators", and "Re-re-evaluating P.K. Subban".

Not that there's a dearth of blame to go around. With the exception of Carey Price -- he did what he could but, alas, can't score goals -- the Montréal Canadiens looked terrible last night against Tampa Bay, ending the Habs' playoff run not with a bang but a pathetic whimper.

With the exception of game 4, when Lightning goalie Ben Bishop was chased from his net, the Habs just couldn't score. Max Pacioretty had the most shots last night, and got a mulligan much too late in the game. Brendan Gallagher tried hard throughout. Everyone else pretty much stood and watched, waiting for Montréal's most offensive defenceman to put a blistering slapshot past the opposing goalie's ear, which he did... once in twelve games.

Last night, the Habs had two alleged power plays, the second more pathetic than the first. P.K. Subban -- for that's who I'm referring too -- gave another dazzling display of puck-hogging. Pass? What's that? Unless, of course, you count the half-dozen "alley-oop" shots up the middle, all of which were picked off by Tampa, who are onto that trick.

Last night, too, Pernell Karl took yet another dumb penalty -- delay of game -- late in the first period, when Montréal was down only 1-0 and looked on the verge of a comeback. He was also on the ice for two of Tampa's four goals.

The Montreal Gazette's Dave Stubbs would say that the reason his "transcendant" defenceman is on the ice for so many goals is because he leads the team in minutes played. I say that's because Michel Thérrien is under instructions that Subban is the team's marquee player and can't be made to ride the pines even when leaving him out there -- for the full two minutes of a power play, for example -- is risky.

Mon cher Marc... it's high time you and Thérrien and J-J Daigneault and the rest of the Habs' management had a frank conversation about P.K. Subban. He's getting C$9 million a year. Is he earning his keep? I say no. Is he an asset to the team? I say no, he's a net liability. [Geddit? Ed.] It's time to think the unthinkable and start talking about moving him.

VIDEO: Habs defeat Cinderella Senators, advance to second round

Poor Len Canayen here, with a couple of thoughts about the NHL playoff series between the Montréal Canadiens and the Ottawa Senators -- the ones people like, not the ones who infest Parliament Hill.

The hard-working Senators [not the ones who infest, etc. Ed.] did their best, last night, to prolong the series, outshooting La Sainte Flanelle 43-20. Sadly for them, Carey Price -- hereinafter TBGITW (The Best Goalie In The World) -- stopped all 43 of the Sens' shots, whereas Ottawa's Craig Anderson, no slouch himself, allowed one to get by him. Result: Montréal 2 - Ottawa 0. (The Habs second goal was scored into an empty net with 3/10ths of a second left.) Montréal wins the series 4 games to 2, and goes on to the second round against either Tampa Bay or Detroit.

To call Carey Price TBGITW is, IMHO, no understatement. Here's just one example of the several "saves of substance" he made last night.



Naturally, Hockey Night in Canada selected TBGITW for a quick post-game interview, before he left the ice. Mr. Price was his usual modest self, attributing the win to the hard work of his teammates and a couple of lucky bounces. He might have mentioned a quick whistle in the second period which resulted in an Ottawa goal being disallowed, but we won't quibble about that.

What burned my ring last night was the way TPWMNBC -- The Player Who May Not Be Criticized, a.k.a. P.K. Subban -- inserted himself in the interview to make sure viewers knew who the real star was, is, and will always be, as long as the Montreal Gazette's alleged sports writers (Hello, Dave Stubbs!) think the sun, moon and stars shine out of Subban's arse.

Stubbsy will have a hard time singing the praises of TPWMNBC in relation to last night's game though, for Subban contributed nothing to the Habs' win. (That's him, #76, lying on the ice in front of Price in the video clip.) But, by jumping into the interview, he did manage to answer the question posed here just under a year ago. That article has drawn quite a few hits this month. Real hockey fans know who the real heroes are.

Walt's playoff recap: Montréal Canadiens vs Ottawa Senators

Ed. here. Walt's mind and/or heart has been elsewhere this week, hence the dire dearth of new posts on WWW. From wherever he is, he has sent a number of dispatches, of which this is the first.

Walt and Poor Len were MIA for several hours on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday evenings, watching their beloved Montréal Canadiens defeat the Ottawa Senators in the first three games of one the eight NHL playoff series. Scores were 4-3, 3-2 (in overtime) and, last night, 2-1 (also in overtime). The Habs gave up the first goal and trailed 1-0 at the end of the first period in all three games, but came back to win.

Regular readers of WWW will know that Poor Len watches carefully the every move of P.K. Subban, the PC winner of the Norris Trophy a couple of years ago, the one whom the Montreal Gazette's Dave Stubbs thinks -- even now -- is a "transcendant" defenceman. Here's what we saw this week.

In Game 1, Mr. Subban led the team in penalties, the second being a 5-minute major plus a game misconduct for a vicious two-handed lumberjack slash on Ottawa's Mark Stone, causing a hairline fracture of the Stoney wrist. Les Glorieux managed to win the game without Subban, with Jeff Petry filling the gap without doing anything stupid.

In Game 2, P.K. whistled a cannonading slapshot [Hello Danny Gallivan, wherever you are! Ed.] past Andrew Hammond to score the Habs' second goal. The Hamburglar heard the 85-mph rocket coming at actually ducked to avoid being decapitated. Very good. But Montréal fans and coach Michel Thérrien still wish that Subban would pass the puck occasionally, especially on the power play, which continues to struggle.

Last night, Mr. Stubbs's home boy was, as usual, out of position when Ottawa scored its lone goal. P.K. took a high, hard, open-ice check from Ottawa's Patrick Wiercioch. Bent on revenge, he charged over to the boards in an attempt to crunch Sens star Erik Karlsson. That left Subban's buddy Andrei Markov -- who planted a kiss on P.K. after the Friday night goal -- alone against two attackers. Result, Ottawa goal.

Poor Len stands by his recent re-evaluations of P.K. Subban, and adds that if he (Subban) ever learns to play defence, he'll become an asset to the Canadiens, rather than the liability he is now.

Habs honour greats Elmer Lach and Dollard St. Laurent, RIP

Poor Len here. Dave Stubbs, of the Montreal Gazette, thinks I am racist, because I have no time for P.K. Subban, who Mr. Stubbs maintains is "transcendant". He is wrong about Subban, and wrong about me. I am not a racist, just a realist.

However, Mr. Stubbs is quite correct when he writes, today, that "No one does history better than the Canadiens, in part because theirs is so rich; no one does these farewells more elegantly, in part because the Habs sadly have too much experience recognizing their lost heroes."

He was referring to memorial moments planned by Canada's team for former players Elmer Lach and Dollard St. Laurent, both of whom passed away earlier this week. Sadly, the pre-game tributes planned for Thursday night were nixed by the National Hockey League (New York lawyer G. Bettman, Prop.) because they would take up too much time, in a game of great importance to at least one of the competing teams.

The magnanimous Mr. Bettman allowed the Habs two (2) minutes before the national anthems in which to say a few words. Very few, since it works out to one minute for each of the departed. But the Canadiens' management didn't let their lovingly prepared video tribute to Elmer Lach go to waste. It was screened during the first intermission, and posted on the team's website. Ed. was unable to get to the embed code to work [Désolé. Ed.] so click here to see it.

Elmer Lach played for les Glorieux from 1940 to 1954. At the time of his death, he was the oldest living member of the NHL as well as the Hockey Hall of Fame. When Mr. Lach's was born, the NHL itself had been in existence for a mere 57 days, and the Montréal Canadiens for some eight years.

Mr. Stubbs calls Dollard St. Laurent "a template for the blue-line pillars of his Original Six era, part of the bedrock of the Canadiens’ glorious clubs of the 1950s and a beloved member of the hockey community long after he’d hung up his skates." He was all of that, for sure, and also a model stay-at-home defenceman, the kind who (unlike certain present-day players who shall remain nameless) could be counted on to play his position and put the team ahead of himself.

CONGRATULATORY FOOTNOTES: A tip of Len's toque to:
Carey Price, the best goalie in the world, who won his 43rd game last night, breaking the old club record shared by Jacques Plante and Ken Dryden, and
Habs coach Michel Thérrien, inducted this week into the Québec Major Junior Hockey League Hall of Fame, and
Carey Price (again) for winning, for the fifth time in a row, the Molson Cup, awarded to the player most often selected as one of the three stars of the game, and
Dale Weise, winner of the Jacques Beauchamp Trophy as the team's "fourth star" -- the unsung hero.
Ils ont gagné leurs épaulettes!

Re-re-evaluating P.K. Subban

Poor Len again. [Hey! That rhymes! Ed.] Walt is feeling the effects of a large does of novocaine (not the movie) so I can continue my cost-benefit analysis of P.K. Subban, the Montréal Canadiens alleged defenceman.

There are still those who think the $9-million-a-year one-time Norris Trophy winner is the best thing since sliced bread -- pumpernickel, that is. They are wrong. Don't listen to them! Listen to me! I have maintained, as recently as last Friday, that Mr. Subban is a net liability.

Since then, les Glorieux have played two games. On Saturday night they vanquished the San Jose Sharks 2-0, thanks largely to the stellar goaltending of Carey Price. (Scroll down or click here for a nice little video of a meeting between Mr. Price and a shy kid from his hometown, Anahim Lake BC.) P.K. played well enough -- stayed out of the penalty box and didn't go nuts in the Sharks' zone.

However... last night in Nashville, Marc Bergevin's Great Non-White Hope reverted to form. Subban -- for it was he -- led the team in penalties, taking his first of two at 2:45 of the first period. As Mario Tremblay would say... poor judgment! But that wasn't the killer. Montréal weathered the storm, and Nashville's first goal didn't come until 9:10. Which defencemen should have stopped Matthias Ekholm? Andrei Markov and P.K. Subban.

The Habs scored twice in the second period and hung on to a 2-1 lead until the Preds fluked one at 7:45 of the third. At the end of regulation time, the score was tied 2-2.

In the first minute of the overtime period, Subban treated Nashville fans to an exhibition of his skating and puck control -- "puck-hogging" would be a better term -- doing a couple of laps around the Preds' net, walking the blueline, straight-arming opponents and so on. Did he pass the puck? No. Did he shoot the puck? No. Did he lose the puck? YES!

Gee, Len (I hear you ask), what happened then? Well, when Filip Forsberg took the puck away from P.K. at the Preds' blueline, with no-one between him (Forsberg) and the Montréal net, Subban did that voodoo that he do so well, and tripped him (Forsberg). Result, Nashville power-play, with the game-winning goal being scored 45 seconds later, with P.K. Subban in the penalty box, wearing the goat horns.

What does Dave Stubbs say about this in the Montreal Gazette? The penalty was "not remotely the result of a brain cramp." It was fate! The puck was bouncing! Forsberg accidentally stepped on Subban's stick! Oh, hahahahahahahahaha! Listen to me, Dave! Give up your job writing PR pieces for P.K. You can do a lot better writing for SNL!

Re-evaluating P.K. Subban

Ed. here. It's been some time since we allowed Poor Len Canayen space for a rant/rave about the Montréal Canadiens, so...

As we say in Montréal, merci/thank you! Assiduous readers know that when I write about the Canadiens, it's usually to wax acidulous about P.K. Subban, their vastly overpaid and overrated so-called defenceman. Unlike the hexperts at the Montreal Gazette, I do not refrain from pointing out his shortcomings -- see "The truth about all-star defenceman P.K. Subban" and "What's wrong with les Canadiens?" -- but for so doing, I get called a racist.

However... as the 2014-15 NHL season has progressed, the star's shine seems to have dimmed somewhat. Even Dave Stubbs and Pat Hickey can't pretend they haven't seen stories that hit the sports pages and even front pages of the non-Montréal media today. Here they are.

P.K. Subban fined for 3rd embellishment citation

The NHL fined P.K. $3000 (real money, not beaverbucks) for his third diving/ embellishment citation of the season. The incident occurred on March 12th during the Habs' 5-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators.

The NHL enacted Rule 64 to stop the tendency of certain players to act like soccer players, to wit by diving and embellishing assaults upon themselves in an attempt to draw penalties. Fines are assessed to players and head coaches on a graduated scale. A first infraction prompts a warning; the second draws a $2000 fine.

The fine rises to $3000 for a third-timer. If P.K. gets caught taking the plunge again, he's looking at $4000. And -- get this -- Montréal head coach Michel Therrien will also have to pay a $2000 penalty for the sins of the player he doesn't dare discipline.

Ex-Habs coach Tremblay slags Subban during DUI arrest

Mario Tremblay wore the bleu, blanc et rouge for several years, including four in which les Glorieux won the Stanley Cup. He coached the Habs briefly and, it must be said, not terribly successfully, and now works as a commentator and analyst for RDS. My point here is that M. Tremblay does know something about hockey and about the Canadiens.

On the air, Mario Tremblay is reasonably neutral about P.K. Subban. He's obviously read the memo that it won't do to speak ill of the media darling -- "a credit to his race" and all that -- in whom the club has invested so heavily. (C$9 million -- just over $7 million in real money -- per year for eight years).

However... when M. Tremblay was stopped by the Mascouche QC police for speeding and, possibly, DUI, he felt that speaking his mind might somehow get the gendarme to cut him some slack.

Constable Maxime Perron testified in a municipal court on Thursday that, even though M. Tremblay was chewing gum there was a smell of alcohol on his breath, so he asked the aging ex-star to take a breathalyzer test. "You can’t do that to me. I am Mario Tremblay!" the cop quoted quoted the former coach as saying. Then, "he compared me to some hockey players, [saying] that I was like 'a P.K. Subban', that I had no judgment and that I was being petty."

It would seem M. Tremblay showed pretty poor judgment himself in talking thus to an agent of the law. But... but... his judgment of P.K. Subban has the ring of truth, to my ears. In vino veritas...

Let's look at a few statistics, drawn from the Canadiens' website this (Friday) afternoon. P.K. has played in all 72 games so far this season. He's second, behind Max Pacioretty, in scoring, with 52 points -- 13 goals and 39 assists. Very good, but hang on...

Subban's a defenceman, right? Shouldn't preventing shots against his goalie be more important? Yes, but there's not much fault to find there, as P.K. is +18, the same as his partner Andrei Markov. All well and good but don't forget that he and Markov get more ice time than anyone except the goalies. And with the sensational goaltending of Carey Price -- forgive me for my expression of doubt back in November -- it's hard not to be on the plus side of the ledger.

Don't forget, also, that goals scored against your team when you're short-handed don't count in the plus/minus column. A good thing too, because Subban leads the Habs in penalty minutes. (That's not counting Brandon Prust, the team's designated fighter.) Subban's penalties include a couple for diving -- see above -- and a much larger number for plays which show... wait for it... lack of judgment.

Recognizing the need for a couple of guys who can actually be counted on to play defence, the Canadiens acquired Sergei Gonchar last fall, and the grey-beard can still get the job done. More recently they've added Jeff Petry and brought up Greg Pateryn, both competent players. So, all in all, the Habs' defence looks solid, going into the playoffs... no particular thanks to the 9-million-dollar, not-so-shining, former all-star.