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. 

RIP Johnny Bower (obituary by Poor Len Canayen)

So farewell then, Johnny Bower. You were the greatest goaltender to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the modern (post-WWII) era. You helped the Leafs win their last Stanley Cup, over half a century ago. You hoped you would live to see them win another... but you didn't.

Poor Len Canayen here. Regular readers of WWW will know that I am a lifelong fan of the Montréal Canadiens. I call the Habs "Canada's team" but there are many, especially in Ontario, who take issue with that appellation, claiming "Canada's team" is really the Toronto Maple Leafs.

What I can say is that there is no greater hockey rivalry than the Habs vs the Leafs, and no team I would rather see le Canadien beat than the Leafs. And if les Glorieux can't carry off Lord Stanley's silverware, then let the victors be the Leafs, and I will congratulate them and be happy.

That's what happened in the spring of 1967 -- I remember it well -- when Johnny Bower, along with the estimable Terry Sawchuk, backstopped the Mapleos to a surprise win over a strong Montréal club. Bower was the old man of the team, officially 43, although there were those who said he was five or ten years older. During his long hockey career, his age seemed "flexible", but his family confirmed his age following his death from pneumonia yesterday. He was 93.

I can now reveal that Johnny Bower was a Ukrainian-Canadian. His real family name was Kiszkan. He grew up, with eight sisters, on a farm outside of Prince Albert SK, where I had the displeasure of living at one time. He taught himself how to play hockey, using a branch as a stick, and made goalie pads for himself out of old mattresses.

In 1940, when he was 16 (or perhaps 15), he lied about his age (not for the last time) and enlisted in the Canadian Army during World War II, where he served in England from 1940 to 1943. His service ended when he was discharged due to rheumatoid arthritis in his hands. "It's a good thing I didn't [see action]", he told an interviewer, "because the Germans were right there waiting. A lot of guys there were killed on the beaches. I know four or five good hockey players from Prince Albert who were killed. They never came back."

Upon his return, Bower played junior hockey with his hometown Prince Albert Black Hawks. When he turned pro with the AHL Cleveland Barons in 1945, he changed his name to Bower because he felt Kiszkan was too difficult to pronounce. He played eight seasons in the AHL, earning MVP honours three times, before getting a chance in the NHL.

Bower played all 70 games for the New York Rangers in 1953-54, but for the following year the team chose to go another of my old-tyme all-time favourites, Gump Worsley, and Bower was sent down to the minors for another four years, before being traded to Toronto in 1958. "I didn't even want to come to Toronto, to be honest with you," he said, "because I was 35 years of age at that particular time and I didn't know I could help them." (Let's see. 1958 minus 35 would make his birth year 1923.) "I had the experience, mind you. But I was happy in Cleveland, I enjoyed myself there and had a good job. When they picked me up, I didn't want to go. And [Cleveland GM James] Hendy said, if you don't go, they'll suspend you."

Johnny Bower went on to become a fixture with the Maple Leafs, finally retiring after playing just one game in the 1970-71 season, four months past his 45th birthday, or so he said. 1971 minus 45 is 1926! He was always coy about his age. When asked about it upon his retirement, he said, "If you don't know by now, you never will."

He played 552 regular-season NHL games with 250 wins, 195 losses and 90 ties. He posted 37 regular-season shutouts and had a goals-against average of 2.52. Combining his AHL and NHL appearances, he appeared in a total of 1207 regular-season games. He won the Vezina trophy twice and had his name inscribed on the Stanley Cup that one time, with the 1966-67 Maple Leafs. After his retirement, he stayed in the Toronto organization, working as a goalie coach and a scout.

In his later years, he was involved in numerous charity causes and made numerous appearances for the Leafs on special occasions, including his (supposed) 90th birthday, always to warm applause. Right up until his death yesterday, Johnny Bower remained one of the most beloved Leafs. He will be missed by his former teammates, Toronto fans, and all those who love the greatest winter sport of all, including... Yours very truly, Poor Len Canayen.

Footnote: The defenceman shown in the picture, No. 7, is Tim Horton. Canadians will know what that means.

"Racist and vulgar messages" appear on Habs Twitter account

Walt is probably the last person on earth who doesn't have a Twitter account. Famous and not-so-famous people have one. Famous organizations too, including every sports club you ever heard of and some you never heard of. Those you've heard of would of course include the Montréal Canadiens. Bien sûr!

The Habs Twitter feed is very popular too. Just yesterday, while Walt was returning from the birthplace of the NHL, the announced that it had reached the million follower mark, the third team in the league to have reached that elevated plateau. (The other two are the Chicago Blackhawks and the Toronto Maple Leafs.)

To thank those million-plus fans, le CH posted, at the hashtag #CanadiensMTL1M a special message with a little surprise. Well, perhaps not so little, because 1000s who clicked on the hashtag saw this:

Unfortunately, this picture -- all over the Internet or at least the Canadian part of it today -- has been cropped so that we can't see the number of "likes" and "retweets". Not so this next one.

Whatever can it all mean? The Gazoo's Dave Stubbs (head cheerleader for P.K.Subban) has accused Poor Len Canayen of being racist for daring to criticize the alleged defenceman, who happens to be black. See "Is Habs' coach Therrien to blame for blaming P.K. Subban?" (WWW 18/2/16) and "Gazette's Jack Todd on the 'Subban–Habs fault line'" (WWW 23/2/16). Walt [and Ed.! Ed.] hasten to point out that Poor Len had nothing to do with these "racist and vulgar messages". He would never call P.K. a n1gger just because he dresses like a pimp and carries on like an NFL player showing off for the "homes".

The offending pix have been taken off the Canadiens' Twitter account. The club has apologized and promised that there will be no further lapses into political correctness.

Justin Trudeau's a Habs fan!

Poor Len Canayen here. "Here" does not mean in Toronto. I was not among the 1000s who mobbed Toronto's city hall today on the occasion of the first visit to the Heart of Hogtown by a serving prime minister in the 21st century.

Yes, Justin Trudeau Himself blew into the Little Apple today for, among other things, a chat with Mayor John Tory. Hizzoner presented the PM with -- stand by for no surprise -- a Toronto Maple Leafs hockey sweater, emblazoned with the number 23. Whatever could that mean? Why not number 1? Well, no matter. The PM accepted the sweater with his customary smile. But then, for the photo op, he hiked up his pant leg to reveal his true colours!

Yes folks, Prime Minister Trudeau is a Habs fan! What else could he be? I hope this gives La Sainte Flannelle a bit of a lift, because they surely need it, having barely survived a distastrous -- let us say Price-less -- December. Go Habs go!

The truth about all-star defenceman P.K. Subban

Note from Ed.: Regular readers of WWW may have remarked on the absence of Walt's sidekick, Poor Len Canayen, who has not graced this site since the Montréal Canadiens defeat in the NHL Eastern Conference final.

He seems to have emerged from his state of shock and has forwarded the following comment about P.K. Subban, the allegedly super defenceman for whom the Habs this month opened the vault, to the tune of C$72 million -- $65.5 million in real money -- spread over the next eight years.

Eh bien... I haven't said anything about the decision of Marc Bergevin and the Canadiens' management to make P.K. Subban the best-paid defenceman in the NHL, after letting go Josh Gorges, who could actually play his position and could have been resigned for half the money. I just don't understand it.

It's not as if I didn't tell them the truth about Subban's flaws, three times already this year. See "Memo to Marc Bergevin: It's time to trade Subban!", "P.K. can't be trusted on the P.K.!" and "M Bergevin, les amateurs du CH vous prient!". For my pains, I've been called a bigot and other vile terms. And the Montréal moguls didn't heed my advice in any case.

OK then, Messrs Molson, Bergevin et al. You don't want to listen to me? Then listen to Alexei Kovalev, one of the Habs' best scorers of recent years. Even though he left the club five years ago, his heart is still in Montréal, it seems, and he is following the fortunes of les Glorieux closely. Here's what he thinks of P.K. Subban, as quoted by Guillaume Lefrançois in La Presse.

"C'est un bon joueur, mais il demeure un défenseur à risques. Il peut donner cinq buts, mais en permettre cinq, donc le pointage serait égal. Je le compare toujours à Brian Leetch, car il veut aussi jouer selon un style plus offensif. Il ne prend pas toujours les bonnes décisions et il joue seulement comme il le faisait dans la rue, dans son enfance."

For those who don't read the language of Molière, here's my free translation:
"He's a good player, but he's still a risky defenceman. He can give you five goals, but also allow five, so the scoring comes out even. I always compare him to Brian Leetch, because he also wants to play a more offensive style. He doesn't always take good decisions, and he plays basically the same way he did in the street, when he was a kid."

So there. But if Kovalev's assessment should prove to be correct -- as I'm sure it will -- what are the Canadiens to do now? How about a trade to... let's say Toronto. The Maple Laffs are the richest team in the league, with the bucks to blow on P.K.'s humongous contract. They badly need help on defence. And after all, Subban is a Toronto native.

Memo to Marc Bergevin: It's time to trade Subban!

Memo from Poor Len Canayen to Marc Bergevin:
As our readers know, the proprietor of this blog and I are big fans of your Montréal Canadiens, a.k.a. Les Glorieux. We are disappointed in the extreme that for the week last past week they have been anything but.

Three straight losses! That's unacceptable! Before the team falls out of what seemed to be a guaranteed playoff spot, something must be done! Here's our analysis and recommendation.

Goaltending: You've got two Olympians, both of whom were playing very well until this month. Wednesday night Petr Budaj let in zero goals. Unfortunately Carey Price let in five. (Therrien left him in the game one goal too long.) Price has every reason to feel demoralized. To use the old cliché, he should sue his defence for non-support.

Offence: The current edition of les Canadiens is never going to score a lot of goals. You should be able to count on 2, or maybe 3 on a good night. 5-spots are rare. But Wednesday night and last night they managed only one (1). You've got a couple of guys who aren't contributing. Here's a short list:
Rene Bourque -- Shows signs of trying hard but can't find the back of the net. We hear you've already shopped him around, with no takers. Send him to Hamilton and give someone else a chance.
Daniel Brière -- Past his sell-by date. Could he be traded?
Lars Eller -- We like Eller a lot and wouldn't like to see him gone. Perhaps the solution is to reunite the "EGG" line, once (as we hope) Galchenyuk's injured hand heals.
Michael Bournival -- Back to Hamilton for more experience, especially when playing without the puck.

Defence: What defence? You'd think out of eight or nine guys you could get two reliable pairs. Our comments:
Andrei Markov -- Never a speedster, now getting old and obviously his bunged-up knee will never be the same. But the team wouldn't be where it is now without him. Forgive him for the game against Pittsburgh. He just can't keep up, 25 minutes a game, any more.
Alexei Emelin -- Is a puzzlement. He bangs and crashes with the best of them, but doesn't seem to be reading the plays very well. Leave him with Markov and you've got one good (if not exceptional) pair.
Josh Gorges -- Gorgeous Gorges, a capable stay-at-home defenceman, great shot-blocker. And a real team leader. He too is doing his best and will be OK, but who to play with him?
Rafael Diaz -- Why did he have to watch from the press box on Wednesday and Friday? He hasn't been any worse than the other defencelessmen. He's competent enough, just lacks the toughness to really intimidate opposing forwards.

So -- leaving aside last year's Norris trophy winner -- there's your top four. Now let's look at:
Francis Bouillon -- Another member of the over-the-hill gang, but still OK as long as he doesn't have to play two games in two nights. Could play with Gorges if needed.
Douglas Murray -- Has improved and has the toughness Diaz and others lack, but soooo slow. Makes the much-missed (by us) Hal Gill look like a speedster. We couldn't believe Therrien paired him with Subban last night. They probably only saw each other in the dressing room.
Nathan Beaulieu and Jarred Tinordi -- Two more not ready for the NHL.

Which brings us to:
Pernell Karl Subban -- Marc, it's time to think the unthinkable and speak the unspeakable. The team would be better off trading Subban for an impact forward!

It's time to stop making excuses for P.K. He's not a kid any more, and he doesn't learn from his many mistakes. First, he needs to learn how to skate. Maybe he's top-heavy, or maybe he has equipment problems, but he seems to keep falling down. And when he does a tight turn, the knuckles of his free hand drag on the ice! Secondly, he needs to learn to play defence. His job should be not to score goals -- although that's appreciated -- but to keep guys like Sid the Kid from scoring goals! Thirdly, he needs to stop being a "heat score". He's very visible [a vizmin! Ed.] and the referees don't like him.

Speaking of "don't like him", you've got to stop glossing over the fact that Subban is disliked not just by fans of every other team, but by some of his own teammates. The Russians (Markov and Emelin) won't play with him. Erik Cole went to Dallas in a "me-or-him" decision. And stories of dressing room dissension persist. Subban is a puck hog, a hot dog, a distraction and a divisive force in the room. Get rid of him!

"But where?", we hear you ask, Marc. Why, Toronto, of course! Subban is a Toronto boy, the Leafs' defence is woeful, and P.K. can be a hero to the promoters of diversity. And... get this... Toronto has the impact forward that Montréal needs -- James van Riemsdyk. What a deal that would be! ... Just our two cents ...

À lire: "Canadien: d'autres remaniements en défense"