Author: Dose

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Marc-André Fleury shuts out the Canadiens in his last game at the Bell Centre

Tonight, the Canadiens were at the Bell Centre. For the occasion, they hosted the Minnesota Wild.

Kaiden Guhle was obviously absent, so Jayden Struble took his place in the lineup. Rafaël Harvey-Pinard took the place of Michael Pezzetta, who was sidelined.

Here is the complete lineup, with Jakub Dobes in net:

As for the Wild, who were in action yesterday, the club made no changes… except in net.

Marc-André Fleury was the starting goalie, playing his last career game at the Bell Centre.

I won’t waste your time for the first period: literally nothing interesting happened during the first 20 minutes of this game.

In fact, the only noteworthy moment occurred before the first period, when the fans at the Bell Centre showed their love for Fleury during the national anthem. A beautiful moment.

After 20 minutes, the score was 0-0.

In the second period, however, the Wild became a bit more opportunistic. A rather messy play by the Canadiens in their zone gave a great scoring chance to Liam Öhgren.

And he didn’t miss his chance.

Then, a few minutes later, Lane Hutson stumbled in the offensive zone… and Arber Xhekaj didn’t put in the effort of the century in his zone.

This allowed Marco Rossi to score his 18th goal of the season.

After 40 minutes, the score was 2-0 in favor of the Wild. The Canadiens only fired eight shots during those 40 minutes.

Martin St-Louis’ squad needed a jolt in the third… and just as the team was gaining a little momentum, Devin Shore broke the party.

That was his first goal in a Wild uniform.

During a commercial break, the Canadiens took the time to highlight Fleury’s last game at the Bell Centre… and for a second time tonight, the goalie received a ton of love from the fans on site.

And he deserved every second of that love.

At the end of the game, the Canadiens pulled Dobes for a sixth skater… but they were unable to get past the wall Flower.

Frédérick Gaudreau finished the scoring into an empty net.

Like in a good Hollywood movie, Marc-André Fleury shut out the Canadiens in his last career game at the Bell Centre. The fans chanted his name with about twenty seconds left in the game.

Final score: 4-0 Minnesota

The Canadiens will be back in action Sunday at 4 PM, as they head to Anaheim to face the Ducks.

Overtime

– The Canadiens looked completely lifeless tonight. It’s concerning given that the team was at home… and was facing a team that had just played in Toronto last night. We truly saw the Canadiens of November tonight… and it’s worrying.

– Jakub Dobes wasn’t exceptional tonight, but he made big saves to give his team a chance to win. Hard to ask for more from him.

– The absence of Kaiden Guhle was felt tonight. The duo formed by Lane Hutson and Arber Xhekaj really struggled… and this shows how much everyone was in the right spot when the lineup was healthy. Some guys will need to step up… because Guhle, even though he was at the Bell Centre tonight, will be out for quite a while.

– An owner giving a standing ovation for a goalie who shuts out his team: you don’t see that every day.

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Kaiden Guhle is at the Bell Centre tonight

Since Tuesday evening, there has been a lot of talk about Kaiden Guhle’s injury. It’s a significant blow to the CH’s defensive brigade that has fallen in battle… and there is talk of a very serious injury.

The Canadiens really didn’t need this, let’s agree.

In the immediate term, it’s Jayden Struble who takes his place in the lineup and Arber Xhekaj who finds himself with more responsibilities. Kent Hughes does not intend to pay the high price for a rental player to replace #21… unless an alternative like Alexandre Carrier is found, the solution will have to come internally.

However, aside from a statement from the CH about the defender’s surgery, we didn’t really know what condition he was in… but tonight, we got some news.

According to what Jeremy Filosa reports (98.5 FM), Guhle is at the Bell Centre tonight. He is on crutches and not putting weight on his right leg… but overall, this is still positive.

After all, it’s been just under 48 hours since Guhle suffered a major injury and underwent surgery. To see him well enough to be at the Bell Centre with the rest of the group tonight is good news.

He could still be in the hospital, or he could have chosen to regain strength at home… but clearly, he feels fit enough. And that’s great news under the circumstances.

Of course, one should not jump to drastic conclusions regarding all this. Let’s agree that even though it’s quite cool to see Guhle at the Bell Centre tonight, it doesn’t really mean much about a potential return to play this season.

He may have made an effort tonight to see the group before the CH heads out West for a week… because clearly, we shouldn’t expect to see him make that trip, even as a simple spectator.

For now, let’s simply be pleased to see him well enough to be able to walk around an arena tonight. This is, under current circumstances, the most important thing.

In Brief

– A first for Rantanen with the Hurricanes.

– Four teams to watch for Brandon Saad.

– I love it.

– Definitely.

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Questionable personal hygiene: Tony Marinaro responds to Jean-Charles Lajoie

I watched the segment last night and honestly, I didn’t find it that funny.

What am I talking about?

At the end of a lively debate between Tony Marinaro and Jean-Charles Lajoie (JiC / TVA Sports), Tony wrapped up the segment sarcastically with a “what a great show tonight, this is real TV. Take notes, take notes,” perhaps thinking he had won the debate against Jean-Charles, who was rambling in an attempt to save face.

I wrote “wrapped up”, but that’s not quite what happened. There were still six seconds left before the break, and Jean-Charles added, as the theme was brought up:

“Don’t ever come close to me like that, your personal hygiene is questionable.” – Jean-Charles Lajoie.

What was the connection, you may ask? I don’t know. Especially since Félix Séguin continued the joke after the break, wiping Tony’s damp seat while the latter was no longer on set.

But hey…

Knowing Tony Marinaro, I was sure he would prepare something special for his segment today, especially since he didn’t get a chance to respond last night.

And that’s exactly what he did.

At the beginning of his segment today on TVA Sports, Tony asked JiC if he knew who had asked for him in Quebec while he was there to meet Ronaldinho.

“Who?”

The answer? Nobody! #LOL

 

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Martin St-Louis: Kent Hughes had appointed him as interim to calm the fans

When Martin St-Louis arrived in Montreal as a coach, it garnered quite a reaction. After all, the team was bringing in a guy who, despite a great playing career, had no significant experience as a coach.

Coaching his kids in minor hockey is one thing. Coaching an NHL team is another.

That said, Kent Hughes (who had just taken the job) believed in his man, and a few years later, it must be admitted that he was right.

However, at the time of the hiring, he was aware that fans would have a strong reaction…

And as he confided to Mathias Brunet and Simon Boisvert during an interview with Processus (which Brunet teased in La Presse), that’s when the idea of naming him on an interim basis came to him.

In fact, at the time St-Louis was appointed, Hughes knew he was his man. However, he also knew that fans were likely to become restless… and as a young executive, he didn’t want to alienate the Montreal market right from the start.

By naming him as interim coach, though, it (somewhat) calmed the fans… even though Hughes knew from the beginning that he intended to prolong the experience.

Over the past few years, there have been moments when we sensed some discontent from fans regarding the coach, but overall, he is appreciated because he does a good job… and that’s why the GM does not regret his move:

It’s probably the decision I’m most proud of. – Kent Hughes

We’ll see if all this continues for the best in the best of worlds in the coming years, but in retrospect, the decision seems to have paid off at the time.

And this, even though the GM felt compelled to keep his cards close to his chest when hiring his coach.

In brief

– Patrik Laine passing to Christian Dvorak on a 2-on-1. Really?

– Nice gesture.

– Indeed.

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Marc-André Fleury receives a dose of love from the Bell Centre during the national anthem

This evening, Marc-André Fleury is making his final appearance at the Bell Centre in his career. The goaltender, who will retire at the end of the season, asked the Wild to play tonight’s game.

It’s understandable that for him, playing one last time in Montreal was important.

Of course, we know that the goaltender is loved in Montreal, and we expected to see the fans give him a dose of love…

And that’s what happened during the national anthem.

At the end of the Canadian anthem, Fleury was shown on the big screen… and the fans started to applaud and chant Fleury’s name. A beautiful moment.

It should be noted that the Canadiens did not necessarily prepare a small tribute video to be aired during the national anthem (as they had done for Patrick Roy, for example). That said, the cameras featured him on the big screen… and the fans understood the message.

Fleury did not react at the moment, but we can imagine it touched him.

In an interview with Renaud Lavoie before the game, Fleury’s agent, Allan Walsh, confirmed that no less than 100 people in the goaltender’s entourage are present at the Bell Centre tonight. I imagine those people must have been touched as well.

We expected to see Fleury honored during his last game at the Bell Centre… and the fans settled that before the game started.

Now we just have to see how the goaltender performs tonight.

Overtime

It is quite rare to see an opposing player honored in such a way at the Bell Centre. Usually, when a player from another team elicits a reaction from the crowd, it’s often boos…

But it clearly shows how much Montreal loves Fleury.

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Kaiden Guhle: if the CH replaces him, it will be with an “Alexandre Carrier-like” trade

On Tuesday night, the CH lost their game against the Jets… but they mostly lost Kaiden Guhle. The defender tore his quadriceps… and there are good reasons to believe that his season is over.

It’s a really, really unfortunate injury.

The big question now is how the Canadiens will replace their young general. It’s a heavy loss on the blue line, after all, and the guys are going to have to step it up.

In fact, we know that Jayden Struble has been called up immediately. That said, as reported by Dave Lévesque (Journal de Montréal), the main party involved is not particularly happy to be returning under these circumstances:

It’s more bitter than sweet because I would have come back anyway next week, I would have preferred to wait in Laval. – Jayden Struble

Basically, it’s worth noting that Struble, who was in the midst of a conditioning stint in Laval, was going to return to the big club regardless. And even though his call-up was expedited, it doesn’t make him exactly happy.

He would have preferred to return in a context where Guhle is still healthy, clearly.

That said, with #21 possibly missing the rest of the season, the question is whether this changes the Canadiens’ plans leading up to the trade deadline…

And Pierre LeBrun discussed this on TSN airwaves tonight.

In short, the informant claims that the injury doesn’t drastically change the club’s plans: Kent Hughes is not ready to pay the big price for a rental player. That said…

LeBrun notes that the CH might still try to replace Guhle, but by acquiring a player who could have an impact beyond this current season. A bit like the Alexandre Carrier trade, essentially.

The informant notes that the CH was already interested in completing a transaction of this kind before Guhle’s injury, and one can wonder if the club will be more inclined to pursue it as the trade deadline approaches.

Especially if the club is still in the mix in a few weeks…

In the immediate future, therefore, don’t expect to see the Canadiens going after a defenseman on an expiring contract to try to mitigate the impact of Guhle’s loss.

That said, if the opportunity arises to acquire another defenseman who, like Carrier, could contribute in the long term, that’s a different story.

In brief

– The last time the CH beat the Wild, Nick Suzuki scored his first career goal in the NHL.

– Good news for the Suzuki family.

– Still.

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Zdeno Chara returns to the Bruins

An interesting piece of news went unnoticed yesterday afternoon.

Zdeno Chara, who spent the majority of his career in Boston, is back with the Bruins organization.

He has accepted a role as a consultant and mentor to the players:

Obviously, it is known that Zdeno Chara is a well-liked guy over there.

He was the captain of the Bruins for almost 15 years (from 2006 to 2020), won a Stanley Cup with the Boston team, and he also ranks third among the organization’s top scorers among defensemen.

Chara really had great moments with the Bruins, to put it another way.

In all of this, one has to wonder if Chara plans to take on even more at some point.

Does he want to aspire to become a member of management and have control over team decisions?

Does he want to observe management to later take on a more significant role within the organization, a bit like Mathieu Darche does in Tampa Bay?

That remains to be seen.

However, seeing a legend of the organization interested in returning to the hockey world to offer his services is intriguing.

He will have the chance to help the younger players, and the kids will listen to him because Chara has practically achieved everything during his hockey career. He is bound to be a good role model for the young players, and it’s important to have someone in the organization who fulfills that role.

Francis Bouillon is good at what he does with the Canadiens, and Chara’s role will resemble his, at least for the time being.

The addition of Chara to the Bruins is a good one, in my eyes.

In brief

– News about CF Montreal:

– Well. It seems complicated all that…

– Makes sense.

– He is unique.

– Big move by the Jays!

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“You can forget Mathieu Olivier with the Canadiens.”

Mathieu Olivier is an appealing player.

Why? Because he is one of the good fighters in the NHL and because he knows his role on the ice.

He provides proud service to the Blue Jackets organization, and he has been talked about in Montreal because this summer, Olivier will be free as a bird.

But as time goes on, we realize that the chances of seeing him in Montreal next season are slim.

The Blue Jackets love him too much to let him go… And in the eyes of Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre, who discussed it on Georges Laraque and Stéphane Gonzalez’s show, Don Waddell (GM) will do everything to keep him in town.

You can forget about Mathieu Olivier with the Canadiens! – Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre

Mathieu Olivier is a valued player in Columbus.

He does things the right way on the ice, is always there to protect his teammates when needed, and can be used on the penalty kill because he is reliable in his zone… And on top of that, we see him scoring goals this season.

He already has 10 goals and also has eight assists to his name.

18 points in 50 games for a fighter like him… It’s fair to say it’s hard to ask for more!

Let’s remember that if Olivier doesn’t come to an agreement with the Blue Jackets by July 1st, he will be able to test the free agent market.

There will be a multitude of teams interested in his services if he ends up there… But with what we’ve been hearing lately, it’s hard to believe he will leave.

Unless Don Waddell receives an offer he simply cannot refuse by the deadline?

In Brief

– I love it.

– Interesting.

– Wow…

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Ivan Demidov helped his club win by scoring a magnificent goal in the shootout

Ivan Demidov and the SKA of Saint Petersburg were in action today in the KHL.

And… Guess what?

Yes, the Canadiens’ prospect stood out on the ice (again).

First of all, note that SKA was leading 3-0 before the third period started.

The HK Spartak Moscow scored not one, not two… But three goals in the last twenty to force overtime.

No goals were scored, leading to a shootout, and that’s where Demidov stepped up.

He secured the victory for his team by scoring the winning goal, and let’s just say he did it beautifully:

A little feint to the left, another to the right… And the goalie couldn’t understand what was happening in front of him.

Demidov managed to beat him while he was on the ground: the HK Spartak Moscow’s keeper had no chance on that sequence.

Well done!

In the game, Demidov was able to make an impact as he had respectable ice time.

In the end, it looks like this:

  • 5:30 (nine shifts) in the first period
  • 5:22 (seven shifts) in the second period
  • 4:31 (eight shifts) in the third period
  • 2:23 (three shifts) in overtime

In total, Demidov spent 17 minutes and 45 seconds on the ice. Not too shabby.

That said, the Canadiens’ prospect was the second most used player by Roman Rotenberg in overtime: the SKA head coach understood he must utilize his best players to win, and it was about time that sunk in.

For the first time in a while, Ivan Demidov was blanked on the scoresheet… But he still found a way to contribute to his team’s victory. Good news!

In brief

– Is it really a surprise?

– Nice photo.

– Oh, wow!

– He was so destined for a bright future…

– Of course.

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An arena named after Marc-André Fleury could be built in Sorel-Tracy

All eyes will be on Marc-André Fleury tonight at the Bell Centre.

The goaltender will play his final game of his career in Montreal, and it is likely to be a special moment for everyone.

It’s certain that Canadiens fans will give him a wonderful welcome!

Fleury has plans to make the most of it.

He will want to take the time to appreciate the moment as it should be:

Marc-André Fleury is a guy from Sorel-Tracy, and this morning, the mayor of Sorel-Tracy stopped by on BPM Sports to talk about the main interested party.

Patrick Péloquin revealed that tonight’s game will be shown in all the bars in the city… Because in Sorel-Tracy, everyone is proud of the goaltender.

It goes without saying.

But Patrick Péloquin also stated that in Sorel-Tracy, they are thinking of a way to honor Fleury to match the career he has had.

Max Lalonde asked him if the Colisée Cardin could be renamed in the goaltender’s honor, but Patrick Péloquin said he had other projects in mind for Fleury.

I think a tribute for Marc-André should be something for Marc-André. – Patrick Péloquin

Patrick Péloquin continued by saying that the city of Sorel-Tracy is exploring different scenarios to have a private arena in the region, and that Fleury is interested in getting involved in the project.

This is where it gets really interesting:

It could be a legacy or a heritage that we can work with Marc-André […] It will have its own flavor and color in it. – Patrick Péloquin

With his last statement, one can really think that the plan is to name the arena after Fleury, and that would be a really nice thought.

After all, Marc-André Fleury fully deserves to be honored in a beautiful way because he has not only had a great career in the NHL: he has always found a way to stay involved in his community throughout his career, and now is the right time to give back to him.

In Brief

– No surprises here.

– Well said!

– It’s official: John Klingberg will make his debut with the Oilers tonight. He has come a long way!

– Noted: