Author: Dose

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Dans les coulisses

Hockey Canada: once again, French is being butchered in Ottawa

The status of French in Canada is always going to be a topic of discussion.

Recently, my colleague Maxime Truman realized that the Ottawa Senators are not the team to go to for a French test. Let’s put it that way.

A French advertisement from the team wasn’t exactly reviewed by Dany Laferrière.

But here’s Truman’s sharp eye found another element that will make us complain a little, even though it’s December 24.

And it concerns the World Junior Championship, which is taking place in… Ottawa this year.

Essentially, in a video related to the tournament, it’s noticeable that the French signage is lacking. It says “partantes les formations” instead of “les formations partantes” on the scoreboard.

Come on, as the English say.

Here’s what likely happened. In English, we say “starting lineup,” and it’s very logical to think a word-for-word translation was made instead of translating the expression as a whole.

Here’s how it likely went down.

Hey, we need to translate “starting lineup” into French. Let’s ask a French speaker what “starting” and “lineup” are in French.

This may seem trivial, but in a bilingual country (in Canada, we speak English… and simultaneous translation) and in a place like the capital region, seeing such a phrase is ridiculous. And it’s not an isolated incident.

But hey: at least Samuel Montembeault was chosen to join the Canadian team in February. It’s a joke, obviously.

In brief

– It’s a rink day for Darren Dreger.

– Oh no?

– Should we trade Mike Matheson?

– Well done.

– Happy birthday to him.

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Patrik Laine: “The goal was to get him out of that game.”

Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images

How is Patrik Laine doing this morning?

After all, we mustn’t forget that yesterday, the Finn did not finish the game between the Canadiens and the Columbus Blue Jackets. And Martin St-Louis did not give any clues about his physical health after the game.

So I repeat my question: how is Patrik Laine?

Obviously, I don’t expect to get a response before December 27 because it’s the holiday season. This morning, it is difficult to answer that question with certainty.

But we can chat.

Without being certain, we can think that the Canadiens played it safe. We think this because it is hard to pinpoint a moment when Laine would have gotten hurt to that extent, as he was targeted and the CH tweeted something that allowed us to read the word “caution” between the lines.

As I mentioned this morning, the CH never publishes things like that.

According to Renaud Lavoie, who discussed the topic on the morning show  of BPM Sports, it makes a lot of sense to think that the CH decided not to throw him back into the fray, considering the circumstances.

This leads me to believe that Laine isn’t really injured this morning. I could be wrong, but…

Let’s also note that Renaud Lavoie mentioned that “the goal was to get him out of that game” and as we can see, that worked. The former team player was hit in the shoulder area, where he was injured last year, and that’s not a coincidence.

No, Laine didn’t make any friends yesterday. #CaptainObvious

Overtime

At the moment, everything is great in the best of worlds in Montreal for Laine. But will he ever, if he plays elsewhere, do the same thing by speaking ill of the CH?

And if so, will he choose the right moment to do it?

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Dans les coulisses

Marc Denis will not analyze the upcoming games of the Canadiens.

We will have to wait before hearing from him.

The Montreal Canadiens are on break for the next few days. The team will play its next match on Saturday.

But Marc Denis, on the air at RDS, has informed us that his holiday break will be a little longer than that. After all, he won’t be there for the first matches following the break.

After yesterday’s match in Columbus, Pierre Houde and he announced that the former goaltender would take three games off, which include the two matches in Florida (December 28 and 29) and the game against Vegas on December 31. He will return for the match on January 3 in Chicago.

The match on Saturday will be on RDS as it will be broadcast at 1 PM and not in the evening.

Denis simply decided, according to what has been announced, to take a few days off to spend time with family during the holidays. With his years of experience, he can afford to do so more easily.

Bruno Gervais will take his place. The game analyst for the Rocket on RDS will assist Pierre Houde during the three games where Denis will be at home with his family.

He will therefore be in Vegas on December 31. There are worse places to be, I think.

It’s worth noting that it’s in moments like this that we see a station’s intentions. If Gervais was chosen to replace him, it’s undoubtedly because he is held in high regard.

He will certainly have big shoes to fill since Denis does an excellent job as the game analyst for the Canadiens on RDS.

Let’s recall that yesterday, Marc Denis had a big evening because in addition to analyzing the game, he was at the center of two stories that generated quite a bit of talk involving Patrik Laine.

He revealed that the Blue Jackets had chosen to stop honoring the Finn and he conducted the interview with Mathieu Olivier during the first intermission – during which he asked the question about Laine’s comments.

In Brief

– Speaking of Vegas.

– Oh really?

– No. The Canadiens are 14th in the East.

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Like Patrik Laine, GM Don Waddell has already criticized the losing mentality of the Blue Jackets.

Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images

When he arrived in his position as GM of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Don Waddell talked about the mentality of the Blue Jackets.

As can be seen in a TSN article from August, the former Hurricanes executive stated about his new team that he felt losing was acceptable, even though it shouldn’t be the case.

And let’s say that with Patrik Laine’s comments (who said that the Blue Jackets were complacent in losing) yesterday, Waddell’s old interview is becoming relevant again in Montreal.

How is this different?

Obviously, Waddell wasn’t there in the years prior, while Laine was. And since he was one of the highest-paid players in the locker room, his comments carry more weight than those of the GM.

Yesterday, we clearly saw it on the ice. The Blue Jackets, who are dealing with the loss of Johnny Gaudreau, probably found a second motivation to play well this year.

For those who think I’m exaggerating, put yourself in the shoes of the guys in Columbus: when you get called a loser, it gets to you, doesn’t it?

Yesterday, the guys were angry during and after the game (Laine was checked on the ice and criticized in front of the cameras), and I’m convinced it’s not just a coincidence that the home team came away with the W at the end of it all.

And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Canadiens said Laine was a “game-time decision” during the match. The Canadiens never say that when a player leaves the ice during a game.

Did the Canadiens do what they did in the last preseason game this fall by not playing their best players because they expected things to get rough? Possibly, yes.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Laine at the next team practice (even if Martin St-Louis wasn’t sure what to expect yesterday after the game), after the Christmas break. I don’t think he was seriously injured during yesterday’s game.

However, like Renaud Lavoie said on BPM Sports’ morning show, I think Laine chose the wrong moment to speak up. He would have been better off asking Aaron Portzline from The Athletic to publish his piece after the game.

This way, he would have had a nicer reunion with his former team, maybe he would have had a video tribute, and most importantly, his former teammates wouldn’t have targeted the upper body, the part where he was injured last year.

The idea was not to say nothing (even though he wouldn’t have lost anything by keeping it to himself), but to choose the right moment.

But nothing prevents that right now, after experiencing the atmosphere in the Jets’ and Blue Jackets’ locker rooms, where players wanted his head, he must be so happy to be in Montreal. There must be a bit of that behind his statements.

But it’s not just Patrik Laine in all of this. After all, to the dismay of Ohio’s fans, the Blue Jackets won 5-4 against the CH in a game that wasn’t perfect for the Canadiens.

What do I take away from all this?

1. It feels like the guys weren’t always on their game. The Christmas break should help a few guys on the team, including Mike Matheson, Lane Hutson, and Samuel Montembeault.

I’m not saying the guys weren’t good, but they seem tired. And that’s normal.

2. I’m at the point where I think Kirby Dach has really upset the Hockey Gods. Even if he’s not perfect on the ice, he just seems unable to score.

This sequence proves it.

3. Yesterday, Juraj Slafkovsky remembered that he was a bigger and stronger guy than others. On Lane Hutson’s goal, he did a great job in the corner to come out with the puck.

This is what we want to see. And well done to Hutson, who scored his second in the NHL.

4. Jordan Harris, traded this summer by the Canadiens, scored his first in his new colors. So all his NHL goals involve the Canadiens, when you think about it.

I wonder if he had money on the board.

5. Jake Evans picked the right time to have the season of his career, as he will be a free agent in a few months – unless he signs a new contract by then, of course.

I’m repeating myself, but trying him on a better line would be part of my game plan.

6. The Canadiens took 31 shots on goal. After taking 33 shots on goal last Friday, the team seems to have developed a taste for taking more than 30 shots on the opponent’s net… after not hitting that mark once this season until last week.

That’s worth noting.

Overtime

After failing to string together four wins in a row, the members of the Canadiens went their separate ways to celebrate Christmas. From the 24th to the 26th, nothing will happen with the Canadiens.

On the 27th, the guys will have to head to Florida for the game on the 28th against the Panthers. And as tradition dictates, the upcoming games will not be played in Montreal after Christmas.

  • December 28, 1 PM: Panthers
  • December 29, 5 PM: Lightning
  • December 31, 3 PM: Golden Knights
  • January 3, 8 PM: Blackhawks
  • January 4, 7 PM: Avalanche
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Dans les coulisses

Igor Shesterkin is better than Carey Price was, according to Alex Kovalev

Alex Kovalev certainly speaks his mind. Just two weeks ago, he criticized Ivan Demidov for how little he was used by his coach. His opinion was contrary to that of most fans who see no other option but to wait for the year to end.

Kovalev is once again going to raise eyebrows among CH fans with his most recent statement. In an interview with Responsible Gambling, he was asked which was the better goalie, Igor Shesterkin or Carey Price.

Kovalev replied that it was the Russian goalie who was better.

“Shesterkin is better. He reads the game better.” – Alex Kovalev

The former CH player stated that Price had success due to his size and positioning, while Shesterkin fights for every puck and reads the play better.

He concluded by mentioning that Price relied too much on his defenders during cross-ice passes, while Shesterkin takes care of it himself.

Despite the great player that Kovalev was in the NHL, it’s hard to agree with him on this. Without taking anything away from Shesterkin, who is an excellent goaltender, Carey Price rarely had a good team in front of him and consistently ranked among the top goalies in the NHL year after year.

His team did not score enough in front of him for most of his career, but he found a way to lead his team to victory.

It’s no wonder that other NHL teams considered him the most intimidating goalie to face.

Shesterkin is a very good goalie, but he won’t have the same aura. Will my viewpoint change in five years? Time will tell, but for now, if I had to choose one of the two goalies for a game, it would be Price.

Quick Hits

– Ouch!

– It’s getting more tense.

– Wow!

 

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Dans les coulisses

Sean Avery wants to become the head coach of the Rangers

In the category of “how to self-destruct in a few months,” the Rangers deserve a gold medal, or even ten. This downfall began with the public exit of general manager Chris Drury, who had threatened some of his players with a trade and told his peers that he was open to exchanges.

Since then, Jacob Trouba and Kappo Kakko have been traded, and the Rangers continue to sink in the standings.

In the midst of this disaster, Sean Avery believes he has the solution to turn the ship around.

After seeing his name mentioned by Paul Bissonnette as a potential replacement for Drury, here he is claiming to have had a discussion with Drury about the head coach position.

“I have officially submitted my application for the head coach position of the New York Rangers. I have already reached out to those I would like to have with me behind the bench” – Sean Avery

The former pest of the Rangers even mentioned that he is considering having a co-head coach, Steve Ott, and sharing duties with him.

This story is quite incredible. Having official discussions for a replacement for Peter Laviolette, who is still the head coach, might signal the end for Drury.

Perhaps also for Laviolette, who is watching his team collapse.

Today, the Rangers faced the Devils in the afternoon in Newark, and the result was disastrous.

The Rangers lost 5-0 and only took 12 shots on the opposing net. The atmosphere was already tense in the New York camp before the game, as Kris Kreider was left out of the lineup.

The Rangers had just lost to the Hurricanes yesterday, and it soured again today. How long will this last?

One thing is certain, the soup is hot in the Big Apple, very hot.

In Brief

– The Devils are merciless.

– A lot of success for Cooley.

– A nice spot for Hutson.

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Dans les coulisses

Top-5: Nikita Kucherov expelled from the game for a vicious kneeing on Matthew Tkachuk.

Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images

Yesterday, on this last day of action in the National Hockey League before the holiday break, we had 13 games.

26 teams were therefore in action one last time before going to unwrap their gifts.

Here are the various highlights that caught our attention yesterday.

1. Kucherov expelled from the game for a vicious knee-on-knee hit on Matthew Tkachuk

The Battle of Florida was on the agenda last night, and true to form, it did not disappoint.

Indeed, we know that the two teams do not like each other, which always results in a lot of intensity and animosity.

Even the star players get involved in the physical and dirty play in this type of game.

This was the case last night, as after scoring his 15th goal of the season and 50th point in 30 games, Nikita Kucherov delivered a vicious knee hit to Matthew Tkachuk.

Here’s the goal.

And here’s Kucherov’s dirty hit, which cost him a five-minute major penalty and an ejection from the game.

Fortunately for the Panthers, Tkachuk returned to the game, so it was more fear than harm.

Let’s see now if Kucherov will be suspended for this clearly deliberate and disgusting act.

As for the game itself, the Lightning won 4-0, with Jonas Johansson stopping all 36 shots from the Panthers.

2. Sidney Crosby ties a franchise record held by Mario Lemieux

Last night, while the Pittsburgh Penguins enjoyed a 7-3 victory against their arch-rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers, Sidney Crosby achieved quite a feat.

Sure, he got four points, but what stands out is that he registered three assists.

With his three assists, Crosby tied Mario Lemieux and equaled the franchise record for the most assists in Pittsburgh Penguins history.

Crosby and Lemieux both have 1,033 assists.

Here’s the pass that allowed Crosby to tie Lemieux.

This is quite an achievement to catch up to Mario Lemieux in a statistic.

It speaks volumes about Sidney Crosby’s career and how much of a legend he is in the sport.

3. Jacob Markstrom records a second consecutive shutout with 12 saves

The New Jersey Devils are back in full force this season, largely due to having solved their major goaltending issue from last season that cost them a playoff spot.

Indeed, Jacob Markstrom (and even Jake Allen) is really solid in front of the Devils’ net, regardless of the action he faces.

Sometimes, Markstrom needs to save a game, but other times, he barely has to do anything to help his team.

This was the case in the last two games, as the Devils’ goaltender has now recorded two consecutive shutouts with 12 saves each.

On Saturday, in a 3-0 victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and last night in a 5-0 victory against the New York Rangers.

Speaking of the Rangers, things are not getting better in New York, as even with shaking things up by trading Kaapo Kakko or benching Chris Kreider, the Rangers continue to lose miserably.

The Rangers are currently five points out of the playoffs and have only two points more than the Montreal Canadiens, with the same number of games played.

In short, things are really bad for the Blue Shirts, and the New Jersey Devils did not hesitate to mock them last night.

Indeed, they taunted Kaapo Kakko’s selection in 2019 by showing on the big screen the reaction of Rangers fans during that selection, then showing Jack Hughes on the bench smiling.

The Devils fans also chanted Kaapo Kakko’s name throughout the evening.

In short, nothing is going well for the Rangers, much to the delight of their rivals.

4. The Sabres finally end their horrible losing streak

And there you have it, the Buffalo Sabres have finally won a hockey game, as they ended their streak of 13 consecutive losses by demolishing the New York Islanders 7-1.

The Sabres managed to get Islanders fans to leave well before the end of the game.

This is a harsh defeat for the Patrick Roy’s Islanders, who remain five points out of the playoff picture while having the worst special teams in the entire NHL.

Patrick Roy did everything he could to get his team back in the game, pulling his goalie with 11 minutes remaining in the game while trailing 5-1.

It should also be noted that despite the 7-1 loss, Roy stated that his team did not play as poorly as the score indicated.

5. Hat trick for Dylan Holloway

Since joining the St. Louis Blues via the offer sheets submitted to the Edmonton Oilers, Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg have really blossomed.

The two former Oilers seem to be thriving with the Blues, especially in Holloway’s case.

In 89 career games with the Oilers, Holloway had only nine goals and 18 points in the regular season.

And now this season, before yesterday’s game, Holloway had already surpassed his career best with more goals (10) and more points (19) in 35 games with the Blues.

And yesterday, the former Oilers player scored his first career hat trick in a 4-0 win for the St. Louis Blues against the Detroit Red Wings.

In short, Holloway seems to be really enjoying his time in St. Louis, and it’s great to see the 14th overall pick in the 2020 draft bloom like this at age 23.

Overtime

– Ouch. John Gibson had to leave the game after this incident. Hopefully, he is not seriously injured.

– Elias Pettersson’s health status remains to be monitored closely with the Canucks.

– Here are all the results from yesterday.

– Here are the top scorers from yesterday.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– On the agenda tonight: Christmas Eve!

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Dans les coulisses

« No comment »: Mathieu Olivier refuses to speak about Patrik Laine’s remarks.

With his comments earlier today, let’s say Patrik Laine did not make any friends in Columbus.

First, the Jackets reportedly canceled their tribute planned for him. And during the intermission, Marc Denis asked Mathieu Olivier if the team was playing more intensely (especially towards Laine) to make him eat his words.

His response: “no comment.”

At the beginning of the game, the big number 92 was hit multiple times.

In this sequence, he was flattened on the ice:

Moreover, he was not back on the bench at the start of the second period.

We hope that his injury is not too serious.

The fact that Olivier said “no comment” is much more significant than if he had said that Columbus didn’t care about his comments and that the club was playing its game.

By giving such a response, I understand that he meant: yes, but I’m not talking about it. It’s worth noting that Olivier and Laine were good friends in Columbus, but today it’s different.

The Blue Jackets really took the comments badly, then.

Imagine if a former Canadiens player had said that about Montreal… It would have definitely made waves.

Overtime

The one who was traded for Laine, Jordan Harris, took advantage of his former team visiting the city to score his first goal with the Jackets.

Of course…

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Dans les coulisses

Patrik Laine requested a trade from the Jackets because he was tired of losing.

Since Patrik Laine returned to the game, the Canadiens have not lost. At least, they haven’t lost as much as before.

Montreal has only lost three times in nine games. And in those nine games, Laine, the third star last week, scored eight goals, all on the power play. He is helping the team to win, and that’s what matters to him. The Finn doesn’t like to lose, which is why he requested a trade from the Jackets.

Indeed, as noted in Aaron Portzline’s excellent article on The Athletic, the CH winger wants to win, and he felt that not all players and management members in Columbus shared the same mentality as him.

“If he didn’t like losing, then why did he agree to be traded to the Canadiens, Raph?”

First of all, Montreal was not on his list of 10 teams he didn’t want to be traded to. Secondly, although it is ironic to want to win and be traded to a worse team than his former one, there is a winning mentality in Montreal.

Laine told Portzline (The Athletic) that even in losses, he feels the players are giving their all to win.

In Columbus, that was not the case.

I feel like we were doing the same thing year after year. I was tired of losing and giving up when it’s December and we should start focusing on next year. I don’t intend to do that. As a player, it’s frustrating to try to win when some people aren’t like that. – Patrik Laine

Tonight, the Finn will play his first game against his former club. He doesn’t know if he will be warmly welcomed, but if not, he doesn’t really care.

He is there to play hockey with his new team, he is happy here, and for the rest, he doesn’t worry.

With a win in regulation, the Canadiens (31 points) could pass the Jackets (32 points) in the standings. For Laine, only the victory matters tonight.

It would be great to leave them behind [in the standings]. – Patrik Laine

In brief

– When he plays, he performs.

– It’s crazy.

– Too bad.

– Signing of the Alouettes.

– Good luck.

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Dans les coulisses

Chris Kreider will be sidelined by the Rangers today (even though he is healthy)

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 11: Chris Kreider #20 of the New York Rangers watches before a face-off against the Carolina Hurricanes during the second period in Game Four of the Second Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PNC Arena on May 11, 2024 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images)

Oh boy…

That was my reaction upon seeing this news that just came out in the last few minutes.

Chris Kreider will not play this afternoon as his team faces the Devils. And it’s not because he’s injured…

The veteran is disappointing, and his performance has been atrocious since the start of the season.

He has only 12 points (11 goals) in 30 games, and now, Peter Laviolette has decided that it’s enough.

Kreider will be a healthy scratch today:

Chris Kreider is one of the leaders in New York.

We’ve seen him wear a letter on his jersey in recent years, which is why Laviolette’s decision is significant.

The coach wants to send a message to the rest of his group, which makes sense.

Let’s remember that before being traded to Seattle, Kaapo Kakko said he was not happy to have been a healthy scratch by Laviolette when he “wasn’t the worst” player on the team.

This stirred controversy because he pointed his finger at his coach in front of reporters. He was traded a few days later…

That said, maybe Kakko’s comments reached Laviolette’s ears.

This clearly did not fall on deaf ears… And Laviolette is doing what he can to keep his job.

It remains to be seen if the decision will pay off…

Follow-Up

It should be noted that this is a second game in as many days for the New York team.

Yesterday’s game against the Hurricanes was broadcast on TVA Sports, and Sébastien Goulet, who described the game, said he barely saw Kreider throughout the evening: