Did you know that a new production involving Maurice Richard is imminent?
As can be seen through the social media of Cinoche cinema, an unprecedented portrait of the legendary #9 will land on our screens soon, in the winter of 2025.
It is a documentary (in the form of a feature film) that will talk about someone who was significant in the history of the Montreal Canadiens, but also for French-speaking Quebecers.
You can click here to see the trailer for this project.
Let us remember that in 2005, there was a film about his career. But this time, it’s different: there will not be actors in the film since it will use archival footage.
There will be unseen footage that has not been revealed to the public before which will be included in the feature film.
These images were filmed over 35 years, which means we will be able to see him at various moments in his life. This is different from the 2005 film, which focused on his playing career.
I am convinced that a film of this kind, about a player built from a mold that no longer exists today, will attract the attention of many people in Montreal and across Quebec.
And it is normal since his impact went beyond the realm of hockey, as he helped French speakers assert themselves.
Maurice Richard would’ve celebrated his 100th birthday today.
During the match on Monday between the Blue Jackets and the Canadiens, it became clear that the Columbus players had on their minds the comments made by Patrik Laine (regarding the loser mentality of the Blue Jackets), who spoke before the match.
This is understandable.
The club canceled the tribute prepared for the Finn (it was supposed to be presented during the match) and a feud has emerged between the former player and the organization. Yes, the marriage definitely ended badly in Ohio last summer.
But aside from the fact that he was targeted, we must understand that he was aimed at his surgically repaired shoulder from last year. Clearly, everyone in the Columbus locker room knew which one it was.
Obviously, this has sparked reactions. But who is surprised here? This happens very often in the NHL, stuff like this.
You know that to hurt Laine (or just to make him feel pain), there are two primary areas to target: the shoulder that bothered him at the beginning of 2024 and the knee that cost him two months of activity this fall.
The guys from Columbus couldn’t aim for his knee without it being dirty. But the shoulder? That can be done quite easily.
Because the hits are usually directed at the shoulder, it was easy to execute. And in my eyes, it’s not a coincidence that Laine didn’t finish the game, all in the name of prevention.
Because yes, everything suggests that Laine is not seriously injured. I could be wrong, but…
On the ESPN site, he is officially listed as day-to-day. However, I see this as just a formality for a player who didn’t finish Monday night’s game.
Laine is officially listed as «day-to-day» by the Montreal Canadiens. I guess we’ll have to see in the next few days if they just pulled him out for that game to avoid him getting targeted, or if he really aggravated the shoulder. My guess unfortunately is the latter.
We will have more answers in two days when the CH resumes training ahead of its return to play on Saturday against Florida. Until then, the CH is on break: don’t expect any developments.
To be continued, then.
In Brief
– Consider yourself greeted by Aaron Portzline this December 25.
Merry Christmas | Joyeux Noël | God Jul | Hyvää joulua | Veselé Vánoce | glædelig jul | Frohe Weihnachten | з Різдвом | Καλά Χριστούγεννα | Nollaig Shona | 聖誕快樂 | Buon Natale | Priecīgus Ziemassvētkus | Feliz Navidad | חג מולד שמח | С Рождеством | メリークリスマス
For the past few weeks, things have been looking good for Arber Xhekaj.
He’s staying in the Canadiens’ lineup because his game is up to par. Playing with David Savard clearly has an effect on his partner’s game on the left; let’s be honest about that. #StabilizingEffect
That’s great news for the Canadiens.
After all, it hasn’t always been the case for the Sheriff. He has sometimes made headlines for his turnovers, for his fights, or for things like his off-ice endorsement deals.
And today, that’s what I want to talk to you about.
I don’t know if you know Tacu, but he’s a Quebecer who’s increasingly making a name for himself with his videos on social media with his son. You can follow him here, for those interested.
And now Xhekaj and Tacu have joined forces in a video aimed at promoting the defender’s burger at La Belle et la Boeuf.
For a few weeks now, things have been looking up for Arber Xhekaj.
He hasn’t left the Canadiens’ lineup because his play is up to par. Playing with David Savard clearly has an effect on the game of his left-side partner, let’s be honest. #StabilizingEffect
That’s great news for the Canadiens.
After all, it hasn’t always been the case for the Sheriff. He has sometimes been in the spotlight for his turnovers, his fights, or elements like his off-ice endorsement deals.
And today, that’s what I want to talk to you about.
I don’t know if you’re familiar with Tacu, but he’s a Quebecer who is increasingly gaining attention for his videos on social media with his son. You can follow him here, for those interested.
And now Xhekaj and Tacu have joined forces in a video aimed at promoting the defender’s burger at La Belle et la Boeuf.
We are in the month of December, but we are also approaching the mid-season in the National Hockey League.
Some clubs are disappointing, while others are impressive… But as I write these lines, it is almost impossible to predict which team will win the Stanley Cup in six months.
Nonetheless, I decided to play along and talk about five teams that, in my eyes, have a chance to go all the way. Let’s go!
The Edmonton Oilers
It started poorly for the Edmonton Oilers.
The team struggled to get going after losing the last final to the Florida Panthers, and it took time before we saw the Oilers return to their winning ways.
But now, for the past month, everything has returned to normal in Edmonton.
The two-headed monster has awakened, the defense is playing tighter, and Stuart Skinner – even if he is not always perfect – is doing the job in front of his net.
On paper, the Oilers have what it takes to go all the way.
I would perhaps like to see Stan Bowman (GM) find additional support on the right side of the defense, but otherwise… The Oilers really have a great team.
This is without mentioning Evander Kane, who is currently injured:
(Credit: DailyFaceoff)
There are chances of seeing Kane return at the beginning of March, but it could also be possible in April.
The forward should, however, be able to participate in the playoffs, and if that happens, the Oilers will be a team to watch, in my opinion.
The New Jersey Devils
During the 2022-2023 season, the Devils were really good.
They finished the campaign with a record of 52 wins, 22 losses, and eight other overtime defeats… This allowed them to secure 2nd place in the Metropolitan Division.
However, they lost in the 2nd round of the playoffs.
The Devils had a difficult season in 23-24, but there are two reasons: the team has been plagued by injuries and the goaltenders did not do the job.
They tried to save their season by trading for Jake Allen, but it was already too little too late.
But now, everything is running smoothly in New Jersey.
The Devils are well placed at the top of the overall standings in the National Hockey League, they are scoring a lot of goals while conceding few, the special teams are performing wonderfully… And in front of the net, Jake Allen and Jacob Markstrom are really solid.
The team relies on young players, and when we look at that, there aren’t many players with playoff experience… But in terms of talent, the Devils have what it takes to cause damage.
Now, it remains to be seen if Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood can solidify things in front of the net.
The Avalanche has traded its three goaltenders (Alexandar Georgiev, Kaapo Kahkonen, and Justus Annunen) since the start of the season because they were atrocious, and things have been much better since the “Wood-Duo” has been in place.
The Avalanche has too much talent to be ruled out of the picture.
And if Valeri Nichushkin can stay stable, that will help as well.
The Toronto Maple Leafs
I know, I know…
In Montreal, no one is supposed to vote for the Toronto Leafs in this kind of exercise.
But at the same time, the Leafs are so good this year!
Led by the brilliance of Mitch Marner, who is having quite a season, the Leafs are sitting at the top of the Atlantic Division (record of 21-11-2) and overall, the team looks really solid.
It’s especially the acquisition of Chris Tanev on defense that changes everything.
The Leafs are very good in their zone, they don’t give up many goals to the opponent, and they finally have a general on the blue line who can guide the other defenders.
No matter how much we hate the Leafs… We must also admit: on paper, the team has a really interesting roster.
(Credit: Daily Faceoff)
Additionally, both goaltenders have been excellent since the start of the season.
Anthony Stolarz is currently injured, but Joseph Woll is there to back him up, and that makes a difference.
We know that it’s always harder for the Leafs in the playoffs. But this year, maybe it’s the right one…
Overtime
You will notice that there are three Canadian teams among my five choices.
It would be time for the Stanley Cup to return to Canada: the last time was in 1993… When the Canadiens defeated Wayne Gretzky and the Kings to lift the 24th Stanley Cup in their history.
In two days, Team Canada will begin its World Junior Championship against Finland.
Several young prospects for our favorites will be worth watching, and perhaps one of them will even play in Montreal in 2025 and/or 2026, who knows?
Here are five players to keep an eye on:
Gavin McKenna – undrafted
Gavin McKenna is far the youngest on this team. He was born in 2027 and due to the fact that he will not be drafted in 2025, he will be in the tournament next year as well.
He will have two opportunities to showcase himself in a highly anticipated tournament for scouts. Right now, he is the consensus first overall pick for the 2026 draft. He has generational talent akin to Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby, and I know of a few teams that will finish near the bottom of the overall standings in 2025-2026 who are already licking their chops.
The kid is that spectacular. Make no mistake, despite his young age, I expect to see him dominate. Well, I don’t believe he will break Connor Bedard’s record of 23 points in one tournament, but he will have the chance to come close.
McKenna, who has 60 points in 30 games in the WHL, is a name to remember. Many teams will be watching this young player closely, anyway.
Matthew Schaefer – undrafted
Matthew Schaefer is another undrafted player, but unlike McKenna, he will be selected in the upcoming draft.
In many mock drafts, he is at the top. For those who don’t necessarily follow junior hockey in Canada, you will get a chance to see how incredibly talented he is.
This will be a pretty important tournament for him if he wants to solidify his rank for the next draft. James Hagens, who will play for the United States, also has chances to make a splash in June.
Porter Martone – undrafted
If Porter Martone isn’t in the same category as Schaefer and Hagens, he will still be drafted very early in 2025.
He’s a big guy and you will notice him quite easily on the ice in the coming days. As Simon Boisvert likes to say, he is a man playing among children, and this tournament, against the best young players in the world, will be crucial for his development: is he just as dominant against players a little closer to the NHL?
Sam Dickinson – Sharks
Sam Dickinson has already been drafted, (by the Sharks), but this will be his first World Junior Championship.
I include him in the five players to watch because he is one of my favorite defensemen from the last draft. In my opinion, he was a steal for the Sharks at 11th overall and the one who has 46 points in 26 games with the London Knights (OHL) is impressive.
A defenseman with nearly two points per game is impressive, no matter the level. Dickinson will be Team Canada’s number one or two defenseman (along with Schaefer) and he will have huge responsibilities. For fans who know him less, this will be the perfect opportunity to get familiar with his game.
And if you don’t have time to watch him soon, you will see him often in the highlights over the next few years in San Jose.
Jett Luchanko – Flyers
For reasons everyone knows, Canadiens fans like to scrutinize Flyers prospects closely.
The comparisons of Ivan Demidov-David Reinbacher-Matvei Michkov won’t stop anytime soon. I’d like to talk about Jett Luchanko because, honestly, I was greatly surprised by his early selection by Philadelphia in the last draft.
13th overall: Daniel Brière bypassed Zeev Buium (who was chosen 12th overall, but the Flyers moved back), Michael Hage, Trevor Connelly, and Cole Eiserman, among others, to select Luchanko.
I’m excited to see him with Team Canada because Luchanko, after all, is one of the three players selected in 2024 to have played in a game in the NHL. The others are Macklin Celebrini and one of the Avalanche’s seventh-round picks, Nikita Prishchepov (10 games).
In four games, Luchanko didn’t record a point and was sent back relatively quickly to the OHL, where he is doing well, nothing more. He has 20 points in 16 games, which is not bad, but I expect more points for a guy drafted 13th overall.
With Team Canada, he will have the chance to prove that Philadelphia made a good choice in drafting him. He will have plenty of opportunities to showcase his talent. We’ll see if he makes me eat my words.
Overtime
Here is the schedule for our prospects in the World Junior Championship taking place in Ottawa:
December 26 against Finland
December 27 against Latvia
December 29 against Germany
December 31 against the United States
The game on New Year’s Eve should be to determine first place in the division.
In the NHL, the history of the Canadiens is undoubtedly the most glorious.
Despite this, Lane Hutson is able to write his name among the hundreds of rookie defensemen who have worn the tricolor uniform.
He is the left-hander who has the two longest point streaks by a rookie defenseman in the club’s history. He alone holds the longest streak (seven games) and tied with two other guys, he has the second longest streak (six).
Longest point streaks by a rookie defenceman – @CanadiensMTL franchise history:
7- Lane Hutson (2024-25)
6- Hutson (2024-25 via 1 goal in Monday’s 5-4 loss vs CBJ)
6- Glen Harmon (1942-43)
6- Chris Chelios (1984-85)
6- Chelios (1984-85)
5- Tom Kurvers (’84-85)
5- Chelios (’84-85) pic.twitter.com/7rg5tUpGtC
Moreover, this second streak is active and it stayed alive yesterday with a goal against the Blue Jackets.
On Saturday against the Florida Panthers, he will have the chance to extend his streak to seven games with at least one point and thus hold the two longest point streaks for a rookie defenseman in the history of the organization.
That’s no small feat, and this accomplishment deserves recognition. As of today, the American has collected 26 points (two goals and 24 assists) in 34 games. He is on pace to collect 62, which would be phenomenal for a 20-year-old guy who is 5 feet 9 inches tall.
Hutson (with Quinn Hughes) is one of those who demonstrate that even if you are small and play defense, you can produce in the big league. When the playoffs come, it might be different. After all, Hughes had a tough time in Vancouver under similar circumstances.
But if I notice one thing about Hutson, it’s that defensively, he doesn’t let himself be imposed upon. And he doesn’t get walked through in his territory (like Mike Matheson, his colleague, did yesterday).
Among all the rookie players in the NHL, the Canadiens’ prospect is ranked second in scoring.
He is just one point behind Matvei Michkov and the first place. Macklin Celebrini, who has nine fewer games, is one point behind Hutson. Look no further: those three will be the finalists for the Calder Trophy.
Without being biased, I believe that Lane is the most impressive, as he is a defenseman… not a forward playing on the first line of a weak team.
It should be mentioned that Laine’s comments were not only poorly received by the Jackets. Indeed, in his column on BPM Sports today, Mathias Brunet confessed that the winger missed a good opportunity to keep quiet.
Brunet believes that the comments should not have been made, especially before the game.
If he could do it again, the journalist is sure that he wouldn’t have said anything. One thing is certain, the Finn has certainly learned his lesson, and if he were to speak ill of a former team, it should be done privately or after the game. Anthony Marcotte and Renaud Lavoie share Mathias’ opinion: Laine definitely put his foot in his mouth.
Comments of this nature, need good timing. Marcotte finds the timing of his message quite strange. It has only motivated the enemy.
My colleague Charles-Alexis Brisebois told you that Don Waddell made similar comments recently, but according to Brunet, the boss has the right to do so. He was not there when the club was struggling and was not part of the problem. Laine was part of the problem; he was in the locker room with the guys and spent four years with them.
In short, 24 hours after the comments, the page has turned, and now we look to the health status of the main interested party. Is he seriously injured, or did the Habs just want to pull him from that game?
Do not expect any news tomorrow or the day after: the team is not playing, and no one is working.
Quick Hits
– We also need to see the positive…
From a scouting perspective, Dach had a very impressive shift. He made an excellent defensive play deep in his zone to spin away from the opponent. Nice puck skills and speed exiting the zone, smart feed to Newhook on the rush, solid puck retrievals in the O zone, and chip to… pic.twitter.com/G9Du8dyMGJ
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.
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.
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.
Patrik Laine’s return to play in tonight’s game remains uncertain (upper body).
Patrik Laine is questionable to return to tonight’s game (upper body).
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?
Patrik Laine played in Winnipeg, then made comments against the Jets before a game this season.
He played in Columbus and made very negative remarks about his former team yesterday.
Never two without three? Will he speak against the CH in 2027 when he returns…
