Author: Dose

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Daughter’s heart surgery: Nick Foligno puts hockey on hold

Bad news in Chicago: the Blackhawks have announced that captain Nick Foligno will have to take a short break from hockey to be with his family at a difficult time.Family comes first, of course,so what’s going on? His daughter had heart surgery for congenital heart disease. So basically, it’s a heart defect, so it’s an important situation… and the Hawks won’t give any more details.

[content-ads]Regardless of the time of year or the standings, it’s clear that Foligno’s place is with his family. He must support his family, including of course his daughter. No one will begrudge him his absence, and everyone will wish him and especially his daughter well. We can expect a good wave of support throughout the NHL. When he comes back (whenever that may be), I expect a lot of opponents to take the time to talk to him and check on his family. How will the young Hawks react without their captain and under the circumstances? We’ll see. [spacer title=’Overtime’]- Interesting:

– Brady Tkachuk: heavy loss. [BPM Sports] – He becomes a point guard in Nashville

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Patrik Laine, Kaiden Guhle and Jake Evans absent from practice

The Canadiens are practicing in Brossard this morning. It’s photo day, but a few players won’t be able to practice this morning, namely Patrik Laine, Kaiden Guhle and Jake Evans. We’re talking about Patrik Laine, Kaiden Guhle and Jake Evans, all of whom have a treatment day.

It’s that time of year again, when some boo-boos prevent certain players from playing at 100% of their abilities. If nothing gets worse, we can expect to see all three guys play tomorrow against Nashville.Details to come…[spacer title=’Overtime’]- Please note:

– Ceiling: Habs better positioned than Panthers?[98.5 Sports] – Logical

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Lane Hutson contract: the Players’ Association didn’t do its job

Lane Hutson signed for slightly less than he was worth. Not much, in my opinion, but he still left money on the table.Why? Because he was tired of negotiating. To leave some for others. Not to be a distraction. For all sorts of reasons, really. So Kent Hughes(who leads by example even though the executives have no payroll) made his point and succeeded, on behalf of the collective, in getting his defenseman signed at a discount under the circumstances.

And on that subject, Martin Leclerc(on the Tellement Hockey podcast) took it from a different angle: what if it’s more (partly) the Players’ Association’s fault?In what sense?Marty Walsh, who heads the NHLPA, seems to be getting the short end of the stick. According to many, he lost out in the latest union negotiations, and he’s not great for players’ (rights). Martin Leclerc has said (and he’s right) that if the Players’ Association’s leadership were strong, agents who too often let their players sign at a discount would be lectured for leaving money on the table.[content-ads]

Back in the day, Gilles Lupien dropped a client because they wanted to leave money on the table. It’s only a short step to making the connection with Martin Brodeur.Why? Because when it comes to negotiating, comparisons abound. And if the best players leave money on the table, it doesn’t raise salaries for the others. For the NHLPA, the Stanley Cup is won every year anyway. Leclerc asserts that the NHL is on a 50% revenue-sharing basis, and that players need to realize this. Teams won’t spend 100% of the payroll, which sets players back. And the more discounts the guys take, the worse it will be for the players. [content-ads]We’ve seen it: some players don’t want to sign at full price because they’ve fully bought into their team’s game plan: leave some for others.

This is clearly the case for the Canadiens, who will soon have to sign Ivan Demidov, Zachary Bolduc and (possibly) Mike Matheson. Kent Hughes, who saw Patrice Bergeron sign at a discount when he was his agent, applies the recipe he knows. He explains it to the players when the time comes to negotiate. And fortunately for him and the fans, the guys buy the plan.

[content-ads]I’ve said it many times: I really respect a player who takes a discount, but I won’t criticize a player for going after his full monetary value either.

Andas Martin Leclerc says: how will the Habs players react if an outside guy (Artemi Panarin, for example) comes to town at $14 million a year? Because the CH will always want to spend up to the ceiling, that’s a possibility. The Radio-Canada journalist, who recalls that Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin won the Stanley Cup in 2009 by not signing at a discount at the time, wants to see players take advantage of their NHL window to get what they deserve. And above all, they mustn’t drive salaries down. In another sphere of society, that would be pretty frowned upon.spacer title=’Overtime’]- Wow.

– Interesting.

– Oh yeah?

– It’s not looking good for the Blue Jays.[BPM Sports] – Enjoy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD8xj-8prug

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Canadiens 2025-26: good teams always find a way to win

Good teams always find a way to win. If the following sentence is still true in 2025, and my 536 SN math hasn’t totally changed with the reformation, I think it’s safe to conclude that the Canadiens are a good team right now. The Habs have managed to pick up six points out of a possible eight so far this campaign, in four different arenas and often in games that could have gone either way.

But instead of thinking that the Habs deserve better, or that expected goals speak louder than actual goals, Montreal fans are rooting for a talented team that sits second in the NHL’s Eastern Association this morning, just behind the Hurricanes. Wow, the Canadiens are also the second-highest scoring team in the league so far this campaign (15). What more could you ask for?If this keeps up, the Cage is going to have to up its free wing rate to six or seven goals; after four games, the diner is already dealing with two five-goal games. What jumps out at me from last night’s home opener and the Habs’ wonderful start to the season? [content-ads]1. My colleague JT mentioned it last night on his Patreon: the most applauded players before the game were also the best during the game last night.

Cole Caufield (2 goals), Ivan Demidov (1 goal and 1 superb assist), Nick Suzuki (6th point of the season) and Lane Hutson (1 assist, best game of the season) were all warmly welcomed by the crowd and they all had a big game.The quality of Demidov’s 2-point goal and Caufield’s winning goal was something!2. You know, I’ve rapped in the distant past. I made my career in the days of Sans Pression, Muzion, Taktika, Treizième étage, Ale Dee, Accrophone… and Sir Pathétik.Never – ever – did I think I’d see a Canadiens player choose a Sir Pathétik song to make his entrance on the Bell Centre ice in his first official game with the team. It happened yesterday with Zachary Bolduc, when he chose Sir Pathétik’s Pour mon pays to represent him. Thumbs up to the Poulet rouge guy for calling it yesterday afternoon !Even Sir Path appreciated it![content-ads]To see Bolduc choose a French urban Québécois song as his entrance song, that’s cool! To see him choose a sovereignist and independentist song, that’s also notable. Maybe it’s true that young people are increasingly intrigued by the Québécois sovereignty movement,but seeing a Habs player pay tribute to Sir Pathétik at the Bell Centre wasn’t on my bingo card in 2010. Sir Path wasn’t the most respected of rappers, let’s put it that way, but even though Bolduc hails from the same town (Trois-Rivières) as Sir Pathétik, he was only two years old when we sang at the now-defunct Maquisart with Sir Path. He got to know the artist and his discography afterwards…Malicious tongues will say that entering on a Sir Pathétik song brought bad luck to Bolduc, who didn’t find the back of the net last night. I’m more of a believer in chance, really.3. The Habs’ centers won more than 50% of face-offs for the second straight game (56.3%). It makes a difference when you’re not constantly losing the puck when it’s put in play.4. Montreal’s power play (0 in 2) had another tough game, as the penalty kill failed to completely muzzle the Kraken. We’ll have to be better on our special units [content-ads]5. Patrik Laine picked up his first point of the season last night on Ivan Demidov’s equalizer (even though he had a string of weak and/or off-target shots throughout the evening). Only Josh Anderson and Jake Evans still have a zero on their respective scorecards.6. Lane Hutson had his best game of the season, even blocking three shots. It’s clear to me that the end of negotiations has given him a chance to clear his head. Good for him!7. Carey Price was present at the Bell Centre yesterday, even if the Canadiens and RDS didn’t make much of a fuss about it. Just because he’s now (officially) a member of the San Jose Sharks doesn’t mean that Carey Price no longer vibrates to the rhythm of the Habs. One colleague dared to wonder how Price could feel seeing so much forward talent in the Montreal line-up, after having to deal most of the time with a low- to mid-quality attack. Another replied: “I guess he figures he should have left some money on the table too, to maximize his chances of winning.”True!8. Watch out for fans who can’t live with questions about their team (and its Québécois players, to boot): Samuel Montembeault stopped only 18 of 24 shots (.818). Since the start of the season, the Québécois goaltender’s efficiency has been just .870. Montembeault also struggled during the pre-season, allowing eight goals on 65 shots (.877 efficiency). I ask: when will we ask ourselves if Jakub Dobes deserves to keep more games?I think Martin St-Louis and Éric Raymond should seriously consider giving Dobes one of the next three games at the Bell Centre…[content-ads]9. The Canadiens are relying more on a mix of talent and grit/attitude to define their identity (and I like it).

10. Ivan Demidov had one point in three games on the road, then picked up two points in his first game at home last night.Last spring, he had two points in two regular games at home, before picking up two more in two playoff games at the Bell Centre, only to be blanked in three games in Washington.

In short, Demidov is far more productive at home (6 points in 5 games) than on the road (1 point in 6 games). It’s normal to see a talented young player arriving in North America have more success in front of his fans, with the latest change, than away. Demidov will have to find a way to produce on the road, however, or it won’t be long before the Habs haters nickname him Ivan Demidov Domicile.11. The Habs have just won three consecutive games [content-ads]12. Arber Xhekaj (10m00) and Patrik Laine (10m43) were the Canadiens’ two least-used players last night. I think Martin St-Louis will be patient and wait for a loss before taking either of them out and bringing in Jayden Struble or Joe Veleno. But it’ll come sooner rather than later…Xhekaj can’t afford to string together games with zero checking!13. Mike Matheson and Noah Dobson have formed quite a first pair since the start of the season. They each collected a point and finished yesterday’s game at plus-2. Will Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton be able to work their magic and extend Mike Matheson’s contract without breaking the piggy bank?Noah Dobson had a masterful game yesterday. He’s quickly making people forget his preparatory schedule (and healing).

[spacer title=’Prolongation’]The team’s next three games will be played at the Bell Centre: Thursday against the surprising Predators, Saturday against the lethargic Rangers and Monday against the poor Sabres.

Objective: four points out of six, no less!Can’t wait to see if the new trios tested at the end of the game will be used to start tomorrow night’s game..

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An average age of 24 for the Canadiens’ 10 goal scorers this season

When you look at the Canadiens’ goal-scorers this year, you’ll see that 10 guys (seven forwards and three defensemen) have found the back of the net.Here’s the list.

(Credit: NHL.com)

When you look at it, you’d think that it wasn’t exactly old players scoring the goals. And that’s exactly the case, when you take the time to analyze it all. Statistician Guillaume Villemaire lent himself to the game, and based on his research, he was able to conclude that 13 of the Habs’ 15 goals (in addition to those of Mike Matheson and Alexandre Carrier) were scored by players under the age of 25. The club’s 15 goals were scored, on average, by guys 24 years and 41 days old. #Wow[content-ads]

One notable player has yet to score, among the younger players: Nick Suzuki. By the way, the guy’s been here since 2019 and has been captain since 2022: is he still a youngster? #RealQuestionBut anyway, all that to say that Suzuki leads the league, right now, in assists with six. He’s tied with Mark Stone and Evgeni Malkin at the top.Have Team Canada executives seen this?[content-ads]

So even if the Canadiens’ #14 hasn’t found the back of the net yet (logically, it won’t be long), he’s still finding ways to make himself useful on the ice.

That’s what’s giving fans hope right now: the young guys are pulling the club up.Yes, something good is really being built in Montreal… even if everything isn’t perfect and some guys will have to produce. #SlafWill the Habs collectively be able to build on their strong start to the season? [spacer title=’en rafale’]- Big win for the Dodgers yesterday.

– Right: now, the hard part begins for HuGo.

– It was crowded at Mass.

– Lane Hutson didn’t want to be a distraction. [BPM Sports] –

Ovechkin starts the season wearing the “Lokomotiv” memorial patchbyu/rohkyinhockey

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Lane Hutson on Monday, the bosses yesterday… Sidney Crosby today?

On Monday, Lane Hutson signed his big contract. We’re talking about the fourth most lucrative deal in the Canadiens’ history, behind Carey Price (who was at the Bell Centre yesterday, but didn’t get much attention), Noah Dobson and P.K. Subban. Yesterday, Jeff Gorton received a promotion (on paper) to president and a contract extension. GM Kent Hughes also announced his contract extension. What’s it going to be today? Is Sidney Crosby coming to town, or what? Well, we’re obviously making jokes. But after the Habs’ fine (albeit imperfect) victory yesterday at the Bell Centre and their strong start to the week, we’ve got to admit that the mood in town is crazy. More than ever, after their third win in four games this season, the Canadiens are giving their fans prospects. And they’re responding in kind. The opening ceremonies (a real success in my opinion) had fans jumping out of their seats, and the energy carried over into the game. After Ivan Demidov’s goal, the Bell Centre was noisy en masse, andMartin St-Louis was particularly moved by the outpouring of love for him

[content-ads]It has to be said that fans get their money’s worth when they go to the Bell Centre. In their last 13 regular-season home games, Martin St-Louis’ men have gone undefeated in regular time.That‘s no mean feat

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Looking back on yesterday’s 5-4 overtime win by the Canadiens over the Kraken, there are a number of things to remember… [content-ads]1. Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield confirmed after the game that they were asked – along with Lane Hutson – how they wanted to proceed at the end of overtime, following the timeout. This was on the heels of the sequence on which Caufield scored the winning goal.

Cole Caufield is hungry.

–

Martin St-Louis

By the way, I’ve noticed that Caufield is now part of the furniture. We often talk about the players who arrived recently (Noah Dobson, Zachary Bolduc, Ivan Demidov and Lane Hutson, to name a few) or the captain, but less about Caufield, it seems. I’m not saying that negatively, by the way. But yesterday, he didn’t get the most attention, but he still finished the game with two goals after a good 200-foot game.

[content-ads]2. Ivan Demidov caught my eye yesterday,and I’m not saying that because he spoke French or dominated the ice: I’m saying that because he played Three Days Grace before the game. #MesPrioritésSontÀLaBonnePlaceBut seriously, this is the game where he looked the most like a rising star since his NHL baptism by fire. Both his pass on Alex Newhook’s goal and his goal were gems, and he played a full 14 minutes and 43 seconds.

3. Mike Matheson and Noah Dobson are off to impressive starts. Both are eating up minutes (25 and 23 minutes, yesterday) and playing against big opponents. It’s easyto see why Kent Hughes wants to keep Mike Matheson in town.Kaiden Guhle (22) and Lane Hutson (23) have also spent a lot of time on the ice. Alexandre Carrier played more than 15 minutes and was effective, and Arber Xhekaj, with his 10 minutes (mainly before Jared McCann’s goal) on the ice, didn’t impress. Will he play on Thursday [content-ads]4. I don’t know if the trios at the end of the game will hold up for the next game. Martin St-Louis stirred his fruit salad when his club was slipping a bit. It went like this.

5. Patrik Laine puts in a little more effort on the ice. He made a fine pass to Demidov on the tying goal late in the game. Laine played 10:43, a few seconds less than Oliver Kapanen’s 11:26. 6. How much is Samuel Montembeault to blame for some of the four goals allowed? I wonder what the people in the Canadiens’ dressing room would say to that question,and I wonder what Team Canada’s executives think.spacer title=’prolongation’]This morning, the Canadiens will be practicing in Montreal for their team photo. Tomorrow, the Habs will be at the Bell Centre again (against Nashville) for the second game of four in a row at home. After that, a big trip out West awaits the club.

(Credit: NHL.com)
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Top-5: Rangers shut out in first three home games

Last night in the NHL, the Canadiens got their home season off to a great start with a win.Still, there were seven other games in all four corners of the league. Here are the results and highlights:

1. Rangers are blanked in their first three home gamesLast year, surprisingly, the Ranges had a bad season and even missed the playoffs. This season is still young, but let’s just say it’s off to a bad start. New York has a 2-3-0 record, but all three losses have come at home. In three games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers haven’t given their fans a goal. That’s impressive.

Yesterday, the Oilers won 2-0.

A 30-save shutout for Stuart Skinner. After the game, Mika Zibanejad told the media he didn’t even know whether to laugh or cry at his team’s poor home record.

Meanwhile, former Ranger Chris Kreider is having fun in Anaheim.

[content-ads]2. Sidney Crosby 9th all-time in assistsLet’s talk about the Ducks game, because everything’s looking up for the California club. They’ve won two of their first three games, and yesterday they won against Sidney Crosby’s Penguins.

As for Justin Brazeau, he just can’t stop scoring.

He has four goals in as many games to start the season.

In Anaheim, youngsters Cutter Gauthier and Beckett Sennecke continued to show great chemistry.

[content-ads]3. A first win for Cayden Primeau in TorontoLast night, the Leafs faced the Habs’ next opponents the Nashville Predators, and Toronto made short work of the Preds with a 7-4 victory. It wasn’t Cayden Primeau’s best performance (26 saves on 30 shots), but he still won the game – his first victory in a Leafs uniform.

Nashville didn’t look like an improved team.

The visitors scored in their own net.

On the Leafs’ side, Easton Cowan, playing in his second NHL game, picked up his first point.

John Tavares, Matthew Knies, William Nylander and Oliver Ekman-Larsson finished with three points each [content-ads]4. Michael Misa’s NHL debutIt was Michael Misa’s baptism of fire yesterday as he and the Sharks took on the mighty Hurricanes. Carolina played spoiler in San Jose, scoring five goals en route to a 5-1 victory.

The most recent second overall pick of the auction finished with a minus-2 record and two blocked shots on just over 15 minutes of playing time. It’s tough to play Carolina when they control the puck like this.

In the win, Logan Stankoven was the only Carolina player with two points [content-ads]5. Capitals win in overtimeIn Washington, with the Lightning leading 1-0, Connor McMichael decided to work his magic. What a pass here to Aliaksei Protas.

Later in the third period, with the home side still trailing, the Caps scored a goal on their first power play of the year.

It was about time.

And in overtime, Jacob Chychrun sealed the deal. He was well posted at the mouthpiece.

[spacer title=’Prolongation’] – Big check.

– Very cool.

– A $9.25M defenseman by the way.

– Last night’s top scorers.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– Four games on the bill tonight.

(Credit: Google)
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Atmosphere at the Bell Centre: Ivan Demidov thanks fans (in French)

Tonight, the Canadiens won their opening game at the Bell Centre. The club was headed for defeat late in the third period… but Ivan Demidov (and Patrik Laine) had other plans. but Ivan Demidov (and Patrik Laine) had other plans.The young Russian raised the roof of the Centre Bell with a magnificent equalizer

After the game, Demidov took time out to chat to the media. Of course, he talked about the crazy atmosphere at the Bell Centre following his goal, but also about how it will help his confidence. But at the end of the interview, Anthony Martineau(TVA Sports) gave the kid a chance to address the fans… and to everyone’s surprise, he did it in French:

Bonsoir les partisans, merci beaucoup!

–

Ivan Demidov

–

[content-ads]We agree that the kid didn’t need this to be loved in Montreal (he may already be the most popular player in town, after all), but to see him take the trouble to get out a few words of French shows that he knows how to make himself loved.He could very well have ended it all in English and nobody would have blamed him, you know. He may have spent the summer in town and taken French lessons, but it’s not always easy for players to get their French out in front of the media.Tonight, Demidov showed that he has the potential to lift the crowd like that for many, many years to come. It was impressive tonight, but it’s likely to be impressive again and again in the years to come,and if he continues to speak French like that on occasion, he’ll only consolidate his popularity in town.

[spacer title=’Prolongation’] Speaking of Demidov, Mike Matheson chatted a bit about his young teammate after the game… and the defenseman praised the Russian’s immense potential.And we saw it tonight.

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Top-5: When the lights go out in the amphitheatre… in the middle of a match

There was action yesterday in the National League. The Canadiens didn’t play, but there were still 10 games presented in all four corners of the league.Let’s take a look at what caught our eye:

1: When the lights go out in the middle of a game

The Utah Mammoth visited Chicago last night to take on the Blackhawks. The game won’t go down in history: the Hawks won 3-1, so it wasn’t exactly a thriller. But something quite comical happened in the first period… the lights

You don’t see that very often. Note that in his club’s loss, JJ Peterka scored his first goal with the Mammoth. On the Hawks’ side, Ilya Mikheyev stood out with two goals, one of which was scored in an empty net.

[content-ads]

2: A warm welcome for Jacques Martin in Ottawa

The Senators hosted the Predators yesterday afternoon as part of the team’s opening game in Ottawa. There was the classic introduction of players and coaches, and Jacques Martin received a nice welcome, having led the club in the 2000s in recent years too.Fans were also happy to see Daniel Alfredsson:

But the Preds, who are off to a good start this season, came to spoil the party. Juuse Saros was brilliant in front of his net, stopping 31 of 32 shots… and the Predators won the game 4-1. Oh, and that’s not all: the Sens also lost the services of their captain during the game. Great… :

When I told you that Saros was brilliant in front of his net, I wasn’t denying. Here’s an example:

[content-ads]

3: Trevor Zegras… wow!

We’re transported to the end of the game between the Panthers and Flyers, the score tied 2-2… and Trevor Zegras decides to stand up and make a simply magnificent play.

The former Ducks man was able to beat two opponents before finding Sean Couturier in the slot with a magical pass. Sounds like the Zegras of old:

That gave the Flyers a 3-2 lead in the game and they never looked back, scoring two goals in an empty net to win 5-2….d-Vo took the liberty of directing Travis Sanheim’s shot for his first goal in a Flyers uniform:

[content-ads]

4: Things are (already) going badly in Buffalo

Ah, the Sabres… It’s been tough in Buffalo for so long, and now the fans are starting to get disgusted.Why do I say that? Because after the club’s 3-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, the fans started booing the players as they left the rink. This is not good news, this:

The Sabres have lost their first three games of the season and things aren’t going well right now in Buffalo.

There was even a fan who decided to throw his jersey on the ice at the end of the game… Remember: the Sabres have only played three games in 25-26. It’s off to a great start…

[content-ads]

5: Kirill Marchenko is on fire

In his team’s last game, Kirill Marchenko scored a hat trick, and the Russian followed it up yesterday with his fourth goal in just two games. He stole the puck from the opposition to get on a breakaway and scored a magnificent goal:

Marchenko’s efforts weren’t enough, however, to give the Jackets a win over the New Jersey Devils. The Devils won 3-2, and Dawson Mercer stood out for his team, scoring twice. Also of note, Jake Allen started the game, but was replaced by Jacob Markstrom early in the third period. Let’s hope it’s not too bad for the former habs player… [spacer title=’Prolongation’] – Wow!

– Beautiful goal.

– Bang!

– Ouch.

– Wings win in Toronto.

– They’re on fire.

– Eight games tonight:

(Credit: Google Screenshot)

– Yesterday’s top scorers:

(Credit: NHL.com Screenshot)
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Maxime Talbot: Cole Caufield talks (again) about Martin St-Louis with stars in his eyes

Martin St-Louis is a good coach. He proved it by taking his club all the way to the playoffs last season and finishing the campaign as a finalist for the Jack-Adams Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s Coach of the Year.And we also know that he’s really popular with his players.

Speaking of the guys’ love for St-Louis, Maxime Talbot told us something on the Entre la Poire et le Fromage podcast that explains it well. Talbot mentioned having spent a day with Cole Caufield… and the latter had stars in his eyes when talking about his coach. Caufield really likes Martin St-Louis because the players in the room love the way he works with the group.And it’s special, as Talbot reminds us, because St-Louis has been the Canadiens’ head coach for (almost) four years

[content-ads] Martin St-Louis’ energy is contagious. We’re talking about a guy who loves hockey and will do anything to make the team better on the ice. But we’re also talking about a guy who shares his love of the game with his players, and that’s why the guys have so much fun coming to the arena too.It shows when you see moments like this:

They often say it starts with the coach, after all. And right now, that explains why the culture in Montreal is so good: there are leaders within the group who take care of the players… but Martin St-Louis is there, too, to direct everyone the right way. All this to say that the Canadiens have a good coach, on their hands. Some may not have expected St-Louis to make such progress behind the bench, nor did they expect him to turn things around in Montreal. But that’s exactly what’s happening. Overtime] – Hehe.

–

– Reminder: eight games tonight in the NHL.

– To be continued.