Author: Dose

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“Stop reading these idiots”: When a player’s wife criticized the Montreal media

Do you remember Vladimir Malakhov?

We’re talking about a player who played for the Canadiens in the 90s. He wore the Habs jersey from ’94-’95 to ’99-’00, and while he didn’t necessarily dominate the NHL, he had some respectable years in Montreal.

The Russian – who played defense – still collected 44 points (13 goals) in 74 games during the 97-98 season. That’s no mean feat.

But Malakhov’s time in Montreal wasn’t always glorious, either. At one point, things got awkward between him and the Montreal media because he didn’t speak English very well… And this prompted him to stop giving interviews to journalists.

And according to the player, who spoke to Daria Tuboltseva(RG Media), this led to said journalists criticizing him more often than not. This had an impact on Malakhov, who even wanted to retire at one point… but his wife told him this:

Stop reading these idiots! – Vladimir Malakhov’s wife

Malakhov explains in the interview that he got his game back after he stopped reading journalists’ commentaries… and that he got back on track with them.

We know that the pressure can be enormous for a player in Montreal.

Especially for a guy who doesn’t come from North America and arrives here with language difficulties. The media coverage is intense and we know that can have an impact on a player’s performance too.

We’ve seen so many examples of this in the past, after all.

That said, there may be a link to be made with Ivan Demidov because he’s just arrived from Russia and is still learning English. But the difference is that times have changed… and the players are much better surrounded off the ice too.

The guys are a little more protected, in a way. And that’s a good thing, because it can make it easier for them to adapt to the market – which can be really special at times.

People like it when the Canadiens win. But we know how things can turn out when the team is losing…

Overtime

– So much the better!

– That’s right.

– Good question.

– One of the biggest deals in NHL history.

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VIDEO: The two Xhekaj brothers practise their fighting skills in practice

Arber Xhekaj has had the opportunity to play with his little brother for the past two weeks.

Florian has played four games with the Canadiens, including his first NHL game against the Toronto Leafs. It was quite a moment.

But clearly, big brother wants to protect his little brother in the best possible way. And to that end, Arber “gave Florian a few lessons” in fighting today, after the Canadiens’ practice in Brossard.

This isn’t the first time Arber has been seen doing this kind of thing after a practice.

In early November, he did the same thing with Jayden Struble. The Sheriff obviously wants to work on his technique (it’s true that it’s not at its best right now)… and he’s not afraid to give advice to his teammates at the same time.

That’s special.

I’d love to see Arber get his game back.

He needs to find a way to be more physical on the ice and start scaring other teams again. That used to be the case: he brought toughness to Martin St-Louis’ line-up and opposing players knew it when he was on the ice.

This no longer seems to be the case, and that’s a shame. The young defenseman is losing his usefulness and his identity… which is a shame, because it was his physical game that made his place in Montreal possible in the first place.

But hey. If that can happen by seeing him practice his fighting in practice, so be it.

And if he can help his little brother be more careful by giving him a few pointers… it can’t hurt either. Brotherhood is beautiful!

Overtime

– Good news.

– Happy reading.

– Really?

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Samuel Montembeault to face Senators tomorrow

Martin St-Louis has decided how he will manage his goalkeepers over the next few days.

We suspected he had made a decision. What was done was to announce the identity of the goaltender to the media today, since sometimes you have to wait until game day to find out.

So it’s Samuel Montembeault who will be defending the cage for the Canadiens tomorrow against Ottawa.

Logically, since back-to-back games are on the menu for Tuesday and Wednesday, we have to deduce that Jakub Dobes will be the starting goaltender on Wednesday’s Andrei Markov Tribute Night.

It will be against the Jets.

Remember that on the recent trip, Jakub Dobes was the #1 goaltender. He played the Salt Lake City game and the toughest back-to-back of the weekend.

Will Monty play tomorrow because he looked better on the trip? Because we wanted to give the Jets game to Dobes? To give the European goalie time to recover from his thaw in Denver?

Who knows?

Either way, both goalies will have to stand up. Because even if Ottawa and Winnipeg aren’t in the playoffs as of today… they’re just one point away, anyway. In 2025, there’s no such thing as an easy duel.

overtime

– Oh well.

– Interesting.

– Le Petit Jean has his invitation.

– Really?

– Cole Caufield wins the Molson Cup.

– This is cool.

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Junior Team Canada scandal: Cal Foote gets a job in the AHL

In recent weeks, the Carolina Hurricanes have been linked to Carter Hart and Michael McLeod. We’re talking about two players at the heart of the Team Canada junior scandal.

But it got so bad in Carolina that the Hurricanes had no choice but to back down following the rumors bringing the two players to town.

McLeod finally signed a long-term contract in Russia… and Hart reached an agreement with the Golden Knights. And since it’s December 1, the goalie is eligible for a return to the NHL. It should happen tomorrow.

What else? What about the other men linked to the scandal?

Alex Formenton and Dillon Dube haven’t really seen their names circulate in North America. Alex Formenton recently signed a deal to play in Europe.

And Cal Foote?

Well, the controversial player has just signed a contract to play professionally in North America. We’re talking about an AHL contract with the Chicago Wolves.

He didn’t sign with the Hurricanes, but the irony is noticeable, nonetheless. The big club backed away from Foote’s colleague, but his club-school didn’t hesitate to move forward.

The contract of Adam Foote’s son, who coaches the Vancouver Canucks, is valid until the end of the season.

Should Foote do well in the AHL and Carter Hart do well in the NHL, would this open the door for the new Wolves member to return to the NHL eventually?

To be seen in due course.

overtime

– Nice.

– Of note.

– Perfect.

– More news from the Habs practice.

– Interesting.

– All the better.

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Jayden Struble absent from practice

Bad news in Montreal.

The Canadiens have announced that Jayden Struble is still too injured to take part in today’s practice. He will undergo an evaluation instead of practice today.

He is considered day-to-day due to his upper-body injury, which means that the Canadiens are not currently talking long-term.

Since we don’t know exactly why the defenseman is taking a break, we’re wondering about his state of health.

Is the Habs taking the time to rest him properly to make sure he doesn’t get any worse? Surely, yes.

Remember that this morning, it was reported that defenseman Adam Engstrom had not been traded to the Rocket. If Struble can’t play tomorrow against Ottawa, Engstrom should logically play.

We should have more details shortly.

Elsewhere at practice, we note that several players showed up on the ice in Brossard several minutes before it really started.

Among them? Cole Caufield and Ivan Demidov.

Details to come…

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Alexey Toropchenko scalded: a third bizarre injury in the NHL

In recent weeks, there have been two bizarre injuries in the NHL.

First, Jack Hughes cut himself at a team dinner. The result? Many weeks of absence for the New Jersey Devils star.

Then, recently, Eetu Luostarinen burned himself using his barbecue. The Panthers player will miss a few weeks to recover from his injuries.

And that’s not all.

Alexey Toropchenko of the St. Louis Blues scalded himself while obviously not at the arena. He’ll be out for a few weeks.

Normally, Jimmy Snuggerud’s knee injury, which will cause him to miss an extended period of time, would be the biggest news in the hockey world.

But this is different.

The fact that a third NHL player has been injured off the ice in such a short space of time has everyone wondering, right now. It’s only natural.

Of course, we hope the guy doesn’t suffer too much. Getting scalded must hurt – and not just your pride.

Teams expect some guys to get hurt on the ice. They also know that there’s a risk of players getting little boo-boos here and there in their everyday lives.

But three situations in a few weeks is pretty special.

overtime

– Interesting.

– Who will be Lane Hutson’s Devon Toews? [98.5 Sports]

– Three guys in a class of their own.

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Islanders hope to draft Alexander Zharovsky

Right now, many people in Montreal are pleased that the Canadiens were able to secure the services of Russian Alexander Zharovsky at the last draft.

And rightly so: he’s a talented player.

Guys with talent coming out of their ears (Alexander Zharovsky, Ivan Demidov, Lane Hutson and Cole Caufield, among others) are followed a lot before arriving in Montreal.

But all that to say, it wasn’t just the Canadiens who liked Zharovsky at the time of the draft. Of course they did…

In fact, the New York Islanders also liked the Russian forward’s profile. And according to Vladimir Malakhov, a former NHL player who now works for the Islanders, the New York club wanted Zharovsky.

Drafting Alexander Zharovsky didn’t work out: the Canadiens took him first.

As you can see on the heels of Vladimir Malakhov’s interview with RG media, the Islanders have finally drafted Daniil Prokhorov at #42

Malakhov says the club is happy to have gotten their hands on Prokhorov, even if they also liked Zharovsky. And this, even if we realize that the two youngsters don’t exactly have the same kind of season…

(Credit: Hockey DB)

Of course, an 18-year-old rookie season in the KHL doesn’t mean everything. But right now, the Canadiens’ prospects are clearly eating into the Islanders’ in terms of performance.

And it’s not even close.

(Credit: Hockey DB)

One wonders if Mathieu Darche’s group is thinking that perhaps they could have pushed a little harder to go up in the draft – as the Habs did – to take Zharovsky.

But at the same time, the Islanders don’t seem to have made a mistake in the first round, so it’s less of a big deal.

overtime

– Well done.

– To be continued.

– Andrei Markov opens up about his tribute, which will take place Wednesday night at the Bell Centre. [RG média]

– When the going gets tough…

– When the going gets tough, the tough get going…

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Samuel Blais is too good for the AHL right now

The Canadiens made a damned good deal last summer when they signed Québécois forward Samuel Blais. At one year and minimum salary, Blais could only help the Habs (or the Rocket).

Kent Hughes’ mistake, however, was to send him to the waivers at the end of practice, rather than keeping him as the 14th forward with the big club. With Laine, Dach and Guhle, you had to expect injuries sooner rather than later in the season. But hey, the mistake was made… and it was corrected last week, when the Habs claimed Blais at the waivers.

Since the Habs were in the American West and the Rocket were nearby, in the northeast of Uncle Sam’s country, Hughes decided to send Blais with the Rocket, rather than the Canadiens.

It was the right thing to do.

Except, after Blais’ two games in the AHL – and the recent games of Florian Xhekaj and Jared Davidson – it’s high time Blais was recalled. The Québécois is just too good for the AHL right now.

In two short games this weekend, Blais collected two goals and two assists, and posted a plus-5 rating.

Samuel Blais must be recalled to the Canadiens.
(Credit: Getty Images)

Note that Hershey and Lehigh Valley, the two teams the Rocket has faced in recent hours, are both playing for over .600 this season. And the Rocket went on to win both its weekend games (on the road) by just one goal.

On Friday, they even needed a shootout to get the win.

I think it’s safe to say that without Samuel Blais, the Rocket wouldn’t have won either of their weekend games.

Blais hits, he produces (he also had three points in eight games with the Maple Leafs), he’s experienced, he’s 6’2, he weighs over 200 pounds, he’s a local guy, he’s got character..

It seems obvious to me that he’ll be recalled in the next few hours. Especially since Florian Xhekaj had three very average games on the Habs ‘ last trip and Jared Davidson hasn’t played in Vegas or Denver since Alexandre Texier came on the scene.

In short, let’s bring Blais up and send Davidson back to Laval. Texier and Blais will alternate for the last forward spot in the lineup. Blais has no business in the AHL right now and the Habs are too young. That’s it!

Who knows? Maybe his eventual recall to Montreal will force the NHL, HockeyDb and EliteProspects the AHL to replace their poor Sammy or Sam with Samuel, in Blais’ “first name” field?

(Credit: NHL.com)

It’s like Daniel Brière. His first name isn’t Danny or Dan, it’s Daniel. And Daniel had to make sure himself at some point in his career that it was spelled that way on official NHL documents. The rest followed.

Extension

The American Thanksgiving is behind us, and this morning something hit me in the face with the NHL’s overall standings: only the Canadiens, of the seven Canadian teams, would be in the playoffs if they started this morning.

The Canadiens are in third place in the Atlantic, while not all the other Canadian teams are in a playoff position this morning.

On the other hand, the Canadiens are also just one point away from being eliminated from the playoff picture. In short, its place isn’t secure at all.

With two games in two nights this week, including against the Senators and Maple Leafs, there will be no easy games for the Montrealers. It’s up to them to find the solutions to keep themselves in the picture.

That said, just because you’re eighth in your association doesn’t necessarily mean you’re ready to compete in the playoffs. The Canadiens still need talent, grit, experience and healthy guys. For now, no, the Habs aren’t ready to win in the playoffs yet . But at least they’re in a position to make them…

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Jayden Struble injury: Adam Engstrom still in the NHL this morning

A lot has happened with the Canadiens in the last few days.

Samuel Blais returned to the Canadiens environment… Mike Matheson put down roots in town… the Canadiens ended their Western trip the wrong way after playing well… Alexandre Texier played his first games with the club…

And what about Samuel Montembeault’s fine performance against Vegas?

But even so, Jayden Struble’s injury has been a bit of a butterfly since yesterday. An upper-body injury prevented him from performing against the Colorado Nordiques on Saturday.

When was he injured? Good question, Madame la Marquise.

But what we’re seeing this morning is that the Canadiens still haven’t sent Adam Engstrom back down. Was the plan, in any case, to continue testing him when the club returned to Montreal?

Or is Struble’s health forcing the Canadiens to stick with seven guys on the blue line?

Because in reality, even if the Rocket were on the road this weekend, the Canadiens still agreed yesterday not to give up some guys to the club-school and keep some salaries up.

Kent Hughes has often done things differently this season.

Adam Engstrom and Jared Davidson (who could well return to Laval, either to stay at 12 forwards or to recall Samuel Blais and his energy in his place) are still in the NHL right now.

But right now, the Canadiens and the Rocket are in Quebec. We’ll be watching this morning to see if there are any personnel changes for the Canadiens. We’ll also be watching for a medical update on Struble.

The Habs will practice at 11:30 a.m. in Brossard on December 1.

Tomorrow evening, the Ottawa Senators and Providence Bruins will be at the Bell Centre and Place Bell respectively, starting at 7 p.m.

overtime

– Of note.

– Hey boy.

– Wow.

– Sick.

– Sad news.

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Top-4: A hat trick for Wyatt Johnston against the Senators

After a busy start to the weekend, it was a quiet Sunday in the NHL.

A total of four games were on the schedule for the occasion.

Here’s what caught the eye yesterday:

1. Hat trick for Wyatt Johnston against the Senators

Yesterday’s final duel pitted the Dallas Stars against the Ottawa Senators.

And clearly, the Stars wanted to show off for their fans. At least, that was the case for Wyatt Johnston.

The young Stars star scored no less than three goals, allowing fans to throw their caps on the ice.

All of which put an exclamation point on the Stars’ 6-1 victory.

That was Casey DeSmith in front of the Stars net… much to the chagrin of this fan, who was dressed to see Jake Oettinger in front of the net, hehe.

2. Connor Bedard puts on a show (again)

Yesterday afternoon, the Ducks visited the Blackhawks in Chicago. And very quickly, the visitors reminded us why they’re one of the NHL’s best teams this season.

They scored two goals in the first minute of the game… and Chris Kreider added a third.

But Connor Bedard finally got fed up. And the kid took matters into his own hands, collecting two assists as his club brought the score to 3-3.

Then, in the third period, Bedard found himself alone in front of the opposing net with the puck.

And he gave Ville Husso, who had just entered the game, a real headache.

Then, in the final minutes of the game, Bedard added a second to his record, this time into an empty net.

And he took the opportunity to taunt the Ducks.

A 5-3 victory for the Blackhawks, who continue to benefit from Bedard’s brilliance.

Not a bad kid.

3. A 909th career goal for Alex Ovechkin

Alex Ovechkin is the NHL’s all-time leading scorer. And the Russian clearly scares the hell out of opposing teams when he’s on the powerplay.

Yesterday afternoon, Ovechkin got the puck in his office with the man advantage, and it led to a goal…

Except that it was Ovechkin’s clever pass that led to Tom Wilson’s goal.

That said, Ovechkin still found a way to add to his scoring record late in the game, when the Islanders’ net was deserted.

A fine effort on his part enabled him to score the 909th goal of his career.

The Caps won by a score of 4-1.

Logan Thompson turned aside 30 of the Islanders’ 31 shots in the win.

4. A first shutout for Brandon Bussi

The Hurricanes and Flames faced off yesterday afternoon… and it was a defensive game.

After 60 minutes, the score was still 0-0. So we needed overtime.

And in the end, it was the Hurricanes who prevailed: Nikolaj Ehlers gave his team the win.

Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi also picked up his first career shutout.

He turned aside all 15 shots in his direction.

The Hurricanes won 1-0, picking up their 16th victory of the season.

At the same time, they regain first place in the Metropolitan.

Overtime

– Oops.

– Oh?

– Let’s hope it’s not too serious.

– Last night’s top scorers.

(Credit: Screenshot/NHL.com)

– Five games on the bill tonight.

(Credit: Screenshot/Sportsnet)