Author: Dose

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Nick Cousins: Maxim Lapierre would have suspended him 20 games for his baton stroke

On Tuesday night, Ivan Demidov didn’t finish the game against the Senators. The Habs’ forward was the victim of a rather vicious stick from Nick Cousins… and although he briefly remained in the game, he then retreated to the dressing room.The good news is that he’s been back at practice for a few days now. He won’t be playing tonight, but obviously, he was removed from the game very preventively.But clearly, Cousins’ gesture didn’t go down well. When you look at the footage, after all, it’s hard to see it as anything other than a dirty gesture aimed at injuring Demidov.

We know that, unfortunately, it’s not uncommon to see such gestures in a warm-up game. And in reality, it’s to these guys’ advantage to continue… because they’re not really punished.A small fine doesn’t exactly discourage players, you know.And Maxim Lapierre, on La Poche Bleue, talked about all this… and in his eyes, the NHL missed a great opportunity to send a message to the rest of the league:

Cr*sses-y 20 games. Next year, no one’s going to make the move.

–

Maxim Lapierre

Our colleagues at HabsolumentFan also reported the news:[content-ads]Lapierre is right: as long as players only get a slap on the wrist, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t continue to make such gestures.Imagine if Demidov had been seriously injured: it would have been a disaster for the Habs… and the Senators’ forward wouldn’t even have been suspended. Harming a direct rival in this way almost makes it worthwhile for the players.20 games obviously sounds pretty drastic, but a lengthy suspension is just the punishment needed to discourage players from committing such acts. It wouldn’t stop everything either, of course (guys with nothing to lose might still do it), but it would calm the ardor of a large number of players.Because, after all, the league has to ask itself whether it’d rather keep its stars healthy or let dirty players have their way with the stars of the circuit. And to me, the answer to that question is pretty simple[spacer title=’Overtime’]- Oliver Kapanen praised by his coach.

– Grant McCagg liked LJ Mooney’s NCAA debut (a lot).

– Between $12 and $13M per year for Kyle Connor?

– Of course.

– We’ll see what the kid ‘s got.

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Our paradoxical relationship with hockey fights

In the wake of Tuesday’s thrilling match-up between the Senators and the Canadiens, the debate over hockey brawls is back with a vengeance.

But, to say the least, the debate isn’t going very high..

On the one hand, of course, there was the response from the Minister responsible for Sport, Recreation and Outdoors, Isabelle Charest , who invited fans to show their displeasure with the brawling by, among other things, not buying any more tickets.

Ms. Charest is the same minister behind the dissuasive measures banning brawls in the QMJHL since 2023. Unsurprisingly, she reiterated that she “doesn’t believe in fighting in hockey”.

On the other hand, in response to Ms. Charest, the mythical “it’s all part of the game ” that we’ve been hearing over and over again on the radio and just about everywhere since last Tuesday was rehashed.

In the same vein, some have even come to the definitive conclusion that “fights are here to stay” in the NHL. A bit like the Earth inexorably continuing its orbit around the sun.

Like an immutable law.

Call it the “essentialist” or “naturalist” thesis. Fighting is part of theessence or very nature of the game!

We’re mixing nature and culture here … and that, for the philosophy teacher in me, doesn’t deserve a passing grade!

By analogy, it’s a bit like saying that milk is part of the essence or nature of coffee, and that there will always be milk in coffee!

Putting milk in coffee may make it taste better to some, but it’s not part of its essence as such! It’s simply a cultural habit, a choice, that we adopt… or not.

And let’s not forget that hockey itself is cultural, like any game, and like any game, the rules can change.

It’s all a question of will. And probably money.[content-ads]Humans are paradoxical creatures!

But like the milk in a good latte, that doesn’t stop me from readily recognizing that brawls add a tasty, spectacular element to hockey!

Fights often bring an even more intense and emotional dimension to duels between players and teams.

Although not very edifying on an intellectual level (and not a very good example when you’re watching the game with your kids…), I myself rarely sulk at such an occasion!

And I imagine that many of you can relate to what I’m saying!

It’s easy to see that human beings aren’t just beings of reason, and that they’re no strangers to paradox…

I think, I feel, therefore I am!

Take that, Descartes!

[content-ads]I can’t be accused of hypocrisy; like many people, I enjoy watching a good fight, especially in an emotional context of rivalry.

As close cousins of chimpanzees, and sharing 98% of their DNA, there’s probably aggression in all of us

It’s not for nothing that the “vulgar pleasure” felt in watching other humans fight and beat the crap out of each other seems as old as time. Hello, Greeks and Romans!

Even the Old Testament seems to encourage battle and revenge with its law of Talion: “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”

There are also brilliant film careers built on this cathartic spectacle of staged violence. Hello, Sylvester and Arnold, valiant heroes of an entire generation!

So, fighting isn’t part of the game as such, but aggression does seem to be part of being human… and many people have long understood that you can make money by putting it on show.

Humans are a living paradox, oscillating between nature and culture, reason and unreason, war and peace, love and hate, beauty and ugliness, the life drive and the death drive, fury and calm, desire and constraint, etc. Maybe that’s part of the reason why we love hockey so much; few sports are so human when you think about it…[content-ads]What about hockey?

Strategically speaking, fights and tough guys are part of what we call the “bullying map”. Bullying in all its forms is not strictly forbidden in hockey. It can often modify an opponent’s behavior by sowing doubt and even fear. As part of this, fighting can sometimes galvanize the troops and help win games here and there during the season.

Then, on certain occasions, as was the case this week in Quebec City during the preparatory game between the Habs and the Senators, solidarity fights can help to bind a team together even more deeply

So, as the Iroquois thought of lacrosse – another rather rough game – sport can often be seen as “war’s little brother”. And war means fighting brothers, but also the risk of violent confrontations and serious injuries..

The myth of vicious blows…It’s here, however, that we must address a second myth that also has a hard rind about battles, namely that they have the quasi-magical power to prevent or slow down vicious and/or dangerous blows. I’m not saying that this is 100% false, but let’s just say that reality indicates that it’s far from being a great truth! For example, wasn’t Arber Xhekaj in uniform during Game 4 of the series against the Caps? That didn’t stop big Tom Wilson from having a field day on little Alexandre Carrier. Xhekaj never seriously discussed the matter with Wilson afterwards…

[content-ads]Then, this week against Ottawa, even though the Xhekaj brothers and other tough guys were in uniform and everyone knew they were ready for a fight, that didn’t stop Hodgson, McEwen, Jenik, Cousins and Sebrango from being tiresome and bitchy around Newhook, Dach and Demidov, until they got taken out of the game.

Tiring vermin like Cousins will almost always find a way to go over the line, while avoiding (or risking) getting the shit kicked out of them afterwards. And do you want to talk about Chara on Pacioretty again? Scheifele on Evans? Despite the more-than-tolerated presence of fights, year after year we see acts that would be liable to civil prosecution, or even imprisonment, if committed in ordinary life. In short, fights or not, there will always be a fair number of dirty tricks in the NHL, at least as long as systematic and biting suspensions of 10-20-40 games, and even up to permanent expulsion from the league, are not regularly applied to offenders and repeat offenders.

I guess the league’s finances and those of the players’ association like it when players continue to take “justice” into their own hands… The myth that fights and supposed “policemen” prevent dirty tricks pays off..

[content-ads]But where there’s culture, there’s change

The essence of the contact sport of hockey is to put the puck in the opponent’s net and prevent it from entering your own net too often. To this end, the main skills required range from speed and creativity to agility, intelligence, precision, strength and toughness.

Not so different from American football when you think about it. And yet, fighting has never been part of football culture..

So, basically, it’s all a matter of social conventions and decisions made by the various leagues and/or levels of government.

Everything depends on the will of the people in charge. Sports and political leaders always have a choice.

For example, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has long had anti-fighting regulations.

Then, in 2023, Minister Isabelle Charest forced the QMJHL’s hand following a serious study of over 6,000 players who had played in the NHL since 1967. Among other things, the study showed that the 331 “strongmen” identified by the research died on average 10 years earlier than other players.

[content-ads]Well-known cases

Now, if like the QMJHL and the IIHF, we want to listen to the advice of science and row in the direction of deterrence rather than keeping the gas to the bottom in the direction of ratings, clicks and the sound of nice dollars, we all know that fights are dangerous for the brain, and that the risks of serious injury, even death, are very real.

Paul Byron was never the same player after his concussion suffered during a fight with MacKenzie Weegar in March 2019.

More recently, the case of young Ross Campbell of the Charlottetown Islanders caused quite a stir when his head hit the ice heavily during a fight. He could have been killed, as was the case for Don Sanderson in 2009, a young non-professional who died at the age of 21.

Ironically, George Parros, the Senior Vice President of Player Safety, almost went himself on this sad sequence that pretty much ended his career:

It should have made you think more…

We can also bring to mind the untimely deaths of tough guys like Bob Probert (45), Derek Boogard (28), Jon Kordic (27), Rick Rypien (27), Wade Belak (35)and Chris Simon (52), who all suffered significant physical and psychological problems: chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), drug use, sometimes evenoverdosing and suicide..

For a Georges Laraque with his brain intact, there are many who fare, shall we say, much less well..

[content-ads]Waiting for the next dead man, a civilizational process is already underway

In general, there has been a sharp drop in fights since the introduction of the salary cap in the NHL in 2005. The ban on the intentional removal of helmets before or during fights can also be seen as a form of supervision in the interests of “safety”.

Given the scientific data, the efforts of many political and sports decision-makers, and the fact that many parents are choosing other activities for their children because of the violence involved, there is a certain form of civilizational process(read Norbert Elias!) already underway in hockey, which tells me that fighting is not necessarily here to stay, even at NHL level.

Is it conceivable that fighting will still be so ubiquitous 10, 25 or 50 years from now? Today, if something unfortunate were to happen involving the Xhekaj brothers, what would you say? What if it were your son?

So, if it’s not done before now, it may be enough for there to be a fatality or very serious injury on the ice as a result of a fight in the NHL – or any other top-level league – for decision-makers to act in the direction of what might be called real progress.

That and, yes Ms. Charest, a little public pressure…

In short, yes, fights are spectacular, yes, they’re popular, yes, they add emotion, but who would stop watching their favourite sport if they were banned more strictly?

Isn’t that proof that they’re not essentially part of the game? My mononcs’ in Beauce, adepts of road beer between the legs in the 60s and 70s, didn’t stop tripping over the big eight-cylinder tanks after the drink-driving laws were tightened…

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Martin St-Louis: “The Newhook-Kapanen-Demidov line has shown me enough”

The Canadiens’ season begins in just a few days’ time. The club will play its first game of the campaign on Wednesday night, when it takes on the Maple Leafs in Toronto. And more and more, the club’s roster is starting to take shape. Some of the guys will have a final audition tonight against the Senators… but Oliver Kapanen will have the night off.The same goes for Ivan Demidov and Alex Newhook… and it’s interesting in that these two are regulars, but they’ve also been on the same line as Kapanen for the past few days.

And on this subject, Martin St-Louis was asked at today’s press conference… and his words seem to speak volumes about the plan for the start of the season:

The Newhook-Kapanen-Demidov line has shown me enough.

–

Martin St-Louis

[content-ads]The coach says he knows what he’s got on his hands with this line, and now wants to give other guys a chance to make one last impression at this practice camp.

And that really suggests that Oliver Kapanen will not only start the year in Montreal, but also on Ivan Demidov’s line,as we’ve seen over the past month (both at the rookie camp and the real camp): Kapanen and Demidov seem to have real chemistry on the ice. The guys have shown they can play big hockey, and adding Newhook’s speed brings another dimension to this line.And above all, it brings familiarity to Demidov: it was with Newhook that he played the most 5-on-5 in his small sample of games in Montreal last year.Of course, it’s hard to say that the Habs are putting Demidov with two line mates as talented as he is. That said, putting him with two guys who seem to connect with him is a good way to help him acclimatize to the NHL,and more importantly, they’re two guys whose defensive game is a safer bet than it is for Patrik Laine and Kirby Dach, for example. I guess that played a role too[spacer title=’Overtime’]- Speaking of Kapanen and Demidov. Reminder: just because the two guys start the year together doesn’t mean it’s going to last, you know.

– Wow!

– NHL 26 predicts a 100% Canadian Stanley Cup Final… without the Canadiens.

👀

– Of note:

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Senators: Martin St-Louis hopes for a clean match, but is “ready for anything”

Tonight, the Canadiens play the last game of their pre-season schedule against the Ottawa Senators. We’re talking about a duel that’s got everyone talking… because the two clubs got into it pretty bad on Tuesday night.The question, then, is what to expect tonight. According

But what’s clear is that Martin St-Louis hopes the two clubs will play a clean game. That said, if things get rough, his club will be ready:

I hope to play a clean game of hockey, but we’ll be ready for anything.

–

Martin St-Louis

He talks about it around the 9-minute mark, for those interested[content-ads]

It’s worth remembering that, while some of the Senators players who set the world alight on Tuesday won’t be there tonight, the club still has some guys who are capable of stirring things up. In particular, we’re expecting to see hard-nosed Kurtis MacDermid, acquired yesterday, play tonight,so it could still be a bumpy ride, even if the Habs coach hopes it won’t be.It’s also important to note that, according to St-Louis, there have been no discussions between Habs and Senators officials about tonight’s game. We know that sometimes, when there’s this much commotion between two teams, the directors try to talk things over to calm things down (or, at least, to find out what the other team’s intentions are for the next game), but that didn’t happen here.So we’ll see what happens tonight.

[spacer title=’Overtime’]- Too bad

– I like this.

– He had a big first game yesterday.

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Last preparatory game: Ivan Demidov and Zachary Bolduc will not play

Tonight, the Montreal Canadiens will play their final preparatory game before opening the regular season on Wednesday, October 8, in Toronto. In preparation for this game, which doesn’t count, the Canadiens held a practice this morning, giving us an idea of what the line-up will look like tonight.

There are a number of interesting things to note about this line-up. Firstly, in attack, Ivan Demidov (and the rest of his forward line, Alex Newhook and Oliver Kapanen) won’t be playing tonight. They’ll have the night off, as will Zachary Bolduc, who is injured but not too seriously.

[content-ads] It will be interesting to see if the Québécois will be in uniform on Wednesday against the Maple Leafs.

Getting back to Demidov’s line, the fact that he won’t be playing tonight confirms what we’ve already understood for a few days, namely that Oliver Kapanen has earned his place with the Habs. The 22-year-old forward is having an excellent practice camp, and what’s more, he’s been able to develop a chemistry with Ivan Demidov, which will allow him to play at center to the young Russian prodigy to start the season.Let’s see how long that lasts.

As for the rest of the attack, we see the same trios as yesterday, when it seems clear that Joe Veleno gets the audition in Bolduc’s absence. If the #76 of the Habs isn’t ready to start the season, it’s most likely Veleno who will be in the line-up until Bolduc returns.

As for Owen Beck and Florian Xhekaj, all indications are that they’ll be sent back to Laval tomorrow, but it’s still nice to see that they’ll get another warm-up game [content-ads] On defense, Kaiden Guhle and Noah Dobson will be in the lineup, making a return to action after suffering minor injuries a few days ago.

Otherwise, it’s worth noting that the Habs’ two Québécois defensemen, Mike Matheson and Alexandre Carrier, will have the night off, leaving Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj in the top-6 once again. Struble will play alongside Noah Dobson, which is a nice last audition for him, while Arber Xhekaj will pair up with Adam Engstrom, who will also return to Laval tomorrow.

And in net, it’s no surprise that Samuel Montembeault will get the start and play the whole game. Finally, it’s worth mentioning that on the Senators’ side, we should expect to see the club’s new acquisition, Kurtis MacDermid, play tonight in Montreal.

We can therefore expect another very physical game, and a potential fight between Xhekaj and MacDermid. [spacer title=’En Rafale’] – Please note:

– A nice surprise in Singapore. Russell will start ahead of Verstappen and Piastri.

– For those interested,

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“Jacob (Fowler) didn’t have a teddy bear, but rather a mini habs stick.”

There’s a lot of hope in Jacob Fowler, and rightly so. Montreal Canadiens fans see him as a future National Hockey League goaltender of the first rank, as well as the next #1 goaltender for the Habs. Montreal has loved Fowler ever since he was selected in the 2023 draft, but what we didn’t know is that the 20-year-old has loved Montreal for much longer.

Indeed, we recently learned from Jacob Fowler’s aunt, Maggie Fowler, that since he was a little boy, the CH goaltender has been linked to the Habs. How so? Well, from a very early age, Fowler had a mini Montreal Canadiens hockey stick in his possession. This mini stick was like the CH goaltender’s teddy bear, as he carried it everywhere with him, from the car to his bed

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[content-ads] As you can see from the photos, Fowler was very fond of that little Habs stick, always carrying it with him. It’s crazy to think of it now that the 20-year-old is a member of the Canadiens organization, and more importantly, a cornerstone of the team’s future.

As his aunt herself explains, Fowler has always had a connection with Montreal, whether it’s with that mini stick, or the Habs jersey Jacob used to own.

In short, it’s a very cute anecdote, and it just goes to show that sometimes, certain things are made to happen, and are clearly predestined. Let’s now hope that all this beautiful story will translate into a superb career with the Canadiens for Jacob Fowler. spacer title=’Overtime’] – A very good contract from the Wild.

– Great!

– To listen.

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L.J. Mooney makes a superb pass in his first NCAA game

Last night, several of the NCAA’s top teams began their 2025-2026 seasons, with Gavin McKenna making his debut for Penn State University, among others. The highly probable first pick in the 2026 NHL draft scored his first two NCAA points, with two assists.

On the Montreal Canadiens prospects’ side now, well, Michael Hage had a smashing debut with five points, including two goals.

But in addition to Hage, there was also another Habs prospect whose NCAA season was taking off, and I’m talking about L.J. Mooney. The Habs’ fourth-round pick (113th overall) at the last draft was making his debut on the American college circuit, playing his first game with the University of Minnesota.

And for the occasion, Mooney quickly distinguished himself with a superb backhand pass from behind the net on his team’s third goal, in a 6-3 win over Michigan Tech University.

[content-ads] It’s a sequence that really shows the full range of talent and playmaking ability of Mooney, who, despite his small stature, aspires to a great career because of his offensive skills.

This kind of sensational, perfect pass is exactly the kind of play that could help Mooney make the NHL one day. Of course, we’re still a long way from that, but with such flair and vision, the Habs prospect could make it to the NHL if he develops properly.

It will be very interesting to follow him this season, as he’s part of a very good team, and has a big role to play despite the fact that he’s a rookie. It’s worth noting that another Habs prospect picked up an assist in this game, defenseman Luke Mittlestadt, a player the Habs organization likes a lot, we remember.

[spacer title=’En Rafale’] – To read.

– For those interested.

– I think Vertstappen can do it.

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Habs – Sens: the rivalry has moved to the AHL with three fights in 13 minutes

Tuesday’s preseason match-up between the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators saw a number of brawls erupt in the Habs’ 5-0 victory, with brothers Xhekaj and Jayden Struble making short work of the Sens players, even sending Zack MacEwen packing.

Well, last night, this fierce rivalry was transported to the American Hockey League for a warm-up game between the Laval Rocket and the Belleville Senators.

It was the same kind of game, with the Habs organization dominating on all fronts (5-2 win), while the intensity was at its peak, as it was in Quebec City at Centre Vidéotron. Just 13 minutes into the game, three fights had already broken out.

[content-ads] Here’s the fight list

  • 1:54: Israel Mianscum invited Jake Chiasson to the fight
  • 10:04: Will Dineen and Djibril Touré (6-foot-7) threw down the gloves
  • 12:23: Tyler Thorpe defended Mark Estapa by starting a fight with Braidan Simmons-Fischer

It was a very similar game to Tuesday’s in Quebec City, which further confirms the intense rivalry between the Habs and Sens. Like the Canadiens, the Rocket scored five goals in a 5-2 win over the Senators.

Sean Farrell and Alex Belzile both had a goal and an assist, which continues to put them at the top of the Laval Rocket’s list for a recall to Montreal.

[content-ads] Joe Dunlap, Tobie Bisson and Luke Tuch were the other scorers

Note that Jacob Fowler played 40 minutes in this game, turning aside 14 of 15 shots. The Rocket will be back in action today with a warm-up game against the Toronto Marlies starting at 3pm [spacer title=’Overtime’] – The latest NHL rumors.

– To be continued today.

– It’s off to a good start for Max.

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Two goals and three assists: Michael Hage gets his season off to a flying start

Tonight was the start of the NCAA hockey season and two Canadiens prospects were in action as LJ Mooney, with the University of Minnesota, and Michael Hage, with the University of Michigan, both played. Hage got his campaign off to a flying start as he picked up five points, two goals and three assists, in a crushing 8-1 win over Mercyhurst University.

With his team ahead 4-1 after twenty minutes of play, the Habs prospect made sure to crush his opponents’ prospects in the second period by scoring his team’s fifth goal on a beautiful pass from Malcom Spence.

And later in the same frame, Hage earned an assist by winning the face-off with a quick pass to teammate Will Horcoff, who took advantage of the opportunity to beat the goalie.

[content-ads] The center’s second assist of the game came on Horcoff’s third goal of the game during a power play midway through the third period.

Then, Hage scored his second of the game barely a minute later, making it 9-1 University of Michigan.

Finally, the center got his fifth point of the game on a Spence goal late in the third period.

[content-ads] Final score: 11-1 for Michigan, who crushed their opponents.

The Ontario native seems motivated to start his second season strong, as he’s already having an excellent rookie campaign with 34 points, including 13 goals, in 33 games. Although it’s only one game, his five points already put him on track for an even better season.

Mooney, meanwhile, had a quieter first game with his club, earning no points and a plus-1 rating as his team trailed 3-2 after two periods.

[spacer title=’Overtime’] – Laval’s fifth goal.

– Starters for tomorrow.

– Offensive festival.

– What a shot!

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“Jayden Struble would be on the top-4 of several very good teams.”

On the eve of the start of the NHL season, the Canadiens find themselves with a battle on their hands on the blue line. While we knew that the Habs’ defensive positions were pretty well all filled, we’re currently witnessing a good battle between Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj for the team’s sixth defenseman.

The problem is that so far, both defensemen are having a very good practice, and neither really deserves to start the first game on the bridge. The solution could be to dress Xhekaj for the tougher games and use Struble against the faster teams.

Except that, so far, Xhekaj is playing much more effective hockey in his zone and has improved his decision-making, while Struble has added a more physical dimension to his game and can throw down the gloves if necessary, as we saw last Tuesday. This blurs somewhat the role and contribution that each player can make.

According to Nicolas Cloutier, who appeared on The Sick Podcast, Struble could be a top-4 defenseman on many NHL teams.

[content-ads] He and Tony Marinaro think it’s almost a shame to have Struble as the team’s seventh defenseman and that in an ideal world, he and Xhekaj would both play at the same time. Indeed, it would give the Habs a lot of toughness, but who else are we benching?

Plus, we’ve seen in the past that Martin Saint-Louis isn’t a fan of dressing seven defensemen in a game, but what this really shows is that the Habs really do have great depth on defense, and barring a hecatomb on the line, the team shouldn’t have too much trouble if they have to deal with a few injuries.

And let’s not forget that Adam Engstrom is ready to come in and help the Habs if need be, and that David Reinbacher could play a few games with the club over the course of the season.

[spacer title=’En rafale’] – Laval ahead.

– A beautiful goal!

– Just in time for the season.

– He didn’t take long.

– The final in progress!