Category: Uncategorized

Categories
Uncategorized

Record of Alex Ovechkin: Jakub Dobes honored by Budweiser company

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know that Alex Ovechkin became the top scorer in NHL history yesterday. He scored his 895th career goal yesterday afternoon, surpassing Wayne Gretzky as the all-time leader.

This is a record that was thought to be untouchable… and yet.

Yesterday, the Capitals published a graphic showing all the goalies who have allowed at least one goal to Ovechkin during his career. Have fun checking the list: there are some big names on it.

That being said, even if Ovechkin has fooled many goalies in his career, there are some he hasn’t fooled when facing them. And to highlight the feat of these goalies, Budweiser sent a Budweiser Zero (I don’t think I need to explain that one) to all the goalies who faced at least one shot from Ovechkin without giving up a goal.

And among those who received the gift, there’s… Jakub Dobes, who stopped the only shot he faced from Ovechkin.

We also notice another legend from the habs on the list, as Mike Condon (who has 18 saves against Ovechkin in his career) is among those who have been honored. Only Vitek Vanecek has made more saves against Ovechkin without ever giving up a goal than Condon.

Obviously, in Dobes’ case, it’s not exactly a huge sample size… but it’s still the case that he can boast of being one of the rare goalies who have faced Ovechkin without giving up a goal.

And with the habs seemingly on their way to facing the Capitals in the playoffs, it’s worth wondering if Martin St-Louis will use Ovechkin’s “bogeyman” in goal to try to neutralize the Russian, hehe.

Overtime

– Incredible.

– Rapper Lil Wayne congratulates Alex Ovechkin on his record.

– Will a team give a chance to the six-foot-eight goalie?

Categories
Uncategorized

The Habs would probably not be in the playoffs without Lane Hutson – Raymond Bourque

The Montreal Canadiens are in a good position to make the playoffs, against all expectations.

Cole Caufield’s 36 goals, Nick Suzuki’s 84 points, and Lane Hutson’s incredible rookie season are all key factors in the Habs’ success.

In my last post, I discussed Suzuki and Hutson’s efficiency based on their “Average Game Score”. Both players have been in the same category as McDavid and Draisaitl for the month of March.

Although we haven’t seen a season with more than one point per game since Alex Kovalev in 2007-08, Hutson’s season is, in my opinion, just as exceptional, if not more so.

We can agree that without the captain, the Habs wouldn’t be in a position to make the playoffs, but Raymond thinks the same about Hutson.

“I don’t think the Habs make the playoffs without Hutson. The difference he makes with the team this year is incredible.” – Raymond Bourque

What he says is very logical. Especially if we look at his Average Game Score.

Hutson doesn’t just produce points, he’s also relatively good defensively and changes the pace of the game as soon as he touches the puck. He’s by far the most exciting player on the Habs since P.K. Subban, and I’d even say since Kovalev.

Bourque also added that he’s never seen anyone move with the puck like Hutson. He was even worried about him, but he quickly changed his mind when he saw how incredible he is.

Bourque is also convinced that #48 will win the Calder this year.

It’s not very often that we see a defenseman win the Calder Trophy for Rookie of the Year.

Moritz Seider was the last one, and before him, there was Cale Makar and Aaron Ekblad. Ekblad, like Seider, didn’t collect as many points as Hutson with five games left to play (39 points for Ekblad and 50 points for Seider).

The Habs’ small defenseman is currently ranked 4th among the top-scoring defensemen and 2nd among defensemen in assists, behind Makar.

For a rookie, it’s simply incredible.

If he continues on his current pace in the last five games of the season, he could very well receive some votes for the Norris Trophy (best defenseman). He could even be nominated.

If Hutson were to be nominated for the Norris, in addition to winning the Calder, he would be the third defenseman in history to achieve this feat.

The only two to have done it? Cale Makar in 2020 and Bobby Orr in… 1967.

Makar had 50 points in 57 games in his rookie season (0.88 points per game), while Orr had 41 points in 61 games (0.67 points per game). With 64 points in 77 games, Hutson is producing at a rate of 0.83, which is simply astonishing.

Even if he’s not nominated for the Norris, the chances of him receiving votes for this trophy are good, and that in itself is extraordinary.

The Habs have a rare gem in their organization with Hutson.

Overtime

– 92 points in the standings would be an ideal goal for the Habs.

– Good point.

– Sad news in the hockey world.

– Still as incredible, this Brayden Point.

– Alexis Lafrenière was ejected from the game against the Lightning.

– Worth reading.

Categories
Uncategorized

When Hutson and Suzuki invite themselves into the same category as McDavid and Draisaitl

I’m not telling you anything new by saying that Nick Suzuki and Lane Hutson are each having an incredible season.

In terms of basic statistics (points, differential, etc.), it’s easy to determine how useful a player is to their team on the surface.

But a player’s overall usefulness is much more complex than the points they accumulate over the course of a season.

Advanced statistics can be great for this, but knowing everything is not necessarily simple.

In basketball, for example, there’s the PER, which is a statistic that demonstrates a player’s usefulness to their team using several advanced statistics.

It’s a simple number that encompasses everything you could use to determine a player’s overall productivity.

A PER below 10 is not very good, a PER between 10 and 15 is good, while a PER of 20 or more demonstrates that a player is among the elite. And then there are the Nikola Jokićs of the world whose PER is always above 30, which is rarely seen in the NBA.

A few years ago, Dom Luszczyszyn from The Athletic created the “Game Score” and the “Average Game Score” so that there would be similar data to PER in hockey. And it works pretty much the same way.

To learn more about the Game Score, you can click on this link.

Recently, the Twitter page HockeyStatCards posted a tweet showing the top five Average Game Scores for the month of March only.

Not surprisingly, Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid are at the top with an average of 2.25 and 2.17 respectively, but the next two players are at least surprising.

Nick Suzuki (1.97) and Lane Hutson (1.77) are third and fourth in this data.

In short, what this means is that Suzuki and Hutson are the third and fourth most effective players for their team for the month of March in the entire NHL.

It’s amazing when you think about it.

It shows that Suzuki and Hutson are not just filling the scoresheet, but they are extremely useful to the Habs for all sorts of reasons.

By the way, if you go to the HockeyStatCards site, you can see the best single-game performances for each team based on the Game Score.

Based on this data, we can see that it’s Mike Matheson who had the biggest impact for the Habs in a specific game, the one on November 11th.

The second-best overall performance is Lane Hutson’s from March 30th, his three-assist game against the Florida Panthers.

(Credit: HockeyStatCards)

Another interesting fact, we see Kaiden Guhle’s name appear several times in this category.

Another proof that it’s not just about points to be useful to your team.

In short, the data that is the Game Score is very interesting, especially for fans of advanced statistics. It encompasses several stats to group them under a single piece of data.

In Overtime

– According to Raymond Bourque, the Habs would not be in the playoffs if it weren’t for Lane Hutson’s incredible season.

– If Hutson receives votes for the Norris in addition to winning the Calder, aside from Cale Makar’s rookie season in 2020, you would have to go back to Bobby Orr’s rookie season to see a player accomplish that.

– A very emotional short film, for those interested.

Categories
Uncategorized

Get ready Slaf: you will probably have to dye your hair blond soon…

The Canadiens are well established in the standings in the East at the moment.

With their 85 points, the Habs are ahead of the Rangers and the Red Wings by six points, the Islanders by seven points… and the Blue Jackets by eight points.

All these teams have a game in hand over the Canadiens, however:

(Credit: LNH.com)

The Habs – unless there is a major reversal of the situation – are therefore likely to be able to participate in the playoffs this season.

This is a surprise since at the beginning – and halfway through the season -, nobody really believed in these chances. And for good reason.

That being said, maybe Juraj Slafkovsky will regret telling Anthony Martineau that he would dye his hair blond if his team got a playoff spot.

He’d better get ready, Slaf… because he’ll probably have to go to the hairdresser soon. Hehe:

Seeing Slaf with blond hair would be really funny.

And I imagine his teammates would easily find a way to tease him too.

But at the same time, it could be really cool. We often see young players in junior hockey dye their hair blond for the playoffs and it always gives a pretty funny result.

This will make headlines, at least. And if Slaf keeps his word, it’s sure that the first photo where we’ll see him with his new “haircut” will make the rounds on the web too.

Remains to be seen if the Canadiens will be able to get their ticket to the spring dance.

But again, with the current situation in the standings in the East, it is really possible to believe that the chances are good.

In Overtime

– I love it.

– Meh…

– Alright. Good for the Jays!

– This promises to be good.

Categories
Uncategorized

For $45, those who attended Ovechkin’s game yesterday can get a physical ticket

Alex Ovechkin is officially the best scorer in the history of the NHL.

The #8 of the Capitals beat Wayne Gretzky’s record yesterday, when his team faced the Islanders.

The match was notably presented at the home of the Isles.

Since the match has gone down in history, the Islanders have taken the initiative to print physical tickets for the fans who attended the meeting.

But unfortunately, those who want to get a physical ticket will not be able to do so for free.

The price to acquire a ticket is $45, according to what Front Office Sports reports on X:

After the record was broken during yesterday’s match, a QR code appeared on the giant screen of the UBS Arena to offer the offer to the fans on site who were interested in buying a ticket.

But the prices were not displayed. There are still tickets available at the official Islanders store and some are already available on eBay.

Say that the price for a single ticket on eBay… it’s still quite expensive:

(Credit: eBay)
(Credit: eBay)

Obviously, it’s a beautiful piece for collectors.

The tickets will possibly gain value over time and that’s why there are people who won’t hesitate to spend a lot of money to get one.

Note that according to Front Office Sports, there are also used warm-up pucks available at a price of… $375 each.

It’s a lot of money, but all the profits made from the sale of the pucks will be given to the Islanders’ children’s foundation, which is a nice thought.

Alex Ovechkin breaking the record yesterday will not go unnoticed, after all.

Not at all, actually.

Overtime

– Nice photo.

– Still.

– I like the idea!

– Trent Frederic is still injured.

Categories
Uncategorized

Lane Hutson associates with Olivier Primeau and the Groupe Prime Drink

Lane Hutson has quickly become one of the crowd’s favorites in Montreal.

The small defenseman of the Canadiens has won the heart of the fans because he is excellent on the ice, but also because he has a superb personality.

Today, we are already talking about him as one of the most loved players in the city… even though he is still in his first full season in the National League.

With his name gaining popularity, the idea of associating with him is interesting from a marketing standpoint.

And that’s what Olivier Primeau was able to do.

The latter – with the help of a post on social media – announced the new partnership between Lane Hutson and the Groupe Prime Drink.

The Canadiens’ defenseman will have his signature on the new “Relax Downlow” drinks, which are already available in Couche-Tard convenience stores in Quebec.

We’re talking about a non-alcoholic, relaxing drink that is approved by Health Canada as a natural health product.

We’re also talking about a drink that is very low in calories:

Naturally, this is great news for the player.

Lane Hutson is only 21 years old, but he is already popular enough to partner with companies to sell products.

This is noteworthy.

Olivier Primeau’s announcement comes after seeing Lane Hutson break the record for assists for a rookie defenseman for the Montreal Canadiens.

He is still tied with Chris Chelios for the number of points (64), however.

We read in the post above that there will be exclusive publications and public appearances planned with the defenseman in the coming weeks, and at that level, I imagine we will surely have to wait until the end of the season to move the project forward.

The Canadiens are in the midst of a playoff run, after all… and it should not become a distraction for the player or the team. Hutson will need to conserve his energy to help his team on the ice.

Overtime

– He is sensational.

– Oh.

– Sick, for real.

– Players need to wake up to the bar.

Categories
Uncategorized

Ivan Demidov is (probably) going to evolve in the VHL

There is news regarding Ivan Demidov.

And for those who are wondering: no, he is not coming to Montreal.

The Canadiens’ prospect is instead expected to head to the VHL, the equivalent of the American League in Russia.

This information was revealed by RG Media in the last few minutes.

In the article in question, we can read that the fact of going to play in the VHL was Demidov’s preferred option because joining the Canadiens was not on the table.

The SKA apparently intends to assign him to SKA-Neva and if that happens, Demidov will have the opportunity to play with his big brother, Semyon.

SKA-Neva won its first round of the playoffs in the VHL.

The team will resume action on Thursday and will face Khimik Voskressensk for the first game of their second-round series.

We also note that according to RG Media, the goal of the SKA organization in Saint Petersburg is to allow its affiliated teams to win the VHL and MHL championships.

The SKA was quickly eliminated from the playoffs in the KHL and the executives want to ensure that the organization maintains its good reputation.

And it’s certain that by adding a talented player like Demidov to a VHL team – or even an MHL team because this possibility still exists -, it can help their chances.

Ivan Demidov’s contract with the SKA will end on May 31, but at least he will have the opportunity to play in a league until then to continue his progression.

The Canadiens’ prospect is following the SKA’s plan and that’s a good thing… because in Russia, we know that things are more complicated with the war.

And with the Torpedo team threatening its young players to send them to complete their military service if they don’t follow the instructions, Demidov may not really have a choice but to follow the club’s rules.

It would have been fun to see him arrive in North America sooner than expected… but it seems we will have to be patient before seeing him take the plane to Montreal.

Overtime

—

— It was deserved.

— The news of the day in waivers.

Categories
Uncategorized

The widow of Johnny Gaudreau gave birth to the late player’s last child

When Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau passed away, the hockey world was in mourning.

The family of the two former players had a lot of grieving to do and the saddest part of it all is that Johnny’s two children lost their father at a very young age.

Growing up without their father, it’s really horrible.

But we also quickly learned that Matthew’s and Johnny’s wives were pregnant. The two brothers would therefore welcome new Gaudreau family members in the following months.

On December 30, we learned that Madeline Gaudreau, Matthew’s widow, had given birth.

And today, Meredith Gaudreau announced that the third child of the couple she formed with Johnny is born. Carter Michael Gaudreau, a little boy bears the same middle name as his father.

And he has the same measurements as his father at birth.

The child was born on April 1 and among the photos shared by Meredith Gaudreau, we see in particular a puck with the colors of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Johnny’s last team.

It’s very touching.

It’s been several months since the Gaudreau brothers passed away and the large Gaudreau family now has two new babies to take care of. This will undoubtedly be a big challenge for everyone.

Good luck to everyone.

Overtime

– Nick Suzuki, second star of the week.

– To note.

– Only two points separate the two teams.

– To watch.

– He wants to make the playoffs.

Categories
Uncategorized

“David Savard should play tomorrow”

Yesterday, just before the day’s game, we learned that David Savard and Emil Heineman would not be able to play the game in Nashville.

Officially, the habs said the guys “are being evaluated daily and will not participate in tonight’s game”: this obviously suggests they are injured and have a minor issue.

Josh Anderson rejoined the lineup after the birth of his child and Michael Pezzetta kept his spot. We imagine that if Heino had been able to play, the coach would have liked to send Pezz to the stands, alongside Joshua Roy.

But defensively? It’s a different story.

I’m not saying Savard is not injured. But I have the feeling that Martin St-Louis didn’t mind giving a game to Arber Xhekaj and resting David Savard in the process.

I wouldn’t bet my house on David Savard being injured. – Maxime Truman in his article of the day

After all, we can feel that the weight of the years is starting to bear down on Savard. The Canadiens’ veteran is playing less and less and clearly, he has become a third-pair defender.

Resting him on the heels of a second game in two nights, it’s not bad. And that, regardless of his health status.

Canadiens weekly notebook is out. Bad starts, Lane Hutson keeps rolling, David Savard’s perspective, Mike-Matheson-Monster-Minutes, Juraj Skafkovský gets to properly chirp and more. www.nytimes.com/athletic/626…

[image or embed]

— Arpon Basu (@arponbasu.bsky.social) April 7, 2025 at 09:34

So at this point, we wonder: will Savard’s injury prevent him from playing tomorrow? Or will Sunday’s rest allow him to rejoin the lineup on Tuesday?

About this, Renaud Lavoie (BPM Sports) said this morning:

I think David (Savard) should play tomorrow. – Renaud Lavoie

The TVA Sports journalist questioned whether Savard should really play both games in two nights (there’s another one on Friday and Saturday) and he knows that on Saturday, there’s “maybe” something that bothered him.

Lavoie doesn’t rule out that Savard might be absent tomorrow, but he expects to see him play.

I’m not going to conclude that Savard is not the most injured man because we don’t know – and he probably has a small issue because he sacrifices his body every night. But we can think, hearing all this, that in case of need, Savard could have filled in last night.

If the habs decide to rest him just before the playoffs, that’s okay too.

Let’s recall that Savard doesn’t know if he’ll play hockey next year. The playoff race is taking a lot out of him and let’s say he might not be the most in-demand man this summer.

Resting him like that was done yesterday is therefore okay. After all, the team will need him if they make the playoffs… even if it’s in a small role.

Overtime

– Why?

– Rangers fans want to see the habs in the playoffs? [HF]

– To note.

Categories
Uncategorized

Ivan Demidov and the Canadiens: the player’s clan has no news to report

In the last minutes, the Sports Express media, which is important on the Russian side, set Montreal ablaze by writing a paper about none other than Ivan Demidov.

In short, we could read that the Canadiens expect to see their top prospect arrive in town this season. And this, despite all the contrary opinions that are circulating.

We could read that his place in the top-6 was assured after the regular season – so in the playoffs.

It’s up to you to see a negotiating technique on the part of the Russians to monetize Demidov’s value before the end of his contract (on May 31), but the chances of seeing him in North America in 2024-2025 have always been more than slim.

I said it in the paper I wrote earlier: I don’t believe it for this season.

And on this subject, the Sports Express text has traveled a lot. This meant that Nicolas Cloutier contacted Demidov’s clan to see if the rumor of the day had legs.

Not surprisingly, it doesn’t. Demidov’s clan would not confirm anything until it’s official, but it’s worth noting.

On his side, Marco D’Amico agrees (and it’s not really surprising either) by mentioning that the chances of seeing Demidov arrive in town are currently very slim.

We should not expect, as we see on RG media, that his contract will be broken to come to Montreal. He risks continuing to play in Russia in a lower level until the end of the season.

We must therefore continue to follow the Canadiens’ journey to the playoffs for what it is, namely without the big prospect. If there is a change, it will be something quite unexpected, we’ll see.

To be continued.

Overtime

– It’s negotiating.

– Vladimir Putin congratulates Alex Ovechkin. [TVAS]

– Good question.