This week I will be putting out a blog series with my view on what I see as the top 5 major additions to our Habs this off-season. I will go over who they are, what impact they should provide and how I think these moves will affect the team long term.
In no particular order, let's start with the biggest splash. Signing Daniel Briere, on the first day free agents were available, is the biggest move that will benefit the offense. My initial thoughts were very positive with this signing. The price and term were fair for an offensively gifted player just past his prime (ie experience) and I believe has a few good offensive years left in the tank. The $4M per season price tag is not a bad pickup for a player who was coveted by at least half the league. The Habs new #48 brings to mind clutch play with his past playoff performances not to mention his contributions to the power play. As we have seen in the new era, the power play is so essential, seasons and playoffs can be won and lost depending on how good your power play is. In essence, Briere replaces Ryder within the depth chart and I think most people would agree that's an upgrade. Besides the obvious improvement to our offense, Briere is also going to be another experienced player who will provide leadership in the room. He was Captain for the Buffalo Sabers between '05-'07.
Briere was signed to help the offense in those moments when we will need it the
most. Add his leadership qualities and his 15 years NHL experience and you get a big bonus for a team with such a young solid core. Add to that, the fact that he chose
Montreal, Briere has already shown his passion for playing here,
embracing the questions/doubts about his health and declined production
last season with a strong desire to prove something. He's coming into the season more fired up than he has in a long time.
Briere will obviously be providing alot of leadership and guidance but his impact should also be greatly felt in the playoffs. Briere has had some memorable runs in the past and as we all know, the playoffs are an entirely different ballgame. Therrien's team plays very tight games, we don't win by 3 and 4 goals and we don't loose by 3 and 4 goals, so the value of his "clutch abilities" will be that much more valuable. And finally, Habs fans get a higher profile "Quebecois" to cheer for which only benefits the egos and mythos that surrounds our fabled team, you know we all love that!
The main knock on Briere from the day he was signed has been his size.
Folks look at his under 6 foot stature and go right to the "Oh great
another small guy" line of thinking. A quick look at his penalty
minutes and you can see there have been many years he approached 75
minutes or more in a season. To me, that's a guy who doesn't shy away
from the physical aspect of the game. I don't think many of those
minutes were of the 5-minute major variety, but it shows Briere gets
physical and isn't a soft pretty boy with only one dimension to his game. The funny
part about these folks who cry about the Habs' size is they don't stop to
think for a second that Briere was not signed for that reason, he was signed to improve the offense and provide leadership. Bergevin
has said over and over when asked about the size issue, the team needs
to be balanced in that respect. No team will ever be successful if it
has all 23 players at 6'3".
The concerns I feel for Briere, will be his health and his ability to get through the big pressure that comes in Montreal once that first multi-game slump happens. The challenge he will be provided by the piranhas of the Habs faithful media will be unparalleled. Some of the negative folk in those circles were already deriding Briere for having supposedly spurned the team back in 2008 when he joined the Philadelphia Flyers. Sure I was bummed too after the hopes of getting Briere signed back then were dashed. But I doubt the Habs were offering what the Flyers were. They tend to over pay for things at times! The media frenzy that can be dusted up in our crazy hockey fishbowl has cowered many a hockey star. But its true, the media can be pretty nasty, just ask Bob Gainey and Scott Gomez. I think Briere should be significantly prepared for that frenzy considering he played in Philadelphia, which is a strong hockey market in itself.
His health has not been a major issue in his career as he has been sidelined only 3 times for any portion of a season. The concern this time though is the fact this latest injury, which cost him 10 games in last season's short year, is that it was a concussion. We all know that's a scary injury and an enigmatic one as well. By all signs so far, Briere has fully recovered and is ready to start the season. Briere also missed 6 games in 2012 due to concussion. I think concussions are so varied in how severe they can be and the negative lasting effects are so difficult to predict. We have seen first hand how nasty a hit can look but see the player return in remarkable time, "ala" Pacioretty/Chara, or how innocent a hit can seem yet how long and how profound the effects become "ala" Crosby/Steckel. We all know how fast the game has become and injuries are just a part of the entire equation. Briere will be questioned about his health like anyone else but I don't feel he is the type of player with "a history" of injuries that is bound to repeat itself.
Overall I see Briere as a perfect fit at this time. He won't be a point per game player as he used to be, but he will fit right into the team atmosphere and share in the offense like this team did last season. Our Habs finished 5th in goals scored and had 8 players in the double digits for goals. He will contribute perfectly in that respect. If expectations aren't too overblown, I see Briere having a great season and our Habs greatly benefiting from this wonderful free agent signing.
In Part 2 of this mini blog series, I am looking at the mustache man, George Parros.
Thanks for reading!
Find me on Twitter @TheHabsNerd
GO HABS GO!!
Monday, 9 September 2013
Wednesday, 28 August 2013
Who am I?
Who am I? I figured that would be a question most people would ask if they were to start reading my blog. Typically I know I would want to know who the author is of something I read on a daily or weekly basis. What type of background does this author have in the subject I am interested in reading about? Makes sense right?! Well, here's that post... I'll try and keep it short.
It's very very likely it all began in the womb. Seriously, I was in my mom's belly and more than likely listenend to many Habs games and cheers and jeers. I was born in April of 1978 and as you slick Habs historians will know, Les Glorieux were starting a playoff run that would culminate in their 3rd Stanley Cup in a row. This was one of the glory teams of old, with Robinson, Dryden, Lafleur, Lemaire, Cournoyer, Shutt to name a few. Having been born on the east short of Montreal, my family lived in St-Bruno and were all die hard fans. So I know for a fact, I was kicking mom, telling her I wanted out when our boys were eliminting Detroit and Toronto in those first 2 rounds. Then in May, when I was but a month old, The Habs defeated the hated Boston Bruins for the second year in a row, I'm positive I watched many of those games from cuddly spot in mom or dad's arms.
I've always told folks who care, that red white and blue run through my veins. I've been a Habs fan since I can remember. Some of my first real NHL hockey memories began in the years just before the 1986 Cup championship. I remember that quick Cup winning goal and the excitement that followed. This was an under dog squad with a rookie goalie that I learned later on was not supposed to win that cup. But the excitement and buzz I remember feeling was part of why I was shaped so early on. From that point forward, it was always a major treat to stay up and watch the Habs game, the feeling I got as I sat to watch a game was similar to the one I got every Christmas morning. With my jersey on I'd sit with my parents or my uncles, and on school nights I'd just sneak downstairs and hide behind the couch and watch, but either way, I'd sit and watch with love and amazement. If you are reading this, I'm sure you are a Habs fan and I'm sure you understand the feeling I'm not doing very well to describe.
After a move to Ontario due to dad's shift in work opportunities, I was finding myself among less Habs fans than I was before. When I got here, I was exposed to the fact that other people were fans of other teams! It was crazy and hard to understand at first. "How could anyone not love the Montreal Canadiens?", I thought. But it was clear that hockey had gripped many others like it had me. While I was able to continue school in a french environment, I met friends right away who were also Habs fans. One of my oldest and best friends of all time, Neal, was a die hard Habs fan as I was. We would argue about who was the bigger fan and I think we pushed each other to show how much we loved our team. Every morning at school, after a game the night before, we would challenge each other talking every detail about the game and the scorers and the assists, or even the time goals were scored. Our teacher was also a massive Habs fan and he would indulge us, everyday. "Une autre pussiant victoire des Canadiens!" would be our war cry as we filled up the class in the mornings. That was his saying but we stole it and used it ad nauseum.
I remember the 1989 Cup Final, against Calgary, like it was yesterday. By then I was as fiery a Habs fan as I ever would be. There was another boy in my class at the time who hailed from Calgary and professed himself a die hard Flames fan. The rivalry between us both was ignited. From the moment that Cup Final was set, we were at war, or at that's what it felt like to me. I would scribble CH logos everywhere I could and taunt my classmate about his "inferior" team and he in turn would match every reproach in turn. I was too young to truly understand my Habs at the time were in fact the underdog. That did not occur or even matter to me, in my heart I knew the Flames were going to loose. My Habs were the best, Patrick Roy was our wall and we had Stephane Richer! Those were my idols at the time, and Chris Chelios, he was also one that I watched closely. In minor hockey, I chose #4 because the jerseys the team had to hand out never went as high as #44. After a few nasty arguments and possibly heated confrontations with my Calgarian "friend", I was forced to swallow my pride and truly feel one of the first realizations that my Habs weren't actually all high and mighty. My heart knew they were, but reality knew they were not. The let down was actually a way for me to love my team even more. I would hear some people who I knew were big fans turn against their team and bad mouth them in disappointment, yet no more than a week later, they were discussing the prospects for next season how they missed Habs hockey already. In that moment, I realized how much Habs fans love their team and how much they expect from them. I didn't know then, and still don't today, how to be "angry" at my team to the point were I would bad mouth anyone who wore the blue blanc rouge, but I can see how passionate people can be. It made me realize how rabid a fan base I was really part of.
Fast forward many years and I am just as in love with my team as ever. I've read articles about how people have equated the love Habs fans have for their team with the religions of the world. It's certainly not a stretch, and I can feel it. There was even a university course create with that in mind. There is a certain bond that binds Habs fans of all sorts. Every time I meet someone who comments on my jersey or the latest Habs hat I've donned, a hardy discussion ensues. That's where hockey fans of all teams have something in common. The discussions and arguments and theories and predictions and debates that bind all hockey fans together. In this age of social media and instant web reports along side the broadcast media, we all have a voice, wether it be small such as mine in blog form or on the national scale as Grapes shows us on Saturday nights between September and June every year, we all have a voice in the hockey world. It's up to us to make it heard and this is my start with that concept.
I hope to blog at least a few times a week until the season begins. If all goes well, I will blog more often when the season is under way. My aim will be to provide Habs content for the diehards and the casuals alike on a biweekly basis at the very least. It will be my point of view on the games themselves, the major topics afflicting the NHL world, as well as the odd special post reguarding all topics Habs related. The wall of text internal alarm has been going off for a few moments now, so I better rap this first blog post. I will introduce myself more and more as I go but this is my story for now. Stay tuned!
You can email me at habsnerd@gmail.com or comment below! Thanks for checking in!
GO HABS GO!
It's very very likely it all began in the womb. Seriously, I was in my mom's belly and more than likely listenend to many Habs games and cheers and jeers. I was born in April of 1978 and as you slick Habs historians will know, Les Glorieux were starting a playoff run that would culminate in their 3rd Stanley Cup in a row. This was one of the glory teams of old, with Robinson, Dryden, Lafleur, Lemaire, Cournoyer, Shutt to name a few. Having been born on the east short of Montreal, my family lived in St-Bruno and were all die hard fans. So I know for a fact, I was kicking mom, telling her I wanted out when our boys were eliminting Detroit and Toronto in those first 2 rounds. Then in May, when I was but a month old, The Habs defeated the hated Boston Bruins for the second year in a row, I'm positive I watched many of those games from cuddly spot in mom or dad's arms.
I've always told folks who care, that red white and blue run through my veins. I've been a Habs fan since I can remember. Some of my first real NHL hockey memories began in the years just before the 1986 Cup championship. I remember that quick Cup winning goal and the excitement that followed. This was an under dog squad with a rookie goalie that I learned later on was not supposed to win that cup. But the excitement and buzz I remember feeling was part of why I was shaped so early on. From that point forward, it was always a major treat to stay up and watch the Habs game, the feeling I got as I sat to watch a game was similar to the one I got every Christmas morning. With my jersey on I'd sit with my parents or my uncles, and on school nights I'd just sneak downstairs and hide behind the couch and watch, but either way, I'd sit and watch with love and amazement. If you are reading this, I'm sure you are a Habs fan and I'm sure you understand the feeling I'm not doing very well to describe.
After a move to Ontario due to dad's shift in work opportunities, I was finding myself among less Habs fans than I was before. When I got here, I was exposed to the fact that other people were fans of other teams! It was crazy and hard to understand at first. "How could anyone not love the Montreal Canadiens?", I thought. But it was clear that hockey had gripped many others like it had me. While I was able to continue school in a french environment, I met friends right away who were also Habs fans. One of my oldest and best friends of all time, Neal, was a die hard Habs fan as I was. We would argue about who was the bigger fan and I think we pushed each other to show how much we loved our team. Every morning at school, after a game the night before, we would challenge each other talking every detail about the game and the scorers and the assists, or even the time goals were scored. Our teacher was also a massive Habs fan and he would indulge us, everyday. "Une autre pussiant victoire des Canadiens!" would be our war cry as we filled up the class in the mornings. That was his saying but we stole it and used it ad nauseum.
I remember the 1989 Cup Final, against Calgary, like it was yesterday. By then I was as fiery a Habs fan as I ever would be. There was another boy in my class at the time who hailed from Calgary and professed himself a die hard Flames fan. The rivalry between us both was ignited. From the moment that Cup Final was set, we were at war, or at that's what it felt like to me. I would scribble CH logos everywhere I could and taunt my classmate about his "inferior" team and he in turn would match every reproach in turn. I was too young to truly understand my Habs at the time were in fact the underdog. That did not occur or even matter to me, in my heart I knew the Flames were going to loose. My Habs were the best, Patrick Roy was our wall and we had Stephane Richer! Those were my idols at the time, and Chris Chelios, he was also one that I watched closely. In minor hockey, I chose #4 because the jerseys the team had to hand out never went as high as #44. After a few nasty arguments and possibly heated confrontations with my Calgarian "friend", I was forced to swallow my pride and truly feel one of the first realizations that my Habs weren't actually all high and mighty. My heart knew they were, but reality knew they were not. The let down was actually a way for me to love my team even more. I would hear some people who I knew were big fans turn against their team and bad mouth them in disappointment, yet no more than a week later, they were discussing the prospects for next season how they missed Habs hockey already. In that moment, I realized how much Habs fans love their team and how much they expect from them. I didn't know then, and still don't today, how to be "angry" at my team to the point were I would bad mouth anyone who wore the blue blanc rouge, but I can see how passionate people can be. It made me realize how rabid a fan base I was really part of.
Fast forward many years and I am just as in love with my team as ever. I've read articles about how people have equated the love Habs fans have for their team with the religions of the world. It's certainly not a stretch, and I can feel it. There was even a university course create with that in mind. There is a certain bond that binds Habs fans of all sorts. Every time I meet someone who comments on my jersey or the latest Habs hat I've donned, a hardy discussion ensues. That's where hockey fans of all teams have something in common. The discussions and arguments and theories and predictions and debates that bind all hockey fans together. In this age of social media and instant web reports along side the broadcast media, we all have a voice, wether it be small such as mine in blog form or on the national scale as Grapes shows us on Saturday nights between September and June every year, we all have a voice in the hockey world. It's up to us to make it heard and this is my start with that concept.
I hope to blog at least a few times a week until the season begins. If all goes well, I will blog more often when the season is under way. My aim will be to provide Habs content for the diehards and the casuals alike on a biweekly basis at the very least. It will be my point of view on the games themselves, the major topics afflicting the NHL world, as well as the odd special post reguarding all topics Habs related. The wall of text internal alarm has been going off for a few moments now, so I better rap this first blog post. I will introduce myself more and more as I go but this is my story for now. Stay tuned!
You can email me at habsnerd@gmail.com or comment below! Thanks for checking in!
GO HABS GO!
Tuesday, 27 August 2013
Welcome Post
Welcome Hockey fans! Welcome Habs fans!
This is the intro post that's all about me and why I'm going to blog about hockey, more specifically the Montreal Canadiens. The internet is full of blogs, podcasts and websites dedicated to all sorts of sports, teams and groups, many are great, some are average and some are just not good. So I feel the need to add my 2 cents to the blogosphere. I always have something to say on the latest topics to touch the hockey world. I've had an urge for a long time to record my thoughts about all things Habs and hockey, so this will be my attempt! Please check back often as I get rolling!
The first few posts will cover myself, an intro to my undying hockey obsession; the off-season topics of note; the off season Habs moves; and I will likely put together some preseason predictions and commentary.
GO HABS GO!!!
This is the intro post that's all about me and why I'm going to blog about hockey, more specifically the Montreal Canadiens. The internet is full of blogs, podcasts and websites dedicated to all sorts of sports, teams and groups, many are great, some are average and some are just not good. So I feel the need to add my 2 cents to the blogosphere. I always have something to say on the latest topics to touch the hockey world. I've had an urge for a long time to record my thoughts about all things Habs and hockey, so this will be my attempt! Please check back often as I get rolling!
The first few posts will cover myself, an intro to my undying hockey obsession; the off-season topics of note; the off season Habs moves; and I will likely put together some preseason predictions and commentary.
GO HABS GO!!!
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