What happened?

Mario and PK. I love the comparisons and the potential. Balotelli and Subban have proven a lot already, but have a lot more to prove. Yes they are from different worlds european football and north american hockey, Italy and Canada, but they are joined at the hip because they are considered as enfants terrible by their peers and by the sports establishment. Pk Subban is 15 months older than Mario Balotelli. His parents migrated from the Caribbean and settled in Canada. Pk's father was a long-time hab's fan even though he lived in leaf-land. Pk had a wide smile when he was drafted by the habs. I remember Pk being interviewed during the draft and to say he was ecstatic was an understatement. Even then he was brimming with confidence and told any journalist within earshot that he was ready to play for the Habs the next season. What to say about Pk Subban's year? His flamboyant skating combined with precision passing and missile like shot have led to murmurs of a Norris. He...

Ok call me nuts but I want the Habs to win the cup. So this is what I want Bergevin to trade for in order for us to win the Cup: Kevin Westgarth- Makes $550,000, is 6'4 and has held his own versus Colton Orr and Fraser Mclaren this year. When the habs meet either the Bruins, Leafs, or Flyers he may be needed to keep the habs from taking a physical beating. A late round pick or a Travis Moen in exchange. Jaromir Jagr- Is an unrestricted free agent after this year and what he really wants is another shot at the Cup before he retires. He has played with Plekanec in the past but would look good with Eller as well. He could teach Eller a few tricks. Yes he is a bit of a free spirit but he can't do much damage to team chemistry arriving at year-end. A late round pick or a Travis Moen in exchange. Dominic Moore- Was excellent with Habs during their playoff run in 2010. He has not played all year and that is an issue. He brings speed and some scoring capability. A good 4th liner ...

A lot of people are in a dander over Carey Price including myself. I am on the fence about Carey. I have a hard time understanding the praise he gets considering his lack of accomplishments with the Habs.  I question signing Price long term after the Habs finished last in 2012. As well, the price is not right at 6.5 million per year. He had been handed the starting job over someone who outperformed him. Halak was traded away so Price could be crowned the starting goalie of the future. I always think people should earn this by merit not by pedigree or whatever. So far in his career Carey Price has won 46% of the games he has played. In comparison Brodeur has won 55% of the games he has played, Lundquist 54%, Miller 54%, Nabakov 52%,  Fleury 53%, Crawford 55%, Howard 56%, Halak 53%, Rinne 54%, and Kiprusoff 52%. Those are 10 goalies. Luongo has just a 46% winning percentage but he has played on dreadful teams in the past. People still insist on saying Price is a top 5 g...

PK Subban- The myth, the legend, the facts. Well what to do about PK. Who is right or wrong?  Tyler Myers is younger than PK Subban by 8 months. Myers has played 3 years in the NHL. These are his stats: He has played 217 NHL games, scored 29 goals, 79 assists, 108 total points, and has an overall +18. The intangibles is that he is the key to the buffalo defence and is physically imposing even if he doesn't really play a physical game. Pk Subban has played 160 games in the NHL, scored 21 goals, 55 assists, 76 total points. The intangibles are his incredible speed and his physical high intensity game. Myers never played in the AHL. Subban was forced to play 77 games in Hamilton where he had 18 goals, 35 assists, 53 points and was a wow +46. Tyler Myers signed a contract during the summer for 38.5 million for 7 years averaging 5.5 million for these 7 years. The Canadiens are apparently trying to sign PK to a short term of 2 years with a contract ranging anywhere fr...

Well it looks like we might have a deal in the hockey lock-out. It better happen for the sake of hockey not for the sake of the NHL or Gary Bettman. Even die-hard fans are beginning to be repulsed by this dreary capitalistic soap opera that no one cares about. I have observed the tweets and PR wars going on by both sides. It's easy to blame both sides when both sides earn seven figures. However, there are some economic principles involved that we cannot ignore. One thing should be obvious this is not a case of a failed league trying to salvage its existence. Gary Bettman does not earn 7.5 million a year because he is trying to rescue a sinking ship. The league's revenues have quadrupled in a decade and are now in the 3 billion range. Have the player's salaries quadrupled? Jaromir Jagr made more money fifteen years ago than Sidney Crosby makes now. The owners are paying Gary Bettman in part for destroying the backbone of the player's union in 2004 and in...

Ahh it was forty years ago...In September 1972, Jean Beliveau one of the classiest hockey players of all time had been retired for over a year. I mention Jean Beliveau because in September 1972 Canada won the historic series against the Soviet Union but class should not be used to describe the victory. This series was incendiary, traumatic, and barbaric. It pitted Soviet athletes who were well-disciplined educated soldiers trained in a totalitarian regime versus barely educated junior-trained professional athletes raised in a capitalist regime. For Canada the series was a revelation in that we saw Canadian players we had grown up with and who we believed to be vastly superior demi-hockey gods turn into mere mortals. The once demi-gods also wilted to extreme and bizarre behaviour patterns. The first four games in Canada created severe stress for the rabid hockey fan and some went into shock. It wasn't that the Soviets won but my god how they won. They toyed w...

I will miss  TSN990 if  it's actually going to be closing its station in the future. I was listening that first day with Ted Blackman and I think Mitch Melnyk who were on that morning. I also remember winning free hockey tickets the first week and I think the question was about the rover in the 20's. There have been some entertaining personalities on the radio station including Melnyk, Marinaro, Stock and even Joey Elias. What do we have to look forward to?  Well I was listening to the French sports talk on 98.5 tonight and the main topic of conversation was Mathieu (AHL) Darche . Somebody actually called in and said that the fact Darche was not offered a contract was the first major blunder by Bergevin. He also went on to say that the Robinson non-hiring was ok since they hired a francophone instead in J J Daigneault. The host of the show agreed with both points. This folks is what we have to look forward to when we listen to French sports talk. Larry R...