SB Nation - Maxime Talbot

November grades and Player of the Month

Hooks Orpik — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:00:23 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

Alex Goligoski (getting mobbed here by teammates) was the overwhelming choice of Pensburgh voters to be named Pensburgh player of the month for October...Who will take the honor for November? Vote below!

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To see the report card from October, click here. You voted Alex Goligoski the player of the month, garning 50% of the vote to easily out-pace the other finalists of Sidney Crosby, Marc-Andre Fleury, Tyler Kennedy and Jay McKee.

While the training staff and doctors probably deserve MVP status for all their hard work, let's look at the players performances for the month of November.

Overall the Penguins were 8-6-0 on the month, but it was a month of stretches. They lost five of seven games from Nov. 5th to the 19th. Then they won five of seven from Nov 20th to month's end.

Goalies	Grade	Comments
Marc-Andre Fleury	C+	(7-5-0, .891 save percentage on the month) A rocky month for Fleury, who got pulled twice. Considering the makeshift defense in front of him, it was about holding on and winning games; which he did reasonably well by month's end. The bar is set high, so allowing three or more goals 6 out of 12 outings is not ideal.
Brent Johnson	B-	(1-1-0, .887 save %) Again Johnson's save % almost exactly matches the starter, and Johnny has done well to stay sharp, despite not getting into many games.

Defensemen
Mark Eaton	B+	(2 goals, 1 assist, -1, 6 penalty minutes) Who would have thought Mark Eaton would be the Penguins' defensive ironman? Eaton picked up a lot of slack in terms of ice-time, being the lone defensive constant.
Alex Goligoski	I	(1g, 3a, -1, 0 PIM in seven games) Battled illness and then eventually missed seven games. Continues to play well when he's been in the lineup, but gets an I for Incomplete since he missed half the games and is back on the shelf.
Sergei Gonchar	B	(1g, 4a, -3, 4 PIMs in seven games) Points in four straight games, fair to say he's rounding back into game shape. Now it's time to get those PP numbers up. We'll give him a grade, since he's been back for a while.
Kris Letang	I	(1g, 3a, +2, 0 PIM in five games) Barely played due to a shoulder injury, but played very well when he was in. His puck moving ability was sorely missed. We'll give Letang an Incomplete, since he missed so much of the month.
Jay McKee	B	(1g, 2a, -2, 21 PIM in eight games) Before the shot blocking master somehow got a finger infection, the highlight of his month may have been getting 19 PIMs in San Jose, or maybe that awesome deke against Boston resulting in a goal.
Brooks Orpik	B+	(0g, 6a, even, 2 PIM in ten games) Since his return from injury the Penguins have won four of five games and Orpik had his most proflific scoring month ever in the NHL even missing time.
Martin Skoula	B+	(3g, 3a, -1, 0 PIM) Skoula proved himself to be a viable NHL defensemen still with his fill in duty. The two goals he chipped in against Atlanta (Nov 20th) were critical in a 3-2 win.
Deryk Engelland	B+	(0g, 2a, -2, 17 PIMs) Engelland was protected (he only played 16:08 a night) but he was good and physical when he was out there. Plus three fights helped keep some sandpaper around.
Nate Guenin	B-	(0g, 0a, -2, 0 PIM) The Pittsburgh product appeared briefly in two games (13:32 per night). He didn't make any glaring mistakes, but wasn't put in many situations in where he could.
Ben Lovejoy	A-	(0g, 3a, +5, 2 PIM in eight games) Lovejoy got the most responsibility of the callups, in terms of minutes and PK time and also faired the best. He had a great plus/minus and generally didn't look out of place in the NHL.

Forwards
Craig Adams	C	(0g, 2a, -2, 10 PIMs) Hardly generating any offensive, and his faceoff percentage is still hovering around 45%. Adams is forechecking hard (lots of hits) and playing well positionally, but that's par for the course for him.
Chris Bourque	D	(0g, 2a, -3, 6 PIMs in 13 games) Has looked like a placeholder for the injured. And the injured are on the mend, so Bourque's time may be running short. November was a great chance for him to prove himself, and it wasn't a smashing success to say the least.
Chris Conner	D	(0g, 1a, -1, 0 PIMs in four games) Made two turnovers that resulted in goals against on Nov 12th, was shipped back to the minors on Nov. 13th.
Matt Cooke	B+	(3g, 4a, +2, 34 PIMs) The good: Cooke supplying some offense, hitting and penalty killing. The bad: Cooke crossing the line with hits on Shean Donovan and Artem Anisimov, drawing a two game suspension on the latter. Gotta take the good with the bad with Cooke.
Sidney Crosby	A-	(8g, 9a, -2, 12 PIMs) Much like the team, Crosby had a tough beginning of the month (only 1 point in first five games) but closed strong, highlighted by the eight points in two games the Rangers to end the month.
Pascal Dupuis	A-	(5g, 1a, -3, 0 PIM) Dupuis' perhaps the surprise player of the month with his offensive output. The Penguins were 4-0-0 when he scored a goal in November.
Ruslan Fedotenko	C-	(1g, 3a, -4, 0 PIM) Not much production for a guy getting top-six minutes, even worse he only recorded more than one more shot on goal in just three games. He needs to get the puck on the net more, so he can get the puck in the net.
Eric Godard	C-	(0g, 1a, even, 16 PIMs) The big guy is only playing 4:56 per game on the year, but he's really trying. He had 4 shots on goal on Nov 25th, his center drive created a goal on Nov 28th. He's lugging around out there with a purpose, even if many of us aren't sure just what it is.
BIll Guerin	B-	(3g, 5a, -2, 13 PIMs) Like Crosby, only one point in the first five games and then a better production in the final two weeks of the month. The goal with 0.4 seconds he scored against Boston on Nov 14th is the stuff of legends.
Tyler Kennedy	I	(1g, 2a, +2, 0 PIM in three games) Kennedy is having a great year and really making things happen with the puck when he's been healthy, which hopefully he is now. He earns an Incomplete this month, since he only got into a few games.
Chris Kunitz	I	(1g, 0a, -6, 4 PIMs) Thought to be nursing injury, Kunitz only played five games before leaving the lineup after Nov 12. Let's give him an Incomplete as well.
Evgeni Malkin	A	(4g, 7a, +8, 4 PIMs) It's probably no coincidence Pittsburgh's won seven of nine games since Malkin returned to the lineup on Nov 14th, and Malkin's registered at least a point in seven of those games. He didn't look himself in October, but he certainly is back to his dominant ways now that he's healthy and rested.
Mike Rupp	A-	(5g, 1a, +2, 10 PIMs) Some [noted] timely goal scoring, a physical presence and no mistakes have made Rupp a cult favorite here at Pensburgh. His hat trick on November 30th gave him a career high in goals, and he's on a 23 goal pace. Can the big guy keep it up?
Jordan Staal	B	(3g, 7a, +1, 19 PIMs) Staal found the scoresheet on 9 of 14 games this month, an important step towards his consistency in generating points.
Maxime Talbot	C	(1g, 1a, +1, 2 PIMs in seven games) Understandably, it's been a little rough for Talbot to shake off the rust and catch up to everyone else in mid-season form. He does have two points in his last three games and is getting his timing back.
Mark Letestu	C+	(0g, 0a, even, 0 PIMs in two games) Didn't look out of place in his brief first taste of NHL action, but didn't stand out either.

Again I think it's a fairly wide-open debate for player of the month: Crosby had the most points and was in all the games. He was also named the NHL's #1 star of the week last week. Malkin came back strong and is looking like he did last season when he won the scoring title. Pascal Dupuis and Mike Rupp are lighting the lamp like no one expected. Defensemen Mark Eaton and Martin Skoula literally held the fort down while the rest of the defensemen were dropping like flies. Jordan Staal shouldered more of the load, and played well.

I'll cast my vote for Crosby, but it's certainly understandable that there will be a lot of different opinions on this one. Feel free to cast your vote and share 'em!

Poll

Who should be the Pensburgh Player of the Month for November

Sidney Crosby (8 goals, 9 assists, played in all the games)

323 votes

Evgeni Malkin (4 goals, 7 assists)

29 votes

Mark Eaton (only defensemen to play in all games of season)

47 votes

Mike Rupp (5 goals this month)

142 votes

Pascal Dupuis (5 goals)

28 votes

569 votes | Poll has closed

Hat trick on hat night; Pens spank Rangers 8-3

Hooks Orpik — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:29:55 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

Amazingly, John Torture-rella's head didn't explode during the course of this game.

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Rangers vs Penguins coverage - Rangers vs Penguins boxscore - SB Nation blog Blueshirt Banter

On a night when we welcome back three very important players (defensemen Alex Goligoski and Kris Letang and forward Tyler Kennedy) the Penguins kicked it back into high gear. Maybe it was that they were mad about a poor performance yesterday in Long Island, but Pittsburgh showed what they're capable of, ringing up right goals on poor Stephen Valiquette. That's right, it's hard not to feel a little sorry for Valiquette after the barrage he faced.

Marc Staal opened the scoring swooping in and beating birthday boy Marc-Andre Fleury. The Penguins would close the period very strongly, scoring three goals before intermission: Evgeni Malkin started things off, Sidney Crosby scored on a crazy angle and then Maxime Talbot got his first of the year. Crosby got the assists sandwiched around his goal, giving him a three point period.

The second period saw two defensemen for either team notched goals; Matt Gilroy got the Rangers within a goal before Mark Eaton got what would eventually be the game-winner. Thirty three seconds into the third period, former Penguin Michal Rozsival again brought NYR within a goal, when he made it 4-3. Sidney Crosby scored his second of the night to bring the Pens up 5-3 and then the wheels really fell off on the Rangers.

Pascal Dupuis literally scores on a knucklepuck from way out. Bad goal for Valiquette to allow. Then on the next shift, Matt Cooke hit Artem Anisimov away from the puck and was assessed a deserved minor for interference. This drove the Rangers for vengeance, as the Rangers really picked up the extracurriculars. Goon Donald Brashear tried to fight Cooke, but the Monster wasn't looking to go up in weight class. Big Brash was slapped with 4 minutes in penalties and Crosby got his hat-trick goal in the ensuing PP, 7-3 Pens. Tyler Kennedy tipped a Kris Letang shot to close the scoring on the back-end of that double minor penalty.

Cooke would drop the gloves with Ryan Callahan to atone for his hit, both earning a 10 minute misconduct to ensure their nights would be over. Then Aaron Voros tried to pick a fight with Jordan Staal and Sean Avery, being Sean Avery, basically jumped Ruslan Fedotenko from behind when the play went the other way for whatever reason. Avery got an instigator and a misconduct for his troubles, and Fedotenko wasn't penalized at all.

Hat trick on hat night. That Crosby sure has a knack for timing.
It was good to hear the crowd going crazy for Fleury; chanting his name and happy birthday for him in the closing moments of the game. Fleury had a couple flashy saves, but he wasn't the star of the show tonight so it was interesting to see the fan's love affair with him extend to a game where he wasn't the main storyline.
Five points is Crosby's highest single game total since he got six [1g, 5a] against Philadelphia on December 13th 2006.
Nice to see Cooke answer the bell with his scrap with Callahan. He's often been a guy to hit and run, with only now six fights since the lockout. The Code said he owed a Ranger a fight after the hit on Anisimov, so good to see him get it out of the way. We'll cut him a break for not responding to Brashear, right? I wouldn't want to fight that big guy either.
Craig Adams has now gone 35 regular season games as a Penguin without a goal (he does have three playoff goals). It's been since last December 16th -- when Adams was a Chicago Blackhawk -- since his last regular season goal. Goal scoring isn't a key tenet of Adams' game, but it seems like he's been getting good chances lately. The red light may be coming on sooner than later for him.
Two assists each for Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski. Tyler Kennedy got his goal and attempted 8 shots on the night. Welcome back, boys.
Michael Del Zotto -- a legit contender for the Calder Trophy -- caught a tough one tonight; ringing up a -5 in the plus/minus column. That'll sting.

In a great twist of scheduling, the Penguins travel to Manhattan for a Monday night game, the next for both teams. Tonight's game got really chippy at the end, it'll be interesting to watch if any of the post-whistle activities carry over. The tension is sure to be at playoff-level intensity. The Rangers surely won't be throwing out old Valiquette again, it'll be the King. And you know coach John Tortorella is gonna be pissed and have his boys ready to bounce back.

Penguins Injury update: Malkin back soon?

Hooks Orpik — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:58:07 -0000

With six key pieces of the Stanley Cup champions on the shelf, here's a look at their various paths back to the lineup. Unfortunately, lately more have been adding to this list quicker than have been coming off of it, but hopefully that is about to change.

Player	Injury	Notes
Sergei Gonchar	Broken bone in wrist	Injured on October 20th, expected to miss 4-6 weeks. Has missed very little practice time (but hasn't participated fully). Is progressing well, slowly but seems to be on pace for a late November/early December return.
Evgeni Malkin	Shoulder strain	Last played on October 28th, said to miss 2-3 weeks. Malkin upgraded his status to "day to day" and has increased his skating in practice. There's no reason to rush him in November, but it seems the big guy is starting to feel better and stronger, which is obviously very welcomed.
Tyler Kennedy	Groin	Missed about a week in late October, returned and played well in a game on November 3rd, but he didn't feel well and has been out ever since.
Brooks Orpik	Undisclosed	Injured in Tuesday's game, just examined by doctor's yesterday. KDKA's Bob Pompeani told me that Orpik surmised he might be out about a week or so. But official prognosis or time out hasn't been determined yet.
Kris Letang	Bruised Shoulder	Injured November 7th, said to miss about two weeks. No real word on Letang since he suffered his shoulder "contusion", he's on the shelf for the next little while before he's back to the ice for practice.
Maxime Talbot	Shoulder surgery	Superstar continues to practice on his long trip of rehab back to the lineup. No news of late, which is a good thing. He's probably still on pace for a return sometime in December.

Monday Morning Fly By: Injuries around every corner

Travis Hughes — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:00:40 -0000

by Matt Slocum - AP

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Your daily dose of Philadelphia Flyers news...

Last night's NHL scores... ATL 3, STL 2 (OT) - EDM 5, COL 3
It was a weekend of injuries around the NHL, and brutal ones at that. Most notably, Carolina goaltender Cam Ward suffered a horrifying laceration to his upper left leg on Saturday night when Columbus' Rick Nash's skate came up and caught him. He'll miss at least three weeks, a devastating blow to an already suffering Hurricanes team. [Canes Country]
In Detroit, winger Jason Williams will miss at least two months after breaking his right fibula -- that's his leg, for the uninitiated. [Winging It In Motown]
Alex Ovechkin has been sidelined for about a week now, and in an interview with Puck Daddy, he said that he'll be out about four-to-five weeks. Not so fast, AO. [Japers']
In Pittsburgh, they entered Saturday night's game in San Jose without Evgeni Malkin, Sergei Gonchar, Tyler Kennedy, or Maxime Talbot. Add Kris Letang to the list, as he fell with a shoulder problem. He could be out a while, too. [Pensburgh]
Of course, the Flyers weren't exempt on the injury front this weekend. With Simon Gagne, Danny Briere, and Ryan Parent already out, James van Riemsdyk and Ole-Kristian Tollefsen didn't complete Saturday's game. OKT has a concussion and JVR has a fractured pinky finger. Each are listed as day-to-day. [CSN Philly]
As if it were some kind of foreshadowing, Puck Daddy published a list of the top 10 most brutal NHL injuries of the last decade on Saturday afternoon. Randy Jones' hit on Patrice Bergeron and Patrick Thoresen's "potentially ruptured testicle" each make the cut. [PD]
While Danny Syvret has been less than impressive as a Flyer this season, the guy he was traded for, Ryan Potulny, is getting a chance with the Oilers. Until now, he has only played in eight NHL games since the June 2008 trade. [Oilers]
Spectrum seats go on sale today at 10 AM. [BSH]
The Phantoms played once this weekend and fell to archrival Albany 3-1. [Post-Star]
If you don't venture past the main column of this site, you a) have tunnel vision and b) missed out on some good discussion of the current standings system, started by mikefive over the weekend. [BSH FanPosts]
Ron Hextall selling Canada Dry ginger ale, just because. [YouTube]

Week to Week, The Caps Can Become a Greater Team

Stephen Pepper — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:32:00 -0000

More photos » by John Bazemore - AP

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Caps Nation must be crestfallen. The official, and officially vague, news that Alex Ovechkin is week to week forces us all to contemplate life without Alex.

Well, one Alex that is. And that's hinting at one reason why, though the health and speedy recovery of the leader of the Washington Capitals is front of mind, this calamity presents an opportunity to be seized. A moment to galvanize the rest of the group in the room. Make no mistake, these are exciting times for the Caps. They will grant us far greater insight into whether or not this 2009-10 team is Stanley Cup-worthy than any individual honors can.

Had Mike Knuble's and Quintin Laing's heroic efforts in the third period (putting aside the former's minor infraction) on Sunday vs. Columbus resulted in victory, I would have deemed that win the most significant to date in this campaign, and perhaps it would remain amongst the most significant victories by season's end. We saw glimpses of comprehensive effort and desperate play. A new clarity of vision. There was no backstop in #8.

The Penguins, not so long ago, lost their leader in Sidney Crosby from, essentially, January 18, 2008 to March 27, 2008, a span of thirty-one games (he was, of course, in the lineup for three games between March 4th and March 9th, including the "Black and Gold" weekend that Caps fans will not soon forget). The Pens forged an impressive 16-8-4 record during that stretch of the season.

But what's most significant is that, before that high-ankle sprain forced Crosby out of the lineup, his team was a respectable 26-17-4 (earning an average of 1.19 standing points per game). From January 19, 2008 to the end of the 2007-08 season, the Pens went 21-10-4 (an average of 1.31 standing points per game), surging to a #2 seeding in the Eastern Conference.

Further to the point, look at how the Pens' "secondary" scorers' production improved in the absence of #87:

2007-08 Scoring Through January 18, 2008

Player	GP	G	A	PTS
Petr Sykora	55	13	13	26
Ryan Malone	51	10	8	18
Jordan Staal	56	5	4	9
Maxime Talbot	38	7	4	11

2007-08 Scoring After January 18, 2008*

Player	GP	G	A	PTS
Sykora	26	15	22	37
Malone	26	17	16	33
Staal	26	7	8	15
Talbot	25	5	10	15

* Regular season only.

So may this 2009-10 Caps supporting cast improve itself.

It's time for Alexander Semin to shoot first . . . and reclaim his own superstar status.

It's time for Tomas Fleischmann (perhaps on a top line?) to possibly crack the 20-goal per season pace, and beyond.

It's time for Chris Clark to find some semblance of an offensive game again, working consistently with more offensively-gifted linemates.

It's time for the coaching staff, and the members of the power play squads, to invent new strategies of extra-man attack.

It's time for the organization to again test it's heralded offensive depth, including those waiting in Chocolate Town for just this moment.

It's time for the defense, currently sitting at 21st in the league in GA/G, to get a little tighter, a little meaner, its passes crisper, its checking more, well, finished. Those top scoring lines won't as easily get that goal back. Ditto for Messrs. Theodore and Varlamov.

It's time for a sixty-minute effort, and not a "fifty-one minute" one.

In short, it's time to get one step closer.

Road to recovery: How the Pens injury situation is looking

Hooks Orpik — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:48:10 -0000

Four regular Penguins are on the shelf: the #1 defenseman, last year's leading scorer, the Game 7 Stanley Cup champion hero and the leading goal scorer in 2009-10 when he was hurt. With such significant contributors down, the thirst for knowledge in their path back to the lineup. Here's an update on the injured players, since there's been some developments lately.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Tyler Kennedy	11	5	1	6	5	4	0	0	3	0	38	13.2

(Undisclosed injury, has missed last three games)
--Kennedy is the closest of anyone on the injury path to returning, possibly as soon as tonight. The team has been pretty good about disclosing specific injuries but has used the vague "day-to-day" and "undisclosed" terms for TK. But he's skated the past couple of days in practice, including a good skate yesterday, and head coach Dan Bylsma said the chances were "pretty good" that Kennedy will be back as soon as tonight against Anaheim.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Evgeni Malkin	12	4	10	14	1	18	3	0	1	0	45	8.9

(Shoulder strain, has missed last two games, said to be out another 2 weeks, give or take)
--Malkin, who's absence from the lineup was the team's choice and stressed as protective, is on the California road-trip with the team. He's taken to the ice without skates, and seems to be in good spirits. Malkin was announced as out for 2-3 weeks almost one week ago, so you do the math. He ought to be back soon, but it's not in the immediate future.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Sergei Gonchar	9	2	6	8	-2	4	1	0	1	0	21	9.5

(broken bone in wrist on October 20th, has missed last five games)
--Gonchar has been able to keep skating to maintain his cardiovascular shape, and his wrist is improving as his involvement in practice has now advanced to "holding his stick with both hands and taking a few light shots". The original prognosis was 4-6 weeks, and you can't rush a bone healing, so Gonchar's return is still a few weeks out.

Maxime Talbot

#25 / Center / Pittsburgh Penguins

Height: 5-11

Weight: 190

Born: Feb 11, 1984

(off-season shoulder surgery, has missed entire season)
--Talbot took steps to return from his shoulder surgery before suffering an "unrelated" foot injury last week and has not resumed skating. However, Talbot is travelling with the team and may begin skating again soon on the trip. He's still probably the furthest away from any of the injured players. The window for Talbot's return has always been late-November or early December and that still seems to be the case.

Max Talbot practices, world shakes in anticipation

Hooks Orpik — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:19:05 -0000

"Ok, everyone who scored a goal in Game 7 last season gets to wear a red jersey!"

Kudos to Penguins.com:

Penguins forward Maxime Talbot, who has been sidelined this season following offseason shoulder surgery, practiced with his teammates for the first time this year.

Talbot, who wore the red "no contact" jersey, has been skating and working on his own since Sept. 29. But today marked the first time he went through a portion of practice with the rest of the team.

Talbot's timetable to return has been placed at late November - early December. It's unknown if that's been expedited at all in lieu of recent progress he's made.

When Talbot returns, what role will he be asked to play? The Penguins haven't gotten much regular strength production from Evgeni Malkin's linemates -- Ruslan Fedotenko has just 3 ES points and they've auditioned a lot of guys on the other side like Pascal Dupuis, and briefly Chris Bourque and Jordan Staal. Staal's been effective, but given his propensity to play center, doesn't seem like it'll be a long-term option.

Talbot, an internationally reknowned superstar for his clutch playoff scoring, is not a regular season point producer game in and game out. So even if he may not be the answer for the full-time 2nd line spot, his energy and attitude's a positive for the team and ought to bring a further boost to the penalty kill.

First things first though, Talbot's still got a lot of rehab and pracitices to go before the Superstar is back. But after today he is one step closer.

Open-Ice Hits

Hawerchuk — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:45:56 -0000

More photos » by FRED CHARTRAND - AP

2 months ago: Ottawa Senators' Daniel Alfredsson, of Sweden, is hit by Atlanta Thrashers' Zack Bogosian (4) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Ottawa on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Fred Chartrand)

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Most hits occur along the boards. No big surprise there. But how many hits is "most"? I classified any hit inside the red area below as an open-ice hit:

Approximately 75% of all hits occur within 10 feet of the net or the boards, while less than 5% happen in "open-ice." After the jump, the league leaders in open-ice hits...

This table includes both 2007-08 and 2008-09. There isn't much overlap between the two lists - the hitters are big defensemen and aggressive forwards; the guys who get hit include a lot more playmakers and scorers. I was surprised to see both Darcy Tucker and Sean Avery in the top 12 for taking hits - perhaps there are a lot of players in the league who are gunning for them in open ice.

Hit For	#	Hit Against	#
Dustin Brown	47	Alexander Ovechkin	46
Douglas Murray	39	Evgeni Malkin	37
Keith Ballard	33	Sidney Crosby	31
Alexander Ovechkin	30	Dustin Brown	26
Garnet Exelby	28	Derek Roy	22
Brooks Orpik	27	Ales Hemsky	21
Dion Phaneuf	27	Ryan Kesler	21
Cory Sarich	26	Tuomo Ruutu	21
James Wisniewski	25	Alexander Semin	20
David Backes	25	Valtteri Filppula	20
Toni Lydman	24	Darcy Tucker	19
Ed Jovanovski	23	Sean Avery	19
Niklas Kronwall	23	Scottie Upshall	19
Ruslan Salei	22	Matt Stajan	19
Chris Phillips	21	Brooks Laich	19
Dan Girardi	21	Loui Eriksson	19
Martin Hanzal	21	Chad LaRose	18
Dan Hamhuis	20	Mike Richards	18
Freddy Meyer	20	Devin Setoguchi	18
Ryan Malone	20	Alex Kovalev	17
Brent Seabrook	20	Corey Perry	17
Anton Volchenkov	19	Mikhail Grabovski	17
Shane Doan	18	Mike Ribeiro	16
Hal Gill	18	Erik Cole	16
Brendan Witt	18	Patrick O'Sullivan	16
Andreas Lilja	18	Maxime Talbot	16
Colton Orr	18
Steve Ott	18
Tuomo Ruutu	18

Rochester coach Benoit Groulx on first year in AHL: "I learned much"

Whale4ever — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 23:07:20 -0000

A recent interview with RDS' Felix Seguin gave the Amerks' bench boss a few moments to reflect on Year One in the "A", the success of Max Talbot, and the looming presence of incoming club vice president Ted Nolan (roughly translated):

"His role is much more at the administrative level," Groulx stated. "He really wants to rebuild this team in unison with the Panthers..."

Thanks, RDS.

Poll

Is Ted Nolan the safety-valve for Rochester if on-ice improvement fails to materialize under Groulx in 2009-10?

Yes...can't argue with a resume such as Nolan's

4 votes

No...like DeBoer and a half-dozen other newbies to the NHL, Groulx is the future

4 votes

8 votes | Poll has closed

How about Andrei Markov for Habs' Captain?

Robert L — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 14:23:13 -0000

The question of the Canadiens vacant captaincy was put to former Penguins and Habs coach Michel Therrien recently, and typical of an unemployed coach, he sat on all three sides of the fence. Therrien's responses, in my opinion, don't delve too deep into the matter, but do open up the debate as to what type of player best fits the role.

Here are Therrien's quote's from the Journal piece:

"I'd have no objection to seeing Andrei Markov become the next captain of the team. What you are looking for first and foremost is a player that leads by example on the ice and shows up every game."

Bingo! Markov would be my choice as well, as of all the players on the club he fills the criteria and mandate of captain best. As Markov goes, the Habs go. He's been their key player for quite some time. He has the responsibility of being one of their higher paid players, commands the respect of his team mates, offers dependable production and is not an ongoing soap opera. Other than the fact that he doesn't speak french, you won't find a speck of dirt on the guy.

"I'd prefer a player whose actions speak for themselves on the ice. In Pittsburgh, I gave the title to Evegeny Malkin in Sidney Crosby's absense. Not only does he speak very little, he doesn't even speak english."

Therrien couldn't have gone wrong here either way, but an interesting choice for him would have been Maxime Talbot. Markov might not be the orator Obama is, but he does communicate in english much more than he is quoted using it.

"Leadership has nothing to do with seniority I don't have a problem giving the "C" to a player who is new and fits the mold." Therrien adds that the final decision falls to coach Jacques Martin.

True enough, but none of the new acquisitions truly fit the mold. Scott Gomez is not exactly Jarome Iginla.

True be, there is not an overflow of evident captaincy material on the 2009-10 Canadiens. I feel it's kind of bush to go with three alternating associate captains, especially considering the club's history. If that occurs, it will be lampooned to death.

My biggest concern with naming Markov is that it could drastically alter his psyche, considering that it does change game day routines and can unfairly place the spotlight on him, when it seems that he might prefer a certain anonymity. How he would feel having to field 30 repetitive questions after every game might mess with his genuinely jovial disposition.

Other options some may consider will be veterans Gomez, Mara and Hamrlik, though neither would quite feel right.

While it has been said that the captain's role is pure symbolism to some extent, the Habs aren't just some run of the mill hockey team. The idea of rotation might fly with the Sabres, Wild, and Islanders, but I doubt it's manageable in Montreal.

Finally, contrary to Therrien's final words, it is the Canadiens players themselves who have traditionally elected their captain. The organization has only ever named one captain, and that was Gainey in the early 1980's. Following him, were the Guy Carbonneau / Chris Chelios duo, when player voting could not break a deadlock. The Canadiens found a brilliant way of solving that one, didn't they?

So what would you choice be, if you had a vote?

Here are some options.

Poll

Who would make the best captain for the Canadiens?

Andrei Markov

516 votes

Scott Gomez

92 votes

Roman Hamrlik

34 votes

Paul Mara

15 votes

Mike Cammalleri

131 votes

Maxim Lapierre

301 votes

Tomas Plekanec

13 votes

Guillaume Latendresse

15 votes

Josh Gorges

66 votes

Travis Moen

11 votes

Hal Gill

24 votes

Jaroslav Spacek

5 votes

Screw it! Maybe that rotaion idea isn't so dreadul after all!

158 votes

1381 votes | Poll has closed