The hockey thread

Ok they booed Bettmen which I can see since the Flyers lost he 1 round pick which went to Chicago who got Patrick Kane, the game wining goal person. Even if Bettmen has been a bad commissioner, he shouldn't get booed at.
 
Woot!!!

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news;_y...YF?slug=capress-hkn_habs_halak_traded-3686277
Habs deal Jaroslav Halak to St. Louis

MONTREAL - The Montreal Canadiens made their goaltending choice on Thursday, trading playoff hero Jaroslav Halak(notes) to the St. Louis Blues for two young prospects.

The Canadiens received forwards Ian Schultz(notes) of the WHL's Calgary Hitmen and Lars Eller(notes), who played seven games for the Blues this season but spent most of the campaign with AHL Peoria.

The trade was being widely panned by Habs fans on Twitter and other websites within minutes of its completion. Most felt the team should have got more for the goalie who was the main reason Montreal upset Washington and Pittsburgh in the first two rounds of playoffs.
The Montreal Canadiens have emptied their crowded crease, sending goaltender Jaroslav Halak to the St. Louis Blues. The Canadiens will receive prospects forwards Lars Eller(notes) and Ian Schultz(notes) in the deal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson


Halak was the Canadiens player of the year in 2009-10, when he went 26-13-5 and was fifth among NHL goalies in save percentage at .940 and ninth in goals-against average at 2.40.

He bumped his rival Carey Price(notes) to backup duty late in the regular season and was the team's starter for a surprising run to the Eastern Conference final. That came after he led Slovakia to a fourth-place finish at the Winter Olympics, where he was outstanding in making 36 saves in a 2-1 upset of Russia.

His brilliance continued in the playoffs, where he set a team record with 53 regulation time stops in a 4-1 victory over Washington as the Canadiens came back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the first-place Capitals in the opening round.

Both Halak, 25, and Price, 22, are eligible to become restricted free agents on July 1 and it was expected that one or the other would be traded. Halak earned US$800,000 last season.

Price, who was 13-20-5 with a 2.77 average and a .912 save percentage, now has the way clear to be the team's top starter. The Anahim Lake, B.C., native was drafted fifth overall in 2005 but has struggled to find consistency at the NHL level.

It appears the Canadiens are confident his six-foot-three frame and obvious talent is the better choice for the long term in goal.

Halak, the 271st overall pick of 2003, has been strong since his first call-up from AHL Hamilton in 2007, when he took over from the injured Cristobal Huet(notes) for Montreal's final push for a playoff spot.

In 101 career NHL games, all with Montreal, he is 56-34-7 with a 2.62 goals-against average.

Schultz, 20, the younger brother of Capitals defenseman Jeff Schultz(notes), had 24 goals and 31 assists for the Hitmen last season. The six-foot-two 185-pound winger was drafted 87th overall in 2007.

Eller, 21, had two goals in seven games for the Blues and 18 goals and 19 assists in 70 AHL games. He was drafted 13th overall in 2007.
 
This may go down as one of the worst regretable trades ever by the Canadiens.


Tell me how one season makes you a god in this game, for all we know Halak could suck big time next season. It's a better move because Halak would have cost us atleast 5-6 million & not only that, that leaves Tomas Plekanec to sign and he's going to get 4-5 million. We only have something around 11 million in cap-space. Price is going to cost us way less, and it'll give us room to sign some depth players like Dominic Moore or Glen Metropolit.

I've seen first hand what Price is capable of and people seem to be forgetting that he's only 22 years of age. As Halak is 25 or 26 years old. No goalie has dominated a league in the new era when they first came onto the scene.

Anyways I found it interesting that when Price is in net, he plays great, but the team in front of him can't score goals if there life depended on it, when Halak played they scored 3-5 goals a game, but when it was Price they could only score 1-2 goals if they we're lucky. I don't care what his numbers look like, it's the team in front of him who didn't help him out.

Unlike most habs fan...I have faith in Price, this guy is an astounding goaltender, who just needs a veteran presence goaltender to guide him when things get rough, and I was thinking possibly a guy like Patrick Lalime or Martin Biron could surely help out with that.

There's definitely pressure for goalies in Montreal, but bitching, moaning, booing, etc...is not gonna help his cause in the long run, I just hope the fans realize that in the long run. Because this guy can be a great goaltender if they give him the opportunity to be one.
 
Both goalies are good...and I get the financial / player movement stuff. Simply think Halak is the better, the team was better and winning the way he did in the playoffs was huge and should count for something. As a Bruin fan I'm glad he was moved and still think this will be a regretable deal by the Habs...we'll see?
 
Wings've been basically sleepwalking through these last three games and still winning relatively decisively.

I really do hope they'll be able to turn it up a bit for the next round (assuming they make it which with the way Phoenix has been playing will happen) because I do not want them going into playing the Sharks lethargically. (Since I'm pretty sure after that amazing choke last night the Kings won't be winning this series.)
 
The Wings don't even have Zetterberg back yet either, scary team.

Canucks had a good series until yesterday, what a pathetic effort. If they actually gave a damn the Blackhawks would be out by now, but instead they decided to play like lazy idiots.
 
Yeah, once Z is back its going to make me feel a lot more comfortable moving on deeper into the playoffs.

I like most of what I see from the team, but they need to be putting the dagger in Phoenix instead of just letting them come back at the end.

Some of the defense that I've seen near the end of the game had me scared shitless with how incapable they were of getting the Coyotes out of the Wings zone.

And penalty killing? Man they need to put some more effort into that. 5 on 5 they're destroying, but once they are short handed...

The sweep should be in the bag though. Though I thought that the Canucks had the sweep against the Blackhawks and well that sure as shit didn't happen, so I wouldn't count anything out.
 
I personally had no doubt the Wings would lock it down and win those games, they're jumping out and saying....."Now beat us", and they can't.
 
Tell me how one season makes you a god in this game, for all we know Halak could suck big time next season. It's a better move because Halak would have cost us atleast 5-6 million & not only that, that leaves Tomas Plekanec to sign and he's going to get 4-5 million. We only have something around 11 million in cap-space. Price is going to cost us way less, and it'll give us room to sign some depth players like Dominic Moore or Glen Metropolit.

I've seen first hand what Price is capable of and people seem to be forgetting that he's only 22 years of age. As Halak is 25 or 26 years old. No goalie has dominated a league in the new era when they first came onto the scene.

Anyways I found it interesting that when Price is in net, he plays great, but the team in front of him can't score goals if there life depended on it, when Halak played they scored 3-5 goals a game, but when it was Price they could only score 1-2 goals if they we're lucky. I don't care what his numbers look like, it's the team in front of him who didn't help him out.

Unlike most habs fan...I have faith in Price, this guy is an astounding goaltender, who just needs a veteran presence goaltender to guide him when things get rough, and I was thinking possibly a guy like Patrick Lalime or Martin Biron could surely help out with that.

There's definitely pressure for goalies in Montreal, but bitching, moaning, booing, etc...is not gonna help his cause in the long run, I just hope the fans realize that in the long run. Because this guy can be a great goaltender if they give him the opportunity to be one.

Both goalies are good...and I get the financial / player movement stuff. Simply think Halak is the better, the team was better and winning the way he did in the playoffs was huge and should count for something. As a Bruin fan I'm glad he was moved and still think this will be a regretable deal by the Habs...we'll see?

and I quote, I was right, moving Halak was hands down the better move, as Price has been one of the best goaltenders this season by far. If it wasn't for him, Montreal doesn't make the playoffs, and so far he's shot down any doubts of playoff performances.
 
Damn that game should've been 6-1 really, two early goals basically because of our players, but whatever.

Aside from those two early Phoenix goals, incredible game. Didn't expect such a showing without Franzen in the lineup, but man Bertuzi had one HELL of a game.

Best moment was the stick thrown at Eaves as he went for the empty net goal.
 
and I quote, I was right, moving Halak was hands down the better move, as Price has been one of the best goaltenders this season by far. If it wasn't for him, Montreal doesn't make the playoffs, and so far he's shot down any doubts of playoff performances.

And it's pissing Krigloch off well that more of his team then just Halak. Price is helping the Habs do great in the playoff this year. Now let's see who wins in the series, my B's or your Habs. I have this dark feeling in this black and gold fan that the Canadians will win the series in 7 games.
 
The sweep should be in the bag though. Though I thought that the Canucks had the sweep against the Blackhawks and well that sure as shit didn't happen, so I wouldn't count anything out.

The funny thing is, the Blackhaws only won because they outworked the Canucks, and yet Toews is talking about having "exposed the Canucks for what they are". Everyone on the Blackhawks is such a douchebag. :erk:
 
and I quote, I was right, moving Halak was hands down the better move, as Price has been one of the best goaltenders this season by far. If it wasn't for him, Montreal doesn't make the playoffs, and so far he's shot down any doubts of playoff performances.

As I mentioned, both goalies are / were good at the time back when the move was made. My props to Halak at the time were based on the fact that the guy (Halak) played amazing and carried Montreal thru the playoffs last year. And I don't think it would have been necessarily a bad move to keep Halak? The fact that Montreal had two good young goalies...made the deal easier. And yes of course, you can boast about Price if you'd like.
 
Son of a fucking bitch >:I

Great game by San Jose though. Dats made an absolutely UNREAL shot to at least give us a fighting chance that last 6 minutes.