Monday Mornings with Mitchy

Play ball!

But, it just wasn’t the same.

Baseball fans waited 10 years for the return of baseball in Montreal. Finally, over 96,000 tickets were sold to watch exhibition ball between the Mets and Blue Jays.

Impressive.

Walking up for Pie IX, in a sea of people decked out in Montreal Expos gear, the nostalgia that I was hoping to experience wasn’t quite there.

The field looked the same, the stadium was as crap-tastic as ever and baseball was being played… but it wasn’t ‘nos amour.’

But that’s ok, I should have expected it. This was an event and hopefully it gets the dialogue rolling.

Regular season baseball began Sunday night, at Petco Park in San Diego and a single game record at the field was recorded… 45,567. Our numbers, speak for themselves.

Hopefully, this was the first step to returning baseball here, so that it CAN be the same.

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But that was Friday, Saturday WAS the same.

My childhood relieved, my heroes in the flesh.

There they were, the 94’ Expos, in the jersey’s that I watched play in as the best team in baseball.

I almost didn’t go to the gala. But the opportunity was a one-time thing. Never again will we see that collection of players, together in the same place.

Thanks Cro.

Among special shoutouts to the players on that team:

Darren Fletcher, who lived no more than 10 houses away from me in the West Island. And what do you do when you have a professional athlete on your street at 9-years-old? Well obviously, you knock on the door and ask for tickets!

And there were always tickets, at Will Call when I asked.

Even the one time I knocked on the door and Darren’s wife answered.

“Darren’s sleeping,” said his wife.

“Huh!?! It’s 3 o’clock in the afternoon…”  I thought to myself.

The look of confusion on my face, must have spoken for itself.

“He was on a trip to the West Coast, and he’s trying to sleep off the jet lag,” she tried to explain…

Still, I didn’t get it.

“Don’t worry, they’ll be tickets waiting at Will Call.”

Smiles.
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And to Pedro Martinez who wasn’t there this weekend, thanks for showing me how to grip a curve ball, slider and splitter.

“Baseball day” in the West Island, in 1994. Sometime in June, on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, the Expos sent players to Beacon Hill Park, in Beaconsfield to give some instructions and of course sign autographs.

You would expect to see backups and relievers, which would have been just fine.

But the stars showed up that day.

Larry Walker and Pedro cooped up in the back of a van came out and genuinely seemed happy to be there.

Fascinated by the art of pitching while being undersized, I wondered, how the heck did Pedro do it.

The velocity on his fastball, the break on his curve and the change up that kept hitters completely off balance. He wasn’t muscle-bound and kind of looked like a regular dude.

When my group of 15 kids got to his station, I was in awe as he wrapped his ridiculously long fingers right around the baseball. Looking on in amazement, I was trying to memorize all the different grips.

All you have to do is hold the ball a certain way, and you can pitch like Pedro?!

I realize a little later, that it wasn’t quite the case.

Before Pedro left, he had one last tidbit of advice for us.

“Don’t try throwing the curve ball until you’re at least 13-years-old, you’re going to hurt your elbow and it’s not good until your arm is more developed!”

As the little van drove away, every kid in the park was trying to throw the new pitch they just learnt.

The Slick Awards

Thank You:

Felipe Alou, Pedro Martinez, Darren Fletcher, Larry Walker, Cliff Floyd, Sean Berry, Wil Cordero, Marquis Grissom, Moises Alou, Ken Hill, John Wetteland, Rondell White,Tim Scott, Denis Boucher, Gil Heredia, Lou Frazier, Tim Spehr, Joe Kerrigan, Pierre Arsenault, Joey Eischen, Claude Raymond.

Monday Mornings with Mitchy

It’s that time of year, time for excuses.

The weekend was good for the Montreal Canadiens, bad for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Something we’ve seen over the last two weeks that’s evident, the Habs have character.

To overcome a three-goal deficit against Ottawa, beat Colorado in Patrick Roy’s return to the Bell Centre, and dispose of the Leafs in a rivalry game on the road has been impressive.

Not only that, Montreal has been delivering games that are very high on the entertainment metre.

GM Marc Bergevin’s favorite word might be character. We hear it come draft time (and will hear it again this summer) and we’ve heard it during free agency. And this roster has a ton of it already. You win as a team and with character and there’s no reason to be believe that this team can’t make a run in the playoffs. Even the two teams that are clearly “better” than Montreal, Boston and Pittsburgh have lost both home and away games against the Canadiens. Against quality opposition, Montreal has actually faired pretty well.

Leaf land meanwhile, is the land of excuses.

And everyone is in desperate search for a scapegoat.

Travel, media, goaltending… you name it, they’ll use it as an excuse. 

This comes from the top. As a coach it is your job is to know how to get the most out of ALL your players. That’s what gives you the best chance to win. You need to know the personalities on your team and what they will react positively and negatively to. Randy Carlyle has not gotten the most out of this group.

The two examples that couldn’t be more clear-cut, James Reimer and Nazem Kadri. I’d throw Jake Gardiner into the mix, but during their five-game losing streak, his game has been strong. Those players are “whipping” boys for Carlyle and clearly their games have suffered as a result.

The coach created the story of bad goaltending. If Carlyle uses a more diplomatic answer when being asked about Reimer’s game following their loss in Detroit, it doesn’t put a spotlight on a backup goaltender that already has confidence issues.

Just look at the way Tyler Bozak handles the question:

“I think he’s playing good for us, we haven’t helped him out one bit. It’s easy to pick on the goalie when things are going bad, but it’s a team game. We haven’t been playing well enough to win, it isn’t him at all.”

Simple enough, right??

How about the same messaging from the coaching staff.

“I’m not making any comments on goaltenders thanks to you guys,” said coach Carlyle.

Right, the media created the story.

But if everyone in Toronto believes that goaltending is the reason they’re losing, then the finger doesn’t get pointed at the coaching staff. But in two years, the coaching staff hasn’t been able to get their team to implore any type of defensive zone coverage.

That said, Jonathan Bernier will return and I think they’ll make the playoffs.

 The Slick Awards:
I can’t manage personalities: Randy Carlyle
I made an appearance: Rene Bourque
I have no confidence: James Reimer
I ‘m a hockey player: Rich Clune (check out Carter Hutton's twitter account for more)

Habs spoil it for Roy

Patrick Roy's return to the Bell Centre was exactly as expected... eventful.

Montreal scored six goals in regulation for the first time since January 2nd, beating Roy's Avalanche 6-3.

The disappointment in Colorado's locker room following the game was evident. And although it was hard to get the sense that the team succumbed to the extra pressure of playing in front of the fans that adore their head coach, clearly it was on their minds before the game began.

"I didn't want them to feel pressure to win a hockey game for their coach," said Roy after the game. "I wanted them to win for the team, it's all about our team here."

While the team desperately wanted to win to keep pace with the Blackhawks, who have tied them with 93 points in the difficult Central Division of the NHL, the vibe in the building and both locker rooms was that this game was more than that.

"We wanted to get that win for him, it's important sometimes to know what's at stake in the game and we knew it was important for him," said goaltender JS Giguerre.

The score could be deceiving and doesn't reflect the way the game was played. It was a tie hockey game midway through the third period until the Canadiens capitalized on two powerplays and scored their final tally when Dale Weise put the puck into an empty net.

"Overall I thought the game was played even 5-on-5 and honestly I think it could have went either way," said Nathan Mackinnon.

What a night for Thomas Vanek who finally found the back of the net and picked a special night to do it. Like most goal scorers, they come in bunches and those three he scored tonight were just the beginning.

The win gives Montreal a three point cushion on the Toronto Maple Leafs who lost in Detroit and two points up on the Tampa Bay Lightning (who have two games in hand.)

QUICK THOUGHTS:
Thomas Vanek: Can score goals
Carey Price: Not at his best, yet
Lars Eller: Looks completely lost
The Fourth Line: Best game of the season for any trio with that role

Monday Mornings with Mitchy

The excitement for Thomas Vanek has already dissipated. And it shouldn't have.

Patience people, patience.

We’re talking about a player who has been traded twice in one season, and will more than likely be in a fourth city, in two seasons this summer.

It’s going to take time for him to adjust.

The good news is it took him time to adjust to his surroundings with the New York Islanders as well.

Vanek scored just once in his first seven games with NYI. He went on to score 16 more with the Islanders before being traded to the Canadiens. He’ll turn things around, goal scorers don’t forget how to score and are all of the streaky nature. Once he pots one, they will come in bunches.

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Coach Michel Therrien is playing with fire.

Everyone loves PK Subban. Continuing to deflect praise towards your superstar is just not smart business. Because when things go well, people are going to be hesitant to praise the coach. And when things go sour, people will pile on.

Again Saturday, when Subban made the unbelievable play to pass the puck to David Desharnais instead of throwing it into a bunch of traffic in front of the net, Coach Therrien wouldn’t praise the guy who carries this team on his back many nights.

“It was the right play I guess…. But I want to talk about Carey Price….” Said coach Therrien.

Are you kidding me?

You would think that a coach with as much experience as this one in Montreal, would have a little more foresight than he does.

He’ll learn, when it’s too late.
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And finally, somebody has to get a little meaner in front of Carey Price.

The penalty kill is good, so take penalties when it’s called for.

For a goaltender that just came back from injury, Price was run into at least five times on Saturday against the Ottawa Senators and nobody did a damn thing.

There’s no fear of going to the front of the net against the Habs. It’s a free ride. But have you seen how the opposition reacts when say, Brendan Gallagher is crashing into their crease?

The Canadiens have some mean defenseman. Douglas Murray and Alexei Emelin could very well cause some havoc in front of the goal.

I’d throw Subban into the mix here, but if he takes a penalty after the whistle, we won’t see him on the ice for a while….
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The Slick Awards

Rising to the occasion award: Lars Eller, PK Subban, Brian Gionta, David Desharnais, Francis Bouillon

Old man rivers award: Jarome Iginla

Unsung hero: Brandon Prust

Monday Mornings with Mitchy

This is the Habs without Carey Price.

Scary thought, isn’t it?!

The Canadiens went out to the West Coast of the United States and struggled picking up just two of a possible eight points.

Peter Budaj needs to be commended for his efforts this season, providing Price a stable backup. But that’s all he is, a backup. With more starts, against formidable opponents, the inevitable happened. Budaj looked average and Dustin Tokarski faired no better.

Price is the Canadiens' MVP. Plain and simple. And he better get back soon.

Montreal isn’t in jeopardy of missing the playoffs, however this stretch could prove to be costly. With how tightly contested the Easter Conference Standings are, a couple points could be the difference between playing the Bruins/Penguins in the first round, or the 6th seed.

You get the point.

Time to get some magic potion, or perhaps have a chat with Max Pacioretty about his amazing healing powers, because the Boston Bruins visit the Bell Centre on Wednesday.

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GM Marc Bergevin needs to be commended for his efforts at the trade deadline. I understand that fans LOVE and become attached to prospects. But that’s all they are, prospects.

There’s no guarantee that picks and prospects will ever amount to anything. But there is a guarantee that Thomas Vanek makes the Canadiens better.

The Habs HAD a glaring weakness, one that I spoke about just one week ago on this blog. Bergevin realized what that weakness was and addressed it. Not only should his trade excite the fan base, but it should also excite everyone in that locker room.

And even though I still don’t think the Habs are contenders for the Stanley Cup, they do have the potential to win a couple playoff rounds. One of the best goalies in NHL, a top-5 defenseman, two guys that can score 40-goals and one of the best two-way centres in the game. Yeah, I don’t think anyone wants to meet the Canadiens in the first round of post season.

Playoff experience could be a tremendous thing for many of the youngsters on this roster.

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I feel bad for coach John Tortorella. Heading into the season, I bet he looked at the roster the Vancouver Canucks had, and took the job with utmost enthusiasm and hope. Fail.

Now, the Canucks look lifeless, play a terrible brand of hockey and are going nowhere, fast.

Trading Corey Schneider at the draft had everyone raising their eyebrows. Then turning around and trading Roberto Luongo is baffling. Looks like things are going to need to be blown up in Vancouver and I wouldn’t trust GM Mike Gillis for a second if I’m ownership. 
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The SLICK awards

MVP of the Week: Tyler Seguin
Crafty Worker Award: Marc Bergevin
Lost Award: Garth Snow
Silent Assassin Award: Dean Lombardi
Invisible Award: Dave Nonis
Panic Award: Mike Gillis
True Leadership Award: Steve Yzerman

Monday Mornings with Mitchy

How do the Leafs and Habs stack up against each other?

Well, 4 games in, they’re even.

One more clash between the two, later this month (March 22 at the ACC) will settle the score once and for all.

“At this time of the year both team knew what was on the line and played hard between the rules,” said Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf following their loss at the Bell Centre on Saturday night. “I feel we stack up well against that team.”

Evaluating these two teams is very simple. Glaring strengths and weaknesses from both sides. The Habs have the edge in goal with Carey Price (although this isn’t a weakness for the Leafs in Jonathan Bernier.) Montreal is a better team defensively while the Leafs are leaps and bounds ahead offensively. Finally, the Canadiens need help 5-on-5 in terms of scoring and size. The Leafs can’t kill off a penalty for the life of them and face-offs are also a big time worry.

So what does all that mean? Well probably it means that the two sides will play in another one-goal hockey game to finish off the season series. We’ll see if Dave Nonis or Marc Bergevin is more active at the deadline.

My gut still tells me the Leafs edge out the Habs in the standings despite the current three point Montreal lead.

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On the other side of the country, the Vancouver Canucks are being driven into the ground.

GM Mike Gillis and coach John Tortorella appear clueless in their approach and direction.

Trade rumors rampant with Ryan Kessler, who reports indicate demanded a trade prior to the season beginning.

You think the Roberto Luongo saga won’t go away? Not true. It DID go away. Until Tortorella brought it right back.

Luongo, a franchise goaltender, has been given the captaincy and had it take away. Was supposed to be traded after two years of battling for his job with Corey Schneider. And now is in the middle of another goaltending controversy with Eddie Lack for no reason what so ever. Many backup goaltenders have a pair of consecutive good games, but the starter always gets his net back. Not in Vancouver, where they give their guy no respect. You think PK Subban gets mistreated in Montreal…? LOL

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Outdoor games bore you now? Annoy you maybe? Has the novelty warn off…

It doesn’t matter.

The only people that matter when it comes to liking the game at BC Place in Vancouver, are the people in Vancouver. If they had a good time and enjoyed the spectacle, then mission accomplished.

And let’s be honest here, more likely you tuned into that outdoor game between the Senators and Canucks to check out the scenery and setup, than a regular game in the same time slot between those two teams.

Follow the money.

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The Slick Awards

MVPs of the Week: Alex Ovechkin, Max Pacioretty, PK Subban, James van Riemsdyk
Unsong  Hero: Peter Budaj, Alex Galchenyuck, Roberto Luongo
Crybaby: Ted Nolan
Most likely to make a bad decision this week: Mike Gillis, John Tortorella, Garth Snow, George McPhee,