All Habs Headlines: Tuesday March 31, 2015 |
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On this day in hockey history… 1927 – Montreal’s Howie Morenz scored at 12:05 of overtime as the Canadiens beat the Montreal Maroons 1-0, in the first all-NHL Stanley Cup Playoff overtime game ever played. |
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► Montreal Canadiens: March 31
- While some may have been expecting a day off, the Canadiens practiced at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard on Tuesday morning. It was a brief 30-minute skate following a session in the video room.
- Missed Monday night’s game? Check out our game report which includes the game summary, video highlights, 3-stars and post-game quotes: Recap – Lightning vs Canadiens: Habs Fail to Solve Bolts
► Lines and defense pairings at practice
Pacioretty – Plekanec – Gallagher
Galchenyuk – Desharnais – Parenteau
Prust – Eller – Weise
De La Rose – Mitchell / Flynn – Smith-Pelly
Markov – Subban
Emelin – Petry
Beaulieu – Gilbert
Gonchar – Pateryn
Weaver
► Canadiens officials visit St. John’s
- Canadiens President Geoff Molson and COO Kevin Gilmore led an eight-person contingent of team officials who visited St. John’s on Tuesday to meet with Danny Williams, President of the St. John’s IceCaps, team officials, corporate partners and city representatives.
- “The city of St. John’s, and indeed the whole province, is still abuzz with the news that the iconic and legendary Montreal Canadiens hockey club will be our new franchise partner. We are extremely pleased to welcome Mr. Molson, Mr. Bergevin, Mr. Gilmore and other senior officials and give them a glimpse of what makes St. John’s such an extraordinary hockey town. Fans are full of excitement and anticipation for the upcoming season, and I have absolutely no doubt the team will be welcomed with open arms by the community at large. We have proven to be an outstanding marketplace within the AHL and we look forward to working with the Canadiens organization as we develop these young NHL prospects.”
- The Canadiens announced that St. John’s would be the new home for their AHL affiliate on March 12th.
► Prospect update
- Hockey’s Future has provided an update of Canadiens prospects with a focus on talent development in Europe. An exception is NCAA defenseman, Josiah Didier from the University of Denver Pioneers. HF describes Didier as “a rugged defenseman with loads of intangibles that may develop into a valuable bottom-pairing asset down the road.” With his Pioneer season complete, Didier signed a professional tryout today with the Hamilton Bulldogs.
- The author describes Artturi Lehkonen as “a streaky scorer” and notes that Martin Reway’s production “comes off the man advantage.”
- You can read full article here.
► Looking ahead to the playoffs with pessimism?
- It would seem that the hockey world is not yet convinced that the Canadiens are legitimate playoff contenders despite their place near the top of the standings. Sportsnet has included Montreal along with the Anaheim Ducks and Nashville Predators as three teams who “could be ripe for a first round playoff upset.”
- The author concludes that the Habs are “a bit too reliant on their goaltender based on their relatively unimpressive possession numbers.”
- This piece follows an analysis by Rob Vollman who wrote that the Canadiens could be on the wrong side of a mismatch if they face the Detroit Red Wings in the first round of the playoffs. If you missed it, you can find the article here
► Markov’s efforts earn him nomination
- The Bill Masterson Trophy is presented annually to the player “who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey.” Andrei Markov was nominated this year for the trophy. It is often awarded to someone who has a comeback season, which Markov certainly has.
- Prior to the game on Monday, Markov had scored nine goals for a total of 44 points in 76 games so far this season.
- This was the second Masterton nomination in three years for the 36-year-old from the Montreal branch of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
- Markov responded to the nomination by telling the media, “I just try to be who I am. I don’t get ahead of myself. I try to do my best every night. I want to help our team be better. It’s probably even more special because it comes from you guys. I’m happy about it.”
- His defense partner, P.K. Subban, had nothing but good things to say, “Marky is an excellent player and a good leader. He’s been doing a lot for this organization for a long time. I’m happy to see that he was recognized with this honour. He works very hard. He’s overcome a lot of tough times over the course of his career. He helped me a lot. He’s also helped many young players at the start of their NHL careers, too. He doesn’t talk a lot, but he’s a good example for the guys and he’s really deserving of this honour.”
► The inescapable feeling
- Any fan of the game, respects the greats. Regardless of how famous one becomes in an industry, they never quite get over the excitement of meeting someone who excels at the sport. P.K. Subban is no exception as he too is sometimes star-struck.
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