All Habs Headlines: Cuts, Fucale, Geoffrion, McCarron, Rankings

► Training camp cuts: 

• In Wednesday night’s post game presser Coach Michel Therrien said that training camp cuts will be announced on Thursday.
• Therrien also said that Thursday night’s lineup for the rematch against the Senators would be quite different than the youth-laden squad iced by the Canadiens on Wednesday.
• The Canadiens will take to the ice at 10:30 am. on Thursday morning at the Complexe Sportif Bell in Brossard for a game day skate prior to their final pre-season contest at 7:30 pm. at the Bell Centre.

► A new lid for Fucale

• It’s been a good year for Canadiens goaltending prospect Zach Fucale. He was part of the Halifax Mooseheads Memorial Cup winning season, was chosen 36th overall by the Habs in June’s NHL Entry Draft and signed a 3-year entry-level contract on September 14th.
• Fucale is back to the QMJHL facing a new test this season on a team with less talent sporting a new look.  Our friends at InGoal Magazine have a provided a first look at Fucale’s new mask designed by Sylvie Marsolais of Sylabrush.
• From InGoalMag.com: ““For this year’s mask design instead of a white background Zach asked us to do a mask with a colour shading,” Marsolais told InGoal via email. The design features a bold look that will be easily recognizable from  a distance – featuring the team’s green, red and white with a portion of the gold Moose logo overlaid on the bottom portion of the mask with the team slogan, ‘This Is Moose Country’ inlaid.”
• See all the images and read the rest of the story here: “Habs Prospect Zac Fucale’s Halifax Mooseheads Mask”

► Life is good for Geoffrion

• It wasn’t easy to miss training camp this season for Blake Geoffrion.  But after the horrific injury he experienced last November at the Bell Centre, the 25-year old is grateful for more important things.  Blake told Scott Radley of the Hamilton Spectator, “I’m happy to be alive and able to walk and talk. Life’s good.”
• The Spectator story describes a photo of the wound this way. “A long, gnarly horseshoe-shaped railway track of stitches straight out of Dr. Frankenstein’s lab snaked over the spot where a chunk of his skull had been removed and replaced with a plate of titanium mesh. Even for a guy who’d had his share of injuries over the years, this was startling.”
• Geoffrion is presently working as a scout for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
• Read more: Geoffrion picking up pieces after horrible head injury

► McCarron to make Knight debut on Friday

• It will come as no surprise to regular All Habs readers that forward Mike McCarron turned some heads at the Canadiens training camp.  McCarron’s performances at

  

  the Habs Development camp and at National Junior Evaluation Camp in Lake Placid have been featured on these pages.  But fans and the coaching staff had a good long look as McCarron was one of the later cuts from training camp.

• McCarron is in London, Ontario to start his OHL career with the Knights. The 18-year-old forward talked to the London Free Press about his experience with former Knights Jarred Tinordi and Brandon Prust, “They were giving me pointers and they were a huge help to me.  They said to say hi to the Hunter boys when I got back and it’s nice to be here, for sure. I’m so excited to get back.”
• McCarron will be in the lineup on Friday night when the Knights host the Saginaw Spirit.
• Read more: Michael McCarron learns how to lead the Knights from Jarred Tinordi and Brandon Prust

See more

First game tomorrow! So stoked!! #Knightshockey

— Michael McCarron (@MacAttackUSA93) September 26, 2013

► Habs to make the playoffs?

• It’s prediction time around the NHL. Kevin Allen and the folks at USA Today wager that the Montreal Canadiens are a middle-of-the-road team predicting a fourth place finish in the Atlantic division right behind the Maple Leafs.
• The publication predicts that the Boston Bruins will take the division crown with the Detroit Red Wings just behind.
• On the Canadiens Allen writes, “GM Marc Bergevin did not need to make many changes in the offseason, because the Habs were among the league’s more consistent teams. They were solid at home and on the road. Montreal produced more than enough goals, and its defensive game was strong. Briere provides another proven playoff scorer. Montreal’s improvement will come from younger players continuing to develop.”
• The Habs were rated 14th in the Team Power Rankings to start the season.
• Read more: Power rankings: Red Wings, Penguins favored

 

What’s new at All Habs Hockey Magazine and Hockey Pub:

All Habs Hockey Magazine Hockey Pub

Habs’ Camp Q&A with Hockey Prospect’s Jérôme Bérubé by Kathy K Game Recap: Habs Edge Devils, White Scores Winner by Rick Stephens Comme une odeur de presque début de saison par Sophie Lamote QMJHL Headlines: Week Two by Kathy K Sabres – Leafs Battle Turns Nasty by Joce Former Habs Savage, Dandenault, Malakhov on Battle of the Blades (PR) Out of the Red, White and Blue: Leblanc, Bournival, Subban, Gionta by Joce Habs360 Podcast: Will Off-season Changes Deliver Success? [AUDIO] by Chris G Habs Cut McCarron, Collberg, Tokarski from Training Camp (PR) Preseason Recap: Hurricanes With Payback Win over Habs [with Coach’s Comments] by Rick Stephens Previewing the Canadiens with Hockey Prospectus by Jared Book Hockey Night in Canada Celebrates Start of 2013-14 Season (PR) Previewing the Canadiens with Hockey Prospectus by Jared Book Pre-season Recap: Canadiens Blank Hurricanes with Coach’s Comments by Rick Stephens Starting from the Bottom – Bulldogs Set to Open Camp by Dan Kramer

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