All Habs News — Tuesday April 5, 2011
Happy Birthday!! All Habs community: tell us! NHL: Deryk Engelland, Zack Smith, Clay Wilson
Game Day: Chicago Black Hawks vs Montreal Canadiens 7:30 pm. Bell Centre TV: RDS
►Watch Habs season finale: At this point, there is a very real possibility that the Canadiens final game of the season against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday could decide who Montreal faces in the first round of the playoffs.
If you are in Toronto or Vancouver, you can watch the game with fellow Habs fans at events organized by All Habs. Visit HabsTweetup.com for the details and to reserve your seat. Look for the “Upcoming Fan Events” box.
If you plan to watch the game at home, HabsTweetup.com can help you with recipes for game night snacks and meals. From comfort food to Brazilian fare, you’ll find a wide variety for every hockey fan’s palate.
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►Free agency 2011: With a number of teams already looking ahead to next season, it’s not too early to take a look at free agents who may be on the move come July 1st. Columnists have labelled this year’s edition a rather meager crop of players but there are still potential gems to be found.
Canadiens GM Pierre Gauthier would be wise to make an effort to land Ville Leino. Those who know me may remember that I was recommending that the Canadiens acquire Leino when the Red Wings didn’t have space for him — instead he became a valuable addition to the Flyers. A makeover may be coming for the defense corps of the Canadiens with only Jaroslav Spacek and P.K. Subban signed for the 2011-12 season.
From ESPN’s Pierre Lebrun, “Free agents to watch in 2011”
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►Trotter on familiar ground: Canadiens prospect Brock Trotter had 36 goals and 41 assists last season for the Hamilton Bulldogs. Despite the strong year, Trotter was disappointed with just a two-game tour with the Habs. Foreseeing additional time in the AHL this season, Trotter decided to take advantage of playing at a higher competitive level (and better salary) in the KHL with Dinamo Riga.
From the Brandon Sun, “Globe-Trotter back home”
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►Writers boycott NHL awards: There’s a Spring storm brewin’ that will include snow. Garth Snow, that is. The Islanders GM initiated a feud with hockey writers by repealing the accreditation of Islanders reporter Chris Botta. Snow claimed that Botta “went from reporting the news to making the news.” (Heads up Montreal press.)
Some members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association have announced that they will not be participating in award voting for the Hart, Norris, Calder, Lady Byng and Selke trophies. Snow has cried foul, ironically saying that they need the media wearing their cheerleading uniforms to vote for Michael Grabner and Frans Neilsen. It’s a rather large mess but one the NHL doesn’t seem inclined to want to solve — Gary Bettman is neck-deep in his own self-made crisis right now.
Superbly explaining the details is Greg Wyshynski, Hockey writers vs. Islanders, NHL: Why awards vote boycott matters