Written by Rick Stephens, AllHabs.net

MONTREAL, QC. — This five-day hiatus from Habs hockey has given us an opportunity to review the 11-games played so far and look ahead to what we might expect from the Canadiens in the months to come. Let’s take a few minutes to turn the camera on ourselves and repeat the exercise. With more than 70 regular season games left to play, let’s answer your question “What can we expect from All Habs?”

Our plans are a little more ambitious this year, because there are more of you visiting our site, a lot more! In September we set an all-time record for visits to All Habs — in October, we beat it. In fact we’ve had to move to a new server to accommodate all of you.

If you have ever flown out of San Francisco International Airport you are aware that it is known for it’s particularly steep takeoffs. Well, that is the same trajectory of All Habs over the past year, and we have YOU, the readers to thank for it!

So what makes us different?

First time readers notice that we are called All Habs Hockey Magazine. That’s deliberate — we have assembled a huge amount of exclusive, original content in a digital magazine format. Unlike other websites, you can browse through categories all the way down the main page to find new articles rather than having just one or two recent pieces at the top of the page.

Whether you are looking for in-depth features, game previews and reviews, headline and game day news, fan-focussed pieces, the latest video, or official news releases, you can find it all at All Habs. It’s comprehensive hockey coverage and you can count on us being here to publish fresh content 12 months of the year.

“To build a world-wide network of Montreal Canadiens fans who are informed, engaged, entertained and connected.” — All Habs Network mission statement

As you see from our mission statement, we are well aware that Habs fans are everywhere. We initiated PlanetHabs.com as a way of uniting Canadiens fans who are more than a stones-throw from the Bell Centre. To this end, we provide original content in English, French, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese — we’ve also integrated a translation feature in our toolbar to accommodate those who aren’t part of the four major language groups in the Canadiens fanbase.

The convenience doesn’t stop there. Many feature articles are recorded by a professional voice artist and are available to listen from our site providing another way for visitors to enjoy our offerings. We call it All Habs Out Loud.

You’ll notice a remarkable amount of variety written from diverse perspectives. We try to have something for everyone with one or two exceptions. We do not promote rumours nor do we provide white-space for bickering trolls.

But if you are looking for a website that would rather be right than first, then All Habs is the place for you. Your trust is very important to us. We are glad to be the source you rely on for your daily dose of Habs news and in-depth analysis.

This is your site and we do our best to reach out and connect with you. All Habs is a recognized industry leader in the use of social media. Rather than just an vehicle to push our content, we use tools like Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr to discuss issues and gather your opinions.

With close to 45,000 followers on Twitter, @All_Habs is the 11th most influential hockey account (as reported by the Edmonton Journal in an article titled “Kings of Hockey Reporting on Twitter.”) Being listed in the same neighbourhood as Bob McKenzie, Darren Dreger and The Hockey News for the second year in a row has us all feeling rather proud. But more importantly for our readers, you can be assured that no other single team media site can match our reach.

So basically All Habs is a platform where all hockey fans can meet and interact in the way they most feel comfortable whether via an informative read, interacting in a discussion forum or meeting in person. Yes, in person too. Our fan events bring passionate hockey enthusiasts together in person to meet, network and create friendships in ten cities across Canada and the United States through HabsTweetup.com.

How do we do it?

The backbone of All Habs is a committed team of talented people — we consider ourselves a family. There are gifted writers, many of whom are trained and experienced journalists who write from a variety of perspectives producing original content in a variety of languages. We are also photographers, video editors, event coordinators and fantasy sports experts all committed to creating premiere products and fan experiences.

Here’s just a sample of what you can expect from a few of our writers.

Stevo (@stevofarnham)
“I will offer my opinions and analysis on the Canadiens, with a special focus on goaltending. I will monitor the evolution of Carey Price and Peter Budaj, with an eye to how they stack up against their division rivals.”

Robyn (@ladyhabs)
“You can expect me to deliver a refreshing outlook on the team from a fan’s perspective. I am plugged into the Montreal community, and can usually be found watching games at pubs across the city, along with my fellow die hard Habs supporters.”

Kathy (@czechtacular)
“My focus will be on Montreal Canadiens’ prospects, playing in the AHL and CHL. You can expect daily news, multimedia clips and informative features like “Who’s This Guy?” which will be of interest to our readers who wish to keep an eye on their future Habs.”

Chantal (@habsgirl4life)
“I love to involve readers in my articles, I enjoy the interaction. I will ask for your opinion, make up quizzes, and take polls via my Twitter account so you can have your say. I will concentrate on contributing French content, but will continue to submit English articles from time to time.”

You’ve heard from us, the next steps are yours.

1. Read our articles, leave comments to share your views.
2. Subscribe to All Habs via RSS.
3. Add us on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Flickr and YouTube.
4. “Like” our website page on Facebook and browse through our photo albums.
5. Visit our mobile site when you are on the go.
6. Attend a Canadiens viewing party organized by Habs Tweetup.
7. Get the best prices for Canadiens seats at the All Habs Ticket Center.
8. Spread the word by telling your family, friends, neighbours and colleagues that you’ve found the place to connect with Habs fans.
9. If you wish to be more involved, use the Contact Us tab to share how you can make a unique contribution to our team.

As you see, we’ve prepared for exciting season of hockey coverage. We’re thrilled that you have chosen to make All Habs a regular part of your day and we are sincerely grateful for your support. Now with the mini-break coming to an end, let’s get back to Canadiens hockey.

Go Habs Go!

The All Habs team