All Habs Headlines: Monday February 20, 2012
On this day in hockey history… 1924 – Canadiens’ fans waited two hours in the Mount Royal Arena for the Senators to arrive for their game. But they never showed! The team was stranded on a snowbound train 50 miles from Ottawa. The game was played the next night (a 3-0 Habs’ win).
COUNTDOWN TO GAMEDAY: All Habs Headlines
►Dietz ties record: Canadiens prospect Darren Dietz scored four goals on Friday night leading his Saskatoon Blades to a 7-3 win over the visiting Swift Current Broncos. Dietz tied a WHL record for most goals in one game by a defenseman. Two of Dietz’s markers came 29 seconds apart in the third period.
Dietz came within inches of claiming the record as he rang a shot off the post with less than five minutes to play in the game. The Broncos got revenge on Saturday night with an 8-3 win.
Dietz earned top spot in this week’s Catching the Torch.
►Gill debuts for Preds: Sunday marked Hal Gill’s first game in a Predators jersey after being acquired by Nashville on Friday.
From Predators.com: “Gill made his Predators debut Sunday wearing No. 75. The 6-foot-7 blueliner led all players with a +2 rating and blocked two shots in 16:23 of ice time. He was also whistled for the lone Predators penalty of the game late in the third, in a game that was shaping up as Nashville’s first of the season without any penalty killing duties.”
► Quotes from the room: Following the 3-1 defeat to the New Jersey Devils on Sunday evening, Habs players offered their take on the game.
Josh Gorges: “We don’t have the luxury of taking a night off or a period off or a shift off. Every game is maybe the difference of us getting in and us going home early.”
Carey Price: “One hit a pair of pants and one finds a way through. I thought they got a bit fortunate, we didn’t get that bounce.”
Mathieu Darche: “Each time we get into sniffing distance we can’t hammer down and get it done. We get what we deserve.”
► Air traffic guided by legends: Waypoints are markers used to guide planes. In Quebec and parts of eastern Ontario, pilots will now be using the names of Canadiens Hall of Famers to find their way in and out of Montreal airports. They have been named Maurice Richard (MORIC), Jean Beliveau (BLIVO), Doug Harvey (ARVIE), Guy Lafleur (LAFLR) and Bob Gainey (GAINY).
► New at All Habs Hockey Magazine:
Catching the Torch: Dietz Dominates
Nattinen named Reebok/AHL Player of the Week
Video: So Long, Canadiens Tribute to Gary Carter
Who’s This Guy? — Blake Geoffrion
Plus de rumeurs il y a, plus on se perd
Allure of Draft-eligible Prospects Eases Habs Fans’ Pain: Part II
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
► Coach Cunneyworth’s post-game presser: