Out of the Red, White and Blue: Price, Markov, Cole

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Written by Habsterix, AllHabs.net

PENTICTON, BC. — Here are a few thoughts on different topics surrounding the events of the Habs’ final week of the season. Carey Price’s outfit, Erik Cole’s impact, Andrei Markov’s comment, Scott Gomez’ future, the next Habs’ GM and the lottery pick. Feel free to post your comments as they are always welcomed.

1- In spite of a tough season, we have to give it to the fans who stood up at the Bell Centre to salute the players after a 4-1 win over the Leafs in their last game of the season. Fans in Montreal are critical of everything surrounding the team but no other fan base is as passionate and in love with their NHL franchise.

2- It was also nice to see the fans and players rally to salute Randy Cunneyworth who, let’s face it, was put in a very difficult position from the get go. I for one am hoping that the Habs offer him a job in the organization, although I have a feeling that he wants to be a head coach somewhere. It won’t be in Montreal however.

3- Carey Price sure drew a lot of attention everywhere that night, including on Twitter, with the dressed up cowboy outfit. Very, very popular with the ladies from what I’ve noticed. He won the Molson Cup this year with his performances on the ice, but that outfit won him even more popularity with the ladies.

4- Erik Cole had an amazing first season with the Habs on the ice. I particularly loved what he had to say when a reporter asked him if he’d look back in a few days and be happy with his season after letting things cool off. His response was that he wouldn’t be satisfied with his season as he wants to win. Habs need more players like him and Josh Gorges.

5- Max Pacioretty also had a breakthrough season and credits Erik Cole for it as he is modelling his career around number 72. Not a bad role model to follow as Pacioretty has a very similar skills set as Cole and both shares the same kind of injury.

6- We have to appreciate what P.K. Subban had to say about Andrei Markov, saying that he’s one of the best in the game and was missed, as he would have been a great mentor not only to him, but to the other young defensemen on the team. Was it heartfelt or politically correct? Who knows, but it was the right thing to say.

7- But the same cannot be said about Markov’s reply when asked about Subban’s progression this season, when he chose to answer with a plain “Next question”. With so many cameras and reporters in his face, it’s definitely not the correct answer no matter how he feels deep down inside, especially not from a guy wearing an “A” on his jersey. Very, very disappointing.

8- Scott Gomez doesn’t know what the future holds for him and he was showing signs of nervousness during his last interview. He said that he’ll cross the bridge when he gets there. Be careful Scott as with two consecutive bad seasons and a cap hit of $7.3 million, you may get pushed off the bridge.

9- We will give the understatement of the year to Rene Bourque, when he said that he can do better than what he’s shown since joining the Habs. Fans and management sure hope so as although his cap hit might be less than Mike Cammalleri’s, he has three more years left to his contract.

10- The hunt for the Habs’ next General Manager is on and in spite of seeing a few names drop out of contention, there are still several quality bilingual candidates remaining. It was interesting to see a few more names pop up in the rumour mill lately, including Kings’ Luc Robitaille and Ron Hextall, although it remains to be seen if there is any grounds to those rumours.

11- Well we have it. The Canadiens will be speaking third at this year’s NHL Draft in Pittsburgh on June 22nd. This will be the team’s lowest pick since 1980 when they selected… Doug Wickenheiser first overall. The last and only time Trevor Timmins was given the opportunity to select in the top five was back in 2005 when the Habs shocked the NHL by selecting none other than Carey Price.

12- Many, including yours truly, feel like the Canadiens won’t be speaking third at the draft, expecting that they could trade that pick to either better their position or move back. Aside for Nail Yakupov who seems to be in a class of his own, the next six to ten prospects are very close in skills according to many scouts. Could we see a package deal which would include this third pick? Very much possible.

En français: Repassage en Famille: Price, Markov, Cole

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J.D. Lagrange
J.D. is a Senior writer for All Habs as well as Associate-Editor for the French version Le Magazine All Habs, while one of three Administrators of the fan forum Les Fantômes du Forum. He has created the handle Habsterix as a fictional character for the sole purpose of the internet. It is based on the cartoon Asterix of Gaule and his magic potion is his passion for the Montreal Canadiens. How old is he? His close friends will tell you that he’s so old, his back goes out more than he does! He was born when Béliveau lifted the Cup and remembers the days when seeing the Habs winning was not a wish, it was an expectation. For him, writing is a hobby, not a profession. Having moved to beautiful British Columbia in 1992 from his home town of Sherbrooke, Quebec, he started writing mostly in French to keep up his grammar, until non-bilingual BC friends pushed him into starting his own English Blog. His wife will say that he can be stubborn, but she will be the first to recognise that he has great sense of humour. He is always happy to share with you readers his point of views on different topics, and while it is expected that people won’t always agree, respect of opinions and of others is his mission statement. || J.D. est Rédacteur-Adjoint sur Le Magazine All Habs et il est un Rédacteur Principal sur le site anglophone All Habs, tout en étant un des trois Administrateurs du forum de discussion Les Fantômes du Forum. Il a créé le pseudonyme Habstérix comme caractère fictif pour l’internet. Celui-ci est basé sur Astérix de Gaule et sa potion magique est sa passion pour les Canadiens de Montréal. Lorsqu’il est né, Jean Béliveau soulevait la Coupe Stanley et il se rappelle des jours où gagner n’était pas un espoir, mais une attente. Pour lui, écrire est un passe-temps, pas une profession. Ayant déménagé dans la superbe Colombie-Britannique en 1992 en provenance de sa ville natale de Sherbrooke, Québec, il a commencé à écrire en français pour garder sa grammaire, jusqu’à ce que ses amis anglophones ne réussissent à le convaincre d’avoir son blog en anglais. Son épouse vous dira qu’il est têtu, mais elle sera la première à reconnaître son grand sens de l’humour. Il est toujours fier de partager avec vous, lecteurs et lectrices, ses points de vue sur différents sujets, et quoi que les gens ne s’entendent pas toujours sur ceux-ci, le respect des opinions et des autres est son énoncé de mission.