Mathieu Dandenault

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Although he is was known as one of the Montreal Canadiens’ most solid defensemen, Mathieu Dandenault was originally drafted 49th overall in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft by the Detroit Red Wings as a power forward. A 107 point season with Sherbrooke of the QMJHL the following year left Scotty Bowman and the Wings with high expectations.

Dandenault played his first NHL season in 1995-96 with the Red Wings, playing 34 games as a forward. 1996-97 saw a move to defense for the season while 1997-98 saw a switch back to forward. 1998-1999 saw the solid placement of Dandenault on the blue line.

Mathieu spent 8 seasons playing as a offensive-minded defensive before becoming one of the Canadiens’ most promising playmakers and goal scorers in the 2007-08 season.

“There were really two ways of looking at it,” Dandenault said. “I could ask for a trade and probably play defense anywhere I ended up or I could do what I’m doing and help this team. I figured why not switch? I had done it before in my career and it was my natural position. I just wanted to help any way I can and if this would help the team, then I was happy to do it.”

Since settling in with Montreal, team mates and staff have nothing but glowing reviews for the well-adjusted player, citing the “vibes” he brings to the dressing room and the chemistry he displays on the ice with his line mates.

Halifax Takes QMJHL Lead

After battling all season long with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles for the top spot in the QMJHL standings, the Halifax Mooseheads have managed a seven game winning streak that coincides with a four game losing streak by the Eagles. The Moose (18-3-0-4) are now two solid points about the Eagles (17-7-2-2) in the standings.

Gatineau (17-9-1-2) and Rouyn-Noranda (17-7-2-1) are both at 37 points in the Telus Division, leaving Halifax with little room for mistake as they attempt to hold their position atop the league standings.

Halifax plays their next game on in Cape Breton on Friday night as they attempt to increase both their points lead and the Eagles’ losing streak.

Russia Defeats QMJHL All-Stars

Russia came up with three unanswered goals in the third period to win a tight game over the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League All-Stars by a score of 6-4 in the opening game of the ADT Challenge on Monday night.

Brad Marchand of the Val-d’Or Foreurs had given the All-Stars a 4-3 lead early in the third period; that lead didn’t last long as Nikolav Okhlobystin, Maxim Mamin and Mikail Milekhin all came through with goals in the same period.

Andrew Bodnarchuk of the Halifax Mooseheads came through with a goal and two assists in the game but the scoring simply wasn’t enough. Moncton Wildcats goaltender Nicola Riopel was pulled about half-way through the second period after allowing 3 goals on only 12 shots. He was replaced by Raffaele D’Orso of Val-d’Or; D’Orso allowed three goals on 19 shots.

The Russian team now moves onto Gatineau, Quebec for a rematch against the All-Stars before playing two games each against the Ontario Hockey League All-Stars and the Western Hockey League All-Stars to complete the ADT Challenge event.

Montreal Retires Robinson’s #19

Larry Robinson joined 12 other Montreal Canadiens players in jersey retirement last night when his number 19 was raised to the rafters of the Bell Centre to a thunderous applause. The Montreal crowd leapt to their feet when the Hall of Famer was first introduced and Robinson had to sit down after several minutes to get them to stop.

Attended by his wife Jeannette, his two children, three grandchildren, two sisters and his brother, Robinson welcomed the ovation warmly and thanked the fans for making his time with the Habs as positive as it was.

“The final people I want to thank are you, the greatest fans in the greatest city hockey has ever known,” Robinson said in French. “Without you, I wouldn’t be here today. You warmly welcomed an Anglophone farm boy from Marvelville and made him fall in love with this city.”

Robinson becomes the 13th player to have his number retired by the Canadiens, joining Jacques Plante (No. 1), Doug Harvey (No. 2), Jean Beliveau (No. 4), Bernard (Boom Boom) Geoffrion (No. 5), Howie Morenz (No. 7), Maurice (Rocket) Richard (No. 9), Guy Lafleur (No. 10), Dickie Moore and Yvan Cournoyer (No. 12), Henri Richard (No. 16), Serge Savard (No. 18) and Ken Dryden (No. 29).

“I am humbled to know my name will forever be in their company,” Robinson said.

Sidney Crosby

Sidney Crosby was born on August 7th, 1987 in Halifax, Nova Scotia to parents Troy and Tina Crosby. Three years prior to Sidney’s birth Troy was a goaltender freshly drafted into the National Hockey League by the Montreal Canadiens though he wasn’t able to play due to a series of injuries. Mother Tina worked in a local grocery store in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia where the family lived and began raising Sidney.

Troy’s love for the game was immediately passed onto his son and Sidney began showing a strong interest in the sport at the young age of 2. After spending many days shooting a puck at the dryer in his basement, Sidney was given his first pair of ice skates at 3 and a dream was born. By the time he turned 5, Sidney’s parents were working extra hours to allow for the extra money needed to have Sidney playing competitive hockey and that all began at Cole Harbour Place, the local rink that spawned Sidney’s budding career.

Sidney played hockey consistently throughout his childhood years, practicing devotedly with close friend Jackson Johnson, a multi-talented player Sidney met while playing. By the time he turned 14 Sidney was invited to play in the local midget league with boys 17 and older due to his skill level. Though many thought that the transition and uneven playing field would hurt Crosby’s growth as a player he proved himself beyond any doubt by racking up 44 goals in just 31 games during the 2001-2002 season in which he played AAA as a midget. The Gretzky comparisons began and the press started keeping close tabs on the soon-to-be superstar. In a move reminiscent of Mario Lemieux, Crosby attempted to join the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League via the league’s entry draft but was turned down due to his age - Sidney had just turned 15.

Unable to play even semi-professionally until he turned 17 Crosby journeyed with friend Jackson Johnson to Fairbault, Minnesota to train at the Shattuck-St. Mary’s School, the top hockey school in the United States. In the school’s competitive league play Sidney managed 72 goals in 57 games, setting a pace that had been unmatched in hockey for many years.

Following his stint in Minnesota, Crosby returned to Canada to compete in the World Junior Championships as the team’s only player under the age of 18. A goal in Canada’s game versus Switzerland also gave him the distinction of being the youngest player to ever score for Canada in a World Junior competition.

After turning 16 Sidney was incited to the QMJHL entry draft, being picked up as the number one choice by the Rimouski Oceanic. Sidney’s aggressive style of play lead him to net a whopping 8 points in his first game with the Oceanic, nearing a record set previously by Derryl Snyder (he managed 10 points in one game in the QMJHL). In his first 59 games as a major junior Sidney scored 54 goals and assisted on 81 others. This rampant pace earned Crosby the league’s scoring title and 6 awards, including league’s Most Valuable Player.

The National Hockey League lockout of 2004-2005 forced Sidney to wait an additional year for the entry draft that he knew would see him don an NHL jersey for the first time. The entire hockey world knew that Crosby would go first overall and the gamble rested solely with the team who won the lottery to secure first pick. Nine days prior to the draft the Pittsburgh Penguins secured the pick and Sidney, eventually signing him to a 3-year deal worth over 10 million dollars. Although Sidney posted fairly impressive numbers and was named rookie of the month in October, the Pens went on to lose their first 13 games - one of the worst starts for any team in NHL history. Head coach Ed Olczyk was replaced with Michel Therrien and Sidney was named alternate captain. Line changes ensued and Crosby, his idol Mario Lemieux and the rest of the Penguins team prepared to make a change in the standings. Unfortunately that December saw Lemieux diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat; given his earlier bout with cancer, Mario decided to retire immediately. Team morale dropped and Pittsburgh continued to have trouble winning games, a trend that overshadowed Crosby’s amazing abilities.

Circumstance continued to trouble Sidney. Wayne Gretzky decided not to invite him to play for Team Canada at the Winter Olympic Games and the Pens continued to struggle, finished the season second-to-last and missing the playoffs by a large margin. Crosby did post 102 points that season with 39 goals and 63 assists, making him the youngest player in NHL history to hit the 100 point mark. Despite that landmark number, Crosby still failed to win the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, losing the award to equally impressive rookie Alexander Oveckin who had finished the season with 106 points.

Montreal 7 - Carolina 4

The Game

The Canadiens came out to a flying start with goals from unlikely names such as Chipchura and Plekanec within the first 10 minutes of the game. Additional goals from Kovalev, Koivu and Streit gave the Habs a commanding 5-1 lead at the end of the first period.

The second saw some unique situations. First, after going 4/4 on the powerplay in the first, the Habs failed to score on their first two attempts in the second. A Carolina goal in the middle of the period that was lofted over Huet just as a fight began in front of the net was called no goal despite the fact that the puck clearly passed the goal line before a whistle was blown. I’m a Habs guy so I won’t say much about it, but if I were a Carolina fan…

The fun continued as Eric Staal scored on Carolina’s first penalty shot of the year against Huet with the Canadiens answering a very short time later with another goal from Plekanec on the Canadiens seventh powerplay, giving them a 6-2 lead at that point.

The Habs pace slowed a bit in the third and Carolina managed to scare me into thinking that they may mount a comeback but, despite goals from Ray Whitney and Rod Brind’Amour, Montreal managed to finish the game 7-4 with an empty netter by Dandenault at the end of the third period.

My Thoughts

I feel like simply repeating everything I said about the game against Boston the other night. The Habs came out strong, all four lines went to work, and they came out with 7 goals. Huet made a few big saves but looked a bit weak on a few of the goals. Carey Price is getting the start in Pittsburgh tomorrow night and it would be nice to see him have a monster game and earn himself a few extra starts. I like Huet and his ability level matches the rest of the team usually; when all four lines are putting pucks in the net to finish games with 6 and 7 goals, he just doesn’t make the cut in my opinion. Price looks like he has the makings of a great - I’d love to see him as a starter by the end of the season!

What Went Right?

Nearly everything! Superstars like Koivu and Kovalev are continuing to come through at a rapid pace and support from the third and fourth line was amazing. When a guy like Plekanec scores two in a game against a strong team like the Hurricanes, it’s clear that the Habs are doing something right.

Montreal 6 - Boston 1

The Game

Wow! Montreal came out tonight to play and the Habs managed to completely dominate the Boston Bruins in a 6-1 win. The first period saw Christobal Huet make a couple of top-notch saves to keep the game even with no score before Chris Higgins opened the scoring at 12:14 of the first with the goal coming directly off of a faceoff in the Boston zone. Alex Kovalev added another similar faceoff goal early in the second period and Steve Begin ended the same period with a goal that put the Canadiens up 3-0 going into the final period.

The third really saw the scoring open up with Habs goals from Brisebois, Grabovski and Markov with Boston managing one goal on a big Huet rebound. Kovalev ended the game with both a goal and an assist and Saku Koivu racked up 2 assists.

My Thoughts

Boy it was nice to watch the Habs give a pounding like that! While shots on goal remained in Boston’s favor throughout the night (ending 32-20) it was a combination of unsteady Boston goaltending and the Canadiens simply skating, passing, shooting and checking as if they wanted to capitalize on every goal; the fact that they ended up with 6 of them in only 20 shots is just icing on the cake!

What Went Right?

I said it against Florida and I’ll say it again tonight: when the second and third lines make a point to step up and support the expected goal scorers on the team, everyone wins. Another solid night for Huet allows the Habs skaters to do their job. A more steady defensive line is a must; Huet can’t stand up to 32 shots in a game with his team only making 20 unless the Canadiens can capitalize on chances like this every night. You never know - we’re in Carolina on the 26th and, with the hot streak they’re on, we’ll need this type of winning attitude!

Montreal 4 - Buffalo 2

The Game

Christopher Higgins netted a pair of goals in the third period including one on an empty net to help lead the Habs to a much-needed victory tonight. Bryan Smolinski opened the scoring for Montreal early in the first and the Canadiens finished with a strong first period showing to maintain the lead. The second period saw successive Buffalo goals only 9 seconds apart before Kyle Chipchura was able to bring the Habs to a 2-2 tie going into the third. And, as mentioned above, young Chris Higgins took it upon himself to shine, scoring first on a Montreal 2-man advantage and dumping the puck into an empty Sabre net with 25 seconds left in the game. While the Habs’ main line was quiet save for Higgins’ third period burst, Roman Hamrlik added a hat trick of assists and the Montreal Canadiens looked more like a full team tonight then they have yet this season.

My Thoughts

Honestly, the Sabres bore me and I was hoping for a Carey Price start tonight so I was more than biased before the game even started. It was fantastic to see the Habs putting in a team effort and Huet (save for the scare he gave me with those goals in the second) was fairly steady in net.

What Went Right?

Although we’ve yet to make our way out of October, the Habs were in danger of digging themselves a divisional hole that they may not have been able to get out of. While a loss tonight wouldn’t have exactly ended their season, the time to pick up the game and earn some points is very quickly upon them. A strong team effort tonight made a world of difference. Instead of being outshot (as has been the Habs’ tendency of late) the entire team created quality scoring chances again and again, and four of them paid off. So long as Higgins, Ryder and Koivu continue to receive all-star games from players such as Roman Hamrlik (3 assists tonight), the Canadiens’ game will look much better as a result.

Ottawa 4 - Montreal 3

The Game

Wade Redden put the Senators up by a goal only 18 seconds into the game and the Canadiens weren’t able to take a lead from that point on. This 4-3 Ottawa win saw the first goal of the season for Jason Spezza and the first goal of Nick Foligno’s NHL career.

Guillaume Latendresse was able to tie the game for the Canadiens with a badly-angled shot from the corner goal line that snuck past Sens goalie Martin Gerber nearing the end of the first period, but that tie game was broken only minutes into the second period as Foligno executed a perfect wrap-around to tally his first major league goal. Dany Heatley gave the home team a two goal lead before Michael Ryder knocked one in to bring Montreal within a goal going into the third period.

The third period saw a game-tying goal by Alex Kovalev that brought the Habs fans in attendance to their feet before Jason Spezza took the Ottawa lead back only 24 seconds later. Despite a good effort in the second half of the third period, the Canadiens came up one goal short when the final buzzer rang.

My Thoughts

Carey Price made his second professional start and suffered his first loss after winning in Pittsburgh last week but, save for Redden’s soft first period goal, he looked pretty sharp to me. While Huet was fantastic the other night in the loss to Florida, I’d like to see Price make the start against the Sabres on Saturday.

Higgins, while only managing one assist, looked as good as he did in Florida. Strong skating, good work on the boards and that great chemistry between him, Koivu and Ryder are continuing to make that first Habs line a force to be reckoned with.

What Went Wrong?

A soft first period that ended with a 1-1 tie following Redden’s early goal and Latendresse’s flukey shot that beat Gerber seemed to light a fire under the Canadiens in the second. That fire showed as they controlled the momentum for long periods but exhaustive passing and slow rushes after dumping didn’t allow them to create the kind of chances that beat a goalie like Gerber when he’s on top of his game. We may be early in the season but never is the time for half-assed hockey.

Saku Koivu

Saku Koivu was born on November 23rd, 1974 in Turku, Finland. After spending 3 seasons with the TPS Finnish hockey league from 1992-1995 and winning two Finnish championships in the process, Koivu was drafted by the Habs in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft as their first-round pick. He was named Player of the Year during his third and final season with TPS and began playing for the Canadiens during the 1995-1996 season.

After posting an impressive array of stats during his rookie season, Koivu suffered a knee injury in his second year while leading the league in scoring (13 goals and 25 assists for a total of 38 points). Saku would go on to miss 22 full games that season but still managed 56 points by the end of 1996.

Koivu continued his excellent play and was honored with the title of 27th team captain on September 30th, 2000. He remains to this day the longest running team captain in Canadiens franchise history.

In September of 2001 Koivu was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, causing his to miss nearly the entire 2001-2002 season. Hard work and perseverance helped Saku to a remarkable recovery and he was able to return for the playoffs that season. After helping to lead the Habs to an upset first round victory over the number one ranked Boston Bruins, Saku was awarded the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for his courage and bravery both on and off the ice that season.

After returning to Finland to play for his old team during the NHL lockout of 2004-2005, Koivu returned to Montreal to rack up an impressive 75 points in the 2006-2007 season. He registered his 500th career point that season with an assist on a goal by Michael Ryder during a 4-2 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers and received a standing ovation from the 21,273 fans in attendance that evening. His launching that year of the Saku Koivu Foundation for cancer research saw him awarded the King Clancy Trophy in 2007.

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