This latest cast will be the first of what should be many to include the insight and corny jokes of TPinch. It may be too early to tell if he knows what he’s talking about, but he does somehow manage to add what certain Habs fans call a certain “je ne sais quoi.”

With a discussion of what to expect from les Habitants, Eric, Pat, and T officially get the 2010-2011 season rolling. Let the Lars Eller era begin!

THEY MADE IT! (Barely). Monday’s podcast will dissect the weaknesses, but for now, I’m thankful for the following:

1. PLAYOFFS, Baby!

Don’t kid yourself. This is a major achievement, specifically because of the injuries to their best players. Plenty of other teams in the league lost their best players to injury or trade – Atlanta, Calgary, Carolina, Anaheim – and you don’t see them in the dance, do you?

Plus, these Habs had to start all over from scratch this year, deal with all the changes, fight back against ridiculous expectations from some boorish fans…..yeah, I’d say the Habs persevered quite nicely, all things considered.

2. Excellent Goaltending.

I don’t know what happens in the off-season and I am so glad I don’t have to make that decision, but Jaroslav Halak was nothing short of excellent. And Carey Price was much MUCH better than last year, if a lot more unlucky.

Another word on Carey, because it bears repeating: Maybe his confidence is shaky, but the kid can play.

3. Andrei Markov.

The only elite player in the lineup.

4. Moving Forward

The Habs may not be big, and some of their talent is overpriced / underperforming, but this year saw a nice group of forwards that just never quit. There’s energizer bunny Brian Gionta, the no-longer-girlish Tomas Plekanec, 50-stitch man Travis Moen, heroic and gap-toothed Glen Metropolit, and I maintain brother Sergei had a nice rebound. And I am positive that mega-watt Cammy would have hit 40 had he not been injured. Hopefully, he’ll explode in the playoffs.

5. Hal Gill / Josh Georges

Every fan and so called expert was tough on Gill in the first 15 games. But dammit if he didn’t become the best penalty killer on the team. And he settled the room. He talked Carey Price through his slump, cajoled Georges to be more aggressive, and sniped back at the boo-bird-dummies after Price was awarded the third star with calls of “trade him”.

That’s called leadership, and the Habs needed it.

Speaking of Georges, I have six words: Mike Green slapshot to the head.

6. Benoit Pouliot

Yes, he is in a slump now. But he’s never played a full season (before this, his top total was 37 games!). He’s never been a top-six forward. He’s also only 23 years old. And he’s big, mobile, got guts, and lightening quick hands.

When he gets really healthy, properly conditioned for a full season, and gets used to the responsibility, man is he going to be good. Doesn’t matter if Guillaume is tearing it up. This was one of Gainey’s best trades.

7. Guy Boucher

Unlike the major league bench boss, Guru Boucher showed an uncanny ability to squeeze the most out of his young charges. Guys like Tom Pyatt, Mathieu Darche and Ryan White aren’t going to scare anybody too much, but they came prepared and confident. Sergei came back with his attitude in check (I won’t credit the Guru with PK – who was just sublime  – because I think a sock puppet could coach that guy).

Compare that with the dismal performances and sinking confidences of the young players who started the season with the big-league Habs: Guillaume, MaxPac, D’Agostini, MaxLap, the Kostitsyns…….that’s a lot of talent not living up to its potential. They can’t all be duds, eh coach?

8. Jacques Martin

I know it looks like I has needling him just now. I was. But the man coached the hell out of this team. Let’s remember, there was a stretch of games there where the Habs lineup was the best in all of the AHL. This was his first year, on a team that was brand new, in a smoking-hot cauldron of a market that was calling for the decapitation of the very man who hired him. Hello? Can you say pressure?………..Don’t agree?……I’d like to see you coach the Habs for even one day. You wouldn’t last the first period.

So the Habs are in. Tonight, let’s be happy.

Tune in Monday, when Eric and I really take out the scalpels.

Anyone?

But alas, the NHL season continues, and with the Olympic hockey tournament a vivid guide on how to win hockey games on NHL ice, we view the Habs in a slightly colder light. There remain MANY questions about the home team.

So here, at the risk of sounding Captain Obvious, are what we would like to know, just in time for the stretch drive.

In order of importance:

***I can play, coach. Really***

1. Is Markov healthy / More Injuries?

He missed 2 games before the Olympics, saw light action on Team Russia, and has looked pretty bad for awhile. What is his real status? Injured? Tired? The same questions apply to Benoit Pouilot, Cammalleri, Brother Andrei, etc. If the Habs are to win, Markov et al need to be healthy and at their best. No big headline here

2. How will Pleks and Halak adapt to end-of-season life in the NHL?

These two (just below Markov) hold the key to the Habs playoff chances. Will they be energized by their Olympic experience? The knock on both players has been a lack of late-season / playoff effort, either because their performance faded in the clutch (Pleks), or because they weren’t given an opportunity (Halak).

Well, we’re going to go out on a limb here and say these guys will be given PLENTY of opportunity to prove their critics wrong. Should be interesting.

3. When does Pleks get signed?

(see above)

4. Who gets traded?

PG wants to put his stamp on this team. There are wild rumors flying around about a giant trade with Edmonton, another with Chicago, some interest in veterans from St Louis, and some smaller trades with (again) Florida and/or Dallas. I don’t know what to believe and this isn’t a rumor site.

Wednesday could be a big day with ramifications far beyond this season, or a “treading water” situation where a forward direction remains unclear.

5. Are Gomez and Gionta really a bust?

There have been fleeting glimpses of wonderful play from these two. Gionta especially. But again, after watching Team USA almost put a cardiac attack on the entire Canadian nation, it was clear that these two just didn’t belong in the Olympics this year – at least not among the likes of Parise, Kessler, Kessel, Ryan, Brown, Stastny, and Kane.

***so much promise then***

So these dudes have a lot to prove. And they were acquired specifically with this time of year in mind: The idea that the winning and experienced veterans can fortify the locker room and push the team to new heights, because they have been there and done that. Fair enough. So this is where Gomez and Gionta will earn their money or prove to be a bust.

6. PK, PK, where art though, oh PK?

PK Subban was the lone highlight in the Habs losses to the Flyers before the break. He could be a huge star for the Habs. After all the trade dust has settled (where I assume every defenceman not named Markov is up for discussion), will PK spend the rest of his year in HabsLand, or in Hamilton? The answer will indicate how desperate PG really is to make the playoffs this season.

7. Who will bring the physical edge?

I’m sure the players returning from Vancouver learned one thing about Teams Canada and USA: They played very physical. Those players bring those lessons home to the NHL, where they will be applied to the final twenty games – which is already the most physical portion of the regular season. Imagine all the players coming back with axes to grind and pride to defend.

This is an old story for the Habs, but the question remains  – who brings the lunchpail and the clothesline for Montreal? Candidates include O’Byrne, who plays better with Markov but who has been inconsistent, there’s Moen, and a little Gill….and……gulp…….that’s it!!??!!

The return of (the somewhat larger) Pouilot and Andrei to the forwards corps will help, a more aggressive Laps would help too. But man, after the Olympics this teams looks more SOFT than ever.

Ahhhhh….so many questions, so little time. But all will be answered in the coming weeks.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Our podcast returns next week, where we will discuss the games against Boston, San Jose, LA, and Anaheim, and the merits of what might be a different lineup than the one we have now.

Have a great week, and welcome back.

What?

How did that happen?

* Great and SUSTAINED forechecking, greatly assisted by…

* Hamrlik, Markov and Spacek joining the rush. I was surprised by this, seeing how conservative Coach likes to play things, but those three were VERY aggressive in New Jersey’s zone, setting up passes, getting to the net and almost acting like a 4th forward. And they skated back HARD at the first sign of trouble. Whatever mistakes they did make (and there were a few), were committed in their own end.

* Gomez played what seemed like 56 minutes, and boy was he on mission.

* Halak returned with a solid start, making lightening-quick saves when a Devil was left open in front (though this win was a total team effort, everyone credited Halak with the win – interesting, no?)

Les Boys deserved this one.  And for a change, coach’s ad-nauseam mantra of pock possession was on full display.

Not a perfect game, but pretty darn close.

Um….what was coach talking about exactly? True, the Habs went 0 for 6 on the PP. True, there were plenty of giveaways in the neutral zone, and the defense corps were atrocious, starting with Markov. So there were plenty of reasons why the Habs lost the game. But reason number one? Carey Price was terrible. There’s no other way to think about it.

Hey, it happens. This is not a knock against Carey, not completely, anyway. It’s a knock against the coach for his utterly transparent attempt to protect the (once-again) shaky confidence of his young franchise netminder. If coach wanted to be truthful, he would have said that the goals let in by Carey were a result of some very ordinary shots – at best. He would have said that sometimes, when the rest of the team falters, it is up to the goalie to win the game – the last line of defense. He would have said that while it is understandable for a goalie to let in a soft goal or two, it is unacceptable to look like you just don’t care.

As a former netminder himself, and the former coach of some terrific Senators teams who never quite made it because they never had the capable backstopper to lead the way, coach knows that teams live and die on goaltending.

But he didn’t say any of that. Of course, he probably shouldn’t say any of that to the press. He probably should have kept quiet on the subject or said something like “everybody played a bad game”. Instead, he just draws more attention to the glaring weakness in nets by insulting everyone’s intelligence – including his own team’s – by saying the goaltending was “excellent”. That’s the kind of comment that can make Price’s teammates resent him. The kid already has to battle the pressure, develop as a goalie, and confront the perception that he was awarded the starting job before he earned it. Now Price looks like teacher’s pet.

Coach’s efforts to protect Price, no – praise him - at the expense of the team when it was so clearly not warranted – well……

…this will just fan the flames even more on the debate. It’s the kind of comment that can cause you to lose your team.

Damn….I hate being a Habs fan right now!

“Nobody’s asked me about it,” he said of the captaincy…”But if they did, I’d think about it. … It’s a big responsibility to be captain in this city. I enjoy every day on our team and just try to do my job. This is not my first year and I feel more comfortable by the day.”

No doubt Markov is a leader on this team. He is one of the few remaining strands to the Habs team that was (Pleks is another). But there is a lot of equivocation in his statement. Part of that is because the question posed to Markov was speculative, and he needs to be cagey with a reporter on this subject so as not to ruffle any feathers or appear too eager. But I still think the Habs need better OFFICIAL leadership from its top players. I think they need to name a Captain.

Now I don’t believe the lack of a captain is what has hurt the Habs thus far. The lack of top-line talent and depth, injuries, new players, adjusting to a new coach and a new system are all bigger reasons for why the Habs have been so inconsistent.

But having said that, the Habs are now entering the second half of the season. They have played more games than their competition, they are relatively healthy, they have had ample time to adjust to their new surroundings. Their opportunity to win is NOW. And I just don’t get the sense that there is anyone in the room who has grabbed the mantle and staked his claim. Someone, aside from coach, who can grab players by the throats (in a friendly way, of course), hold them accountable after bad games but still cover for his teammates, who can lead by example on AND OFF the ice, who can be a difference-maker.

Now maybe the Habs just don’t have a player like that. Most teams don’t. But in order to win, MOST teams NEED that kind of player to be their captain.

And maybe being Captain of the Montreal Canadiens really is too big a job for one player. Maybe you need a couple players to fill that role. But someone(s) needs to take a stand and lead the way. I hope there is someone in there, behind closed doors, who is doing that.