Season 2, Episode 5: Coming Back Home

Ooh, baby, the puck has dropped: The Habs went 1-1 in their first week, losing a squeaker in Toronto before pulling out a comeback in Pittsburgh. They were missing key players, including sniper extraordinaire Mike “Ferrari” Cammalleri, but there’s lots to be happy about, like the solid play of Carey Price. Eric, Pat and Tal experiment with a new and improved format for the latest podcast. We discuss our take on les Merveilleux’ play so far and give great nicknames to some of our favorites. We agree the team needs to score more goals but can’t agree on how. One thing’s for sure, we love the play of PK “Prime Time” Subban – no matter what Don Cherry says.

 

 Season 2, Episode 5 [33:27m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Season 2, Episode 4: Let’s Drop the Puck!

It’s finally here, people! The first drop of the puck in the 2010-11 NHL season. Mike Cammalleri marked the occasion by getting suspended for the first game Thursday night in Toronto. It’s only one game, but the topic got plenty of mileage from the Three Habmigos (we’re working on the nicknames, we promise). Discussing everything from Cammy’s suspension to the Gionta captaincy to their season predictions, Pat, Eric, and Tal covered a range of topics and refused to hold back.

So take a listen and share your thoughts and opinions. At the very least, we’ll hopefully figure out the proper pronunciation of Lars Eller’s name.

 

 Season 2, Episode 4 [57:39m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Season 2, Episode 3: The First Cut is the Deepest

Ah training camp. The one time in the hockey season where the individual performances are actually more important than the final score. It’s in that spirit that we’ve come together once more to record another Habs podcast.

Just an hour before Pierre Gauthier and Jacques Martin made their first round of cuts, the three sages (Pat, Eric, and Tal) came together to discuss what they have seen so far and what they expect in the near future. In typical Tal fashion, Aaron Palushaj was cut by the Habs barely an hour after T. Pinch predicted he would push for a final roster spot. So you might want to ignore his advice the next time you play the stock market.

Nevertheless, this pre-season has already been ripe with intrigue. So just two weeks before opening night, les boys come together with plenty of discussion and a whole lot of booing. And not all of it for Carey Price.

 

 Season 2, Episode 3 [59:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Price is Pitch Perfect Pro

You're Alright With Me

It’s now been two days since Carey Price was booed off the ice of his home arena. Part of me believes that after the Halak trade, this had to happen. The fans wanted to vent some anger, as misdirected as it was, to Pierre Gauthier. Price was also bound to have some bad games, as all players are. Better to swallow the bitter pill now than later.

Ominously, I am also hearing people say that Carey Price will leave the Habs the minute he is able to. The relationship between him and the fans is fractured. Irreparable. Carey is fragile. He is finished here.

Bullshit.

(more…)

Welcome to 2010-2011: The Make or Break Season

Pierre Gauthier’s press conference this week highlighted “team stability” and the “core strengths” of the Montreal Canadiens. Gauthier is telling the media that the current roster, which looks a lot like last year’s roster, will be the same roster for the foreseeable future. Yet there a number of players who, if they don’t play to expectations, will likely not return. It’s a long enough list that the entire organization may undergo a large overhaul in the summer of 2011. Perhaps not as big as the one the Canadiens underwent in 2009, but an overhaul nonetheless.

For instance, take Andrei Kostitsyn, Benoit Pouiliot, Ryan O’Byrne, Maxim Lapierre and Mathieu Darche: It is IMPOSSIBLE to see how any of these players come back next year if they do not produce this year.

(more…)

Season 2, Episode 2: Pre-Season Prognosticationism

It’s about that time, people. That post-Labor Day period when anyone with a pair of shinpads suddenly starts chiming in with their prediction for what will happen in the upcoming NHL season. And why should we be any different?

Predicting what the Habs would ultimately do last season was next to impossible. Especially with half a roster’s worth of new players coming into le Centre Bell. This year should be less difficult to predict, but no less intriguing. With wunderboy Carey Price now entrenched as the team’s number-one keeper, the season could hinge on the play of one of the most-hyped players in franchise history. Throw in the unknown intangibles surrounding young players like Lars Eller, PK Subban, and Dustin Boyd and the 2010-11 season has all kinds of intrigue.

As usual, each of the three gentlemen behind the latest HabsRadio podcast have divergent opinions on where les Habitants will end up this season. Listen to their thoughts on the season and be sure to chime in with your own thoughts on how les boys in bleu, blanc, et rouge do this season.

 

 Habs Radio Season 2 Episode 2 [71:13m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Season 2, Episode 1: One Month ‘Til Training Camp

Can it be? Are the dog days of Summer really almost over? Ladies and Gentlemen, hockey season is almost upon us. More accurately, Habs training camp is almost upon us. And what better way to begin the countdown to Habs camp than with an all-new podcast? But not just any podcast, Habs fans.

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!

 

 Habs Radio Season 2 Episode 1 [60:01m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Episode 28 – Season’s Over, Season’s Just Begun.

After taking our beloved Habs all the way to the brink of the Stanley Cup Finals (almost single-handedly at that), we reward Jaroslav Halak with a … trade.  Yet, after all but disappearing offensively in the later rounds of the playoffs, we reward Tomas Plekanec with a … 6 year, $30 million deal.  Makes perfect sense right?  We try and figure it all out.

 

 Habs Radio Episode 28 [50:57m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Episode 27 – Killing In The Name Of Gary Bettman

Habs are through, just as we all expected, right?  Sure.  You think Gary Bettman is happy about this?  How about NBC?  The Habs have given new meaning to the term “refuse to lose” and the entire city is LOVING it.  We try to pinpoint what it is that makes this team do the impossible, whether it will continue all the way to the cup, and how all of this might affect next year.  Oh, and we go a little nuts.

 

 Habs Radio Episode 27 [51:29m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

HOLY **********#@#@#!!!!

HABS WIN!  HABS WIN! HABS WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Dave Sandford/Getty Images)