Bleacher Report - Articles by Jaime Reis

Patrick Roy's Last Habs Memory...

Jaime Reis — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:36:06 -0500

Well, it's finally the time most of us have been waiting for...but mostly, the time he's been waiting for. Patrick Roy's Jersey will be retired tomorrow. I will be present to experience this historical event, where we will finally see the recognition we've been waiting for.

But let's put it into perspective, why do you think they waited all this time to retire his jersey? Well, it's simple...

What an opportunistic time to retire his jersey! Think of it; it's the 100th anniversary of the Habs; Guy Carbonneau, a close friend of Roy's, is the head coach of the Habs. They made the right move. Tomorrow, the City will be Hockey, well, The City is Roy...

I feel grateful that tomorrow I'll be there at the Bell centre (that means an article on the ceremonies ;P ) and that I'll be able to feel the emotion, and the legacy he left, hanging on each Habs fan.

Hoping that this lively ceremony will inspire our Canadiens, let's try to get a win tomorrow night!

Prediction: Habs in the extra frames =)

There is another thing I must point out. Carey Price. I could've criticized him already, but this young man will in my opinion be a legend. Maybe even as great as Patrick Roy...(give him a few years).

Habs: Hard Work Pays off, but Is Inconsistency a Problem?

Jaime Reis — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:28:24 -0500

What a game on Tuesday! Higgins did what he was expected to do, score. It was an amazing comeback game after two losses in the past weekend. But was this just luck?

I've observed that the Habs can have an amazing game one day, but the next, play against Columbus (a so called "Non-playoff team") and lose! Guess what's back! Inconsistency and over-confidence...

Sure, someone says, "Oh, it's alright, all teams are like that, blah blah..." But yet, some Montreal fanatics don't seem to see that a great team is:

Consistent;
Prepared for games, but never over-confident;
Healthy.

Of course, now they'll tell me, "But, they came back in the game against the Islanders, so I'm sure they're able to do that when they're trailing..." Now there, I start fulminating, and I finally think to myself, "Don Cherry, you were right".

One thing that I hope Guy Carbonneau will do is to tell all of 'em players that the season just started and that they're not in the playoffs yet. Because, of course, there's always some players who think they'll win no problem (I think the game against Toronto is enough to explain).

So these are the challenges/goals I have for the Habs:

Everybody, get a grip! We're in November for pete's sake!
Time for the Kostitsyn Brothers, and Mr. Kovalev to start producing...
Avoid injuries, we don't want another Ryder playing...
Protect Carey Price! Don't let enemy teams even close to him, unless you want goals against....
Carbonneau, make Georges Laraque play! The Canadiens signed him to be a full-time player and to defend our players, not to stay on the bench and play tic-tac-toe!

Ilya Kovalchuk in Montreal? Canadiens, Maple Leafs Express Interest in Sniper

Jaime Reis — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 23:32:18 -0500

According to the Sport Express Daily, Montreal and Toronto GMs have shown interest in acquiring Atlanta Thrasher Ilya Kovalchuk.

Apparently, negotiations took place during the recent meeting of the NHL general managers.

Recently, Kovalchuk has declared that he did not want to play in Atlanta, and wanted to play with a winning team. These are a few statements he told the Russian press.

"Atlanta lack stability to win often. One match we play well, another only start well. And we must play on the same high level for all 60 minutes and use the chances."

"Hockey is not an individual kind of sport, a leader cannot do everything. If we want to decide serious problems, we need 22 leaders on the ice."

None of the concerned clubs have yet to acknowledge or deny this fact. Until further answers, this remains as another of many rumors.

Pavel Valentenko's Departure from Montreal Confirmed

Jaime Reis — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 13:08:15 -0400

Habs lose Pavel Valentenko to Moscow Dynamo, where he signed a two-year contract. Valentenko had left Hamilton for "personal" reasons, and had gone back to Russia. This news surprised most people here in Montreal. Today, I went out and asked some fans about their opinions.

"You have to be joking. He left because he didn't have a place on the team now; but that doesn't mean he wouldn't of had one in maybe a season or two. I think he completely destroyed his future with the Canadiens organization," said a fan this afternoon, after I had told him the news.

In my own opinion, I think he made the wrong move, as he had a lot of potential as a player, and as a Canadiens. He had all the criteria this organization was looking for. He's a built, tall athlete, with a good speed and a great vision of the game. After this, I wouldn't think that Bob Gainey would want to integrate him into the roster.

Source: RDS