Written by EP31, AllHabs.net

MONTREAL, QC. — Spring is in full swing. The leaves on the trees are coming out; the flowers are in full bloom… Normally I’d be ignoring all of this as I sit in front of my computer watching the NHL playoffs.  But with all the teams I decided to cheer for now out of the running (or never in the running to begin with), I’m not too interested in the NHL playoffs these days. Thankfully for me, the Memorial Cup is just around the corner (to quickly refresh your memory, the Memorial Cup is a tournament that involves the winners of the Canadian Hockey League’s three leagues plus a host team.)

If you’re like me and cheer for teams that never win the whole shooting match, then you’ve got to come up with a whole set of complicated rules for deciding which teams to root for. Here’s a quick guideline to help you pick a team to cheer for during this year’s Memorial Cup.

Shawinigan Cataractes

The least you need to know: They’re the host team.

Why you should cheer for them:  As mentioned above, they’re the host team. In most cases the host team is not as good as the other teams in the tournament and they could use some support from people besides their home fans.

Why you should NOT cheer for them: The played against the Drummondville Voltigeurs in the QMJHL finals. Okay, so it was back in 2009, but some of us have long memories, okay?

The Habs Connection: Morgan Ellis spent half of last season with the Cataractes after being traded from the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. Oh, and Michaël Bournival.

Saint John Sea Dogs

The least you need to know: After demolishing everyone in the QMJHL in the regular season, they proceeded to demolish everyone in the playoffs as well, including a sweep of the Rimouski Oceanic to win their second straight President’s Cup.

Why you should cheer for them: People are saying that they’re the favourites to win their second Memorial Cup in a row. If you like cheering for a team that actually wins things (trust me, this has its benefits sometimes) then go for the Sea Dogs.

Why you should NOT cheer for them: They win too much. Would it really kill them to spread the win around a bit? Sharing is a good thing, right? Also, they don’t wear red. It’s a pre-requisite I have for my teams.

The Habs Connection: Last year’s first round pick, Nathan Beaulieu, plays for them.

London Knights:

The least you need to know: After finishing the season at the top of the OHL they beat the Niagara IceDogs in five games to take the Robertson Cup.

Why you should cheer for them: uh, well, I’m sure there’s a good reason. Like, if you’re from London, England, you can have fun telling people you’re cheering for a team from London, not the London they’re thinking of, but the London across in the pond… Uhhh, right, shall we just move on then?

Why you should NOT cheer for them: They beat my Niagara IceDogs in five games to take the Robertson Cup. That’s just mean.

The Habs Connection:  Jarred Tinordi. He is the only reason why the London Knights aren’t on my blacklist yet.

Edmonton Oil Kings

The least you need to know: Yes, a hockey team from Edmonton won something.

Why you should cheer for them: How can you not cheer for a team from Edmonton? Even I tend to feel bad for the long-suffering people in Edmonton who have to watch the Oilers all the time. Plus, they wear red.

Why you should NOT cheer for them: Believe it or not, I have no reason why you shouldn’t cheer for them. I should pay more attention to the WHL so I have more arbitrary reasons to hate random teams.

The Habs Connection:  Ian Wilkie played for a previous incarnation Edmonton Oil Kings. He was drafted in the 7^th round of the Draft…. in 1969….. No really, there isn’t any current Habs connection to the Oil Kings that I could find.

Written by JHabs, AllHabs.net

MONTREAL, QC — Welcome to the Nail Yakupov show! At least that is what the OHL color commentators say every time Yakupov dazzles the crowd with an astounding array of skill and speed that often ends up with a puck in the back of the net.

Born in Nizhnekamsk Russia, Nail was drafted second overall by the Sarnia Sting in the 2010 Canadian Hockey League import draft and has since then caught the eye of every scout and general manager in the NHL.

Nail Yakupov is a physical beast — while he may not be the tallest, or the strongest, the way he carries himself on the ice is nothing short of spectacular. Yakupov has shown that he can blaze through defenders with blinding velocity forcing fans not to blink for they might miss what comes next. He can cut through the middle like a hot knife through butter and for that half second simultaneously bring the arena occupants to a breathless moment when he unleashes a rocket of a wrist shot past the netminder.

Yakupov possesses elite level passing, skating and scoring ability which makes him the best player in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft. Scouts consider him a blue chip prospect who will likely translate to an impact player on the NHL level. What compliments Yakupov’s exciting style of play is his physicality, and while he is not a large physical specimen, weighing in at five foot eleven, one hundred and ninety pounds; he is strong on his feet as he can both take abuse as well as reciprocate it.

Yakupov’s reckless style of play is both his strength and his weakness as many scouts are a bit skeptical that his game will translate to the NHL properly; some feel he may have to tone it down a notch and play more of a speed game, and less of a physical style that ends up throwing himself in front of the net.  Yakupov’s approach to the game and his small stature have some scouts questioning Nail’s ability to handle the physical wear and tear of the NHL, making him prone to injury.

The young Russian forward is endowed with all the tools to become a successful superstar at the NHL level, and some scouts have hinted that he may even reach the 100 point mark a few times in his career. With comparisons raining down on him such as the next Ilya Kovalchuk, Alex Ovechkin, or Pavel Bure, Yakupov still has steps to take to reach stardom, but the jury seems to agree that whichever team drafts him, they will be receiving a top notch franchise winger for the future.

It won’t be long before we hear the likes of Gord Miller, Bob Cole, or even Pierre Houde shouting what the OHL commentators have been shouting for the last two years “Welcome to the Nail Yakupov show!”

par Alexandra Philibert, AllHabs.net

« On sait depuis longtemps que le Canadien a commis une erreur bête, grave, monstrueuse en cédant Ryan McDonagh aux Rangers en retour de Scott Gomez. » — François Gagnon, La presse  Ryan McDonagh , le naturel

MONTRÉAL, QUÉBEC — Il serait faux de dire que le Canadien n’a commis aucune erreur lors des 10 dernières années, si ce n’est pas plus. Cette organisation qui fut jadis glorieuse et emplie de succès n’est aujourd’hui qu’une équipe à la recherche d’une identité, qui fait office de roman-savon depuis belle lurette par la liste assez longue de joueurs, entraineurs et directeurs-généraux qui sont passés ici, le mauvais développement des jeunes joueurs ainsi que par des échanges désastreux.

Vous voyez où je veux en venir. Certes certains échanges ont eu du bon, nous n’avons qu’à penser à celle de Craig Rivet contre Josh Gorges et un choix au repêchage devenu Max Pacioretty. D’autres par contre, sont loin d’avoir obtenu la même issue… Spacek contre Kaberle, Ribeiro contre Niinimaa , et McDonagh contre Gomez.

Photo Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Trevor Timmins voyait ce grand défenseur prometteur dans sa soupe, tellement que son nom était déjà brodé sur le chandail rouge. Le Canadien de Montréal en a fait son premier choix lors du repêchage de 2007 au 12^e rang. Grand de 6’1″, lourd de 200 lbs aujourd’hui, McDonagh a préféré un temps l’université à la ligue américaine. Peut-on lui reprocher? Trop de joueurs n’ont pas de plan après carrière, ce jeune s’est paré à toutes éventualités.

Ralenti dans son développement par une blessure à l’épaule, il est passé sous le radar de certains. Pendant un moment à Montréal, personne ne parlait vraiment de ce premier choix. En 2009, Bob Gainey contre toute attente l’a échangé aux Rangers de New York accompagné de Christopher Higgins et Pavel Valentenko en retour du malheureusement célèbre Scott Gomez ainsi que Tom Pyatt.

Qu’en est-il maintenant? Le Canadien est pris aujourd’hui avec un joueur de centre qui fut un an sans compter de but, qui n’a aucune statistique enviable et qui possède un lourd contrat amputant la masse salariale du Canadien, qu’il reste ou soit racheté. Tom Pyatt a quitté l’an dernier. Les Rangers eux, ont eu la main plus profitable.

Maintenant en finale de conférence, les Rangers peuvent compter sur un jeune défenseur de 22 ans qui malgré 140 matchs dont 19 seulement en séries éliminatoires, joue comme un vétéran. Après 18 parties en séries, il avait pour fiche, 36 tirs bloqués, 24 mises en échec ainsi que 13 rondelles volées à l’adversaire.

Jouant en moyenne 27 minutes et 17 secondes, tout juste en-dessous de Dan Girardi son mentor, il a refait surface sur le radar médiatique lors du troisième match de la série Rangers-Capitals. Duel qui s’est terminé en troisième période de prolongation où l’américain a effectué 60 présences pour un total de 53 minutes et 17 secondes de temps de glace.

Photo archives Getty Images

Il est clair que Ryan McDonagh a supplanté les P. K Subban, Tinordi et autres défenseurs de talent à venir chez le Canadien. Ce n’est pas pour rien que Trevor Timmins voulait s’assurer que le tricolore mette la main sur ce jeune homme. Les médias commencent à peine à soulever le fait que le Canadien a peut-être commis une de ses plus grosses erreurs lors de la dernière décennie avec cet échange.

Montréal a du talent et de l’espoir en défensive avec la relève, toutefois, qu’en serait-il si ce McDonagh était toujours ici? Si Bob Gainey avait écouté son recruteur en chef?  Parce que oui, Timmins aurait tenté d’empêcher son directeur-général d’échanger le défenseur. Qu’en serait-il si Gomez avait eu une saison gigantesque et avait explosé niveau statistique?  On ne le saura jamais vraiment.

Reste que le Canadien paye les erreurs de ses anciens dirigeants, qu’il devra se remettre sur pied tranquillement, mais surtout éviter de commettre ce genre d’erreur à l’avenir. Si l’on passe la totalité des échanges survenus au cours des dix dernières années pour définir celle qui fut la plus désastreuse, l’échange de Mike Ribeiro n’arrive pas loin, mais l’échange de McDonagh semble avoir été la pire du lot.

On ne peut changer le passé, mais espérons qu’à l’avenir le Canadien se rappellera de ses erreurs, mais surtout apprendra de celle-ci. Des erreurs comme McDonagh, le moins possible s’il vous plait, une erreur de ce genre par décennie, c’est déjà trop.

MONTREAL, QC. — I wasn’t expecting this to happen. This year’s playoffs have been incredibly entertaining so far, and yet all I could do in the second round is think about the players who used to be Habs. Can’t I just watch games? Apparently not.

Here’s a refresher on which playoff hopefuls once wore the CH:

OUT OF THE RACE FOR THE STANLEY CUP

Chris Chelios, front office of the Detroit Red Wings: The Habs have a rich history, and Chelios has been around to see every minute of it. It’s a shame that the Wings are out of the playoffs, but Chelios appreciates having more time for bingo and shuffleboard.

Vancouver Canucks' Maxim Lapierre (Photo by REUTERS/Andy Clark)

Maxim Lapierre, Vancouver Canucks: His grit helped the Canucks to the Cup Finals last year. By “grit” I mean that he likes to talk a lot.

Christopher Higgins, Vancouver Canucks: Wandered around the NHL like a lost teddy bear after the Canadiens traded him away, but has now found a good home in Vancouver where he doesn’t get left behind at the playground.

Francis Bouillon, Nashville Predators: Busy taking credit for blazing the trail from Montreal to Nashville. Since then, the Preds and Habs are tied for number of Stanley Cups won.

Hal Gill, Nashville Predators: Taken out of Montreal because the Western Conference desperately needed tall guys. Missed a few playoff games due to injury. Gill is nearly irreplaceable – who else can block shots simply by having legs long enough to get in the way? Not Francis Bouillon, that’s for sure.

Andrei Kostitsyn of the Nashville Predators and Hal Gill (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn, Nashville Predators: Reunited in Nashville not because of their talent, but because cranky Habs fans needed something to laugh about, without actually having to see them too often.

Alex Auld, Ottawa Senators: He’s big, he’s bald, he’s… back in Ottawa.

Benoit Pouliot, Boston Bruins: Let’s not go there.

Jaroslav Halak, St. Louis Blues: Took the Canadiens deep into the playoffs in 2010. Apparently his abilities don’t apply when he isn’t playing, because he went ahead and got injured and now the Blues are eliminated.

Matt D’Agostini, St. Louis Blues: Proof that hockey players sometimes score goals if they’re let out of the pressbox.

Roman Hamrlik, Washington Capitals: I’ve heard he’s very happy to be out of Montreal, if only because the Habs’ defencemen – and their knees – have been cursed since he left.

Jeff Halpern, Washington Capitals and Dominic Moore, San Jose Sharks: Remember how two actors played the role of the husband on Bewitched? This is kind of like that, except the Canadiens found a new husband in Erik Cole and both of their exes made the playoffs.

STILL IN IT

Dainius Zubrus, New Jersey Devils: If most media is to be believed, the pre-lockout era happened a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. So consider this your reminder that Zubrus used to be a Canadien, because you probably forgot.

Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils and assistant coach Larry Robinson (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Larry Robinson, New Jersey Devils: He can return to Montreal any time he wants. I will personally buy him a new desk to sit at so that he doesn’t have to worry about having his old one shipped in from New Jersey.

Kyle Chipchura, Phoenix Coyotes: See “Matt D’Agostini.”

Jeff Woywitka, New York Rangers: Has worn more jerseys than the average mannequin. Does he count as a former Hab?

Ryan McDonagh, New York Rangers: I think I’ll leave this one alone because it makes my heart hurt.

Jason Missiaen, New York Rangers: The 6’8″ goalie continues to be a novelty prospect for teams who already have franchise goaltenders.

Doug Risebrough, New York Rangers: The former Hab appears to be operating as a double agent in New York’s scouting department. Which explains a lot, actually.

I haven’t found any evidence of former Habs playing for the Los Angeles Kings. This is either due to insufficient research on my part, a serious Philadelphia Flyers obsession on LA’s part, or maybe some threats on Justin Williams’ part.

Best of luck to all four teams still in the race, regardless of how many players used to wear the bleu-blanc-rouge.

Written by Radoslav Vavřina, Czech Correspondent for AllHabs.net

Brno, Czech Republic —  The future looks bright. Not only for Canada, Sweden and the United States, but also for other countries that participated in the 2012 U-18 World Championship. This time, we’ll take a look at Finnish, Russian, German and Danish prospects, who won’t be draft-eligible until 2013.

Rasmus Ristolainen (photo by Ivo Dostál)

Team Finland did a terrific job at their own end and while I’ve already praised their goalie Joonas Korpisalo and some of their defencemen, there’s room for one more rearguard. Pardon the expression but Rasmus Ristolainen is the one who you’d like to guard your rear. By far the most physical of Finnish defencemen and possibly of all teams at the championship, Ristolainen takes advantage of everything he’s packed in his 6-foot-3 body – brains to stay cool and avoid losing it, muscles to throw opponents all over the ice, quick feet to carry the puck out of his own zone and ability to get under the skin of the other team’s stars. In addition, Ristolainen has already 41 SM-liiga games under his belt, so expect him anywhere near the top of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft prospect rankings.

The Finns also had a strong fourth line, which consisted of two big power forwards Aleksander Barkov, whose Russian ethnicity makes him one of the most passionate Finns there will ever be, and Saku Salminen. Skill of the line was provided by a smallish yet courageous Aleksi Mustonen, whose size is only to surprise his opponents one second before they get decked by a hit. Not a big hit, but unexpected.

The player who might turn out to be a gem is, however, Artturi Lehkonen. At sixteen years of age, he has enough size to bring some physicality to the rink, but he doesn’t use it yet. In comparison with Ristolainen, his play is immature, but when he grows up, he might become a new Koivu, doesn’t matter if Saku or Mikko, although I know which one you’d love to hear more. Lehkonen is just a pure package of skills and possesses killer instinct. The thing about him is that he reminds people of tigers or such animals, of which you just don’t know until very close to attack. Then, you just have no time to react.

Team Russia may have another master of big bodychecks waiting to mature in their youth system. After Darius Kasparaitis, Anton Volchenkov and Alexei Emelin, it’s time for Nikita Zadorov, the youngest and, after Bogdan Yakimov, the tallest member of the team. Maybe he won’t have such impact when it comes to hitting, but for his age, he plays the game the mature way, just like Ristolainen. Calling him poor man’s Ristolainen is not really accurate though as things will seemingly evolve in the future. I’m sure the main battlefield will be the 2013 U-20 Worlds in Ufa, Russia.

Leon Draisaitl (photo by Rostislav Pfeffer)

It is a shame that in both Team Germany games I saw, they were truly overplayed by their opponents: Finland and Russia. Some of their youngsters managed to find a way into my memory, including Leon Draisaitl, son of a Czech coach and former player. Draisaitl will be draft-eligible in 2014, which provides him a huge amount of time to find a way not only to my memory, but also to the NHL scouts. Great vision, slick hands and height of 6-foot-2 is all he needs to be really dangerous. Frederik Tiffels is also a skillful German whose name might be heard approaching the 2013 draft and Dominik Kahun is a Czech-born, hard-working guy, who would be a solid third-liner if ever making it into the big league.

Just like Kahun, Team Denmark forwards Mikkel Aagaard and Matthias Asperup are blue-collar forwards with tons of leadership, especially when it comes to Asperup. However, in Denmark, it’s all about the upcoming two.

Oliver Bjorkstrand, a son of former American hockey player and current Danish U-20 national team Todd Bjorkstrand, will clearly come back for the next year’s under-18 worlds and even lift his stats. Not only a big scoring leader for the U-18 team, but also a member of a Danish elite league team, Bjorkstrand is a medium-sized complete package, considered by many to be the next Danish hockey superstar.

Mads Eller (photo by Rostislav Pfeffer)

After Lars Eller, whose brother Mads Eller also contributed, especially when  the team needed it the most – in the relegation group. Eller isn’t much different from his brother, fires the puck often, passes the puck right on tape and throws his weight around when needed. Really smart and talented, his career might be threatened if he doesn’t take care. He’s suffered a concussion this year, which isn’t a mark of good things to come. However, with enough skill to make it to the NHL without getting into trouble, he might be playing against or alongside his brother in just a few years.

par Chantal, AllHabs.net

Afin de vous permettre de mieux connaître les joueurs du CH, All Habs vous offre les biographies condensées sous le format “Qui est-ce?”. Afin de vous permettre de mieux connaître les gens qui écrivent pour vous, All Habs vous offre “Qui est-ce, Édition Spéciale All Habs”. Aujourd’hui, Simon.

Simon – Auteur, contenu francophone AllHabs.net
	Grandeur: 6′ Âge: 25 ans Écrit: Droite Lieu de naissance: Montréal, Québec Repêché: Par All Habs, Automne 2011
Les Specs
Simon est un partisan du CH depuis approximativement 20 ans, mais la passion a débuté vraiment pendant les séries de 1993, où il allait à l’école avec sa casquette du Canadien. Il est étudiant en communication à l’Université de Montréal dans le but de devenir journaliste sportif. Le hockey l’a toujours passionné et pendant ses cours, même au primaire, il lui arrivait de dessiner des patinoires de hockey et d’échanger des cartes de hockey. Pour s’amuser, il s’inventait des ligues de hockey et faisait des saison grâce à un système de dés. Il faisait aussi des séries et des tournois comme aux Olympiques. Plus récemment, il aime bien créer tous les joueurs avec qui il joue au hockey afin de les mettre dans NHL sur Xbox 360 et jouer tous les matchs avec les Whalers, son équipe de hockey balle créée dans le jeu.
L’Essentiel
Après avoir terminé son DEC en Culture Nord-Américaine et Médias, il est présentement à l’Université en train de faire un Baccalauréat par cumulatif. Il possède un certificat en communication appliquée et est présentement inscrit au certificat de rédaction. Son rêve ultime, c’est de devenir exactement ce qu’est devenu son idole, Darren Dreger. C’est un journaliste chevronné et crédible en plus d’être un “insider” respecté dans le milieu. Il a des contacts partout dans la LNH, est présent sur NHL Network, TSN, bref, en Amérique du nord et ce sont les agents et les directeurs-généraux qui le contactent.
Ce que vous devez savoir
Simon est un clown et il aime taquiner et faire rire les autres. Il pense être une personne facile d’approche et qui aime être entouré de gens. Quand il aime quelqu’un, il l’aime vraiment et veut faire en sorte de pouvoir l’aider et l’écouter du mieux qu’il peut. Il est aussi beau bonhomme. Ses pires défauts : Il est très très très très très très mauvais perdant, il a un esprit de compétition très développé (ce qui peut déranger les gens), il est obstineux et parfois rancunier. Mais généralement, il est très amical avec les gens.
Ce que vous ne savez peut-être pas
À l’âge de 3 ans, pendant le Noël de 1989, il avait des figurines Provigo du CH et le père de sa marraine en prenait une et lui demandait de le nommer, ainsi que son numéro. Il s’amusait donc à dire les Patique Wa (Patrick Roy), les Stéphane Iché (Stéphane Richer) ou les Cuisse Chelios de ce monde ainsi que leurs numéros.
Les Stats
Simon sur All Habs: Tous ses textes, ici. Simon sur Twitter: @SimServ92
All Habs Bio Auteur | Compilée par: Chantal | Design par: Stevo | © All Habs 2012

MEDIA ADVISORY

www.cbcsports.ca

PROGRAMMING ADVISORY: UPDATED SCHEDULE FOR CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA

CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA Round Three 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs broadcast schedule has been updated. The complete schedule is as follows:

NEW YORK RANGERS (#1) VS. NEW JERSEY DEVILS (#6)
Game 1 New Jersey @ New York Mon., May 14 @ 8 p.m. ET FULL NETWORK
Game 2 New Jersey @ New York Wed., May 16 @ 8 p.m. ET FULL NETWORK
Game 3 New York @ New Jersey Sat., May 19 @ 1 p.m. ET FULL NETWORK
Game 4 New York @ New Jersey Mon., May 21 @ 8 p.m. ET FULL NETWORK
Game 5* New Jersey @ New York Wed., May 23 @ 8 p.m. ET FULL NETWORK
Game 6* New York @ New Jersey Fri., May 25 @ 8 p.m. ET FULL NETWORK
Game 7* New Jersey @ New York Sun., May 27 @ 8 p.m. ET FULL NETWORK

PHOENIX COYOTES (#3) VS. LOS ANGELES KINGS (#8)
Game 4 Phoenix @ Los Angeles Sun., May 20 @ 3 p.m. ET FULL NETWORK
Game 5* Los Angeles @ Phoenix Tue., May 22 @ 9 p.m. ET FULL NETWORK
Game 6* Phoenix @ Los Angeles Thu., May 24 @ 9 p.m. ET FULL NETWORK
Game 7* Los Angeles @ Phoenix Sat., May 26 @ 8 p.m. ET FULL NETWORK
*If necessary

The 30-minute Scotiabank Hockey Tonight with host Ron MacLean immediately precedes each Conference Finals broadcast on CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA, except for games on May 16, May 19 and May 20. All CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA game broadcasts throughout the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs are also available live and on-demand at CBCSports.ca, along with the latest Playoff news, highlights and scheduling information.

Written by Radoslav Vavřina, Czech Correspondent for AllHabs.net

Brno, Czech Republic — This time, we’re not only heading back to the top countries, but also further into the future. Let’s take a look at those players that will be drafted after the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. And we’ll start with the champions again.

Team USA captain, Seth Jones (Photo by Michal Eger)

It wasn’t just the defence but all members of Team USA which were led by captain, Seth Jones. Son of former NBA player Popeye Jones and native of Plano, Texas, Jones is a responsible defenceman whose potential is extremely high. He could become as good as able to challenge Jarome Iginla as the best ever black hockey player.

Jones has good size and can reach almost anywhere using his stick. When you try to overpower him, you’re not going to unless you are at least a 6-foot-3, 200-pound power forward. If he works on his shot, Jones could become a serious threat to Zdeno Chára’s record at the Superskills Competitions. It only depends on Jones how much he’ll practice. The fact is that he definitely has potential to shine in the NHL and be a franchise number-one rearguard with leadership to lead his team to a Stanley Cup. Plus, he’s just recently signed with the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League.

In the offence, Ryan Hartman will be draft-eligible next year, but he already managed to be one of the team leaders in point-scoring. He really often fires the puck so you either have an impression that he’s all over the ice or wasting a lot of opportunities. None of that is true though, he’s just a hard-working character forward. The same applies for J. T. Compher, who is rather a hard-nosed smallish winger, with the ability to center a line and put a lot of pressure on net.

Also, Anthony Louis did a great job on a penalty kill and William Butcher played strong even though getting low ice time. These two, plus Compher, will return to the team for the next year’s U-18 Championship in Sochi, Russia.

Team Sweden forward, Alexander Wennberg (photo by Ivo Dostál)

Team Sweden seemed much more about the more distant future. In the two games I saw them play, Gustav Possler impressed me the most, working really hard and putting up some good numbers. He was the one who sent Sweden to the finals, performing really well in the semis against Finland. His linemate Alexander Wennberg was much more about skill and scoring. Let’s see if these two combine for another Forsberg-Collberg tandem next year. It could absolutely happen.

There is a need to mention Jacob de la Rose who managed to score a few goals despite playing in the fourth line. With more ice time, his stats would have likely risen close to two-digits in point-scoring. Linus Arnesson is a promising offensive blueliner, but should keep his head up while carrying the puck through open ice. André Burakowsky shows a lot of willingness and hard work with the puck. Elias Lindholm took advantage of his skills and got to a couple chances, too. He, Burakowsky and de la Rose made up the Swedish fourth line and made it a big surprise.

Two of Team Canada‘s most promising 1994-born players won’t be drafted until the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. One of them is Hunter Shinkaruk who played with will, physicality and an accurate shot. Tough and versatile, he scored a hat trick and the overtime-winner in Canada’s win over Finland in the bronze-medal game. One of his teammates, Kerby Rychel, is a son of former NHL’er and current Windsor Spitfires GM, Warren Rychel. Also a native of Los Angeles, California, Kerby plays under his father in Windsor and took up a lot of talent from him. He’s much like Shinakruk – tough, hard-nosed and hard-working — not such a natural goal-scorer though.

Team Canada's Josh Morrissey (Photo by Jiří Zaňát)

Second-line rearguards Darnell Nurse and Josh Morrissey made up a line which you wouldn’t want to send your skillful guys against. They like to throw their weight around, especially Nurse, who also got into a lot of altercations, maybe the most of all players at the championship alongside USA’s Compher. Morrissey is much more peaceful, but Nurse seemed to be both more solid at his own end and much more of a threat in the offensive zone.

Stay tuned to catch the next installment of the series, where we’ll evaluate Finnish, Russian, German and Danish 2013-draft prospects.

La finale 1986 de la Coupe Stanley se disputait entre les Flames de Calgary et l’équipe la plus solide dans l’histoire du monde du sport, les Canadiens de Montréal. La série a duré cinq parties et l’histoire s’est écrite à la deuxième quand Brian Skrudland a marqué le but gagnant neuf secondes après le début de la période de prolongation. Cette série est mieux connue par le souvenir et l’émergence de Patrick Roy, surnommé Saint Patrick, qui est considéré comme l’un des meilleurs gardiens de buts de tous les temps.

Le samedi 24 mai 1986, la 23e Coupe Stanley était soulevée par Nos Glorieux.  Ils ont battu les Flames 4-3 au Saddledome.

MONTRÉAL, QC. — Ce n’est pas tous les jours que les Canadiens gagnent la Coupe Stanley.

(photo ourhistory.canadiens.com)

Cette phrase allait être son argument si son père disait « non ». Peter était en 3e année du secondaire et fréquentait le John F. Kennedy Comprehensive High School du quartier St-Michel. La nuit précédente, le Canadien avait remporté la Coupe Stanley et la parade se déroulerait le lundi 26 mai 1986.

Peter avait déjà planifié sa fuite de l’école si son père ne lui donnait pas son accord. Le lundi matin, il irait au dépanneur de son oncle avec son cousin et de là, les deux adolescents feraient leur chemin jusqu’au centre-ville.

Il espérait seulement que son père dise « oui ».

Lundi matin, Peter se préparait pour l’école et mangeait son bol de céréales dans la cuisine. Son père entra dans la pièce et demanda, tout naturellement : « Tu ne vas pas à la parade? ».

Il était emballé!

Peter pourrait assister à la parade de la Coupe Stanley avec la bénédiction de son père!

Peter appela son cousin John, lui dit la bonne nouvelle et ensemble, ils partirent.

Il était 10 heures lorsqu’ils arrivèrent à la station de métro Guy. Les fans commençaient déjà à se rassembler dans la rue.

Les jeunes hommes demandèrent à l’officier de police l’itinéraire de la parade. L’officier répondit qu’elle proviendrait de l’est, emprunterait l’artère principale et se terminerait au Forum.

Peter et John marchèrent jusqu’à la Place des Arts.

Lorsqu’ils atteignirent le coin Jeanne Mance et Ste-Catherine, la parade avait déjà débuté.

Les joueurs se tenaient debout dans des voitures Chrysler K-cars décapotables, sans protection vis-à-vis la masse de fans, pratiquement dans la foule!

photo credit - Bernard Brault

Ce fut à ce moment que Peter et John le virent.

Chris Chelios.

Le dieu grec de la glace!

Sans perdre un instant, ils ont sauté dans la voiture et ont entouré les épaules de Chelios de leurs bras. Ils lui ont dit qu’ils étaient Grecs et Chelios les a invités à rester!

Ce dernier était légèrement ivre. Les fans lançaient des cannettes aux joueurs et célébraient leur victoire!

Qui pouvait les blâmer?

Peter et John restèrent dans la voiture avec Chelios et ce, jusqu’à leur arrivée au Forum. La voiture a fait quelques arrêts à des boutiques de vêtements tout au long du parcours.

Souvenons-nous que Chelios était légèrement ivre!

Dès leur arrivée au Forum, où une grande fête était en cours, les jeunes hommes furent arrêtés par les agents de sécurité qui leur demandèrent s’ils avaient des billets d’entrée.

Ils n’en avaient pas.

John décida de mettre son passeport d’autobus dans la poche arrière du pantalon de Chelios comme souvenir de leurs personnes.

Les garcons étaient ravis!

Lorsqu’ils descendirent de la voiture et qu’ils firent leurs adieux à Chris, ils furent retenus par un journaliste qui couvrait la parade pour la chaîne Pulse News.

Le journaliste était nul autre que Howard Schwartz!

Il invita Peter pour une entrevue qui serait diffusée aux nouvelles de 18h— l’adolescent raconta les événements de la journée.

Lorsque Howard Schwartz lui demanda pourquoi il n’était pas en classe, Peter répondit simplement : « On s’en fout de l’école! Les Canadiens ont gagné la Coupe! »

Avance rapide jusqu’en 2008.

Chris Chelios alla souper avec ses amis au Bâton Rouge sur Décarie. Peter approcha Chelios et lui raconta l’histoire de cette journée fatidique. Le plus drôle était que Chris ne s’en rappelait pas du tout.

Tel que mentionné précédemment, il était légèrement ivre!

Les souvenirs de Nos Glorieux ne s’effacent jamais. Ils deviennent une partie de nous.

Peter n’oubliera jamais cette journée.

Peter est un bon vivant qui ne refuse jamais une bonne bouffe, un bon verre et une bonne compagnie. Il joue au hockey et est un golfeur passionné. Depuis longtemps, il est un fan du Canadien et un grand fan des Jets de New York. Il possède le restaurant Bâton rouge sur le boulevard Décarie, à Montréal. Après l’achalandage du soir, vous le retrouverez au bar, savourant sa vodka et discutant de hockey, de football ou de tout autre sport. Vous pouvez le suivre sur Twitter @peteypops13 .

Vous souhaitez partager votre souvenir préféré du Canadien? Contactez-moi au effie@allhabs.net .

All Habs Headlines: Thursday May 10, 2012

On this day in hockey history…  Habs Assistant Coach Randy Cunneyworth celebrates his 51st birthday today! Happy Birthday Randy! 

ALL HABS HEADLINES

►Henry ditches ‘Dogs: The Hamilton Bulldogs will have a new captain for the 2012-’13 season.  Alex Henry signed a one-year contract with the DEG Metro Stars (Düsseldorfer Eislauf Gemeinschaft) of the  Deutsche Eishockey Liga. Henry began his second stint with the Bulldogs in the 2008-’09 season. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound defenseman played 301 regular season games for the Bulldogs and two games for the Montreal Canadiens in the past four seasons.

“Alex Henry has plenty of experience and will help our young team. It can be for our DEG talents as a model. Henry has played together with Alexander Sulzer. With him we have also been informed. What we also like is that Alex Henry as new signing Michael Catenacci was captain of his team. It shows character and leadership qualities.” — Walter Köberle, DEG sports director

Read more: Alex Henry moves to Düsseldorf EC

►Koivu re-signs with Ducks:  Former Canadiens captain Saku Koivu signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Anaheim Ducks for the 2012-13 season. Koivu just completed a campaign which he produced 11 goals and 27 assists in 74 games.

“[Koivu has] character and leadership on and off the ice. You can never have enough of that. Things didn’t go well this year. He’s a veteran who really believes it can work here and wants it to work here. He had an opportunity this year to jump ship and he didn’t want to. He wanted to stay and make it work. That’s a quality character guy. We need more of that.” — Ducks GM Bob Murray

Read more: Ducks bring back Koivu

►Gainey returns to Stars: Former Canadiens GM Bob Gainey will be joining the front office of the Dallas Stars as a consultant to GM Joe Nieuwendyk.  Gainey left the Habs on March 29th in a mutually agreed decision with owner Geoff Molson.

“I do see it in a similar way to what I was doing with the Canadiens over the last two years. My scope will probably be broader with the Stars, but I see it as observing and familiarizing myself with the players and then hopefully offering some guidance that maybe others haven’t seen. I would like to be able to say, ‘I see this in a player,’ or ‘Maybe we could shape this player in this direction.’ Those are areas where I believe I can help.” — Bob Gainey

Read more: Gainey returning to Stars as front office consultant

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

►Robinson welcomes return?  Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Larry Robinson may be interested in returning to the Canadiens as an assistant coach said his agent Don Cape. Robinson is an assistant coach for the New Jersey Devils who await the winner of the Washington Capitals – New York Rangers playoff series.  The Canadiens would have to wait until the end of the Devils season before seeking permission to talk to Robinson.

“Larry would like to return to Montreal because the right people are in place, the conditions are good and because it is the right job for him.  We know Marc Bergevin and the Molson family, these are professional people. But it will be the next coach to determine if he wants Larry.  Robinson enjoys working with young defencemen.  I’m sure he would be able to bring a player like P.K. Subban to a new level.” — Don Cape

►Join us for the All Habs Draft Party: With the hiring of Marc Bergevin as the Canadiens new GM, Habs fans have already started to put last season behind them and are looking hopefully to the future.  The NHL Entry Draft will be the first opportunity to see the Bergevin-led management team in action, and with the Habs scheduled to pick 3rd overall, it will be a major event.

This year marks the 4th Annual All Habs Hockey Party for the NHL Entry Draft. RSVP’ing with All Habs gives you VIP access which includes prime seating, drink specials, and discounted prices on menu items at McLean’s Pub!
► New at All Habs Hockey Magazine:

Habs Coaching Candidates: The Unusual Suspects

Remembering Nos Glorieux – 1986 Stanley Cup Parade

Happy Winner in Hockey Love Hurts Contest

Le CH : victime de sa réputation?

Noel en jun: Morgan Rielly

Focus on Draft-eligible Prospects from Czech Republic: Teams Russia, Germany

Focus on Draft-eligible Prospects from Czech Republic: Teams Canada, Finland

Focus on Draft-eligible Prospects from Czech Republic: Teams USA, Sweden

Habs GM Bergevin Sets Priorities: Trade Subban?

Christmas in June: Morgan Rielly

O Grande Quebra-Cabeça: Habs