October General Game Thread

[cshea]

Kings skunk Habs 4-0 in Montreal. Habs are now 2-7-1 with a -20 GD.

It is a tire fire up there right now. I guess the best fans in hockey were giving Price mock cheers last night for saves.

Then there is all this Alex Galchenyuk drama. He was really good to start last year, then had a knee injury. Since returning he hasn’t produced and both Therrien and Julien have bounced him down to the 4th line and shuffling between center and wing. So he’s been a point of contention for fans and the team for his play and the teams handling of him. I guess this week Mario Tremblay said on radio up there that Galchenyuk was in rehab twice and has off-ice problems. Who knows if Tremblay has good info, but but either way it is a shitty thing to say publicly. Bergevin said he can’t comment either way since the NHL program is 100% confidential and he wouldn’t know if his players were in it.

Then yesterday amidst the Galchenyuk fire, NHL agent Dan Milstein tweeted (it’s now deleted) “Alex Galchenyuk isn’t a problem but coach is. Has never successfully coached Russian. Took mid-season most Russian club. All but one gone.”

This is pretty bizarre because Galchenyuk is an American of Belarusian descent, and strangest of all, Galchenyuk isn’t represented by this agent. But amusing because it is aadding to the shitstorm up there. One more fire for them to put out. I guess the agent represents Khokhlachev so maybe an ax to grind there.

Edit: Sportsnet leads with videos that embed. Article is up there.

 

[joe dokes]

More on Galchenyuk. Clode doesn't like Russians?

https://deadspin.com/this-is-the-sort-of-weird-controversy-that-always-seems-1819907948

Milstein, who may reportedly be investigated for tampering for his tweet, stood by his comments in a phone interview with Sportsnet:
“These are my observations,” Milstein told Sportsnet. “I represent several Russian players, and I know Alex is not one of them and I’m out of line for commenting because I don’t represent him. But I’m just stating the facts.
“I have nothing but respect for Marc Bergevin. But it seems obvious the coach doesn’t like Russians.”

 

[kenneycb]

That got me to look up any Russians Clode coached during his time in Boston and I think Koko and is the only one. Another interesting note is that Boston has only had 13 Russians ever suit up for them. I'm pretty sure Washington has that in one year.

 

[NYCSox]

That got me to look up any Russians Clode coached during his time in Boston and I think Koko and is the only one. Another interesting note is that Boston has only had 13 Russians ever suit up for them. I'm pretty sure Washington has that in one year.

Khudobin? That’s about all I can think of.

 

[kenneycb]

Khudobin? That’s about all I can think of.

He's from Kazakhstan so it depends on whether you're using the USSR or Russia definition. I just did a Ctrl+F on Russia in HockeyDB and came up with 13.

 

[cshea]

Lots of Czech’s and Slovak’s but Koko is the only Russia to play in Boston for the Bruins. Yury Alexandrov played a season in Providence, and presumably a preseason game or two in Boston, but that is it. Kaspars Daugavins is Latvian, so would fall under the Soviet Union definition.

The Habs purge is amusing- Radulov, Markov, Emelin, Sergachev, Nesterov all sent out the door.

 

[kenneycb]

We're also burying the lede, which is that Galchenyuk is an American born in Wisconsin to Belarusan/Soviet parents. That said, it looks like he settled in Russia for a while and that's where he learned to play hockey, so he has must obviously have that Russian style of play.

 

[veritas]

Lots of Czech’s and Slovak’s but Koko is the only Russia to play in Boston for the Bruins. Yury Alexandrov played a season in Providence, and presumably a preseason game or two in Boston, but that is it. Kaspars Daugavins is Latvian, so would fall under the Soviet Union definition.

The Habs purge is amusing- Radulov, Markov, Emelin, Sergachev, Nesterov all sent out the door.

Markov played for Claude in his 1st stint in Montreal and was their top defenseman. Kovalev was their leading scorer during Claude's last season there. Also wasn't Emelin on their top pair with Weber last season? Emelin is horrible and Claude seemed to love him. He wasn't the one who traded him.

It sucks that the rehab thing was made public, but it seems like that's the big issue here. Montreal has to be the shittiest place to play when going through something like that. It sounds like a trade is probably best for everyone.

 

[cshea]

Yeah, I don’t think Galchenyuk lasts the season in MTL. The question will be if Bergevin is the person trading him.

 

[cshea]

Also, the agent should have more of a gripe against Bergevin than Clode. Bergevin didn’t want to pay Radulov or Markov. Nesterov sucked and is out of the league. Emelin sucked and was unprotected in the expansion draft. They used Sergachev to get Drouin. Not sure what Julien has to do with all that. I don’t think he walked in and told Bergevin to get rid of all the Russians.

All those moves are defensible too, with the possible exception of Markov. That one still doesn’t make much sense to me. They are sitting on over $8 million in cap space, they could’ve easily fit him in on a short term deal and they could use a puck mover.

 

[rlsb]

The worst season in Canadiens history was the 1939-40 season where they obtained 25 of a possible 96 points (10-33-5, or 26.4% of the possible points). Translated over an 82 game season, that would be 43 points. Obviously they would have to pick up their anemic pace slightly to supplant that season 78 years ago, but regardless of the players' nationalities, it still translates to scoring goals, and I can't see where the production will come from. The forwards are too small to generate any sustained pressure and the large SOG totals in some of their games are meaningless, including one 30 shot period during the losing streak.

 

[cshea]

Vegas smokes Colorado 7-0. That train is not slowing down apparently.

 

[Salem's Lot]

Vegas smokes Colorado 7-0. That train is not slowing down apparently.

I want to see them play a few on the road. Their schedule has been very home heavy. It'll be interesting to see if they really are a good team or if they just have the best home ice advantage in the league playing against a team that spent the previous night in Vegas.

 

[MiracleOfO2704]

I think the real anomaly here is that their one loss is getting lit up at home against Detroit.

As far as what they’re made of, they start a 6-game road trip Monday, with the Islanders, Rangers, Bruins, Senators, Habs, and Leafs. Once upon a time this preseason, I would’ve said that this might be where their season derails, but the Rangers and Habs have been a trainwreck this season, so only the two Ontario games might prove to be challenges.

 

[PedroSpecialK]

Also, the agent should have more of a gripe against Bergevin than Clode. Bergevin didn’t want to pay Radulov or Markov. Nesterov sucked and is out of the league. Emelin sucked and was unprotected in the expansion draft. They used Sergachev to get Drouin. Not sure what Julien has to do with all that. I don’t think he walked in and told Bergevin to get rid of all the Russians.

All those moves are defensible too, with the possible exception of Markov. That one still doesn’t make much sense to me. They are sitting on over $8 million in cap space, they could’ve easily fit him in on a short term deal and they could use a puck mover.

I also love the Montreal sports talking heads jumping on unfounded the "Clode hates Russians" train, especially in a city whose overt xenophobia has run players and coaches out of town for not speaking French. It would really be a shame to see them turn on Price if he can't put up Vezina numbers behind a porous d-corps at $10.5m AAV for 8 years - beginning next season.

Never change, Montreal

 

[InstantKarmma]

I love this picture.

 

[NYCSox]

I also love the Montreal sports talking heads jumping on unfounded the "Clode hates Russians" train, especially in a city whose overt xenophobia has run players and coaches out of town for not speaking French. It would really be a shame to see them turn on Price if he can't put up Vezina numbers behind a porous d-corps at $10.5m AAV for 8 years - beginning next season.

Never change, Montreal

But what does Clode think of young Russians?

 

[cshea]

Oilers lost to the Penguins last night to fall to 3-7-1. They’re another team facing a crisis here early. They are having a hard time scoring goals, McDavid can’t do it all. Seems they feel that they need scoring wingers. Hmm.

 

[veritas]

Oilers lost to the Penguins last night to fall to 3-7-1. They’re another team facing a crisis here early. They are having a hard time scoring goals, McDavid can’t do it all. Seems they feel that they need scoring wingers. Hmm.