Tanguay asked to be traded out of Calgary twice last season

From the Calgary Sun: "I'm really looking forward to training camp", he said. "This is the most mythical hockey team. I feel like a baseball player just traded to the Yankees. Twice last season I asked the Flames to trade me, and Montreal was on my wish list both times," he said, vowing to carve a permanent niche for himself in his home province. "I'm 28, and this is my ninth season". Tanguay, who only recorded 58 points last season, found himself on a "defensive" line with Craig Conroy and Owen Nolan, which ticked him off. "I thought they traded for me from Colorado because I could generate offence." So Tanguay was less-than impressed with Keenan and then agreed to waive his no trade clause to go to his dream team.Like a said before, it's a francophone playing in Montreal, where he'll play his heart out. This will only benefit the Habs, who shed themselves of dead weight Michael Ryder and add an enthused Tanguay. Now if Carey Price proves Bob Gainey right this year (for trading Huet last season and making Price #1), then the Canadiens should win the East. T Tags: Alex+Tanguay+happy+in+Montreal Canadiens trade Flames french Source

Canucks trade Ryan Shannon to Senators for Lawrence Nycholat

A strange deal of sorts for the Canucks. I guess you can never have enough spare defencemen in Vancouver seeing how they get injured all the time! That or Gillis is going to trade one of them. I thought Ryan Shannon was going to push for a spot with Vancouver after they had signed him for 1 year back in July to a $605,000 deal. He played in 27 games for the Nucks last season, scoring 5 goals and 13 points. But none of his goals were more memorable than this controversial spinaroonie shootout goal. So who the hell is this Lawrence Nycholat guy? -a 29 year-old defenceman. Born in Calgary.-wasn't drafted-will make $600,000 this season-about 6 feet tall and 200 pounds-has played in 31 games with the Rangers, Capitals and Senators, scoring 2 goals and 8 points.-Had a decent year with the Binghamton Senators last season, scoring 12 goals and 49 points in 77 games.NycholatTube- A Nycholat profile on YouTube.-Nycholat fights Brian Sutherby.-Nycholat was a captain of the Hershey Bears.T Tags: Canucks+trade+Ryan+Shannon+to+Senators+for+Lawrence+Nycholat Source

Capitals not eager for your business

Tony at The Confluence of the Three Rivers just posted this tidbit:"Just got a call from the Washington Capitals ticket office. I'm ontheir list because I live in Virginia and have bought tickets thereseveral times before.The very nice woman I talked to advised me, once I told her I'd beinterested in either of the two Penguins games (February 22nd and March8th), that individual tickets for both Penguins games in DC will NOT be available. She also mentioned that it also applies to the home opener vs. Chicago and the Detroit game.The only way (other than Ebay/Stubhub) to obtain tickets to thosegames in DC is to purchase at least a six-pack of games, which includethe old Patrick Division teams, and some other packages.Just letting everyone know, certainly makes things more challengingfor those of us wanting to head to DC and dominate the Verizon Centeragain."As we've stated before, it's a smart move by the Capitals to take this approach. Their fan base isn't all that loyal or developed down there which is a shame because the Capitals are a simply dazzling team to watch. These games against the Penguins, as well as the other two games listed, are easily the biggest games of the regular season for the Capitals. Why not try to make extra money off of them?That said, considering there are more than enough seats listed for the Feb. 22nd game on StubHub, we don't expect it to be a problem for the "Sea of Red" to have blotches of black, white or blue.By the way, the Flames called. They're the original "C of Red." At least in hockey.(Photo: Nick Wass/Associated Press)Source

TV Schedule out

The Stars have released their television schedule for this season. They also have changed start times on a few games. Here are new game times: Saturday, Oct. 18, vs. Colorado _ 1 p.m.Tuesday, Dec. 2, at Calgary _ 8:30 p.m.Saturday, Jan. 17, vs. LA _ 1 p.m.Saturday, Feb. 21, vs. Chicago _ 1 p.m.Wednesday, Match 18, at Calgary _ 8 p.m. They still are working out the details on the HD games. The Stars are working very hard to get every game in HD, but that costs money. Because HD requires specific cameras, a specific television truck and specific sending equipment, the cost has to be accounted for. There also is labor needed to work through the transition. The Stars and their television affiliates are trying to work through all of that. They know you want HD, and they are trying to get it to you, but it is a process. Here is the Stars' press release on the schedule: FRISCO, Tex. -- The Dallas Stars announced today the National Hockey League club's local television schedule for the 2008-09 regular season. All 82 contests of the regular season will be televised in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. This marks the 11th consecutive season for all 82 regular season games to be televised in the Metroplex. "We are very excited about continuing our great partnership with FSN Southwest and My 27, both which enable us to bring every Dallas Stars regular season game to our fans in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area," said Stars President Jeff Cogen. "This promises to be another winning hockey season and we cannot wait to get it started." FSN Southwest returns for its 16th season of carrying Stars telecasts, with an all-time high 62 regular season games to be shown on the network. FSN Southwest provides quality local sports programming to over 9.6 million cable and satellite TV subscribers in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and parts of New Mexico. The Stars' home opener on Friday, Oct. 10 vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets is featured on the FSN schedule, as well as the club's traditional New Year's Eve contest, this year against the New Jersey Devils (Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m.). Fifteen games will be broadcast locally over the air on My 27 (Channel 27), which returns for its ninth season of televising Dallas Stars hockey. My 27's first Stars broadcast for the upcoming season will be vs. Colorado on Saturday, Oct. 18. Versus will exclusively televise four Stars contests: Monday, Jan. 12 vs. Detroit, Monday, Feb. 23 vs. San Jose, Monday, Mar. 30 at Phoenix, and Tuesday, April 7 at Minnesota. NBC Sports (KXAS-TV, Channel 5 in Dallas-Ft. Worth) has chosen one Dallas Stars contest as a candidate to be chosen as the NBC.nhl "Game of the Week" -- Sunday, Feb. 8 vs. Nashville. First introduced last season, the.nhl on NBC will feature flexible scheduling for regular season dates on the network. NBC will have nearly two weeks in advance of a particular weekend to select which games will air, and if NBC does not choose this Dallas game, FSN has agreed to televise the contest. News/Talk 820 WBAP returns for its 15th season as the flagship home of Dallas Stars hockey and will broadcast all 82 regular season contests and all playoff games. WBAP will also broadcast one Stars pre-season game - Thursday, Oct. 2 vs. Chicago. Forming the broadcast team for the Stars for the 13th consecutive season will be Ralph Strangis and Daryl Reaugh. Strangis begins his 19th season as a Stars broadcaster while Reaugh will serve in his 13th season as the Stars' color analyst. Here is the link for the schedule.Source

Boston Bruins Sign Stephane Yell

It had been rumored that the Minnestoa Wild were interested in signing defensive forward and face off specialist Stephane Yelle but it appears that the Wild have lost out in another bid for a free agent. Boston, MA – Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has signed center Stephane Yelle to a contract. Per club policy, terms of the deal will not be disclosed.A 12-year veteran of 844 regular season games and 154 postseason contests, Yelle comes to the Bruins having won two Stanley Cups with the Colorado Avalanche in 1996 and 2001. Yelle made his.nhl debut during the 1995-1996 season with Colorado and played in all 22 of the Avalanche’s playoff games during their Stanley Cup title run. During his rookie year in 95-96, Yelle tallied a career best 13 goals and 14 assists in the regular season and added one goal and four assists in the playoffs. When the Avs captured the Cup a second time in 2000-2001, Yelle again appeared in every playoff game (23) and registered a goal and two assists in the postseason to go along with 4-10-14 totals in the regular season.He played a total of seven seasons in Colorado, appearing in 505 games with 54 goals and 89 assists.Yelle spent the last five seasons with the Calgary Flames. On October 1, 2002, he and Chris Drury were traded by Colorado to the Flames in exchange for Dean McAmmond, Derek Morris and Jeff Shantz. During those five years, Yelle contributed 31 goals and 65 assists. Last season, Yelle tallied three goals and nine assists in 74 regular season games and added two goals in seven postseason contests. The 34-year-old Ottawa, Ontario native was originally drafted in the 8th round (186th overall) of the 1992.nhl Entry Draft by the New Jersey Devils, Yelle was dealt to Quebec on June 1, 1994 and then relocated with the franchise to Colorado on June 21, 1995. His team has missed the playoffs only once in his 12-year.nhl career (02-03 with Calgary). Source

Your Obligatory Debate of Pittsburgh's Chances this Year

Maybe it's the liberal media's fault. Maybe it's all in our heads. Maybe it's Urkel's fault. No one is really sure at this point. But for some reason, the Pittsburgh Penguins' chances this season have become a contentious point around the blogosphere.Let's recap real quick.This all started when the boys at Pensblog got a little agitated about something Sportsnet's Mike Toth wrote. For the record, taking offense to something Sportsnet does is like getting upset about who anchors the 11pm Sportscenter. It's all irrelevant unless it's Scott Van Pelt, so who cares.After that, Puck Daddy responded by claiming that Toth is totally not out of his mind. Since then Spector has chimed in, the Pensblog responded to PD's response and Sean Leahy attempted to play referee, to name a few contributions.So this is where we come in. Naturally, we have certain obligations when reporting here at BMR. Mainly, that obligation is to give our own take on something that everyone and their dog writes about. Usually that category of material is limited to season previews, predictions and whenever Mark Messier cries. Many other times, the blogosphere is clogged up with so many stories about a single topic (see: Mats Sundin) that we're almost obligated to pile on. There's no reason to do the back breaking work of trying to empty the trash can when it's spilling over. Instead, it's a lot easier to start piling up trash around it. That's what our job is and this is one of those times.Anyway. Back to the point at hand; Pittsburgh's chances and our obligatory post on it.Let's all remember a few key points about the situation. Here come the bullets. It's like a night out on the town with 50 Cent.Teams that lose in the Finals usually suck the next year.Pre-season predictions don't mean shit and are usually wrong.Marian Hossa was the icing on the cake of Pittsburgh's season last year.This is a team that everyone picked to challenge for the conference title this time last year.They still have MAF in net.OK, now we're going to address these one-by-one.First and foremost, it's standard practice to diss the team that lost in the Finals the previous year. As Puck Daddy pointed out, this has been true in recent years. The only exception is the Flames, who were better the season after they lost to Tampa in the Finals. Remember, they had a whole lockout year to get their legs back.Second point, pre-season predictions are about as accurate as the weather report. Unless we're talking about Columbus and Detroit, it's impossible to predict where teams will finish. Everyone should chill out and save their breath, but since I know no one is going to listen, I'll save mine.One of the most overblown points in the history of overblown points is the significance of Marian Hossa. Yes, he's a good player. Yes, he helped the Penguins in the playoffs. He had 26 points in 20 games which is a big contribution. But let's not get crazy here. He only played 12 regular season games for Pittsburgh. The Pens finished second in the conference, mostly no thanks to Hossa. They would have made a run without him. Maybe... Maybe they wouldn't have gotten to the Finals. That's about it.All this Hossa talk brings me to my next point, which is that everyone picked the Pens to be a top five team in the East at the beginning of last season. Think about it. Did you really believe they wouldn't at least be top five? In the conference you like to call 'the Leastern Conference'? It also means you picked them to do this without Hossa and before we found out that Marc-Andre Fluery could be a viable starting netminder.So now that the Pens are missing Hossa, Roberts, Malone and a couple other role players are they all of a sudden not a top five team this season?Give me a break. All those losses do is make them questionable to win the conference. They're still a top five team in my opinion. Maybe the fourth or fifth. But honestly, other than Montreal, who would you put ahead of them? This conference is still wide open. You're living in another universe if you think New Jersey, Washington, Ottawa, the Rangers or Philly are easily outpacing the Penguins at this point. It is possible that a few of these teams could finish ahead of the Pens this year, maybe even likely. But at this point in time, there is not evidence to the contrary.The Penguins have questions. Can Sidney stay healthy all year? Will Malkin's playoff funk continue on into this season? Can MAF repeat his performance from last year? Will they fall victim to a short off-season?The funny thing is, every other team in the East has questions like these. Some have more. It's still early. In this year, like every other, predictions don't mean a whole lot yet everybody has them.Source

Maturation of the Flames - Season Preview, and the past

This is a post I�ve wanted to make for a while, its about how the team has changed over the past 4 years going from a SCF team to a team struggling with identity as it goes from a darkhorse and underdog team to dealing with the status as a contender, and what the future might bring. So, this is going to be a thick post with a lot of points, so if you are looking for just one point and get confused, this is a mosaic of many different arguments. Some will be mixed, mashed and repeated in different in a different context. Last year, we say a team the underachieved, underperformed and struggled with consistency. The parts were there � the star forward, the strong top 6, what appears to be proven, solid grinders and support players, the elite defenseman, the premier shutdown defenseman and a strong 6 defenseman and a star goalie. But despite experience in both age, NHL and championships, this team found it hard to find consistency from minute to minute and game to game, A team formerly known to be �tough to play against� turned into a team that was now �we know they are a good team, and have to be ready� � a change in attitude of opponents comments that clearly reflect the Flames as the Flames struggled to find the winning formula from a grinding low scoring SCF team to a skilled team, and now back. To look at the future, we have to take a look back and see how this team has matured. The SCF 2004 team was a team that clicked, fired on all cylinders and had almost everybody step up at a performing level. The team had fun, Commodore, Montador, Ference, Conroy and McLennan � we all know the story. We took that formula into 2006, but quickly found that lack of scoring, but went game-to-game as if it were a business, showing little enthusiasm or fun. That problem was mitigated with Conroy, McLennan and some scoring punch in Huselius and Tanguay. Still, no dice in 2007. The team had trouble against Detroit, holes all around and getting dominated by a team that played well as a unit while the Flames performed as individuals. Clearly, preparation was an issue, and Keenan was supposed to be the mitigation. In 2008, the team again struggled with consistency, as the bar continued to rise and the Flames continually found ways to go under it. However, against SJ, we saw a higher performing team but a struggling goalie. Change is progressive. Not to rag on them again, but the Oilers are a perfect example of a team that looks for the short fix and ends up swinging extremes and struggles to mature as a team because they are not given an opportunity to mature without there being radical change. From a 300-goal team with the 3-goalies but no defenseman to move the puck, to tons of puck moving defenseman but no offense, to the high-scoring forwards again with no defensive defenseman. Teams will inevitably struggle with radical change. This is one area I think Sutter has right, the building blocks are there � Iginla, your star forward you build around, Langkow your No 1 center you build around, Phaneuf your No 1 defenseman, Regehr your shutdown defenseman, Kiprusoff, your star goalie � and you build from there. Guys like Prust may not be stars, but they are key members of the organization because they fill certain gaps that you cannot just abandon to fill another gap, such a reason that Sutter turned him down for Vandermeer. Of the top 6ers, Lombardi is key because he�s a guy in the 25 age group and there is nobody to replace him. Boyd is key because he is in that 21-23 age group and there aren�t many of him either, with a possible argument to Ryder. Backlund is key because he is in that 18-21 age group. In a possible situation, as good Backlund might be, you simply can�t just deal off Boyd or Lombardi because then you would be missing that players of that age group filling roles. Something that I can see as very important in the business that is the NHL today. Change is progressive. We saw guys like Yelle and Nilson as elite 3rd liners performing 3rd line roles that were the foundation the 2004 and 2006 team were built upon. Suddenly in 2007 and 2008, they were ineffective, but did not just get worse overnight. Why? Because they were filling roles that weren�t in a situation to what they did best. The 2004 and 2006 team were ones that relied heavily on the 2nd and 3rd liners for steady play and to grind a team down with shear hard work, consistently where consistently is the key word here. The 2007 and 2008 team were teams that had 2 scoring lines, and needed the 3rd liners to fill smaller minutes while keeping the momentum going carried from the 1st and sometimes 2nd line. The Flames failed here in 2007 and 2008 IMO, that while they could dominate for parts of games, they were unable to hold consistent momentum while teams like Detroit could. Guys like Yelle and Nilson are good for playing more solid minutes, but not guys that will build or maintain the momentum of a game for only a few minutes of a game. Most people who do play team sports here should know there is a difference when your playing minutes are cut by 20% or more, that its harder to get into the game and get a feel of the game. While the top line, or 2nd line was able to have that momentum, the bottom 2 lines of Yelle and Nilson struggled with less minutes, and momentum was lost because that simply wasn�t the game they were comfortable with. A radical change occurred on the 3rd and 4th lines, and... when change comes hard and fast, the team doesn�t adapt in time and there will always be opposition to change. I don�t think the 3rd and 4th liners that were so good for us in 2006, were comfortable with their new roles in 2007 and likewise 2008. Those 4th line minutes, 3-4 minutes, might not look like a big deal and are often excused, but they simply can�t be, because again for anyone that does play sports, momentum and confidence are huge. Those regular season inconsistencies and early playoff exits, much can be learned from it. This Flames team has won series and gone far in the playoffs (2004)... and they�ve lost a lot more, and you can learn a lot from losing that you can�t learn from winning. The Flames have had both.The upcoming Flames team sports a new 3rd and 4th line players, a new image of speed and toughness over solid and steady. Skill out, speed and physical play is in, and the 3rd and 4th lines model that of 2004. Out with the fancy playmakers for Iginla, and quite frankly he doesn�t need them as he posted similar stats whether it was Conroy or Langkow, McAmmond or Tanguay/Huselius. A radical change it�ll be interesting how the team resorts to going back to the old identity that the team was comfortable with. But as this team matures and tries new things, it has learned a lot about what works and what doesn�t work. Maturation that will be the difference in 2008. Sutter alluded to it, Keenan alluded to it. Those 1st round loses were learned mistakes, and from the mouths of a few of the Flames executives and coaches, the 2008 early exit stung harder then previous ones. The learning comes from the emotions and the swings in momentum of a game. Knowing exploit the forward momentum has you on your toes and learning how to hold off when the momentum is keeping you on your heals. About not getting too high, and not getting too low. Its not even having to be that guy that goes out to make the huge hit, get the big goal, or in short, being that hero and being that �hero� usually hurts your team, you have to play within your system and sometimes accept the downward momentum piling down on you, but that experience is about being mature enough to hold tight and ride through it. (Again, the guys here that play team sports probably know what I am talking about when I say �that hero� that wants to make that difference so bad and make that rush or that big hit, but deviates away from the system to do so and in turn actually ends up hurting your team.) Its about knowing how to react when you want to change the momentum of a game, how to give your team that jump and when to hold back. Whether its making a Sarich hit, or a Lombardi shot block, or that Iginla fight, it can be something as simple as taking a hit to make that play � you don�t always have to deliver that hit. This type of maturation can only come with experience and are as valuable and maybe more then production. It�s not about the numbers you put up and the +/- you have, but how you contribute and react to key minutes. Great players do that. Iginla is a better player in 2008 then 2001; he had similar stats, but that experience can be seen by the leadership he displays on the ice about he reacts to momentum swings throughout a game. Regehr is very steady whether momentum is on the Flames side, or not. I believe Phaneuf is still maturing and isn�t quite there, but has matured in many aspects and emotion is the last hurdle he will have to cross to be truly dominant.

The Sundin media frenzy is way out to lunch now

JP Barry on Friday after Sundin met with Cliff Fletcher and no progress was made: "I think the decision-making process is down to Toronto and another team because that's the way he's always felt."There were a lot of people that read into that statement that Sundin was down to choosing between TWO teams, and was going to meet with the Canadiens on Saturday. Well that is reading the statement in one of 2 ways. I didn't bite because Sundin has said all along that he will not even consider offers until he considers returning to the. So, Barry had to clarify his statement today. "He hasn't narrowed it down at all," J.P. Barry, Sundin's Calgary-based agent, told The Vancouver Sun Friday. "He's still trying to decide whether or not he's going to play and he won't comment to me, or anybody else, about teams until he does that."I mean, if he has narrowed it down to two, that would be big news. At this stage, I would practically put out a press release if he's narrowed it down to two teams." Right. Exactly. End of fucking story. Mats is back in Sweden, sipping on shitty beer and playing golf while the media creates lies or misinterprets stories. If anybody has been following this story closely, what Barry is saying is painfully and obviously true. Time to move on. Sundin is not making a decision for several months. T Tags: Mats+Sundin+no+decision meets+with+Leafs+and+Canadiens returns+to+Sweden Source

Happenings in Frisco

The Stars players are starting to gather in Frisco and working out each day about 9:45 a.m. Everyone appears healthy and ready to go. Among the walking wounded from the end of last season who look great are: Sergei Zubov, Brenden Morrow and Jere Lehtinen. Morrow, who played through a lot of shoulder pain in the playoffs, said he didn't need any surgery. He said some rest made him feel 100 percent better, and now he's ready to get going again. Also on hand are Fabian Brunnstrom, Ray Sawada and James Neal. The three rookies all have a chance of making the opening day roster. Brunnstrom is pretty much penciled in already and that would give the Stars 12 forwards. They can carry 14. The three also will be with the team when they travel to Traverse City, Mich. Sept 13-17 for an eight-team prospects tournament. Brunnstrom, 23, was a prized free agent signing out of Sweden, but he still is getting used to the smaller ice of North America. ``It's an adventure,'' he said. ``The game is faster here, so you have to do all the things faster here. The game is more fun over here. The small rink makes the game more fun.'' A couple of updates from co-GM Les Jackson: Lauri Tukonen, a skilled winger acquired from Los Angeles will be at training camp. He currently is playing with Ilves in Finland, but will come over and try to make the roster. If he doesn't, he will return to Finland for the remainder of the season. The Stars have signed veteran goalie Brent Krahn, formerly of the Flames organization as their potential No. 3 goalie. Former college goalie Matt Climie will be in the organization, but has yet to play pro hockey, and Tobias Stephan is a young and unproven backup to Marty Turco, so Krahn will be a safety valve if necessary. He currently is rehabilitating an injury, but should be ready by December. He was 6-5-3 with a 2.49 GAA playing for Quad Cities (AHL) last season. Konstantin Pushkarev also is on the camp roster, although he is not yet signed as a restricted free agent. Jackson said if Pushkarev comes to camp and does a good job, they will talk contract. The Stars retain his rights no matter what. The Stars will be dividing up their prospects this year as they transition from an AHL affiliate in Iowa last season to an AHL affiliate in the Austin-area next season. If these players are not on the Stars roster, here is where they are expected to be playing: Manitoba: RW Ray Sawada, LW James Neal, D Maxime Fortunas. Peoria: D Ivan Vishnevskiy, RW Chris Conner. Grand Rapids: RW Landon Wilson, C Aaron Gagnon, D Garrett Stafford. Hamilton: D Dan Jancevski, RW Tyler Shelast. Iowa: C Perttu Lindgren, LW Francis Wathier. Timra (Sweden): C Tom Wandell Ilves (Finland): RW Lauri Tukonen. To be decided (Probably Idaho of ECHL): LW John Lammers, G Matt Climie, D Trevor Ludwig. I've noticed B.J. Crombeen is missing from our list, so I'll check that today. The Icebreaker is Sept. 13 at The Galleria (10 a.m.-2 p.m.) and training camp starts Sept. 19 in Frisco, so we're getting close to hockey season.Source

Tanguay Ready To Take On Montreal

Here is a translation of Alex Tanguay's interview with Le Journal De Montreal's Pierre Durocher in this morning's paper: Tanguay understands that expectations in Montreal loom large, where few francophone players are stars."It doesn't bother me at all", he said, "I am the type of player who imposes a greater pressure on myself than the media or fans could.""I had some very good seasons in Colorado, numbers wise. The year before the lockout, I was battling with Martin St. Louis for the scoring race. When I was injured, I had 79 points in 69 games. Even though I am considered more of a passer than a shooter, I did score 29 goals in 2005-06. I had a personal high of 81 points in my first season in Calgary, despite feeling that I wasn't playing up to potential"."I have no doubts in my abilities, because I have already proven I am an offensive player, when I am well surrounded. My principal goal is to to help the Canadiens be as successful as possible."Perhaps Tanguay could help the Canadiens in the drive for 25? 'Tanguay has already contributed greatly to one Stanley Cup win in 2001, where he played a large role with 21 points in 23 games."I've had the opportunity, over my career, to find myself on formidable teams composed of many great leaders. They have been a profound influence on my career", Tanguay stated. "Players like Patrick Roy, Joe Sakic, raymond Bourque, and Peter Forsberg. When Milan Hejduk and I were on Joe Sakic's line in 2000-01, he was chosen the Hart trophy winner".When Milan and I played on Forsberg's line in 2002-03, Peter won the Hart. Milan and I like to brag that it was because of us that both of them won."Upon joining Colorado, the Avalanche organization felt it best that Tanguay billet with the Roy family."It was very beneficial to me. Patrick was like a big brother. We had many good discussions on the way to the arena. As a goaltender, he had a much different point of view than most. I've learned a whole bunch of tricks from players who marked that team's history."Tanguay has remained in contact with Roy, as both reside in Lac Beauport."I've spoken to him about how things are run in Montreal. Our situations are very different though, as Patrick was the team's star player. I am not in his category."A Sun chain article, also authored by Durocher, added these quotes: ...Tanguay will meet his new Montreal Canadiens team- mates for the first time today -- on the golf course. "I'm really looking forward to training camp", he rejoiced. "This is the most mythical hockey team. I feel like a baseball player that just got traded to the New York Yankees. "Twice last season I asked the Flames to trade me, and Montreal was on my wish list both times," he said, vowing to carve a permanent niche for himself in his home province. "I'm 28 and this is my ninth season, so I'm very happy to be here."Tanguay acknowledges he ran into trouble last year in Calgary with a meagre production of 58 points (18 goals, 40 assists), down from 78 and 81 points tallies during his two previous seasons. Coach Mike Keenan used him on a defensive line with Craig Conroy and Owen Nolan which did not please him at all. "I thought they traded for me from Colorado because I could generate offence," Tanguay said with a bitter smile. "I was in that sort of a situation for the first time in my career and it was tough. "I felt out of place in their system and that's why I wanted to leave Calgary and that I waived the no-trade clause (in my contract)". Tanguay, however, refused to voice any negative comments about Flames head coach Mike Keenan, other than saying he could be "difficult." The six-foot-one Tanguay will need a big year with Montreal. This is the last season of a three-year contract he signed with the Flames for $5,375,000, so he will become a free agent next summer. "I feel comfortable with this because I fully intend to prove the team management was right to give away a draft choice to acquire my contract", he said. "If my season is as good as expected, everything is going to fall in place". Meanwhile, Tanguay will try to make new friends and impress his new teammates on the links of the Laval-sur-le-Lac golf course today in the Canadiens annual tournament. With a four handicap, he could be off to a good start. .Source

Repotting Plante?

This is Alex Plante on his draft day. Since this photo was taken things have gone a little sideways for him. Injuries and ineffective play cost him a lot of time last season and apparently there were some bad feelings between player and team (Calgary Hitmen, WHL) a year ago.Plante didn't show up for camp and is waiting to be traded by the Calgary Hitmen. GM Kelly Kisio was quoted in the Herald today as saying "you sit back and scratch your head and wonder what you have to do to make kids happy. We played him with Karl Alzner so he could have a big draft year, then he gets hurt and has trouble getting back into game shape and we're getting blamed for it." Which is true, Kisio is being framed as the bad guy here but it's also true (based on other reports) the Hitmen knew at this year's draft that Plante had no plans to return to Calgary so this could have been solved many weeks ago.You'd like to see him end his junior career on a positive note, although this won't cost him in terms of preparedness for the coming season. Plante will be at rookie camp and then Oilers main camp later this month and from all reports had a solid summer. He survived Mandelbaum training in California (he spent 3 weeks on the pain train) and impressed the Oilers organization earlier this summer at the prospect camp.Guy Flaming reported earlier this summer (mid-June) that "one source told me that Plante's camp were disappointed with the way he'd lost his spot last year due to injury and another source described the situation to me by saying "he became a whipping boy for [head coach Kelly] Kisio". So it's probably best that Plante play in another town. Hopefully he's traded soon, as the one thing he doesn't need is an extended period without game action this fall and winter.Source