I said enough about Theo in another post so will not go there again. It is time for my friend CJ to start shaking things up. First of all Souray. He needs a month off to get his head straight because it is certainly NOT with the habs. Anyone notice him on the winning goal? He loses his stick and skates to the front of the net and kinda stands there. Scary to say but Streit is more consistent. I get more scared when I see Souray with the puck then I do when Streit has it.
Ribs Ribs Ribs..what can I can say. No way is he a second line center on this team or any other NHL team for that matter. Let the french media cry all they want but I say move him to the 3rd line and move Pleks up who deserves it. Ribs is at the point where he feels that being the 2nd line center is a RIGHT and not a PRIVELEGE. I am not sure if it is his attitude or lack of size and ability or a combo of both. Number one, he is wayyyyyyy too small. Koivu is not a big guy but if you look at him he is built like a Rechi or a Crosby. Short but really strong lower body. Ribs' legs look like pipecleaners in habs socks.
Ryder needs to step it up. Another reason I think he needs on a new line. I feel that Ribs' play is dragging him down. Why not put Pleks up there with Ryder? What do we have to lose. Finally and not least, is team attitude. We seem to only play when the game is on the line. Lats night we go in and just cruise in the first. CJ gives them a blast between periods and they come out flying in teh 2nd, only to have THeo allow another late 2nd period goal, killing "Uncle Mo". What I am really going to hate is this. Eventually, CJ will be fired. If we go into a skid and star losing he will be canned because the team did not perform., Well I have news for the players and teh fans. These players are supposed to be professionals. As a marketing director, I do not rely on my boss to "motivate me". I do my job well because it is what I am paid to do. It is not CJ's job to light a fire under these guys. This is not Atom hockey. It is the N-H-L. Can the coach do things to make the team better? Certainly. I question some of CJ's moves. But as far as giving a 60 minute effort..have a look in the mirror boys. The cabbage patch man is a hockey coach, not a motivational speaker.
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I'm as confused as a starving baby in a topless bar!
Julien is making some mistakes maybe. And the team is definitely extremely inconsistent as And-o says. But these are young guys. There an awful lot of first or second year players, and consistency is often rare for them.
How can anyone say Julien is doing a bad job overall? The team is 13-4-3 for crying out loud, with injuries, rookies, a misfiring second-line centre who is super popular in Montreal and must be played, an extremely inconsistent goalie (also extremely popular in Montreal, etc...), and a bunch of #6 defensemen playing way better than they should.
For me the most impressive thing about Julien is that the's the first Habs coach in about a decade who has successfully brought in quite a few young players and helped them make a smooth adjustment to the league.
Ryder, Plekanec, Higgins, Perezhogin, etc...these guys all played for Julien, and they are doing well. I didn't think Pleks had what it took to be an NHLer, but clearly he knows what he has to do. Same for Ryder, really. And Higgins is even better than I thought possible. Future's bright, and Julien has a lot to do with it.