leadership

wright · Veteran Member

leadership

Habtastic · Guru

Perfectly put.

Habtastic

barry33 · Guru

wright wrote:

For the Canadiens to make the playoffs, then the club's best players have to perform as the club's best players. The reality is Montreal's best players are not the highest paid players, Koviu and Kovalev. Markov and Huet are the team's most important players and their performances down the stretch will dictate whether this team as presently configured will make it or not. Great goaltending masks a lot of a team's deficiencies and that is what Huet has consistently done for the Habs. Examine the Canadiens record when Markov is not in the lineup versus when he is in. He makes the power play click, he is the one defenceman who can efficently and quickly push the puck up ice, and spring the forwards with a good outlet pass. His presence enables Souray and Rivet to perform at a higher level. It is a sad commentary when one hopes the mood will strike Kovalev to pick up his game and that Koviu will overcome his fatigue. Huet and Markov are the co mvp's of this team this season and it is their performance down the stretch which will make or break this team no matter what Koviu and Kovalev contribute. (Certainly the Habs will be in better shape if Kovalev and Koviu start scoring) Rightly or wrongly Gainey has determined that this squad will be defence first and offense second in terms of priority, so it's best two defensive players need to execute or everything else falls apart.

Those who read my posts know that as much as I will criticize a player when I know he can do much better, I also give credit where it is due. And it is due for Koivu. He woke up and called out his teamates at practice yesterday, long overdue. Even if he is not performing on the ice like we would like him to (and as I am sure HE would like to), he realizes that he can contribute in other ways and this showed yesterday. Keep em in line Saks!

24 Rings · Guru

For all the crap folks give Kiovs about not producing, he contributes a lot of intangibles. He just does the little things right that make a difference - dumping the puck out of the zone (which certain guys can't do regularly on this team), backchecking, pinning the man in the offensive corners, getting in front of the net and not barfing the puck up. I also see him setting guys up, who can't bury the puck. That on-ice meeting was another nice example of what he brings to the Habs.