Lats looking better

AB Habman · Guru

Lats looking better

macneil · Guru

sorry ab but i dont see the koivu tiring thing , and as for downey , i found neil didnt run as many people tonight after he and downey had the dustup last game . koivu -ryder -higgins are all playing well , toronto game was an aberation . and i agree lats looked good tonight , i was on him when he wasnt playing well but he is starting to turn it around . unlike some on this board i dont make up my mind on someone and refuse to change my mind when the play well.

-- Edited by macneil at 22:58, 2006-10-31

Traveling Hab · Veteran Member

Have to agree with macneil. Just because Koivu isn't scoring at the pace he set in the first few games hardly means he is burned out. He is still playing well, and other than the Toronto game, he has played well the entire season so far.

AB Habman · Guru

macneil wrote:

sorry ab but i dont see the koivu tiring thing , and as for downey , i found neil didnt run as many people tonight after he and downey had the dustup last game . koivu -ryder -higgins are all playing well , toronto game was an aberation . and i agree lats looked good tonight , i was on him when he wasnt playing well but he is starting to turn it around . unlike some on this board i dont make up my mind on someone and refuse to change my mind when the play well.

-- Edited by macneil at 22:58, 2006-10-31

That's my observation..Saks getting tired especially in comparison to the first few games. Higgins great play helps mask it. Hopefully Carb will let him rest until thursday.

No biggy... Saks plays tired 50% of the season. Should add though, that if we continue to get balance, it should take load off Saks.

As for Neil, he isn't intimidated by Downey at all!

-- Edited by AB Habman at 23:31, 2006-10-31

-- Edited by AB Habman at 23:35, 2006-10-31

Saku11 · Senior Member

Ab , i agree ...Koivu didtn show up tonite at all. he fell all over the ice and was a little careless at his own end. He hasnt scored in 10 games. If kovalev didnt score in 10 games, i think we would have WWWIII.

macneil · Guru

difference is kovy is a goal scorer and saks is a setup man , again koivu created some chances , had some chances played well from my point of view , was he perfect ,no but nobody was . and ab i didnt mean neil was intimidated by downey but i felt he wasnt running around like he usualy is against the habs , and i attribute that to downey going at it with him last game and atleast keeping him honest . in the game tonight he and rivet stood eye to eye and neil didnt do what he usually does and that is stir the pot . im not saying he was afraid but he wasnt his usual sh*t disturbing tonight.

Jay1982 · Guru

Saku11 wrote:

Ab , i agree ...Koivu didtn show up tonite at all. he fell all over the ice and was a little careless at his own end. He hasnt scored in 10 games. If kovalev didnt score in 10 games, i think we would have WWWIII.

whats the extra W for?

30_NILAN · Member

Lats looked awesome tonight. I dont know about you guys but i was really hoping he would get a goal because he sure deserved one. I love Koivu but something just doesnt seem right. You dont see him or hear his name much during the game, but his hard work and dedication over the years should earn him the benefit of the doubt. But wow, other than the faceoffs Habs had in my opinion there best consistant effort of the season.

As for Downey, if you compare his ice time with the Sens Brian McGratton, you can clearly see that Downey had lots more icetime. And Downey also played during the final 5 minutes of the game. Downey had just under 5 minutes in ice time for the game and McGratton had 3:41. Neil had just under 14 but dont forget hes not on Ottawa's 4th line. Plus the momentum only shifted towards Montreal at the end of the 2nd period. So no possible way for a fight to spark momentum because Mcgratton played under a minute in the 3rd period.

Downey should get loads of respect from us. He worked very hard to get back in the lineup this fast after a devastating injury like that. So how can he be a waste of a jersey?

MC Girl · Guru

30_NILAN wrote:

Lats looked awesome tonight. I dont know about you guys but i was really hoping he would get a goal because he sure deserved one. I love Koivu but something just doesnt seem right. You dont see him or hear his name much during the game, but his hard work and dedication over the years should earn him the benefit of the doubt. But wow, other than the faceoffs Habs had in my opinion there best consistant effort of the season.

As for Downey, if you compare his ice time with the Sens Brian McGratton, you can clearly see that Downey had lots more icetime. And Downey also played during the final 5 minutes of the game. Downey had just under 5 minutes in ice time for the game and McGratton had 3:41. Neil had just under 14 but dont forget hes not on Ottawa's 4th line. Plus the momentum only shifted towards Montreal at the end of the 2nd period. So no possible way for a fight to spark momentum because Mcgratton played under a minute in the 3rd period.

Downey should get loads of respect from us. He worked very hard to get back in the lineup this fast after a devastating injury like that. So how can he be a waste of a jersey?

Good post 30_NILAN, I think Downey's great.

Jonny G · Senior Member

Lats looked great. Almost equally impressive was Kovy's backchecking and d-zone coverage. That line looked great.

Faceoffs were pitiful.

Go Habs Go!

Andy · Veteran Member

whats with the facinations with Lats?? He is not a Crosby so we shouldnt expect anything

JohnM · Guru

Andy, you are absolutely right. We shouldn't expect anything from this kid. The fans should stop chanting "Guy, Guy, Guy" like idiots. He's played 11 games and is a -6 with 0 points. He's not Lafleur folks. Let's let him be and grow into his role. No need to appoint him the next top line winger like was done for Pleks as first line center.

Jonny G · Senior Member

Andy wrote:

whats with the facinations with Lats?? He is not a Crosby so we shouldnt expect anything

We should hope that people expect production from Habs' players. Maybe we shouldn't expect him to produce like Crosby, but we should expect something good from him.

Not one single Hab is like Crosby, so should we not expect anything from any of them???

barry33 · Guru

JohnM wrote:

Andy, you are absolutely right. We shouldn't expect anything from this kid. The fans should stop chanting "Guy, Guy, Guy" like idiots. He's played 11 games and is a -6 with 0 points. He's not Lafleur folks. Let's let him be and grow into his role. No need to appoint him the next top line winger like was done for Pleks as first line center.

What bugs me is that Carbo seems tro be swayed by the fans. The other night against the Laffs he sticks Lats out in OT on the 4 on 4...HUHHHH!??? He does not have the wheels and experience to be out there in that situation and in my opinion, Carbo did it to appease the fans.

11rings · Member

AMEN 30_Nilan

Downey is a class act, I've known him personally for some time now from days living in Grand Valley Ontario, near Shelburne. Downey was raised to be a hard working farm boy and that is exactly why Gainey, Carbonneau, Muller, the rest of the Habs and Chris Neil, in fact, have respect for him.

Little Story, after the fight with Neil, Downey called his Neil his "long time" friend and apologized for hammering him in the face during the scrum before their fight that night. They both laughed about it, so in a way HABMAN you're right Neil doesn't fear Downey, but thats simply because they grew up together.

One day when Aaron brought us to the Boutique in the Bell Centre and got us a nice little discount on some merchandise. Some little kid came up to him and asked him if he really played on the Canadiens (given that people in the store were pointing at him and saying hello), Aaron responded shaking the kids hand, "My name is Aaron Downey, I do play for the Habs, but you have to watch really carefully because I only play four minutes every four games."

For some to suggest he is a waste of a jersey is unbelievable. He knows his role, he doesn't b$tch about his lack of ice time. He's a great locker room guy which is exactly why management brought him to Montreal in the first place.

30_NILAN · Member

JohnM wrote:

Andy, you are absolutely right. We shouldn't expect anything from this kid. The fans should stop chanting "Guy, Guy, Guy" like idiots. He's played 11 games and is a -6 with 0 points. He's not Lafleur folks. Let's let him be and grow into his role. No need to appoint him the next top line winger like was done for Pleks as first line center.

What makes them idiots for chanting Guy? Sorry if Montrealers get motivated seeing one of there own take the ice at 19 and throw some mean hits. So what if he doesnt get 50 goals and 100 points. He is a huge breath of fresh air compared to the usual quebec players that we've had shoved down our throats over the years "Ribeiro, Brisebois" How can you not want to chant Guy, when you see a 19 year old living every Montreal kids dream and going out there and throwing some big hits? No one ever said he is Ovechkin or Crosby. And besides who would you call up from the Dogs and put in his place?

New NHL all you want, guys like Komi, Downey, Begin and Lats' hits make a big difference during the games.

Carbo is a great coach who rewards hard work. You may have all the tallent in the world but if youre not gonna go hard, crash the net take a few hits and get dirty in the corner you might as well watch from the bench.

Key Lime · Guru

If Lats has any chance of becoming the palyer we wamt to be, he has to improve his skating and his mobility. He's a notch slower than everyone else right now.

JohnM · Guru

30_NILAN wrote:

What makes them idiots for chanting Guy? Sorry if Montrealers get motivated seeing one of there own take the ice at 19 and throw some mean hits. So what if he doesnt get 50 goals and 100 points. He is a huge breath of fresh air compared to the usual quebec players that we've had shoved down our throats over the years "Ribeiro, Brisebois" How can you not want to chant Guy, when you see a 19 year old living every Montreal kids dream and going out there and throwing some big hits? No one ever said he is Ovechkin or Crosby. And besides who would you call up from the Dogs and put in his place?

New NHL all you want, guys like Komi, Downey, Begin and Lats' hits make a big difference during the games.

Carbo is a great coach who rewards hard work. You may have all the tallent in the world but if youre not gonna go hard, crash the net take a few hits and get dirty in the corner you might as well watch from the bench.

There was only one Guy and that was Guy Lafleur. After that they chanted "Guy" for Carbo who was a great captain and leader of the Habs. This kid has done nothing yet and doesn't need the added pressure from the fans. When the fans chant "Guy Guy Guy", they are basically elevating his status to that of Guy Lafleur and Carbo. These are the same fans who chant Huet one night and boo him the next. These aren't the fans the Habs need, i.e. ones who put added pressure on kids before they have proven anything in the league.

If you are chanting "Guy Guy Guy" to motivate him then go ahead, but it is well known that those Guy chants are saved for a couple of great players who wore the CH.

AB Habman · Guru

John, they're just showing their appreciation for a good game. He's playing better and the fans are happy. HAPPY fans that are forking out big bucks to watch him play. Nothing wrong with that. I think it inspires Lats.

If 20 000 fans were chanting JOOHNNNNNYYYY, you'd be skating and scoring like Lafleur. Checking, hitting and blocking shots like Carb.

In the heat of the action, it's not pressure, it's an adrenalin rush.

JohnM · Guru

Not likely AB, I can't even score like Lafleurs diseased grandmother (bless her soul) no matter how many people cheer for me.

Anyways, no need to add extra pressure on the kid. Let him come along slowly like Carbo said.

AB Habman · Guru

JohnM wrote:

Not likely AB, I can't even score like Lafleurs diseased grandmother (bless her soul) no matter how many people cheer for me.

Anyways, no need to add extra pressure on the kid. Let him come along slowly like Carbo said.

You're right but it's all in how he reacts to the fans. He won't get added pressure from within the ranks or his teamates. Hopefully the chanting has a stimulated positive effect on him during the games rather than a squeeze the stick tighter one. He's slowly improving every game so I don't think the fans are hindering him.