'Hab' or 'Hab' Not? That is the Question

by Redwing77

Well, my Wings are eliminated and the questions surround their head coach prevail, but that's not really news.  What IS news is that Tampa Bay is on the verge of total collapse.

Yup.

Game 6 is HUGE.  Why?  Because I truly believe that Tampa has ZERO chance at advancing if the series goes to seven games.  ZERO.

For this reason, Game 6 is must watch.

The series has been  a roller coaster.  We've seen Carey Price play like he's the most overrated overhyped goaltender in NHL History and then, next thing you know, he's invincible.  We've seen Bishop play above his head, and then suck in such epic fashion that you wonder how he even got a pro contract.  And the Montreal power play?  Maybe that's the key to the whole thing.  COMPLETE NON FACTOR in the first three games.

In fact, one may argue that the Montreal Power Play benefited Tampa!

In any case, apart from that, I think the only other item that jumped out to me in this series is that Andrej Sustr is a hot-headed liability.  Montreal's power play is back running and Carey Price continues to be epic, so Tampa Bay isn't going to be able to take careless penalties anymore.

My prediction?  I still believe Tampa can finish Montreal off.  But I'm not betting on Tampa beyond Game 6.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Tyler Johnson's Buzzer Beater Puts Habs on the Brink

The Tampa Bay Lightning have pushed the Montreal Canadiens to the Brink of elimination when Lightning forward Tyler Johnson scored the game-winning goal at the one-second mark of the third period.

I must say that I am shocked. I thought that the Habs would have put up a bigger fight in this series. All the games that I have watched in this series have been exciting and full of action.

:-) pic.twitter.com/YysYOlC1JI

— Callum Fraser (@CallumFraser18) May 7, 2015

Erik Karlsson rocks Nathan Beaulieu

Nice hit by Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson as he rocks Montreal Canadiens forward Nathan Beaulieu. There will be some that say this is a head shot, but the head isn't targeted. This isn't a violation of NHL rule 48.

Rule 48 – Illegal Check to the Head
48.1 Illegal Check to the Head – A hit resulting in contact with an opponent’s head where the head was the main point of contact and such contact to the head was avoidable is not permitted. In determining whether contact with an opponent's head was avoidable, the circumstances of the hit including the following shall be considered:

(i) Whether the player attempted to hit squarely through the opponent’s body and the head was not "picked" as a result of poor timing, poor angle of approach, or unnecessary extension of the body upward or outward.
(ii) Whether the opponent put himself in a vulnerable position by assuming a posture that made head contact on an otherwise full body check unavoidable.

Does Anybody Believe Subban?

First off, P.K. Subban is an awesome player and does a really good job of playing the villain and hockey does need some villains to make the game more interesting. Or at least, I think so.

I know that hockey is a game of intimidation, and there's a lot of gamesmanship during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After watching this video, does anyone believe Subban? He's beginning to develop a body of work.

Sean Gordon, the Globe and Mail -- “I’ve never done that in my career. It’s something that my family doesn’t condone, this organization doesn’t condone. I’m not out there to do that,” P.K. Subban said.

The act was a remarkably dumb decision, and Subban acknowledged as much.

“I don’t want take a penalty there, we’re already down a man, I just tried to let him know. I didn’t even look to see where I was going to slash him … I try to play hard in front of the net; obviously, it’s something that I can’t do,” he said. “As far as targeting anybody … if anything, I feel like a lot of times I’m the target.”

Subban chalked his exaggerated reaction at being tossed from the game up to a surfeit of emotion and allowed that in hindsight the penalty was “the right call.”

His tone wasn’t exactly repentant.

“I’ve been slashed a lot harder than that,” he said.

"I’m not out there to do that,” Subban said. Yeah, right. Two games and two acts that speak otherwise. Hey dude, it's part of the game. And yes, the Stanley Cup Playoffs aren't for the faint of heart.

Taking a Look at the Subban Slash on Stone

It's the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and on the opening night there's already some controversy.

At the 8:23 mark of the second period, Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct for slashing Mark Stone. Some have said that the slash was weak and Stone embellished the call. I don't know. Stone suffered a microfracture on the play.

The Senators want Subban to be suspended for his slash on Stone and the Senators head coach Dave Cameron had some interesting things to say after the game.

Failing that, Cameron warned darkly, his team might have to inflict its own brand of justice on the Canadiens. “I think it’s quite simple,” Cameron said. “It’s a vicious slash on an unprotected part of his body and you either do one of two things. I think it’s an easy solution: You either suspend him or one of their best players gets slashed and you just give us five. It’s not that complicated.” Those are fighting words – literally, if Chris Neil dresses for Game 2. (Habs Inside Out)

Subban with a big chop on Stone that gets him 5 minutes and tossed from the game. The #Sens will have 5-on-3 for 1:51. #GoSensGo
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) April 16, 2015

Injury update: #Sens Mark Stone has suffered a microfracture of his right wrist & his availability for the series is unknown at this time.
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) April 16, 2015

According to the NHL, Subban will not be suspended for his hit on Stone.

P.K. Subban reportedly will not be suspended for his slash on Ottawa's Mark Stone http://t.co/6ifBWU8Ghx pic.twitter.com/iIlfMl3eQd
— HockeyNightInCanada (@hockeynight) April 16, 2015

P.K. Subban Major Peanlty for Slashing

At the 8:23 mark of the second period, Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct penalty for slashing Mark Stone. Was this the right call? I think it was.

Reading some of the comments online, there are some Canadiens fans that think that Subban was assessed an excessive penalty.

Subban ejection. Rule 61.3 and 61.5 pic.twitter.com/ctx2HTfdHH
— Adam Gretz (@AGretz) April 16, 2015

Here's another look at this incident. It's definitely a violent slash.

Globe and Mail: Are the Refs tough on Subban and the Habs?

View image | gettyimages.com

Here's a great article that I found in the Globe and Mail. Obviously, this article is written from the perspective of a Hab's writer, but it’s still worth the read. That being said,  I do think that Hab’s and P.K. Subban have earned the reputation of being divers. They’re not the only ones, either.

There is an irony to the Subban decision.

In one of the incidents cited on his rap sheet, he was zestily pitchforked in the nether bits by noted miscreant Brad Marchand of Boston. In the second, he fell while turning away on one skate after a light crosscheck from behind by Chris Kreider of the New York Rangers.

Kreider took vigorous exception to Subban falling over, which can happen when ice and skates are involved. Perhaps he would have been more understanding if Subban had barrelled into a goaltender while losing his footing, as Kreider does with alarming regularity.

Neither example is egregious, but trust the NHL and its officials to miss a truly objectionable bit of poor sportsmanship from Subban last month, when he literally dived to the ice after being tripped by Tampa Bay’s Jason Garrison.

Some of the received hockey wisdom about Subban is deserved; he occasionally exaggerates in order to influence the refs (he does it far less than in the past). This does not differentiate him from his peers. (Globe and Mail)

P.K. Subban Fined for Diving

It was only a matter of time before P.K. Subban was fined by the National Hockey League for embellishment. Now with the fine, Subban is now a documented diver. It will be interesting to see if Subban cleans up his act.

NHL.COM -- Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban has been fined $2,000 as supplementary discipline under NHL Rule 64 (Diving/Embellishment), the National Hockey League announced today.

Revised for the 2014-15 season following offseason approval by the League's Board of Governors and the National Hockey League Players' Association, NHL Rule 64 is designed to bring attention to and more seriously penalize players (and teams) who repeatedly dive and embellish in an attempt to draw penalties. Fines are assessed to players and head coaches on a graduated scale outlined below:

Montreal Canadiens Alexei Emelin Hits Jason Spezza (Video)

I am sure that Montreal Canadiens fans are very quiet tonight after watching this transpire.
I am not a fan of Canadiens defenseman Alexei Emelin, can't stand the kind of player that he is.

That being said, I am not necessarily suggesting the league suspend the Habs defenseman, but I just want to illustrate that he's not a clean player. This is a dangerous hit that need to be punished more severely. I do like that fact that the officials gave him a five-minute major. I believe it was the right call in this situation.

It will be interesting to see if the league give him anything especially after he was fined in November by the NHL's Department of Players Safety.

Brandon Prust vs Brad Malone

If you're a fan of the hockey fight, this good fight. Montreal Candiens forward Brandon Prust drops the mitts and squares off with former Fighting Sioux forward Brad Malone. I can't say that Malone learned to do that at UND.

(Video) Clayton Stoner Hit On Max Pacioretty

I was watching the video on this play and I am still wondering why Anaheim Ducks defenseman Clayton Stoner wasn't given a major penalty for this hit on Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty? You can break a guys neck with a hit like this. Should this have been a major penalty?

Clean hit. Period. - Canadiens' Pacioretty hospitalized after Clayton Stoner hit - NHL on CBC Sports http://t.co/2PIDaYg6Yu
— TheBieser (@thebieser) December 19, 2014

Jiri Sekac Boards Nikita Zadorov

Again, these are the types of hits that should be removed from all levels of hockey. If you see numbers, you shouldn't hit the opposition. Montreal Canadiens forward Jiri Sekac is assessed a two-minute minor penalty for boarding on Buffalo Sabres defenseman Nikita Zadorov. Is that penalty punitive enough?

Mark MacMillan out indefinitely following wrist surgery

The UND hockey team received some bad news today. 

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – University of North Dakota head men’s hockey coach Dave Hakstol announced today that senior forward Mark MacMillan will be out indefinitely after undergoing wrist surgery on Saturday morning in Grand Forks.

MacMillan, a native of Penticton, British Columbia, was injured late in the second period of Friday’s game against Providence when a skate blade came into contact with his left arm causing a laceration to the wrist.

A fourth-round draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 2010, MacMillan leads UND with five goals in five games and is tied for the team scoring lead with seven points. He has appeared in 127 career games and leads all active UND skaters in goals (35), assists (46) and points (81).

Related articles

• UND Must Move Past Frozen Four Loss

P.K. Subban Pre-game Ritual

#451177378 / gettyimages.com

Stick tap to Pete Blackburn. I thought this was funny. If you have ever played football or hockey, or have been around the two sports, you will know that equipment for both sports already smells. Imagine someone dropping air biscuits in front of the net. Maybe this is why the Boston Bruins didn't do so well against the Hab's in the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs.  

P.K. Subban just admitted he intentionally farts in front of the net to annoy the opposition. I'm sure Carey Price must love that. — Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) October 6, 2014

Subban said his pre-game coffee acts as a catalyst in his stomach, then he holds it in until game time so he can fart on the ice. Great. — Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) October 6, 2014

Habs and Sens Line Brawl: P.K. Subban vs Mark Borowiecki

I guess someone forgot to tell the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens that this was only a meaningless exhibition game. Both teams were engaged in an old-fashioned, knock-down, drag-out line brawl Friday night. I am surprised that P.K. Subban actually fought Mark Borowiecki.

NHL Rules: Stricter Penalties for Diving/Embellishment

One of the best things that I have seen all day. The NHL has decided to penalize players who dive to draw a penalty on the ice. Anyone think that the Montreal Canadiens are going see a few of their players receiving extra scrutiny. Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand might be lighter in the wallet. 

Rule 64 – Diving / Embellishment

The supplementary discipline penalties associated with Rule 64.3 (Diving/Embellishment) will be revised to bring attention to and more seriously penalize players (and teams) who repeatedly dive and embellish in an attempt to draw penalties. Fines will be assessed to players and head coaches on a graduated scale outlined below.

Incident #	Player Fine(s)			Head Coach Fine(s)
1	Warning			N/A
2	$2,000			N/A
3	$3,000			N/A
4	$4,000			$2,000
5	$5,000			$3,000
6	$5,000			$4,000
7	$5,000			$5,000
8	$5,000			$5,000

Related articles

• NCAA Hockey: Penalize Player Embellishment

Saku Koivu Retires After 18 Years

Just announced today, Former Montreal Canadian, and current Anaheim Ducks center, Saku Koivu, has retired after 18 seasons in the NHL.

The Finnish center was well loved throughout the league and is the older brother to current Minnesota Wild captain Mikko Koivu. Saku would spend 14 seasons with Montreal, 10 of which he served as their captain, and is the only European captain in Montreal team history. His 10 seasons as captain are also tied for the longest tenure as a captain in team history with the famed Jean Beliveau.

Although he never won a Stanley Cup, Koivu has four Olympic medals, four world championship medals, including a gold in 1995, and a silver in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Koivu will go down as one of the top Finnish players to ever play in the NHL and his tough, injury battled, and cancer battled career will be one fans can talk about for years to come.

How much is P.K. Subban worth?

#451177378 / gettyimages.com

That's the question of the summer, how much is P.K. Subban going to get paid. Show him the money. I am thinking between eight and 10 million dollars. All we know is, Subban is going to get paid, that's a fact Jack. I think he's going to be filthy rich. Whether you like him or not, Subban is the face of the Montreal Canadiens. In my opinion, he's also the best player on their team.

Allan Muir, Sports Illustrated -- A crazy amount of money? Sure is. But then Subban is a crazy, unique talent.

The 25-year-old blueliner is coming off a bridge deal that earned him $3.75 million last season with a $2.875 million cap hit. It was an absurd bargain won by Bergevin at a time when cap issues—as well as concerns about Subban's defensive play and propensity for being a loose cannon—were used to deflate the price.

Those issues aren't in play now. A Norris Trophy winner in 2013, Subban has emerged as a player without peer. A master of possession, he can take control of a game at will with his speed, courage and creativity, and in a fashion that no contemporary can match.

Subban's talent makes him the heart of the Canadiens, but it's his swagger that makes him the team's soul. He's not just a player. He's an entertainer, a throwback to the days of Yvan Cournoyer, Guy Lafleur and Steve Shutt. Subban may be Ontario-born, but he's a Flying Frenchman through and through.

Look who showed up at the office today. Think he would rather sign something else this week. @PKSubban1 pic.twitter.com/fs3uUbMBUf
— Scott Moore (@MooreScottmoore) July 24, 2014

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• What Now for P.K. Subban?
• P.K. Subban: Capitals Offer Sheet Target?

Stay in School part three, Louis Leblanc

#457461089 / gettyimages.com

I am an advocate of college hockey. According to College Hockey Inc., 31 percent of the players in the NHL came from the college ranks. Recently, I have been profiling college hockey players that have left their college teams early, for the lure of the big money in the NHL/professional ranks.

Here’s another example of a player that could have benefited from a couple more years at Harvard. Louis Leblanc was drafted in the first round, 18th overall by the Montreal Canadiens. Last week, Leblanc signed a one-year deal with the Anaheim Ducks.

In 50 NHL games with the Habs, Leblanc scored (5g-5a—10pts). In 163 AHL games, Leblanc scored (34g-34—68pts). In hind sight, I wonder if Leblanc wished he had spent a few more seasons in college? Maybe not!

Thomas Vanek Watch is Officially On

#494771299 / gettyimages.com

This was a story that I happen to come across on the Score. I would have to think that the Thomas Vanek watch is officially on. It will be interesting to see where he actually ends up. From the looks of it, it doesn't appear that his stay in Montreal was very memorable, either.

Thomas Vanek said he's excited for the opportunity to pick his own team for the first time, but for now most excited to see his family
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) May 31, 2014

"I feel we're both good players, just weren't on the same page" - Thomas Vanek on him and Tomas Plekanec
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) May 31, 2014

Vanek said he feels the Canadiens could win, and they could be an option for him. Whether the feeling is mutual remains to be seen.
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) May 31, 2014

Thomas Vanek said his top priority on July 1 is winning. Was asked about Minny and simply said he lives and trains there.
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) May 31, 2014

Vanek said he's not injured, just never found any chemistry once he was removed from top line. Lack of shots was due to lack of chemistry
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) May 31, 2014

"I could have made a difference and I just wasn't there" - Thomas Vanek
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) May 31, 2014