It's all Kessel's fault...

This is predictable and you could see this one coming, the media in Toronto and Montreal are hard on their athletes. some might call them brutal and their fans have an entitlement mentality as well.

Just ask Toronto Maple Leafs forward Phil Kessel, who is having a career year (37g-41a—78pts) and scoring almost a point per game and has a chance to score 40 goals yet this season but will be the focus of the fans ire. The last time the Toronto Maples Leafs made the Stanley Cup Playoffs was during the 2003-04 season.

Michael Traikos, National Post --- If Phil Kessel were to reach the 40-goal mark in a year in which the Toronto Maple Leafs missed the playoffs, what would be the reaction?

Would you cheer? Would you boo? Would you even care?

It might be a tree-falls-in-the-forest type of question. Kessel, who set a career high by scoring his 37th goal in a 4-3 win against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, has been one of the NHL’s top offensive players this season. And yet it is difficult to celebrate his breakout year when you try and digest all that has gone wrong with the 14th-place team in the last two months.

Had Toronto made the playoffs — had they played their way to home-ice advantage, something that was not unthinkable not that long ago — Kessel might have received Hart Trophy consideration.

Related articles

• Carolina beats Toronto 3-0, eliminates Maple Leafs from playoff contention (thehockeynews.com)

Hab's whining again...

Here is the latest dust up on the ice. This time the Montreal Canadians players are whining and complaining about something that the Buffalo Sabres forward Paul Gaustad said on the ice, and after further review, it would appear that Max Pacioretty said something stupid to Gaustad first and got a response and got a quick response back. In my opinion it sounds like Pacioretty got PWND in this case, and maybe he should just keep his mouth shut.

Buffalo, NY (WGR 550) -- Right after Pat Kaleta scored into the empty net Tuesday in Montreal to ice the game, he did his arm pumping goal celebration down the slot. Max Pacioretty took exception and started talking trash as he does all game. His target this time was Paul Gaustad. Pacioretty asked him “Where’s Lucic” with Gaustad countering “Where’s Chara” in reference to the hit Chara put on Pacioretty into the glass last year that started a near riot in the city of Montreal and almost ended his career.

Seriously, Pacioretty you ran your mouth to Buffalo's Gaustad and asked him where Lucic was and he smartly replied, there is no reason for the Hab's to get upset with Gaustad. I think it's fair game. Time to Habs to stop whining and start act like men.

Price described Gaustad as a “guy who likes to run his mouth” and the Buffalo player reportedly asked Pacioretty: “Where’s Chara?” That was a reference to Boston defenceman Zdeno Chara’s hit that ended Pacioretty’s season last spring. [Montreal Gazette]

Me personally, I have never been a fan of talking smack on the ice and chirping your opponent, it happens a lot in Football and Hockey and there are times when some of it's funny and other times where players say thing to each other that isn't needed and unnecessary. As a player if you say stupid to your opponent you open yourself up for return smack.

Related articles

• Gaustad fuels 3-goal rally as Sabres halt Habs (sports.espn.go.com)
• Gaustad sends Sabres to 3-1 win over Canadiens (newsok.com)
• Gaustad sends Sabres to 3-1 win over Canadiens (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Gaustad Sends Sabres to 3-1 Win Over Canadiens (nytimes.com)

Time for the NHL to throw the book at P.K. Subban for his dirty elbow

First I want to preface this blog post with P.K. Subban is a great defensive talent, but he is a bit of a punk and this video just proves that point quite nicely. Subban is famous for skating around the ice and running his mouth and doing things like this and when he is challenged he turtles in a fashion that would make Claude the Fraud Lemieux blush.

From my vantage point, it appears that Subban leaves his feet to hit David Krecji in the head with a forearm shiver. That is a violation of rule 48 because the head is the principle point of contact.

This is a big test for Brendan Shanahan the NHL Senior Vice President of Player Safety, he needs to suspend P.K. Subban for this bush league hit, these are the types of hits that the NHL is trying to eliminate from the game of hockey

That fact that Subban plays for the Montreal Canadians means more than likely Subban will get off with nothing in the way of a suspension. Subban needs to sit 2-5 games minimum.

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• You: Canadiens vs. Bruins Fight Video: Will P.K. Subban Be Suspended for Nasty Elbow? (bleacherreport.com)
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• VIDEO: P.K. Subban Elbows David Krejci, Turtles When Challenged By Bruins (sbnation.com)
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NHL re-alignment, NHL opts for four conferences

According to the USA Today this is the  NHL is going to look like next season. The good news is that everyone will play everyone twice a season. 

East 1: New York Rangers, New York Islanders, New Jersey, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Carolina and Washington

East II: Florida, Tampa, Montreal, Toronto, Buffalo, Ottawa and Boston.

Central: Columbus, Detroit, Winnipeg, Nashville, Dallas, Minnesota, St. Louis and Chicago

West: Phoenix, Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose, Vancouver, Colorado, Edmonton and Calgary

Here are a few more detail from Darren Dreger of TSN.

  

So does Chara have to worry?

So with the Bruins coming back to Montreal tonight to play the Habs, one has to wonder if the Montreal Police are going to arrest Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara and drag him out of the Forum in hand cuffs? I think it's moronic that this case is still open and has not been closed yet.

Staff report, AOL.COM --- Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara returns to Montreal on Saturday night, still facing legal uncertainty regarding his on-ice hit of Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty last March.

Quebec’s director of criminal prosecutions says that no decision has been made on whether or not to bring Chara up on criminal charges regarding the hit.
Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara returns to Montreal on Saturday night, still facing legal uncertainty regarding his on-ice hit of Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty last March. (AP Photo)

“For the case of Mr. Chara, there are no developments for now and the case is under review,” Crown prosecutor Jean-Pascal Boucher said.

Chara’s hit on Pacioretty ended the Montreal forward’s season last year, breaking a vertebra. Chara was not suspended by the league and following public outcry, an investigation was opened by the Quebec director of criminal prosecutions.

Related articles

• Legal cloud still hangs over Chara in Pacioretty hit (ctv.ca)
• Chara returns to Montreal amid legal uncertainty (cbc.ca)
• Zdeno Chara might still face criminal charges in Montreal (prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com)
• Montreal cops complete probe into Bruins' Chara (ctv.ca)

Montreal police complete their investigation on Chara...

This just in from James Murphy of ESPN Boston. My first question is; what the heck are they going investigate? Along those same lines, how many police detectives did the Montreal Police department use to investigate this hockey play/hit? The play in question was about 3-4 strides and about 3.5 seconds ending with Pacioretty getting hurt.

Let's not kid ourselves Max Pacioretty got hurt and that was unfortunate, no one wants to see anyone get hurt on the ice, On the flip side of that discussion, do we want metro police departments and law enforcement agencies investigating questionable hits or actions that take place on the ice or playing fields I am being serious; you don't see the Boston or Pittsburgh Police departments charging Penguins' hack Matt Cooke with a crime for attempting to take Marc Savard head off, which was a more egregious hit than the Chara hit on Pacioretty. There was no crime committed by Zdeno Chara. What nexts, is the Montreal Police Department going to send officers to the Boston Bruins locker room and take Chara away in hand cuffs, just like they did the Hanson Brothers in the movie Slap Shot... Let's wrap this up, and move on.

James Murphy, ESPN --- Montreal police have concluded their investigation into Bruins captain Zdeno Chara’s controversial hit on Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty on March 8 and forwarded their report to Crown prosecutors. It is now their decision whether to prosecute Chara.

Amid public outcry from Canadiens and NHL fans in Montreal after Chara was not suspended by the NHL for the hit that left Pacioretty with a cracked vertebrae and concussion, the police launched an investigation in March and just recently questioned Chara.

Related articles

• Police investigation into Chara's hit on Pacioretty complete (thestar.com)
• Chara file handed to prosecutors after police investigation (tsn.ca)
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Montreal Police plan to meet with Chara for hit on Max Pachioretty

This is moronic, let it go already, there isn't any reason to charge Zdeno Chara criminally, what do they think they are going to do throw Chara in jail for his hit on Max Pacioretty? It's a hockey play not a criminal act. It's time for the city of Montreal and their fan base to move on.

MONTREAL -- Zdeno Chara hoisted the Stanley Cup as captain of the Boston Bruins two weeks ago. Now the big defenceman will have something else on his hands: a meeting with Montreal police.

Montreal cops have announced they intend to question Chara soon -- but they won't say when or where they'll do it.

A probe into Chara's hit last March that sidelined Montreal forward Max Pacioretty and sparked demands for a crackdown on hockey violence is nearing completion.

A police spokesman says Chara is the final person they need to speak with to complete their investigation; after that, the Crown will decide whether to press charges.

"The last person to meet is the person targeted by the investigation and that will be done in the coming weeks or months," Lafreniere said.

"In terms of whether or not it's going to happen in Boston or whether it will happen here (in Montreal), we don't discuss those details and we never publicize the fact that we're meeting a suspect."

Chara's profile and the hockey-mad culture of Montreal have made for an unusual case.

When Chara shoved his rival into a stanchion, breaking a vertebra and ending his season on March 8, he received a game misconduct.

Related articles

• Police to meet with Zdeno Chara about Pacioretty hit (ctv.ca)
• Montreal police to question Bruins' Chara as Pacioretty probe nears end (theglobeandmail.com)
• Montreal police to interview Bruins' Chara (cbc.ca)

Claude Julien vindicated...

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeAs a Boston Bruins fans I must admit that I have been critical of Claude Julien in the past... I think with his teams efforts on the ice this spring I believe he has vindicated himself with advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals  against the Vancouver Canucks, there were rumblings that if Claude Julien's team didn't get out of the second round Claude might get relieved of his coaching duties.

So if you look at it from another unexamined angle; while Claude Julien's Bruins teams have beaten the Montreal Canadians two out of the three times his Bruins have played them in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Bruins also have faced some adversity... Last season after having a three games to none lead and a three goal lead in game seven the Bruins ended up chocking and losing to the Philadelphia Flyers in game seven. This season his team rebounded to beat the Flyers in four games to  exercise the demons from last season. Finally tonight; Julien's team advanced to the Stanley Cup Playoffs by beating a very good Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team... How do I like him now?

Chad Finn --- Boston Globe ---- If there was a concern among fans that that Roloson's ability to keep the Bruins off the board would lead to Tampa Bay stealing it on a fluky goal, it might have been justified. But the Bruins themselves never thought that way, maintaining their resolve even when frustration could have seeped in.

The evidence that the Bruins always kept their faith even as Roloson stymied them time and again became clear to Julien in the second intermission.

"When I walked into the locker room before the third period, I didn't have much to say," said Julien. "When I was outside, I could hear the points they were making, and they were bang-on. The attitude was that eventually we will get rewarded. And that's exactly what happened. I couldn't be prouder of the approach we took all throughout this game. We never let up once."

The victory also was a vindication of sorts for the coach, who as recently as the first-round series with Montreal -- in which the Bruins lost the first two games before winning in seven -- was perceived to be coaching for his job in some corners. Julien said that talk never gets to him.

"I say this all the time, but I don't care what anyone says. It doesn't bother me, and I don't really hear it," he said. "What matters to me is what happens in that dressing room. And as much as I'm getting criticism from some people, I'm getting pats on the back from others."

After the Bruins victory tonight, Julien can expect many more of the latter.

Related articles

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• Bruins coach Claude Julien cryptic about whether or not Patrice Bergeron plays tonight (prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com)
• Go Bruins (infieldchatter.wordpress.com)