He's constantly running his mouth with inflammatory comment after inflammatory comment, recently saying that there are good centres in Dallas who could help Michael Ryder score 30 goals. Yet another shot at the Montreal Canadiens.
The latest Ribeiro incident had nothing to do with his mouth and everything to do with his stick.
Montreal Canadiens fans went through a lot this season. It was mostly positive, but the end result was extremely disappointing.
What kind of taste is left in your mouth after the 2007-2008 season?
You may have seen the email floating around...
Someone took it upon themselves to rewrite the Our Father in order to inspire the Montreal Canadiens with a little divine intervention...
They need your thoughts and prayers now more than ever...
Our good buddy Rob Simpson from the New England Sports Network is such a good sport. He came through on our friendly wager and donned a Habs jersey in light of the Bruins losing to the Canadiens in Round 1.
Rob joined us every morning at 8:35 for the Boston perspective and did a heck of a job with top-shelf analysis and a great sense of humour.
We had some good times Rob...had it not been for a few unlucky bounces, Dennis Trudeau and I would have been gracing the pages of your blog wearing the black and gold of the arch-nemesis.
Lemme just say...phew!
(I'm gonna guess Rob was actually wearing a Flyers jersey under that Habs jersey.)
I keep hearing people say that if Guy Carbonneau goes with Jaroslav Halak instead of Carey Price tonight, it'll potentially shatter Price's confidence.
Not only do the Philadelphia Flyers have a 2-1 lead in their series against the Montreal Canadiens, but now they getting a big name back in their lineup...
Guillaume Latendresse will be in the lineup for the Montreal Canadiens tonight when they face the Philadelphia Flyers in game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinal at 7 o'clock.
Latendresse will play on a line with Tom Kostopoulos and Bryan Smolinski, while Steve Begin has been moved to a line with Maxim Lapierre and Mark Streit.
Mathieu Dandenault will sit out.
I think Guy Carbonneau made the right decision in removing Dandenault and inserting Latendresse, but I have a real problem with him breaking up the Kostopoulos-Smolinski-Begin line, considering they've been the most consistent line for Montreal throughout the playoffs.
My only explanation for this is that Carbo felt that a line of Streit-Lapierre-Latendresse would have been too much of a defensive liability, but I don't think it would have outweighed the benefits of keeping the sandpaper line together.
Don't be surprised if as the game progresses we see the Lapierre line stay on the bench, with Steve Begin rejoining his usual linemates if the going gets tough.
Tom Kostopoulos punched Philadelphia Flyers defenceman Kimmo Timonen in the face on Saturday after he appeared to say something following a Philly goal.
We got a little taste of animosity between the Canadiens and Bruins, but I was waiting for something like this to happen against Philadelphia. A playoff series needs "a moment" to spice things up and spawn some hatred between the two clubs...
Joffrey Lupul was credited with a goal that went off his leg just 19 seconds into the third period, giving the Flyers the lead once again, in what has been a see-saw game thus far.
Lead changes, weird goals, lucky goals, unlucky shots, posts, crossbars, high-sticks...you name it, we've seen it.
Looks like we're in for an interesting final 20 minutes.
Amazinng though that the Flyers, who are playing their third game in nights, seem to be getting stronger as the game wears on.
Alex Kovalev's third goal of the postseason has the Montreal Canadiens level with the Flyers at 2-apiece.
With the Habs shorthanded, Tomas Plekanec took a long shot on Martin Biron that bounced up in the air and Kovalev knocked it in on his way to the net.
It was a borderline high-stick, as Kovy made contact right at the crossbar. In fact, the blade of his stick hit the crossbar after he made contact. The play went to a long review and it was eventually awarded to the Canadiens, sending this place into a frenzy.
There was much debate here in the press gallery over the validity of the goal, but unless video review officials can tell beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was a high stick, the goal must be awarded.
That's exactly what Montreal needed to get the building going again.
Just a few minutes after missing a penalty shot, Andrei Kostitsyn picked up a loose puck in the slot to beat Martin Biron with a quick wrister.
The play all started at centre ice when brother Sergei got up after getting hit, moved into the zone, deked into the slot before the puck rolled off his stick....
Andrei Kostitsyn missed a golden opportunity to get the Canadiens within one.
He was hauled down on a partial breakaway and the entire building erupted when the referee pointed to centre ice for the penalty shot.
Kostitsyn broke in at half-speed and faked backhand before going to the low forehand. Biron had on a beat on it the entire way and made a solid pad save.
The second period is underway here at the Bell Centre. Philly leads 2-0 on goals by RJ Umberger and Jim Dowd in the first period.
It took more than a period for the first penalty of the game to be called and the Habs couldn't take advantage of their power play opportunity, directing very little towards Martin Biron.
Montreal's power play is now operating at a snail-like 8.8 percent in these playoffs.
After a wonderful start to the period, the Canadiens and their fans have been taken right out of this game. Former Montreal Canadiens forward Jim Dowd scored on a laser beam one-timer that beat Carey Price over his right shoulder.
The Flyers grinder line worked the puck around the backboards and the puck made it's way into the slot, thanks to a savvy pass from Steve Downey. Patrick Thoresen also picked up an assist on the play.
The period's over and the Canadiens need to regroup and find a way to regain the speed they had going early in this game.
The Canadiens thought they had a goal at the end of the period, but the puck crossed the line after the whistle went.
Shots through 20 minutes -- Philly 10, Montreal 9.
Tough break for the Montreal Canadiens as RJ Umberger scored the first goal of the game, giving the Flyers a 1-0 lead with about 6 minutes to go in the first period.
Here's the tough part, Patrice Brisebois tipped the puck into his own net. He tried to intercept the pass as it came across through the slot, but inside, tipped it past Carey Price who was sliding across the paint to make a save.
The crowd was initially stunned, but almost immediately restarted the chants of "Go Habs Go".
Good evening from the Bell Centre hockey fans. No score so far in the first period.
Game one of the Eastern Conference semifinal between the Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers is underway and the chanting has already started.
"Carey, Carey, Carey"...."Briere, Briere, Briere"..."Biron, Biron, Biron"...
Yep, it's going to be that kind of night. The fans even cheered when Daniel Briere was kicked out of the faceoff circle. Hilarious.
Briere said he took that as a compliment. Plenty of compliments so far, that's for sure.
Stay tuned for more live blogging throughout the game.
We're only a few hours away from the opening faceoff between the Flyers and Canadiens tonight at the Bell Centre.
It's game one of the Eastern Conference semifinal and I think we're in for a hard-fought, good 'ol fashioned series...
The second round is upon us and we now know that the Montreal Canadiens will face the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Daniel Briere might want to give Zdeno Chara a call...
Ladies and gentlemen, that's the ballgame. The Montreal Canadiens had never lost a playoff series when leading 3-1...tonight, that trend remains in tact as the Habs defeated the hard-working Bruins 5-0 in front of a blisteringly loud crowd at the Bell Centre.
Andrei Kostitsyn added a late power play goal to his earlier marker, Sergei Kostitsyn scored with 7 seconds left, Mike Komisarek and Mark Streit also scored, Carey Price provided the occassional goaltending heroics and the support staff did an incredible job of shutting down the opposition.
This town went through a rollercoaster of emotions...confidence, discomfort, uneasiness, fear, panic, doubt...
Now, it's pure jubilation...enjoy the win Canadiens fans...the Bruins are going home.
Join me on the Dennis Trudeau Show tomorrow morning for all of the reaction and analysis.
Less than 10 minutes to go in the third period and Montreal still leads the Bruins 3-0 in the deciding game of this series. The clock is Boston's worst enemy at this point as with every passing second, Boston's chances at completing the unthinkable fades further and further away.
What once was doubt has been replaced by anticipation. The second round is calling and the fans can't wait for the Canadiens to answer.
The excitement is building around the rink. You can feel it, you can taste it and you can certainly hear it. This is the loudest I've ever heard the Bell Centre. Just one thing...the Canadiens keep taking penalties, but in their defense, they've been able to weather the storm each and every time.
Whether it's a bodycheck, a blocked shot or a great save, a hero is born every minute as Canadiens fans are starting to believe...again.
Still 3-0 Montreal on goals by Mike Komisarek, Mark Streit and Andrei Kostitsyn.
The second period is over and along with the first period in Game 1, that was the best period the Canadiens have played in this series.
Tom Kostopoulos made a few brilliant defensive plays with the Canadiens shorthanded in the final minute as Alex Kovalev was sent off for a bogus hooking call.
As a colleague of mine said, "that just wasn't a game 7 call"...true indeed...
This building is only an intermission beer and a 20-minute period away from absolute madness.
As time expired on a Canadiens power play, Sergei Kostitsyn took a shot from the faceoff circle. It was blocked, he took it back and instead of firing at the net again, he placed a wonderful pass into the high slot for his brother Andrei.
The elder Kostitsyn somehow was able to get the puck from his skate to his stick and get off an amazing snap shot that beat Tim Thomas up high, just below the cross bar.
Needless to say, the Bell Centre exploded as the Habs went up by 3 goals. With the way Carey Price is playing tonight, the Canadiens appear to have a great chance at winning tonight's game.
After the shot count tipped quite a bit in Boston's favour early in the game, the Canadiens starting firing plenty of pucks at Thomas and are outshooting the Bruins 23-17 right now with just over three minutes remaining in the first period.
Two things stand out for me right now -- the play of Carey Price and the hard work of Montreal's sandpaper line (Smolinski, Kostopoulos and Begin).
Price made an incredible save a moment ago as Marco Sturm took a perfect pass on a 2-on-1. Price was able to read the play to perfect and slid across with the grace of a ballerina to make the stop. He made it look so easy and it was the biggest save of this series considering the juncture at which it came.
The support staff is working the puck down low and behind the net and they're forcing the Bruins to take penalties, the latest on Zdeno Chara who couldn't contain Kostopoulos. Smolinski took a punch to the face moments later, but in true veteran fashion, Smokes kept his cool and didn't take a retaliation penalty.
Mark Streit just scored an absolutely scintillating goal for the Montreal Canadiens to give the Habs a 2-nothing lead over the Boston Bruins at 10:45 of the second period.
Maxim Lapierre protected the puck and dropped for Streit who undressed Zdeno Chara, tipping the puck between his skates to march in uncontested on Tim Thomas, beating him with a low wrist shot. Alex Kovalev also drew an assist on the play.
Unless you're actually in the building, you have no idea how LOUD this place is at the moment. The decibel level hit an all-time high and the fans are chanting their favourite soccer ditty during a TV timeout. It's absolute magic in the Bell Centre as the white towels are waving -- not for surrender, but in support of a gutsy effort from a Canadiens team with its back against the wall.
Unreal.
Congratulations Habs fans, this is the way to support your team and don't think for a second that the players on the bench don't know what's happening.
The second period between the Canadiens and Bruins is underway here at the Bell Centre.
While chatting with some of my media colleagues during the intermission, I realized that not everyone views a game the same way. Some of them felt the Canadiens played an AWFUL first period.
Granted, a few defensive zone breakdowns were likely addressed in the room between periods, but I certainly wouldn't categorize the first 20 minutes as a bad period for the Habs,
Their legs are moving and they're shooting the puck. If they keep doing that, they'll be fine.
Let's everyone just take a deep breath. The first 20 minutes of a seventh and deciding game are filled with plenty of jitters, especially with so much youth on the team.
The Canadiens have settled things down in the first few minutes of the second and I think we're in for a good middle frame.
A very solid first period for the Montreal Canadiens just came to an end. Once again, the Canadiens couldn't take advantage of their power play time, but they effectively killed off Boston power plays and the 1-0 score in favour of Montreal is absolutely justified.
The Canadiens have been hitting all night, but the most encouraging thing is that they're finally SKATING again. Speed kills and right now the Boston Bruins are trying to keep up.
The Bruins have had a few chances, but Carey Price was there when needed. If he keeps this up, the Habs will have a very good chance to win this game.
Just a footnote...
I can't help but wonder if Andrei Markov is hurt. He's been having a brutal series against the Bruins and again tonight, he's had trouble handling the puck on several occassions. He doesn't seem to be able to keep the puck in the offensive zone on the power play like he did all throughout the regular season and it's almost as if the puck constantly bounces over his stick. Can one man be so unlucky?
Also, Sergei Kostitsyn was nailed against the boards and left for the locker room with under a minute remaining.
More live blogging from the Bell Centre during the second period.
It seems the Kovalev-Koivu experiment is over for now. Guy Carbonneau used that combination early in the game and it appeared to set the tone, but the Canadiens have taken back-to-back penalties and that has temporarily stimied the Canadiens offense.
However, the boys in red, white and blue are working hard tonight and Carey Price appears to be in fine form. He made a kick save a few minutes ago that could very well be the save of the series thus far.
As I write this, the chants of "Carey, Carey, Carey" rain down from the Bell Centre rafters. Great game so far as we sit with a few minutes to go in the first period.
Guy Carbonneau has shuffled things up for tonight's game...
Alex Kovalev is on a line with Chris Higgins and Saku Koivu, while Sergei Kostitsyn is playing his brother Andrei and Tomas Plekanec.
Thus far, the decision appears to be working out in Montreal's favour with Kovalev and Koivu clicking. The line is skating quite well and it just goes to show that when the game is on the line, a coach will usually put his players in the position with the greatest chance for success.
Pundits have often said that Kovalev and Koivu simply can't play together. They would also argue that the Kovalev-Plekanec-A Kositsyn line has been Montreal's bread and butter this year, but it hadn't been working and I'm glad to see that Carbo wasn't afraid to shake things up with the series on the line.
The Montreal Canadiens lead the Boston Bruins 1-0 on a goal by Mike Komisarek whose point shot deflected off of a Bruins player, giving Tim Thomas no chance. That's Komisarek's first goal of the postseason.
Alex Kovalev dipsy-doodled on the right half-boards before finding Komisarek with a perfect pass. Saku Koivu also drew an assist, giving him three helpers in two games since returning from injury,
The Bell Centre went absolutely mad when the red light went on behind the Bruins net. The energy is flowing in this place and so far so good for the Habs, who got out to a wonderful start.
From my perch in the Bell Centre press gallery, good evening sports fans. Tonight, I'll be blogging live throughout the game with updates on every key moment.
If news breaks, you'll get it here.
If someone scores, you'll get the no-nonsense description of what happened.
If the Canadiens win, I won't be able to blog because I'll be too busy suiting up with protective gear in order to walk the streets outside the Bell Centre after the game.
If the Canadiens lose, I'll tell you all about the funeral procession after the game on St. Antoine Street on the Dennis Trudeau Show tomorrow morning.
The players are on the ice for the pre-game skate and we're only half an hour from the anthems folks. It's going to be a big night at the Bell Centre. Stay tuned!
Habs try to avoid a disappointing Tuesday mourning
I said sweep...I was wrong...
Big deal, I've also said constantly that the regular season means absolutely nothing and that is what I'm completely right about.
In fact, the Canadiens don't deserve to win this series if you really go by how they played over the last few games.
The effort's been there all year, but that doesn't mean anything now with Game 7 just hours away...
