either one of the kids it looks like, still no theodore.....
Habs are mum on starter
Therrien won't say if shaky Garon will receive another shot
RED FISHER
Montreal Gazette
Thursday, November 01, 2001
It's back to reality - five losses in the last six games after a stunning 4-0-1 start - so now's the time, under Vancouver skies the colour of an elephant's hide, for the questions to start.
Does coach Michel Therrien go with No. 3 goaltender Mathieu Garon, who was yanked after two periods in Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers, or does he point a purple forefinger at 18-years-and-48-days-old No. 5 junior Olivier Michaud, now the giddy owner of 18:05 flawless NHL minutes, with 14-stops on 14 shots under his diaper?
If Michel picks Olivier, does he lose Mathieu forever and ever, amen?
Therrien already knows his choice, so when he was asked about it yesterday, was it really necessary to quote from his well-thumbed NHL best-seller, Coaches' Favourite Clich?s. In the book's first chapter, dealing with answers to annoying questions from media wretches, he once again found this reply in two languages: "I'll decide tomorrow." (That, of course, is today.)
And when a media person asked if he could explain why it is that the Canadiens have scored only one goal in each of their last five losses (they were outscored, 17-5), did he really wink at Canadiens owner George Gillett Jr., who stood nearby, before wowing his audience with: "It is important for us to find a way to put the puck in the net."
The good news yesterday was that Jos? Th?odore passed his concussion test, which in part called for him to deliver words to his examiner starting with various letters of the alphabet. The fact is, Oy Vey Jos? yesterday discovered that the test wasn't as difficult as he thought it was when he flunked it last Saturday, one day after being knocked into Alice in Wonderland by Buffalo's Vaclav Varada. (Reports leaked out of the exam room yesterday suggested that the first question tossed at him was: Give me words starting with an A. His lickety-split response: "Ackett, Avage and Ackell. Also Aclav and Arada.")
Needless to say, Th?odore will take his own sweet time returning to the lineup. He'll do a few turns on the bike today, a little more dryland training tomorrow, and maybe, just maybe, he'll skate on his own in the building George Gillett, Jr. owns on Saturday.
"If all goes well," said Therrien yesterday, "he'll practice with the team on Monday."
If ... maybe ... could be.
Between now and then, Jos?'s compadres will have faced the hobbled Vancouver Canucks tonight and the high and soaring Calgary Flames on Saturday. By then, the game of musical chairs involving Mathieu, Olivier (no relation to Lawrence) and who knows, maybe even Vadim Tarasov, who's here with luggage including a lingering groin injury, will be part of Canadiens lore.
On the other hand, don't even think for a moment that les Boys are now history.
You should know that the Oilers got away with one on Tuesday, mostly because of goaltender Tommy Salo's heroics. He made 35 stops, many of them when the game was scoreless or the Oilers were clinging to a 1-0 or 2-0 lead. They were ripe for taking on this night, but Garon's goaltending (three goals on 19 shots in the first two periods) lost it for the Canadiens.
"He (Salo) made a lot of great stops at the right time," Martin Rucinsky said yesterday. He had a remarkable night for a guy who didn't get a point with eight of his team's 36 shots.
"I thought I had more," suggested Rosie. (Shots, not points.)
The speedy Rucinsky has only one goal on 29 shots thus far. That's a shooting percentage of 3.448275862, which means he is not yet threatening for the NHL's scoring lead. He can't understand why he can't pot one or two so that he can stay ahead of Gino Odjick.
Confused Millionaire
It's why he's unhappy. He's also a confused, little rich kid. He can't understand why he, and by extension the team, aren't scoring more goals.
It's not that complicated. Perhaps, for example, instead of the Canadiens defencemen wasting valuable opportunities by passing the puck between them far too often at their own blue line, a better idea, after the first exchange of passes, would be to ring up a forward's number (No. 26 ain't bad) if they happen to spot him at the opposition's blue line. Hey, the guy's got wheels. He can shoot. The Canadiens are paying him millions to score goals. What's the problem?
"You can't win with only one goal in a game," said the kindly ol' coach yesterday.
Know what? That line is in another chapter of the CFC book.
Habs are mum on starter
Therrien won't say if shaky Garon will receive another shot
RED FISHER
Montreal Gazette
Thursday, November 01, 2001
It's back to reality - five losses in the last six games after a stunning 4-0-1 start - so now's the time, under Vancouver skies the colour of an elephant's hide, for the questions to start.
Does coach Michel Therrien go with No. 3 goaltender Mathieu Garon, who was yanked after two periods in Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers, or does he point a purple forefinger at 18-years-and-48-days-old No. 5 junior Olivier Michaud, now the giddy owner of 18:05 flawless NHL minutes, with 14-stops on 14 shots under his diaper?
If Michel picks Olivier, does he lose Mathieu forever and ever, amen?
Therrien already knows his choice, so when he was asked about it yesterday, was it really necessary to quote from his well-thumbed NHL best-seller, Coaches' Favourite Clich?s. In the book's first chapter, dealing with answers to annoying questions from media wretches, he once again found this reply in two languages: "I'll decide tomorrow." (That, of course, is today.)
And when a media person asked if he could explain why it is that the Canadiens have scored only one goal in each of their last five losses (they were outscored, 17-5), did he really wink at Canadiens owner George Gillett Jr., who stood nearby, before wowing his audience with: "It is important for us to find a way to put the puck in the net."
The good news yesterday was that Jos? Th?odore passed his concussion test, which in part called for him to deliver words to his examiner starting with various letters of the alphabet. The fact is, Oy Vey Jos? yesterday discovered that the test wasn't as difficult as he thought it was when he flunked it last Saturday, one day after being knocked into Alice in Wonderland by Buffalo's Vaclav Varada. (Reports leaked out of the exam room yesterday suggested that the first question tossed at him was: Give me words starting with an A. His lickety-split response: "Ackett, Avage and Ackell. Also Aclav and Arada.")
Needless to say, Th?odore will take his own sweet time returning to the lineup. He'll do a few turns on the bike today, a little more dryland training tomorrow, and maybe, just maybe, he'll skate on his own in the building George Gillett, Jr. owns on Saturday.
"If all goes well," said Therrien yesterday, "he'll practice with the team on Monday."
If ... maybe ... could be.
Between now and then, Jos?'s compadres will have faced the hobbled Vancouver Canucks tonight and the high and soaring Calgary Flames on Saturday. By then, the game of musical chairs involving Mathieu, Olivier (no relation to Lawrence) and who knows, maybe even Vadim Tarasov, who's here with luggage including a lingering groin injury, will be part of Canadiens lore.
On the other hand, don't even think for a moment that les Boys are now history.
You should know that the Oilers got away with one on Tuesday, mostly because of goaltender Tommy Salo's heroics. He made 35 stops, many of them when the game was scoreless or the Oilers were clinging to a 1-0 or 2-0 lead. They were ripe for taking on this night, but Garon's goaltending (three goals on 19 shots in the first two periods) lost it for the Canadiens.
"He (Salo) made a lot of great stops at the right time," Martin Rucinsky said yesterday. He had a remarkable night for a guy who didn't get a point with eight of his team's 36 shots.
"I thought I had more," suggested Rosie. (Shots, not points.)
The speedy Rucinsky has only one goal on 29 shots thus far. That's a shooting percentage of 3.448275862, which means he is not yet threatening for the NHL's scoring lead. He can't understand why he can't pot one or two so that he can stay ahead of Gino Odjick.
Confused Millionaire
It's why he's unhappy. He's also a confused, little rich kid. He can't understand why he, and by extension the team, aren't scoring more goals.
It's not that complicated. Perhaps, for example, instead of the Canadiens defencemen wasting valuable opportunities by passing the puck between them far too often at their own blue line, a better idea, after the first exchange of passes, would be to ring up a forward's number (No. 26 ain't bad) if they happen to spot him at the opposition's blue line. Hey, the guy's got wheels. He can shoot. The Canadiens are paying him millions to score goals. What's the problem?
"You can't win with only one goal in a game," said the kindly ol' coach yesterday.
Know what? That line is in another chapter of the CFC book.
