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After the first game of the season, with the Montreal Canadiens losing their best player to injury for four months, arm chair general managers began proposing solutions.á When top-six defenseman Ryan O'Byrne joined Andrei Markov on the injury list, the voices of the fans became louder and more panicked. No worries. To the rescue came the Montreal media with their predictable suggestions: Bob Gainey should acquire Denis Gauthier, Mathieu Dandenault, Marc-Andre ...

Montreal 3 Calgary 4 (Pengrowth Saddledome)posted by RocketAll HabsThere's never a good reason to celebrate a loss, but Jacques Martin must be quietly pleased about the way his team played tonight. There's still work to do (they were outshot 16-to-6 in the second period), but the Canadiens are starting to show signs of their potential.The Habs' top three lines all played very well. ...

With two of his top six defensemen sidelined for at least two months, Bob Gainey made a move today to add defensive depth by signing Marc-Andre Bergeron.While many would have preferred to see how Yannick Weber and Mathieu Carle could contribute, Gainey decided to act. Given the options that were being floated, this seems like a good move.Some fans were hoping that Gainey would made a trade involving Jaroslav Halak ...

Montreal, 2 Buffalo 1 OT (HSBC arena)posted by RocketAll HabsThe initial reaction to the Scott Gomez trade was that Bob Gainey overpaid in terms of assets and taking on a big contract. But when revealed that Gomez was the key to Brian Gionta, Mike Cammalleri and others signing with the Canadiens, the premium seems worthwhile.The on-ice chemistry was evident again tonight as rebound from the stick ...

Montreal 4 Toronto 3 OT (Air Canada Centre) "He won us the game tonight."Those were the words of Mike Cammalleri commenting on the 43-save performance by Carey Price. "Carey stood on his head," said Cammalleri. "I just talked to him and said, 'we've got to be better for you and we will.' The truth is that we expect him to do that from time to time ...

Preseason: Ottawa 6, Montreal 1 (Scotiabank Place)posted by Rocket at AllHabsIt is both thrilling and sometimes amusing to live in a hockey hotbed like Montreal. It's especially amusing when the "sky-is-falling" types start hyperventilating over the coach, goaltending, and team size in SEPTEMBER.Relax. It's preseason, folks. For Jacques Martin and his staff, it's a time to evaluate their players in a game situation and experiment with different line combinations. But, let's face it, with ...

Preseason: Montreal vs. Ottawa: 2-1 (Bell Centre)posted by RocketAllHabsIt's preseason. I'm not going to do a full game-by-game analysis just yet. But you missed hockey, and so did we at All Habs.It's tempting to over-analyze the preseason games and offer predictions. We'll try to keep that in check. But based on observations of training camp and the first two games, there are some encouraging ...