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Goodbye MAD Magazine.
I cherished every issue.
You MADe me what I am today.
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Goodbye MAD Magazine.
I cherished every issue.
You MADe me what I am today.
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Sweet SF, moeman!
ReplyDeleteCHud, Leko, still unsigned Dept.
The Canadiens have agreed to terms on a one-year, one-way contract with free agent forward, Nick Cousins (value of $1 million).
Good ol' bargain bin ... he literally can't help himself. He struck out on the big prize but he will chip away at that $12mil in cap space until most of it is gone. Maybe CHud and Leko are trade bait in another deal. I will say though, he didn't hesitate to pull the trigger on the Shaw trade (and he was a fave of bbb) so these other lesser lights shouldn't be a problem.
Deletewe have a plan, its only year two of not making the playoffs, in year 4 we win the cup, trust me
ReplyDeletebeen pounding down Peaky Blinders, its not top shelf, kinda like Sons of Anarchy with Horses.
ReplyDeleteAnd all of Canada is in tears after hearing the news of Kawhi signing with the Clippers. Oh wait, no it's actually just Toronto. Bwahahaha!
ReplyDeleteO the horror! If only he could come out and say that ultimately, it boiled down to not wanting to live in DougFordia a minute longer, haha --SiM
DeleteHa ha. Now the SFUckers can go back to picking their noses over midget marner.
Deletewe signed nick cousin, should his nick be incest?
ReplyDeletesfu in mourning, especially tsn with their all black theme. What fucking losers. No doubt Leonard is a great player but he high-tailed it out of there, despite the desperate stalking, oh wait. Also, too, what is with all the 'We'? Did any of these sfuckers actually play?
ReplyDeleteMaybe Drake will move to L.A. as well.
DeleteKwai fucked them up, they asked for it and he gave. Very similar to what Columbus did, except Kwai delivered. Toronto won an NBA championship thats a payday. Likely never to happen again, like Columbus competing for the cup.
ReplyDeleteNo word yet of Carolina signing Aho. I wonder if they are trying to extricate thenselves from the situation and still save face? Also, I wonder if a deal of some kind could still be worked out? AS I understand it, Aho is now Montreal's property (he signed the offer) until Carolina puts pen to paper. Regarding Kawhi leaving the cotu, Jack Todd thinks Montreal should offer sheet marner just to pour a little salt on that open wound. I say go for it.
ReplyDeleteFunny how the canes hick owner has yet to have Aho sign.
DeleteIs the deadline exactly 7 days from the time he signed I wonder? If I was the Canes it would be an 11th hour signing. But I too was wondering what the status is...
DeleteThey havr until a certsin time Monday. I suppose they are waiting until the 11th hour just to be difficult, but (ahem), it'd be a shame if something happened to the paperwork on the way to NHL HQ Monday and the Canes missed the filing deadline eh? Yeah, "oops!"--SiM
DeleteHmmmm... interesting idea SiM. A faulty fax machine perhaps?
DeleteSome rumour monger says Laine might be a target or indeed marner. Apparently, the putrid leaf and the marner camp are not close. All that dough they threw at pajama boy hurts...
As it stands, I think Bergy is hedging his bets that Cousins and Varoom are not bank-breaking assets, but handy to have in case the big game remains out of reach. Leko, GI Finn and CHud all unsigned. This is like a chess game with a few key moves still unplayed. --SiM
ReplyDeletethere are no key moves, there is only addition by subtraction and growth from within, everything else is sound and fury signifying nothing.
DeleteMonday, in the words of Steven Segal the greatest actor of the twentieth century you can bank on an offer sheet for Laine Monday at 3PM. 10.49 Million 8 years. Go Habs/Team Finland Go
ReplyDeleteI like your way of thinking...
Deletethere is a dark side of the moon
ReplyDeleteCheveldayoff and BargainBin Bergy are old buddies from their Chicago days. On tsn690 they are suggesting a sign and trade for Laine, a gentlemen's agreement instead of a hostile takeover. Probably cost the Habs Nature Boy and a D prospect and a couple picks. It would probably be worth it for a Stamkos-type shooter on the PP half wall. I'd do it.
ReplyDeletePretty nice weather down in these parts. Got the bbq fired up for my 'special' burgers - Lea and Perrins, Montreal steak spice and Italian bread crumbs -; California baja salad and Moishe's coleslaw. Moosehead Lite beer and Smithwick's ale.
ill agree with u M, so kong as its NOT army, LB, dano, domini, druid, kidG, kidko, leko, lil pecker, ta-taaaaar, CHip, frolin, kulak, meat, bbq, dish, radar, suzuki, poe....
ReplyDeletebut who is nature boy again?
and GIFin = kidko?
GI Finn = my personal nick for Armia (doesn't appear to have caught on, mind). I also donot know who Natureboy is. --SiM
DeleteNature Boy is Suzuki. As in David. As in Nature of Things.
DeleteI can't imagine this happening, but if it does I think it costs at least Suzuki, Mete and a couple of firsts. Jets have lost a lot of D this year and will want a serviceable player back in that position. We could even through in DRouin.
through = throw (pre-coffee)
DeleteThe only guys Montreal has that I would consider untouchable are Domi and Kid Koho. ANYBODY else is expendable for a shooter of Laine's caliber. Mind you, he is rather one dimensional in that aspect but, bear in mind he is only 21 years old and will only get better. I think Mete would be considered to small to play in the western conference, I think Winnipeg would want Brook as part of the package, a western boy with size and skill. My 5 cents anyway.
DeleteLike I say I think they would want a serviceable dman. That could be Dish. Anyway this ain't happening so it's just a cow's opinion...a moo't point.
Deleteoh and u SUCK! it should probably be called moosecrap instead.
ReplyDeletebut then again u are 'the M' so local bias is totally acceptable...
LOL!! Moosepiss would be a more accurate terminology for Moosehead beer, right Saint Paddy?
DeleteBut, Hey oleg! You keep drinking that west coast swill you call beer... You tree hugging hippies out in B.C. couldn't drink real beer anyway!
Tongue firmly planted in cheek.
Still love the occasional Moose Green moosepiss. Beats the hell out of Kokanee.
DeleteBut I generally lean towards reds/darks/stouts. In the summer, i'll put down the odd fruity radler on a hot day to get things started. THere are tonnes of craft beers in NS now, some amazing, some terrible. I just really love beer in general, just not the hoppy shit.
Moosehead is a fine lager for hot day. Sleemans is rancid to my tongue, but the local McAuslan, Belle Guelle and Boreale brews get my vote. Molson, not so much. --SiM
DeleteHaven't had a Sleeman's in a while. Not a Moosehead fan.
DeleteBest beer right now is;
https://lagunitas.com/beers
Great IPA.
Sure, I support the local 152 year old brewery right here in Saint John. I like the Pale Ale the best. They have started a small batch brewery right next to the main plant on the west side. They make some interesting brews.
DeleteI'm like Saint Paddy, reds/darks/stouts for me, but I also like a blonde ale by Picaroons and Guinness. And, Hallelujah!! NBLC has finally brought back Smithwicks and London Porter!! Those are my favourites by far!!
IPAs in the summer.
DeleteLove Smithwicks and partial to a good white/wheat and of course Leffes.
I was gifted some Loxley red, light, 4%, pretty good, really cold;
https://www.brasseurdemontreal.com/
Griffintown, near where the new Expos ballpark should be built (Peel basin). I will have to check it out (once an employer I don't yet know sees fit to hire my ass at the requisite wages).
DeleteSwitching beverages, I always get McD coffee if I'm on the road now. Far superior to the ex-leaf coffee shop - never touch that swill. However I just took the last swig of my most recent purchase and got a mouthful of coffee grounds. No big deal really, but made me wonder if Mrs Pad made terrible coffee, would that be grounds for divorce?
ReplyDeleteDo we have a nic for Keith KinKaid yet? I guess KKK isn't good. Koolaid? Oh yeah!
ReplyDeleteWe sure have our share of K players --SiM
Deleteit Rueben as in the sandwich or the partridge
DeleteBlocKaid.
DeleteApparently he likes to block people on Twitter.
if its brown and comes in a bottle or a can and its not budwiser or miller light I will drink it.
ReplyDeleteas thinkgs stand we will not make the playoffs. I am okay with this, our window is in two years.
ReplyDeletedammit steve.... why do you have to be THAT GUY!? the window is NOW! its been now for 2-3 seasons already! arrrrrgh! finally, even mr cowboy cool carey said it publicly! like ar-nold said: DO IT! DO IT NOWWWWW!
ReplyDeletesorry saint paddy, need to switch back beverages...
hahahhaha.... totally didnt mean to start a national briere war. on kokanee you guys right though. if it wasnt for this awesome commercial they made years ago... they would simply be our traditional molson/labatt garbage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD-HM9hPj4E
natureboy: omg im an idiot. of course! that is an obvious one too! guess how david traverses in the city?
SiM: yeah yeha yeah! GI Fin works awesomely! of course! GI Joel = armia = Fin. yeah!
saint paddy: KKK works for me! i dont give a fcuk about political correctness -look who is potus!
having said that.... M with BlocKaid is a winner also.
and dammit steve... why do you have to be THAT GUY again?! how does a ruben sandwich + a partridge = kincaid?
fwiw... i finally remembered why he was called Fiver. another great hall of fame entrant along with the Urologist
the most famous kincaid in history was Rueben Kincad. He managed on of the most influential bands in history to chart topping success,.
Deleteonly thing is, the nicknames need to be earned, don't they? Some of these guys haven't even picked a number yet. Although I do appreciate the nod to the Partridge Family's woe-begotten manager, Steve!
DeleteJesus Christ, all of yous (and I include myself), was the last two months of the past season THAT LONG AGO?!? These guys gelled like nuts and pushed the envelope as hard as could be to make it to the playoffs.
ReplyDeleteTeams like the Stars and Avs had worse records but got into the playoffs by dint of being in a weaker conference.
Teams with oodles of recently minted Cup rings on their roster got smacked down in the first round.
The team that won the Cup actually scored two FEWER goals than the Habs in the regular season, while the other team in the final scored all of ten more than our Habs.
The fact Aho is now a contract burden - and potential rift creator amongst his older, completely bonus-lacking teammates, who now have a really young guy getting a cool $22 million immediately while they all plug away for their earnings - to a serious conference rival that almost went to the Cup final a couple months ago is all due to the Bergevin Braintrust chess master.
I see no need to seriously rock the boat. I only go a bit YEESH at seeing SSR get away. Cousins sounds decent, but he is no SSR.
oh yes and EAP, an improved D, a KidKo that will have a bit more meat and experience to add to his savvy, a backup goalie that isn't at the end of his career, and proved he is sturdy enough to start a good 40 games so TFS doesn't burn out. C'est bon, les gars, c'est pas mal.
Deletei absolutely agree with EVERYTHING you said SiM! excellent stats you pulled there about StL scoring fewer and tha broon scoring only 10 more. theres a lot of ways to analyse the season and i cant help but shake my head at what coulda/shoulda. the BJs upset TB, the isles did the same PGH, likewise QUE to CGY... i guess my main point is that the modern nhl is just a game of inches and with that, you are right SiM: no need to rock the boat considering how well grand chess master BBB almost got it completely right this year.
Deleteyou also make a great point in how by forcing the canes to match, it could create a rift in their dressing room.
BTW - KidA has scored 30+ in consecutive seasons, despite a rebuilt hand. It says here that he now sees that as his personal benchmark, and the first season he misses 20 he will call it a career. Any bets?
ReplyDeletesomething i need to ask everybody about though...
ReplyDeletewrongBenn was forced to sign with VCR ($2M x2yrs) because barginboy wouldnt.
barginboy then signs a guy with comparable stats, minutes, size for $3.5 x3yrs?
somebody explain pls. i dont get his chess moves...
oh... and i really hope that 20 or bust rule isnt a hard promise. guy was still very effective when his production dropped into the teens. so long as you are wiling to alter your game when you get older, i think guys like kidG will always have a place in this league.
I made that 20-goal rule up out of my imagination and deep respect for the KidA ego, to be totally honest. Not based on anything the man has said or anything. The CHar - and other D signings - are based I think on the players age and expectstions that the 27 - 32 year-old are in their physical prime, whereas JD was a proven 5th or 6th D, but wanted no less than twk years, while Bergy (a former grinder-type D himself, recall) wasn't inclined to take him kn for more than another season. So JD's agent said seeya, we'll take our bets with free agency.
DeleteI get it because any time JD was pressed into service for too many minutes or too tough pairings, he proved the Peter principle lives. CHar is a betterbet for CJv2 to keep whatever hair follicles he has left.
PS: Folin = folic acid, hence B12, n'est-ce pas? --SiM
B9, per wikipedia, my bad --SiM
DeleteSo we could also call him Tumour?
DeleteRIP to former Preds captain Greg Johnson. 48 is waaaaaaaaaay too young.
ReplyDeleteYep.
Delete... and to Rip Taylor, a funny actor.
I'm with SiM, steady as she goes.
ReplyDeleteIn buttman's parity league anything can happen. Regarding the St. Louis Blues, Ryan O'Reilly played like a man on a mission and had some top end help in Tarasenko and others, the defence came together and Binnington got on a roll and kept it up. It's not rocket science and a team has to buy in to what their leaders are selling.
ReplyDeleteThe Habs could possibly pull off something similar, they do have some talented forwards but I still think the defence is highly suspect. Price could be the difference, he would have to get in that 'zone' that Binnington was in.
Many of the eastern teams have seemingly improved themselves, it will be very, very difficult to even be in the top 8 on that side. If I'm being a realist, Montreal hasn't really improved their roster so, it will be up to the young players (especially Drouin) to elevate their play in order to compete with the big boys. Personally, I'm not getting on any bandwagon. But, bergevin may not be done yet either. We'll have to see.
All true, the M --SiM
DeletePart of the(ir) improvement is having played a full season together.
DeleteTFS could win the cup on his own.
DeleteHabs scored at a 13.2% rate on the PP. Up that to even a meager 17%, still only about 24th best in the league would equate to 9 more PP goals. And those goals could have made the difference in getting 3 more points and into the playoffs.
ReplyDeleteThey were 13th in total GA - that's not terrible and I think can improve to top 10. I really believe whatever tweaks or changes remain, the bottom line is they need a working PP. Maybe a big blue pill named Laine is the answer? Maybe it's more psychosomatic and they just need some adjustments. Time will tell.
Yes, and they were not terribly injury-riddled last season, either. One wonders how well Jewel bounces back, and if so many players who had career years last season are able to maintain their production. Mine is a cautious optimism. --SiM
DeleteCautious optimism ... good call. I'm hoping for improvement but not betting on it. Even though most of the forwards had career years, they weren't overwhelmingly good so they should be able to repeat them, barring injury of course. It's the defence that worries me. And a Price injury. Hopefully bergevin made the right call on BlocKaid.
DeleteI like BloKaid, you dont need the exta CHaracter. But could we call him the Goalie Without Borders like the Doctors, but the French way?
DeleteGardièns Sans Frontières?
Deletevotre pense = GFS? desole, je ne comprende...
GFS wins for me
Deletethe way the NHL is going your top three get 11M a year, the rest top out at 5 and the bottom six third paring get league minimum. So Bargin Basement Bergy is the Nostrodumus of the NHL.
ReplyDeleteGI Finn signed for two years, it was announced. I think CHud might not come back, but I imagine Leko is next.
ReplyDeleteYep a fair $2.6 per year for GIFinn. I'd say Leko comes in at $2 or a shade under. I agree - i don't think Hudon gets signed. He'll catch on somewhere though..
Deletereally? u guys think GIJoel > Leko? i think leko has a way higher ceiling, no?
Deleteoh, and CHud... ok if he leaves, but im always so fearful of him turning into a scorer like how DLR, auto, audette, ghetto, scherbak, were supposed to be...
Leko signed for two years today too. This is a good question, oleg. I think they are both integral components, and the Finnish program seems to foster players that mesh well in our socialist Montreal utopia, so I am good with them both returning. Saku, to my mind, was our last super-Hab-hero; and his return from life-threatening non-Hodgkins lymphoma to not only thrive, but continue to be a force on the ice, is nothing short of inspirational. In short, Finns are as welcome as Rocket Richards in this town to wear le saint-flanelle. More is fine.
DeleteLeko and Armia are both integral to the careful KidKo project. They both know they are NHLers, and they both know they are not the second coming of #4 (or even Saku), but to be a part of bringing their fellow countryman KidKo along to fulfill such a role has got to be a serious badge of honour for them. I sense CH management knows this very well. Me too. More Finns like these please!
This is what I mean when I speak of the chemistry being built. When Bergevin came on the job, he mentioned a five-year plan. Well, things changed rapidly in the course of those five years. The game was poised to go to small-but-dangerous forwards when Gainey took the helm, and he quickly signed Squid and Gionta (who had once potted 48 goals) in anticipation of the league giving them space to thrive. Again now? Fool me once...
DeleteAnyway, I don't fault Bergevin for anything beyond the year he became a zombie (from the point of the 2017 trade deadline that brought us useless slow boneheads that the Rangers took apart easily in the first round, to the loss of both CHé and Vodkov in the off-season). He seems to have learned his lessons and the only intagibles working against Habs success are Buttman's inconsistency and the age-old problem of injuries.
So basically, I see a rebuilding taking place that may or may not result in a Cup while TFS and BBQ are in the fold. But if not, the next generation is being put together that can truly re-ignite the CH flame with gusto.
Oh this: on a team with perhaps too many smaller than average players, GI Finn is 6 foot 4, and 14 stone to Leko's 11 stone at six foot even. But Leko seems to me a slightly more dangerous player for opponents to see on the ice in most situations.
ReplyDeleteHello all, the roster is more or less set. Brian Wilde thinks another high-end left-side D might be added, but I think not. Bergy is a diamond-in-the-rough type of guy. The signings today tell me he is not fool enough to go after Marner or anyone else with another offer sheet. This is his team, and CHar was his major aquisition, and he believes in the Timmins drafting enough that his expectation is that players like Meat and EAP and KidKo will impress his veteran players enough that they will see the light, be on board, and go full-tilt to grab a Cup this season. Fuck the assholes who think the BIG STAR SCORING THREAT at 10+ million in salary is the singular path!
ReplyDeleteWe got this. We are gonna rip up the league.
...er, cautious optimism, eh?
G Y F H G !
SiM on a roll last night!
ReplyDeleteI think Leko came in about $500K too high but what's half a mil between friends. He has 2 years to prove himself, because right now summer of '21 is looking very interesting with UFA's like Tuna, kidA, Dano, Dish and GI Finn and RFA's Leko and kidKo. Not to mention next summer's RFA's Domini and Meat.
This is why I think it's feasible that Price and his $10.5m ends up in a Seattle sweater next fall.
TFS to Seattle would be a gut-punch. But I see your logic there.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting comments by SiM, aka the Cautious Optimist. My own personal feelings are that marc bergevin has WAY too many small, mediocre players on his team and declining assets in Weber and Price. I have no faith in the guy to build a winner and there is no generational type player to build around. I'll always be a Habs fan, but they are just one of 31 teams. If the NHL were to abandon the hard salary cap and allow UFAs to collude and build their own powerhouse teams like the NBA does, I could see the possibility of Montreal using their financial clout to be a relevant player.
ReplyDeleteI will take a contarian view. The NHL today is makes every player on the bubble. The distance between the best and the worst has never been shorter. So if you are BBB you might cobble toghether a dumpster diver team that can beat one with 20% of the cap in two players. Ie the first year vegas team. Hockey is not basketball, thank God!!
DeleteI agree with Steve about the build a team if you gots tha moolah concept being utterly fucked up. The NHL game has improved with the cap helping all teams be competitive enough so the games are good entertainment (with a few exceptions) on any given night. I think as TFS and BBQ start to become less effective, other cornerstones will emerge. I am a big fan of the type of player EAP showed to be in whatever tourney he represented his country in with our goalie prospect also excelling. And Romanov. In time, these very highly-rated prospects will take the torch, as the saying goes.
DeleteOK, but we will continue to wait. And wait. And wait some more, for players to 'emerge' and lead the way. It reminds me of the hamster in the wheel, running madly yet going nowhere.
DeleteI ain't gettin' any younger, know what I'm sayin'??
https://fourhockeyfans.blogspot.com/2019/07/sexy-summer-schorcher.html
ReplyDelete