Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ray Shero was kind enough to spend nearly an hour on the phone with FanHouse's Adam Gretz discussing a variety of topics. This is the third of a three-part series. Wednesday's entry: Ray Shero discusses how the 2009-10 Penguins were built through free agency, trades, the draft, and what he expects from the defending Stanley Cup champions.
When NHL free agency launched on Wednesday, there was near-immediate speculation that the Montreal Canadiens had come to a two-year agreement with forward Alexei Kovalev. Nothing was ever announced, and it quickly became clear that Montreal had no such agreement.
The Canadiens moved quickly on Wednesday, signing forwards Mike Cammalleri and Brian Gionta, and making it clear through that action that Kovalev wasn't a lock to return.
Various media outlets are reporting this afternoon that the Montreal Canadiens have been sold to the Molson family, pending league approval (which, according to TSN, could take until mid-summer). The price tag for the NHL's most storied franchise? Depending on which report you listen to, it's somewhere between $500 million and $550 million ... or more.
It's officially the offseason, meaning the time is right to look into the future. We begin our division-by-division preview of the potential wheeling and dealing with the Northeast Division.
Brian Burke begins his rebuild of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Dany Heatley wants out of Ottawa and just what is Boston going to do with Phil Kessel and a limited amount of salary cap space?
After serving as the Florida Panthers general manager for the past four seasons (and head coach for three of those seasons) Jacques Martin will be named the new head coach of the Montreal Canadiens on Monday. During his four-year stint in charge of the Panthers, the team failed to make the playoffs each season, while he brings 14 years of head coaching experience to the Canadiens.
After a brief two-year tenure with the St. Louis Blues in the late 1980s, Martin took over the Ottawa Senators in 1995, leading the team to the playoffs eight times in nine years, while also winning three division titles and the Jack Adams award as coach of the year in 1999.
On paper, the Boston Bruins should be heavily favored against the Montreal Canadiens in their first round playoff series. The Bruins are the top seed in the Eastern Conference and finished only a point away from the Presidents' Trophy. On the other side, the Habs struggled through much of the second half of the regular season and fell to eighth place in the conference.
None of those facts were evident in the series opener between these two teams in Boston tonight.
Newsmakers in the NHL is a weekday morning attempt to clear yesterday's rebounds and look to the day ahead.
Blue Jackets 2, Predators 1:Raffi Torres may only have 12 goals this season, but he sure has a knack for getting them when they count. His goal at the 4:05 mark of the third period in Columbus' 2-1 win over Nashville was his sixth game-winner of the season, helping get the Blue Jackets back in the win column after dropping three of their past four games. Steve Mason turned aside 21-of-22 shots in net to earn his 32nd win of the season.
Newsmakers in the NHL is a weekday morning attempt to clear yesterday's rebounds and look to the day ahead. Canadiens 6, Thrashers 3: For one night, all is well in Montreal as the Canadiens managed to put their epic collapse on hold, pulling out a convincing 6-3 win over the Atlanta Thrashers. Montreal received a five-point effort from Alex Tanguay and a two-goal performance from Alexei Kovalev, while Carey Price picked up the win in net.
With the win, Montreal claims sole possession of the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference, taking a two-point lead over idle Florida. Montreal bombarded Atlanta goalie Kari Lehtonen with a four-goal onslaught in the second period, while the Canadiens also went 3-for-6 on the power play.
On Saturday night, the Montreal Canadiens continued their season of disappointment by getting crushed by Toronto, 5-2, on home ice. The recent struggles have left more than a few fans, like the fine folks over at Four Habs Fans, slightly perturbed.
Entering Monday night's action, Montreal could wake up on Tuesday morning on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture if Florida can knock off Carolina. So, where has it all gone wrong for the Canadiens in what was supposed to be a season of glorious centennial celebration?
This is the 100th season that the Montreal Canadiens have been in existence, and during that time they have become the most storied franchise in hockey, winning 24 titles. They've won almost a quarter of the Stanley Cups that have ever been handed out, and expectations this season have been through the roof. The problem for Montreal is that the longer this centennial season drags on, the more it falls apart.
When NHL free agency launched on Wednesday, there was near-immediate speculation that the Montreal Canadiens had come to a two-year agreement with forward 
Various media outlets are reporting this afternoon that the Montreal Canadiens have been sold to the Molson family, pending league approval (which, 
It's officially the offseason, meaning the time is right to look into the future. We begin our division-by-division preview of the potential wheeling and dealing with the Northeast Division. 
After serving as the Florida Panthers general manager for the past four seasons (and head coach for three of those seasons) 
On paper, the Boston Bruins should be heavily favored against the Montreal Canadiens in their first round playoff series. The Bruins are the top seed in the Eastern Conference and finished only a point away from the Presidents' Trophy. On the other side, the Habs struggled through much of the second half of the regular season and fell to eighth place in the conference. 
This is the 100th season that the Montreal Canadiens have been in existence, and during that time they have become the most storied franchise in hockey, winning 24 titles. They've won almost a quarter of the Stanley Cups that have ever been handed out, and expectations this season have been through the roof. The problem for Montreal is that the longer this centennial season drags on, the more it falls apart.
