FanHouse begins its four-part preview of the upcoming NHL season. Check back every Thursday from now until opening night for the rest.
The calendar has flipped past Labor Day in the States, and that means the start of the NHL's regular season is fast approaching. We're going to take one last look back at the summer and discuss the best and worst moves -- in some cases, non-moves -- of the offseason. Who took a step in the right direction and who took a step back?
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.
The report goes on to mention that the Avalanche have stepped up the offer to try and draw Roy away from other suitors, particularly the Montreal Canadiens, whose head coaching job is currently vacant. The Habs fired Guy Carbonneau earlier this year and GM Bob Gainey filled in for the remainder of the season.
So much for the preliminaries. The 2008-09 NHL regular season is now history -- and, as I've written before, not a moment too soon. Beginning Wednesday night at 7:00 PM ET in Washington and Pittsburgh, the only hockey that really matters will finally take center stage: the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
To get an idea of what life is really like for a hockey fan this time of year, think of it this way: imagine the Sweet 16 of March Madness were all best-of-seven. It's the very simple reason why folks like us are completely giddy from now until sometime in June.
If your significant other is a fan of the NHL, Monday and Tuesday might very well represent the only real chance you'll have to say hello -- or, given the state of the relationship, goodbye -- for the balance of the next two months. It's a chance you shouldn't miss.
With that, I'd like to share a few thoughts on each of the eight playoff series that make up the first round. Safe to say, at first glance, it looks like the most compelling tournament in many years.
Earlier this week, word surfaced that the Montreal Canadiens were going to be without the services of veteran defenseman Mathieu Schneider due to a shoulder injury that might require surgery. As it turns out, we may have just been victim to playoff injury reporting smoke screens, as the 39-year-old defenseman participated in Thursday's morning skate.
The Canadiens can clinch a playoff berth with a win over their longtime rivals, the Boston Bruins, and head coach Bob Gainey sounded somewhat optimistic regarding Schneider's condition.
We're in the home stretch of the NHL season, and both conference playoff races are heating up as the standings change on a daily basis. The Eastern Conference has seven teams separated by just seven points in the No's 4 through 10 spots, while everybody except Phoenix and Colorado is still competing for a playoff spot in the West.
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.
Hurricanes 3, Rangers 0: The good news for the Carolina Hurricanes is they seem to be playing their best hockey of the season at the absolute right time. The bad news is they still can't seem to gain any separation in the tight Eastern Conference playoff race.
Thanks to the Hurricanes 3-0 win over the New York Rangers on Monday, they jumped over three teams to move into a tie with Montreal for the No. 5 spot in the conference, but are guaranteed to fall as low as the No. 7 spot on Tuesday, depending on what happens in the Pittsburgh-Florida game. It's going to be like this every day for the rest of the regular season.
The Montreal Canadiens entered 2008-09 as a serious Stanley Cup contender in what was supposed to be a glorious centennial celebration. Instead, the season has been derailed by scandal off the ice and disappointing results on it, and the man that's going to take the fall for it all is head coach Guy Carbonneau. The 38-year-old Carbonneau was fired on Monday afternoon, and will be replaced by general manager Bob Gainey.
The Clash once posed the question: Should I stay or should I go now? We take a look at the big names surrounding the NHL trade deadline and whether they'll be staying in place or going to finish the season in another city.
It wasn't supposed to be like this. After giving a contract extension the good ol' college try over the summer, Minnesota Wild general manager Doug Risebrough has watched his biggest trade asset blow up in smoke. Marian Gaborik has been injured for virtually the entire season, first going down the day before Minnesota's third game of the season. For the season, Gaborik has appeared in a paltry six games. With their best player spending too much time in the training room, it's no surprise the Wild are in a struggle for their playoff lives.
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.
Last week it was reported that Hall of Fame goaltender and former Avalanche netminder Patrick Roy was offered the team's head coaching position currently occupied by Tony Granato. Today, a report from Ruefronteac.com cites sources close to Roy that the Avs have stepped up their offer to include their GM position. 
So much for the preliminaries. The 2008-09 NHL regular season is now history -- and, as I've written before, not a moment too soon. Beginning Wednesday night at 7:00 PM ET in Washington and Pittsburgh, the only hockey that really matters will finally take center stage: the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Earlier this week, word surfaced that the Montreal Canadiens were going to be without the services of veteran defenseman Mathieu Schneider due to a shoulder injury that might require surgery. As it turns out, we may have just been victim to playoff injury reporting smoke screens, as the 39-year-old defenseman participated in Thursday's morning skate.
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.
Hurricanes 3, Rangers 0: The good news for the Carolina Hurricanes is they seem to be playing their best hockey of the season at the absolute right time. The bad news is they still can't seem to gain any separation in the tight Eastern Conference playoff race.
The Clash once posed the question: Should I stay or should I go now? We take a look at the big names surrounding the NHL trade deadline and whether they'll be staying in place or going to finish the season in another city.
