Your Canadiens for November 21, 2011

While the attention of the rest of the league is on the much-anticipated return to action of Sidney Crosby this evening, Habs fans have a big game of their own to watch. After ending the New York Rangers' 7-game win streak on Saturday night, the team will have a chance to put a stop to Boston's 8-game run this evening.

- Your Montreal Canadiens for tonight:

Mike Cammalleri - Tomas Plekanec - Brian Gionta

Max Pacioretty - David Desharnais - Erik Cole

Travis Moen - Scott Gomez - Lars Eller

Mathieu Darche - Petteri Nokelainen - Aaron Palushaj

Josh Gorges - P.K. Subban

Frederic St. Denis - Yannick Weber

Alexei Emelin - Raphael Diaz

Carey Price

- Carey Price was today named the NHL's first star of the week for a second time this season. Despite Peter Budaj getting a start mid-week, Price put up a 2-0-1 record with a .972 save percentage and a 0.67 goals against average. His last two starts have represent the first time in his young career that he has recorded back-to-back shutouts, with his current streak at 127 minutes. Congratulations Carey!

- Tonight marks the 100th game of P.K. Subban's career. The young blueliner has stepped up his game in the wake of injuries after a slow start to the season.

- Hal Gill, released from hospital on Friday, rejoined his teammates for practice for the first time this morning, but will not play tonight. His return shouldn't be far away, however.

- Gill skated in practice with Andrei Markov, who was wearing the same white-coloured jersey as his teammates. This led to speculation that he may have received medical clearance for contact in practice, but it was later clarified that he has yet to get that green light. It is expected that it may come later this week, though. There is still no specific timeline for Markov's return, but Jacques Martin had mentioned it won't be before the California road trip which is in early December.

- Chris Campoli and Andrei Kostitsyn also skated this morning, but with a team trainer as opposed to their mates. While Campoli being a ways off is hardly news, it seems Kostitsyn isn't progressing as quickly as many had hoped for.

- Turning our attention to the prospect ranks...

After a great game with a goal and 3 assists on Friday night, Brendan Gallagher was held off the scoresheet Saturday and then collected an assist on Sundy, now giving him 36 points in 21 games, but falling off the 50-goals-in-50-games track for the first time, stuck at 19.

Fellow WHL'er Darren Dietz scored a goal yesterday, giving him 15 points in 24 games and a team best +18 rating.

Despite finishing the night a +2, defenseman Nathan Beaulieu had a 6-game point streak broken yesterday. Montreal's first round pick last June has 20 points and is a +17 in 23 games.

Michael Bournival has played three games since returning from injury. He was twice held off the scoresheet (and finishing a -2 on both of those occasions), but Saturday night he picked up 2 goals, to now give him 12 in 10 games played.

Danny Kristo was held off the scoresheet for a second consecutive weekend (with a bye weekend in between), cooling off after a rocket start. He is now back at the 1 point-per-game mark with 12 points in 12 games.

Also in the NCAA, Mac Bennett scored his 3rd goal of the season, passing the 2 he notched last year. In his rookie season, the defenseman put up 12 points in 32 games, while now as a sophomore he has 10 in just 14 contests.

26/09/11: Boston 2, Montreal 1; can preseason end already?

Just because preseason losses are meaningless, doesn't mean we can't get tired of losing. On the bright side, there were a number of inspired performances from a Montreal Canadiens team dressing 6 NHL regulars vs. a Boston Bruins team that played 10.

Brendan Gallagher: We'll start with the guy who has been one of the team's most dangerous forwards in almost every game he has played. Gallagher impressed again last night, generating more chances, driving the net with reckless abandon, showing nice hands, and yes, hitting more goalposts. Honestly I feel bad. Perhaps saying Gallagher had Chris Higgins-itis on day 1 of rookie camp was a jinx, cause this is exactly how it has played out. By virtue of having outplayed the likes of Aaron Palushaj and Andreas Engqvist, the little Giant deserves to stick around. If there are injuries at forward to start the season, the Habs lose nothing in signing Gallagher and playing him 5 or 6 games, given that his contract doesn't kick in unless he hits the 10 game mark (which he won't).

Michael Bournival: Slow-ish start, but strong overall game for Bournival, just returning to action from a minor injury. Looked better and better as the game went on, showing good skating ability and some offensive creativity. Wasn't cut after the game, so may get a second chance to impress on Thursday.

Philip DeSimone: Undoubtedly his best game thus far. He has looked pretty good going all the way back to rookie camp, and to me, has earned at least an AHL deal. Awesome move on the Cammalleri goal, but strong all night in generating a number of chances. He's off to Hamilton's camp tomorrow, but he shouldn't have trouble inking a contract.

Gabriel Dumont: Continues to surprise. Plays with tons of energy and forechecks hard. Lacks a little defensive awareness / could improve coverage in his own end, but a useful fourth liner who has as good a shot as any of sticking around into October.

Raphael Diaz: Another player with his best outing of training camp, though with the signing of Chris Campoli, there doesn't appear to be any place for him to start the season. Looked more confident with the puck, making some nice plays in the offensive zone.

Jarred Tinordi: Also looked much better last night, delivering a number of big hits and putting up a solid performance in his own end. Though his 17 minutes were least amongst Habs blueliners, and he is still a few years away, he showed glimpses of the kind of player the Canadiens hope he develops to be.

Carey Price: His best performance of the preseason to date, meaning he has gotten better every time he has been in goal. Very encouraging sign for him being ready to start the year on a good note.

Frederic St. Denis: Quietly, another surprise of camp. He has looked very steady in his own end, making few mistakes, and, despite his very average size, looking strong enough to contain larger players. There's no room for him right now, but with another year of development in Hamilton, could conceivably challenge for a job next Fall.

Preseason Game 6: 26/09/11 Boston Bruins at Montreal Canadiens

Tonight, the Boston Bruins (well, some of them...) make their first trip back to the Bell Centre since eliminating the Habs from the Stanley Cup playoffs last spring. After blowing out the Canadiens 7-3 in a game in Halifax last night, the Habs will ice a very different team for this one.

Here's a look:

MONTREAL CANADIENS

Forwards

Mike Cammalleri - Tomas Plekanec - Brendan Gallagher

Michael Bournival - Brian Willsie - Brian Gionta

Brock Trotter - Gabriel Dumont - Mike Blunden

Phillippe Lefebvre - Philip DeSimone - Alain Berger

Defensemen

Jeff Woywitka - Josh Gorges

Jaroslav Spacek - Raphael Diaz

Jarred Tinordi - Frederic St-Denis

Goaltenders

Carey Price (full game)
Nathan Lawson

Expect a significant round of cuts to be announced either after the game this evening, or else tomorrow morning. The Hamilton Bulldogs will open their training camp this week with their first preseason game scheduled for Friday, September 30th, in Victoriaville against the Binghamton Senators.

Habs forward Max Pacioretty will not play tonight as he is sidelined with a flu.

The Bruins, meanwhile, will play many of the same players in the second half of the back-to-back, with notable absences tonight including Zdeno Chara, Brad Marchand, and Benoit Pouliot.

BOSTON BRUINS

Forwards

Milan Lucic - David Krejci - Tyler Seguin
Max Sauve - Rich Peverley - Chris Clark
Jordan Caron - Chris Kelly - Jamie Arniel
Lane MacDermid - Greg Campbell - Shawn Thornton

Defensemen

Dennis Seidenberg, Johnny Boychuk, Andrew Ference, Steven Kampfer, Matt Bartkowski, Colby Cohen

Goaltenders

Tuukka Rask

Anton Khudobin

25/09/11: Boston 7, Montreal 3; Habs fall to meaningless 1-4-0

Again, preseason losses aren't something to panic about. In fact, they should be looked at as learning opportunities to fix problems with parts of a team's game or address certain weakensses. But certainly no one would have set out the script for the Montreal Canadiens' exhibition calendar to begin with a 1-4-0 record.

What went wrong last night in a 7-3 loss to the Boston Bruins? What didn't? The score was not reflective of the play, with Peter Budaj - who played the full 60 minutes in goal - admittedly not having his best outing.

But that's not to blame him entirely for the loss. The Canadiens took a few too many chances, including young defenseman Nathan Beaulieu who likely played his worst of the three games he's been in, though still moved the puck well for much of the night.

The team also couldn't finish a number of their own opportunities, most notably a Brendan Gallagher sweet move early in the second the resulted in a puck clanking off the post. Gallagher may have been the team's best forward in the loss, again showing that he oozes with potential.

Aaron Palushaj continued on his productivity streak from Saturday, following up on his 2 assist performance with a goal and a helper last night. After a horrible first part of camp, this recent spurt may allow him to stay with the club through the remaining exhibition games instead of being a part of the cuts coming Monday night or Tuesday.

Yannick Weber is doing little to inspire confidence in his spot in the top 6. While Alexei Yemelin hasn't been blowing anyone away, he has been far more solid and stronger than the Swiss defenseman and looks to be well ahead of him in the depth chart. With no shot of making the team this year and playing in his first preseason game, Morgan Ellis may have actual been the team's best d-man last night, playing in front of many family and friends as he is a native of Prince Edward Island and plays for Cape Breton in the QMJHL.

The Canadiens next preseason game is at home tonight against the same Bruins. Canadiens prospect Michael Bournival is recovered from the knee injury he suffered during camp and expected to make his preseason debut.

Preseason Game 5: 25/09/11 Montreal Canadiens vs. Boston Bruins, in Halifax

Line-up for tonight's game as your 1-3-0 Montreal Canadiens face an iteration of the Boston Bruins for the first time since the B's eliminated the Habs in the first round of the playoffs en route to winning the Stanley Cup.

MONTREAL CANADIENS

Forwards

Brendan Gallagher - Scott Gomez - Erik Cole

Andrei Kostitsyn - Brian Willsie - Aaron Palushaj

Mike Blunden - Andreas Engqvist - Mathieu Darche

Alexander Avtsin - Dany Masse - Olivier Archambault

Defensemen

Nathan Beaulieu, Hal Gill, Alexei Yemelin, Yannick Weber, Alex Henry, Morgan Ellis

Goaltenders

Peter Budaj (full game)

Robert Mayer

BOSTON BRUINS

Forwards

Brad Marchand, Nathan Horton, Tyler Seguin, Benoit Pouliot, Greg Campbell, Jordan Caron, Zack Hamill, Daniel Paille, Shawn Thornton, Trent Whitfield, Max Sauve, Chris Clark

Defensemen

Zdeno Chara, Joe Corvo, Adam McQuaid, Stephen Kampfer, Zach McKelvie, David Warsofsky

Goaltenders

Tuukka Rask
Anton Khudobin

Interesting to note that Zdeno Chara and Benoit Pouliot are in the line-up tonight, meaning they're unlikely to play at the Bell Centre in Montreal tomorrow. Max Pacioretty, meanwhile, will skip his turn this evening in favour of playing at home tomorrow, so any Chara-Pacioretty hostilities will have to wait (though they are rather unlikely anyway).

Brendan Gallagher will have another golden opportunity to strut his stuff with two talented offensive players, while Aaron Palushaj NEEDS to string a second solid game in a row together here if he has any shot at sticking with the big club. In Gallagher's case, if there are a number of players on the IR when the year begins, it's possible he stays in Montreal for a few games to see how he fares vs. NHL competition. There is no doubt he'll end up back in Vancouver before the 10 game mark to prevent his contract from kicking in, but if the team needs more health bodies, he has been one of the better players.

NOTE that the game begins at 6:00 PM EST tonight!

2011/12 NHL Preview - Northeast Division

And finally we arrive at the Northeast. If you missed the earlier division previews, check them out here:

- Atlantic Division

- Southeast Division

- Northwest Division

- Central Division

- Pacific Division

BOSTON BRUINS

Projected depth chart / lines:

Milan Lucic - Patrice Bergeron - Nathan Horton

Tyler Seguin - David Krejci - Brad Marchand

Benoit Pouliot - Rich Peverley - Chris Kelly

Daniel Paille - Greg Campbell - Shawn Thornton

Zdeno Chara - Dennis Seidenberg

Andrew Ference - Joe Corvo

Johnny Boychuk - Adam McQuaid

Tim Thomas

Tuukka Rask

The defending Stanley Cup champions lost some depth over the summer, notably playoff hero Michael Ryder who signed in Dallas, and trade deadline acquisition Tomas Kaberle who joined the Carolina Hurricanes. Picking up some slack offensively will be a year-older Tyler Seguin who should now be a regular, and Benoit Pouliot who will be trying his luck with a third club in his short NHL career. Rookies Zach Hamill and Jordan Caron will battle for jobs in training camp but the forward group is deep enough that they are likely to start the year in the AHL. Brad Marchand was a hero (second only to the man in goal) in last year's playoffs and should improve on the 41 point he scored last season. With the possible exception of assist-man David Krejci, all of Boston's top 6 should be expected to top the 20 goal mark, and with quality two-way players in trade deadline acquisitions Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley on the third line, the team looks ready to compete again.

The Bruins defense isn't nearly as deep as their offense with a significant drop-off after captain Zdeno Chara. The addition of Joe Corvo should help the team's powerplay, but just as it did last year with the acquisition of Kaberle, much of the team's remaining cap space (over $7M with only Marchand left to sign) should go to patch a hole on the back end as this year's deadline nears.

Goaltending isn't something Boston has to worry about as Tim Thomas dominated the league through the regular and post- season last year. And even if, at age 37, he begins to slow down, Tuukka Rask, who stole the starting job from Thomas for one season in 2009-10, is capable of putting up equally as impressive numbers.

YourCanadiens Verdict: Conference contender.

BUFFALO SABRES

Projected depth chart / lines:

Thomas Vanek - Derek Roy - Jason Pominville

Drew Stafford - Brad Boyes - Ville Leino

Tyler Ennis - Paul Gaustad - Nathan Gerbe

Jochen Hecht - Cody McCormick - Patrick Kaleta

Tyler Myers - Christian Ehrhoff

Robyn Regehr - Jordan Leopold

Andrej Sekara - Mike Weber

Ryan Miller

Jhonas Enroth

Active on both the trades and free agency markets this summer, the Sabres enter the season with the best roster they've had since the Daniel Briere and Chris Drury days. At 5'5" and 5'9" respectively, Nathan Gerbe and Tyler Ennis are Buffalo's answer to David Desharnais and Brian Gionta on the Habs, with both showing last season that they belong in the NHL despite their diminutive stature. They will provide added scoring depth to a top 6 that was completed with the signing of Ville Leino, a player whose best seasons many feel are still ahead of him. It seems like top forward Derek Roy will be fully recuperated from his leg injury of last season when training camp opens in a couple of weeks which means Thomas Vanek should continue to score at a 30-goal, 70-point clip on his wing. Drew Stafford exploded last season with 31 goals in 62 games but it remains to be seen if that will be an anomaly for a typical 20 goal man or if it was simply a leap ahead in his development as an NHL'er. The Sabres do still have a bit of work to do to get under the salary cap, but the most likely situation seems to be a trade or demotion of Ales Kotalik up front and Shaone Morissonn on the back end, leaving the above roster unaffected.

Speaking of the defense, adding Christian Ehrhoff and Robyn Regehr gives Buffalo arguably a top 5 defense in the league for the coming season. Anchored by Tyler Myers, the top 4 is as good as any, and to provide further depth, 25-year old Andrej Sekera unexpectedly set a career high last year with 29 points.

For my money, Ryan Miller is the top goaltender in the NHL, and though his numbers took a bit of a dive last season, expect him to rebound behind his newly upgraded D and be one of the top fantasy performers in the league. The Sabres should get at least one more full season out of Jhonas Enroth, now 23, as a back-up, but it is likely he has starter aspirations and that will have to be with a different club.

YourCanadiens Verdict: Solid playoff team.

MONTREAL CANADIENS

Projected depth chart / lines:

Mike Cammalleri - Tomas Plekanec - Erik Cole

Max Pacioretty - Scott Gomez - Brian Gionta

Travis Moen - Lars Eller - Andrei Kostitsyn

Ryan White - David Desharnais - Mathieu Darche

Andrei Markov - Josh Gorges

Hal Gill - P.K. Subban

Jaroslav Spacek - Alexei Yemelin

Carey Price

Peter Budaj

Ah oui, les Canadiens. Pierre Gauthier managed to land his man on July 1st this year with the signing of Erik Cole to a 4-year deal. Cole seems like a great fit, bringing much-needed size and physicality to the Montreal forward core, but Habs fans need to hope that he'll fit in much better with Tomas Plekanec than he did with the Edmonton Oilers - his only other stint in the NHL outside of Carolina. Andrei Kostitsyn had some harsh words about head coach Jacques Martin printed in the Belarussian media this summer so it will be interesting to see how long he remains in Montreal, given that he's a pending UFA next summer and appears to be slated in for third line duty. He formed a nice duo with Lars Eller at times last year, though, so if the two stick together, it could mean a breakout year statistically for the young Dane. Max Pacioretty should be back at full strength after a vicious Zdeno Chara hit ended his season and what was a very hot breakout stretch for him. The team must hope that the hit and concussion won't cause Pacioretty to play timidly and to avoid the corners and front of the net - the areas where he was most successful.

Montreal lost two pillars on the blueline in James Wisniewski and Roman Hamrlik but will see the return of veteran Andrei Markov who, when healthy, can be one of the game's top defensemen. Markov will find his old spot quaterbacking the powerplay, meaning P.K. Subban should improve upon the 38 points he scored last year just from receiving passes from the guy at the opposite point. Alexei Yemelin will be an intriguing addition to the club, assuming he makes the big team out of camp, as he brings a physical toolkit the team has missed since the departure of Mike Komisarek. Jaroslav Spacek has (rightfully) fallen out of favour with much of the Canadiens' fanbase, but as a pending UFA, he will have the pressure of improving or seeing his NHL days come to an end following this season, which hopefully will inspire him to reach his pre-Habs levels of play.

Carey Price made Pierre Gauthier look smart for making the unpopular move of trading Jaroslav Halak by turning in the best performances of his career. After playing 72 games, Habs fans must believe that he is the real deal, but there will remain some trepidation that it could have been just a good season until he plays well consistently again in 11-12. No one will mistake Peter Budaj for a quality NHL starter, but given that he played 45 games for Colorado last year, he should be expected to get more action than the 16 games Alex Auld saw in Montreal (perhaps a 60-22 split).

Frankly, if things go right, this team could be as good as the Bruins and chase them and/or the Sabres for the division title. However, if Scott Gomez doesn't rebound from a horrid season, Carey Price is inconsistent, Erik Cole disappoints, the injury bug strikes, and Pierre Gauthier sits tight all year with this group of d-men, it could be a long season that sees the team finish outside the top 8.

YourCanadiens Verdict: Solid playoff team.

OTTAWA SENATORS

Projected depth chart / lines:

Milan Michalek - Jason Spezza - Daniel Alfredsson

Nikita Filatov - Nick Foligno - Bobby Butler

Chris Neil - Peter Regin - Stephane Da Costa

Zack Smith - Zenon Konopka - Jesse Winchester

Sergei Gonchar - Erik Karlsson

Chris Phillips - Jared Cowen

David Rundblad - Filip Kuba

Craig Anderson

Alex Auld

The Senators are rebuilding and the fact that they were rather quiet this off-season seems to indicate the process is on-going. Offensively, there are a number of young players who will try to establish themselves during training camp, including mid-season signee Stephane Da Costa, draft day acquisition Nikita Filatov, and 2011 first round pick Mika Zibanejad. The Sens will need some of these guys to elevate their play as the offense is quite thin beyond the top trio of Jason Spezza (slowed by injuries), Daniel Alfredsson (aging, injuries), and Milan Michalek (hasn't been productive since removed from the top lines of San Jose). College free agent signing Bobby Butler looks to have been a nice find for the Sens, putting up 21 points in 36 NHL games after getting a call-up from the AHL in his first pro season. If he can build on that, he should have the inside track for a top 6 job this year.

If you look at half of Ottawa's defense, you see declining veterans whose best days seem long behind them. Fortunately, the other half is comprised of top notch defensive prospects Erik Karlsson, Jared Cowen, and David Rundblad, the first of which broke out last year with an all-star game nod worthy performance, and the latter two expected to play their NHL rookie seasons this year after putting up big numbers from the blueline in their respective leagues. Rundblad in particular comes over to North America turning 21 in October and coming off a season where he scored 50 points in 55 games in the Swedish Elite League; quite an impressive feat. The Sens hope they've found a balance of new and old, but it is more likely the veterans slowly fade out and give way as the youth takes on larger roles.

Craig Anderson will get another shot to prove he can be a quality starter over a full season after putting up studly numbers following a trade to Ottawa from Colorado (.939 save percentage and 2.05 GAA in 18 games). Sens fans should be cautious, though, as he only has one season of more than 55 games under his belt, meaning Alex Auld should expect to see more action than he did in Montreal.

YourCanadiens Verdict: Out of the playoffs.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

Projected depth chart / lines:

Joffrey Lupul - Tim Connolly - Phil Kessel

Nikolai Kulemin - Mikhail Grabovski - Clarke MacArthur

Colby Armstrong - Matthew Lombardi - Nazem Kadri

Mike Brown - Tyler Bozak - Darryl Boyce

Dion Phaneuf - John-Michael Liles

Luke Schenn - Cody Franson

Keith Aulie - Mike Komisarek

James Reimer

Jonas Gustavsson

Brian Burke kept no secrets that he was looking to upgrade his center position this summer, and after missing out on Brad Richards, he did so by signing the highly skilled but oft-injured Tim Connolly. Having missed only 23 games in total over the last two years combined, the Leafs hope Connolly's biggest issues are in the past, and that he'll find chemistry with Phil Kessel on the team's top line. If that works out, the Leafs may have a potent offense this season, with the second line of Nikolai Kulemin, Mikhali Grabovski, and Clarke MacArthur coming off a big season. Further helping the club's depth is the fact that salary dump acquisition Matthew Lombardi looks to be healthy and may join the club as early as during training camp. Lombardi played only 2 games with Nashville last year due to a concussion, but topped the 50 point mark in Phoenix the year prior. A number of young players will be auditioning for roles, but only Nazem Kadri seems like a safe bet to make the team out of camp. Joe Colbourne, Matt Frattin, and Jerey D'Amigo will be amongst those looking for a call-up at some point.

The Leafs lost a lot of their depth on D but also got quite a bit younger. Picked up in trades, Cody Franson and Keith Aulie both look like they could be fixtures for many years, while another acquisition, John-Michael Liles, increases the group's mobility and puck-moving skills, eating minutes while the younger players develop. The pressure, then, will be on Mike Komisarek whose career has taken a disastrous turn, and captain Dion Phaneuf who seems to have left his offensive game in Calgary.

James Reimer had a hot start at the NHL level, emerging from obscurity to post a .921 save percentage and 2.60 GAA in 37 games. Toronto faithful have to hope for at least a repeat performance from the 23-year old, but it wouldn't be the first time a young goalie rose to stardom quickly only to fall right back down. Fortunately for the Leafs, there is still hope that Jonas Gustavsson develops into "The Monster" he was seen to be, with several great performances towards the end of the American League season after returning from injury.

YourCanadiens Verdict: Bubble playoff team.

Memory Monday: Looking Back at Mark Recchi

Every Monday, we will take a look back at a player, game, or event from Canadiens' history and reminisce.

To honour his recent Stanley Cup victory with the Boston Bruins and subsequent retirement, today we remember Mark Recchi's stint with the Montreal Canadiens.

Long before Recchi drew the ire of Canadiens fans this past season when he suggested that perhaps Montreal was embellishing Max Pacioretty's injury in order to draw out a suspension for Zdeno Chara, he was himself a fan favourite for the blue, blanc, et rouge.

In a blockbuster swap in February of 1995, the Habs sent John LeClair, Eric Desjardins, and Gilbert Dionne to the Philadelphia Flyers in return for Recchi, then 27 years of age. By that point, Recchi had already won a Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and was coming off seasons of 123 and 107 points with the Flyers.

While Recchi would never replicate those types of numbers in Montreal, he still shone as an offensive catalyst on a team in the midst of a crisis-level demolition from the one that won the Cup just 2 years prior. To give you an idea of what was going on, between the end of the '94 season to the end of '95, the following players were moved out of Montreal:

Kevin Haller

Guy Carbonneau

John LeClair

Eric Desjardins

Gilbert Dionne

Kirk Muller

Mathieu Schneider

Craig Darby

Paul DiPietro

And the rest of the team didn't last much longer, because if we extend till the end of calendar year 1995, you can add the following names:

Brian Bellows

J.J. Daigneault

Craig Ferguson

Yves Sarault

Patrick Roy

Mike Keane

Virtually everyone who played a part in bringing the 24th Stanley Cup in franchise history to Montreal left the city in the 2 years that followed.

So who was left to play alongside Recchi? Well, his first full season (1995-96) marked the entrance to the league of a talented young rookie by the name of Saku Koivu. Though they weren't linemates immediately, the veteran took the young Finn under his wing and the two developed a close friendship during their time together here, with Recchi being a major supporter of Saku's as he went through his battle with cancer years later.

After putting up 43 points in 39 games with the Canadiens the year he was acquired, Recchi would not surpass the 1 point per game mark again in Montreal, though he would come close, initially playing with veteran stars Vincent Damphousse and Pierre Turgeon. But just a year later, the revolving door of talent swung again, and Turgeon was shipped out along with near all-star Rory Fitzpatrick and promising youngster Craig Conroy for an aging Shayne Corson and Murray Baron. So Recchi found new mates in the likes of Martin Rucinsky and Stephane Richer.

All in all, Recchi would total 322 points in 346 games over 5 seasons in Montreal, before being sent back to Philadelphia in March of 1999 in return for Dainius Zubrus and 2nd and 6th round draft picks. The trade still has some bearing on the organization today, as Zubrus would later be sent to Washington in a multi-player deal that brought Richard Zednik to Montreal, and Zednik would eventually be traded back to Washington for a draft pick which became Olivier Fortier, who presently plays for the Hamilton Bulldogs but has potential upside as a 3rd or 4th liner.

The highlight many Canadiens fans will remember of Recchi's days in Montreal was his play as the team's representative in the 1996-97 NHL All-Star Game. Rex potted a hat trick and was named the game's MVP, earning the traditional new car prize for his efforts.

All in all, with over 1,500 points and three Stanley Cup champions with three different teams (Pittsburgh, Carolina, and Boston), Recchi's resume should someday make him a Hall of Famer. At just 5'10" and 190 lbs, he undoubtedly battled through a lot of adversity over his career, and to continue to play - and PRODUCE - until the age of 43 is truly remarkable. I'll admit to getting a little choked up as I watched Bruins coach Claude Julien keep Recchi out on the ice for the entire final minute of Game 7 of the Cup finals, and it was a fitting final shift to cap an illustrious career. What more could one ask for than to go out on your own terms, and to go out a champion.

Previewing Game 7

Wednesday here on Dan's Daily Dose will be a look at teams other than the Canadiens, and what else could there be to talk about today than tonight's 7th and deciding game between the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins.

If this game is to go into overtime, I am genuinely concerned for the mental and cardiovascular health of Bruin and Canuck fans everywhere. For those less emotionally involved, it should be a good one, so grab your popcorn, beer, and settle into your favourite spot in front of the television.

The series has been a strange one so far. The games in Boston have been completely one-sided, with the Bruins outscoring the Canucks 16-3 in total. Meanwhile, in Vancouver, Roberto Luongo has allowed only 1 goal total over the three games, which allows his team to be in a position to win the series despite having scored only 7 total goals over the first 6 games.

While it is true that there is significance to a Stanley Cup being won by a Canadian team for the first time since Montreal in 1993, those seeing the series as Canada vs. the U.S. are a little off. Based on expected Game 7 rosters, Vancouver will dress 10 Canadian-born players, while Boston's line-up will include 13 (which represent 8 different provinces!).

Sitting on the fence about who to cheer for? Well here are some comparisons to help you make up your mind:

LAST STANLEY CUP

Boston: 1972

Vancouver: Never (founded 1970)

FORMER CANADIENS

Boston: Michael Ryder, Mark Recchi

Vancouver: Maxim Lapierre, Chris Higgins

TRIVIA FUN FACT

Boston: Starting goaltender Tim Thomas was a draft pick of the Quebec Nordiques

Vancouver: Chris Higgins's 5th team in the last 3 seasons (MTL, NYR, CGY, FLA, VAN)

REASONS TO LIKE THEM

Boston:

Mark Recchi - still-productive veteran likely to call it a career after the game

Nathan Horton - scoring forward knocked out of Finals with serious concussion

Vancouver:

Mason Raymond - knocked out of Finals with vertebrae injury

Manny Malhotra - inspirational return from career-threatening eye injury

And my prediction?

3-1 Canucks