EASTERN CONFERENCE PREDICTIONS FOR THE 2009-2010 SEASON

EASTERN CONFERENCE STANDING'S PREDICTIONS 2009-2010

1.Pittsburgh Penguins (the Stanley Cup Champ's):

With the Penguin's being cup champ's there will be no reason at all to drop in the standing's. I expected the Pen's to get alot of goal's from Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. I also expect great goaltending from Marc-Andre Fleury. In my mind there's no reason why the Penguin's will not finish in first.

2.Washington Capitals:

The Capital's are expected to come into this season with a great start based on the way the Cap's finished last season. Up front the Cap's will get some scoring from Brendan Morrison and Alex Ovechkin. But I wonder how consistent the goaltending from Jose Theodore will be come playoff time. But overall I think this team should finish in second.

3. Montreal Canadiens :

With the Canadiens coming off a terrible 100th season with having trouble scoring, the Habs will have alot of work to do. But with the new top line of Mike Cammalleri,Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez I think the Hab's will have no problem scoring. There is no doubt in my mind that the Montreal Canadien's will be a contender.All the Hab's really need is Price to rebound off of a bad season and they will finish in 3rd.

4. Boston Bruins:

With the Bruin's coming off a great season, the Bruin's will have a little problem with goaltending. I alway's thought Tim Thomas was a good goalie. But he's inconsistant. So for the Bruin's to win a cup they need him to be more consistant. But will the help of the defenfence and the offense of the Bruin's, they will make it in the top 4. I think the Bruin's will finish 1 point back of Montreal.

5.Philadelphia Flyers:

With the signing of Pronger the Flyers defence and offense will be alot greater epically on the powerplay. I think that Pronger will end up retiring in a Flyer's uniform.Ray Emery will give the Flyer's great goaltending and he will take the place of Martin Biron (who went to the Islander's).

6. New Jersey Devils:

The Devil's will not be that big of a threat this season because of the loss of Gionta and Madden. Also because Brodeur's getting older now and he can't move as quick as before. So don't expected the Devil's to pass the first round of the playoffs.

7.New York Islanders:

With drafting John Tavares and signing Brion and Roloson the Islander's will be a better team this season and will make the Playoff's. In my opinion this was coming for a long time. Not this season but the next the Islander's will become a contender. With the player's they draft. So expected a great future for the Islander's.

8. Tampa Bay Lightning:

This upcoming season expect the Lightning to make the playoff's for the first time since winning the Stanley cup in 2004. Tampa will be lead by defenseman Victor Hedman, forward Martin St.Louis and by Captain Vincent Leacavelier. The lightning will have up's and down's and will not be that consistent but and will make the playoff's by 3 point's.

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9.Toronto Maple Leafs:

This season the Leaf's will not be a threat to start the Season. But the Leaf's will slowly get better as the season progresses and will still yet again find them self's out of a playoff spot to end the season. The additions of Mike Komisarek and former Duck Francois Beauchemin will help the Leaf's this season on the blueline. The Monster will be in a fight for the number 1 goaltending job against Toskala. If Brian Burke want's the Leaf's to make the playoff's this season he will need another 35 goalscore. The Leaf's will miss the playoff's by 3 point's.

10. New York Rangers:

This season the Ranger's will be no threat at all this season. The only real good goal scorer they got for the upcoming season was Gaborik. But he has no one to work with. So expect the Ranger's to drop in the standing's.In my opinion there's no doubt that the Ranger's will finish in 10th.

11. Buffalo Sabers:

This season the Saber's will finish in 11th place because of the lack of offense. Right now I see a great goaltender in Ryan Miller, but hey if you can't score you can't win. So I see no doubt that the Saber's will finish 11th.

12.Ottawa Senator's:

With Healtly saying that he want's out of Ottawa, there's no doubt that that will bring a distraction to the dressing room. If he was leaving the Sen's would finish higher in the standing's because of less distraction's. But he's staying so there's no doubt that he will cause a distraction like Emery did.

13. Carolina Hurricanes:

With the Cane's coming off a great season of going to the eastern confrence final's, they are going to have trouble reaching the high expectation's. With team's getting better, the harder it will get for the Canes. So I think that the Cane's will miss the playoff's this season.

14. Florida Panthers:

With the loss of Jay Bouwmeester don't expected the Panther's to be any better of a team this season. Jay Bouwmeester was the best player on there team. So with him gone who's going to replace him? To be honest I don't think any one on the roster can replace him. So now the Panther's defense will get worse next season.

15. Atlanta Thrashers:

With not many ticket's being sold in Atlanta, the Thrasher's will not get much fan support. So no ticket sale's the Trasher's will only have mony for player's that want a small salary ( with the exception of Antropov and Ilya Kovalchuk). So how are they going to get better? I see no possible way for the Thrasher's to make the playoff's.

Written by Andrew Di Pardo

CANUCKS SIGN SCHNEIDER TO A 1 YEAR CONTRACT

Mathieu Schneider Update:

Today in Vancouver, the Canuck's add some dept on there blueline with the signing of Mathieu Schneider to a 1 year contract. Schneider split last season with the Montreal Canadiens and the Atlanta Thrashers, and achieved 9 goals and 23 assists in just 64 games. Schneider(Who was drafted by Montreal in 1987), has won 2 world cup's with the U.S.A and he has won 1 Stanley cup with the Canadien's in 1993. Which was the last Stanley Cup won by the Habs.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

KOVALEV WOULD LIKE TO RETIRE IN MONTREAL

Today at a golf tournament in Montreal, Kovalev talked about how nice it would be to retire in Montreal. "I've been back in Montreal for 4 or 5 times in the last three weeks," Kovalev said. "Every time you see a fan on the street, they say they're really disappointed. That's why I say, maybe after two years I'll be back again. It definitely would be nice to retire here. But it's not for me to talk about Montreal. I'm part of another organization. I'm going to go there and do the best I can and we'll see what happens." So in order to replace a player like Kovalev, Gainey signed Brian Gionta.

"We hadn't agreed on the amount with Kovalev, but another player was willing to come and join our team," general manager Bob Gainey told radio station CJAD 800.. "So the dollars that we had allotted there for a particular position were grabbed up by another player." So now the question is how will Gionta handle the pressure of playing alongside Scott Gomez and Mike Cammalleri in Montreal?

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

HABS WILL NOT PLAY AT OLYIMPIC STADIUM THIS SEASON

Today in Montreal, Canadiens GM Bob Gainey announced that they will not play an outdoor game this upcoming season. The rumor's of this began towards the beginning of July. The game (that was rumored by sport's channel's )was expected to be played on November 28th 2009 against the Capital's at Olympic Stadium. Olympic Stadium can hold 50,000 fans. Which would be a good money making game for the Canadiens organization. So now that the outdoor game has been canceled the game against the Cap's will be played at the Bell Center on November 28th 2009.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

PRICE EAGER FOR THE START OF THE 09-10 SEASON

In Carey Price's rookie season, it's seemed like Price was meant to be a great goaltender. But the next season was a different story. He went from being a goalie that being compared to Dryden and Roy to a goaltender that can't get out of a slump. Price talked about his first 2 season's and he said it's a learning experience. "It's definitely been a learning experience so far in the NHL," said Price. "I think I've learned a lot more lessons in my first two years than a lot of goalies would have learned anywhere else in six years."

In game 4 of the series between Montreal and Boston, the Canadiens were down 4-1 and Price raised his arm's when' the Hab fan's jeered him just like Patrick Roy."We had two frustrated parties and maybe the choices weren't the best, but you know, it's going to happen," said Price. "Sometimes I'm going to get it, sometimes a player shouldn't give it back but sometimes it happens." Price also said that he is ready to move on."I don't think I've ever been put in a situation that I can't handle," Price said. "I've never backed down from a challenge and this year I'm not going to start." So now we will wait for October to see if Price will get the result's he's looking for.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

INTERVIEW WITH PAUL MARA

Paul Mara is 1 of the Habs new defenceman that is expected to play a big part in the Habs lineup next season. So anyway, Manny Almela from Canadiens.nhl.com had a interview with Mara so that Hab's fan's will get to know him better.

Interview with Mara below:

Who would play the role of Paul Mara if your life story was to be made into movie?
Russell Crowe would be a good candidate.

What’s the most embarrassing song on your iPod these days?
I think there’s a Tiffany song on there somewhere.

People say you look like…?
Boston Red Sox outfielder Dustin Pedroia.

Who is your favorite Seinfeld character?
It’s got to be Kramer.

What’s greatest cartoon of all time?
That’s easy. Chip ‘n Dale.

What’s the strangest thing you ever ate?
Bone marrow.

If you could meet anyone in history, who would it be?
John F. Kennedy

If you were to grab the mic on karaoke night, what song would you sing?
Glory Days by Bruce Springsteen.

What was your favorite breakfast cereal as a kid?
Fruit Loops.

Interview With Mike Cammalleri

With Cammalleri being a new Canadiens player, we don't know much about him. So this interview that Shauna Denis from Canadiens.nhl.com did will get you to know a little bit about Cammalleri.

Interview with Cammalleri below:

What would you want your theme song to be if you could choose?
Probably “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor – the Rocky theme song.

What’s the most embarrassing song on your iPod?
Lady Gaga – Poker Face. It’s not a bad tune though!

What’s the best cartoon of all-time?
Alvin and the Chipmunks. I was all over that as a kid.

What was your favorite cereal as a kid?
Either Fruit Loops or Frosted Flakes and I liked them both pretty equally.

Did you have any special skills as a kid?
Not really, but I played almost any sport you could imagine – soccer, baseball, basketball, golf; I played everything.

You played out in L.A. so tell us, who’s the most famous person in your address book?
I have a few, but I probably shouldn’t sell them out and name any names!

How many people do you know who have stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?
I’m not sure, but I’d guess probably four.

Who do people say you look like?
Lately I’ve been getting the guy from The Tudors [Jonathan Rhys Meyers] a lot, actually.

If you could meet anyone, past or present, who would you pick?
Tough call, but I’d probably go with Van Morrison. I’m a big fan – he’s got such a cool mix of soul and blues.

GOMEZ IS READY FOR NEXT SEASON

Today in Montreal, Gomez talked about being a Montreal Canadien and all the pressure that goes along with it."I've been in Montreal now since the beginning of the month. It's a little different. I mean, everywhere you go people are going to recognize you," Gomez said Wednesday. "I left a great place and I'm going where they say hockey kind of got started and it's going to be neat." Gomez is coming of a bad season with the Rangers by getting only 16 goals when he was expected to get 40. But Scott Gomez say's he want's to rebound in this upcoming season.

"It's something I want to do. It's not going to be easy. Us Mexicans, we roll our "R"s," Gomez joked, adding that learning French "...is important. I do believe that if you go into someone else's country you always try to learn the language. It might not sound pretty but hopefully it'll be all right." Gomez also talked about wanting to learn French." Well I the only thing I learned so far is Merci beaucoup. But I think in time I will learn more."

Written by Andrew Di Pardo

NHL ANNOUNCES T.V LISTINGS FOR THE 09-10 MONTREAL CANADIENS GAMES

Yesterday the NHL announced the t.v listings for the 09-10 Montreal Canadiens games. All the 82 Canadiens games will be on RDS. 16 games will be on TSN and 23 games will be on CBC. The dates for the games on CBC are as followed:

2009-2010
Date	Visitor	Home	Score	Dec	Time (ET)
Thu Oct 1, 2009	Canadiens	Maple Leafs			7:00 PM
Sat Oct 3, 2009	Canadiens	Sabres			7:00 PM
Sat Oct 10, 2009	Canadiens	Oilers			10:00 PM
Sat Oct 17, 2009	Senators	Canadiens			7:00 PM
Sat Oct 24, 2009	Rangers	Canadiens			7:00 PM
Sat Oct 31, 2009	Maple Leafs	Canadiens			7:00 PM
Sat Nov 7, 2009	Lightning	Canadiens			7:00 PM
Sat Nov 21, 2009	Red Wings	Canadiens			7:00 PM
Sat Nov 28, 2009	Capitals	Canadiens			7:00 PM
Fri Dec 4, 2009	Bruins	Canadiens			8:00 PM
Sat Dec 26, 2009	Canadiens	Maple Leafs			7:00 PM
Sat Jan 9, 2010	Devils	Canadiens			7:00 PM
Sat Jan 16, 2010	Senators	Canadiens			7:00 PM
Sat Jan 23, 2010	Rangers	Canadiens			7:00 PM
Sat Jan 30, 2010	Canadiens	Senators			2:00 PM
Sat Feb 6, 2010	Penguins	Canadiens			2:00 PM
Sun Feb 7, 2010	Bruins	Canadiens			3:00 PM
Sat Feb 13, 2010	Flyers	Canadiens			7:00 PM
Sat Mar 6, 2010	Canadiens	Kings			10:00 PM
Sat Mar 13, 2010	Bruins	Canadiens			7:00 PM
Sat Mar 20, 2010	Canadiens	Maple Leafs			7:00 PM
Sat Mar 27, 2010	Devils	Canadiens			7:00 PM
Sat Apr 3, 2010	Sabres	Canadiens			7:00 PM
Sat Apr 10, 2010	Maple Leafs	Canadiens			7:00 PM

The games that are on TSN are as followed:

2009- 2010 season
Date	Visitor	Home	Score	Dec	Time (ET)
Wed Oct 7, 2009	Canadiens	Canucks			10:00 PM
Tue Oct 20, 2009	Thrashers	Canadiens			7:30 PM
Thu Oct 22, 2009	Islanders	Canadiens			7:00 PM
Thu Nov 5, 2009	Canadiens	Bruins			7:00 PM
Fri Nov 20, 2009	Canadiens	Capitals			7:00 PM
Tue Nov 24, 2009	Blue Jackets	Canadiens			7:30 PM
Tue Dec 1, 2009	Maple Leafs	Canadiens			7:30 PM
Thu Dec 17, 2009	Wild	Canadiens			7:00 PM
Wed Jan 20, 2010	Blues	Canadiens			7:30 PM
Wed Jan 27, 2010	Canadiens	Lightning			7:00 PM
Wed Feb 10, 2010	Capitals	Canadiens			7:30 PM
Thu Mar 4, 2010	Canadiens	Sharks			10:30 PM
Wed Mar 24, 2010	Canadiens	Sabres			7:30 PM
Wed Mar 31, 2010	Hurricanes	Canadiens			7:00 PM
Fri Apr 2, 2010	Canadiens	Flyers			7:00 PM
Thu Apr 8, 2010	Canadiens	Hurricanes			7:30 PM

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

CANADIENS RE-SIGN RESTRICTED FREE AGENT MATT D'AGOSTINI TO A 1 YEAR CONTRACT TO WAY CONTRACT

Today in Montreal, Canadiens GM Bob Gainey announced that he has re-signed restricted free agent Matt D'Agostini to a 1 year contract 2 way contract. The 2 way contract means that if D'Agostini is sent to the AHL he will get paid less money. The terms of this deal was not released. On D'Agostini's rookie season with Montreal, he played 53 games and had 12 goals, 9 assists for a total of 21 points.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

CANADIENS RE-SIGN RESTRICTED FREE AGENT STEWART TO ONE-YEAR CONTRACT

Today in Montreal Canadiens GM Bob Gainey announced that he has signed restricted free agent Gregory Stewart to a 1 year contact. Terms of this deal were not released to the media. Stewart played 20 games with the Habs last season and had 1 assist. So now the question is will the Habs do what Jacques Martin want's and sign Matt D'Agostini.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

CANADIENS RELEASED ALL 4 OF THERE LINES FOR THE 09-10 SEASON

Today in Montreal Canadiens Coach Jacques Martin announced that he has released all 4 of there lines for the 09-10 season. The Lines are as followed:

Goalies:

1. Carey Price
2. Jaroslav Halak

Line 1:

Mike Cammalleri, Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta

Line 2:

Andrei Kostitsyn, Tomas Plekanec and Matt D'Agostini

Line 3:

Guillaume Latendresse, Maxim Lapierre and Georges Laraque

Line 4

Travis Moen, Glen Metropolit and Max Pacioretty

Defensive Lines:

1. Andrei Markov and Josh Gorges
2.Roman Hamrlik and Jaroslav Spacek
3.Paul Mara and Hal Gill

Today Gomez talked about being 0n line 1."We both know that me and Gionta have something to prove this season," Gomez Said." There's no better place to prove yourself but in Montreal."Now we will just wait and see how Mike Cammalleri, Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta work together next season. Only time will tell that's for sure.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo