For those of you who were not aware, I recently had to make a difficult decision. Following the great controversy surrounding the Gazette's Patrick Hickey and an article he wrote and was published on December 13th about retired NHL great Theo Fleury and his history with his abuser Graham Jones, I became quite outraged over what was written.
The backlash was immediate, with courageous and heartfelt words, read them for yourself.
@Metricjulie's open letter to Patrick Hickey.
@Lissa77 had a response of her own.
Lissa further expanded later on what followed after she wrote her piece.
This was all followed by what I personally considered a rather disastrous set of radio interviews on the day of publication. The first by Patrick Hickey's editor for the Gazette sports section, Stu Cowan who I held a rather low opinion of already for some poor journalism on his part writing about the Canadiens. Suffice to say, his defence of Hickey sunk my opinion of him to a subterranean depth. Insinuating that the Gazette had heard both support and derision for Hickey's column was rather disingenuous on his part, being plugged into social media is not a perfect barometer but one can hardly say Hickey had even 5% public support behind him on this.
Hickey followed this up with a pair of radio interviews himself. First, he ducked a possible interview on Toronto Sports Radio Fan 590 which now I understand, the hosts were not happy with what he'd wrote and were not likely to softball him on questions. What Hickey decided to do instead was take an interview on Toronto's TSN 1050 radio, where he received a far more comfortable interview. Not that he didn't still manage to shoot himself in the foot, while that foot was in his mouth. The quote "Victims sometimes have to take responsibility for their actions." is the kind of thing we've come to expect from the sexual predators who argue "they were asking for it" by how the victim dressed.
Hickey took a second interview later on Montreal's TSN 990 with top local radio personality Mitch Melnick. Suffice to say, Hickey again decided to show his complete ignorance on the matter. "Theo Fleury deserves our sympathy but not our respect." Also in the interview, he attempted to twist the words of @metricjulie to sound as if she supported him and was completely dismissive to another victim of sexual abuse, @tricolore who bravely took to the radio waves to challenge Hickey. Melnick took a tough interview and did not allow his past relationship with Hickey to make it easy on him and is to be commended for it.
Also joining in the fray was Habs Eyes On the Prize with their own take, including a testimonial in the comments sections by @tricolore under the name Daniel Bigras, it's the 3rd comment after the article.
One of the first reactions to the article that I read though was Kevin Van Steendelaar, editor of the Habs Eyes on the Prize blog posted to Hockey Inside/Out. Kevin stated that unless there was a retraction or apology regarding Patrick Hickey's work he would never post there again I was inspired. Kevin was absolutely right, he didn't want to be associated with a subsidiary site of the Gazette that would promote such poor reporting and unenlightened views and I was in agreement with him. While I am aware Habs Future is a very minor part of Hockey Inside/Out, it is mine, I take the time every week to do my research, collect every player report I can and compile a complete report on which Canadiens prospects are leading in performance. I have my ethics about these matters and simply, I no longer wish to be associated with a publication that would approve, promote and defend what Patrick Hickey has written of late. I had become accustomed to them using Jack Todd to stir up controversy and sell papers, but Hickey's caustic remarks of late are not something I can tolerate. The Habs Future piece that covered the prospects from December 5th t0 11th was the final Habs Future that will ever be published at Hockey Inside/Out.
I will always thank Habitant in Surrey, the poster who while not a very popular man in the Hockey Inside/Out community was instrumental for campaigning Mike Boone to give me some space to prepare a prospects report. I thank Mike Boone for the opportunity he gave me and have already sent him a private letter concerning my views and desire to remove myself from Hockey Inside/Out following the controversy. He has been very understanding and thanked me for my contributions to date and respects my decision. I should firmly state that without these two men inspiring me to write my blog, you probably would never have heard of me and I wouldn't know half of what I know now about prospects and player development.
Since I made my announcement, I would like to thank several reputable Habs blogging networks for making offers to host Habs Future. Based on some prior relationships and past offers I elected to join the excellent blogging community that is All Habs. Starting December 19th, I will begin publishing what will now be known as Catching the Torch.
I'd never really been in love with the title Habs Future, it was a decent enough title but it lacked imagination in my opinion. Anyone who holds even a modicum of knowledge about the team knows the line in the Habs locker room room "To You From Failing Hands We Throw The Torch Be Yours To Hold It High." Hence the title, these young men I track are expected to be the next Habs so it is very much upon them to take up the torch as they arrive in Montreal. This is not an attempt to destroy all links to Hockey Inside/Out, I just felt like it was time to update the title to something I felt had a more thoughtful tone.
I would like to thank Rick Stephens, Editor-in-Chief of All Habs for this new opportunity I am embarking upon and look forward to joining the passionate group of writers that populate All Habs.
In the future, you can expect all my writing content to come through All Habs so this is essentially a retirement of "Habs and Hockey" as well, but the page shall remain intact. I've composed several pieces I am particularly proud of so I see no need to close the blog down entirely. This decision was never easy, but no decision of consequence should be so I stand firm in my belief that this was the right choice. Thank you to everyone who supported my stance on this issue as well but I am just a blogger who stood on principle in the end, people like @metricjulie and @tricolore are the true heroes in this.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Habs Future for the Week of December 5th
The Three Stars of the Week
1. RW Aaron Palushaj has returned to the Hamilton Bulldogs once more, helping reinforce the team as they seek to regain much lost ground in the American Hockey League standings. Palushaj’s first game back was the definition of great timing for the embattled farm team of the Montreal Canadiens, he scored the game-winning goal in overtime to end a 0-0 tie and a victory over the Adirondack Phantoms on Tuesday. Palushaj would later score a goal and assist in his 3rd game of the week as the Bulldogs soundly defeated the Syracuse Crunch 4-1. Palushaj was held off the scoresheet against the Toronto Marlies on Friday and the Rochester Americans on Sunday. Palushaj’s two goals and assist also saw him cross the milestone of 100 career AHL points for a total of 102, including 33 goals. Palushaj was drafted in the 2nd round, 44th overall by the St Louis Blues in the 2007 Entry Draft and was acquired by the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Matt D’Agostini.
2. C Michaël Bournival has continued his drive to restore himself to regular form after missing a month with a shoulder injury while preparing himself to try out for Team Canada for the upcoming Under-20 World Junior Tournament. In his first game of the week, Bournival scored two goals trying to force a comeback for his Shawinigan Cataractes against the Baie-Comeau Drakkar, but the effort unfortunately fell short in a 3-2 loss. Bournival would add a single assist in a 3-0 victory over the Drummondville Voltigeurs on Friday night to finish his week. Bournival currently holds the 2nd-best active points streak for a Canadiens prospect with 3 goals and 6 assists over five games and a total of 15 goals in 16 games this season. Bournival was drafted in the 3rd round, 71st overall in the 2010 Entry Draft by the Colorado Avalanche and was acquired by the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Ryan O’Byrne.
3. RW Danny Kristo set a couple of important marks for himself over the weekend. On Saturday night, he scored the only goal of the game 44 seconds into the 3rd period to help secure the game for North Dakota, allowing them to split their weekend series with University of Nebraska-Omaha after a 3-2 overtime loss on Friday where Kristo was held pointless. This was the 3rd Saturday game in a row for Kristo where he scored, or assisted on the game-winning goal. It was Kristo’s 9th goal of the season in his 18th game, eclipsing his rather underachieving mark of 8 goals over 34 games last season. Kristo was drafted in the 2nd round, 56th overall in the 2008 Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens.
Of Special Note: The fate of Nathan Beaulieu, Michaël Bournival and Brendan Gallagher’s bids to represent Canada at the Under-20 World Junior Championships will be known very soon. Final Scrimmage will take place Tuesday night against the Canadian Interuniversity Sports All-Stars. Final roster to be announced on Wednesday.
On The Radar: RW Brendan Gallagher scored a goal and assist in his only game of the week, raising him to 24G, 22A on his season, 1 point short of 250 career points in the WHL. D Scott Kishel had a goal and assist over the weekend. C Daniel Pribyl had a two-goal game in his only First League game on the week. RW Steve Quailer now holds the longest point streak for a Canadiens prospect this season after scoring his 6th goal of the season on Saturday, he has 5G, 7A over 7 games.
Question Marks: D Brendon Nash is out indefinitely after having shoulder surgery in October. D Jarred Tinordi was suspended by the OHL for two games for fighting in the last five minutes of a game on December 3rd. C Dustin Walsh is out with a leg injury.
Complete Statistics for the week of December 5th, 2011
Legend
Skaters: Games Played, Goals, Assists, +/-, Penalty Minutes
Goalies: Wins, Losses, Overtime Losses, Shootout Losses, Goals Against Average, Save Percentage
Teams: Wins, Losses, Overtime Losses, Shootout Losses, Ties (for NCAA teams only)
Season Stats: Season scoring prior to the past week.
The AHL Report: The Hamilton Bulldogs have been the AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens since 2002. It is the most common route for developing Montreal Canadiens prospects into full-time members of the organization. There are currently 9 members of the Hamilton Bulldogs that can be thought to have future consideration for an NHL position. The Hamilton Bulldogs have a record of 10-13-1-1 and are 5th in their Division, 13th in their Conference, 27th overall in the AHL.
RW Alexander Avtsin: 20 years old, 6'2", 199 pounds, RH shot.
| Season Stats | 21GP | 2G | 5A | -10 | 12 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 4GP | 1G | 0A | +1 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 25GP | 3G | 5A | -9 | 12 PIM |
RW Mike Blunden: 24 years old, 6’4”, 218 pounds, RH shot.
| Season Stats | 12GP | 2G | 4A | 0 | 8 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 4GP | 1G | 0A | 0 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 16GP | 3G | 4A | 0 | 8 PIM |
C Philip DeSimone 24 years old, 6’1”, 188 pounds, LH shot.
| Season Stats | 21GP | 5G | 6A | -10 | 18 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 4GP | 1G | 1A | 0 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 25GP | 6G | 7A | -10 | 18 PIM |
C Gabriel Dumont: 20 years old, 5'10", 189 pounds, RH shot.
| Season Stats | 12GP | 1G | 1A | -6 | 8 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 4GP | 1G | 1A | -1 | 2 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 16GP | 2G | 2A | -7 | 10 PIM |
C Andreas Engqvist: 23 years old, 6'4", 191 pounds, RH shot.
| Season Stats | 8GP | 3G | 2A | +2 | 0 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 4GP | 1G | 0A | +1 | 4 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 12GP | 4G | 2A | +3 | 4 PIM |
RW Aaron Palushaj: 22 years old, 6', 188 pounds, RH shot.
| Season Stats | 6GP | 1G | 6A | -3 | 10 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 4GP | 2G | 1A | +2 | 6 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 10GP | 3G | 7A | -1 | 16 PIM |
Called up to Montreal:
C Louis Leblanc: 20 years old, 6’, 180 pounds, RH shot.
| Season Stats | 14GP | 4G | 6A | -5 | 4 PIM |
Injured:
D Brendon Nash: 23 years old, 6'3", 210 pounds, LH shot.
| Season Stats | 0GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 0 PIM |
Assigned to the ECHL:
G Peter Delmas: 21 years old, 6’2”, 188 pound, Catches Left.
AHL:
| Season Stats | 0GP | 0-0-0 | GAA | % |
ECHL:
| Season Stats | 9GP | 5-3-0 | 2.32 GAA | .900% |
| Weekly Stats | 1GP | 1-0-0 | 1.00 GAA | .971% |
| Complete Stats | 10GP | 6-3-0 | 2.17 GAA | .911% |
The Juniors Report: The Canadiens currentlyfeature prospects playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and the Western Hockey League (WHL). These leagues can be considered the primary conduit towards professional hockey in North America.
QMJHL:
LW Olivier Archambeault: 18 years old, 5’11”, 184 pounds. LH shot.
Junior Club: Drummondville Voltigeurs
13W, 17L, 2OTL, 3 SOL - 14th of 17th overall in the QMJHL.
| Season Stats | 26GP | 9G | 11A | -12 | 12 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 3GP | 0G | 2A | +1 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 29GP | 9G | 13A | -11 | 12 PIM |
D Nathan Beaulieu: 19 years old, 6’3”, 191 pounds, LH shot.
Junior Club: Saint John Sea Dogs – Alternate Captain
26W, 10L, 0 OTL, 1 SOL- 1st of 17th overall in the QMJHL.
| Season Stats | 29GP | 8G | 18A | +20 | 55 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 1GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 2 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 30GP | 8G | 18A | +20 | 57 PIM |
C Michaël Bournival: 19 years old, 6’, 187 pounds, LH shot.
Junior Club: Shawinigan Cataractes – Team Captain
22W, 9L, 2 OTL, 2 SOL – 4th of 17th overall in the QMJHL.
| Season Stats | 14GP | 13G | 8A | +3 | 4 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 2GP | 2G | 1A | +2 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 16GP | 15G | 9A | +5 | 4 PIM |
D Morgan Ellis: 19 years old, 6'2", 204 pounds, RH shot.
Junior Club: Cape Breton Screaming Eagles - Team Captain
14W, 20L, 0 OTL, 1 SOL – 15th of 17th overall in the QMJHL
| Season Stats | 27GP | 7G | 14A | -4 | 10 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 3GP | 0G | 1A | -1 | 6 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 30GP | 7G | 15A | -5 | 16 PIM |
OHL:
D Jarred Tinordi: 19 years old, 6'7", 215 pounds, LH shot.
Junior Club: London Knights – Team Captain
24W, 6L, 0 OTL, 1 SOL – 1st of 20th overall in the OHL
| Season Stats | 18GP | 0G | 7A | +17 | 49 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 1GP | 0G | 0A | -1 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 19GP | 0G | 7A | +16 | 49 PIM |
WHL:
D Darren Dietz: 18 years old, 6’1”, 195 pounds, RH shot.
Junior Club: Saskatoon Blades – Alternate Captain
20W, 11L, 0 OTL, 1 SOL – 8th of 22nd overall in the WHL
| Season Stats | 31GP | 5G | 11A | +14 | 47 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 1GP | 0G | 1A | +1 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 32GP | 5G | 12A | +15 | 47 PIM |
RW Brendan Gallagher: 19 years old, 5'8", 175 pounds, RH shot.
Junior Club: Vancouver Giants – Alternate Captain
(20W, 11L, 1 OTL, 1 SOL – 7th of 22nd overall in the WHL)
| Season Stats | 27GP | 23G | 21A | +10 | 37 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 1GP | 1G | 1A | +2 | 2 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 28GP | 24G | 22A | +12 | 39 PIM |
US College Hockey (NCAA) Report: The Canadiens have drafted a number of college players in recent years, these are generally ‘project players’ who benefit from additional years in lower level hockey to develop their skills.
D Mac Bennett: 20 years old, 6', 180 pounds, LH shot.NCAA Team: University of Michigan Wolverines
(9W, 8L, 2T)
| Season Stats | 18GP | 3G | 10A | +8 | 6 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 2GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 20GP | 3G | 10A | +8 | 6 PIM |
D Scott Kishel: 22 years old, 6’, 190 pounds, LH shot.
NCAA Team: University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs
(12W, 3L, 3T)
| Season Stats | 16GP | 1G | 11A | +10 | 10 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 2GP | 1G | 1A | +2 | 4 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 18GP | 2G | 12A | +12 | 14 PIM |
RW Danny Kristo: 21 years old, 5'11”, 188 pounds, RH shot.
NCAA Team: University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux
(9W, 8L, 1T)
| Season Stats | 16GP | 8G | 11A | +6 | 12 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 2GP | 1G | 0A | -1 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 18GP | 9G | 11A | +5 | 12 PIM |
C Mark MacMillan: 19 years old, 6’, 170 pounds, LH shot.
NCAA Team: University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux
(9W, 8L, 1T)
| Season Stats | 16GP | 2G | 4A | -9 | 8 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 2GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 18GP | 2G | 4A | -9 | 8 PIM |
D Greg Pateryn: 21 years old, 6’3”, 222 pounds, RH shot.
NCAA Team: University of Michigan Wolverines
(9W, 8L, 3T)
| Season Stats | 18GP | 2G | 8A | +7 | 10 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 2GP | 0G | 1A | -1 | 2 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 20GP | 2G | 9A | +6 | 12 PIM |
LW Steve Quailer: 22 years old, 6’4”, 200 pounds, LH shot.
NCAA Team: Northeastern University Huskies
(7W, 7L, 2T)
| Season Stats | 13GP | 5G | 10A | +7 | 12 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 1GP | 1G | 0A | +1 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 14GP | 6G | 10A | +8 | 12 PIM |
C Dustin Walsh: 20 years old, 6’3”, 190 pounds, LH shot.
NCAA Team: Dartmouth College Big Green
(5W, 5L, 1T)
| Season Stats | 5GP | 2G | 5A | +3 | 2 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 0GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 5GP | 2G | 5A | +3 | 2 PIM |
Czech Extraliga Report: The Extraliga is the top professional league in the Czech Reppublic. The First League is the league that plays under it.
C Daniel Pribyl: 18 years old, 6’3”, 190 pounds, RH shot.
Extraliga Team: HC Sparta Praha
19W, 5L, 6 OTL – 2nd of 14th overall in the league
| Season Stats | 15GP | 2G | 0A | +1 | 2 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 0GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 15GP | 2G | 0A | +1 | 2 PIM |
Czech First League Team: HC Berountsi Medovi
(14W, 16L, 1 OTL – 10th of 14th overall in the League)
| Season Stats | 7GP | 3G | 3A | 0 | 2 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 1GP | 2G | 0A | 0 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 8GP | 5G | 3A | 0 | 2 PIM |
Elitserien Report: The Swedish Elite League is the top professional league of Sweden.
D Magnus Nygren: 21 years old, 6’1”, 191 pounds, RH shot.
Elitserien Team: Farjestads BK
(15W, 8L, 7 OTL - 5th of 12 overall in the League)
| Season Stats | 28GP | 5G | 7A | -7 | 2 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 2GP | 0G | 0A | -1 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 30GP | 5G | 7A | -8 | 2 PIM |
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