Network Of Negativity

The Florida Panthers clash with the Habs tonight in pre-season play at the Bell Centre.  Under normal circumstances I'd be ecstatic because the Habs are playing and it's being televised.  But this pre-season is different than other years.  This year there is  a network of negativity and down right hatred working it's way through Habs fandom.  Ninety-nine percent of which is  appears directed at goaltender Carey Price.

I get it that a lot of fans are still upset with the Halak trade but isn't this wave of anger getting out of hand.  It's pre-season hockey which doesn't mean a damn thing except who might make the Habs and who will be sent elsewhere.  I'm a fan of Jaroslav Halak and am sorry that he won't be on our team this year but there comes a time when reality has to set in even for those of us delusional Canadiens fans. He's not coming back and it's not Price's fault that he's gone: management makes those choices. It's sickening to read some of the negative, rude comments on my favourite blogs and any one who tries to be  rational is labelled Price-aholic or Price Lover. 
Media coverage begins with negative headlines because the fans are reacting that way, well  that's their excuse anyway.  Price is responsible for his own play but he also needs defensive support from the team. Yes team. It's a team sport where individuals contribute to the outcome.  Team A should be Team F because in both games they've been less than stellar and a whole lot worse than Team B.

It's difficult enough playing a city where the great myth of hockey passion prevails.  I call it myth because over the past few years I've seen little to suggest that it's real passion for the game that motivates many of the Habs fans there unless you can call boorish behaviour passion.  I know that there are a lot of fans at the Bell Centre who aren't a part of the negative network but where else do fans have to be reminded that there are American players on the team before the singing of the American National Anthem so the fans won't boo?  Passion? I call it classless and demeaning to the rest of us fans who do not act or feel that way. It's also difficult to believe that the booing during Price's last showing was a spontaneous act when there were fans there with anti-Price signs. . there was no way they were made on the spur of the minute so these folk were hoping for a bad showing. If you don't like Price, it's your prerogative. But enough is enough.

It's not always easy to like some of the players who are on the team.  Sometimes you just have to tolerate them because we cheer for what's on the front of the jersey and not what's on the back of it.

The constant booing and bashing of Price deservedly or not will do nothing to help this team move forward in the coming season.  Negativity breeds negativity unless it's stopped.  It would be nice to see some class tonight at Bell Centre and a little positive reinforcement. The result might  be surprising.to fans and media alike.

ROSTER MOVES

The Canadiens announced today  that 16 players were assigned to the AHL Hamilton Bulldogs and that forward Louis Leblanc (Montreal – QMJHL) and defenseman Jarred Tinordi (London – OHL) were returned to their respective team.

The Bulldogs will be leaving on Tuesday, September 28 for Newfoundland where they will hold training camp until October 3, including three preseason games against the Binghamton Senators.

16 players assigned to Hamilton:
Goaltender (1)
Robert Mayer

Defensemen (7)
Neil Petruic
Kyle Klubertanz
Brendon Nash
Frédéric St-Denis
David Urquhart
Sébastien Bisaillon
Marc-Antoine Desnoyers

Forwards (8)
Alexander Avtsin
James T. Wyman
Jimmy Bonneau
Andrew Conboy
Dany Massé
Olivier Fortier
Ian Schultz
Aaron Palushaj

Thirty-six (36) players are still at training camp, including four (4) goaltenders, eleven (11) defensemen and twenty-one (21) forwards. The list of injured players at camp includes; Curtis Sanford (lower body), Andrei Markov (knee) and Roman Hamrlik (knee), Hunter Bishop (upper body), Max Pacioretty (upper body) and Ryan Russell (lower body).