I think that unless they need to work the roster due to injuries they’re ready to ride with 3 goalies into the Olympic break. Ultimately Monty’s days were numbered and he has so far failed to keep his net.

Change of plans for Monty. He only rejoins the Habs after Xmas. So if Dobes plays well tonight and Fowler’s good Tuesday, do they waive (bye be) to Monty?

Sunday morning is Lloyd Cole time.

As they should.

Merci Brendan! Fair and balanced assessment of why the return of number 24 matters. #GoHabsGo

Kent Hughes acquired Phillip Danault because he'll help the team down the middle. But nabbing Danault also underlines that Habs management from Geoff Molson on down really does care about keeping the team as Quebecois as possible. montrealgazette.com/sports/hocke...

And he's got chemistry with some guys on the team already, 52% on faceoffs, and bridges a bit down the center til Hage so Kapanen can develop up depth chart, and prospects (Beck, Davidson) can develop down the chart.

I thought that the loss of the two centres Danault and KK in the summer of 2021 were overshadowed by Weber & Price’s careers ending as reasons the wheels fell off the team and they cratered. Dvorak had a pretty mediocre season as a replacement

It’s a good deal. Where is the downside. In spite of what the rebuild fanatics say, team wants to win a series this year and they need decent vets. And they lose one of two second round picks. No biggie. #Danault

In the cold hard light of the morning I’m thinking more third-line centre. But i’m still saying very good deal. No downside. It doesn’t work out, they lost a second round pick that came with Laine. Veteran Québécois presence. This is good. Le CH ET son peuple.

3rd or 4th line. Kapanen is better. Pk got better.

My latest article for @TheHockeyNews is about the trade that brought Phillip Danault back in Montreal late last night: thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal... #GoHabsGo #CH #Canadiens #Habs #THN

Habs righted two wrongs this month: Markov and Danault

Totally amazing deal for the Canadiens. No down side to acquiring Philip Danault for a second round pick. You get your veteran second-line centre AND he’s Québécois. And he’ll be re-energized returning to the Habs. Le CH et son peuple.

Bought it for a fellow Habs fan in the family! Hope you sell many over the holidays.

Garde le dernier épisode du podcast Les Montréalistes, dans lequel je parle de la place du sport dans la vie montréalaise et québécoise. La question qui tue : pourquoi le Québec produit-il moins de joueurs de la LNH ? www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ljG...

If it was English it would say Gout! Habs Gout! 🤣 Now I'm wondering if consuming excessive amounts of Hellman's #mayonnaise can aggravate #gout. Google AI Overview says: "Yes, mayonnaise can be bad for gout because it's a high-fat condiment, often containing pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids"

You still can't see the slogan "Go! Canadiens Go" on the front of STM buses but there are giant billboards in metro stations that shout "Go Habs Go". Sort of. It's a sly Hellmann's campaign making fun of the controversy. #habs #canadiens #gohabsgo montrealgazette.com/sports/hocke...

So it's less than a week away from the big gift-exchange day & if you're looking for a last-minute idea, how about that book Habs Nation: A People's History of the Montreal Canadiens? If you want a signed copy, message me. Or go to your local bookstore. Or go online. www.amazon.ca/Habs-Nation-...

Here's my Friday on My Mind column. The main item this week is the Théâtre du Rideau Vert's annual year-end satirical revue 2025 revue et corrigée, a super fun spoof of everything that happened in the past 12 months. montrealgazette.com/entertainmen...

The Gaz piece on Monty's game with the Rocket last night shows video of the four goals. Conclusion? He looks just as terrible in the AHL as he did in the NHL this season. Management has a real dilemma on their hands. montrealgazette.com/sports/hocke...

Heated Rivalry author @rachelreidwrites.bsky.social reads the opening line-up to the @victoire-lphf.bsky.social players in Halifax before the game Wednesday versus the @pwhlsceptres.bsky.social. Will the @canadiensnhl.bsky.social follow suit? montrealgazette.com/sports/hocke...

I don't get the Habs' plan with Monty. He will play 2 games for Laval & then will return to Big Team on Sunday in Pittsburgh. Like 2 games in the AHL will fix everything that is wrong between his ears? Makes no sense. His confidence is not there. It's going to return on the weekend. Right, got it.

Yes the Canadiens have a serious goaltending problem but it's being exacerbated by the poor play of the defencemen. My two cents – go with the hot hand. montrealgazette.com/sports/hocke...

P.J. Stock, who appears frequently in the franco media, talks about how there's a divide between how the French-speaking journos see the game compared to us blokes. Samuel is un p'tit gars de chez nous. Dobes and Fowler ain't. I'm not saying this is even a bad thing. It's just a thing. 2/2

Dans la média franco aujourd'hui, on parle de "Sam" ou de "Samuel" et de "Dobes" et "Fowler". J'ai un chapitre dans mon livre Habs Nation sur ce sujet. The chapter is called 'Trumping the Two Solitudes', about how French and English fans see the team differently. 1/2

There was much excitement in the town Tuesday with young Jacob Fowler set to make his Bell Centre debut between the pipes for the Habs and so I went down to Ye Olde Orchard Pub on de la Montagne to see what Habs fans were thinking about the latest Canadiens goaltending drama. What the Puck!

It’s confirmed. Rodriguez has resigned as Quebec liberal leader. montrealgazette.com/news/provinc...

The usual Marty excuses.

When Texier is your best forward…

Is this worst game of year at Bell Centre?

Okay Friday on My Mind is just about full up but what I really need is a free event. Oh and it's "five cool things to do on the weekend", as in Friday, Saturday or Sunday. ;) Let me know. Or for hipsters, lmk.

What happened to downtown Montreal? It is a shadow of its former self.

I don't think they want to keep three goalies long term. It will depend on how he plays in the next game or two...

So no more «You win, you stay in net» mentality? I think Dobes should be in net.

Of course it's Fowler tonight. He earned his Bell Centre debut. Like I said yesterday, he is not being sent down anytime soon.

Looking for cool things happening this weekend to include in my Friday on My Mind column. Got some pretty cool ones but there are a couple of slots available. Hit me up!

This idea of potentially sending Dobes to Laval makes zero sense. This idea of playing Monty Thursday makes zero sense. You play Dobes & Fowler & try to win as many games as possible. And Montembeault sits. This isn't daycare. And if you feel at a later point that Monty seems ready, give him a shot.

Nearly a decade into the Trump era and people still do not get that what he wants is for you to re-post his odious idiotic musings. When you do that, he wins.

Apparently. . . 🤣

Habs have decided to be good again

How can you NOT keep Dobes with the team? He can’t be sent to Laval.

Oops 3-0, dangerous.

Connor McDavid flips a puck into the slot to set up a goal. Unfortunately it was his own slot, and Joe Veleno - yes, Joe Veleno - scores his second of the season. 2-0 Canadiens.

Canadiens warmup lines vs Oilers: Caufield-Suzuki-Bolduc Slafkovský-Kapanen-Demidov Texier-Evans-Anderson Veleno-Beck-Gallagher Matheson-Dobson Hutson-Carrier Struble-Engström Dobeš Montembeault

J’écoutais Dany Dubé et il parlait de ‘Samuel’ et de ‘Dobes’. Drôle ça non? Dans la média franco on parle souvent de ‘Samuel’ et de ‘Dobes’. En anglais on dit ‘Montembeault’ et ‘Dobes’. Deux solitudes. 😉

Dobes was the right choice for tonight.

One-line email from a pal at midnight last night: Nobody can play behind this defense.

Was so cool to spend an hour with Camille Poliquin and Laurence Lafond-Beaulne from @milknbone on Admission générale. We were talking off-air about how when I interviewed them ten or 11 years ago, it was one of their first interviews.

Crave announced Friday that it has signed on for a second season of the steamy hockey series Heated Rivalry. I'm loving the show. It is Crave's No. 1 ever original series debut. Here's my column on the series and it's Montreal-born writer-director Jacob Tierney. montrealgazette.com/entertainmen...