Ari Grief

I'm a goalie -- apparently that says a lot. Writer, producer and bon vivant I'm from Montreal but live in Toronto and write from that perspective on HabsFanInLeafLand.com. Young enough to be hip; old enough to remember where I was when Guy Lafleur scored against the Bruins in the infamous "too many men" game in the '79 playoffs. Can you say that? You can contact Ari Grief on Facebook or on twitter @habsfanleafland

Character Carries Montreal Canadiens Past Senators

Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin likes players with character. Players that bring that something, that je ne sais quoi to a hockey game.

Once onboard, Bergevin quickly signed players like Brandon Prust, Francis Bouillon and Colby Armstrong. Plus, he re-signed Travis Moen.

And he discovered players already on the roster who have plenty of character too. Guys like Ryan White, Rene Bourque, Max Pacioretty and captain Brian Gionta. He also found two ripe, rookie players mature beyond their age and inexperience in Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher.

Montreal Canadiens: Stumbling Finish A Good Omen?

A lot of Habs Nation has been on edge of late. And rightly so. Coming in to tonight’s season ending tilt against the upstart Toronto Maple Leafs, the Canadiens are 4-6-0 in their last ten games. Now this isn’t completely atrocious, but it’s certainly not worthy of a playoff-bound team and definitely not up to par for a team that still has a chance to finish second in the Eastern Conference.

Montreal Canadiens: True Cup Contenders?

It seems like a long time ago. Actually it was a long time ago. Back in the the second half of the 1970’s where kids bounced around in station wagons seatbelt-less sucking in second hand smoke from both of their parents. Yes, whenever spring had finally sprung in Montreal it was inevitably time for the Canadiens to celebrate their latest Stanley Cup victory with a parade down the usual route, which ran from City Hall in Old Montreal all the way along Ste. Catherine Street and past the old Montreal Forum.

Ahh, good times. Good memories. Old memories.

Montreal Canadiens Trade Deadline: Who? What? Where?

The faces, the jerseys, the sites and the sounds may change season after season, yet it is true that all Stanley Cup winning teams share some common traits from year to year. How about clutch, opportunistic scoring and strong goaltending? Yep. Don’t forget about that long and wiry playoff beard. No wonder Dustin Penner was so good in last year’s playoffs. The man’s beard is solid.

But all kidding aside, perhaps one of the most important of these shared traits, or better… tendencies… is the one we often lose track of: every Stanley Cup champion is never the same team it was at the beginning of the season.