HF Habs: The Martin St Louis Thread

[Kojo]

How exactly did we know we'll finish top ?

We didn't know Laval would be that good but check their roster. That team is loaded.

 

[tazsub3]

Why do you like Pascal Vincent so much? You're related with him?

27W 43L 12OTL is his record in the NHL as a coach. Missed the playoffs.

Not bad but why do you like him so much? He's the full package? Explain what that means.

Excellent record with Laval this year but we already knew Laval was going to be a strong team a year ago.

Bro this is the hf special . They love the new toy . Japan en joins the team remove someone and put on second line, another comes first line and let’s trade caufield .
Same boring narative until the next toy arrives

 

[HabzSauce]

Did you think we were going to improve as much as we have over the years? Did you expect us to make the playoffs this year?

Our prospects have developed really well. Our results have improved dramatically every year. We made the playoffs this year with a deeply flawed roster…

What more could he have done? Seriously, he’s been amazing for us. This is the best case scenario. What is it that you think he could’ve done differently or better?

I think as the team fixes its holes you’ll see us really take off. And I think MSL will deserve a huge amount of credit for it.

Are we not in agreement here? Like I mentioned several times, he deserves a lot of credit. As a developing team he's done wonders for the Habs. We have overachieved this year & MSL is a big reason for that.

For the 3rd time lol I am speaking year(s) into the future when we have a roster both talented & experienced enough to move from basement/wild card team to a contender. Just because Marty can do well with a developing team does not mean he will do even better with a contender.

And to your last point yes we will see the team take off but not because of marty. It will be because of the talent on the ice that takes us to that next level

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

P

Are we not in agreement here? Like I mentioned several times, he deserves a lot of credit. As a developing team he's done wonders for the Habs. We have overachieved this year & MSL is a big reason for that.

For the 3rd time lol I am speaking year(s) into the future when we have a roster both talented & experienced enough to move from basement/wild card team to a contender. Just because Marty can do well with a developing team does not mean he will do even better with a contender.

And to your last point yes we will see the team take off but not because of marty. It will be because of the talent on the ice that takes us to that next level

I’m asking you for the basis of your skepticism. What is the basis for thinking he won’t be able to handle a talented lineup?

 

[HabsAddict]

Have you guys seen Vincents "system"? It's a loaded team that are playing like hungry hyenas...and winning games. He's NOT a systems guy who is creating some kind of monster team from his brilliant coaching.

When Roy came up, did you see anything special in him? Indicating he learned from his AHL experience? Beck?

I'm going to bring up AGAIN that even MThead could of coached the 75 Habs team to a cup.

 

[HabsAddict]

Why do you like Pascal Vincent so much? You're related with him?

27W 43L 12OTL is his record in the NHL as a coach. Missed the playoffs.

Not bad but why do you like him so much? He's the full package? Explain what that means.

Excellent record with Laval this year but we already knew Laval was going to be a strong team a year ago.

When I asked the Jacket fans about Vincent, I got the same answer as what I saw in Laval. He likes to play his vets. He's old school of punishing players who make mistakes. He doesn't have a set system nor was there any system observed.

 

[Kudo Shinichi]

MSL is a far better motivational speaker than he is a coach. He got results this year not because of his X's & O's, but because he knows how to fire up his team

That's nothing against him, just how I see it personally. Good for the development days & respect to him for getting this team to the playoffs. I hope the impact he's made on our culture sticks with us for a long time even after he's gone. But I wish we had someone better & more experienced starting next year. Our team is ready to start competing and I don't feel confident MSL is that guy for us

I'd love tocchet personally. Very fun brand of hockey & he treats his players well for most part. Maybe he can learn French over the summer

That is completely baseless and makes no sense.

"Marty got results because he knows how to fire up his team". Then why were the Habs one of the worst 1-period teams in the NHL?

How were the habs a top-10 team in the NHL since mid-December despite having a lot of awful starts?

It's pretty irrational to think a team can go from bottom 5 to the playoffs on the back of motivational speeches.

 

[Kojo]

Have you guys seen Vincents "system"? It's a loaded team that are playing like hungry hyenas...and winning games. He's NOT a systems guy who is creating some kind of monster team from his brilliant coaching.

When Roy came up, did you see anything special in him? Indicating he learned from his AHL experience? Beck?

I'm going to bring up AGAIN that even MThead could of coached the 75 Habs team to a cup.

I thought Roy would be PPG and Mailloux close to PPG also. What happened with that? Is Pascal Vincent not good at developing talents?

I'm just kidding, I like Pascal

 

[Shred]

When Roy came up, did you see anything special in him? Indicating he learned from his AHL experience? Beck?

That is an interesting point. AHL guys didn’t contribute much when called up this year. Contrasts with how many AHL ers would stick with the club when Houle was the coach.
Maybe they hated it so much in Laval back then they would do anything to stay up

 

[HabsAddict]

I thought Roy would be PPG and Mailloux close to PPG also. What happened with that? Is Pascal Vincent not good at developing talents?

I'm just kidding, I like Pascal

Roy still doesn't know what 200ft game means and M was "punished" 50's style until he "learned" how to play defense, while his offense fell WAY off.

The two related in the sense that if forwards don't cover defenseman, they can't pinch. I saw that in endless odd man rushes that were due to forwards not back checking.

All goes back to a non existing "system"...

 

[HabsAddict]

That is an interesting point. AHL guys didn’t contribute much when called up this year. Contrasts with how many AHL ers would stick with the club when Houle was the coach.
Maybe they hated it so much in Laval back then they would do anything to stay up

Is logic in short supply in Habland? How does a "loaded with talent team" not able to supply at least 4-5 players to the parent club? On paper Roy, Beck, Maillioux and Little X should be "graduating", yet they are still down there.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

Are we not in agreement here? Like I mentioned several times, he deserves a lot of credit. As a developing team he's done wonders for the Habs. We have overachieved this year & MSL is a big reason for that.

For the 3rd time lol I am speaking year(s) into the future when we have a roster both talented & experienced enough to move from basement/wild card team to a contender. Just because Marty can do well with a developing team does not mean he will do even better with a contender.

And to your last point yes we will see the team take off but not because of marty. It will be because of the talent on the ice that takes us to that next level

This has been repeated ad nauseum since his interim days. You've flipped the narrative, but the question should be reversed towards people like you. Why do you presume that he'll be only good at development? It's the same old sauce. It's an assumption with zero basis. Something that is promulgated as a foregone conclusion, yet the team has a system and he adapts in-game or else we wouldn't be one of the better 3rd period teams in the 2nd half.

Also, better to have a hell of a motivator than an incredible strategist in hockey. X's and O's doesn't make players hustle and be first on the puck. That's motivation.

 

[Kimota]

Don’t you think we’d be more effective if we had a second line a three right shots on the D?

MSL is working with a deeply flawed lineup.

But he can remove the flaws. There is nothing much he can do about the second line but we may have the most useless 4th line in the playoffs right now. Evans and Armia are completely useless, we are getting dominated physically. While not World breakers, MSL can recall Condotta at center with Florian Xhekaj. It would change our dynamic. MSL had to wait the third game to insert Jack and the Habs won. Even though everybody knew Jack should have been there from game one. And I don't think it would be 3-1 if he had been there from the start. Now once again people are saying recall Florian and MSL doesn't do it and it may come biting him in the ass. Cause Marty is on his a pedestral somewhere thinking his strategies are genius, he thinks he's Good Will Hunting. And that he doesn't need the physical element to win. Well in the movie GWH, Will had to smash faces once in a while.

 

[Kimota]

Have you guys seen Vincents "system"? It's a loaded team that are playing like hungry hyenas...and winning games. He's NOT a systems guy who is creating some kind of monster team from his brilliant coaching.

When Roy came up, did you see anything special in him? Indicating he learned from his AHL experience? Beck?

I'm going to bring up AGAIN that even MThead could of coached the 75 Habs team to a cup.

Well bring up Vincent, then. I wish we would play like hungry hyenas.

 

[Kimota]

MSL would be a great assistant coach , but at making coaching decisions in game , hes horrible. He would need to get experience elsewhere before to be honest.

That's a dilemma because I thought he was great at helping our young players develop but yea I don't think much of him as a coach at this point. Ideally he would take a step back as an assistant with the Habs but he would never agree and the players would think that's weird too.

Unless...someone of the stature of Patrick Roy would come in and he would attract such attention in the room that the players would accept the new dynamics of MSL as assistant. If it was any other the players would be "WTF". With Roy they would say we get it Patrick freaking Roy and we are so back.

Another possibility would have MSL get a "promotion" as Director of Development.

 

[Justsayin]

But he can remove the flaws. There is nothing much he can do about the second line but we may have the most useless 4th line in the playoffs right now. Evans and Armia are completely useless, we are getting dominated physically. While not World breakers, MSL can recall Condotta at center with Florian Xhekaj. It would change our dynamic. MSL had to wait the third game to insert Jack and the Habs won. Even though everybody knew Jack should have been there from game one. And I don't think it would be 3-1 if he had been there from the start. Now once again people are saying recall Florian and MSL doesn't do it and it may come biting him in the ass. Cause Marty is on his a pedestral somewhere thinking his strategies are genius, he thinks he's Good Will Hunting. And that he doesn't need the physical element to win. Well in the movie GWH, Will had to smash faces once in a while.

Man if I had known we were Condotta and Florian away from a Cup, I would have been writing to Molson to fire that idiot MSL. There is no other reason I can think of that we haven't beaten the Caps 4 straight.

 

[Kimota]

Man if I had known we were Condotta and Florian away from a Cup, I would have been writing to Molson to fire that idiot MSL. There is no other reason I can think of that we haven't beaten the Caps 4 straight.

We have so many elements missing from a cup, it's not even funny. But we can fight back, though.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

But he can remove the flaws. There is nothing much he can do about the second line but we may have the most useless 4th line in the playoffs right now. Evans and Armia are completely useless, we are getting dominated physically. While not World breakers, MSL can recall Condotta at center with Florian Xhekaj. It would change our dynamic. MSL had to wait the third game to insert Jack and the Habs won. Even though everybody knew Jack should have been there from game one. And I don't think it would be 3-1 if he had been there from the start. Now once again people are saying recall Florian and MSL doesn't do it and it may come biting him in the ass. Cause Marty is on his a pedestral somewhere thinking his strategies are genius, he thinks he's Good Will Hunting. And that he doesn't need the physical element to win. Well in the movie GWH, Will had to smash faces once in a while.

Evans is more than fine on the 4th. I’m not sure why people think we can just parachute guys in from Laval thinking they’ll just light it up.

Here’s a scenario for you. We call him up and he gets completely dominated. What does that do for him? What does it do for us? Demidov has looked like a deer in the headlights most of this series. You want to bring in two raw rookies on the same line? I get what you’re saying man, but…

 

[JianYang]

Marty did develop the young kids very well.

But starting next year, the Habs are no longer focusing on development and he'll need to coach like it, starting by being able to adjust his concept/system/coverage, or whatever he'll call it, to the roster on hand.

Playing man-to-man defense when at least a 1/3 of your team can't skate is bound to lead to blown coverage and a lot of high danger chances, which happened all year.

Marty was the right guy to bring in at the stage the Habs were at at the time, remains to be seen if he's the right guy for the next stage.

Coaches have a short shelf life, MSL is the proof. Only 3 years in and he's the 5th most tenured coach in the league. Depending on your definition of a long time, I'd wager he won't be here that long.

Development is still a key consideration given that some critical players to the habs core are still on the horizon including demidov and reinbacher.

I expect the habs to be a bubble team again next year because Toronto, Florida, and Tampa aren't going anywhere yet, and Ottawa will be sniffing a playoff spot too.

Detroit might take a little step and come knocking too.

The only team in a clear downswing in the division right now is Boston. Then there's Buffalo... doing Buffalo things but they have to turn it around for one day, lol.

 

[417]

More like people with pre-bias narrative wants to keep their narrative alive....for instance, after the hit on Carrier, it was 2-2....the game wasn't out of reach, it wasn't out of reach until Washington scored in the empty net.

Tony said before the only Xhekaj's presence would prevent those kind of hits happening.....now to keep his narrative alive, it was because the coach told him.....and how could he know any of that?? Is Tony or McGuire are in teams meeting now?

The idea that some people think MSL is trying to neuter Xhekaj is absolutely ridiculous.

Xhekaj is a physical player but not a open ice hitter like Darius Kasparitis or even like Alexei Yemelin used to be for the Habs. Its not his game.

And you're 100% right about Marinaro moving goalposts to keep his narrative going.

 

[Kimota]

Evans is more than fine on the 4th. I’m not sure why people think we can just parachute guys in from Laval thinking they’ll just light it up.

Here’s a scenario for you. We call him up and he gets completely dominated. What does that do for him? What does it do for us? Demidov has looked like a deer in the headlights most of this series. You want to bring in two raw rookies on the same line? I get what you’re saying man, but…

I think Florian would bring things that Evans and Armia don't. He would do something. Even Beck would do more than Evans and Armia right now. We are talking about two freaking ghosts.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I think Florian would bring things that Evans and Armia don't. He would do something. Even Beck would do more than Evans and Armia right now. We are talking about two freaking ghosts.

Evans is better than you think he is, esp on the PK.

Armia I think has been bad but that doesn't mean bringing in a raw rookie into a playoff battle is a good idea. And even if you're correct here... it's small potatoes. We're talking about 4th line players here. This is hardly some kind of huge error that he should be roasted for.

 

[Kimota]

The idea that some people think MSL is trying to neuter Xhekaj is absolutely ridiculous.

Xhekaj is a physical player but not a open ice hitter like Darius Kasparitis or even like Alexei Yemelin used to be for the Habs. Its not his game.

And you're 100% right about Marinaro moving goalposts to keep his narrative going.

lol if you don't think Xhekaj is not playing with a gun on his temple cause MSL's actions with him, you are living on another level of delusions. We all know Jack is afraid as Hell at making mistakes. Marty essentially bad mouthed Ghule the last time he hit during the regular season cause "it brought the other team back in the game". The whole team is walking on egg shells physically with this coach.

 

[417]

lol if you don't think Xhekaj is not playing with a gun on his temple cause MSL's actions with him, you are living on another level of delusions. We all know Jack is afraid as Hell at making mistakes. Marty essentially bad mouthed Ghule the last time he hit during the regular season cause "it brought the other team back in the game". The whole team is walking on egg shells physically with this coach.

Nonsense lol

What actions does MSL have with him? Played him 70 games this year and he's played 2 of the 4 playoff games this year? .

Guhle took a bad penalty and MSL was asked about it, so he answered that it was a bang bang play.

Stop remixing man.

 

[eurodin]

Pascal did an amazing job grooming Lane Hutson. Oh wait.

I can't see this team getting much better with current roaster, coaches and what we have in the pipeline. Our 3rd line is aging, we don't have a 2nd line, we are missing 2 good defenseman.

We had to come from so far behind to get to where we are today that people over rate how good we will be in 3 years.