Monday, September 28, 2009

Home on the Range: Canadiens spend some bonding time together

matt  default So long as anyone resembling the men pictured above are nowhere near the Montreal Canadiens for the next three days, they should be fine for October 1.

Well it can’t be worse than a team bowling outing, right?

The Montreal Canadiens arrived Sunday evening at Teen Ranch in Caledon, ON. After a snack, had some time together and watched some football then headed to their rooms for the night.

With players four to six to a room, the next little while will be a little more close quarters than the players are now accustomed too.

The next three days will be composed of team practices in the morning along with professional speakers and therapists as well as some on-site free time for the players to get to know each other better.

Now as long as the motivational speaker’s name is not Matt Foley and Dr. Knobb (“The Natural”) isn’t there telling them that losing is a disease and that they should imagine that they are on a ship at sea, it should be a productive outing.

HabsInsideOut has day one audio from coach Jacques Martin as well as Matt D’Agostini, Max Pacioretty, Ryan O’Byrne and Georges Laraque.

One player on the Canadiens who did not make the trip was winger Sergei Kostitsyn who got a connecting bus, after being dropped off near Highways 410 and 401, to Hamilton.

The Belarusian was in coach Jacques Martin’s doghouse earlier last week and despite improved play in his last pre-season game, it was decided to send him down to the AHL.

“We have expectations and objectives that were laid out,” Martin said Monday.

“He (Kostitsyn) needs to understand what’s expected of a professional and we feel by being assigned to Hamilton that he can show he can play at this level. I think you have to reach a point sometime where it's not words, it's action (that's needed) to deliver a message.”

Rumors are already circulating, though denied by agent Don Meehan, that Kostitsyn is already talking to the KHL.

Hmmm anyone remember Pavel Valentenko???




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