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Too unhealthy Joey Saputo’s CF Montréal staff hasn’t joined the social gathering, struggling a humiliating 5-0 loss to the last-place Revolution this weekend.
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There have been three seconds left when Edmonton quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson dropped again for one final crack.
There was no time left on the clock when Marc-Antoine Dequoy, closing on the ball like a hungry cheetah, leapt excessive and tipped it into the Montreal evening.
Recreation over. 21-17 Alouettes. A gaudy 10-1 report that doesn’t fairly mirror the scrambly, clawing, biting, scratching approach the Als get it performed. As Will Shakespeare as soon as mentioned on his podcast, “simply win, child.”
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It was left to the Alouettes to shut out a memorable week in Montreal sports activities with a win over the staff previously generally known as the Eskimos on an evening when members of the 1974 Gray Cup championship staff had been available.
It was additionally the week (in case you had been vacationing in Irkutsk and missed it) when Canadiens GM Kent Hughes pulled off what could be the coup of his profession thus far, sending younger defenceman Jordan Harris to Columbus for Finnish sniper Patrik Laine and a second-round choose.
Someplace in there, floundering CF Montréal by some means managed to lose 5-0 to the last-place New England Revolution at dwelling. Joey Saputo’s staff is now eleventh within the east with eight video games to play.
However hey — two out of three ain’t unhealthy. What we’ve got listed below are two beautifully managed groups and one that’s circling the drain.
I’ve already apologized to Alouettes GM Danny Maciocia for doubting him — however it’s an apology I’ll should repeat for the one other 10 seasons. The Alouettes performed Sunday evening with an excellent receiving corps sidelined by harm, rescued partially by the well timed return of Austin Mack.
Beginning quarterback Cody Fajardo returned Sunday after lacking 4 video games and the Alouettes didn’t miss a beat whereas he was out. Third stringer Davis Alexander stepped in and if something, the passing recreation was extra harmful downfield. That form of depth is to Maciocia’s credit score.
Street to the Cup
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If I had been educating a course in sports activities administration, nevertheless, I’d start and finish with Kent Hughes. Make that Hughes and govt vice-president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton, with an honourable point out to proprietor Geoff Molson, who has realized on the job — however Hughes is the determine followers have come to know and belief.
Step-by-step, month by month, transfer by transfer, Hughes has not solely begun a considerable rebuild of the Montreal Canadiens, he has additionally proven that the tradition of paranoia that has dominated sports activities administration within the twenty first century is each ineffective and pointless. As an alternative, Hughes has confirmed {that a} GM may be concurrently clear and efficient.
The result’s that followers perceive what Hughes is doing and why he’s doing it. You’ll by no means silence all of the critics, however Hughes is well probably the most favored and admired Habs GM since Serge Savard was using excessive, with gusts to Sam Pollock.
As with Marc Bergevin and the franchise-handicapping commerce that despatched defenceman Mikhail Sergachev to Tampa for Jonathan Drouin, the Laine deal will probably be a kind of defining moments for Hughes. Laine didn’t even have time to say bonjour/hello earlier than the identical individuals who had been screaming for offence had been screaming that the Finn is just too large a threat.
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The chance comes all the way down to cash. If Laine doesn’t pan out, the Habs are out a few seasons at a considerable cap hit. Laine’s potential, alternatively, is over the moon.
In return for a younger defenceman who was going to should battle for ice time, Hughes obtained a 6-foot-5 ahead who racked up a 44-goal season earlier than his twentieth birthday. Laine is now within the succesful palms of Martin St. Louis and if there’s a coach within the league that may assist Laine rediscover himself, it’s the Corridor of Famer behind the bench.
A portion of Laine’s success or failure will lie with the infamous followers and media of Montreal. If we’re going to scorch the man if he doesn’t rating in his first recreation, if we’re going to pillory him when he’s within the throes of a 10-game hunch, this isn’t going to work.
Not like Pierre-Luc Dubois (who clearly wants to purchase a give-a-damn) Laine could be a bit fragile. He admits as a lot himself, though he seems to be on the street again. Gorton, Hughes and St. Louis all met with him and so they had been satisfied.
Now it’s time to provide him a lift. By subsequent season, the highest six may very well be a high seven with Laine, Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook and Russian prodigy Ivan Demidov — and 5 of the seven are right here courtesy of Kent Hughes.
You requested for it, folks. Hughes delivered.
Heroes: Cole Spieker, Cody Fajardo, Antonio Moultrie, Austin Mack, Marc-Antoine Dequoy, Tyrice Beverette, Charleston Rambo, Wilfried Nancy, Aaron Choose, Shohei Ohtani, Joey Votto, Patrik Laine, Danny Maciocia, Jeff Gorton, Martin St. Louis &&&& final however not least, Kent Hughes.
Zeros: Video replays in Little League Baseball, Deion Sanders, Bev Priestman, John Herdman, Chad Kelly, Aaron Rodgers, Jim Harbaugh, Joey Saputo, Stan Bowman, Bud Selig Jr., Claude Brochu, David Samson &&&& final however not least, Jeffrey Loria.
Now and endlessly.
jacktodd46@yahoo.com
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