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head coach: Alain Vigneault

roster: C - Saku Koivu, Marc Bureau, Vincent Damphousse, Scott Thornton. LW - Shayne Corson, Martin Rucinsky, Benoit Brunet, Terry Ryan, Brian Savage, Patrick Poulin. RW - Mark Recchi, Mick Vukota, Turner Stevenson, Jonas Hoglund. D - Vladimir Malakhov, Stephane Quintal, Patrice Brisebois, Peter Popovic, Craig Rivet, Igor Ulanov, Zarley Zalapski. G - Jocelyn Thibault, Andy Moog.

standings:

Eastern Conference - Northeast Division
Team         GP   W   L   T   PTS   GF   GA   
y-Pittsburgh 82  40  24  18    98  228  188 
x-Boston     82  39  30  13    91  221  194  
x-Buffalo    82  36  29  17    89  211  187  
x-Montreal   82  37  32  13    87  235  208  
x-Ottawa     82  34  33  15    83  193  200  
Carolina     82  33  41   8    74  200  219   

y - Clinched division
x - Clinched playoff spot

team news:

by Jacques Robert, Montreal Correspondent

BIG BUCKS WILL DECIDE MONTREAL FUTURE

The 1997-'98 season was meant to be the one that would mark a brand new start for the Montreal Canadiens, mostly due to a new coaching staff headed by the youngest Habs coach ever, Alain Vigneault, and the "technician" Dave King.

The reality proved that GM Rejean Houle made a good move hiring those remarkable coaches, who did their best in regard to the personnel they have to deal with. As a matter of fact, the Habs had didn't have enough depth on offense or defense, but goaltending was faultless - the duo of Andy Moog and Jocelyn Thibault worked out pretty well. However, Moog won't be back next season, since the 38-year-old goalie retired recently after 18 seasons in the NHL. "Tbo" is to be the number one goaltender next year.

What also changed over the last season was the way Montreal management figured out how to look at the new reality in the NHL today. The good old tradition, trademark of the Montreal Canadiens, is not gone but the Habs are more pragmatic now and they know that they have to deal with the big business that's going on in the NHL today instead of relying on their attractiveness as far as hockey tradition is concerned. In other words, Houle & Co. will have to choose among players who are interested in renegotiating their contract. Mark Recchi, Vincent Damphousse, Saku Koivu and Martin Rucinsky will obviously go for the big contract and needless to say that, as a Canadian team, Montreal's budget is not extensible since American dollars rule in the NHL. Savvy decisions have to be made.

Vincent Damphousse by Meredith Martini

Take Damphousse... this guy earns $3.3 million for 18 goals and 59 points. Captain "Vinnie" is overrated and he might be gone before long. Vinnie has been lacking consistency for the last two years, particularly in the playoffs. That comment does not apply to Recchi who has been a big asset all season long. Montreal will have to dig deep in its pocket in order to pay Recchi four- or five-million dollars a year. But he is worth it!

As for Koivu, he could ask for $10.5 million over the next three years. What a great deal of money considering Koivu's knee is injured quite often!

Now, what about Vladimir Malakhov? This defenseman is a quitter plain and simple. He makes between $2.5 and $3 millions and he took the liberty to abandon his teammates for the very last playoff game of the season. Enough is enough. On this occasion, he was set straight by Damphousse and he might have lost some of his credibility.

As a matter of fact, after Christmas, Montreal hardly reached the .500 mark at home while doing well on the road. By Christmas, the coaching staff brought in enthusiasm but after the Olympics in Nagano, Montreal proved to lack consistency mostly because of injuries (Koivu- Ulanov) and fatigue showed by gold medalist Rucinsky. All in all, the two playoff rounds played by the Habs were the reflection of their season. Remember:

First Round vs Pens - The Montreal Canadiens remained fragile as the first two games of the series (1-1) against Pittsburgh are wrapped up. Undoubtedly, Saku Koivu was being missed big time by his teammates, but even healthy, Koivu couldn't make up for the lack of commitment demonstrated by Damphousse or Corson. If the first game proved to be a very good one offensively and defensively, Game Two revealed a chronic flaw: the lack of discipline. And it's costly when comes time to contain guys like Jaromir Jagr or Stu Barns.

A seventh game was not necessary for Montreal to win the series against Pittsburgh and advance to the second round for the first time since 1993 (4-2). Ironically, Damphousse & Co. wrapped up the series at the Molson Centre in Game Six (3-0), a place where victories have not come easily this year. Now let's examine what Montreal did against Buffalo in the second round.

Second round vs Sabres - One good game, one bad game in Buffalo... and the Canadiens are trailing by two before the series moved to Montreal. What a pity Vigneault's boys couldn't repeat the first game performance that didn't materialize into a victory due to Hasek's exceptional play! In the second, lack of commitment offensively and defensively and poor goaltending (Moog) was just enough to let Buffalo get back on track and prove that they should be favored in the series.

And it was tee time sooner than expected! Although the Montreal Canadiens had significantly improved their game as compared to last year's performances, this elimination in four straight games at the hand of the Buffalo Sabres left a bitter taste. Vigneault's boys went in overtime (Game One) and even in double overtime (Game Three) and... lost. The main reason: goalie Dominik Hasek's outstanding performances and, incidentally, defensive weakness, not to mention discipline problems displayed by veterans like Damphousse and Manson.

Now let's see how Houle & Co. will deal with contracts and.. big bucks. Needless to say that next season's performance will depend on how generous the Molson ownership is to keep big shots in Montreal.

TEAM MVP: Mark Recchi for his commitment to the team all season long.

SURPRISE: Patrice Brisebois, who was the Montreal Canadiens player nominated for the Bill Masterton trophy.

DISAPPOINTMENT: Captain Vincent Damphousse. He is not the leader the Montreal Canadiens could rely on. This was particularly obvious in the playoffs as he got dumb penalties at crucial moments (VS Buffalo)

OFF-SEASON CHANGES: On the trading front, Sebastien Bordeleau was sent to Nashville for future considerations, while goalie Tomas Vokoun was selected by the Predators in the expansion draft.

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