head coach: Alain Vigneault

roster: C - Vincent Damphousse, Saku Koivu, Marc Bureau, Darcy Tucker, Sebastien Bordeleau. LW - Shayne Corson, Martin Rucinsky, Benoit Brunet, Scott Thornton, Brian Savage. RW - Mark Recchi, Stephane Richer, Turner Stevenson, Valeri Bure. D - Vladimir Malakhov, Jassen Cullimore, Stephane Quintal, Patrice Brisebois, Peter Popovic, David Wilkie, Dave Manson. G - Andy Moog, Jocelyn Thibault, Jose Theodore.
*-Unsigned free agent.

injuries: None.

transactions: 07/17 - Signed free-agent goaltender Andy Moog (Dallas) to a two-year contract. 08/04 - Signed left wing Brian Savage and defenseman Jassen Cullimore to one-year contracts; signed defenseman Craig Rivet to a two-year contract. 08/28 - Re-signed free-agent forwards Scott Thornton and Valeri Bure to one-year contracts. 09/10 - Re-signed free-agent defenseman David Wilkie to a two-year contract and forward Sebastien Bordeleau to a one-year contract; agreed to terms on three-year contracts with forward Arron Asham and defenseman Brett Clark and a two-year contract with forward Alexei Lojkin. 09/12 - Agreed to terms on a one-year contract with free-agent forward Vincent Damphousse.

standings:

1996-97 FINAL RESULTS
RECORD:
 OVERALL      31-36-15
 HOME         17-17-7
 ROAD         14-19-8
POINTS:             77 (17th)
GOALS SCORED:      249  (9th)
GOALS AGAINST:     276 (23rd)
POWER PLAY:      15.7% (13th)
PENALTY KILLING: 79.5% (26th) 

game results:

PRE-SEASON RESULTS

9/13 Toronto           T 5-5
9/14 NY Rangers        W 4-2

team news:

by Michael Dell, editor-in-chief

THE HABS OR HAB NOTS?

The Montreal Canadiens will be entering the 1997-98 season with another new head coach. This time it will be 36-year-old Alain Vigneault in the spotlight. Vigneault is the youngest head coach in the history of the Canadiens. And coaching in Montreal is hardly the ideal gig for a rookie NHL coach. How he handles the rabid Montreal media will be more important than anything he does with Xs and Os. Good luck.

OFFENSE: Koivu Comin' on Strong

The Canadiens are an excellent skating team that still has plenty of scoring punch, despite throwing away Pierre Turgeon last season. The top line at the start of last season featured the electrifying Saku Koivu between Mark Recchi and Brian Savage. Koivu is about to become a major superstar in this league. He's already one of the game's most exciting players, owning a complete arsenal of offensive skills. The only catch is that at just 5'9", 179 pounds, Koivu may not be big enough to be the team's number one center. It's tough imagining Koivu leading the Canadiens deep into the playoffs past such physical powerhouses as Philadelphia and New Jersey, especially with the current state of the NHL being what it is, with clutching, grabbing, and interference being at an all time high. It would be nice if the Canadiens still had Turgeon around to at least draw some of the opposition's checkers. As it is, Koivu just may not be strong enough to absorb a full season of abuse all by his lonesome.

Recchi had a bit of a renaissance last season, scoring 34 goals and 80 points in 82 games. While those numbers were decent, Recchi hasn't averaged a point-per-game in three years. As for Savage, he had another torrid start to last season only to falter after the first few weeks. Savage had 16 goals and 45 points in his first 45 games last season, only to close with seven goals and 15 points over his final 35 contests. If they could somehow hypnotize Savage into thinking every month was October, he'd be an All-Star. Things could change this season as Savage broke his right hand in an exhibition game and could be out for a month. So maybe if he gets a late jump on the season his scoring will last a little longer into the schedule.

Vincent Damphousse led the Canadiens in scoring last season with 27 goals and 81 points. After a momentary holdout at the start of training camp, Damphousse was rewarded with a hefty new contract worth $3.2 million a year and will be good to go as the club's second line center. He's really at his best when he's playing the left wing, but Vinnie is better than anything else the Habs have to offer at center so he does what he can for the team.

The Canadiens have several talented wingers that could fill out the second and third lines, and even skate with the first unit if the Koivu-Recchi-Savage trio doesn't get reunited. Shayne Corson came over last season for Pierre Turgeon and was just terrible. He was acquired to add size and toughness to a rather small group of forwards, but things didn't quite go as planned. Corson was often banged up and had only six goals and 21 points in 47 games with the Habs. In an attempt to change his fortunes this season, Corson worked like a champ over the summer to get into tremendous shape. He showed up to camp at 199 pounds and had the lowest percentage of body fat of anyone on the team. Of course, Barney Fife used to have the lowest percentage of body fat of anyone in Mayberry, but Aunt Bea could still whoop his ass. Anyway, Corson needs to be an impact player and take on a leadership role with the club. Another six-goal effort just won't cut it.

Stephane Richer is still in Montreal, despite not exactly enjoying himself last season. Richer had 22 goals and 46 points a year ago. That's not bad for some average Joe that just fell off the turnip truck, but Richer is too talented to hang around in the 20-goal, low-rent district. Martin Rucinsky is another guy that can do more than the 28 goals and 55 points he notched last season. He needs to be up near a point-per-game. If Benoit Brunet could ever stay healthy, he has the skills and experience to come through with some big plays in key situations. But the guy just never stays healthy. He's missed 99 games over the past two seasons. That's, like, a lot or somethin'. Valeri Bure is also a guy that can find his way on the scoresheet. While not quite as explosive as his big brother, Valeri can still motor. Unfortunately, all that speed only added up to 14 goals last year. He can do better.

Marc Bureau and Scott Thornton are decent checking centers. Bureau is more defensively sound while Thornton plays an aggressive, physical game. Thornton also played the left wing at times on a Crash Line of sorts with Darcy Tucker in the middle and big Turner Stevenson on the right side.

The Canadiens could get a shot of fresh blood in Sebastien Bordeleau. The 22-year-old center appeared in 28 games last season and scored two goals and 11 points while playing a pretty solid defensive game. His mannerisms on the ice and the way he played the game reminded more than a few people of former Hab Guy Carbonneau. The team has also been impressed with this summer's top Draft pick Jason Ward during the early stages of training camp. He could be a quality power forward in the future, but his making the team this season is still a bit of a longshot.

Overall, the Montreal offense isn't that bad. The team could still use more size and toughness up front, but the top two lines could be packed solid with guys who can skate and find the net. However, coach Vigneault is hoping to instill a more defensive system and cut back on the goals-against. That could be a tough adjustment for some of these guys. Richer, we're looking in your direction...

DEFENSE: No Name Defense Not Bad

The Canadiens lack that one big-name defender to carry the load. Oh, if only Chris Chelios, Eric Desjardins, and Mathieu Schneider were still around, all would be right with the world. But it's impossible to go back in time and change bad trades. So the Habs have to go with what they got. And what they've got is a rather average group of blueliners.

Patrice Brisebois, Vladimir Malakhov, and David Wilkie are all mobile guys that can move the puck. Brisebois has the potential to be a great all-around defender, but he's struggled with his confidence in the past and with the pressure put on by the Montreal media. You can play great for weeks and then make one mistake and get saddled with a nickname like Patrice "Breeze by". That's just not right. Speaking of potential, Malakhov could have won a few Norris Trophies by now if he would ever show up and play every night. There's nothing the 29-year-old Russian can't do on the ice. Except, you know, play consistently.

Montreal gets toughness on the back line from Dave Manson and Stephane Quintal. Both guys also have enough talent to help with the offense or even man a point on the power play. Jassen Cullimore isn't quite as aggressive as Manson, but he's a big hitter when he sets his mind to it. The 6'5", 220-pounder saw the first regular playing time of his career last season and should get better the more he plays. Youngsters Eric Rivet and Brad Brown could also get a shot this season.

But if you're looking for Montreal's best defensive defenseman, look no further than Peter Popovic. That's right, Peter Popovic. No one ever talks about the guy, but the 6'6", 235-pound Swede is an absolute brick in his own zone. Popovic's enormous reach makes him extremely difficult to beat one-on-one and he's excellent in front of the net. He doesn't get much glory, he just plays defense. And there's nothing wrong with that.

GOALTENDING: Moog the Mentor

The only real personnel move the Canadiens made over the off- season was signing free agent veteran Andy Moog to help solidify their goaltending situation. The club is hoping that Moog can help 22-year-old starter Jocelyn Thibault down the road to superstardom. Moog has seen it all in his 17-year NHL career. If Thibault can't learn from him, there's a problem. If Thibault were to falter, Jose Theodore will once again be waiting in the wings.

GEE, THAT'S SWELL

* Koivu leads a talented offense.

* Moog should settle Thibault down and take pressure off the young netminder.

* Having a new coach could spark the club.

TROUBLE

* The offense is still somewhat small and one-dimensional.

* The defense lacks a big-name guy.

* Having a rookie coach in the hockey hotbed of Montreal could be asking for trouble.

1997-98 OUTLOOK: How Vigneault handles the media and any controversies that arise will determine how this team fares. If he can keep things relatively sane, the Canadiens have a strong skating team that could make some noise in the East. They still need to get bigger and stronger up front, but Moog should cure the goaltending problems the club had last season.

PREDICTION: Third in the Northeast and a spot in the playoffs.

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