Sometimes I Hate Ottawa

This city can get me pretty riled up when I think about how stupid it is. Check out this article in the Ottawa Citizen. I'll summarize for the lazy reader:

The city bylaw officers told the owner of a gallery and cafe to remove a small table and two chairs that were on the sidewalk. The owner didn't have a permit to have the table and chairs on the sidewalk.

First, it seems silly that you need a permit for a tiny table and two chairs, but I understand bureaucracy (well, I understand it exists anyway). But in my mind it's really just city authority figures flexing their muscles; city authority figures love to flex their muscles, from parking attendants to city police who really wanted to be in the RCMP but didn't have the grades. They could have left a single table and set of chairs on the sidewalk in the market where 21 year olds frequently vomit from partying too much at 5pm on a Saturday (true story, had to walk around it).

Second, the city of Ottawa's tourism calendar used a photo of the table and chairs sitting on the sidewalk. The city is removing something it uses to promote itself. City to tourists "Come to Ottawa, we have these nice tables outside of our bistros." City to bistro owners "you got a permit for that table? No? Better put that back inside."

This isn't the first time the city made itself look stupid. Just last week KISS were visiting as part of bluesfest. The "acting mayor" (our "elected" mayor is on trial for influence peddling) announced plans to have a Shannon Tweed day in your capital city. Ms. Tweed was Miss Ottawa Valley 1977, so there is a tenuous connection to Bytowne. Well the acting mayor spoke too soon as several councillors objected to Shannon Tweed day feeling she was not worthy because of her, umm, unsavoury acting choices. Nice move boneheads. Did you not realize that Ms. Tweed and her husband star in a reality show? Did you not think for a second that this would be a great hook for an episode? And how did you feel when Oshawa announced they'd roll out the red carpet and proclaim a Shannon Tweed day? Silly I bet.

My final gripe to speak of today (as I have many with this large town we call a city) is with its inhabitants, particularly those that live in the Glebe. The Glebe is a trendyish part of town and happens to be the location of the Lansdowne Park and Frank Clair Stadium. The folks living in the Glebe (we'll call them Glebites) aren't generally fond of the park and the stadium. Well, that's not entirely true, they like the park just fine on Sundays when the farmers market is open. What they don't like is lively crowds at football games or Rolling Stones Concerts.

These Glebites really get my goat. Lansdowne Park has been holding exhibits since 1868. Football (rugby) began being played at Lansdowne in 1878. You've been alive for how long? Didn't it ever occur to you before moving into a house near Lansdowne Park that there may be a crowd from time to time? I mean, it's been there for more than 230 years, there have been crowds there for more than 230 years. Maybe the local farmers weren't as loud as the Stones (we should ask Keith), but I'll bet 230 years ago the farming exhibit and rugby were the only attractions in town and had their fair share of loud and unruly folk.

Ottawa is known to have a bit of an inferiority complex. It thinks other cities like Toronto and Montreal, look down on them. They feel like their not a real city. Well, they do look down on us and we are not a real city and it's all your fault.

Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking

I've been out of the real world for the past week and a half attending bluesfest. I was alerted to this report by my friend Siobhan. Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan Chase reported huge profits for the past quarter, less than a year after taking US taxpayer dollars to ensure their viability. The bailout numbers are staggering and are even hard to comprehend to someone who deals in 7 to 9 figures every day (not my own):

• Goldman Sachs received $13,000,000,000; and
  
• JP Morgan Chase received $25,000,000,000.

Not only did the US government provide the above aid to the financial institutions, they guaranteed the "toxic assets" held by the institutions. The toxic assets are essentially the loans that they, or other banks, made to people who couldn't afford to pay them back for overvalued homes.

Now, just a few short months later, each of the above banks is showing a profit for the last two quarters, as follows;

• Goldman Sachs - $1,800,000,000 and $3,440,000,000 for a total of $5,240,000,000; and
  
• JP Morgan Chase - $2,000,000,000 and $2,720,000,000 for a total of $4,720,000,000.

The banks that needed the bailout money so badly to ensure their viability turned a profit in just 8 months, which begs the question "did they really need the money?" Probably not, but the question that is baffling me right now is "where's the outrage?" Aside from some jokes from Letterman, Stewart and the rest of the late night gang, there's little to no reaction from the American public. What gives Yankees? Don't you care about how your government spends your money? Do you even know what's going on or are you too busy watching Lance Armstrong in a race you only care about because Lance Armstrong is in it?

I started this column wanting to complain about the banks in the US for pulling the wool over the eyes of the public and just being the dirty, rotten, filthy, stinking rich pigs they have always been. But now I think the public is dirty, rotten, filthy, stinkingly apathetic and if you keep letting them get away with it then you deserve it.

You Don't Care and You're Lazy

So I mentioned how Bluesfest won an award for their environmental efforts in a previous blog. It seems like every 20 yards or so there's a trash can/compost bin/plastic, glass and can recycling bin, and the cupsuckers. I don't know the exact figure, but I've never had to walk very far to dispose of my garbage or recycling.

Last night, after the Drive by Truckers, we went to grab a bite to eat and watched the people clear out of Lebreton Flats. After about 20 minutes, the festival grounds were pretty empty and I was amazed at how much trash was on the ground. You could barely take a few steps without hearing a beer cup or beer can crush under your feet. I was further amazed at trash on the ground right beside the trash can/compost bin/plastic, glass and can recycling bin, and the cupsuckers.

Are you that freaking lazy people? The organizers went a long way to place these things just about everywhere and you can't walk a few metres to dispose of your trash?

For shame people. For shame.

You Sold Out! Damn Right We Did.

We were at the KISS show on Wednesday night and my friend remarked "those guys are nothing but product." I suppose it's true, but they've always been; they had KISS dolls in the 70s, KISS movies, etc. So it got me thinking about sell-outs.

I remember discovering Metallica in the 80s, not discovering them like Dr. Dre discovered Eminem, but hearing them for the first time. I had no idea they even existed. You have to understand living in a small village in New Brunswick does not lend itself to discovering music that isn't on the country or classic rock radio stations or MuchMusic (ah, the Pepsi Power Hour and the New Music). So when I met some headbangers listening to Master of Puppets, I was immediately hooked.

I bought And Justice For All the first day it was released and wore that cassette out. Then Metallica released a video for One (a video?!). I recall my friends at the time immediately calling them sell-outs. "Metallica doesn't need a video" they'd say. I think they feared the mainstream music fans (though Metallica was arguably mainstream for the metal genre at the time) would jump on the band wagon. Not long after Metallica hired Bob Rock (Bob Rock, the guy from the Payollas?!?!) to produce the follow up to And Justice For All, the Black Album (actually, it was untitled, but it was all black save for a bit of lighter black in the shape of a snake). If you were a Metallica fan and didn't believe they sold out with the video for One, you almost certainly believed they did with the release of the Black Album.

Fast forward to today and selling out is de rigeur. Bands sell out all the time. Look at U2, selling ads for not only Apple (the original black Ipod), but now for one of Apple's major competitors Research in Motion (the Blackberry). Kings of Leon sold their song "Molly's Chamber" to Volkswagen. Feist practically made her career selling her song to Apple.

Not only do artists sell themselves for advertising, you get guys like Flavor Flav, Vince Neil, Bret Michaels, Gene Simmons (though he arguably never sold-out since they've always been all about the marketing), Snoop Dogg, and countless others starring in reality shows. The list goes on and on and on and nobody even bats an eye. What the hell happened?

Some may say that bands started selling out when we started stealing music. They stopped making money selling records and were forced to find new revenue streams. So you might think it's our fault at least in part. Screw that, I'm not taking responsibility for some cheesy 80s hair metal singer signing his name to star in "I'm a Celebrity and You Want to Sleep With Me".

The most common definition of selling out is to do something that makes you more successful and more money that you wouldn't ordinarily do. Like Metallica making a video or hiring Bob Rock, like U2 and Feist pimping Ipods, like KISS putting their name on anything that doesn't move. But wait, isn't that the point? Don't bands want to become successful and make money? Aren't bands sell outs the second they decide make a living as a band. It continues on to the point they sign with a major label and it never ends (see KISS and 2, U). While they may be considered "artists", they're still in it for success and money; that's the whole point isn't it?

Even Kurt Cobain, the man who many think killed himself to avoid being the record company's pawn and selling out, was a sell-out from the start. He claims his first concert was a Melvins show when it was Sammy Haggar. He claims he used to live under a bridge, which he didn't. He privately complained about MTV not playing Smells Like Teen Spirit enough while publicly complaining about being a rock star. He carefully cultivated his image, but, from the start, he always wanted to be a rock star. Check out Heavier Than Heaven if you don't believe me. Don't read Come As You Are as fact, Cobain had a hand in writing it. It was used as a vehicle to cultivate his image.

Don't get me wrong, I love Cobain and think the music was great. But he was the same as every other guy or gal in a band; he wanted to succeed and to be a star.

Bands always have been and always will be sell-outs. It's all about the benjamins and at least Puff Daddy had the guts to tell you so.

The National Part Deux (or Shut up and Sing)

I saw the National again tonight, but this time at Bluesfest. They were much tighter than the first time I saw them earlier this year. The show was great and I really have nothing bad to say about their set or their sound; it was awesome. But two things happened at the show that grinded my gears.

First, there was some bad weather. It rained about 3 songs into the show. It's been raining regularly Bluesfest and we now go prepared with raincoats and umbrellas. So we open said umbrella and apparently obstructed the view of some biatch behind us (you'll see why she's a biatch shortly). I appreciate that an umbrella can obstruct your view. I also appreciate you coming to tell me that the umbrella is obstructing your view in a polite manner rather than poking my girlfriend and saying "Are you serious?!?!There are people behind you!" No shit? There are people behind us at a concert? I had no idea. Whatever happened to politeness? There really is a better way to say that and it's not that hard. It involves a magic word that I'm sure Bert and Ernie taught you once.

The second thing that annoyed me has annoyed me with bands for years. From the Dixie Chicks to U2 and even to Pearl Jam, bands have felt the need to pass their political and social agendas on to their fans during shows. I don't mind if bands are political or work towards raising awareness for a cause or do whatever it is they do. In fact I applaud it. But I don't like it when a band stops playing a third of the way through their less than one hour set, grabs a sheet of paper (you didn't even memorize it?) and wastes five minutes telling me about World Aid. I came to see you sing. Shut up and sing.

Great show though.

Freebird

I saw Steve Earle last night. I've been wanting to see Steve Earle for about 20 years, since I first heard "Guitar Town". We parted ways sometimes after the release of "The Hard Way", his fourth album. However, I rediscovered him when he released "Jerusalem" and went through his back catalogue to see what I missed. I missed a lot, some of his best work.

It was a great show. Just Steve, an acoustic and a harmonica, though the guitar was replaced by other string instruments from time to time. Steve just released an album called Townes, a tribute, consisting entirely of Townes Van Zandt covers. It's a beautiful album and makes for a beautiful show, soft, quiet and touching.

I hated being at that show last night. Not because of Steve or the music, it was a great show, hitting some classics like "My Old Friend the Blues", my favourite lyrical song of all time "Poncho and Lefty" and some of his renaissance songs like "Jerusalem" and "City of Immigrants". I hated the show because of all you one hit wonder lovers that can't just sit and enjoy a performance. You have to get loaded and yell out your request all night long. Note the singular use of the word request. Every drunk meathead at the Steve Earle show knew one Steve Earle song and felt like they had to yell at him to play it all night. Did you really think he wouldn't play it? Or, an even better question is; if you only wanted to hear one song, why did you even go to the show?

At one point during the show a particularly annoying drunk was yelling the title of the song he (and most other drunks) wanted to hear. Steve says "You better be careful man or you're gonna puke on that girl in front of you. I heard you the first time and I'm either gonna play it or I'm not." In other words, fuck you. That made my night.

Of course he played the song. My girlfriend noted that he didn't seem to enjoy it. I believe her exact words were "he looked like he was a slave to that song." He is. It's a fine song, but he's released 10 albums over the 21 years since that song has been released. It's time to move on.

Bluesfest Day One

My first band at Bluesfest was the Black Keys, not Flash Lightning as I had initially intended. The rain kept me off my schedule for the first act, but there was no way I was missing the Black Keys.

I arrived before the start of the show and grabbed a spot near the sound tent. This is my favourite spot to see a show. I always figure the best sound is near the sound engineers. The band started and I immediately loved that Bluesfest was back when I felt the beat of the bass drum on my chest.

The start of the show was a half good, half bad. Patrick, the drummer was amazing. The key can really beat the skins (ba dum bum). The singer, I forget his name but he looks like Charlie from Lost (but not Merry from Lord of the Rings), was fiddling around with gear a lot to get the sound of the guitar right. This is an important step for a band like the Black Keys since, like the White Stripes, they are only a two piece band. Also like the White Stripes, they put out a big sound that amazes you they there are only two of them. But after a few songs they had it and were awesome. No complaints here. This was the band I went to see this night and they didn’t disappoint.

I had no idea what I was going to do next. Jeff Beck was playing and I feel like I should like Jeff Beck. I don’t. So we perused the artists playing on other stages; Eric Lindell, John Campbell John, Van Der Graaf Generator, and Sergent Garcia. We hadn’t heard of any of them so decided to choose by best name. So, it was down to Van Der Graaf Generator and Sergent Garcia. Sergent Garcia was playing at the Black Sheep stage, a stage that generally hosts great, eclectic, up and coming bands.

Sergent Garcia was ok. I had fun, but I really wanted to see two other acts; Ibrahim Ferrer and Manu Chao. You see, if Ibrahim Ferrer and Manu Chao had a bunch of kids that formed a band, it would be Sergent Garcia. Not a bad thing per se, but not great either. At one point I said to my girlfriend “I bet they play Guantanamera”. Sure enough, when the string player picked up the Cuban Tres, he began Guantanamera and turned it into a sing along. I suspect Guantanamera is to Cuban bands as Barrett’s Privateers is to Maritime bands. You have to have it on your set list even though you don’t want to (and the crowd usually doesn’t either, unless they’re tourists).

All in all it was a good start to the festival. I’m glad I went and didn’t get wet.

Also, I am very impressed with Bluesfest’s green initiatives. Here’s what the media release:

For the past three years, the Ottawa Bluesfest organization has been recognized by the Recycling Council of Ontario with an Award for Waste Minimization'. The festival is asking all patrons to help make this festival the greenest event in Ontario. The Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest is the use of an innovative recycling receptacle, known as the ClearStream CycleMax. Field studies have proven that the ClearStream is extremely successful in the recovery of recyclable materials and greatly reduces the amount of litter sent to landfill sites. The ClearStream CycleMax utilizes a clear bag that is re-usable. As well, we have a new composting program onsite. Everything from food scraps to serving ware is compostable and can be placed in the new green bins. Please help us divert as much garbage to landfill by composting.

Don't forget to use the very popular and successful Cupsuckers. In conjunction with Molson Canada, Bluesfest continues to utilize compostable beer cups made from corn. Of the more than 200,000 cups that are used, 99% are separately disposed of without harming the environment. Please place your cups in the Cupsuckers located next to each garbage can. Bluesfest organizers will also encourage people to bicycle to the event by providing supervised bike parking.

Kudos to all the Bluesfest organizers on your green initiatives and awards. Shame on all you attendees for not using the cupsuckers, recycle bins, compost bins, and garbage bins.

Bye bye Joe

This post is a bit of a reversal. I will be praising someone, specifically Joe Sakic. Joe Sakic is one of the greatest hockey players of my lifetime. He doesn't hold the record for most goals, assists, or points (though he is 14th, 8th and 11th respectively), but he was a consummate professional, never once involved in any type of scandal or me first scenario and he played his entire career with the same franchise, the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche.

It is a rarity in sports today where you have an athlete spend their entire career with the same team. To me, this says a lot about Joe. Joe chose to be loyal to his team, even through the recent bad years. But if you look at it another way, his team chose to be loyal to him. Why did Joe stay when Forsberg left, Foote left, Tanguay left, etc. To me, this says even more about Joe. Even as his skills were declining (sorry but it's true) the Avs wanted Joe to stay and you never once heard his name in any trade rumours and always sort of knew he'd retire with his team.

So cheers to Joe. We'll miss you, especially this February in Vancouver.

A Note to Sens Fans

Dear Sens fans,

I've heard a lot of talk over the last couple of days over the signing of enigmatic winger Alexei Kovalev. Mostly fans are taking a wait and see approach, but the comment I hear more often than not is "I hope we get the good Kovalev and not the one that doesn't show up all the time". Newsflash: there is only one Alexei Kovalev. He is good but doesn't show up all the time, or as Kovy puts it, he tries too hard. There aren't two Kovalev's that take turns from game to game.

He'll be great on a line with Spezza. He may score 85 points this season, he may score 55. Either way, he will light it up one game and not show up for 3. But don't think that there's a good twin and a bad twin. There's only one Alexei Kovalev and you have to take the bad with the good.

Look at it this way. You're losing a guy that skates around with his stick in the air half the time (IF he ever accepts a trade) and getting a guy who shows up half the time. At least the new guy's salary is $2.5 million less than the ingrate's.

Bluesfest

Tomorrow is the start of Bluesfest, my favourite time of the year in Ottawa. I’m looking forward to 12 straight days of music. You can check out my itinerary here. It’s optimistic, but I’m hoping to see most of those bands.

Bluesfest has continued to impress me over the years. It first started with the cup suckers (a nifty tube to drop your used beer cups in), then the corn based beer cups and the bike valets. Not to mention the music. I’ve seen some of my favourites, like Wilco, Primus, Snoop, and Manu Chao, and introduced to bands I hadn’t heard at the time, like Gogol Bordello, Broken Social Scene and Metric.

I do however have one gripe with Bluesfest; the chair dwellers. I have no issue with you bringing a chair to an outdoor show, especially one that runs all day Saturday and Sunday. I have an issue with you planting your chair near the stage and sitting during the show. I have an even bigger issue with those of you that get upset with those of us who like to get close and, by virtue of your choice to remain seated, block your seated view. Also, it really crowds the front area when you and your chair take up as much space as two people.

This problem was seemingly solved a few years ago when there was a dedicated section for people with chairs. It looked a bit silly though. It even prompted Jeff Tweedy to joke that he didn’t know most Wilco fans were in wheelchairs. The solution only lasted a year, coincidentally, the last year the festival was on city hall grounds.

So I’m begging you all who attend the festival this year, please, please, please, if you bring a chair, try to find a spot that is not only convenient for you, but that is convenient for those of us who like to get near the stage on our feet.. If you must sit near the front of the stage, then please don’t get upset with people who like to stand near the stage.

Koivu and Kovalev Part Deux

Today the Ottawa Senators signed Alexei Kovalev, the enigmatic winger who spent the last few seasons in Montreal. In case you couldn’t tell, I’m a fan of the Montreal Canadiens. I was also a fan of Kovy, though he was frustrating to watch. Sens fans should be wary; he has the ability to be a game changer, when he wants to, but he also loses interest for long periods of time. I’m guessing most of you already know that.

This isn’t going to be a rant about Kovy. Rather, this is a rant about Habs fans. I hate most Habs fans. Habs fans are generally an obnoxious lot. Habs fans get out of control, behave inappropriately, are mouthy, and just generally not fun to be around. I can tolerate that and sometimes even participate. What bothers me right now is the lack of respect that Saku Koivu has received.

Over the weekend, there was a rally at the Bell Centre with the intention to sway Bob Gainey to re-sign Kovalev. Obviously it didn’t work. Eric Engels, one of my favourite Hab writers/bloggers said "I'd sooner attend a rally for Koivu". So what I really want to know is “where is the rally is for Saku?”

Kovalev spent 4 ½ seasons in Montreal (5 ½ if you count the lockout) and over that span he was arguably the most skilled forward Montreal had. I'm sad to see him go, but I'm also happy. As mentioned ad nauseum, he didn’t quite give his all every night, and certainly wasn’t the best on both sides of the ice. The $5 million he's getting from Ottawa is better spent elsewhere (though I'm not sure it was spent in the most efficient fashion).

Koivu spent his entire NHL career with Montreal; 13 seasons (14 with the lockout) with little support (see Brian Savage, Sergei Berezin, etc.). He showed up for the Habs every night and lead by example. He was great with and without the puck. He came back from a serious eye injury and a battle with cancer. The man is more courageous that Kovalev could ever be. Koivu could have left as a free agent before and chose to stay. He donated countless dollars to cancer research and equipment in the city. He put up with the media’s lack of respect for him with nothing but respect for them. He never said boo when they complained about him not speaking French or when he had that serious eye injury and the stupid photographers were taking flash photos.

Koivu is a man with courage and class. He will be sadly missed and all you Habs fans showing support for a wasted talent like Kovalev rather than Koivu should be ashamed.

New Look Habs

I'm still trying to absorb all the changes the Montreal Canadiens have made since June 30th. I'm not sure I'm ready to write this post, but I may not be ready until midway through next season, so here we go.

I want to discuss the UFAs that didn't get signed first. I blogged about it recently and still think Bob Gainey erred by not signing Komisarek prior to the end of the season. It's clear now that Komisarek was the only UFA that Bob was interested in re-signing, though he did make an offer to Kovalev as well. Komisarek signed with the rival Leafs for a total of $2 million more, about $500,000 per season. Team 990, the Montreal sports radio station, is reporting that Komisarek wanted 8 years from Montreal, for less yearly money, but couldn't get it.

I'm not sure who I'm mad at most here. If the reports from Team 990 are true, why wouldn't you sign a stud defenseman to an 8 year deal, especially one that is only 27. Also, I think Gainey likely could have avoided all this by offering Komisarek a contract during the season.

On the other hand, I'm pissed at Komisarek. I understand it's his right as free agent to sign wherever he chooses, but to choose the Leafs is a kick in the gut to us Habs fans. I've heard some interviews with him lately saying he wanted a fresh start and to play in a hockey city. He also said all the right things about Montreal. I want to hate this guy so much, but I can't. He's a good guy and gave up his body every night for the Habs.

I'm torn about this all. I blame Gainey and Komisarek both. This could have been avoided and Komisarek would almost certainly be a captain someday (perhaps he would have been the next captain). It will take some time to figure out how I feel, probably not until the first Leafs - Habs game.

I think the defensive changes are a definite loss for the Habs. Spacek and Gill (I can't believe we have Gill, I hated that guy for so long) will not replace Komisarek and Schneider. I'm not getting any deeper into this. It's a fact that isn't up for discussion, so let's move on to the forwards.

The main UFA forwards, Koivu, Kovalev and Tanguay, that weren't re-signed may have been a purposeful changing of the guard. Saku Koivu has been with the Habs for 13 years. He's been the captain of the franchise for 10. He gave his heart and soul to the team and the city. Saku Koivu's foundation in Montreal helped raise millions of dollars over the years for cancer research and equipment in the city. Regardless of whether you think he should have stayed or gone, you cannot argue with what he gave to the team and the city; everything he had.

Kovalev had to go. I like Kovy more than most. He is probably the most talented stick handler in the league. He's also the most frustrating forward to watch in the league. He'll show up one night and not the next. If he did re-sign, I wouldn't have been upset, but I'm also not upset that he's not coming back.

Finally Tanguay was only here one year and was hurt for a good part of it. I didn't have time to develop an affinity for him so I won't really miss him.

As I've mentioned above, I believe this was a deliberate changing of the guard. For years, there have been rumours of dressing room battles within the Habs. I think Bob saw this as a way to change the culture of the dressing room. With Koivu, Kovy, Komisarek, and Higgins gone, the Habs just lost their captain and 3 people who have worn the A over the past 4 years. Now, we have Gomez, Cammalleri, and Gionta. We still don't know who will be the captain or the assistants, but we are certain the leadership of this team has changed. These guys are hard workers. Gomez and Gionta played for the Devils and should fit nicely into Martin's defensive system.

A lot of bloggers and reporters are saying that the changes at forward is a sideways move; the Habs didn't get better, they just changed three pieces for three equal pieces. I thought I'd look into this and compare the players involved since the lockout season.

First, the centres, Koivu and Gomez:

Koivu
GP	G	A	Pts
72	17	45	62
81	22	53	75
77	16	40	56
65	16	34	50

Gomez
GP	G	A	Pts
82	33	51	84
72	13	47	60
81	16	54	70
77	16	42	58

Gomez clearly has more upside, scoring 84 points the year after the lockout. With the exception of 2006/2007, Gomez has produced more points that Koivu each year. This is a step up. Also, Gomez is younger than Koivu and is being reunited with Gionta, his line mate the year he scored 85 points. I'd say this is an improvement.

You can't discuss the acquisition of Gomez without looking at what was given up, Higgins and McDonagh. Higgins was highly touted, expected to lead the Habs one day in scoring and as a captain or assistant. However, looking at Higgins' production, it didn't look like he was developing into that player. His best year was 2007/2008, scoring 27 goals and 25 assists, for 52 total points. This was also the only year he played a full season. Maybe Higgins will develop into that player someday, but I don't mind Gainey giving up on him, he wasn't getting there and may need a change to be the player he can be (see John LeClair).

Losing McDonagh worries me more. The kid (he's in university) is expected to be a large, stay at home defense man. I saw him play at the World Juniors this year and he is big and good. I suspect he'll be the seen as the steal of the trade when the Rangers look back in a few years.

Next, we'll compare Kovalev and Gionta.

Kovalev
GP	G	A	Pts
69	23	42	65
73	18	29	47
82	35	49	84
78	26	39	65

Gionta
GP	G	A	Pts
82	48	41	89
62	25	20	45
82	22	31	53
81	20	40	60

Looking at the stats, this may be a push. Both had seasons with 80 plus points and seasons with less than 50 points. If you look at the trend, you see that Kovalev's production is getting better, but let's not forget that Gionta is being reunited with Gomez. This should help them both. Also, Kovalev isn't getting any younger. Finally, I doubt that you have to give Gionta a few days off to find himself and start playing like he cares. Even if Kovalev's stats were markedly better than Gionta's, I'd say it's addition by subtraction. I can live with this. I just don't look forward to playing Kovalev in the future.

Finally, let's look at Tanguay and Cammallerri:

Tanguay
GP	G	A	Pts
71	29	49	78
81	22	59	81
78	18	40	58
50	16	25	41

Cammallerri
GP	G	A	Pts
80	26	29	55
81	34	46	80
63	19	28	47
81	39	43	82

I'd say that Cammallerri is the winner here, though it is a tight race. Cammallerri had 2 seasons with 80 or more points; Tanguay only missed it by 2 points in 2005/2006. Cammallerri appears more durable as well, only having one season playing less than 80 games. Tanguay has only played 80 or more games once since the lockout. I'll take Cammallerri's durability and call the point production a push.

So, Montreal may be slightly better offensively but are more durable than in previous years. They are worse off defensively. If Montreal signs another defense man, or one comes up through the system (hi there PK), then maybe we'll be a better team this year. Or, maybe we'll be better just because we've lost a guy who only shows up when he wants to and we get 2 guys who have won 2 cups each with the Devils.

I still don't know how to feel about this. I'm going to miss Koivu and Komisarek. I'll even miss Kovalev's talent. I'm glad I compared the new guys with the old and wrote this entry (though it may be one of my worst posts) to help me figure out how I feel. Too bad it didn't work. Tell me what you think.