Habs Still In It

Well, ex-Habs that is... When the playoffs started, a few of the Habs from the last 2 seasons were in the mix. Here is the list:

Vancouver - Jan Bulis
Dallas - Mike Ribeiro
San Jose - Craig Rivet
Rangers - Marcel Hossa
Islanders - Richard Zednik

Of these 5 players, only two have been eliminated; Zednik and Ribeiro. I can't say I'm upset about Ribeiro, but I do feel bad for Zednik. For a few years we all cheered for him as our leading scorer. Then he has a bad year and it's all boos. That being said, he only seems to have one move; around the back of the net, on the backhand, one hand on the stick, the other holding off the defenceman. I'm really quite surprised he was never clocked as he circled the net.

All of the remaining 3 players have played quite well.

Bulis is proving he is a very good checker. He was just as good in Montreal, but for some reason every coach that had him insisted on putting him on the first line to try to get him to score. Well, they must've seen something I didn't because I don't think he was ever a scorer. Glad to see the Canucks using his strong points.

Marcel Hossa isn't lighting things up, but he is making things happen. He's showing a level of effort he didn't in Montreal. He's always been on the edge of being a star in this league. He's still not there, but maybe a run in the playoffs will give him that motivation he needs. If he can make the Finals, he's already one up on his brother.

But the best of the bunch has been Craig Rivet. I was really surprised to see him get traded this season, but in hind-sight, it makes sense. Rivet is San Jose's top minute player and with 5 points in 8 games, he's also making a difference offensively. A team player in every sense of the word, Rivet is a class act all the way. He's also the most likely of the former-Habs to make the Finals. Even though Anaheim will beat San Jose in the next round (and eventually take the Cup), I still wish Rivet the best of luck.