Tag: Montreal Canadiens

WATCH: Former Wisconsin Badger scores Montreal Canadiens’ first goal of 2024-25 NHL season

WATCH: Former Wisconsin Badger scores Montreal Canadiens’ first goal of 2024-25 NHL season

Former Wisconsin Badger Cole Caufield scored the Montreal Canadiens’ first goal of the 2024-25 NHL season on Wednesday.

His tally came on a power play with 12 minutes remaining in the first period. He took a cross pass from a teammate behind the net, then fit the puck through a narrow window as the Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender attempted to recover.

The former Badger tallied that one point on seven total shots in 17:43 of ice time in the Canadiens’ 1-0 win over the Maple Leafs. His goal was technically the game-winner as it was the only scored in the contest.

The opening night performance is a strong start to Caufield’s fifth NHL season. The former Badger has not quite recaptured the form that saw him light up the hockey world during the 2021 NHL playoffs — four goals and eight assists in only 12 games as the Canadiens’ made a run to the Stanley Cup Final.

Caufield most recently played all 82 games in the Canadiens’ 2023-24 campaign, totaling 28 goals and 37 assists for 65 total points in an average of 19:25 minutes of ice time. His start to 2024-25 may signal that those numbers are set to rise.

Caufield played for the Badgers from 2019-2021. He led the Badgers Big Ten-winning 2019 team with 19 goals and 17 assists in 36 games. Those tallies earned him a spot on the All-Big Ten team for that season.

The talented wing improved dramatically entering his final collegiate season in 2021. He tallied 30 goals and 52 total points in 31 games, again leading the Big Ten in goals and earning a spot on the All-Big Ten team. That fantastic output in 2021 also earned him AHCA First-Team All-American honors and the Hobey Baker Award for the top NCAA men’s ice hockey player.

He signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Canadiens after the 2021 season, leading to where things stand today.

Caufield and the Canadiens are looking to snap a three-year playoff drought that dates back to the team’s Stanley Cup Final run in 2021. Caufield’s potential emergence would be big news for that quest.

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Celine Dion made a dramatic NHL Draft appearance to announce Canadiens selection

Celine Dion delivered the most dramatic NHL draft selection of all time.

NHL teams enlisted the help of celebrity guest pickers to announce first-round selections in Friday night’s 2024 NHL Draft, with former San Jose Sharks star Joe Thornton announcing the team’s first overall pick, Macklin Celebrini.

When it came to the Montreal Canadiens’ pick at No. 5 overall, however, they brought some real star power to the table.

In a stunner, world-famous singer and Quebec native Celine Dion took the stage, and she certainly brought some drama to the affair. After quite a bit of fanfare and extended pauses, she announced the selection of Russian winger Ivan Demidov of SKA Saint Petersburg in the Kontinental Hockey League.

Even the broadcasters described the pick as the most dramatic of all time.

After beginning his NHL career with a celebrity photo-op, Demidov will join one of the league’s most historically successful teams in Montreal, which has won 24 Stanley Cups, though it’s searching for its first since 1993.

The Habs got close in 2021, reaching the Stanley Cup Finals, but they’ve missed the postseason in each of the last three campaigns. With Demidov, they’ll hope their fortune changes.

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Watch: Jake Evans’ game-winning goal in 2018 Frozen Four

Remember this?

Not long ago, Notre Dame was a regular contender for national championships. Perhaps that’s why quite a few NHL players today once played in South Bend. Among those is [autotag]Jake Evans[/autotag], who has done pretty well for himself with the Montreal Canadiens. But whatever he does the rest of his career, few feelings will compare to the game-winning goal in the 2018 Frozen Four against Michigan:

As of this writing, it’s been six years and one day since Evans etched himself into Irish lore forever. The Irish ended up losing to Minnesota-Duluth in the national championship game, but Evans contributed to the Irish’s cause in that game with the secondary assist on their lone goal by [autotag]Andrew Oglevie[/autotag].

Perhaps someday, there will be a moment that surpasses this one and ends with the Irish as the last team standing. For the moment though, there is an established precedent that they can get as close as possible without actually winning it all. Most programs would take that in a heartbeat.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Watch: Former Notre Dame forward Jake Evans scores on breakaway

Nothing was going to stop him on this.

Former Notre Dame forward [autotag]Jake Evans[/autotag] had a rough 2022-23 season, missing over two months with an injury. He didn’t score after coming back, meaning his last goal of the season came Jan. 12. The new season already appears promising though.

Evans’ Montreal Canadiens played their first game of the year against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Early in the first period, he pounced on a turnover by TJ Brodie and had an easy breakaway. Despite the Leafs’ attempts to stop him, it was too little too late as he finished in front of the crease:

As exciting as the moment was for Evans, it proved to be a footnote in the game. Auston Matthews scored a hat trick, which included his 300th career goal to make him the fastest U.S.-born player to achieve that milestone. However, it took a shootout for the Leafs to defeat the Habs, 6-5.

While surely a disappointing outcome for Evans and his teammates, he at least has to be encouraged by this particular play. Here’s hoping he has many more of those over the next several months.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Former Notre Dame players on NHL rosters to begin 2023-24 season

Know where to check out the former Irish who have made it to the highest level.

We understand that most of you come here for football, but Notre Dame has a devoted fan base for its hockey program. A lot of NHL players have come through the program, and many of them even have found great success at hockey’s highest level. And it’s unlikely any of them forget that they once donned the Gold and Blue.

For the 2023-24 NHL season, there are seven former Irish on rosters at the start. That’s three fewer than the start of each of the past two seasons. But be on the lookout for the 24 players with Notre Dame connections currently in the AHL or even the four in the ECHL. For now, here’s who you can watch in NHL uniforms:

Erik Karlsson trade: Who won the Penguins, Sharks and Canadiens deal?

Erik Karlsson is on his way to Pittsburgh, so let’s grade this trade!

Talk about a mid-summer stunner!

On Sunday, the Pittsburgh Penguins traded for San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson in an early August blockbuster. The Montreal Canadiens pitched in as well as the third team to help facilitate the trade.

The Penguins had been pursuing Karlsson for some time, with the Carolina Hurricanes the rumored other team in the hunt for the high-octane offensive defenseman. Karlsson is the reigning Norris Trophy winner after putting up a career-best 101 points in a full 82-game season last year.

It’s been awhile since we’ve had a major NHL trade of some kind, so let’s break down the particulars and hand out grades between the Penguins, Sharks and Canadiens!

Carey Price seemingly forgot Canadiens’ NHL Draft pick David Reinbacher’s name during selection

Oh no, Carey Price!

Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price got a bit of stage fright as he announced his team’s fifth-overall pick during Wednesday night’s first round of the 2023 NHL Draft.

As Price shared the selection of defenseman David Reinbacher, he said the draft pick’s first name of “David” but couldn’t quite bring it home as he forgot the prospect’s last name.

It took a few moments for the Canadiens to realize that Price wasn’t going to remember the draft pick’s last name before someone stepped in to announce the selection.

It’d be Montreal general manager Kent Hughes came in with the save to finish the announcement, but all poor Price could do is stand there awkwardly as the Canadiens contingent celebrated the pick.

A bit later in the night, Price joked about the on-camera flub.

Y’know, once the cameras start rolling, it’s easy to get a bit overwhelmed by the moment. Maybe Price wasn’t nervous at all and just forgot the name altogether.

All the same, this did make for a pretty funny moment during this year’s NHL Draft. Maybe Montreal will invite Price back next year to redeem himself?

Feature image courtesy of ESPN. 

Niele Ivey, KK Bransford, Cassandre Prosper speak after Notre Dame win

A lot of happy thoughts after that dominating victory.

SOUTH BEND — Notre Dame’s 85-48 win over Boston College was a coming-out party for a couple of new faces. [autotag]KK Bransford[/autotag] has been around throughout the season, and the freshman’s 17 points set a personal high for the season, not to mention tied with [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] for the game’s scoring lead. Early enrollee and Montreal native [autotag]Cassandre Prosper[/autotag] played her first home game and made the most of it with seven points and a game-high nine rounds.

All of this led to a happy [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] being joined by both freshmen in the postgame news conference. With the ease of the victory and the emergence of two players who could represent the program’s future, it was easy to feel relaxed when taking questions from the assembled media. The way this team is playing, there will be plenty more of those as the season continues. For now though, here is what they said:

The Maple Leafs started the season the way they ended every playoffs, by melting down

Usually, the Leafs choke in the playoffs, not the regular season!

At this point, a devastating Maple Leafs’ loss in some shape or form should probably be expected. With one of the more talented cores in the NHL, Toronto has basically made it a time-honored tradition to waste that talent come the spring when the playoffs roll around.

On Wednesday night, during their season opener against the Canadiens (+200), the Leafs pivoted somewhat and started the year with a meltdown.

In a back-and-forth battle, Toronto seemingly couldn’t shake Montreal, taking the lead twice and surrendering it … twice in the second period. When the closing stanza came around, the Canadiens took the advantage with a 3-2 lead before the Leafs would tie it up in the final few minutes.

It seemed like we’d be heading for overtime until a Josh Anderson shot found the back of the net, on new goal Matt Murray no less, with roughly 17 seconds on the clock:

How glorious and painful, at the same time, to lose to Montreal 4-3 in such a fashion. The Leafs couldn’t even contain themselves enough not to blow a potential win one game into their season. If this is how the Toronto 2022-2023 campaign begins, it might be another eventual agonizing year for the Leafs.

Carey Price got an emotional, heartwarming standing ovation before Canadiens home opener

Carey Price forever.

There’s no one like Carey Price in the NHL.

The 35-year-old goaltender may never play another hockey game in his life due to a lingering knee injury, but the life-long Montreal Canadiens netminder is as beloved as they come. On Wednesday, the Canadiens opened the 2022-23 season at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs, once again missing Price as their starting netminder thanks to injury.

Last season, Price played in five games for the Canadiens at season’s end, missing most of the season after stepping away for mental health reasons. Even with his career in question, Price wouldn’t miss Canadiens’ opening night for the world, as he made an appearance during Montreal’s introductory ceremony to kick off the new season and was given an emotional standing ovation in response from the fans.

After everything Price has been through, that’s one incredible welcome from Canadiens fans. Bravo Montreal and bravo Price!

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