Montreal Canadiens' Brian Gionta Named Team Captain.

Fourteen months after the departure of Saku Koivu, the Montreal Canadiens chose Brian Gionta to be their new team captain. Gionta becomes the 28th captain in the club's history.

The choice of Gionta as team captain did not caught anyone by surprise. The subject was covered by the media a couple of days ago as it was treated as a rumor at the time. The whole process probably allowed the team to evaluate the fans' reaction to the rumor.

The majority of the players interviewed yesterday seemed to be pleased with Gionta's nomination. At 31 years old, Gionta has the experience to bear the responsability and represents solid leadership in the dressing room.

When asked about his first impressions, Gionta said that he was honored to wear the ''C'' and is proud to be a part of the rich history of the team.

Defense mens Andrei Markov and Hal Gill will both wear the ''A'' and will assist Gionta. Both Markov and Gill were serious candidates to become team captain.

(Picture: Brian Gionta, Getty Images.)

Montreal Canadiens Cut 18 Players From Camp.

Yesterday, the Montreal Canadiens made their first training camp cuts. The club sent eighteen players. Two of them (Louis Leblanc and Jared Tinordi) will go back with their respective junior squad while the sixteen others will join the Hamilton Bulldogs.

The Canadiens evaluated their young talent during the last week of camp and pre-season matches and were ready to make their first cuts. Some of the players removed from the camp will likely have a chance to play with the team later should the team experience a string of injuries during the regular season.

Among those who were cut, we find the names of Louis Leblanc, Jared Tinordi, Alexander Avtsin, Andrew Conboy and Aaron Palushaj. Those players received good comments about their overall potential and fitness level. We could see one or two of those players back with the club during the regular season.

Here are the names of the 18 cut players:

Goaltender:
Robert Mayer

Defensemens:
Kyle Klubertanz
Frédéric St-Denis
David Urquhart
Sébastien Bisaillon
Marc-Antoine Desnoyers
Brendon Nash
Neil Petruic
Jared Tinordi

Forwards:
Alexander Avtsin
Jimmy Bonneau
Andrew Conboy
Dany Massé
Ian Schultz
Aaron Palushaj
James T. Wyman
Olivier Fortier
Louis Leblanc

Another cut is scheduled later this week to once again reduce the roster.

A couple of players are still looking to begin the regular season with the club. Among those we find: Lars Eller, David Desharnais, Ryan White, Ben Maxwell, Max Pacioretty, Gabriel Dumont, Yannick Weber, Alexandre Picard and Mathieu Carle.

(Picture: Louis Leblanc, RDS.)

Pre-Season Opener For The Canadiens.

Tonight, the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens will entertain the hockey fans at the Bell centre in Montreal for the first time of this new upcoming season.

Both teams will line up an interesting mix of prospects and veterans in this game.

On Montreal's side, Andrew Conboy, Louis Leblanc, Gabriel Dumont, Ben Maxwell and Aaron Palushaj will be playing with veteran forwards Tomas Plekanec, Mike Cammalleri and Jeff Halpern.

Jared Tinordi, Yannick Weber and Frederic St-Denis will try to proove their potential on defense. Veterans like Hal Gill, Josh Gorges and Jaroslav Spacek will complete the defensive lineup.

Some of the new players mentioned earlier will not make the team this year but it will be interesting to see how they can handle real game situations on both ends of the rink.

I will enjoy my first hockey game of this new season.

A happy 2010-2011 season to every hockey fan!

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Minnesota Vikings: More Offense Needed.

The Minnesota Vikings have lost their home opener to the Miami Dolphins this Sunday. Minnesota had many glorious chances to take the lead late in the game but failed miserably each and every time.

The Vikes have dropped their first two games of the season and the main reason for those two losses is the lack of cohesion on offense.

And as much as I love QB Brett Favre, I have to admit that he didn't help at all. Favre threw three picks last Sunday, two of those could have been easily avoided with just a little more discipline from the veteran. He was also stripped of the ball in his own end zone, resulting in the winning touchdown for the Dolphins.

If the first game of the season wasn't convincing enough about the Vikings' lack of offense, the loss at the hands of the Dolphins is. On at least three different occasions, the Dolphins stopped the Vikings on fourth down and short. Two of those were fourth down and goal to go.

Final score: Miami Dolphins 14 - Minnesota Vikings 10.

I know that once the game is over, it is easy to criticize the coaches' decisions to go for it on fourth down. But the Vikings should've gone for a couple of field goals instead of trying to go for a touchdown with their last two possessions of the fourth quarter.

With two FGs, the Vikings would have won this game and be in a lot less trouble. Minnesota will host the Detroit Lions in week three and desperatly need to win this one.

(Picture: Brett Favre, Canadian Press.)

Montreal Canadiens Rookie Camp Opens.

The Montreal Canadiens' rookie training camp began yesterday, a sign that the next regular season is just around the corner. In this year's edition, a couple of young players attract the fans and media attention.

Defensemen P.K. Subban is one of them. After an interesting overall performance in April and May during the late stages of the regular season and the playoffs, Subban is looking to be a part of the Canadiens' defensive unit.

Some attention will be also directed towards Louis Leblanc, the team's 1st round draft pick in 2009, and towards defensemen Jared Tinordi, the latest first round pick for the Habs.

Max Pacioretty, already a pick from the 2007 draft, will have to show more than what he did during the last season if he hopes to stay in Montreal.

Lars Eller, acquired in the Jaroslav Halak trade, will also be on the spotlight. Eller did not skate during the first day of the rookie camp, the remnants of an abdominal injury kept him off the ice yesterday.

(Picture: Jared Tinordi.)

Favre: Difficult 20th Season Debut.

Brett Favre was at the helm for the Minnesota Vikings who faced the defending Super Bowl champions, the New Orleans Saints in yesterday's NFL season kickoff.

Favre disputes a 20th season in the NFL this year, and it should be his last. The most amazing fact is that he was able to play this week after going through an important surgery only a couple of months ago.

The lack of pre-season practice with the new faces in the offensive squad costed Favre and the Vikings in this opening game. The Minnesota defense did it's part in order to win but the Vikes offense never got into high gear.

Final score: New Orleans Saints 14 - Minnesota Vikings 9.

With just a little more cohesion, the Vikings could have won this opening game. But let's see if Minnesota will bounce back in the coming weeks.

As for the Saints, a win at home in front of a loud crowd means back to business. The title defense could be tested in just a couple of weeks.

I cannot wait for my first NFL Sunday of the season.

A Happy season to all the football fans out there!

Back At Home.

I did not wrote anything on this blog in the last two weeks because of my trip to Florida.

I did not want any internet in my life during my vacations. That way I could really enjoy my time out there.

We made an enjoyable trip, after early bounces. First, the landing was made during a storm, not a pleasant ride. Then it went on for four days of 3-11PM showers and thunderstorms.

But after the rain, came the sun. A steamy, sticky and satisfying streak of ten days. I had to use Coppertone's FPS 70 during my second week. It really saved me from burning up. My weaklish FPS 30 spray I brought was no match for the sun.

So, I am back after a refreshing two weeks. Business as usual will resume here.

Enjoy your visit!

(Picture: Universal's Island of Adventure, Harry Potter's Dragon Challenge.)