Roman Hamrlik

During free agencies and trade deadlines of the past, Washington Capitals' General Manager George McPhee has often earned himself the name, Sleepy McPhee. 

Not this year. McPhee just got serious.

After three consecutive years of postseason failure and disappointment, McPhee has finally realized what the flaws in his organization are, and he is now doing whatever it takes to fix them.

Habs fans were furious when Sheldon Souray was allowed to walk after the 2006-2007 season.

When Alex Kovalev wasn't brought back into the fold for the 2009-2010 season, there was a public protest outside the Bell Centre.

Fans were ready to riot when Mike Komisarek chose the Blue and White over the Bleu Blanc Rouge.

After this season, one of the more important Habs players in recent memory may leave the team, and it likely won't generate anywhere near as much fanfare.

Another great week of hockey is in the books.

As we enter December, the men have begun to separate themselves from the boys in the NHL. The Pittsburgh Penguins proved they are one of the elite teams in the Eastern Conference and have now rattled off nine straight.

Meanwhile, the Dallas Stars are making a case to be considered a legitimate contender in the Western Conference, with a six-game winning streak of their own.

Confront them with annihilation, and they will then survive; plunge them into a deadly situation, and they will then live. When people fall into danger, they are then able to strive for victory. —Sun Tzu

I have always admired this quote and will probably be providing you with many more of Mr. Tzu’s in the future. His depiction of strategy in battle can be applied in any facet of life.

The Stanley Cup is the most treasured trophy in the sports world.  Many players can play their entire career without raising the Cup.

This is a list of active NHL players with at least 1,000 games played who have never hoisted the Cup.  Time may be running out for these players.

No active player is a real threat to break Phil Housley's record of 1,495 games played without a Cup.  

However, there is a chance that all mentioned could gain ground on him this year as they search for the elusive prize.

I have two words for you: utter domination.

That is what last night's game amounted to. In an interesting turn of fate, the Montreal Canadiens turned the script on its head and gave the Flyers a little taste of their own medicine.

Things didn't start off well, however, as the Canadiens again took an early penalty—Ryan O'Byrne for delay of game 27 seconds in. The difference last night, was that the Habs came to play.

After killing off the Flyers power play the Habs put the pedal to the metal and did not let off until the final buzzer.

Despite a sixth consecutive loss against the Atlanta Trashers on Tuesday evening, the Montreal Canadiens sent Carey Price in net Thursday for their game with the Boston Bruins.

The Habs' goaltender was sharp and stopped 42 of the 43 shots he faced, helping the Canadiens in that 2-1 victory acquired at the shootout session. A victory that will feel like a breath of fresh air for Price.

Mike Cammalleri was the only player from both teams able to beat the goaltender in that shootout session. Tim Thomas was fooled by a good wrist shot from Cammalleri.

After a 2008-2009 season during which his offensive production (20 goals and 19 assists for 39 points in 80 games) was mediocre at best, Tomas Plekanec has found a renewed passion and his old offensive flair this season.

After 11 games, he already has recorded two goals and eight assists for 10 points, despite playing with several different wingers: Andrei Kostitsyn, Matt D’Agostini, Max Pacioretty, Guillaume Latendresse, Maxim Lapierre, etc.

The Montreal Canadiens ended their six-game home stand with four consecutive wins with a 3-2 victory over the New York Islanders on Monday night.

The Islanders were a more difficult opponent this time. After being outclassed by the score of 5-1 last week, the Islanders forced an overtime period, but ultimately lost the game when Roman Hamrlik scored the decisive goal during the overtime period. This was already the fourth overtime victory for the Canadiens this season.

The 2009-2010 edition of the Montreal Canadiens is very different from last season. General Manager Bob Gainey found a new coach in Jacques Martin and has drastically modified his roster.