The Labour Day long weekend has come and gone and Habs talk around the preverbal water cooler over the past seven days has been practically non-existent. Montreal Canadiens 'Training camp opens in just one week. I can hardly wait…

PHOTO CREDIT - Canadiens.com

Whitby - September 6, 2011 - All’s Quiet with One Week to Go
The Labour Day long weekend has come and gone and Habs talk around the preverbal water cooler over the past seven days has been practically non-existent. Training camp opens in just one week. I can hardly wait…

Eddie Bush to Play Host to Habs Training Camp
The Montreal Canadiens have finalized their Training Camp schedule and have identified the Eddie Bush Memorial Arena as the organization’s final stop before the start of the 2011-12 regular season. Eddie Bush is situated in the Town of Collingwood, Ontario. Practices will be closed to the public, but it is expected media coverage will be extensive.

The Canadiens intend to focus on team-building strategies while in the Town of Collingwood prior to the team’s regular season start against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, October 6th.

Habs QMJHL Prospects Invited to NHL Camps
With the Habs opening their 2011-12 training camp next week, the following QMJHL players have been identified as being invited:

PLAYER	QMJHL TEAM	POSITION
Phillipe Lefebvre	Blainville-Briand Armada	LW
Morgan Ellis	Cape Breton Screaming Eagles	D
Etienne Brodeur	Chicoutimi Sagueneens	LW
Olivier Archambault	Drummondville Voltigeurs	LW
Robin Gusse	Rouyn-Noranda Huskies	G
Nathan Beaulieu	Saint John Sea Dogs	D
Michael Bournival	Shawinigan Cataractes	C
Louis Leblanc	Shawinigan Cataractes	C

Les Habitants ‘Sightings’ and ‘Signings’
Thank you to HabsEyesOnThePrize.com for announcing the following Montreal Canadiens players scheduled to appear in person for autograph signings at the following locations:

PLAYER	DATE	TIME	LOCATION	ADMISSION
Carey Price	September 9th	6:45 p.m.	A.J. Sportsworld Vaughn, ON	$50 - $65
Carey Price, Travis Moen, and Josh Gorges	October 16th	3:00 p.m.	A.L. Collections 4320 Grand-Allee, Boisbriand, QC	$49 - $149

Erik Cole, Third Round, 71st Overall in 1998 NHL Entry Draft
Canadiens’ fans rejoice! We finally have some much needed size and grit on the club’s front end. Erik Cole is a 6’2”, 205lb power forward and is a left-handed shot.

Cole was born on November 6, 1978 (32 years old) in Oswego, New York, USA. He has previously played professional hockey with the Carolina Hurricanes and the Edmonton Oilers.

Cole is expected to provide a physical presence to a squad that has shown much heart and determination, but often comes up on the ‘short end of the stick’ against much larger and imposing teams like Philadelphia and Boston, due to Montreal’s previous lack of size on the forward corps. Cole possesses great skating ability and will hit anything that moves. He also owns impressive scoring instincts and will be an asset on Montreal’s top line this season with Cammalleri and Plekanec.

Cole has suffered many injuries throughout his career, most notably a career-threatening neck injury in 2006. Cole has always played well in Montreal and is extremely excited to get a fresh start with the Canadiens.

Should this threesome play together the entire 2011-12 season and should Cole avoid any major injuries, a 65-point season will be attainable by Cole. Cole last tasted a 60-plus point season in 2008-09 with both Carolina and Edmonton.

This weekend I will be attending the 2011 NHL Rookie Tournament at the GM Centre in Oshawa, Ontario. The six game tournament will feature up and coming stars of the Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks and the Toronto Maple Leafs. The tournament begins on Saturday, September 10th.

Hockey fanatics from across the nation are looking for any reason to get excited for the upcoming 2011-12 NHL season to get underway. This monologue video (provided by Habs560) should be a perfect reason to get excited for the Canadiens’ imminent success this year.

*NOTE* Can anyone identify who delivers the monologue in the video and where is the monologue taken from? If you know the answer(s), email me at deastman@ourhometown.ca .

Until next time, play every game as if it is your last one…