Hockey Inside Out

After an impressive training camp, 6-foot-4, 215-pound forward Florian Xhekaj made the Canadiens to start the season, joining his brother, Arber, on the team. On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Brian Skrudland to discuss what impressed them most about Florian during training camp and what kind of impact he could have, along with his brother, a 6-foot-4, 236-pound defenceman.

Welcome back to a new season of The Gazette’s weekly Hockey Inside/Out Show. This week, The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Brian Skrudland to talk about the team’s 3-2 season-opening win over the Maple Leafs on Tuesday night in Toronto.

The Carolina Hurricanes put targets on the backs of the Canadiens’ Lane Hutson and Cole Caufield in the Eastern Conference final, hitting them every chance they had.

On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green to discuss whether Hutson and Caufield are too small to really be effective in the playoffs.

Only three days after carrying to torch into the Bell Centre ahead of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final against the Carolina Hurricanes, former Canadien Claude Lemieux died by suicide at age 60, shocking the hockey world.

On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, Chris Nilan and Rick Green join The Gazette’s Stu Cowan to share memories of their former Canadiens teammate. Nilan, Green and Lemieux were part of the 1986 Canadiens team that won the Stanley Cup.

Has defenceman Arber Xhekaj played his last game with the Canadiens?

What about forward Kirby Dach? Xhekaj and Dach, both 25, can become restricted free agents on July 1.

Those are the questions answered on this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, as The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green.

Now that the Canadiens’ season is over — losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final — what was the main takeaway from this season, and where do they need to improve the most?

Those are the main questions answered on the final Hockey Inside/Out Show of the season, as The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green.

It’s impressive that the Canadiens were able to advance to the Eastern Conference final in Year 4 of a rebuild.

However, the Carolina Hurricanes have shown that the Canadiens still have a lot more work to do before becoming a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, The Gazette’s Stu Cowan and Brendan Kelly are joined by former Canadiens defenceman and 1986 Stanley Cup champion Rick Green to discuss what general manager Kent Hughes has to do this summer to make the team better.

The future is looking very bright for the Canadiens’ Ivan Demidov, who led all NHL rookies in scoring this season with 19-43-62 totals while playing in all 82 games.

But have the playoffs been a coming-out party for the rookie?

That’s the question answered on this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode as The Gazette’s Stu Cowan and Brendan Kelly are joined by former Canadiens defenceman and 1986 Stanley Cup champion Rick Green.

The Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky got off to a great start in the playoffs, scoring three goals — all on the power play — in a 4-3 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of their first-round series.

But Slafkovsky hasn't looked the same since taking a huge open-ice hit from the Lightning's Max Crozier in Game 4 of that series. Is Slafkovsky playing injured?

That's the question answered on this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, as The Gazette's Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens defenceman and 1986 Stanley Cup cham...

It certainly looks like the Canadiens’ season will come to an end when they play the Hurricanes in Carolina Friday in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final.

On this week’s Hockey Inside/Out Show, The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens defenceman and 1986 Stanley Cup champion Rick Green and The Gazette’s Brendan Kelly to discuss how and why the Hurricanes have dominated the Canadiens.

Heading into the Eastern Conference final against the Carolina Hurricanes the Canadiens had a 2-4 record at the Bell Centre in the playoffs. Why are the Canadiens struggling to win games at the Bell Centre during the playoffs?

That’s the question the panel tries to answer on this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode as The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Rick Green and Chris Nilan.

On this Hockey Inside/Out Show preview episode, The Gazette's Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green to set the stage for the best-of-seven series against the Hurricanes.

Nilan and Green discuss what will be the keys for the Canadiens to beat the Hurricanes and advance to the Stanley Cup final for the first time since 2021 against the Colorado Avalanche or the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Canadiens are headed to the Eastern Conference final against the Hurricanes, with Game 1 slated for Thursday at 8 p.m. in Raleigh, N.C.

On this week's Hockey Inside/Out Show, The Gazette's Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green to talk about what impressed them most about the Canadiens beating the Sabres in the second round, needing an overtime goal from Alex Newhook to win Game 7 by a 3-2 score Monday night in Buffalo.

The Carolina Hurricanes will be very well rested when they begin the Eastern Conference final series against either the Canadiens or the Buffalo Sabres.

Could that actually be an advantage for the Canadiens if they meet the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final? How much rest is too much rest?

Those questions are answered on this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode as The Gazette's Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green.

After stopping 26 of 28 shots in the Canadiens' 6-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres in Game 3 of their second-round playoff series at the Bell Centre, goalie Jakub Dobes described himself as a "goofy goalie."

On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Rick Green and Chris Nilan join The Gazette's Stu Cowan to talk about the goofiest goalies they played with.

Canadiens defenceman Arber Xhekaj was fined $3,385 by NHL Player Safety after roughing up the Buffalo Sabres' Sam Carrick at the end of Game 3 in their second-round playoff series and dropping him to the ice with a gloved punch to the face.

Was it money well spent by Xhekaj?

That's the question answered on this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, as The Gazette's Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green.

For the second straight series, the Montreal Canadiens find themselves in a best-of-three situation with the opposing team having home-ice advantage. The Canadiens were able to eliminate the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round by winning Games 5 and 7 on the road. Can the Canadiens bounce back again in Buffalo against the Sabres?

That's the main question answered on this week's Hockey Inside/Out Show, as The Gazette's Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green.

Former Canadien Chris Nilan — a regular guest on the weekly Hockey Inside/Out Show and our bonus episodes — was given the honour of carrying the team’s famous torch into the Bell Centre ahead of Game 6 of the first-round playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Canadiens ended up losing Game 6 by a 1-0 score in overtime, but it’s a night Nilan will never forget.

On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, Nilan joins his former Canadiens teammate and 1986 Stanley Cup champ Rick Green and The Gazette’...

On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Rick Green and Chris Nilan to discuss the decision to sit Arber Xhekaj for Noah Dobson in Game 7, and whether Xhekaj has a future with the team or would be better off going to another team where he could play more often.

What will be the keys to success for the Canadiens when they face the Sabres in the second round? And what does Cole Caufield have to do to start scoring at five-on-five again?

Those are two questions answered on this week’s Hockey Inside/Out Show, as The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green.

When it comes to playoffs, it’s hard to beat the NHL — especially when there’s a Game 7.

In this Hockey Inside/Out Show Bonus episode, The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan, Rick Green and Brian Skrudland, who talk about their most memorable experiences in Game 7s and how players try to control their nerves when facing elimination in a sudden-death game.

In this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan, Rick Green and Brian Skrudland to discuss which players surprised them the most against Tampa Bay.

Special thanks to the Tampa Bay Times for Game 5 photos.

The NHL continues to have a problem when it comes to officiating — especially during the playoffs.

That was evident — yet again — in the Canadiens’ first-round playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning with questionable and missed calls on both sides, plus the embellishment by players looking to draw penalties.

On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan, Rick Green and Brian Skrudland to discuss the officiating problems and suggest ways they might be fixed.<...

The Canadiens are one win away from advancing to the second round of the playoffs, leading their best-of-seven series with the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 heading into Game 6 Friday at the Bell Centre.

On this week's Hockey Inside/Out Show, three members of the Canadiens' 1986 Stanley Cup team — Chris Nilan, Rick Green and Brian Skrudland — join The Gazette's Stu Cowan to talk about what impressed them the most in the Canadiens' 3-2 win over the Lightning in Game 5 Wednesday night in Tampa and set the stage for Game 6.

Special than...

It really is incredible how NHLers in the playoffs compete at such a high intensity level basically every second night for two months if they end up winning the Stanley Cup.

They also have to battle through injuries to keep playing, which gets harder the longer a playoff run goes on.

In this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green, who know first-hand how hard the NHL playoffs can be on...

For the first time in his 14-year NHL career, Brendan Gallagher was a healthy playoff scratch for the opening two games of the Canadiens’ first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Coming off a 3-2 overtime loss in Game 2 — after blowing a 2-1 third-period lead — Tuesday night in Tampa that evened the best-of-seven series 1-1, should Gallagher be in the lineup for Game 3 Friday night at the Bell Centre? If so, who should come out of the lineup?

Those are the questions answered in this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, as The Gazette’s Stu Cowa...

The Canadiens went into their first-round playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning without defenceman Noah Dobson, who is sidelined with what is likely a broken thumb.

In this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Rick Green and Chris Nilan to discuss how big of a blow the loss of Dobson is to the team and how the other defencemen have performed in his absence.

A special thanks to the Tampa Bay Times for their photos from Games 1 and 2.

The Canadiens were able to split the first two games of their first-round playoff series against the Lightning in Tampa, with both games decided in overtime.

But has the momentum in the series shifted to the Lightning after the Canadiens blew a 2-1 third-period lead in Game 2 because of big mistakes by Juraj Slafkovsky and Kirby Dach.

That’s the main question answered on this week’s Hockey Inside/Out Show, as The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green.

A specia...

The Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning will meet in the first round of the playoffs in a rematch of the 2021 Stanley Cup final, which the Lightning won in five games.

Do the young Canadiens have a chance this time against the experienced Lightning, which is a heavy favourite in the first-round playoff series and has home-ice advantage?

That’s the main question answered on this week’s Hockey Inside/Out Show playoff preview, as The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan, Rick Green and Brian Skrudl...

If the Canadiens end up winning the Atlantic Division and finish second in the Eastern Conference, they would most likely face the Boston Bruins in the first round of the playoffs. Wouldn’t that be something?

In this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green, who share some of their best — and worst — memories of what used to be a very heated Boston-Montreal rivalry.

The Canadiens have been a lot of fun to watch this season in large part because of young stars Lane Hutson, 22, and Ivan Demidov, 20.

In this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green to discuss what has impressed them the most about Hutson and Demidov and what the future might hold for them.

With a playoff spot already clinched, should the Canadiens think about resting some key players for a game or two before the regular season ends?

That’s the main question answered on this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, as The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green.

Also, how important is home-ice advantage in the playoffs and should the Canadiens be worried about who they might face in the first round?

The Canadiens beat the Florida Panthers 4-3 in a shootout Tuesday night at the Bell Centre after coming out flat for the second straight game since clinching a playoff spot. Was that letdown to be expected?

That’s the main question answered on this week’s Hockey Inside/Out Show as The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green.

Canadiens players eat a lot of chicken, salmon and pasta, with team chefs preparing most of their meals. It wasn’t always that way.

On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green join The Gazette’s Stu Cowan to talk about how nutrition has changed over the years from when teammate Patrick Roy used to mostly eat McDonald’s.

Michael Hage will be playing for the University of Michigan at the NCAA Frozen Four tournament, which is slated for April 9-11 in Las Vegas.

There’s a good chance the 19-year-old centre, who was selected by the Canadiens in the first round (21st overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft, will turn pro after that. If Hage does turn pro, should he join the Canadiens this season or be sent to the AHL’s Laval Rocket?

That’s the question answered on this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, as The Ga...

The Canadiens are on the verge of clinching a playoff spot for the second straight season.

On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green to discuss which team the Canadiens would match up best with in the first round of the playoffs.

Is it the Tampa Bay Lightning, Buffalo Sabres or Carolina Hurricanes, who are all potential opponents?

The Canadiens beat the Lightning 4-1 Tuesday night in Tampa for their sixth straight victory in what might have been a first-round playoff preview.

Are the Canadiens peaking at just the right time to succeed in the playoffs?

That’s one of the questions answered on this week’s Hockey Inside/Out Show as The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green to talk about what has impressed them most about the team recently.

The Canadiens beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2 Tuesday night at the Bell Centre despite getting outshot 43-13 with goalie Jakub Dobes making 41 saves.

What lessons should the Canadiens learn from that game as they continue on their drive to make the playoffs for the second straight season?

That’s the main question answered on this week’s Hockey Inside/Out Show as former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green join The Gazette’s Stu Cowan.

It’s still too early to call it a must-win game, but the Canadiens’ 3-2 victory over the Boston Bruins Tuesday night at the Bell Centre was a huge one with Cole Caufield scoring his 40th goal of the season in overtime.

On this week’s Hockey Inside/Out Show The Gazette’s Stu Cowan and Brendan Kelly are joined by former Canadiens defenceman, assistant coach and 1986 Stanley Cup champion Rick Green to discuss just how big the win over the Bruins was and why Caufield is the first Hab to score 40 goals in a season...

With Tuesday night’s 3-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre, the Canadiens had a 2-0-1 record in three games since last Friday’s NHL trade deadline passed.

For the second straight year, Canadiens GM Kent Hughes didn’t make any moves on deadline day. Was that the right decision?

On this week’s Hockey Inside/Out Show, The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Rick Green and Brian Skrudland to answer that question.