Ryder
 

Just love this guy

another goal and assist tonight

What more can you say? Everything he does is a bonus because no one reallly expected anything like this from him.

I hope we'll win the calder. Will be between him & Raycroft i guess!

Raycroft has 24 wins now. i like ryders chances if raycroft fails to get to 30.

After having seen him play with Koivu during the practices at Pierrefonds during the fall I knew hed be good, but being on pace for 60+ points :eek:. Who would have thought hed turn out to be a 60 point man in his rookie season, there were debates on whether hed even make the roster before pre-season. We finally have a dynamic scorer and passer who plays with an edge. Not a typical power forward, but hes strong on the puck and works hard every shift. If him and Zednik can continue playing with this grit and energy the season may be long yet.

His goal tonight was another example of him not giving up. Shoots once, doesn't get through, but pounces on the rebound and fires a laser home!! Great effort by the young gun.

Calder...Ryder vs Raycroft, down to the wire!!

Raycroft wins due to media hype. He is just another Delguidace,Lacher,Carey,Grahame you name it, we still have the real deal in Ryder!

Yeah what a goal he scored tonight, went from behind the net with a second effort and shot on goal then took his own rebound and scored, just wow :handclap:

I hope Ryder wins as well. I just have my Habs Vintage jersey with #73. I was hesitating about putiing #11 or #73... What a great wrist shot he has!

Puttin up the Numbers
 

What really caught my attention tonight is that I realized that no matter what line he plays with he finds a way to put that puck in the net....an all around good offensive forward! GO RYDER!!!

What struck me the most about last night, was the emotion Ryder showed after scoring. He's usually all smiles, and graciously thanks his linemates for setting him up, and heads to the bench. But last night was a bit different.

That yell he let out after tying it up was very unusual for him. It had a certain arrogance to it, a side we haven't seen of him before. I liked it. A lot. He showed he has another level he can take his game to, and I get the feeling he's going let that beast out down this final stretch and into the playoffs. I can't wait :).

Yeah he is the real deal, and based on his drive and work ethic, he will be the same force with us win or lose. Look at his past: walk on player in the Q, was in the ECHL two seasons ago, was drafted so late in the NHL draft...he knows there is only one way to silence the critics...how he plays on the ice. A real feel good story about hard work and never quitting!!

What also is remarquable about ryber is the way he can create turnovers in the offensive zone, no one mentions this aspect of his game but so many times he makes the rival make a mistakes that would lead to a goal. Ryder has got to win the rookie of the year award.

Ryder really is a very humble guy and he usually takes things in stride, and his emotion last night was a little out of the ordinary. But, back in his hometown of Bonavista you have the same great rivalry, as in Montreal, between the Canadiens and the Leafs. I'm sure he.was well aware the every eye in town was watching. Just imagine, a few years ago Ryder was a home watching the rivalry, now he is a part of it. Would make anybodys adrenaline flow!!!
And as for the Calder, which ever way it goes is fine with him. Take or leave it. The team is the main focus for Michael.

I don't really care if Ryder wins the calder, it means Gainey will have to pay him more this summer, and we know he's very good calder or not. I'm just glad he's on the team and having an amazing season.

Ryder is one of those players that really doesn't shown any real weaknesses. I mean he can play any position, any situation, any time in the game and he's still a rookie. I don't know if his ceiling is as high as some of our prospects, but it's nice to know that this guy still has room to improve.

As far as winning the Calder, I have to agree with Montreal. I don't think winning the award will help his game next year or take away from his performance this year, so......

He's still a little raw defensively, IMO, but that's a minor complaint. He's already better than he was at the start of the season, so there's no reason to think he won't improve even further.

Agreed, but I don't see it as a weakness, because as you stated he has shown improvement. I think in a year or two the defensive aspect of the game will become one of his strenghts.

I do agree with you that "I'm just glad he's on the team and having an amazing season" and I agree with Darz that it is not important to Michael or his game BUT, although the award is given to a single person, it does reflect positively on the organization. I've always felt that the "Rookie of the Year" award was a team award because, although Michael Ryder is nominated, a SCOUT drafted him, a GM accepted the pick and several COACHES made him the player he is! Would he have developed the same way under Rejean Houle and Mario Tremblay? How about in Chicago? Nashville? Anywhere else?

It has been YEARS since the Habs have had a Rookie of the Year candidate, do any of you feel positively about the last 10 - 15 years? I know I don't. However, I am now starting to feel more positive about the organization's direction and chances of improvement (obviously since Savard, Timmins, Gainey, Gauthier and Jarvis came on board).

Why?

We have a Rookie of the Year candidate, a candidate for the Norris (before his injury) and one of the best goaltending tandems in the League. I do understand that individual awards are exactly that, an award given to a specific individual, BUT in this case, Ryder couldn't have done it without Gainey, Julien, Koivu, Zednik, Ribeiro, and a whole host of others who helped him hone his skills and attitude...

WK63

Never though of that angle before.

Good point!

Not to mention coach of the year candidate, IMO at least

That is the whole reason why Ryder is focused on how well the team does, not himself individually. Believe me, he would be the first to agree with your comments about all who helped him, especially Julien. But he also acknowledges how Koivu and other players give him pointers about the game.