Hockey Inside Out

Before becoming general manager of the Canadiens, Kent Hughes spent more than 20 years as a player agent. One of Hughes’s clients was former Canadiens forward Torrey Mitchell, who joins The Gazette’s Stu Cowan and former Canadiens defenceman Rick Green on this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode to talk about what Hughes was like as an agent and his transition to becoming a GM.

The NHL is changing quickly with players taking more control over where they want to play — even if they have long-term contracts with no-trade clauses. Goalie Connor Hellebuyck forced a trade from the Winnipeg Jets to the New Jersey Devils and Dylan Larkin has quit playing for the Detroit Red Wings and has been suspended by the team while demanding a trade despite having a no-trade clause in his contract. Meanwhile, Nikita Kucherov, who is in the last season of his contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning, has told the team he won’t re-sign there and wants to be traded.

Could the Hometown Remix jerseys be jinxed like the baby-blue Reverse Retro sweaters the Canadiens wore during the 2022-23 NHL season? The Canadiens went 1-6-1 while wearing those sweaters. On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, The Gazette's Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens Rick Green and Torrey Mitchell to share their thoughts on the Hometown Remix jerseys.

How did the Canadiens blow a 4-0 lead in the last three minutes of Tuesday night’s game against the Winnipeg Jets at the Bell Centre and lose 5-4 in overtime? The Jets scored four goals in the last 2:39 of the third period to set an NHL record for the latest comeback from a four-goal deficit. 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, who was also an assistant coach with the team, and former Canadiens forward Torrey Mitchell to break down what happened against the Jets and what impact it might have on the Canadiens.

The Canadiens beat the Stars 5-2 in Dallas on Thursday night to complete a four-game road trip with a perfect record. On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Brian Skrudland join The Gazette’s Stu Cowan to talk about their favourite NHL road cities when they were playing and share some fun stories about their annual trip to Los Angeles, when it was the only warm-weather city in the NHL.

Halloween parties are a big thing for NHL teams and have been for a long time. On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Brian Skrudland join The Gazette's Stu Cowan to share stories from the Halloween parties they attended during their playing days and who had the best costumes.

After the Canadiens blew a 3-1 third-period lead to the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 20 at the Bell Centre — losing 4-3 in overtime — winger Cole Caufield called out teammates Arber Xhekaj and Jakub Dobes for the costly penalties they took that resulted in the tying and winning goals being scored on power plays. On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Brian Skrudland join The Gazette's Stu Cowan to discuss Caufield's comments about his teammates after the game.

Canadiens goalie Jacob Fowler won his sixth straight game Tuesday night, stopping all 46 shots he faced in a 2-0 win over the Blues in St. Louis, improving his season record to 6-1 with a 1.54 goals-against average and a .942 save percentage. On this week's Hockey Inside/Out Show, former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Brian Skrudland join The Gazette's Stu Cowan to talk about what has impressed them about Fowler's play and if they were surprised head coach Martin St. Louis gave the 21-year-old goalie a third straight start. Meanwhile, struggling netminder Jakub Dobes will return on Thursday and start in Dallas against the Stars.

The Canadiens will play the Jets on Sunday in an outdoor Heritage Classic game at Winnipeg’s Princess Auto Stadium. On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, former teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Brian Skrudland share their memories of playing in outdoor games with the Canadiens’ alumni team, including at the first Heritage Classic in Edmonton in 2003 in freezing conditions. Nilan tells the story about why he threw up on the bench during that alumni game.

The Canadiens’ Cole Caufield earned the nickname Mr. Saturday Night. He showed why again last Saturday, scoring two goals — including the winner — in a 4-3 overtime victory over the Buffalo Sabres at the Bell Centre. During his seven seasons in the NHL, Caufield has scored 66 goals in 106 Saturday games. Saturdays are obviously special to Caufield, but were they also special to former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Brian Skrudland?