Invite your girlfriend (or boyfriend) to dinner on Saturday, because you’re running out of time afterwards.

The time is 10:45.

No, I didn’t necessarily want to pay tribute to the late André Arthur (or his version of Paradise on X) by starting my text the way he ended his speeches and tweets.

I simply wanted to punctuate 10:45 a.m., since I’ve been publishing every weekday morning around that time this season.

Sometimes, I’ll also write a second or even a third text during the day… but know this: you’ll be able to read me from Monday to Friday a little before 11:00 am. Or a little later, when I’ve had a hard night and the Habs are training around 10:30.

This morning, I wanted to tell you about Jean-Charles Lajoie’s departure from BPM Sports, about my Saturday night with Georges Laraque and Gonzo, about Élizabeth Rancourt’s new contract a few days after throwing Marc Denis under the bus, about how much fun it is to write sports columns on CKOI, Radio X or Radio Pirate right now, or the summer away from Norman Flynn’s networks (both traditional and social)…

But why stir up hatred, criticism and/or whining when it’s such a beautiful day outside and I don’t want to receive 1001 calls/texts during my golf tee-off this lunchtime?

We’ll save that for the cold, grey days after the Tricolore’s tough losses.

In the intro, I only gave the time, but I should also have given the date. I stand corrected.

It’s September 4. The time is 10:45.

You know I love rap, right? And the Canadiens? Today, I feel like the Habs are D-Natural. Like…

“Le Canadien is back, enwaye sors ton 6-pack pis embarque dans baraque
Faque… Le Canadien is back!”

– D-Natur-Habs

In 5 days, it’ll be Saturday… and it’ll be our last Saturday without Habs field hockey. I’m talking to the real fans here…

Let me explain.

The annual Canadiens Children’s Foundation Golf Tournament will take place in exactly 7 days (September 11) on the incredible Laval-sur-le-Lac course.

Two days later (September 13), the youngest players will take part in the much-anticipated Rookie Tournament. On the 13th, it’s time for the physical and medical examinations.

From September 15 to 18, the Canadiens’ rookies will take on the Sabres (15), Bruins (16) and Senators (18), in that order. Jean-François Houle and his staff will lead the Canadiens’ rookies. We can expect to see Logan Mailloux, Owen Beck, David Reinbacher, Filip Mesar and many more. Unfortunately, Lane Hutson and Jacob Fowler will be absent, as their university term will have started south of the border.

I expect all three to be available on the Web.

Then comes the real Montreal training camp. It’s safe to assume that physical and medical evaluations will take place on September 20, with training starting the following day.

Then come the team’s various preparatory games. Note that the Canadiens will only play 6, not 8, games this year. It’s time to ease up on the workload during camp…

September 24, 1:00 p.m.: White vs. Red at the Bell Centre. Tickets: $10.

September 25 at 7:00 p.m.: game vs Devils at the Bell Centre.

September 27 at 7:00 p.m.: Senators game at the Bell Centre.

September 29 at 7:00 pm: game vs Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre.

September 30 at 7:00 pm: game vs Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre.

October 2 at 7:00 p.m.: game in Toronto.

October 7 at 7:00 p.m.: game in Ottawa.

All pre-games are scheduled to be broadcast on RDS, RDS 2 or RDS Info.

The regular season opens on October 11 with the traditional opening game in Toronto. With Domi, Bertuzzi and Reaves, there’s sure to be some action…

On the 14th, Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks will be at the Bell Centre to open the Habs’ home season… and the 2023-24 season will continue without any real break until Christmas, and then until the end of January(bye-week/All-Star Game).

The CH regular season – and quite possibly the season as a whole – will end on April 16 with a game against the Red Wings at the Bell Centre. Jeff Petry as a digestive, I like it!

Some people have indicated that the trade deadline will be Game 1 this season. We’re still waiting for confirmation from Gay Bettman or Bill Daly.

As a reminder, the NHL will play preparatory games in Australia, four teams will travel to Sweden for regular games, outdoor games will be played in Edmonton, Seattle and New Jersey, and the All-Star Game will be presented on February 3 in Toronto.

Take your girlfriend (or boyfriend) to a restaurant or spa next Saturday night, because after that, you won’t have much time for her (on Saturday night). Is It October Yet?

Roundup

– Reminder: RDS will broadcast 60 regular Canadiens games. All other games, 250 random games and NHL special events will be broadcast on TVA Sports. [DLC]

– Mike Trout on his way out?

– Sergio Ramos is a happy man (but as intense on the pitch as ever).

– Nilton wants us to calm down.

Oh boy did I read some stuff following that tweet.

Calm down gang #CFMTL

Since 2020, we’ve understood something that many people thought was impossible: working remotely also works, and sometimes, it even starts better.

If Joey Saputo wasn’t at the Stade one night… https://t. co/5iG6IjMtet

– Nilton Jorge (@NiltonJorge) September 4, 2023

– Wow!