Habs Daily: Canadiens Surge Into 2025, Caufield 100th, Kovalchuk

As we turn the corner into 2025, I would like to extend my deep gratitude to our fantastic community of Montreal Canadiens fans. Reading, sharing, and boosting our articles on social media is always appreciated, but more than anything, I’m proud of the balance we’ve achieved in the comments. Healthy debate is the lifeblood of our website, yet another reason why we’re lucky to have passionate, yet respectful conversations about all things Habs.

Of course, we can always improve upon what we’ve built, and if you have any suggestions as to how you’d like to see the site grow, please do not hesitate to leave us a note.

Here are the Montreal Canadiens news items, highlights, and stories you may have missed on Tuesday.

Montreal Canadiens News

The Habs  closed out 2024 in style, mounting their first multi-goal comeback of the season to beat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2. Samuel Montembeault was great, Emil Heineman scored again, Kirby Dach earned the GWG, and Cole Caufield scored the 100th goal of his NHL career. [Habs Highlights: Dach Is Back, Montembeault Holds Fort]

Speaking of Caufield, here he is with the puck used to reach 100 NHL goals.

100 #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/0CSNy1tUrJ

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) December 31, 2024

Martin St-Louis was rather pumped after Tuesday’s big win. It’s good to see him smiling, and not only because being a head coach in Montreal can be stressful. He’s the ultimate competitor, and if he’s smiling, it means the Canadiens are playing well.

Coach Marty St. Louis’ reaction after the Habs win vs Vegas.

He is HYPE 😤 pic.twitter.com/Zf700QUQEL

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) December 31, 2024

Former Hab Ilya Kovalchuk had some very nice things to say about his time in Montreal. As per usual, it was the fans who made the lasting impact. Kovalchuk went as far as saying his time in Montreal was among his career highlights, even if he only played 22 games for Les Glorieux at the tail-end of his time in the NHL.

«Montreal was one of the brightest periods in my career » – Ilya Kovalchuk about the times in Montreal pic.twitter.com/NTZmGNFEw8

— Милена (@D1VDsAGUJsk2iPk) January 1, 2025

Patrik Laine, noted good guy. Though I’d suggest buying tickets for a Leafs game is a little cruel, but the intention was great. Jokes aside, Laine is quickly becoming a fan favourite in Montreal, and we’re seeing a surge of good will and compliments from various NHL circles, which is fantastic. Sorry, Mr. Werenski.

Meet the Tappara Finland U15 AAA team, which will attend today’s Isles-Leafs game after winning the Wayne Gretzky International.

The best part? Patrik Laine covered the cost of tickets for the kids from his hometown who wouldn’t otherwise have had the budget to see an NHL game. pic.twitter.com/vHzowWQxub

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) December 31, 2024

Prospect Tyler Thorpe, picked 130th overall in 2024, had another big game for the Vancouver Giants. He scored a goal and an assist versus the Victoria Royals, pushing his season totals to 14 goals and 17 assists in 34 games.

Oliver Kapanen quickly found his timing in the SHL, and continues to maintain close to a point-per-game pace. The decision to loan him to Timra is paying off.

Oliver Kapanen scores his fifth goal for the SHL season. His 12th point in 13 games. #Habs #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/rUUjZfFgui

— Patrik Bexell (@Zeb_Habs) December 30, 2024