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MONTREAL -- Coach Tom Higgins calls working with general manager Jim Popp "a match made in heaven." And the pleasantries exchanged between the two men on a conference call on Tuesday made it hard to imagine they were rivals for the Montreal Alouettes head coaches job. That was settled when team owner Bob Wetenhall insisted that the jobs of coach and general manager be kept separate, and that Popp would have to stick to his GM duties. "This is the model that has made us successful," said Wetenhall. "This has given Jim the time and the freedom to go out and build our team, year after year, always with a few new players added. "To have a GM with the freedom and the time to do this is the model we really wanted to go back to." In the 59-year-old Higgins, the Alouettes hired a CFL veteran who spent seven years as a head coach in Edmonton and Calgary, winning a Grey Cup with the Eskimos in 2003. The Woodbridge, N.J., native spent the last six years as the leagues director of officiating. "Tom brings a winning record and a tremendous reputation as a stand-up, high class guy," said Wetenhall. Popp, the teams general manager since it returned to Montreal in 1996 who is considered among the CFLs best, had hoped to continue in both jobs after taking over from the fired Dan Hawkins, who had no previous CFL experience, only five games in to the 2013 campaign. When Higgins was confirmed in the job on Monday, it raised speculation that Popp may be on his way out. Wetenhall would not confirm Popps long-term status with the club, but made it clear he wanted his GM to stay. And Popp, whose name has been linked to NFL jobs in recent years, said hes wants to carry on. "Ive been with the Alouettes for 18 years -- I plan on being there, its my other home," said Popp. "Ive had six children that were all born in Montreal and I really have no interest in leaving. "Circumstances come up, but the organization knows how loyal I am. Im a company man and its a place I enjoy being. Theres a lot that gets thrown around out there, a lot of it thats not true. But Im very happy." That Popp joined in the conference call was a surprise. His name wasnt mentioned in the Higgins announcement. And it was unusual that the general manager was not involved in the decision to hire the head coach. Wetenhalls son Andrew, a team governor, said that as a candidate for the coaching job, Popp would have been in conflict of interest if he had a say in who the next coach would be. But Popp had provided the owners with a list of potential coaching candidates with an assessment of their abilities. "This is a case where two people can work together who didnt select one another," said Andrew Wetenhall. "We have the added benefit of two guys who know each other and have a heck of a lot of respect for each other." Higgins said he didnt feel awkward at all working with Popp. "I couldnt be happier," he said. "I think our personalities complement one another. "We both want the same thing. This is an opportunity for myself to get back on the field where I belong. This is not a challenge whatsoever." Higgins first job will be to hire an offensive co-ordinator and fill out the coaching staff, which he expects to complete within 10 days. The Alouettes had already signed defensive co-ordinator Noel Thorpe to a two-year contract extension on Dec. 4, with the added title of assistant head coach. They also confirmed that Andre Bolduc, a former CFL player and head coach at Sherbrooke University, was signed as a defensive assistant coach. Wetenhall said one of Higgins assets was his ability to work with young quarterbacks, which will be needed in Montreal this season. For the first time since 2000, they will not have Anthony Calvillo as the starter as the CFLs all-time passing leader has retired. Troy Smith, the 2006 Heisman Trophy winner, and youngster Tanner Marsh are expected to compete for the starting job, with Alex Brink also in the picture. Higgins said he has worked with gifted young pivots before in Henry Burris and Ricky Ray. He feels the Alouettes can improve on last years 8-10 season. "Ive always marvelled at the level of talent in Montreal," he said. "I hope to bring a level of consistency and discipline. "We are going to be competitive and entertaining. And when you start doing that and playing disciplined football, usually you win more than you lose." Cheap Air Max Shoes China . -- C.J. Wilson parked his car and laughed while signing autographs for faceless fans who handed bats, balls and cards to the pitcher from the other side of a brick wall. Nike Air Max Shoes Wholesale China . -- Andy Dorman and Kelyn Rowe scored in the second half to lead the New England Revolution to a 2-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City in the first leg of their Eastern Conference semifinals series on Saturday night. http://www.cheapairmaxchina.com/. Jeff Carter had two goals and an assist as the Kings stretched their streak to seven wins in a row with a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday. Cheap Nike Air Max Outlet . The question is how many minutes will be available to them and can any of their defence or goaltending provide value? Top Picks: Following a down year in 2011-2012, Matt Duchene rebounded with his highest points-per-game (0. Cheap Wholesale Air Max Shoes .C. -- Only two Syracuse teams have won their first 20 games, and C.MONTREAL -- It took the arrival of the red-hot Carolina Hurricanes to get the Canadiens out of their funk. The Hurricanes came to the Bell Centre riding a four-game win streak, and sporting one of the best records in January at 9-3-0. But Montreal cooled them off on Tuesday night, winning 3-0 on the back of a 36-save shutout by Carey Price and an all-around team effort in front of him. "The team was engaged," said head coach Michel Therrien, celebrating a Habs victory for the first time in almost two weeks. "It was a nice team win. A lot of guys had great games." Coming into this one it was a tale of two teams. The Hurricanes (24-20-9) had won four in a row and 10 of their last 13. They jumped four places in the Metropolitan Division in the month of January, good for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Forwards Alexander Semin and Eric Staal came to Montreal looking to extend six-game point streaks. The Canadiens (28-20-5), meanwhile, had lost four in a row, including a 5-0 shellacking at the hands of the Washington Capitals on Saturday. Montreal had been outscored 19-5 on their losing streak, and had given up at least four goals in each of their last six games. But the Habs kept the opposition off the scoreboard on Tuesday, relying on two first-period goals, a staggering 27-blocked shots and a goaltender at his best. "As a group we knew what we needed to do," said Price, who earned his third shutout of the season. "Theres no question that we talked about it enough, and it was time to do it. "We played with a lot of confidence tonight. Thats what it comes down to. It came down to us just willing to win." After a big save by Price on Nathan Gerbe at one end of the rink, the Canadiens Brandon Prust scored what turned out to be the winner on a fast break the other way at 6:11 of the first period. Rene Bourque, who had only one assist since the start of the year, started the tic-tac-toe play when he found Josh Gorges in the clear to Anton Khudobins right. Gorges, who finished the game with a team-high seven blocked shots, quickly dished the puck to Prust, who beat the Hurricanes netminder with a wrist shot under the blocker for his fifth of the season.dddddddddddd "My goals are usually when crashing the net, going off my leg or something," said Prust. "This was a good one to get." The Canadiens doubled their lead late in the period when Brendan Gallagher persistently poked home his own rebound, getting the better of the Hurricanes in a six-player melee in front of Khudobins net. Max Pacioretty added an easy tap-in at 1:41 of the second for his 22nd of the year to make it 3-0. Therrien praised his team, but also the way they approached the recent bad form. "Its really important how you face adversity," said Therrien. "We decided to stay positive with our players. Its all about attitude. When you have the right attitude, its always helpful." The game was Carolinas second in as many nights, and fifth in seven days. The Hurricanes beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 on Monday, scoring three third-period goals for the come-from-behind victory. "We seemed to be out of gas a little bit," said Eric Staal, who was frustrated on three occasions by Price. "You never want to use that excuse, but we have played a lot of hockey here. "If we were really feeling good and jumping, we would have had a better attack. But when we did get chances, Price was real good and made a lot of key saves." Khudobin made 27 saves for the Canes. Montreal has now won six of its last seven against Carolina at the Bell Centre. Notes: Before the game, Habs assigned forward Louis Leblanc to the Hamilton Bulldogs. Leblanc has yet to register a point in eight NHL games with the Canadiens this season. a Carolina starting goaltender Cam Ward has now missed 13 games with a lower-body injury. a Ex-Hab forward Aaron Palushaj, who played 41 career games with Montreal between 2010 and 2012, was in the starting lineup for Carolina. a The Canes and Habs meet again on Feb. 8 in Raleigh, N.C., for the third and final time this year. ' ' '