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Habs came a long way this season

STEPHEN BRUNT

Globe and Mail Update

Latest comment posted at 6:26 PM EST 04/05/08

Despite falling to the Flyers in the second round, in terms of Montreal's greater gameplan, there was nothing but good news ...Read the full article

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  1. sonny l from Toronto, Canada writes: Good on the Habs, they were just a little short of grit that's all. I thought they'd win but not a huge upset. As a big boxing fan I'm used to these "predictable" upsets.
  2. Jeff O from Canada writes: Good assessment of Habs season. But I'm seeing a lot of denial among fans and even Carboneau: a lot of talk about breaks, karma, etc.

    It's not like the Flyers did it all with smoke and mirrors. During the regular season they ranked 6th in the league in goal scoring. They had the second-best power play behind Montreal and a better penalty kill. This team can score goals and in this series they proved it.

    Add a hot goaltender in the Philly net and a disastrous choice by Bob Gainey to dump his only veteran goalie at the trade deadline, and you have an upset that was fully deserved on both sides.
  3. Pat Billings from CDN, Canada writes: There' s no denying that the Flyers capitalized on all their breaks.

    The Habs hit more posts in this series than they scored goals.
  4. Scot Loucks from Pickering, Canada writes: Jeff O writes: Add a hot goaltender in the Philly net and a disastrous choice by Bob Gainey to dump his only veteran goalie at the trade deadline, and you have an upset that was fully deserved on both sides.

    -------------------

    Have to disagree Jeff.

    Huet would not have made any difference whatsoever..... and I really don't think you could call it an upset. Montreal finished with 5 more wins than Philly and they got to play Toronto and Buffalo (non playoff teams) and Boston (8 and 0) in 12 games. Philly was up against Pittsburgh, NJ and NYR (all playoff teams) for those 12 contests.

    Gainey was planning ahead and wanted playoff experience for his youngsters.

    That said..... Brunt.. you must have been reading my posts. :)

    Cheers
  5. chris isher from Canada writes: as a long time Habs fan i can say i was perplexed, but happy with this season....yes we had a young goalie, yes we have a young team, and yes the flyers were opportunistic, but the flyers are no slouch for a team.....i hate the name Umburger (ugh) he killed us, but so did a lack of playoff experience and veteran leadership.......many things attributed to the loss, but what will be remembered is the goal tending and that is not fair......price played poorly, but it is a different nhl from the days of old.....Price is no Roy, lets get that straight, but there will only be on Roy, Price has to just take it in the chin and learn, it is all about learning and gaining experience....this play off run i think this team learned about intensity and anyone that knows hockey will know that the best way to learn is to experience it, sure this will leave a sour taste at the back of the mouth, there will be alot of pointing of fingers and "yes" even blame on young Price, but as a goalie he has to learn from it...i know he will be ok, the team will be ok, everything will be fine....i am excited about next year, and the years to come, Gainey has things well in hand.......but i am disappointed, because i was around when they pulled off the miracle in 1993, so since then that has spoiled me, but everyone knew saw that soft goals, soft play and lack of a presence in front of the net is what did the HABS in, you win as a team and you lose as a team......i see nothing but classy things from my Canadiens, I am proud to be a habs fan, it was good but next year it should be awesome....looking for it next year.....eh?
  6. Mike C from Philadelphia, United States writes: Hey guys... kudos to those for realizing the Flyers can play a bit. If Mr Hab is out there... you can bow, it's OK. You questioned my cajones to be back on the thread today. I would have been back no matter what. I had a ticket to tomorrow night's game... 8 rows from the ice. I'll take that credit and apply it to the next home game. Mr Hab can apply whatever ticket credit he has to next season. I'll be back during and after the next round. Can't wait to hear from all of you. GO FLYERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Cheers
  7. Scot Loucks from Pickering, Canada writes: Not sure what I said... but last comment disappeared into cyberspace again.....

    Hi Mike C from Philly;

    Good chance in my mind that your Flyers will beat your rivals from Pennsylvania. I like their size and toughness. Best goalie will win that series.

    That said... I expect they or the Pens will get absolutely schooled by either Dallas or Detroit.

    Cheers
  8. Frank Godfrey from Canada writes: Montreal had an impressive turnaround year. But there was too much expected from them in these playoffs. Had Ottawa not tanked and had Pittsburgh not thrown their last game, and had Boston won at least one encounter with Montreal this year, first place for the Habs would never have happened. Lets see what Gainey will do to turn a very entertaining club into a championship one.
  9. D W from Switzerland writes: in Gainey I trust, but ... you have to have VERY long-term vision to see any sense in Huet for a 2nd-rounder (???)
  10. Dave The Rave from Ottawa, Canada writes: Gainey really had no choice but to trade Huet, as he has two excellent young goalies in Halak and Price, and Huet was about to become a UFA. Second round picks can be quite valuable. As teams like Detroit have shown, even low picks can be golden (anybody remember when Zetterberg and Franzen were chosen? 210th and 97th FYI). Gainey's tenure has seen the Habs climb back from being a patchwork club, 2000-01 being a very painful year to be a Habs fan, with the next two seasons under Andre Savard being only marginally better. Let's see, before Gainey, you had Jeff Hackett, Brian Savage, Gino Odjick, Donald Audette, Martin Ruchinsky, Chad Kilger, Andreas Dackell, Arron Asham among others as mainstays. Fair to say that the current edition of Les Canadiens is superior, and that their up and coming talent (O'Byrne, Chipchura, Grabowski, D'Agostini) augurs well for years to come. Gainey does need that one 'impact player' he keeps talking about. He has tried to get Shanahan, Briere, Nylander and Marian Hossa, but the asking price was too high, and apart from Briere, they are just short term fixes (though Mats Sundin would be an excellent fit, I doubt he would consider Montreal). The question is, who's out there, and what will it cost? Detroit's philosophy of building from within, and their extremely astute draft selections, serve as a model.
  11. Dave The Rave from Ottawa, Canada writes: Another feather in Gainey's cap: the Kovalev trade. Does anyone remember Josef Balej?
  12. Sissy Schuss from Canada writes: The idea of "building for the future" as a model for NHL competitiveness no longer makes sense - too many important vaiables interevne to make this a reality - free agency, salary caps and even the shootout format guarantee greater equity in the game meaning that in any given season the team that showed promise last year or was dominant may not necessarily improve in the next - Buffalo fits the former category and Anaheim and Ottawa the latter.

    The key thing appears to be to hit a magical point in one season where a team has enough underpaid young and motivated players who believe in the game enough to excel and to push beyond their limited capabilities and the expectations of others and then go for it - sort of like a final assault on Mt Everest.

    Perhaps no one expected Montreal to do as well as they did this year but the real surprise will be if they can do just as well or better next year and the year after that..
  13. Dave The Rave from Ottawa, Canada writes: Building for the future is critical, especially in this post lockout environment when you can lose so many good players to free agency. In the last five years, not one of the Stanley Cup finalists (with the exception of Anaheim) has been back to the final. Several have missed the playoffs since (Tampa, Edmonton), some even the following season (Carolina). The acquisition of free agents has yet to prove it turns an also-ran into a contender, or a contender into a champion. Gainey is applying a conservative strategy to construct a solid team with a pipeline of youngsters, which mirrors Les Canadiens' Cup-winning squads. That said, there are some quality free agents out there this year. Mats Sundin. Marian Hossa. Vinny Prospal. Brian Campbell. Jason Smith. Wade Redden. Will this be the year Gainey gets his 'impact player'?
  14. Earl Anthony from Sudbury, Canada writes: Thanks Mr. Brunt for the excellent article which sums it all up nicely.
  15. Barry from Ontario from Canada writes: Like most Habs fans - I'm disappointed but not upset - the team went farther than expected and Gainey has had a good opportunity to evaluate what he has and what he needs - IMO more grit.
    A great young team with solid ownership, management and one of the loudest NHL arenas should be attractive to potential UFAs and Price should only get better (more consistent).
    Looking forward to next season.
  16. Kevin Desmoulin from Toronto, Canada writes: Come a long way, Yes, but not far enough, you can tell if a team is going to falter, the Phil are not going to be it either, we just wanted it more.
  17. desiderio manzanal jr from laval, Canada writes: After a great fall comes the great rise. This is the nature. You cannot but feel terrible for the fact of the longer wait till the next season and another 80 some . games before another playoffs and another exhilirating ride. One thing for sure, without great hockey, Montreal is not the same. The revitalization of this hockey club brings a lot more than just business, it lift the heart of the lonely hard working people, something to look forward to after a hard week of work. The life blood of the city is not just its business sector and taxation. The montreal canadien and a beer soothes the heavy week..at least something to be proud of. I say keep the flags ready for next year. Oh another thing about the glory days of Montreal Canadiens. The north american and at least the local superstars now playing in the US should consider going back home and give a little excitement to their relatives starving for the stanley cup. After all what made the Glory days is the availability of these great local (montrealer and region) great superstars. How much money does one need. After a few millions in the bank, its time to come home and play for the home team. I can name a few local superstars that should be here. Im sure that its not going to be that hard to do. Once you have free agency...come to your home town like montreal, toronto, calgary etc or any of the canadian teams for Try out.
  18. Jeff O from Canada writes: "After a great fall comes the great rise."

    History doesn't back up this argument. Lots of young teams have a great season and look like they're on the rise, only to fall back to the pack the following season.

    Yes, the canadiens are young and improving. So are several other teams. Hopefully the Habs will build on this season and emerge even better next year and the year after. Maybe.

    The only thing we know for sure is that they had a very good team this year and a legitimate shot at going to the Cup Final. Gainey did not help this cause by trading his only veteran goalie.

    Gainey screwed up at the trade deadline. He gets away with it because of his status in Montreal.
  19. EJ Ravensbud from Canada writes: Brunt - your analysis is typical of trying to make something of a loser. In this league you win now, not in the future because too many things happen between now and the future. Parity has ruined the league - a different champion every year speaks of mediocrity. The Habs had to win this year as all the US teams are tooling up for next year and the better players do not want to play in Canada like the "old" days. So Brunt save us the violins.
  20. Lionel Perron from Toronto, Canada writes: As much as I admire Bob Gainey, he really dropped the ball when he traded Cristobal Huet at the trade deadline for a second-round draft pick in 2009...not 2008. It's like a homeowner ditching his insurance coverage because nothing bad has ever happened to his property in the past. There's no doubt Carey Price is a talented young goaltender, but why did Gainey think getting rid of Huet, his insurance policy, was a wise move? Price looked rattled and repeatedly made the same basic mental mistakes over and over. He was lucky to squeak by the Bruins despite allowing big juicy rebounds when freezing the puck was the wise thing to do. The wheels really came off against the Flyers. Playoff hockey comes down to a few turning points. Caution is the overriding issue. Price failed to grasp this basic cardinal rule. Hopefully, he'll learn from his youthful mistakes when he screens his playoff performance. Moreover, Carbonneau kept sending Markov and Streit on the power play. Markov couldn't target the net even when he had a clean shooting lane resulting in a lack of scoring opportunities. Meanwhile, both the Bruins and Flyers made sure Streit never got eneough time to get a clean shot. For all his faults, Brisebois was the only defenceman who consistently put the puck on the net which produced rebounds, deflections; in layman's terms: scoring opportunities. This series came down to an accumulation of mental mistakes from the GM on down at the trade deadline and that's what killed the team in the end. The Flyers didn't beat us, we beat ourselves.
  21. Ben Hong from NB, Canada writes: There will be no rending of sack cloth and gnashing of teeth from this corner. Les Boys did me proud, and with the prospects of 16 solid roster players coming back next year, I am optimistic for the Habs' Centennial Year.

    If I know Gainey, he WILL address the grit and size issues and I look for 2-3 redmeat eating, real he-men next year to join the roster...and I don't mean goons. Just honest to goodness, in-your-face, character guys in the mold of Kostopolis...with slightly better hands.

    As for Carey Price, Gainey made the right decision. Period.

    For the detractors of the boy/man, what were you doing at age 20? Trying to find your way "home" by the dashboard lights? Thinking about your next beer binge? Flipping burgers at the Golden Arches? Guess what Carey's been accomplishing on the world stage these past 16 months?
  22. EJ Ravensbud from Canada writes: Ben, wow can you ever find silver linings in a dismal Hab defeat. You sound like a Leafs fan, but unfortunately I believe the Leafs will outdo the Habs next year. The Habs showed all they have, ain't no more. Gainey saw a flashback to 93 when there was a hot goalie in front of a mediocre team.
    I prefer the old style Hab fan who demanded to be the best or nothing. This new generation of Hab fan is satisfied with being 4th best. Nice try, better luck next time attitute. Old style Hab fans would have booed this team out of the rink.
  23. Sissy Schuss from Canada writes: EJ Ravensbud from Canada writes: Brunt - your analysis is typical of trying to make something of a loser. In this league you win now, not in the future because too many things happen between now and the future. Parity has ruined the league - a different champion every year speaks of mediocrity. The Habs had to win this year as all the US teams are tooling up for next year and the better players do not want to play in Canada like the "old" days. So Brunt save us the violins. precisely the point though parity does not necessarily mean mediocrity ottawa fell by the wayside for exactly this reason - couldn't keep up with retooled teams The idea of "building for the future" as a model for NHL competitiveness no longer makes sense - too many important variables intervene to make this a reality - free agency, salary caps and even the shootout format guarantee greater equity in the game meaning that in any given season the team that showed promise last year or was dominant may not necessarily improve in the next - Buffalo fits the former category and Anaheim and Ottawa the latter. The key thing appears to be to hit a magical point in one season where a team has enough underpaid young and motivated players who believe in the game enough to excel and to push beyond their limited capabilities and the expectations of others and then go for it - sort of like a final assault on Mt Everest. Perhaps no one expected Montreal to do as well as they did this year but the real surprise will be if they can do just as well or better next year and the year after that.. you have only one shot at it before the briere's of the world take flight and screw up what could be a championship season - just ask Buffalo
  24. Sissy Schuss from Canada writes: EJ Ravensbud from Canada writes: Brunt - your analysis is typical of trying to make something of a loser. In this league you win now, not in the future because too many things happen between now and the future. Parity has ruined the league - a different champion every year speaks of mediocrity. The Habs had to win this year as all the US teams are tooling up for next year and the better players do not want to play in Canada like the "old" days. So Brunt save us the violins. ____________________________________________ Precisely the point = though parity does not necessarily mean mediocrity ottawa fell by the wayside for exactly this reason - couldn't keep up with retooled teams. ________________________ The idea of "building for the future" as a model for NHL competitiveness no longer makes sense - too many important variables intervene to make this a reality - free agency, salary caps and even the shootout format guarantee greater equity in the game meaning that in any given season the team that showed promise last year or was dominant may not necessarily improve in the next - Buffalo fits the former category and Anaheim and Ottawa the latter. The key thing appears to be to hit a magical point in one season where a team has enough underpaid young and motivated players who believe in the game enough to excel and to push beyond their limited capabilities and the expectations of others and then go for it - sort of like a final assault on Mt Everest. _____________________________________________ Perhaps no one expected Montreal to do as well as they did this year but the real surprise will be if they can do just as well or better next year and the year after that. ____________________________ You have only get one shot at it before the Briere's of the world take flight and screw up what could be a championship season - just ask Buffalo.
  25. Blunt Comment from Toronto, Canada writes: Are you folks smoking Maple Syrup joints from St. Urbain?! To Monsieur Brunt (and his band of optimists): this Montreal team will never win anything in the NHL. Never. NEVER. They are too small, too soft and too unskilled. They barely managed to beat a weaker team in the Bruins, and were thoroughly outclassed by the Flyers -- who are not exactly an elite team. The skill players on the Habs are slick European passer types, who won't (and can't) play defense. Check out the playoff /- of the Habs offense: Koivu, Kovalev and Kostitsyn -- none are positive and the latter two average almost a minus-one PER GAME. Gainey traded away a vetern goaltender for a rookie who was outlpayed in 10 of 12 games, who stunk (c'mon...be honest...is there a more polite way to put it?) in seven games and who only blocks nine out of 10 shots. This team is good enough in a league where 16 teams make the playoffs, but it will never win the prize. To be in the circle of winners this year, you gotta have the experience and skill of a Wings team, or the youth and playmaking magic of a Pens team. Be honest, Habs fans. The team that lost last night is just about as far away from the cuo as really crappy teams -- like the Leafs. The difference is: we Leaf fans have resigned ourselves to wait as long as it takes to build a winner of NHL-calibre players. We recommend that you don't delude yourself into thinking this season means anything for the lousy Habs. Leafs haven't won the cup in decades. By the way, the same is true for the Habs...
  26. Ben Hong from NB, Canada writes: EJ Ravensbud: I have watched the Habs since 1955 and listened to Rene Lecavalier for a few year before that, so I have seen much much glory, and a few disappointments (1967 comes to mind). Like Sawchuk that year, Biron played out of his head and stole one from the Habs. No, I am not a blind optimist but I have watched enough and know enough about hockey to assess a good team from a pretender. The present Habs are indeed a GOOD team...one that can be improved to elite status.

    PS. I have been a decent man and have enjoyed a modicum of success through my life so far, so please don't EVER put my name on the same page as the Maple Leafs. It's just bad kharma.
  27. D M from Canada writes: Pittsburg wasn't too keen to play Philly in the first round and with good reason. Let's see how they do in round 3.

    Montreal had a great year, but I would have liked a series against Pittsburg,even though we probably would have lost.

    Hopefully we will pick up a few players in the off season. Last year, we got Josh Gorges and Hamrlik (and Smolinski) who all turned out to be great additions.
  28. Sissy Schuss from Canada writes: Mr Comment, or can I call you blunt. Your assessment makes sense - UP TO A POINT there are a few outliers you need to rationalize first before your point is taken. First Montreal finishes first in the conference - dumb luck or something else? Finishes tops in several offense categories too - again sheer coincidence?

    So is this a team that is at its peak and on the way down or is it a team still on the way up? You say its peaked and can't get better. Some might say it is still on its way up.

    I say it has neither peaked nor is in decline - the randomness of the current hockey model ensures that teams cannot repeat their successes. Parity which is partly a function of salary caps, the shootout format and free agency conspires to ensure that on any given day any team can win.

    A similar trend happened in football.
  29. graham g from Canada writes: The Habs were so bad they couldn't win even though they had the refs in their back pocket as usual. How about a few American refs in the league.
  30. nigel martin from Canada writes: Good discussion until Graham falls back on the paranoic biased refs complaint; the perennial fall-back for a real loser.

    Habs are the real thing; they will get better; so will some other teams; parity is here to stay. As of now Habs probably have a window of 3 years to take the cup. However, their junior and college picks are also looking pretty good right now.
  31. Dave The Rave from Ottawa, Canada writes: There seems to be a great deal of confusion about the quailty of this year's Canadiens. Gainey and Carbonneau fielded the best Habs team since the beginning of the decade, won the conference title and made it to the second round of the playoffs. They have rebuilt the farm system and have a stockpile of young talent and draft picks. That's pretty good management any way you look at it. In any case, no team has managed to win the Cup two years in a row since Detroit in 1998, or even repeat as a Cup finalist since the Devils in 2003. Even making the playoffs isn't a lock anymore. Meanwhile, the NHL is the only professional sports league in North America that features the best players on the planet regardless of nationality. That's what makes NHL hockey so exciting. For those who beg to differ, how about a Canada First Hockey League, with Don Cherry as Commissioner? The CFHL would be composed of one team from every province; lineup cards and trades would be voted on by the fans, as would decisions on disputed goals. Fighting would not only be allowed but encouraged; free beer (with shots of Crown Royal) and cheerleaders in tight sweaters (as well as streaking contests during intermissions) would keep the audience lubricated and entertained. I can see it now: the Moosonee Maulers (who count many Extreme Cagefighting competitors among their skaters) face off against the Chicoutimi Cucumbers (also known affectionately as 'Les Concombres') and the Toronto-Mississauga Litigators (having eliminated the PEI Potatoheads in a brutal seven game slugfest marred by ongoing court battles over disallowed goals) in a round robin sudden death championship tournament. There ya go, eh.
  32. EJ Ravensbud from Canada writes: Ben, sorry about the Leafs reference. My love affair with the Habs started about the same time as you, in the early fifties. The Rocket, Boom Boom, Big Jean, Doug Harvey and the rest. It lasted until the mid - seventies when I moved to Ottawa and saw some games at the Forum. I witnessed the most fickle fans, turning their loyalty on a dime. I witnessed them booing Dryden when he replaced Bunny Laroque when he was injured and then cheered him when he stole the game in the playoffs against the Rangers. During the same era the Habs decided to go the Flyers route and gooned it up, departing from their free flowing style. Since then they are low on my list and the fans now demand mediocrity at best. This years team was average, built on Europeans that deserted the team when it counted. To expect a repeat of 93 from Mr. Price was a long shot and a miscalculation by Gainey. The league is too unpredictable now as players and owners have no loyalty. To say the Habs are at a point of near greatness is wishful thinking.
  33. S G from Canada writes: ahahahahahahahahahahahaha

    losers. and they riot after winning the first series. good ridence.
  34. aniphylactic shock troops from Victoria, Canada writes: What's with all the man-love for Carey Price? His play may have represented the most brutal playoff goaltending of the past 30 years. No, seriously. If the Habs had stuck any other goalie in the net, would they not have ousted the Bruins in 5? And been closer to winning the seris v PHI?
    Gainey had better pull a rabbit out of his @zz with the 2nd pick he got for Huet.
    As for the Habs' glorious future. When's the last time Kovalev put together back-to-back solid seasons? That's right. S'never happened.
    I was cheering for them, though. They're an entertaining team to watch.

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