Montreal Canadiens Players, Fans, And Media Must Put Loss Behind Them

 “I get knocked down but i get up again!”-Tubthumping by Chumbawamba

C’mon!  Hit “Play” on the above link…if you have any heart and soul it should bring a smile to your face or at the very least a sense of hope to your consciousness.  If these guys can get up again, well so can your hockey team!

I remain firmly rooted to my belief that the current edition of the Montreal Canadiens can be competitive and that it still does have the potential to morph into a winning roster.  I am neither promising nor reporting that the team will participate in the playoffs but i do feel that they can, and should, make a run for it with the players that they have.  Further to that, i do not condone the dismantling of the team should it fail to place in the top 8 in the East.  I am sure that many readers are dismissing me as an idiot who does not deserve to have his own blog.  I will allow you your viewpoint but i feel that you should return the favour…maybe you should even continue to read this discourse…

I am not arguing here from the perspective of a fan who is oblivious to his team`s shortcomings.  Some have described me in real-life situations as `fiercely loyal` but have never used this term to imply irrationality.  Others will inform you that my hero is Spock, so logic definitely plays a large part in my decision-making.  Also, I am accustomed to significant loss and to failed relationships so that should tell you that i am not afraid to walk away…and i have done so numerous times when the time was right to do so.  I do not feel that this is such an occasion.

This Team Is Good-They Already Demonstrated That

Certainly there are some to issues to correct.  However, I will not accept the fact that essentially the same young team that was talented enough both to rank 6th in the East and to take the Bruins to overtime in Game 7 in the first round of the playoffs in 2010-2011, has lost its mojo permanently. Impossible, I say!

Talent is not the issue here. Everyone seems to be blaming Carey Price but it was by no means coincidence or luck that elevated him to the status of an elite netminder last year (and he is just going to mature and to improve).  Any goalie can have a shutout or an awesome save percentage in limited play situations.  Price, on the other hand, ranked at or near the top in all goaltending stats throughout the entire season during which he started 72 games.  He has earned my respect and i will bear with him while he regains his other-wordly form.

Lars Eller, Tomas Plekanec, David Desharnais, Max Pacioretty, Eric Cole, Travis Moen, Josh Gorges, PK Subban, and Alexei Emelin figure prominently on the wish lists of GMs around the league (maybe even Hal Gill does).   I doubt that Budaj appears on many opponents’ radar screens, but he too has shown that he can come up with strong contributions when called upon.  We all begged for improved physical presence so we now must give Rene Bourque the benefit of the doubt and hope that he will thrive in his new setting.  Hasn’t Diaz shown tremendous improvement since he arrived on the scene?  This team is far, far better than its record suggests.

I suppose that i would come across as a complete lunatic if i failed to mention that there are some players on the roster whose departure i would not lose sleep over.  These include Nokelainen, Weber, Campoli, Darche.  Each of these players is easily replaced and neither one can be considered to truly represent the team.

I remain on the fence as far as Kaberle and Kostitsyn go.  I love watching Kaberle gain the offensive zone with ease and i respect his puck movement but unfortunately, even oddly, these concrete skills have not served to improve the Habs’ power play.  So, while he is good at what he does in that dimension it does not benefit the team.  On the flip side, i shudder to think just how much worse the team would fare without him in the man-advantage situation.  Kostitsyn can be an electrifying player.  He is accused, however, of coasting and of inconsistency.  Despite his perceived lack of intensity and passion he has delivered 20 goals or more in three of his four seasons in Montreal and is on pace to repeat that this year.  Also, he has shown some great chemistry with Lars Eller and the two may need one another to thrive.  He might even be called upon to complete a line with Pleks and Bourque if Blunden does not cut it.

Rather than to disband this group, win or lose, we should nurture it, we should groom it.  The dividends will be worthy of the patience and of the effort.  All this to say that whether or not the stats reflect it, we have potential in spades.  We just cannot seem to put it all together.  Everybody wants a rebuild.  Are we too blind to see that it is already in place?!!  Blowing it all up now will only delay our resurgence.

Neither Injuries Nor Coaching Are Not To Blame

The injuries that plague the team should not be singled out as the root cause of the malaise either.  After all, how much did the perpetually sidelined Markov really contribute to the relatively recent successes of this organization?  His injuries have kept him out of the lineup to such an extent that he was really a non-factor as far as last year`s achievements are concerned and he did not participate in the 2009 miracle run to the Eastern Conference Final.  Sure Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta missed many, many games but their contribution on the ice when healthy is negligible.  They do, it should be noted, add veteran leadership to a young core so it is not as if they play no role whatsoever.

Coaching, incidentally, is not the source of the crisis either. Randy Cunneyworth seems to support and to value his group.  I  trust that he is a solid and respected teacher.  The players, i am confident, appreciate that he is more offensively-minded than his predecessor, Jacques Martin.

So, It Is A Mental Thing!

So if it is not for a lack of talent, nor a result of injuries, nor due to poor coaching, why are the Habs cellar-dwellers this season?  The key in terms of turning this all around is to restore that proven- potential into something real, something tangible.   What i am getting at is that this is a mental struggle.  Maybe the much-maligned and recently traded Michael Cammalleri was not off-base with his commentary highlighting the team’s loser-styled approach to practice, preparation, and play.  Certainly he chose to express this in a manner that seems to have lost him whatever respect he had within the organization, but the crux of his message seems to gain credibility with each passing day.  There is hope though!!!

We Can Fix That

Just as we can hire personal trainers to guide us to an improved physique, so too can we depend on professionals to help us in the cognitive realm.  People with serious mental health issues have overcome these with the support of specialists.  I cannot cure what ails the Habs but I feel confident in my diagnosis and I am utterly convinced that the prognosis is good.

Not wanting to ditch my readers at the border of the promised land, i did some research into the field of sports psychology.  I am happy to report that there is absolutely no shortage of areas of concentration in this field.  The team can explore the following concepts in an effort to raise these skilled players from the depths: confidence, mental toughness, stress management, team dynamics, pursuit of excellence, motivation, leadership, communication, creativity, and rewards among many others not mentioned here.  I am not qualified to offer a an opinion as to what the starting point should be but my gut, and I have got a helluva gut, tells me that somewhere in that list lies the answer to our problems.  Have the Habs made any forays into this alternative?  If they have, it has not been well-documented.  It does not have to come from upper management either.  Any interested player, i suppose, can set something up to try to help this franchise.  Sure it is expensive but money is probably not a factor here.

Our Negative Attitude Cannot Possibly Help

I would like to add, in keeping with the thesis of this blog, that the bitterness, negativity, disappointment and hostility that is being demonstrated by the media and the fans is not doing a thing  to help the team overcome this crisis.  If anything, the lack of support is making things worse.  Players, alienated from their fans will be completely unmotivated to perform or to win.  The media, in calling out every player for each and every error committed on the ice or off it, is shattering the confidence that the roster members so desperately need in order to succeed.  In a sense, our articles, blogs, interview questions, and analyses are paralyzing our heroes and contributing to their downfall.  We should not hide from the truth but there are some positives to be explored.  The penalty kill, for instance is 2nd ranked in the NHL.  We are pretty darned good at blocking shots.  We do nicely in drawing penalties against the opposition.

What Does Loving Our Habs Mean To You?!

Interestingly enough, over the course of my review of sport psychology literature, i encountered a very prevalent, recurring theme.  I could not get through an article without coming across the importance of an athlete being able to put past failures behind him – her.  Obviously with the losses mounting and with the opportunity for redemption dwindling, this is an area of concern for our not-so-admired Canadiens. Their confidence is so low right now that they have a very hard time focusing on anything but their deficiencies.

If we truly love this team, though, we will forgive them warts and all.  In this manner, we allow them the opportunity to acquit themselves.  Let us show that we believe in them and maybe, just maybe, they start to have faith in their abilities to turn this thing around.  Then, and only then, can the resurrection begin.  As selfless and generous as this act of forgiveness may initially seem, it is in fact one of the most self-serving things that we can do.  Only then can this team find its winning ways.  And what more, pray tell, can we ask for?! A bit too flaky for you?!  Maybe so, but what else have we got?

Critical game or not, there is no way that the Montreal Canadiens, or any team for that matter, can go on a 36 game wining streak.  Many a must-win game will be lost before the curtain drops on this season.  It will be easier and more productive if we accept this fact beforehand.  I offer that we should behave like true fans who do everything in our power to help this team turn around rather than to be bitter and contribute to the free-fall.