A Winning Habit
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Canadiens Fan: Reaction To Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup

By Lissa Albert

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Canadiens Fan: Reaction To Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup

As a fan of the Montreal Canadiens, I have watched the playoffs closely since the Habs were eliminated by the Tampa Bay Lightning. I can truly say it’s the first year I’ve done that. Perhaps due to my now being a hockey writer, or perhaps just because the hockey was exceptional, the playoffs held my attention.

I watched the Chicago Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup this evening and have mixed emotions.

There is, as with any fan of a team eliminated from post-season, somewhat of an envious sadness. The Habs have not won a Cup since 1993, and even though the team has had some incredible runs at it, they haven’t quite gotten there.

In fact, the Habs have not reached a Stanley Cup Final since their win in ’93, and that alone leaves fans wanting.

I have, throughout the last two rounds since the Habs were eliminated, watched with a certain amount of hopes that the Lightning would lose their bid. That’s natural; they eliminated my team, their elimination would be sweet.

But as they moved into the SCF, I watched with admiration for their resilience, their strength, and the depth of their talent.

Tonight, as they lost what is most certainly a heartbreak (the faces of Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and Ben Bishop needed no interpretation), I felt no gloating whatsoever.

Instead, I have even more respect for the team that went from being swept by the Canadiens in 2013-14 to making it to Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. They truly earned their spot. They played hard, they played well, and they challenged every opponent they faced.

I might have felt resentment after the Canadiens were eliminated. Okay, not “might”. I did. It hurt. It haunted. It still does.

The Habs had a fairy tale season, Carey Price had a historic season, and for a while, it looked as though we were going to enjoy a second Conference Final in as many years.

It was not to be, but as I wrote in a recent article, when the Bolts advanced to the Cup Final, there’s no shame in having been eliminated by the team which almost went all the way to the Cup.

Tampa Bay showed every indication of winning that trophy, and – as we found out, as did the New York Rangers – it’s those bounces, the chances, and an opposing team’s talent that robs a hockey team of that ultimate victory.

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The Blackhawks are spectacular players. The team has won 3 Cups in the past 6 years. Jonathan Toews has hoisted 3 Cups since joining the team in 2007-08, and there’s no question they are the best team in the league. Sometimes, the NHL gets it right.

I watched the Cup being brought out (the drama!) and then presented to Toews, with a certain amount of sadness; when I think about it, much of that is because I wish the Canadiens had been the Cup winners – or even finalists – this year.

But some of the emotion is also the fact that hockey is over for the season. No more games, no more excitement of close calls, great goals, awesome saves.

It’s at this point that I realized my true hockey fandom: and while I strongly reiterate my heart lies with the Montreal Canadiens, and always will, enjoying good hockey is something I never did before this year. Previously, I might catch some of the playoffs after my team was eliminated, but not with this kind of commitment.

As any fan knows, only one team can win the Cup. And that leaves us, fans of the Canadiens, in a very large group of misery-loves-company.

But watching the Hawks and Bolts this series, after critically observing what these two teams have that the Canadiens must acquire and achieve, I am even more excited to see what next season brings for my Habs.

After all, October comes in 4 months, and with all the signings, the upcoming draft, free agency, rookie camp, and development camp, there will be no shortage of Habs-related stories.

Stay tuned – we’ll bring them all to you as news breaks, stories develop, and contracts are inked.

And take heart, Habs fans: we have a lot to be proud of this season.

We will, no doubt, cheer as Carey Price accepts his Vezina Trophy on June 24th at the NHL Awards, and most likely the Hart Trophy as well.

In fact, we might cheer three times, as P.K. Subban is a strong contender for the Norris as well. (You can read my 5 reasons he should win, here.)

Just remember: this is Montreal. There’s no such thing as “off season” when you’re a fan of the Canadiens.

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