Montreal Canadiens: The soundtrack of the 2017/18 season

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MONTREAL, QC – Montreal Canadiens (Photo by Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images) /

The Montreal Canadiens had a long and emotional 2017/18 season, and there’s no better way to encompass it than by putting it in song.

There are many ways to express how your feeling. Some just openly say it, while others look for a more unique method of doing it. Writing them down and including them in poetry or songs have been something we’ve all experienced at one point or another. Whether it’s actually doing the act itself or appreciating the work of someone else.

The beauty of songs is that they add an extra element of life to a project. Sometimes when you see a feature film, the soundtrack is one of the things you take away with you when walking out of the theatre. Let’s say, for example, the Montreal Canadiens entire season this year was a movie. There are an infinite amount of titles you could give it, but choosing a song for some of the major events that happened could be a fun little project wouldn’t you say?

So here you have it, A Winning Habit‘s own Montreal Canadiens 2017/18 soundtrack. I’d like to say that I looked throughout the archives of music ever made to compile this list of songs, but it was mostly going through my iTunes library and selecting tracks that I thought best applied to the moment of the year I’d be talking about.

The album list includes 16 songs selected by yours truly with a bonus side compiled of choices from the other contributors on the site. Plug in a pair of headphones and prepare to be taken on a rollercoaster as we go through the songs from that best described the Habs year.

MONTREAL, QC – (Photo by Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Track 1. Come On, Come On – Smash Mouth

The weeks leading up the regular season was exciting for the Montreal Canadiens. Regardless of the moves made over the summer, or lack thereof, there were still a lot of things to look forward to. Jonathan Drouin was the new shiny toy within the organization who looked to be the piece to help the team’s centre position. Additionally, Karl Alzner was the big product of free agency expected to add more stability to the blueline while there were hopes that the likes of Brendan Gallagher, Tomas Plekanec, and Alex Galchenyuk could have bounce-back seasons offensively.

Not to mention the chances of some youth cracking the line up as well as the debut year of the Laval Rocket as the Habs new AHL affiliate. Sure there was some apprehension at the losses of Alexander Radulov and Andrei Markov, but it was generally an upbeat, foot-tapping, feel among the fans to start off training camp.

Plus, what 90’s movie, which is a nice comparison for the Montreal Canadiens, doesn’t have Smash Mouth in there somewhere?

Track 2. Warning – Green Day

Here we have the first signs of what was to come. The preseason had many Habs fans look to their neighbours with worry in their eyes. After defeating the Boston Bruins 3-2, Montreal lost the next five games only scoring seven goals to their opponent’s 22. The concerns from the Habs playoff series against the New York Rangers were coming to the surface again: they couldn’t score.

Thankfully, the Montreal Canadiens lit up the Ottawa Senators 9-2 in their final game of the preseason to bring a level of reassurance to the fans. At the same time, many were nonchalant about it stressing the fact that it was just the preseason. Were they right?

Track 3. I Still Remember – Bloc Party

To answer the question from Track 2, maybe. An exciting debut game for the Montreal Canadiens ended in a shootout victory thanks to Drouin. After that night was when things began to come off the rails a bit. The Montreal Canadiens lost their next seven games where they scored one goal or less in four of them.

It was reminiscent of what was seen in the preseason and pushed Habs fans back to memories of Radulov, Markov, and even at times P.K. Subban. The losing streak came to an end with a 5-1 win over the Florida Panthers. Offence was the name of the game for Montreal that night thanks to Gallagher, Alex Galchenyuk, Max Pacioretty, and Shea Weber.

“See, scoring goals isn’t a problem after all”, many Habs fans thought. But the lore of the preseason never disappeared.

BOSTON, MA – MARCH 3: Artturi Lehkonen /

Track 4. Time is Running Out – Muse

American Thanksgiving is a well-valued milestone in the NHL. Teams in a playoff spot by that date are more likely to be there at the end of the season. Obviously, there are exceptions, but it’s a general rule to go by.

As the regular season transitioned into November, the Montreal Canadiens looking to shake off their poor start. Their victory over Florida turned into a stretch of seven games that saw them go 6-2 even defeating the red-hot Vegas Golden Knights. By then, it was November 11th, leaving the Habs with seven games to continue to boost their stalk before Thanksgiving. The chase was on.

Track 5. Don’t Punk With My Heart – The Black Eyed Peas

Track 6. I Can’t Win – The Strokes

Pretty self-explanatory here. This section of the soundtrack us into 2018. The rest of 2017 saw the Habs go on two more losing streaks further driving the point home that it may be a lost season despite momentarily being in a playoff spot. There was still something to believe in though.

Montreal was set to play three games against the Boston Bruins in January. All three of were must-win situations seeing as the Bruins would’ve been their biggest threat of taking them out of the playoff race. You all know what happened then?

The Montreal Canadiens not only lost each one but were forced to be without both Andrew Shaw and Phillip Danault. When it rains, it pours, however, that would only be the beginning.

WINNIPEG, MB – NOVEMBER 4: Max Pacioretty /

Track 7. My Friend John – The Fratellis

Don’t worry, they’ll be no whispers of Chelsea Dagger here. But as the year continued to drag on, fans were looking for things to look forward. One which included the opportunity to sign John Tavares in the offseason. Any development or change that happened with New York Islanders was a secret top-priority for anyone hoping to acquire the superstar.

Habs fans took a giant leap in this past time as well. Seeing as Bergevin had so much cap space at his disposal, money wouldn’t be a problem. Neither would a chance to be given a significant role on the team. Tavares instantly becomes the team’s best player as soon as he signs his name on the bottom of the contract (assuming he signs).

The biggest thing that would hold him back from coming to Montreal at the time as the possibility to compete for a Stanley Cup. The year at the moment wasn’t doing anyone any favours in the persuasion department.

Track 8. Bonnie Tyler – I Need a Hero

Although the Montreal Canadiens season was continuing to look more and more like a wash, there was one man who rose to the occasion every night, and that was Brendan Gallagher. He led the team in all areas including goals. By February, there was a good chance that the 25-year-old would surpass his totals from the 2014/15 season. Whether it was in front of the net or in the slot, the puck was going in for Gallagher, and it was something fans strongly got behind.

There was also a ‘W’ signal in the sky for Weber to return to the lineup after being sent home ahead of the team’s west coast swing. The Habs didn’t have a clear answer as to when or if the veteran defenceman would come back to the team. The Habs cape and all the abilities that came with it was Gallagher’s and Gallagher’s alone.

That was until Antti Niemi appeared as a strong option in net. Montreal still lost games, but similarly to Carey Price on his good days, the 34-year-old gave the team a chance to win.

Track 9. No Fun – Beck

Bergevin gets into it by the end of the season, but again, the title of the song makes this inclusion self-explanatory.

We’re not having no fun We’re not having no fun

Track 10. The World We Live In – The Killers

The philosophical debate between two factions within the Montreal Canadiens fanbase had its winner. As the days towards the Trade Deadline decreased, the support for Team Tank grew. Rumours floated around who the Habs would move on from, and the sole goal was to finish as low as possible and better their odds at a draft lottery win.

That was a world for the rest of the season. Loses were more valuable than wins, and roster players such as Al Montoya, Jakub Jerabek, and Joseph Morrow were traded.

Track 11. You Can’t Hurry Love – Phil Collins

What was next for the Montreal Canadiens? Retool or rebuild? There were endless debates on whether the team could move on from what looked to be a bottom five finish. Sure they finished first in the Atlantic Division with 103 points, but they haven’t been any closer to the Stanley Cup since 2014.

On the other hand, parity in the NHL was at an all-time high. Teams who missed the playoffs were right the race and the Colorado Avalanche were the front-runners for that movement. Regardless of how they were performing this year, the Habs still had players they could build with for the future making a complete tear-it-down rebuild unlikely.

But how long would it take? Something like this can’t be rushed and only striking gold in the draft can it be fast-tracked.

Track 12. Legacy – Fefe Dobson

The Trade Deadline also saw the end of Tomas Plekanec’s tenure with the Montreal Canadiens. It didn’t make any sense to keep the 14-year veteran on board, especially with teams calling to acquire his services. After all was said and done, the Toronto Maple Leafs were the destination for Plekanec to hopefully make a deep playoff run.

Bergevin got a nice return for the trade in Kerby Rychel, Rinat Valiev, and a second-round pick at this year’s draft. With the Jerabek deal having already taken place, the Habs had their fourth second round selection ready to use in Dallas.

More history was made after Carey Price started his 557th game for the Habs. The 30-year-old received a standing ovation from the fans which was huge considering the trying times he had to go through with fatigue, a lower-body injury, and concussion.

Track 13. What’s My Age Again? – Blink 182

Excitement returned to the Bell Centre. Bergevin made it clear after the deadline that there would be an emphasis on speed, skill, and character. With that came the promotion of young players in Valiev, Rychel, Nikita Scherbak, Noah Juulsen, Michael McCarron, and Mike Reilly who come over from the Minnesota Wild. Not to mention the further growth of Galchenyuk, Drouin, Victor Mete, Charles Hudon, and Charlie Lindgren who saw significant time in net when Price was down.

It wasn’t just that the Habs youth was on the team, it’s how well they played. Alzner looked a lot better when paired up with Juulsen while Reilly saw significant time on the top pairing after Mete was shut down.

Combine that with entry-level contracts going to Michael Pezzetta, Will Bitten, and Hayden Verbeek and the youth movement in Montreal was at an all-time high.

TORONTO, ON – (Photo by Jeff Chevrier/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Track 14. Fix You – Coldplay

When you try your best but you don’t succeed. What truer words sum up the final minute of the regular season. After a 4-2 loss to the Leafs, it was over. The Habs were slotted in at 28th in the league with a 9.5% chance at winning the draft lottery.

The next step was simple, but at the same time difficult: how do you fix this? How do you make sure that this never happens again? Evaluation is an understatement. Bergevin told media before that he had a plan to fix things, and there was a chance fans would learn what it would be at his final press conference.

BONUS TRACKS

Most albums don’t leave you with the bare minimum. Here are some song selections from the other contributors on A Winning Habit.

Next: Do Pacioretty's Comments Matter?

Nick: In the End – Linkin Park

Gallagher did everything he could to push the Habs to success this year. It’s unfortunate that the team was so poor in his best season in his career finishing with 31 goals and 23 assists. He tried so hard, and got so far, but in the end, it didn’t even matter (well it does for personal goals but you get the point).

Mitchell: Feels Like We Only Go Backwards – Tame Impala

From the playoffs to a bottom ten finish, to the playoffs again, but another bottom ten finish this year. The Habs struggle to build off previous success, this song captures that.

Jeff: Heartbreaker – Pat Benetar

If you had high hopes for the Montreal Canadiens this year, this was probably in your head once or twice.

HabsThoughts: Let the Bodies hit the Floor – Drowning Pool

I mentioned this in previous posts, but the Habs injury bug took no prisoners this season. Artturi Lehkonen, David Schlemko, Pacioretty, Weber, Drouin, A. Shaw, Danault, Mete, Scherbak, Price, Hudon, and Valiev all missed time this year.

Kamal: The Winner Takes It All – ABBA

If you checked out Habsfan vs. Leafsfan are read any of Kamal’s pieces this year, you probably got a sense of how he was feeling. If not, his song choice sums up things pretty clearly.

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