A Winning Habit
Fansided

Montreal Canadiens: How To Fix The Team’s Entire Hierarchy

By Patrick Lortie

MONTREAL, QC - MARCH 02: (L-R) Tyler Toffoli #73, Shea Weber #6 and Ben Chiarot #8 of the Montreal Canadiens stand during the national anthem prior to the game against the Ottawa Senators at the Bell Centre on March 2, 2021 in Montreal, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-1. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - MARCH 02: (L-R) Tyler Toffoli #73, Shea Weber #6 and Ben Chiarot #8 of the Montreal Canadiens stand during the national anthem prior to the game against the Ottawa Senators at the Bell Centre on March 2, 2021 in Montreal, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-1. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 6
Next

The National Hockey League: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Nos Canadiens. Its hundred-year mission: to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new players and new coaches. To boldly go where many teams have gone before!

Jean-Luc Picard as President, William T. Riker as VP of Hockey Operations, Spock as the logical General Manager, Benjamin Sisko as Head Coach and let’s throw in Worf and Data as his demanding assistants. Aw heck, Bones McCoy as team doctor while we’re at it.

We’re going to have to replace Michel Lacroix with George Takei, though.

At this point might as well go with fantasy to get us out of this dark and miserable cloud that is this never-ending “reset”. All the hogwash about parity and not being able to build a dynasty and the old rules aside, the Montreal Canadiens were for nearly 60 years the absolute pinnacle of hockey. Teams used their championship ambitions and ways to build a winning culture to the bone.

Then 1996 came and the Rejean Houle/Mario Tremblay era came along. Fans never forgave them for annihilating what could’ve been a powerhouse of a team. We never talk about it but it still burns deep inside.

Rather than witnessing a dustoff, we were spectators to a never ending debacle of coaches and general managers and other personnel rotate in and out of the Montreal hockey temple. Something that we weren’t used to. Quebecers are rarely open to change. They like their stability and feeling of safety around them. Seeing all of these people come in and out of their teams without any success is just unnacceptable. Granted this isn’t a 54-year cup drought like our foliage neighbors one province over, but entering year 28, the word “sting” has lost all of its meaning. This is just embarassing.

Between their first Stanley Cup in 1915 and their last in 1993, the Habs have won at least one Stanley Cup in every decade they participated. For 8 decades, including the one of their debut, the Montreal Canadiens won at least one cup.

Now we’re on the cusp of a 3rd decade without a cup. This is why fans are angry. This is why fans long for the past. This is why we’re so obsessesd with our torch.

The current version of the Montreal Canadiens is now outdated. Its revolving door of personnel consists of the wrong people in the wrong seats. The influences are erroneous and the suggestions baffling. Too many people are sitting on cushiony jobs and are taking full advantage of it.

We can complain about Drouin, Weber and Price all we want, but the Captain and crew need a strong Admiral to succeed. It starts way at the top and trickles down all the way into the AHL.

By the way, Picard was the best Captain.

Home/Editorials