What an exhausting season for the Montreal Canadiens.
From roaring out of the gate to crashing and burning. To Claude Julien, Kirk Muller and Stephane Waite losing their jobs to the new crew doing even worse statistically.
Is there even a point to cheer this team on come playoff time? Despite a trip to the playoffs, against the always hated Maple Leafs to boot, a lot of people have already checked out. Sure, Cole Caufield gives us reason to be excited, but when your short-term success is followed by consecutive losses, it’s hard to stay positive.
Then of course there’s the recent debate of which version of the 2020-21 Habs is better. The one with Tatar, Drouin, Weber, Gallagher and Price in the lineup or the one without them? Win-Loss record aside, I can’t help but remember a comment from a fan saying “Out with the snails, in with the youth!” Hard to disagree.
Fans have started saying what’s the point? What is the point of following a team that will likely get swept and likely embarrassed in the first round? On top of that, once it’s all over, we’ll be spending most of June debating about who stays and who goes. Then, we’ll be demanding Marc Bergevin’s head on a platter and start debating who the next GM and coach will be. Then, of course, we’ll still be complaining about Weber and Price‘s contracts.
Let’s put the skepticism aside because regardless of the sport you’re watching, the old saying is true – anything can happen in the playoffs. Plus, the Leafs haven’t won a round since 2004. That was a year before Hockey Night In Canada started showing games in High Definition.
This is our team whether we like it or not and the fact of the matter is, playoff hockey in Montreal is always special. No, we won’t be able to witness a packed crowd rocking the Bell Center to its very foundation, but it’s a spectacle to watch nonetheless and there’s always the chance of something special happening before your very eyes.
Just ask the Columbus Blue Jackets who shocked the world by sweeping the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the 2019 playoffs. The Lightning had just cruised through a historical 62-16-4 season.
Or the 2003 Minnesota Wild who came back from being down 1-3 to upset the powerhouse Avalanche led by Roy, Sakic and Forsberg.
The point is, as stated earlier, anything can happen. Remember the team that started the season piling up the goals and hitting everyone in sight? They can still come back if everyone gets healthy on time.
Will an unsuspected goalie like Jake Allen suddenly take Price’s place and start robbing games? Will Tyler Toffoli be the one who leads the offence in the clutch? Will Cole Caufield or Nick Suzuki explode into a star?
Yes, it seems farfetched, but the playoffs are a completely different beast.
Here are 5 examples in the history of Les Glorieux where we had no business of winning but prevailed.