A Winning Habit
Fansided

Montreal Canadiens: The Pressure Of Being ‘Québécois’

By Patrick Lortie

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 30: Jonathan Drouin #92 of the Montreal Canadiens during the NHL game against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on October 30, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. The Canadiens defeated the Coyotes 4-1. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 30: Jonathan Drouin #92 of the Montreal Canadiens during the NHL game against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on October 30, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. The Canadiens defeated the Coyotes 4-1. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next
Stanley Cup Most Valuable Player Patrick Roy of the Montreal Canadiens (Photo by – / AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)
Stanley Cup Most Valuable Player Patrick Roy of the Montreal Canadiens (Photo by – / AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images) /

The decision to bring in Quebec-born players in the 2021-2022 roster will work out fine. Guys like Mathieu Perreault and Cedric Paquette are brought in as depth and going back to the days of Maxim Lapierre and Steve Begin, the Habs faithful always appreciated having a local who can do the same plumbing job as most players in the league.

Many will use poor drafting as an excuse for the lack of local talent. While it’s true for the later rounds, the last time the Canadiens passed up on a better player that was available from the QMJHL is in 2006 when the Habs picked David Fischer 20th overall over Claude Giroux who was then picked 2 spots later to Philadelphia. Otherwise you have to go back to 1996 when Montreal picked Matt Higgins 18th overall over Daniel Briere who was picked 24th by Phoenix.

The fact of the matter as well is that there were a lot of slim pickings in the 2000’s when it comes to our own backyard. The QMJHL, like many other leagues, went through a decade-long drought when it came to talent. When Alexis Lafreniere was picked 1st overall in 2020 by the New York Rangers, he was the first Quebec-born player to be drafted 1st overall since Marc-Andre Fleury in 2003 and the first QMJHL player since Sidney Crosby in 2005.

The highest picked player since? Pierre-Luc Dubois, 3rd overall in 2016 and Jonathan Drouin, 3rd overall in 2013.

The mediatic obsession with local superstars has made it that many high profile players refused to play in the fish bowl that is the Montreal market. Guys like Vincent Lecavalier, Luc Robitaille and even Raymond Bourque have at one point either rejected a trade or a contract offer from the Bleu-Blanc-Rouge.

The next Maurice Richard or Guy Lafleur will show up in a Montreal Canadiens jersey one day. I’ve said it in the past however, we probably missed him because of the financial tyranny that is hockey organizations in Canada. Therefore that next superstar’s parents probably couldn’t afford to buy a proper stick for their kid to begin with.

The Montreal Canadiens will always be a prestigious franchise with a rich history. However, fans and media alike need to get off their high horses and take things at face value. You can flash all the banners and retired numbers and hall of famers all you want, but when your Stanley Cup drought is entering its 29th year, all while just breaking a 28 year drought of going to the finals, even your ’67 Leafs jokes are getting old and tired.

There’s nothing wrong with being patriotic and proud of your roots and culture. At the end of the day, there’s a huge difference between the world we lived in the 1970’s versus the world in the 2020’s.

We need to unite regardless of our names and backgrounds. In the Canadiens’ case, of course I would love that our captain and superstar was from here. Bottom line however, is we want a Stanley Cup. It’s been nearly 30 years. There’s an entire generation of fans who weren’t even born the last time the Cup was paraded down Ste-Catherine street.

Who cares what your name is at the back of the jersey. Let’s go back to focusing on the logo in front of it instead.

Home/Editorials