A Winning Habit
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FanSided Turns 15! Memories From Canadiens In 2007

By Patrick Lortie

MONTREAL - SEPTEMBER 18: An elevated general view shows the Pittsburgh Penguins playing against the Montreal Canadiens during their pre-season game on September 18, 2007 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Penguins defeated the Canadiens 5-2. (Photo by Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images)
MONTREAL - SEPTEMBER 18: An elevated general view shows the Pittsburgh Penguins playing against the Montreal Canadiens during their pre-season game on September 18, 2007 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Penguins defeated the Canadiens 5-2. (Photo by Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images) /
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MONTREAL- MARCH 10: Montreal Canadiens head coach Bob Gainey watches play behind Maxim Lapierre #40, Gregory Stewart #70 and Glen Metropolit #15 during the game against the Edmonton Oilers at the Bell Centre on March 10, 2009 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Canadiens defeated the Oilers 4-3 in overtime. (Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)
MONTREAL- MARCH 10: Montreal Canadiens head coach Bob Gainey watches play behind Maxim Lapierre #40, Gregory Stewart #70 and Glen Metropolit #15 during the game against the Edmonton Oilers at the Bell Centre on March 10, 2009 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Canadiens defeated the Oilers 4-3 in overtime. (Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images) /

The Canadiens then entered a confusing period during Bob Gainey’s tenure as General Manager. The following season, Guy Carbonneau was inexplicably fired despite holding a 35-24-7 record, something that Carbonneau still can’t explain to this day. Gainey himself would step behind the bench for the final 16 games of the season finishing with a 6-6-4 record. This would also mark the final season of Saku Koivu with the Canadiens.

Then came the infamous Scott Gomez trade. Then the hiring of Jacques Martin, a notoriously extremely defensive-minded coach, despite adding offensive-first players on the ice.

We got the Spring of Halak in 2009 but that was it for that period of time.

The 2007-2008 season could have been a pivotal point in Habs history and even then everyone knew we had a special team on the ice. The team had a fiery coach with an old school meets new school mentality. The team oozed charisma on and off the ice. However, it seems that ownership and Bob Gainey himself wasn’t a fan of “flashiness” and ultimately decided to tone things down and make changes.

Had the Gomez trade not gone down and Carbonneau was left alone to coach his team, maybe, just maybe, the Canadiens would have won a cup during that period of time.

That of course, is all a matter of debate and personal opinion.

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