The current iteration of the Montreal Canadiens are no strangers to adversity, as for the first time in franchise history, they've gone through a rebuild since the departure of Carey Price and Shea Weber in 2021. The Canadiens finished last in the Atlantic Division for three consecutive seasons, but barring an epic collapse, won't have that designation this season. The payoff of a rebuild is when a team finally breaks through and becomes successful, but that step seems to be coming much sooner than expected for the Canadiens.
It's an interesting position for the Canadiens and their fans. Being one of the top teams in the league for a period used to be second nature, but now everyone is talking about the Habs' resurgence. One of the jokes on X is that the Canadiens are doing it with the power of friendship, but after Arber Xhekaj's recent comments, it seems like that may not be as far from the truth as we thought.
“Obviously we’ve had some tough times, some tougher days here in the past couple of years…I think we got that taste of winning. We know we can compete every night. Once you get a taste of it, you don’t want it to end. That’s what’s fueling us right now.”
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) January 21, 2025
- Arber Xhekaj on RDS pic.twitter.com/W3ZjRmO1ei
It isn't just the power of friendship. It is the power of facing adversity as a group and using it to toughen you as a hockey player. The Canadiens took their licks over the past few seasons, but their recent resurgence shows that sometimes, a couple of years of losing is what you need to gel together as a group. You have to look at how the Canadiens are winning games, beating the league's best teams, and rallying from deficits to do it. This team has an unlimited belief in each other, and sometimes, that's all you need to bridge the talent or experience gap.
"“Obviously we’ve had some tough times, some tougher days here in the past couple of years…I think we got that taste of winning. We know we can compete every night. Once you get a taste of it, you don’t want it to end. That’s what’s fueling us right now.”"Arber Xhekaj
Xhekaj was the perfect player to relay this message to the fans. He had to overcome his adversity this season when it seemed like he could be a trade candidate. Xhekaj's recent play makes it nearly impossible to take him out of the lineup, and if the Canadiens do make the postseason, Xhekaj will be in the group of six defensemen who play Game 1.
Who knows whether the Canadiens will break through and make the postseason. However, one thing is certain, this season's emergence bodes well for the future of the organization, and you can attribute it to the three years in the basement of the Atlantic Division.