Canadiens' hated first-round rival gives Montreal his respect after Game 5

There wasn't a more hated man inside the Bell Centre walls than Tom Wilson in the first round matchup between the Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals. It started in the first two games in Washington when Wilson started to target players on the Canadiens, and it carried over to Game 3 when he and Josh Anderson got into a now infamous fight that spilled over into the player's bench.

Wilson's last act was in Game 4, when he punished Alexandre Carrier with one of the hardest hits you'll see in this playoffs and then hit the dagger with the empty net goal. The physicality of Wilson seemed to break the Canadiens' spirit after that hit on Carrier, and the team wasn't able to recover for the rest of Game 4 and 5. It was an unfortunate end to the season, but as far as Wilson is concerned, Montreal earned his respect.

""I gained a lot of respect for that team over there. They got a bright future obviously. They competed really hard and they got a bunch of warriors…”
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Tom Wilson

Sometimes, it takes a team a few playoff runs to earn respect like the Habs did from Wilson. However, the fact they were able to get those flowers is a testament to how far they came so quickly this season. The league is now on notice that the Canadiens are a contending team, and it seems like the Capitals expect them to be a force as early as next season.

""That top line and what Lane Hutson has become this year, that's big time stuff in this league...When you're on the bench, you've got coaches, you've got players, trying to figure out who’s coming on: 'Is it Kucherov, is it Point?' It's the same way with Nick Suzuki. It's the same way. That's the ultimate compliment I can pay..."
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Spencer Carbery

Is it okay for Canadiens to be disappointed that the team didn't win more games in this playoffs? Once your team gets in the dance, you'd like for them to make a run, and that's understandable, no matter how far they are out of a rebuild.

It's a loser's mentality that everyone made fun of Sheldon Keefe for saying after the Toronto Maple Leafs' series loss in 2022. However, the difference is that the Leafs were five years into the Auston Matthews era while the Canadiens got their respect in a year where they weren't even supposed to make the playoffs yet.

Handshake or post-game respect won't win you Stanley Cups, but if we're looking at timelines, the Canadiens are well on their way.