Mythbusters: Canadiens Fans Can't Handle a Rebuild?

It’s long been said that a fanbase as passionate and large as the Canadiens fanbase would be unable to endure a lengthy rebuild. With the Canadiens storied history of winning, expectations are always high, with the Stanley Cup on the mind. That was undoubtedly the truth for a long time, as Canadiens fans had been spoiled for so long. But the times have changed.

In the modern NHL, rebuilding is the most popular way to build a championship contender. Teams build through the draft, finding star talent to build around as they develop until they are ready to compete. But in doing so, it requires a period of losing, one that can be quite difficult to endure for players and fans alike. The fact of the matter is, no fan enjoys watching their team lose.

But it’s become something that fans have understood as necessary to ultimately achieve more long-term goals. Teams like Pittsburgh and Chicago really hammered this home with their dominance of the 2010s. But for a while, the belief that Canadiens fans wouldn’t be able to handle that persisted.

And it’s somewhat understandable, especially amongst the older generations of fans. Some Habs fans grew up watching the franchise win numerous cups, with hall-of-famers galore. But as the cup drought has reached a third full decade and beyond, the average Canadiens fan becomes less accustomed to winning. We’ve now seen multiple generations grow up as Habs fans without a Stanley Cup ring. I think the appetite for a rebuild has grown steadily as well.

The Canadiens probably could’ve attempted to rebuild even earlier, but I think those fears persisted for quite some time. But when Kent Hughes was hired as the next GM of the Canadiens, with Jeff Gorton as President, it was all systems go. It certainly helped that Gorton had engineered the rebuild of another Giant in the NHL in the New York Rangers, just a few seasons prior.

Now that we’re a few seasons into the rebuild, I feel as though we can put this myth to bed. The Canadiens fanbase can handle a rebuild. This isn’t that surprising, though I understood the trepidation. Canadiens fans are smart, they know what it takes to win in the NHL and how that differs from 30+ years ago. And they also know they haven’t had many players that even come close to rivalling the names of those currently hanging in the rafters at the Bell Centre.

Habs fans want to win, but they also want to have fun watching their team, and the likes of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Ivan Demidov, and Lane Hutson (just to name a few) help make that a possibility. Habs fans watched the organization fail to surround Carey Price with the talent he deserved; they don’t want to suffer through that again.

And it’s clear Canadiens fans are excited about the future, making the struggles all the more worth it. Like I said, Habs fans are smart, they know all about this team, including the top prospects. Listen to the crowd in this clip whenever Lane Hutson touches the puck. Do you think they don’t know what he can do? Habs fans have been waiting for a player like Hutson for a long time.

And just scrolling on Twitter after the draft, all I could see on my timeline was Ivan Demidov this, Ivan Demidov that. The draft was over a month ago; my timeline is still pretty much that. Suffice it to say, Habs fans have been patient, they’ve played the game and are ready to reap the rewards. The truth is, they could always handle a rebuild; you just had to do it right. No complaints so far. MYTH: BUSTED.