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The Dark Cloud over Montreal, +10 Notes |
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What the hell has happened to the once-great Canadiens and their fans?
Starting with the latter, I can appreciate that this season has been miserable, but can't ignore the irony over fans pining for a "new-school" rebuild being the same ones that lose their minds over every stale performance or hard loss the team incurs given its current standing.
As for paying good money to show up and mock Scott Gomez rather than cheer on the team that, sad as it may seem to some, desperately needs some kind of encouragement, everyone's entitled to behave as they wish according to the rules of society.
Is it a form of passion that brings out the worst in these fans?
Whatever it is, it's not helping.
And no one would be so foolish to make excuses for the team, as we're all aware that the only ones seemingly accountable for their performance (or lack thereof) are the players.
For every fan out there giving Montreal's base a bad name by essentially quitting on the team, there's a good one pointing fingers where they need to be pointed, not absolving the players either.
Again, no excuses, but I take exception that more and more people at the Bell Centre saw fit to bully Scott Gomez rather than put their hands together to celebrate a Tomas Plekanec goal that helped the team deliver one of its brighter performances of the season, Sunday against Jets.
A year without a goal for an eight-million dollar/season player is a mockery in itself, but lest we forget that Gomez wasn't lying when he told reporters of how much last season's personal plunder got to him.
He may not have done it on the ice, but he showed up to answer all those unpleasant questions, and he proved right then and there that he cared.
And even now, as he plays a game that refuses to generate the offense that would see mock-cheers turn genuine, you can see that he cares.
He'll never be credited for his efforts by his detractors, who refuse to offer an honest assessment of his performance from night-to-night, but even a casual hockey fan can observe what he put into Sunday's game.
But cynicism has ruled the order of most days in Montreal this season, and it's even overtaken the tone of this blogspot which has oft been accused of having on overly sunny disposition.
The Canadiens entered last week with the impossible task of winning four-straight games to save their playoff hopes. They managed to gain a measly two points after a lackluster effort against the Sabres, a punishing loss to the Devils who delivered them a fateful blow they've felt too many times this year to muster the will to break the pattern, and an unrewarded, respectable effort against the Washington Capitals despite how painfully boring the game was.
And each of those losses have been framed as the undoing of the Canadiens, without much focus from the home beat on what the team's opponents managed in creating those outcomes.
And, of course, their 3-0 win against Winnipeg had nothing to do with anything other than the Jets laying an egg. Right?
Is it fair to suggest that the pattern the Canadiens created in blowing leads started as a self-inflicted wound, one that has been widened by those who have exploited their weaknesses and been driven to believe in a comeback when on other nights, against teams that haven't fallen into those bad patterns, they've recoiled in despair?
Nope... It's all the Habs. Right?
If one is fair, one realizes that not every loss the team has suffered this year has been the result of their bad play. But, in this misery, objectivity's about as hard to find as a winning streak for the Habs.
And in the real world, no matter how bad it gets for this team, the players aren't showing up thinking about how great it would be to draft in the top-three this summer. They're trying to get out and see the light-- the one that's been stifled by their opponents, by the vocal majority of their disloyal fans, but mostly by a management team that's essentially divorced itself from the ethos of what made the Canadiens the most distinct franchise in hockey, for so long.
The 25-or so players haven't asked for the embarrassing and frequent controversy Pierre Gauthier and the administration have inspired this season, but they've had to live with it, on top of some hard luck, some bad play, and a war with the fans that refuse to believe the opponent has anything to do with the outcome of games.
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1) Not saying the Habs are on the verge of some great revival, and we all know that they aren't going to win 22 of their remaining 29 games to make the playoffs, but the New Jersey Devils have 63 points, in 6th place, just two points from the division lead currently held by Philadelphia. Pittsburgh's only one point up on Jersey.
New Jersey was about as bad last year as the Canadiens have been to this stage of this year. And they had a very strong finish to the season that took them out of contention for the top pick. People should remind themselves of that, should the Canadiens win some games down the stretch.
Jersey still did pretty well at the draft table with Adam Larsson, 4th overall.
Look at Ottawa and Toronto this season. Things can turn around so quick in this NHL, even when you least expect it.
Habs fans should remember that, given what happened in the team's Centennial season, and where they were a season later, after going through the biggest off-season turnover in its history.
2) Sid Crosby took to the ice with his teammates yesterday, and you couldn't beat the smile off his face. That was probably real encouraging for the team, as if they need extra motivation coming into their game with Montreal.
Poor Habs...
3) If the Habs are at all capable of taking things game-by-game, are they coming into this one with a bit of enthusiasm?
You'd have to think so.
4) Anyone want to go out on a limb and predict a goal for Gomez tonight? Didn't think so...
5) As someone who loves the way Pavel Datsyuk plays the game, I don't think there's been anyone better than the league's current leading scorer, Evgeni Malkin.
I don't think anyone's been as clutch either.
Only Johan Franzen of the Detroit Red Wings has more game-winning goals than Malkin, (9-7).
And Malkin's points-per-game average? It's higher than anyone not named Claude Giroux, by nearly .20 at 1.33/game. Giroux's at 1.25, and Crosby, over eight games and change is at 1.50.
6) If the season ended today, Kris Letang would be up for a Norris trophy, and regardless of the accomplishment, I think you have to consider him in a discussion over who the best defenseman in the game is.
Obviously, Erik Karlsson's blown the competition out of the water this year, but on a team with frequent injuries to Staal, Malkin and especially Crosby, Letang has been the constant in Pittsburgh's success.
7) Tsn's Bob McKenzie reports that the Carolina Hurricanes are likely to get the trades started this year, by waiving Anthony Stewart and driving up the bids on Tuomo Ruutu.
Amazing that most all trades of significance last year were made within the month leading up to the deadline, and pretty much all in one week.
It's a later start this year, and maybe it has something to do with the fact that there are a couple more clear-cut sellers--including your Montreal Canadiens. The prices must be high right about now.
There are a lot of middle teams that don't have a clear enough picture just yet as to which direction they're headed in.
8) James Neal score one goal in 20 games as a Penguin last year. He came back pretty motivated this year and put up 27 in his first 53 games.
9) 50--Is where Habs leading scorer Erik Cole ranks in league scoring.
Max Pacioretty's right behind him with 38 points (19G, 19A). Is tonight the night Max hits 20 and 20?
10) The Habs have played 53 games this season, and Gomez and Brian Gionta have combined to play 54.
In 54 games, Gomez and Gionta for 22 points.
You have to wonder what the off-season has in store for one who's suffering with a pretty tough recovery from surgery, and the other who's suffering, period.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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