It has to be endured, say the most loyal, inflamed and ardent supporters. Despite everything, the show is good, the youngsters amaze and even the post-match explanations hold up.
No place in the playoffs for the Montreal Canadiens this year, we’ve known that for a long time. We knew that even before the season started. The idea of the reconstruction was well explained, well sold. In the modern history of the Habs, this step has rarely been admitted.
However, a rather strange phenomenon occurs which is positive on the one hand, but which will harm the team of Kent Hughes. It’s sad, but his club has won too much, thus reducing his chances of the repechage lottery, which will not even be 10%. Chicago, Columbus, Anaheim and San Jose still have the ability to fetch over an 18% chance.
These astonishing unexpected victories for the CH in recent weeks against Buffalo, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh and even New Jersey will make the difference, and even if there are still six games left on the schedule, it is practically impossible for Montreal to improve its situation in this file.
In the Montreal organization, we maintain that the team must always try to win and that it is inadmissible that we cash failures voluntarily. A nice principle, certainly, but I wonder if we have the same philosophy in Chicago, Columbus, Anaheim and San Jose who seem to be fighting for the tail.
However, fate had offered great excuses to CH with this list of impressive injuries to key players.
And you ?
The question I ask myself arises from the conversations I hear and those I have with fans: if you had been in the seat of Kent Hughes, would you have arranged for your team to meet at the last rank in order to have the best chance of drafting Connor Bédard? You, what would you have done?
These four or five nights
I know it would have been difficult to ask Mike Matheson not to show such fine qualities. To keep on the bench or in Laval a Harvey-Pinard who has become exceptional. What to say to Guhle, Barron, Dach so that they don’t become so surprising? Should we have invited Cayden Primeau more often?
Next year and very probably for several years when you admire the performances of Connor Bédard visiting Montreal you will be able to say to yourself: “We could have had it if, in the 22-23 season, we had not been so good four or five evenings…”
From the enclave
- Big news in the world of hunting and fishing. Director of SEPAQ in Mastigouche for 12 years, Eric Harnois becomes the head of SEPAQ on Anticosti Island. Different territory and a little bigger, let’s say.
- David Desharnais ended his career a few days ago when his team from Friborg in Switzerland could not qualify for the playoffs. Congratulations David, 36, and welcome back home. He played 524 matches in the NHL (including 435 with the Canadian), 238 in Europe. No worse, for a guy who was never drafted.
- In 57 years of history, Daniel Briere becomes the Flyers’ 10th general manager. Montreal had 9 during that time.
- Did you know that 57 former Canadiens are members of the NHL Hall of Fame? Of this number, only Rod Langway et Chris Chelios are Americans.
- Supporters of the Canadian in the United States are buffs. Walter Furse from Pennsylvania does not hesitate to go to Philadelphia when the Montreal team, his favorite, goes down there. Quite simply, 3 weeks ago, the man, now retired, decided to donate $10,000 to the Canadiens Children’s Foundation.
- There are more than 250,000 soccer players in Quebec who are feverishly waiting for the snow to melt. About 90% of them are under 18.
- In 2022, in the Canadian women’s Olympic team, three players came from Quebec. Sixteen were from Ontario.
- Response to Kevin, from Sherbrooke. It is Jocelyn Thibault who was in net for the Canadiens in the last game at the Forum on March 11, 1996. The score: Montreal 4, Dallas 1.
- Visiting Montreal with his Lightning, the assistant manager Mathieu Darche happily ever after and now lives permanently in Tampa. Goodbye Candiac, he says he sold his tuque and his mittens.
- The Alouettes open their regular season in Montreal on Saturday, June 10 against Ottawa. Party to be planned. PKP would have bought good weather and I wouldn’t be surprised.
- Tiger Williams, in his career, has accumulated 3966 penalty minutes. That’s the equivalent of more than 2 days in the penalty box.
