Statement Game

Statement games are important. The Canadiens victory over the Bruins a few weeks ago was just that. It was a tooth and nail game where the habs did not give an inch. Unlike the recent past,  Deslauriers fought Miller to a draw in a lively fight. Finally, even though the habs gave up a late goal due to a brain-dead penalty, they came back in overtime. This victory let the habs get back in the playoff picture. This habs team has confidence or attitude or whatever way you want to define it.

It reminded me a lot of the 83-84 habs. That year, the habs had a subpar year barely making the playoffs. They had poor goaltending with the likes of Richard Sevigny and Rick Wamsley. There was a changing of the guard as Guy Carbonneau, Mats Naslund, Bobby Smith, and Chris Chelios began to take up leadership roles. The habs had also their version of Andrew Hammond as Steve Penney joined the team late in the season. Even though the team had a poor season, late in the year they played the bruins and all hell broke loose. The bruins were in first place and many thought they could challenge the stanley cup winners New York Islanders. However, the habs showed up in Boston and fought the bruins tooth and nail and almost every check led to a fight or an incident. It was unimportant who won that game a message was sent. The habs went on to eliminate the bruins in a 3 game series and then eliminate the Nordiques. They gave the Islanders a terrific battle for six games before being eliminated by the previous year’s champion. A side note was that if the Islanders won the cup that year they would have tied the five in a row record of the 50’s Habs. After facing the tenacious habs, the exhausted Islanders were no match for the Oilers in the final.


Are habs fans about to get blown away? If we put last year’s disastrous season out of our memory bank, let us go back to the first round exit of the habs the previous year. The habs were exposed in that series with the rangers by having a void at the Center position, a number of aging slow footed players, and key organizational players that seemed to lack maturity and hockey sense.

The organization has either intentionally or by good luck filled the gaps in the line-up. Gone are brain farting Beaulieu and Galchenyuk. Gone are the aging slow-footed veterans like Plekanec and Markov who could with their experience look good during the regular season, but could not keep up in the playoffs. Finally, there is less of a void at center ice. Max Domi has been a surprise but his determination to succeed when given a second chance has made Habs fans forget the Tavares slight. Jesperi Kotkaniemi has been a revelation as well. He is still young and there is still a lot to be determined as to how good he will be. Danault has exceeded expectations and he might soon become this team’s Guy Carbonneau. Our defence is our achilles heel but even there Petry has shown a renewed swagger, Benn seems to be this year’s Mike Weaver or Josh Gorges, and Mete and Juulsen have shown the right youthful spirit. Weber, even though less mobile than before his injuries, still has vast experience and his howitzer.

The 84 team was eliminated when the Islanders figured out Steve Penney. Virtually the same team won it all in 1986 with additions Claude Lemieux and Patrick Roy.  All to say is if the habs get Halak playoff type goaltending by either Price or Niemi, who knows how far this team can go and who they can upset. Muckers like Domi, Gallagher, Shaw, Tatar,  and the enigmatic Petry can lead us far. If not this year then soon. Hopefully we make the playoffs first.

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