Wrong Cup (December 2002)
It was glorious. The hometown team at centre ice passing the shiny, beautiful, legendary Cup back and forth between them; the crowd delirious with joy, screaming at the top of their lungs while "We Are the Champions" roared through the speakers at the Bell Centre. Oh yes, the blue blanc et rouge are glorious again, at the top of the world in their sport. Montreal is the home of the Grey Cup Champs.
And would those same roaring fans trade a Grey Cup for a measly 8th-place berth in the Stanley Cup playoffs for their mediocre Canadiens? You better believe it!
It was interesting watching the faces of the Montreal Alouettes as they felt the love last Saturday night. Many of the players - the imports no doubt - looked confused, surprised, but obviously thrilled to be part of such a great moment in the great sporting city of Montreal. It was even more interesting looking over at the Canadiens' bench. This was their home. These were their fans. This is what it could be like for them. What a rush it would be to bring the other shiny Cup home to Montreal.
This kind of thing usually inspires a team like the Canadiens, a proud franchise used to winning and miserable when losing. I expected speed and style that night, the adrenaline and excitement of victory urging them on against the much-despised Flyers. But what did I see instead? The same old crap, that's what. 40-odd shots by Philly and only 20-odd shots by the Habs. I saw a deadly give-away by Montreal's number-one defenceman, which resulted in the game-winning overtime goal by the visitors.
Sorry, friends, but this team is a heckuva long way away from hoisting anything but an athletic cup.
The Canadiens have a few extra days off early this week and they're going to need the rest, believe me. They meet Dallas, Colorado, Phoenix and Boston in seven days... all on the road! Ugh! Then they come home for a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning (this ain't a "gimme" anymore) and another game against the Bruins. If they don't break even through this period then they may find themselves down among the bottom-feeders of the Eastern Conference. The Rangers have leap-frogged over them into 8th place, and if they take a peak behind them, Toronto and Florida (yes, Florida for goodness sake!) are nipping at their heels.
But I'm afraid they're just not good enough. Oh sure, I remember (and you will sure remind me) that I said that a bunch of times all last season. Look what happened then. That's the astonishing thing. They aren't any better this year, I don't think they're worse; they're just plain so-so, middle of the pack, entertaining from time-to-time but never for long enough to make a real statement.
Oh, there's still stuff to love about the Canadiens. Joe Juneau, Andreas Dackell and Jan Bulis still make up my favourite line. But when they create a 3-on-1 or a 2-on-1, it usually ends with Bulis and his hands like black strap molasses on a cold day. A great play and no finish. Which should get the other guys going, or so you'd think. Juneau and his mates are doing everything and more for the team. If the others don't step up now, it's going to be too late to save the year.
And isn't it time Michel Therrien doing something about those shots on net? I'm really really really sick and tired of writing about it!
What's a hockey writer to do? Turn to football? Not just yet. We'll see how it all looks a week from now. Things can only get better, right? Right?
In the mean time, a big congratulations to the Montreal Alouettes, the 2002 Grey Cup Champions. May your victory inspire your frosty brothers down the road. They could sure use all the help they can get.