Don't look now, but the Habs own a playoff spot! (January 2003)
The crafty kids at the helm of the Sportsnet.ca Web site have built the coolest little feature into the NHL Hockey part of the site. Almost from day one in the NHL season, visitors can go to any team page and see where that team would be "if the playoffs started today."
The Montreal Canadiens have been on the outside looking in lately so I was quite surprised to find them sitting in 7th place in the Eastern Conference with 52 points in 51 games. Really! Go take a look, but do it quickly because the moment may soon pass. The Islanders are on their tale with 51 points and 2 games in hand, while the 9th-place Penguins and the 10th-place Bolts also have 51 points and 1 game in hand.
So just for now, let's celebrate the fact that if the playoffs started today, the Montreal Canadiens would be part of the post season festival. Their opponent? The New Jersey Devils. Since the chances of this actually happening in 3 months time are slim, I may never get a chance to compare these two teams again. And compare, I must. You see, in spite of the 13-point difference between the Devils and the Habs (New Jersey also has 3 games in hand), these teams are similar in a lot of ways.
Let's start with management. Both teams are run with fiscal responsibility as the prime objective. Lou Lamoriello and Andre Savard would rather dump a big salary than face free agent arbitration. They would rather get something than nothing when the dollars make the difference in the deal. The Devils' farm has had a lot of depth over the years which has made it easier for Lou to stick to his plan. Scott Gomez, Christian Berglund and Brian Giantra are all solid young players. I can hardly remember Bill Guerin in a Devils uniform. Savard, on the other hand, has been less than comfortable when he calls on Mike Ribeiro or Jason Ward from the farm. Ron Hainsey, Marcel Hossa and Mike Komisarek should pay dividends soon, but give the 2003 edge to New Jersey.
Up front, both the Habs and the Devils have a brutal time scoring goals. Montreal is 15th overall while New Jersey is in 21st spot. Saku Koivu leads his team with 47 points while Patrik Elias is the most prolific Devil with 31 points...good for 92nd over all. The two teams have a handful of speedy forwards who can dazzle and dance. Zednik and Petrov in Montreal, Jeff Friesen and Gomez in New Jersey. Montreal gets the edge in offence.
As for the intangibles up front, it's scary how similar these teams are. Montreal's Yanic Perreault is the best faceoff man bar none. But Joe Nieuwendyk could give him a run for his money any night. Joe also gives the Devils a classy, wily veteran in the lineup, a vet who notched his 500th goal 10 days ago. On the other side of the argument is Doug Gilmour. Montreal's own grizzled veteran, who last week notched his 1,410 point, moving him into 13th spot in all-time leading scorers. And don't forget, these two ageing centres were teammates in Calgary when the Flames defeated the Habs to win the Cup in 1989. Call the intangibles a draw.
In net, Montreal has last year's Vezina Trophy winner Jose Theodore. New Jersey, meanwhile, has this year's Vezina trophy winner, Martin Brodeur. Mark my words this is finally going to be his year! While young Jose is starting to look like the magician he was last year, Marty is simply doing what he has been doing year after year: playing just about every game, making acrobatic stops night after night, and quietly being the best player in the league. When the team in front of you doesn't score, you had better be damn good in your own net! So although both of these terrific French Canadian goalies are bailing out their respective teams this year, Brodeur and the Devils tip the scale on pure consistency and confidence.
That leaves just one thing. And this is where it all matters. Defence. While all other categories chart incredible similarities, the argument for the defence is a one-sided affair. If you had to bet money on the trio of Scott Stevens, Brian Rafalski and Scott Niedermayer or the trio of Patrice Brisebois, Andre Markov and Patrick Traverse, where would you lay it down? Certainly not on the Montreal trifecta. Lately, the Canadiens' blueline has been as effective as a wall of virtual pylons. In fact my colleague at Sportsnet.ca, Steve Milton, wrote a beautiful essay deconstructing the classic "Breeze-by" we've seen one too many times. The Canadiens don't come close to the New Jersey defence system designed by Coach Pat Burns. Steven's toughness, Rafalski's grit and scoring touch, Niedermayer's smooth skating and hockey smarts. The Habs don't even come close. And frankly, that makes all the difference in the standings.
As of Tuesday January 28th, the Canadiens are in the playoffs. Their opponent, the Devils have won 2 Stanley Cups since Montreal last won it in 1993. And unfortunately for the fans of Les Glorieux, the Devils will contend and win another one before the Cup comes home. But for now, enjoy the moment.