“Brad who?” Waking From the Bad Dream Team

By Avi Goldberg, Featured Writer,  All Habs Hockey Magazine

MONTREAL, QC. — It can be called the real start of the Marc Bergevin era, and with the Habs returning to the playoffs, fans also feel as though they’ve truly awoken from a bad dream of team mediocrity, buffoonery, and misdirection. True, folks are stressing big time about a losing streak and about Carey Price, but fans are in an infinitely better situation than where they were at this time last year. Then, about the best I could do to find joy in the dying weeks of a dismal campaign was to celebrate the grittiness of late season pickup Brad Staubitz. But, when my All Habs colleague, Robert Rice, responded to this notion by tweeting that he had to ask “Brad who?” upon learning of the tough guy’s acquisition, I felt the chills of the bad dream one more time.

We’ve come a long way!

As we count down the final games before the Habs enter the second season, I’ve compiled a list of five issues that have provoked thought. These things will be discussed and debated by Habs fans in the aftermath of their collective bad dream.

Issue #1:  Management

You probably recall the search process for the new Habs GM. Serge Savard was brought in to consult, fuelling some speculation that he might want the job for himself. There was also some talk about language, but thankfully it didn’t get out of hand. The candidates included Claude Loiselle, Julien BriseBois, Pat Brisson, Patrick Roy, Vincent Damphousse, Pierre McGuire, and Marc Bergevin. In the end, Bergevin, the man widely touted as a shrewd evaluator of talent, got the job. He’s been a breath of fresh air.

Almost everything Bergevin has touched has turned to gold. Whether it’s asking Trevor Timmins to stay, the Scott Gomez buyout, the P.K. Subban contract negotiation, the decision to keep Brendan Gallagher and Alex Galchenyuk with the big club, or the acquisitionsof Michael Ryder, Bergevin has acted decisively and has achieved successful outcomes. Folks in the know say there’s a new atmosphere surrounding the club, making its events fun and professional places to be. Fun? Professional? Those two adjectives could not possibly have been applied under Bob Gainey and Mr. Gauthier.

Now, the previous regime made draft choices and other player moves that are helping the Habs today. Based on what I’ve seen, however, I have confidence that Marc Bergevin and his team will use the assets they’ve inherited effectively as they continue to refine and execute their long-term plan to build a successful team. That’s a lot more than I can say about the track record of their predecessors.

Issue #2:  The Coach

The second issue is brought to us as a direct result of another Marc Bergevin decision, that to bring Michel Therrien back to coach.

I don’t know X’s and O’s. I couldn’t tell you if the team is trapping, left-wing locking, or doing puck possession (doesn’t every team try to possess the puck?). I don’t know if Therrien is the tactician and is getting Gerard Gallant and J.J. Daigneault to execute or whether the head coach is mostly a delegator. Admittedly lacking in technical knowledge, and as someone who was skeptical of the hire, here are some of my observations of the coach.

Until recently, the Habs have not had a sustained period of poor play. Unlike recent coaches, Therrien provides impressions of what happened in a game and they are specific enough to verify whether they match what transpired on the ice. When Therrien identifies a concern about a particular player, there is generally an adjustment made the next game. Though he can certainly apply the principle of accountability a little more evenly (David Desharnais and Lars Eller especially come to mind), the coach has a defined concept of player roles and he’s sincere about seeing it actualized. The coach laughs and, so far, has remained calm while facing adversity. As of this moment, with the bad dream over, the team is in second place in the Eastern Conference.

When the candidates for head coach appeared to be Bob Hartley, Marc Crawford, and Michel Therrien, many fans expected a best-of-the-worst type of hire. When Therrien was given the job, many were apoplectic. The real tests will come as this season winds down, as the team enters the playoffs, and as expectations rise in seasons to come. For now, however, the results of Michel Therrien’s comeback tour are only bolstering the GM’s reputation as a homeboy genius.

Issue #3:  P.K. Subban

A lot can be said. To keep things relatively short, please indulge me as I tap into my inner playwright as I present to you the sketch of a four-part drama.

(Our Obsession With) PK

Act I:  PK is drafted and tells Bob Gainey he loves the Canadiens, that the Habs won’t regret selecting him, and that he’ll help bring a championship back to Montreal.

Act II:  In his first pro year, PK is called up from Hamilton and plays respectably during two mid-season games. He returns to the American Hockey League but is brought back to Montreal during the magical playoff run to the conference finals. He plays significant minutes, and he plays them well.

Act III:  During last year’s putrid season for the team, in only his second full year in the NHL, PK is solid. His +/- rating of 9 is a giant improvement over the previous year and is highest among all defensemen not on playoff teams. Opposing players routinely challenge and taunt him on the ice. There are rumblings that not everyone in the Habs dressing room likes PK.

Act IV: After the lockout, PK holds out from training camp to try to wrest a longer term deal than what Bergevin is offering. PK agrees to Bergevin’s terms, has the Triple-Low-Five (TL5) banned, and now that the team bad dream is over, he is arguably the best all-round defenseman in the league. He is a legitimate Norris trophy contender. This is his third full season as a pro.

Synopsis:  On the basis of this performance, a narrative has been created about PK. He was selfish and noisy. His selfishness led to poor decision making on the ice and to a nervy contract holdout. After others have failed, Michel Therrien has whipped PK into shape. Now PK is a team-first guy, he is quiet, and his stellar play is a direct result of the limits and direction imposed on the young man.

By now, the narrative is widely accepted but I’m not sure it’s supported by fact.

What evidence is there that PK was selfish? Seriously disliked by his teammates? Is it unprecedented these days for a player to try for a long-term deal after his entry-level contract? Who’s to say that PK wouldn’t be playing this effectively had Therrien not been his coach or had the TL5 not been banned? Why do we not just call this the development of a young player?

They say that adjustment to the NHL game is toughest for young defensemen. If you’re going by the narrative you might not know it, but with PK Subban, you can throw that adage right out the window.

Issue #4:  Team Toughness

A persistent critique of the Montreal Canadiens has been that the players aren’t big or tough enough. Small players up the middle and on the back end are particular areas of weakness. Embarrassed by punch-ups in Boston, sceptical of Desharnais as a number one centre, and frustrated by both the invisibility of Travis Moen and by the irrationality of Ryan White, Habs fans continue to worry. What’s the story with team toughness this season?

The Habs lost the scraps in two early season contests against the Bruins, but they did split the games. With the winning that ensued, emotionally-laden calls for the acquisition of a John Scott or a Brian McGrattan mostly subsided. On any given night, players like Brandon Prust, Brendan Gallagher, Alexei Emelin (before his injury), and even Francis Bouillon have stood up for their teammates. Until the team’s recent struggles, the experts were saying that the Canadiens were not nearly as easy a team to play against as they were before. So, is there a problem here?

When teams like the Bruins, Flyers, and now Penguins throw their weight around, Habs fans rightly cringe. In the rock ‘em sock ‘em category, the Canadiens still can’t compete. On the other hand, when the Habs stick to their game plan, use their skill, and get quality goaltending, they win a lot more than they lose. Their record this season, all against tough Eastern conference teams, is proof. Fighting disappears completely during the playoffs. The Habs, in their post bad dream constitution, have made it to the dance.

Fans will always want the Habs to be bigger and tougher, and they point to the impact of Brandon Prust as a model for what they’d like. This year makes me support the call for this kind of size and toughness. Not because Brandon Prust is always ready to fight, but because he brings a fighter’s mentality to playing good and inspired hockey. And, that’s the exact type of toughness the Habs need as they continue to build.

Issue #5:  The Boston Bruins!

Despite predictions to the contrary, fans of both the NHL and the Habs returned in full force after the lockout. But, what has fan life been like after the bad dream? What’s made Habs fans tick?

This year, there’s one thing that’s really moved Habs fans and that’s been the team’s current arch rivals, the Boston Bruins. From Chara-Pacioretty in years past to embellishment-gate this season, nothing gets the blood boiling like a Canadiens-Bruins matchup. Habs and Bruins fans regularly spar on Twitter during and after the games, and even beloved members of the Montreal media have been pulled into the fray. It’s been bloody and intense on the ice, and it’s inspired passion and animosity off the ice. It’s been everything a fan could want in a heated team and city rivalry.

In recent days, with the tragedy of the bombs that were detonated during the Boston Marathon, the intensity of the rivalry has come down. While the Bruins organization has naturally done what it can to contribute to the healing, it’s noteworthy that Habs fans have done so as well. Whether on radio call-in shows or on social media, diehard members of Habs nation have extended gestures of love and they’ve demonstrated that their thoughts and prayers are with the people of Boston. Though far from unheard of for fans of rival sports cities during a time of crisis, that’s some flip of the script.

Sure, as life returns to normal, and especially if the two clubs meet in the playoffs, the vitriol will be ramped up once again. In the meantime, however, the effect of the Boston Bruins, and of the city of Boston itself, on the emotional ups and downs of Habs fans this year cannot be denied.

So, there’s no Brad Staubitz and the team’s play of late has been a little iffy. With spring finally in the air, and the with the playoffs just around the corner, it does feel like the bad dream is over. And, as this strangely short season ends, cheering mightily against an enemy while simultaneously pulling for the well-being of its supporters isn’t such a bad thing for Habs fans to be doing.

Follow me on Twitter @AviGoldberg