Here’s an article from The Detroit News by Dave Dye who talks about the Montreal Canadiens great chance to make it to the Stanley Cup final in their centenntial year celebrations:
Get ready for Les Canadiens Lovefest.
The storied Montreal hockey franchise begins its 100th season Oct. 10 in Buffalo. The Canadiens are the first professional hockey team to celebrate a centennial year. The only other North American pro sports franchises to do so all are in Major League Baseball.
That famous center-ice logo in Montreal will be replaced this season by one recognizing the centennial. The Canadiens also will wear “100 seasons” patches on their jerseys.
The hockey spotlight will continue to be on Montreal for the next year. The All-Star Game is scheduled for the Bell Centre on Jan. 25, along with the NHL draft in June. There also are rumors of a possible game at Olympic Stadium with the roof off in December 2009, the official 100-year anniversary mark.
The question now is whether the Canadiens can bring the Stanley Cup Finals back to Montreal to complete the celebration.
No NHL club has won more Cups than the Habs’ 24. The Maple Leafs have 13, the Red Wings 11.
What’s more, the only North American pro sports team with more championships than the Canadiens is the Yankees with 26.
This is an organization steeped in tradition with the greatest dynasties in NHL history. The Canadiens won five straight Cups under Toe Blake from 1956-60. They also won six titles in nine years from 1965-73 before Scotty Bowman coached them to four straight from 1976-79.
In other words, Montreal lifted 15 Cups in a 24-year period from 1956-79.
But it’s been a while now. The Canadiens haven’t made an appearance in the Finals since 1993, when coach Jacques Demers led them to a Cup victory over Barry Melrose’s Los Angeles Kings.
That’s 14 straight years of getting shut out for an organization measured by championships.
There were some very frustrating times for Montreal fans before the Canadiens got back on track last season.
They finished first in the Eastern Conference in the regular season, only to get upset in the second round of the playoffs by Philadelphia.
The hockey gods might have been working to try to set the stage for a big centennial blast this season.
The expectations certainly have risen. Much will come down to whether goalie Carey Price, 21, can recover from a shaky postseason to become more consistent and show the promise he did during the regular season as a rookie.
The Canadiens have good speed and young talent throughout the lineup, including the Belarus brothers, Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn.
Montreal is hoping Alex Tanguay, who slumped to an 18-goal season with Calgary, can return to form and be a valuable addition. The Canadiens also added some much-needed muscle by signing Georges Laraque, who played for Pittsburgh last season.
There’s a powerhouse in Detroit and another strong team in Pittsburgh looking to return to the Finals, but wouldn’t it be something if the Canadiens could win their 25th Stanley Cup in year No. 100?