posted by Kyle
A hallmark of a well coached team is one that plays hard and doesn’t quit, no matter the situation. Indeed, the line between wins and losses (and playoff berths) is razor-thin. So why is it that the Canadiens, who just a couple weeks ago were being praised for picking up points against tough opposition, are all of a sudden forgetting to show up at the rink? Was their short streak of strong play an anomaly? It sure doesn’t look like it.
I’ve just gone through the schedule, and in the 28 games the Canadiens have played this season, by my count, they have failed to show up as a team in 11 of them. Does that look like a team poised, or even deserving of making the playoffs? Mind you, in some of the games the Canadiens managed to pick up a point, even a win, by virtue of strong goaltending. You may disagree with this following list, you may nod in approval and indeed add to it, but here’s 11 games where the Canadiens put in a poor effort, and yet deserve less than what they managed to achieve:
No-show 1- Opening night in Toronto. A 4-3 shootout win. No question that the Canadiens, in their first regular season game together were dominated every on the ice except the scoreboard. Price saves their bacon. Ok, fine, it was the first game with a brand new roster. We can argue this one.
No-show 2- Just like we can argue the next night in Buffalo. A 2-1 shootout win. Same story as the Leafs game the night before, but yet again Price saves the day.
No-show 3- Fast forward 4 nights later to the West Coast, a Coast of Horrors for the Canadiens. Humiliated 7-1 vs the struggling Canucks, and Roberto Luongo who, to that point, could not stop a beach ball.
3 out of the first 4 games were relative no-shows, yet the team had a deceptive 2-2 record. They went on to lose 3 more consecutive games on the road swing, and ended with a 2-5 record, which was probably more flattering than the team deserved. “Still…c’mon Kyle, they haven’t even played at home yet!”
Fine. You may even convince me to grant you that. Though let’s bear in mind that the typical response to a tough home stretch is that going out on the road will be good for team bonding and unity. Why could that not have been the case here? They had the opportunity to bond before having to endure a tough home stretch. More likely in my opinion is that a 2-5 record is as good as the Habs deserved.
No-show 4- They then went home for a 6 game home stand and got their act together, posting a 4-2 record. Wait a tick! The last game of that homestand, a 3-2 overtime win vs the very same Islanders that they beat handily 5-1 just a few days earlier. The Habs played a bad game that night and were lucky to get the win. Bonus crappyness – they gave a free point to a team they’ll need to pass in the standings if they want the 8th playoff spot.
No-show 5- Back on the road to face the Stanley Cup Champs. We knew this was coming – a 6-1 flushing. Halak was yanked, though he had little help. Too bad the rest of the team couldn’t be yanked. “Oh come on Kyle, they’re the Cup champs! No shame in losing to them!” Really? REALLY? What about leaving Sidney Crosby ALONE with Halak not once, not twice, but 3 times for the easiest hat trick one could have? Really?
No-show 6- November 5th in Boston. Carey Price was the only Canadien who bothered to show up. Thank goodness for that. The Bruins, grumpy from being shut out in their previous 2 games, were all over the Canadiens for the entire night. The Canadiens held a slim 1-0 lead until the last 90 seconds of the 3rd. Price was equally brilliant in the shootout and the Habs escaped with another 2 points when they didn’t deserve them. They had 16 points in 16 games when in fact if not for Price and their overtime luck, they’d be looking up the Leafs’ skirt. It was evident that this team was built on smoke and mirrors as opposed to Jacques Martin’s “puck possession” system.
No-show 7- You’d think Price had just delivered a statement to his mates. “Wake up boys! I’ll get you a win if you can just get me a couple goals!” Enter the Tampa Bay Lightning, with local boys Lecavalier, St-Louis and former Hab Alex Tanguay. Wouldn’t you know it? The struggling Lightning smother the listless Habs and saunter out of town with a 3-1 win. Pressure mounting, Habs. Better grab the sniffing salts!
And so they did, or so it seemed vs Calgary and Phoenix the following week. A 1-0 shutout loss at home to the Flames, but I think everyone can agree that the Habs played a good game, and were beaten by a better team. Good game, let’s build on that. They then went in to Phoenix and pulled a convincing 4-2 win over a surging bunch of Coyotes? A glimmer of hope? Psyche!
No-show 8- The Habs followed up their wonderful effort in Phoenix with one of the most dreadful performances in team history. They gave up 55 shots to the firewagon Predators and lost 2-0. Not even Price’s brilliance could save them. Price cannot score goals…can he? Please?
No-show 9- Two nights later at home, the league’s worst team was in town: the Carolina Hurricanes. Well, as the Habs seem to be the perfect tonic for slumping teams, the Canes jumped out to a 2-0 lead and looked like they were going to continue their dominance at home. The Habs showed a bit of heart against this Staal-less, Ward-less bunch and tied it at 2, and eventually had to win in the 6th round of the shootout. Again, I repeat: against the Carolina Hurricanes. Yes, a no-show, pathetic effort.
Don’t worry folks, I’m nearing the end of the line now, but sadly, the no-shows are getting worse. To be fair, it’s been 2 weeks since that Carolina game, so that’s a positive right? 2 weeks without mailing it in?
No-show 10- Against the Leafs. At home. Centennial celebration week. Leafs playing their second game in 2 nights. We could have expected a sloppy yet entertaining, high scoring game, right? At least that, no? Apparently not. The Canadiens didn’t even bother. Falling behind 3-0, this one was D.O.A.
No-show 11- 2 nights later in Buffalo. Can it get worse? Apparently it can. A nightmarish night for everyone, ending up in a 6-2 loss to the Sabres. This one is still fresh. No need to rehash how pitiful this one is. Some are fooled by the “comeback attempt” the Canadiens tried to mount in the 3rd. Please. The Sabres KNEW they had this one in the bag. So what? The Canadiens came to within 2 goals, made fans believe they could squeeze more blood from the stone. Then the Sabres decided to play hockey again and put it out of reach with 2 more goals. Nuff said.
100 years ago today, the Canadiens were born. Surely they have played many more great games than poor ones, and we should be (I am) eternally grateful for that. However, in recent years, we’ve seen more bad, with gusts up to mediocre than good. It’s got to stop.
Tonight, the Bruins are in town, rested and licking their chops. They don’t care about these celebrations. They are 6-0-1 in their last 7. They see 2 points. They see blood in the water. Lots of it. The Habs, who look exhausted, disorganized and uninspired are playing their 3rd game in 4 nights. This does not bode well.
The faithful fans will put a good face on, and will cheer like mad during the celebrations. Once the puck drops though, the mood is likely to change quickly unless the Habs can put together a decent effort.
What about those good efforts? There have been a few of those, but I don’t think anyone who’s paying attention can say there have been as many strong efforts as there are poor efforts this year. Even for argument’s sake, I’m willing to concede that if they no-showed in 11 of 28 games, then they must have put in a decent-to-strong effort in the other 17 games. Fine. I don’t believe they have put in 17 decent-to-good effort games, but I’ll let it slide.
My entire point to this entry is that a team that posts 17 good efforts (with mixed results) cannot overcome the damage they do themselves in the standings and with fans in the stands with 11 pitiful no-show efforts. At this rate, the Habs are on-pace for 30 games this year where they simply don’t show up. Is this what you want your team to be? Is that acceptable to you? If it is, you’ve probably been a big fan of the mediocrity we’ve been subjected to over the past 15 years.
You may be optimistic and pray that they’ll permanently turn a corner, but until I see them put in a MONTH’S worth of good efforts and rebound quickly after a poor game or 2, I am no longer going to be fooled by this team or the men behind the bench. Or on the 7th floor of the Bell Center.
We’ve all seen the “fire everyone, trade everyone” rants. We’ve heard it all, and we’ve even seen proposed rebuilding plans from prominent media members. What I want is for this team, with the current cast of characters to get their act together. Simply play with pride and heart. Show some intensity. Compete. And if it doesn’t work, we’ll see what’s next. I’m not opposed to big changes. But if 7 years is not enough to address certain problems, then why should 10 or 12 years be enough? If Martin is going to force his team to adapt his style of play no matter what their strengths happen to be, then changes need to be made there too. The best coaches adapt to what their players do best. If Martin is not that kind of guy, drop him, but give him a fair chance. 28 games is not quite a fair chance. It will be tough to endure if he can’t get his team on the same page, but I think the Canadiens and fans need to give a long-time coach the respect of 1 full season.
I’ll still be there watching every game, and cheering the team no matter what. But I’m not going to let my expectations get the better of me. I’m not going to blindly hope that they’ll magically improve upon Markov’s return (We’ve seen no-shows with him in the lineup as well). I’m not going to be tricked by tonight’s stirring ceremony that it will rouse some pride and passion in this bunch and will propel them to be a playoff team. I’m not going to be an apologist. I’m not going to shrug and say that “anything can happen”.
And no, I don’t feel as though I’m overreacting after a loss. I feel like it’s been a roller coaster of ups…but many more downs. We knew this going in. But what makes it more frustrating is the even larger number of concerning & worrisome signs from the team. I’m ranting against the pitiful performances that are climbing in number and severity. I’m ranting against lack of effort. The players who aren’t developing. The coaches who are not getting through. The President that places politics over quality product and customer happiness. The GM who says nothing, and who’s plans seem not to be working.
You’ll probably hear a lot more angry cries if the Canadiens don’t happen to put in a GOOD effort tonight, if not win the game outright. But just remember, you heard it here first.
Happy birthday, Habs! Now please stop inviting us to your parties. We’ll all be happier if you just play well.
Amen.
another excellent post, kyle.
and amen to the last line!
Pretty much exactly how I feel. I might actually be a little more negative than you, if you give my own blog about it a gander, lol.
I'm truly afraid for tonight. But it's kind of like ripping off a bandaid, just gotta close your eyes and wait for it to be over.
George, I did check out your blog (I need to register so I can leave some thoughts). I think we're pretty much in the same headspace.
One note on your article – I did a little research and the result is suprising. The Habs' record in jersey retirement ceremonies is 3-3-1 since the lockout.
Similarly (and less thoroughly researched), the Canadiens record over this season and last season on vintage jersey night is 6-5-1.
Not at all what I expected. It's not 100% accurate in the case of vintage jersey night, but it's not far off. Any way you slice it, we're a .500 team. Mediocre. Surprise, surprise.
The first two were OT wins, though. It's different from a SO win. I'm pretty happy with how they play in overtime though, but the loss of Gionta tends to bring it to a shootout, which is basically a coin toss.
Anyway, it's a weird beast. No one knows why a team does this. Even the Pens forget to show up to a game and find themselves shutout 2-0 to the Coyotes.
There's 2 ways to look at OT/SO wins when you don't deserve them:
1- A good thing that you played like crap and still managed to get points.
2- Bad because it's only a matter of time before your goalie can't save you time after time.
The Canadiens, IMO, fall in to the latter category. If they manage to get to extra time, it's because the goaltending was great. We are starting to see their non-regulation record start to level off. They were 8-0, but have since lost their last 2. Still good, but it won't stay that way.
I agree that every team fails to show up every now and then. This Habs team seems to do it with fair regularity, and I have no real idea what the cause is. But if they somehow manage to win the cup, I'll let the occasional no-show slide, as I would with the Penguins. ;)
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