GO HABS GO! After 28 Years, the Montreal Canadiens are Headed Back to the Stanley Cup Final.
Highlights (so far) from a magical run.
It’s the understatement of a generation to say that yesterday was a great day to be a Habs fan. After 28 years, the Canadiens are going back to the Stanley Cup Final!! Born in Montreal but now raising a family New York, I’m busy overcompensating for not being in Montreal right now. I read as many articles or blogs as I could find, then called Habs-fan friends to talk through it all over again.
You know we are going to be talking about this for years to come! In all the excitement, it’s easy to forget the “stories within the story”. With that in mind, here is my highly selective recap of this magical run (so far), before we get on with the business of winning the Cup!
The Reset
Much has been written about the Canadiens 2018 “Reset” (underscored by Suzuki’s incredible play and the fact that the Habs were playing against Pacioretty). But for me, the defining characteristic of the Reset was what didn’t change. It was more of a Recommitment. Owner Geoff Molson doubled down on his commitment to owner Marc Bergevin, who doubled down on his commitment to a core group of players including Carey Price, Brendan Gallagher, and Shea Weber. These long-term contracts were controversial and often maligned. There seemed to be too big a gap between these veterans and the youth movement entrusted to trades & Trevor Timmons’ scouting department.
There were many highs and lows during the regular season, and the press & fans were quick to jump on the lows. But if you check the record I think you will find that every time anyone in the organization was asked about each other (from Molson on down), they stood by their commitment. Bergevin is a “player’s GM” and those red-suited hugs after Game 6 seemed extra genuine and meaningful because of that.
Toronto W(2–1) L(1–5) L(1–2) L(0–4) W(4–3 OT), W(3–2 OT), W(3–1)
Around mid-season, I predicted that that the absolute worst first round opponent for the Leafs was the Canadiens. The first place Leafs, with their superstars of Austin Mathews, Mitch Marner, and John Tavares, already had all the pressure in the world and that was compounded exponentially by playing against the Habs. But the Habs won Game 1. After missing the last 13 games of the season with a concussion, Carey Price made 35 saves and Paul Byron scored a shorthanded goal from his knees in the third period to win it. John Tavares went out of the game (and the series) on a random collision with Corey Perry. Some of my friends disagree with me but I thought that Nick Foligno consciously did everyone a favor by fighting Corey Perry and helping the series move on from this (note that it was a harmless fight in which Perry did not throw one punch). Anyway, getting back to hockey, the Habs lost the next three games and the Leafs looked well on their way to advancing as the heavy favorites they were.
After Game 3 Carey Price had this to say about his team “I’m not frustrated at all, to be honest,” he said. “These guys are talented guys. I see their shots in practice every day. I have no doubt that they have the ability to score goals. They’re trying out there, I know they are. It’s going to come. They’re playing some pretty solid defence on their side, but we’re going to find a way through that.” After Game 4, apparently there was a team meeting during which veterans Corey Perry and Eric Staal spoke about how hard and how rare it is to be in the playoffs, highlighting Carey Price and Shea Weber as examples.
The magical run began in Game 5. In a sign of things to come — Cole Caulfield and Nick Suzuki make three passes on a two-on-o to score the winner in overtime. Game 6 was also won in overtime, on a goal by Jesperi Kotkaniemi, another youngster who hadn’t been in the lineup at the beginning of the playoffs. 3–3.
Even before Game 7, the Toronto newspapers had already started tearing into the Leafs and their potential collapse. I picked Brendan Gallagher to score the Habs first goal because I knew that if he led the scoring, the Habs would not be stopped. Gallagher did and the Toronto newspapers got their story. (As an aside, it’s easy to say now but to me there is stark contrast between the cohesive, committed, player-first approach of the Habs organization and the paternalistic, always evaluating, more corporate feel of the Leafs organization).
Winnipeg W(5–3) W(1–0) W(5–1) W(3–2 OT)
It’s easy to forget how few people thought the Canadiens would beat the Jets. They were coming off a 4–0 sweep of Connor McDavid and the Oilers. I read an article before the playoffs that said Carey Price was the third best goalie in the North Division behind Jack Campbell and Connor Hellebuyck.
I don’t want to minimize this series but it just flew by. The Canadiens never trailed during this series (in fact, all the way back to Game 5 of the Leafs series). This series also showcased the Canadiens’ depth. Jake Evans had been having an incredible playoff before being injured by a terrible cheap shot at the end of Game 1, after he scored on an empty net. In Game 3, Jeff Petry dislocated two fingers after they got caught in one of the holes cut in the plexiglass for photographers. Alexander Romanov stepped in for Petry and reminded us that the Canadiens have one of the most highly rated prospect pools in the league. Oh and a guy named Artturi Lehkonen stepped in for Evans….
The Habs outshot the Jets 42–16 in Game 4 and Tyler Toffoli sealed the sweep in OT (from Cole Caufield and Suzuki). By the way, Tyler Toffili’s piece “I Was Meant to Be a Hab” on The Player’s Tribune in May is just a great read about his love of the game and the city.
Vegas L(1–4) W(3–2) W(3–2 OT) L(1–2 OT) W(4–1) W(3–2 OT)
As everyone predicted, The Golden Knights won Game 1, 4–1. In retrospect, the game was notable for me in two ways. First, Carey Price robs Mark Stone and gives him a wink — shades of Patrick Roy in 1993 (Stone finished the series with no points). Second, Cole Caulfield scored his first playoff goal….
In Game 2, the Habs score two early goals and hold on for a 3–2 win. In Game 3, Vegas takes 45 shots on Carey Price and seems destined to take over the series momentum. That’s when the old Forum ghosts come over to the Bell Center…. Marc Andre Fleury provides the Habs with an extraordinary “cadeau” or gift, mishandling the puck behind the net with two minutes left in the game. This allows Josh Anderson to shove the puck into an open net and tie the game, before also scoring the game winner in OT.
Game 4 was a tough, hard-fought loss. The Habs held Vegas to 21 shots but lost in overtime. Back to Vegas for Game 5. What I loved about this game were the symbolic veteran / youth combination goals: Staal from Suzuki, Caufield from Perry. The Reset in full effect.
Game 6 in Montreal was on St. Jean Baptiste Day, a Quebec Provincial holiday, and I don’t think you could have written a better script. Captain Shea Weber opens the scoring. Cole Caufield scores a highlight real goal on Lehner (so much for the value of that scouting report — shhh…). Carey Price made 37 saves in include a huge one on Pacioretty, wide open in the slot. The game goes to overtime.
The Gallagher, Danault, Evans / Lehkonen line has been celebrated throughout the playoffs for their defense. They completely shut down the top lines for the Leafs, the Jets, and the Golden Knights. That was their job and they were celebrated for it. In particular, Danault — not yet under contract for next year — has been getting rave reviews from announcers, coaches, and fellow players. He is also a key member of the penalty kill unit, which has put on a historic performance. They have killed off 42 of 45 penalties in the playoffs, including the last 30. In fact, they have scored as many goals (3) as allowed (3) on the penalty kill.
Maybe any goal of this magnitude would have seemed perfect. But there are so many things to love about this one. Carey Price makes a great save on a rocket of a shot. The Canadiens head up the ice and my 12 year old son Jack is screaming “don’t dump it!!!” Gallagher heads through the neutral zone and passes to Danault. Danault cuts right to pull the defense that way and then lays a perfectly soft pass to Lehkonen who snaps in the winner. In short, an absolutely beautiful hockey goal, with at least one Flying Frenchman in the middle.
This has been an incredible run. I don’t want it to end but I am making sure to enjoy the ride. GO HABS GO!!
