Something very odd about this team…

It resembles the Ottawa Senators of several years ago in that it’s comprised mostly of, and has the personality of, smaller, skilled players. It has been well documented that this formula doesn’t work in this league anymore. Hence Ottawa’s moves to add some much needed grit and heart to their lineup over the past few years. Mind you, they’ve been a train wreck the last couple of seasons, but they did previously address their weaknesses and ended up going to the SCF as a result… where they still fell short in the grit and heart department, which Anaheim had plenty of. But the point is, why would any other organisation want to model Ottawa’s weaknesses/failures? It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me.

There is a formula for success in the NHL. It isn’t a complex one either. A strong core group consisting of a big centreman (or two if you can), a big defensemen, and consistent goaltending (ideally consisting of a seasoned veteran and a young talent); a couple of skilled wingers; a powerplay quarterback; and gritty role players. Add to that a coach with a solid system that he can get all of his players to buy into and voila… you’ve got as good a chance as anyone.

Well, easy enough on paper I realise, but you still have to be able to acquire all of the necessary ingredients, which isn’t as easy. But, what baffles me about the Canadiens is the obvious fact that they failed to go after many of these ingredients. Lang, Tanguay and Laraque, although welcomed additions at the time, didn’t address the weaknesses which were expiosed last season. They got the right coach in Carbonneau, but they then provided him with a group of skilled players to try to bend to his will; a group of skilled players that dominated the team’s personality. It’s like trying to put the square wood block into a circular hole. It’ll never work. And while many will argue that there are only so many big centremen or big defensemen available, I failed to see a committed effort to acquire the ones which have been attainable. Further, I fail to see the logic in sending Huet packing, for instance – an able goaltender who could have mentored Price and filled in nicely where he struggled. Two points there, a point here. This alone could have made all the difference in the world, despite the illogical team makeup and shortfalls in other areas.

As it stands, the Habs are faced with the aftermath of one of their most disasterous season in recent memory, a garage sale this offseason and uncertainty surrounding the near future.

Didn’t anyone in this oprganisation feel that a bit of extra effort was in order given this team’s proud history and this being their season of celebration of that history? It certainly doesn’t appear so from where I’m sitting.

Well, Melissa, all I can tell you is that it has grown very tired reading about the business surrounding the national anthems. The fact of the matter is, there has been anthem booing in international sports across the board, and certainly on both sides of the US/Canadian border. It’s always a minority of fans that actually do the booing and it’s always ultimately done with harmless intentions. I attended a Leafs game at the ACC several years ago. They were hosting Detroit. I, a United States citizen, was excited to experience live NHL hockey in Canada, its birthplace. And when they began singing the US anthem the guy standing next to me booed with a whatever kind of smile on his face. I just looked at him and laughed because ultimately his intentions were benign. I could only guess that he was booing because a) it was politically incorrect to do so, b) it was an expression of healthy competition between the US and Canada (this is after all sports, for crying out loud), c) he didn’t agree with some of our politics affecting Canada to one degree or another, D) he had a bad experience with US tourists in Toronto, E) he was upset by the lack of appreciation for Canada’s desire to help us in times of crisis, F), G), H), I), J)… whatever other silly reason that one can think of.

The point is, booing an anthem is not an act of war. It’s not a vicious attack of any kind. While it is a little classless, it’s ultimately harmless. But like I said, there’s no good side in thus as it most certainly has and will continue to occur amonst minorities of fans on both sides.

The armed response, on the other hand, is what’s concerning. Seeking out a random web site or blog populated by some of the opposing team’s fans for the mere purpose of voicing your displeasure with something as insignificant as anthem booing is actually worse than the anthem booing itself. Further, considering that no one here–a relatively peaceful hockey blog frequented by what I consider to be decent human beings–was actually at the game, let alone booing. This is akin to pointing a gun into absolute darkness and shooting it aimlessly, hitting the first person to walk in front of it. So who’s the agressor here?

Further on the topic on team makeup, I never properly examined Boston’s lineup before. The Boston Bruins are: 15 Canadian born players, 4 US born players and 3 European born players.

In contrast, the Montreal Canadiens are: 12 Canadian born players, 3 US born players and 8 European born players.

Interestingly enough, the Detroit Red Wings have 13 European born players. So is it the actual makeup of the team or is it the coaching and system that determines the end result? Of course, one could also argue who those players are. Perhaps Montreal’s woes are a simple case of being mislead by certain players earlier on. Perhaps not.