The Montréal Canadiens are in the NHL’s Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in nearly 30 years. Hail, Habs!
Despite being massive underdogs, the Canadiens have advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the 25th time in franchise history and for the first time since the mid-1990s. But, now, they have the tallest order of all–beating the seemingly unstoppable Tampa Bay Lightning.
And the defending champs from Florida are now one win away from executing a two-peat. What may have sealed Montreal’s fate came Friday night when Tampa Bay lodged a 6-3 road win to go up 3-0 in the series.
While a series sweep may be in store for the Habs, the fact remains that getting to the Finals is something all Canadians–not just Montreal fans–are cheering about. That’s because the last time a Canadian hockey team advanced to the Stanley Cup finals was a decade ago (2011) when the Vancouver Canucks faced off against the Boston Bruins and lost in seven games.
And just about nobody picked the Habs to be where they are today. As the 2020-21 season approached, Montréal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin faced harsh criticism from fans. And why not? The Habs had struggled to remain competitive in recent years.
So Bergevin was busy in the off-season re-tooling the roster. He acquired power forward Josh Anderson in a trade for Max Domi, signed top-six free agent forward Tyler Toffoli, signed veteran forward Corey Perry, acquired backup goaltender Jake Allen in a trade with St. Louis, traded a fifth-round draft pick for sturdy defenseman Joel Edmundson, and signed defenseman Jeff Petry and fan-favorite forward Brendan Gallagher to contract extensions. Whew!
There’s more, too. Early in the season, Montréal fired head coach Clause Julien and associate coach Kirk Muller. Assistant coach Dominique Ducharme became interim head coach for the 2020=21 season.
The moves raised expectations even though the Toronto Maple Leafs were still the overwhelming favorite in the newly created all-Canadian North Division.
The season got off well for Montreal as the Canadiens sat atop the division two weeks into play. But the team struggled to keep pace when all-star goaltender Carey Price got injured. Montréal battled back to clinch the division’s fourth and final playoff berth with a 24-21-11 record, which included a five-game losing streak going into the playoffs.
But then came the fireworks! The Habs vanquished the Maple Leafs, then the Winnipeg Jets, and, finally, the Vegas Golden Knights on their path to the Finals. How did they do it? Carey Price, now healthy, played spectacularly in goal. Rookie sensations Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki ignited offensive production. Veteran Corey Perry regained his spark. Captain Shea Weber continues to serve as team leader. Best of all, GM Bergevin is validated.
It’s unlikely that this team can win four in a row and possess the coveted trophy. That said, an important objective has already been achieved.
The Canadiens are back!
