We’re over halfway through September, the Top 25 Under 25 has been released, pre-season begins, and a new Montreal Canadiens season is upon us. The season where expectations have risen, especially with Ivan Demidov here.
We’ll have time to dig in analytically soon, but first, how are you feeling?
For me, the summer was a contrast of difficulty in other areas and amazing time with my family, friends, and community.
If you’re keeping even mildly informed on how the world is trending, there’s endless reasons to be depressed, anxious, stressed, and more. I don’t believe in isolating oneself from the bad things, but everyone deserves escape, and deserves joy.
So, if you’re not excited because you can’t get there amid the weight of it all, consider this a virtual hug, and I’ll give you a real one if you see me around Montreal. You’re valid! But if you are excited despite it all, don’t feel guilty about that either.
The way I approach fandom at 38 is much different than I did at 25 when I took over at EOTP. Winning and losing is less important to my enjoyment than it was, but winning is a hell of a lot more fun. Either way though, as silly as it may be to care about a bunch of dudes slapping a piece of rubber around with sticks on frozen water, I care about the Montreal Canadiens quite a bit.
Despite it all, knowing the grind of the regular season for my schedule, I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited to watch this team play hockey.
Expectations
Last year at this time, “in the mix” made its debut, taking over the tone of media coverage of the Habs, exacerbating a brutal start to the season, punctuated by long-term injuries to Patrik Laine and David Reinbacher right off the bat. Before things went sour, the excitement of the fanbase was similar to what it is now, though not as intense.
Expectations can be a weight around the neck, but Nick Suzuki and his comrades gutted through the lows, got to work, and they got in the mix. Progress is not always linear, and it’s always good to keep that in mind as we enter a season with newer, bigger expectations.
There is potential for this to be a tough season: depth up the middle may be a problem, injuries happen, and opponents are unlikely to take the Canadiens as lightly. But with all that said, who cares?
Be ready for the ups and downs, but let’s buy into the hype train not just because it’s more fun, but because it’s logical too.
Setting the table
My biggest criticism of Marc Bergevin throughout his tenure was that there didn’t appear to be a plan long-term, or if there was, it changed so elastically in a reactionary way that the team was never built, it was slapped together with band-aids here and there, hitched to the star of Carey Price to survive. He made good moves, bad moves, great moves, and terrible moves, but ultimately built little.
Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton, on the other hand, laid out their plan in broad strokes early on, and continue to fill in blanks both in their communications and in their moves that consistently make sense. The plan was investment. Much more investment in development, both amateur and professional. The plan was to seize opportunities that arise if you can speed up the rebuild because a core of young players would be ready soon, but don’t rush. The plan was not just to build a good team, but a good team with an identity, one that plays exciting hockey.
Head coach Martin St-Louis also took a long-term approach to coaching, building habits first, then beginning to layer in more. Taking time to optimize situations for as many players as possible, giving players the grace to learn by doing, which also means failing sometimes.
A few short years later, Nick Suzuki has gone from a questionable 60-point centre, to a dominant two-way force on the edge of 90 points (read parts 1 | 2 | 3). Cole Caufield has gone from a defensive liability to passable against top-line competition, and he hasn’t lost his scoring touch as a result. Juraj Slafkovský has gone from an awkward-looking rookie to a budding power forward. Calder Trophy-winner Lane Hutson is a whirlwind few can handle. Sam Montembeault has gone from a waiver-wire pickup to one of the more accomplished puck-stoppers of the last several seasons. And that’s just a few pieces of what came together last season.
The growth the Canadiens experienced on the blue line with the additions of Hutson and Alexandre Carrier is buoyed further by Noah Dobson. There won’t be many teams in the league with superior puck distributors helming their top two defensive pairings.
Then up front, Hughes managed to bring in Zack Bolduc, a legitimately strong two-way winger who does the little things that bring a line from good to very good. Sammy Blais adds depth in a role likely similar to what Michael Pezzetta did previously, and the cherry on top of both players being Quebecers is truly masterful stuff. Oh and there’s this kid named Ivan Demidov who might be okay.
Below the additions, there is already a wave of young prospects itching to earn spots at the NHL level as well. Players like Owen Beck must be looking at the open positions at centre and are ready to push. Joshua Roy, an NHLer already in talent, needs a bounce-back season. Sean Farrell ended last season on a tear, with 45 points in 43 games between the regular season and playoffs. And don’t be surprised if Jared Davidson, Florian Xhekaj, or Luke Tuch earn a tryout or two. Then there’s David Reinbacher, who has the potential to shake things up on defence even further if he earns it.
Not everything good can happen at once, but the direction the team is going is undeniable.
A new generation
Part of what has me so excited for this team to continue growing together and becoming a contender is that the pulse of Habs fandom has changed. The Bell Centre atmosphere is completely different than it had been through years of the home team getting outplayed each night.
When Josh Anderson was struggling with his goal drought, there was no shortage of conversation about it, but the tone was rarely disparaging; especially surprising since Anderson was also making a lot of money and was hurting defensively too. His effort to fight through it was recognized, and when he did bust the slump, we were treated to what looked like a scene out of a Disney movie as he was named first star and the crowd blew up for him as he teared up in thanks. Cheesy? Sure. But real.
The fanbase is decidedly younger, but I don’t think that explains it all. The previous management group had a tendency to treat those outside the organization like we’re all dumb. “This isn’t PlayStation” continues to be a memorable quote that exemplifies the sneer that met any sort of critical analysis.
While some pundits nervously wrung their hands in think-pieces or social media posts about whether Habs fans would stand for a rebuild, Hughes and company spoke openly about what they wanted to build, honestly about how long it would take and that it wouldn’t all be pretty, and trusted the fanbase.
The Canadiens earned that trust back with consistently understandable moves with a sharp competitive incline. I’m not sure the fanbase and organization have been this aligned in my lifetime. Not to mention the players taking hometown discounts to stay together.
Every year, a larger percentage of Canadiens fans have never seen this club lift the Stanley Cup. A window is opening where this group could compete for one for a good long time. If they win one in this atmosphere, it will be beautiful to behold that new feeling for so many.
So … are you excited yet?
Andrew Berkshire is the former managing editor of Eyes on the Prize, and the founder of Game Over Network Inc. A Canadian, employee-owned sports media startup focused on platforming young creators across the country. Find Andrew live on YouTube after Habs games with Game Over Montreal, where you can also find Marc Dumont, Kay Imam, and Conor Tomalty to bring you interactive postgame analysis. You can join the Game Over Network’s Discord, and support us on Patreon as we employ over 30 young sports journalists and analysts across Canada’s seven NHL markets.
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