It seems as though pessimism and doubt have crept into the minds and hearts of many Montreal Canadiens fans after this past disaster of a season. The strong opinions come from passion and a strong desire to see the Canadiens win and succeed. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Healthy debates over players, management and who could make the team better is what we do as fans and of course, everyone’s own opinion is the right one. Canadiens fans have been waiting 23 years to raise a 25th Stanley Cup banner in Montreal and for many, this continued drought is the longest they have ever had to endure for a championship team. Sadly, younger fans might have it even harder as they have never even had the opportunity to enjoy a Stanley Cup parade. They would not even know where the “usual route” begins or ends. Little victories, like making the Eastern Conference Final twice in the last 6 years is all the excitement that Montreal has seen.
For some fans, watching the playoffs without the Canadiens is too difficult of a task. Unfortunately they would be missing out on some of the best and most exciting hockey of the year. The World Championships provided an opportunity to watch additional hockey and cheer on a number of Canadiens players playing for the respective countries. Congratulations to Brendan Gallagher and Team Canada on defeating Finland to win the Gold! It was also great to see Gallagher’s teammates cheering him on as well:
Others are starved for information on how the Canadiens will improve and so the highlights of the young off-season have been the signings of prospects Artturi Lehkonen and Martin Reway. Now the focus will be on will Marc Bergevin be able to sign Russian Center Vadim Shipachyov who recorded 18 points during the tournament? Earlier in the Spring, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet had reported that the Canadiens were amongst a few teams that were interested in Shipachyov. With his performance at this year’s World’s, the asking price has likely increased.
A year ago on this holiday weekend in Canada, I wrote a piece on
how I came to love the Canadiens, hockey and writing . Today, watching the playoffs without the Canadiens I feel that it is a good time to take a step back and remember why you love hockey and your favorite team, be it the Canadiens or others:
From Hockeybuzz's newest blogger
Jillian Fisher:
"I don’t know if there was an exact moment when I fell in love with hockey. I grew up watching games and playing street hockey with my brothers and neighbors (they loved to put me in the old gear which was comically large on me and practice shooting on me). However, one thing I will always remember is how my mom and I used to stay up together and watch overtime playoff hockey together. It didn’t matter the team, she always wanted to see the games. Her love for playoff hockey was captivating, and I couldn’t help but fall in love too."
I do have to be biased though and my favorite answer came from my 5 year old son:
“Mom, I just love hockey because it means so much to me. It was my first favorite sport since I was a baby. I love watching one-timer goals, just like Alex Galchenyuk, he does it great. It’s just so fun to watch and play. I’m good at scoring goals but not one timers. I love the Canadiens because they win a lot.”
Fortunately he has a short memory :) However, the pure love that he has for the game is quite refreshing and always reminds me about the simple joy of watching hockey, be it cheering him on when he scores a goal playing street hockey or seeing an incredible move from New Jersey Devils prospect John Quenneville:
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So take a break a break this Victoria Day long weekend (or Memorial Day next week for our American friends) and think back to when you first started to love hockey. It might have been when you first saw your team win a Stanley Cup, or when you first laced up your skates. Perhaps it was getting your first jersey or watching your favorite goalie make an incredible save. Whatever the reason, I hope it brings a smile...
Cheers & follow along!
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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