It's hard for a non-Montrealer to understand the fervor that Montreal Canadiens' fans have for their team. I will say, a lot of the passion seemed to vanish with the Habs' move from the Forum to the Molson (now the Bell) Centre, a considerably larger (it seats about 5,000 additional people) and more impersonal venue. It seemed as though the fabled "Forum Ghosts", who seemed to bedevil so many playoff opponents over the years, had not made the move to the new building. Of course, that move also coincided with a marked decline of the team, as the team missed the playoffs more often than it made them.
This year's team, which was picked by most pundits to miss the playoffs (Author's note: I made the same prediction) shocked everyone by winning the Eastern Conference regular season title, and it is now up three games to one in its first round series against archrival Boston. The atmosphere at the Bell Centre has been electric, to say the least, and the Canadiens have gone from having virtually no home ice advantage to having one of the most formidable home ice presences in the league, a fact noted by Boston hockey writer Kevin DuPont: http://www.boston.com/sports/hockey/articles/2008/04/13/this_rink_gives_you_chills/.
I don't know how long the Habs' run will last (even if Montreal closes out Boston, formidable teams in New York, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia or Washington lie lurking in the weeds, not to mention a powerhouse team from the Western Conference), but I'm sure going to enjoy it while it does.................
2 comments:
Well, what can I say other than the Blackhawks will win the Stanley Cup hands down!?
On a serious note, are you a baseball fan too? How 'bout b-ball? It says you like College Football and the NFL. I'm picking the field against the Pats this year. You?
on the collegiate level, what do you think about Florida and Southern Cal?
p.s. I'm linking to ya.
I'm rooting for the Habs. You would be surprised to know that most Buffalo Sabre fans consider Montreal to be their 2nd team and usually root for them of the Sabres are eliminated. I think it stems from a myutual hatred of Toronto, but also from the franchise's early years with the French Connection line of Perrault, Robert and Martin.
Anyway, GO HABS!
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