All they needed was one point. One bleeding, bloody, god-forsaken point. Against a lottery team. One tiny, stupid, moronic point against a team that will finish so far out of the playoffs it can't even smell them on a fair breeze.
It should have been simple. Come out raging like bulls, like the Rags did when they knew they HAD to beat the leafs to keep their hopes alive, and score first. Did they do that? Oh, no. Of course not. They came out with their reaching-stick defence and their perimeter offence and they let the 'Canes walk all over them.
Nobody cared except Halak, who was left to fend for himself most of the night, and Gionta, who tried his damnedest to will pucks into the net. They rest of them don't care. This is a squad of millionaires who don't give a shit about bringing glory or happiness or even mild satisfaction to their legions of adoring faithful. Why should they? They get their money anyway.
Cammalleri I'll pass, because he tried, but he couldn't put the puck in the water if he dropped it down a well at the moment. The rest of them...pure crap on skates. Lapierre did what he could, but that's not enough. Pouliot is a giant, talented, bath sponge. He's rough enough to exfoliate, but not enough to mar the skin.
This sucks. This is the stupidest, softest, most moronic team in the league and they don't deserve our adoration. Some of the individual players do, because they use their limited skills to try hard. But I'm sick of cheering for players with limited skills, or players who are working to reach their potential but never do, or players who have great skills but are slumping. I want a friggin' team that can put the puck in the net and raze up the crowd like the goddamn 'Canes did tonight.
I'm sick and tired of being ashamed of this stupid team. I'm tired of making excuses for why they don't show up or can't score. The excuses are gone now. They're no longer a new team or an injured team. They're just a stupid, pointless team, "pointless" being the operative word.
I have absolutely no faith this team will beat the lowly leafs on Saturday. Wilson is already on the record saying his goal now is to ruin the Habs playoff chances. Do you think this soft, passionless team will stand up to that? Not me. Well, you know what? That might be a blessing.
I'm tired. I'm tired of caring more about this sucky team than they care about themselves. Gomez and all his "don't worry" crap is worth as much as the Haitian franc right now. When these dumbasses get eliminated from the playoffs on Saturday, or Sunday, depending on the other games, I'll be relieved.
I can then stop worrying about whether they'll win a playoff game to save face since last year's humiliation. They don't deserve the playoffs. If, as I suspect, they lose to the leafs on Saturday, I will shut down this blog and I will stop watching Canadiens games until they give me a goddamn reason to start again.
This is from a fan who watched every game of the horrid Houle years. I've had it, though. I've given them all my hope and expectation and never had anything returned. I'm done. Win Habs. For once in your benighted decade, win.
It's true what they say, you know. The other side of love is hate. I love the Habs, but they're pushing me too far. I need at least a sign that they give a shit about winning, or the love will turn to hate.
Just win, you morons. For god's sake, they're fatter than Jacques Demers in their minds. No worries. Money's rolling in. I think they should be paid by the friggin' goal, then they'd start performing. Idiots. I'm sick of them and I'm going to bed to make this game go away.
/end rant
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
18 comments:
Point made. This is a maddening team, still I like our position than those of Carolina or Toronto... One point, or no three pointers from the Ranger-Flyer games
Feels good, don't it J.T.?
I agree 110% on all points. I've spent so much time and energy and emotion on this team and so little satisfaction has been returned. Oh, sure, there's the occasional win streak. But that's just a tease. It's ALWAYS a tease. No matter who on or behind the bench, this team NEVER rises up. Not for more than a couple weeks.
And now, in a time when the league rewards failure, the Canadiens can't even do that.
Are fans delusional enough to believe that THIS is what they should expect from a team that bumps its head against the ceiling every morning?
If I hear one more person say that they're a "new" team, still learning to play with each other, I'll knock their chiclets out. Enough you lilly-livered apologists! That goes double for the people that cite injuries as the root of the Habs troubles right now. Every team has had injuries. Look at the Bruins. After losing Savard, they had every excuse to throw in the towel. Except they kept chugging along and now they're sitting pretty.
I tried to not get so angry, but I got fired up after reading your blog, and I'm starting to overheat while writing this comment.
And now where are we? Forced to get a point vs the Leafs. Yeah, right. Who are we kidding? Can anyone make the case that this team will come through on Saturday? The Leafs are loose and will no doubt be licking their chops at the thought of knocking the Habs out. This disgusts me that it's come to this. It is absolutely inexcusable that the Canadiens were not able to squeeze one point out of the Hurricanes (twice in 1 week) or the Islanders.
Just think: last week you asked who the Habs MVP was. Take away the 2 shutouts that Jaro pitched and where would this team be right now? Way up shit creek, that's where.
I'm going to follow your lead now J.T. I'm going to try and sleep this one off. I was trying to practice a bit of "serenity now", but Lloyd Braun was correct:
"Serenity now....insanity later".
I come here to grieve. Sigh. How much can we take? I'm not sure I have the courage to watch Saturday's game. This brings back to mind, if you'll rewind with me back to the '70's when we made every Stanley playoff, my brother could not take the pressure and would go to his room, in the very last minutes, screaming to us from there, "did they score? did they score??". A big difference it is between the '70's and today and you know what it is. Nonetheless, this will be our Saturday. Damn. There goes a relaxing weekend. Still love your writing. Sigh.
Man, I missed the game. Was it that bad? Maybe sitting through five hours of education classes wasn't so bad after all in hindsight?
A good rant. I understand. Fortunately I turned it off after goal #3.
Too bad we don't have at least 10 UFA's, once again.
I wonder how I'll be able to stand Martin, one more game, let alone a few more years.
I don't know if it has anything to with the Olympics or playing with O'Byrne but Markov has been playing the worst hockey of his career, in the last two months.
If AK46 only had half of Gionta's heart and guts, he'd be the NHL scoring king, every year.
I wouldn't be surprised if Sergei plays in the KHL next season and is joined by his brother and Markov, for the 2011/2012 season.
Not only can I not get a return on the emotional investment of this 82 game season, and constant Hab related discussions and readings, and the season that included my very first trip to see the Montreal Canadiens live.......I can't get a return from my beer investment, because watching these guys is one hell of a sobering experience! Well, I've almost got enough empties from the past two weeks for a "Free" case
I have to skip Saturday's game. And I hate them now too.
How romantic can we all be actually? The whole season was a catastrophy but I am still amaze that we can make it into the playoffs..... There was always the hope that they will do better next game, they will maybe make it in the playoffs and then who knows??? Don't we all just want to believe? How long can you actually believe? How long can one actually hope?
Has anyone of us seen the Habs dominate the opponent this year and actually (well) deserve a win more times than you have fingers? Watching this group of mercenaries (yes, this is pretty much it) was so painful in moments I could not believe it. Totally outplayed in most of the games but amazingly enough, because I guess of this special thing that makes the Habs the Habs, they were sometimes able to pull it off.....Here we are hoping, again, for them to enter the playoffs, again, through the back door.
I wonder sometimes why it is that the other teams all seem more exciting than our group of mercenaries? Did you see the Islanders the other night? Was is just me or did they have a young & exciting group of players on their roster...this happens a lot to me lately watching the Habs opponents: I find myself admiring the opponent roster and thinking it would be nice to have their grit and youth!!!!
Why is that? How is this possible? I am a Habs fan! It's our team! our huge tradition...trough thick and thin....through all those anglo-franco mad disputes...this is the team we have in Montreal now? Is it the coach? If you're gonna lose anyway, why not have a nice spectacle to cheer for? Can we switch roster with the isles :-)
This being said about hope and believing in miracles: can you imagine being a Maple Leaf fan? Now I've seen die hard Maple Leafs fans not quitting on their team even after their UNBELIEVABLE decades of sucking!!!!!!!!!
This is why, you, JT, do not have the right to throw the towel yet..because no matter what....we will always be better than the lonely Leafs and their big-mouthed fans.
Beside, your blog is the best around....I can't let you go yet.
Go Habs go!
Olivier
Saturday you will watch a team coming up from the bottom catch a team on it's way down. It's dark and cold but you'll get used to it.
Go Leafs!
J.T et al:
-for a long while I have been where you find yourselves today. although suffering the slings and arrows of many posters I continued to think injuries, new systems, some new players were only symptoms of the real problem
-the fish, as they say, rots from the head...contracts aside Mr Geoff Molson needs to take stock and summarily remove Boivin, Gauthier and Martin. only then can he and his fanbase have any hope of leaving this mouse wheel of mediocrity and aspire to greater results
-they will probably get in but my bet is that it'll be one and done but some will come on this blog tell me I'm negative and that the team will gel just give it time. in my book they have a maximum of another 8 games and the results will be no better
-that's reality it's not being negative and unless significant changes are made in this management group expect the same mouse wheel results next year
-JT your current feelings will run their course but remember there is always hope that the future will be better. it just requires some reflective thinking by the owner who is probably as disappointed as you are...he's always admitted he's a huge fan it's now time he acts like the boss !
-as for the blog it's theraputic for yourself and many others.. the sun will rise tomorrow
The worst thing about the Habs is this is the team for the next 4-5 years. With Boivin, Gauthier and Martin running the show the soft as butter Habs will become the leafs celebrating cups won decades earlier while Phoenix, Los Angeles, Tampa, Nashville and Carolina ice exciting well coached hard working teams Hab fans can only dream about.
Try supporting this team in the bowels of Southern Ontario. Leaf fans are gearing up for their Stanley Cup this Saturday and will get their opportunity to bury our playoff hopes.
What is really frustrating is you know the Buds will come to play hard for 60 minutes. Our guys - who knows? I don't think JM does.
All year I've been reading about how this team doesn't quit and I've had two reactions:
1) You can't quit something that you haven't started; and
2) It's easy to show energy in the last half of a game if you've rested for the first half.
Last night's pathetic game has been the norm for this season - play hard for about half the game and hope your goalie keeps you in it. The only reasons I can come up with for this are:
1) The players have never really bought into what Martin is selling.
2) Martin wants the team to use the pylon defence system. Why else do they stop skating and stand around with their sticks stretched out trying to check the other team.
3) They are too worried about avoiding mistakes and not losing rather than being focused on winning. That's the message players get when they're benched after making one mistake.
The only benefit to their inconsistent effort all year is it may force Gauthier to get rid of Martin.
I certainly respect your right to be as upset as you want. You might have lost patience earlier. Kudos on holding out for 81 games.
But I hope you don't quit on the team or your wonderful blog. Afterall, this is our team... it's a part of us. These guys currently playing and coaching it will come and go but we remain through the good and the bad. They play for us. It is the fans - from the newest to those that have tracked this team for 45 years - that define it. Those players, the great events and what it means to be a Canadien live through us. If good fans walk out when the team is in trouble - especially great ones with strong passionate voices like yours - then all that are left are the mercernaries and the addicts.
Instead of passion, now might be the time for a little compassion. We need to forgive these guys and give them the benefit of the doubt... we need to have faith they are doing the best they can even when it doesn't look like it. Afterall, they are all just learning how to be Canadiens and if great fans like you don't stand beside them they never will.
I'll certainly respect you whatever you do and I'd hate to see you walk out on the family when we need you most.
@V: Thanks for your comments. I'm just ranting, though, in the heat of a really bad moment. I'm hooked on this stupid team for life, and I'll be rooting as hard as I can for them to win tomorrow.
Well J.T., it is that time of year again. In May as we watch the playoffs the Habs begin to make moves, then the draft where they pick in the middle (or not at all) of each round. We hear how they stole this or that player because I guess every other team employs morons as scouts. Then the FA frenzy, the RFA signing, the heated anticipation of the camps, and the new season.
As the season wears on the goalie is the talk of the town, some disaster(s) strike, but the team manages to claw their way to the bottom of the middle. Sometime or the other they go on a modest run. In today's NHL that brings them to the top or second, or in sight of third in the conference. Hope springs eternal. A second round draft pick, sometimes a first, is traded away for a transient player of diminished value. Sometimes a problem is traded for another problem. Debate ensues, the season winds down, and the tough get going.
The Montreal Canadiens and the Habs are two different terms. The Habs are a business, a very profitable business. The Habs could dress a pickup team and put 21,000 in the barn. The Montreal Canadiens are long gone.
Last night you could see the bickering and disgust on the Habs player's faces. Now the team may squeek into the playoffs, may do all sorts of things. But that is unlikely. These folks don't like each other, they don't like the constant attention, and frankly they were, in the main, not really wanted by other teams. The team has no leaders, and when guys like Rivet, Souray, Keane, Brashear come along and speak their minds, well goodbye.
This is about making money. Gillette or however he signs his cheques, drooled all over the team, milked it, and still made a huge profit. Do you really think the Molsons bought in because of their love of tradition? Traditional money maybe.
Way back when, when Bowman was the GM in waiting, the owners sold out and a bowling alley manager got the job after Sam. He got the job because he was loyal to the concept of making money. So the guys who were in it for cups began to trickle away. Savard came back to hold it together for a bit. He was a rare player, businessman, GM, and all around great fella who could maybe have sparked this team as the owner.
But the big money rules, the sweaters sell, and the more new names the higher sales are.
I follow the Habs out of habit, because I grew up worshiping the Montreal Canadiens. But this team isn't the Montreal Canadiens, not even a pale shadow. There is plenty of party animal left but no b**** to the wall, give her every last ounce of energy, drive to the net, left. Only business. The hype and outright lies coming from some of the media lead us to think the players are better than they are. We buy in because we want to. Really, this is a team of average guys, playing a bit below that potential each night.
I watch them, but by mid-season find myself switching over to watch Crosby, or Detroit, or where ever I think a good game might be played. Next year I'll likely watch them again, it is in the blood. But I do recognize they are not a very good team. There is no leader, and no accountability. Just a scapegoat every now annd then.
Cheers, keep the blogs going,
New
remember this? gives me chills to read this and think about what happened right after...
Post a Comment