Jump to content

Why will you watch the 2018-19 Habs?


Recommended Posts

In the 'Offseason' thread, I've been posting a bit about the Canucks, because I live in the Vancouver area. One thing that occurred to me is that, although the Canucks and the Habs are both at about identical levels in terms of on-ice awfulness, there's a big difference in terms of having things to look forward to in the near-term. The Canucks have quite a crop of very promising prospects, some of which (Demko, Petterson, Gaudette) are banging on the door and others of which (Hughes, Dahlen) are not that far away. Plus they have one of the league's very best sophomores in the fabulous Brock Boeser and an admirable kid in Bo Horvat. At the very least, Canucks fans can buy tickets this season looking to Pettersson - who smashewd Forsberg's and Kent Nillson's scoring records in Swedish junior hockey - and feel that they will be able to go to games and watch the early stages of a potentially elite NHLer.

 

By contrast, the Habs have...what, exactly? As far as I can see, right now, here are the storylines we have to look forward to:

 

Max Domi: can he become more than a 45-point forward in his 4th NHL season?

Jonathan Drouin: can he ever learn how to play C at the NHL level?

 

I'd note that these two storylines have hugely problematic evil twins: namely, the REAL question with Domi is whether we threw away a legitimate top-6 C to get him; and the question with Drouin is whether we gave up an elite offensive defencemen to acquire a 55-point W. That's not "hope," it's the negative inverse of hope.

 

Other storylines:

 

Nikita Scherbak: can he take a step and become a tolerably productive second-line W?

Noah Juulsen: can he evolve into Jeff Petry?

 

Meanwhile, we're crossing our fingers that Carey Price can return to being Henrik Lundqvist, and that Shea Weber will return in the second half without discernable loss of speed and quickness. Not exactly gigantic wellsprings of "hope."

 

The situation reminds me of nothing so much as the Houle teams: middling youth, no immanent rescue by elite prospects, and "core" FWs/D (except for Weber) who just aren't good enough to do anything interesting at all

 

So my question to you is: why watch this team in 2018-19? What will you be looking forward to or be excited about? Or are you just watching out of sheer force of habit?

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

42 minutes ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

In the 'Offseason' thread, I've been posting a bit about the Canucks, because I live in the Vancouver area. One thing that occurred to me is that, although the Canucks and the Habs are both at about identical levels in terms of on-ice awfulness, there's a big difference in terms of having things to look forward to in the near-term. The Canucks have quite a crop of very promising prospects, some of which (Demko, Petterson, Gaudette) are banging on the door and others of which (Hughes, Dahlen) are not that far away. Plus they have one of the league's very best sophomores in the fabulous Brock Boeser and an admirable kid in Bo Horvat. At the very least, Canucks fans can buy tickets this season looking to Pettersson - who smashewd Forsberg's and Kent Nillson's scoring records in Swedish junior hockey - and feel that they will be able to go to games and watch the early stages of a potentially elite NHLer.

 

By contrast, the Habs have...what, exactly? As far as I can see, right now, here are the storylines we have to look forward to:

 

Max Domi: can he become more than a 45-point forward in his 4th NHL season?

Jonathan Drouin: can he ever learn how to play C at the NHL level?

 

I'd note that these two storylines have hugely problematic evil twins: namely, the REAL question with Domi is whether we threw away a legitimate top-6 C to get him; and the question with Drouin is whether we gave up an elite offensive defencemen to acquire a 55-point W. That's not "hope," it's the negative inverse of hope.

 

Other storylines:

 

Nikita Scherbak: can he take a step and become a tolerably productive second-line W?

Noah Juulsen: can he evolve into Jeff Petry?

 

Meanwhile, we're crossing our fingers that Carey Price can return to being Henrik Lundqvist, and that Shea Weber will return in the second half without discernable loss of speed and quickness. Not exactly gigantic wellsprings of "hope."

 

The situation reminds me of nothing so much as the Houle teams: middling youth, no immanent rescue by elite prospects, and "core" FWs/D (except for Weber) who just aren't good enough to do anything interesting at all

 

So my question to you is: why watch this team in 2018-19? What will you be looking forward to or be excited about? Or are you just watching out of sheer force of habit?

 

 

I watched very little of the habs this pat year and couldn’t sit through a single game from start to finish.  I think it will be even less this year. This is a repeat of the last 90’s early 2000 until koivu’s retur from cancer and Theodore got me back again.

 

being a lifelong jab fan for 43 of my 48 years (basically when I discovered hockey), I can’t help but follow them, but I don’t have to watch the crap team we have.

 

it’s  funny, an American buys the habs and the things start looking up.  Damn Molson’s repurchase and the team is back in the toilet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

In the 'Offseason' thread, I've been posting a bit about the Canucks, because I live in the Vancouver area. One thing that occurred to me is that, although the Canucks and the Habs are both at about identical levels in terms of on-ice awfulness, there's a big difference in terms of having things to look forward to in the near-term. The Canucks have quite a crop of very promising prospects, some of which (Demko, Petterson, Gaudette) are banging on the door and others of which (Hughes, Dahlen) are not that far away. Plus they have one of the league's very best sophomores in the fabulous Brock Boeser and an admirable kid in Bo Horvat. At the very least, Canucks fans can buy tickets this season looking to Pettersson - who smashewd Forsberg's and Kent Nillson's scoring records in Swedish junior hockey - and feel that they will be able to go to games and watch the early stages of a potentially elite NHLer.

 

By contrast, the Habs have...what, exactly? As far as I can see, right now, here are the storylines we have to look forward to:

 

Max Domi: can he become more than a 45-point forward in his 4th NHL season?

Jonathan Drouin: can he ever learn how to play C at the NHL level?

 

I'd note that these two storylines have hugely problematic evil twins: namely, the REAL question with Domi is whether we threw away a legitimate top-6 C to get him; and the question with Drouin is whether we gave up an elite offensive defencemen to acquire a 55-point W. That's not "hope," it's the negative inverse of hope.

 

Other storylines:

 

Nikita Scherbak: can he take a step and become a tolerably productive second-line W?

Noah Juulsen: can he evolve into Jeff Petry?

 

Meanwhile, we're crossing our fingers that Carey Price can return to being Henrik Lundqvist, and that Shea Weber will return in the second half without discernable loss of speed and quickness. Not exactly gigantic wellsprings of "hope."

 

The situation reminds me of nothing so much as the Houle teams: middling youth, no immanent rescue by elite prospects, and "core" FWs/D (except for Weber) who just aren't good enough to do anything interesting at all

 

So my question to you is: why watch this team in 2018-19? What will you be looking forward to or be excited about? Or are you just watching out of sheer force of habit?

 

 

Just ask yourself, why did Cubs and Red Sox sell out every game and have fans show up for decades of losing...or why in hell are their still rabid Cleveland Brown fans?

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

In the 'Offseason' thread, I've been posting a bit about the Canucks, because I live in the Vancouver area. One thing that occurred to me is that, although the Canucks and the Habs are both at about identical levels in terms of on-ice awfulness, there's a big difference in terms of having things to look forward to in the near-term. The Canucks have quite a crop of very promising prospects, some of which (Demko, Petterson, Gaudette) are banging on the door and others of which (Hughes, Dahlen) are not that far away. Plus they have one of the league's very best sophomores in the fabulous Brock Boeser and an admirable kid in Bo Horvat. At the very least, Canucks fans can buy tickets this season looking to Pettersson - who smashewd Forsberg's and Kent Nillson's scoring records in Swedish junior hockey - and feel that they will be able to go to games and watch the early stages of a potentially elite NHLer.

 

By contrast, the Habs have...what, exactly? As far as I can see, right now, here are the storylines we have to look forward to:

 

Max Domi: can he become more than a 45-point forward in his 4th NHL season?

Jonathan Drouin: can he ever learn how to play C at the NHL level?

 

I'd note that these two storylines have hugely problematic evil twins: namely, the REAL question with Domi is whether we threw away a legitimate top-6 C to get him; and the question with Drouin is whether we gave up an elite offensive defencemen to acquire a 55-point W. That's not "hope," it's the negative inverse of hope.

 

Other storylines:

 

Nikita Scherbak: can he take a step and become a tolerably productive second-line W?

Noah Juulsen: can he evolve into Jeff Petry?

 

Meanwhile, we're crossing our fingers that Carey Price can return to being Henrik Lundqvist, and that Shea Weber will return in the second half without discernable loss of speed and quickness. Not exactly gigantic wellsprings of "hope."

 

The situation reminds me of nothing so much as the Houle teams: middling youth, no immanent rescue by elite prospects, and "core" FWs/D (except for Weber) who just aren't good enough to do anything interesting at all

 

So my question to you is: why watch this team in 2018-19? What will you be looking forward to or be excited about? Or are you just watching out of sheer force of habit?

 

 

I live in Ottawa, the Habs look great by comparison

 

 I grew up in Montreal where I discovered hockey as a teenager. I could not root for any other team 

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

52 minutes ago, alfredoh2009 said:

 I could not root for any other team 

Winning or tanking season, is what it boils down to I guess.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

47 minutes ago, DON said:

Winning or tanking season, is what it boils down to I guess.

Yeah, pretty much.

 

And in my fantasy world: Scherbak makes us foget Chucky, and Rielly becomes the top LW we've been looking for!!! :D

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For myself, there's a difference between winning and entertainment value. If a team is winning, they can still be boring to watch but at the same time it's still enjoyable due to the outcome of winning. I think perhaps about some of Jacques Martin's playoff teams as a coach of the Habs. On the other hand, there can be such a thing as a losing team who is still exciting to watch; one you're willing to root for. This is similar to how Vancouver may be viewed, based on your description. 

 

I've never been one to watch hockey solely to watch the kids of our future. The only time I personally enjoy doing so is during the NHL preseason itself. Once the season starts, I always hope that we have a team who can compete on any given night. In order to do so, a team needs veterans. Vancouver may have more excitement for the future, but I sincerely believe we have a better team than them right now. From my perspective, I think a neutral viewer who doesn't have any affiliation with either the Habs or Canucks, or a disdain for either team, would say that the Montreal Canadiens are a better team. 

 

I'm disappointed that the off season didn't go as I personally had wanted. If the Habs become even a 7th to 10th place team, I believe that even one signing of substance (outside of Plekanec) may have helped. If the Habs do end up in this range, I will also be interested to see how Kotkaniemi faired versus other potential candidates who were available with the 3rd overall pick. If we are a bubble team in the end, an NHL ready top 3 overall pick could have had a positive impact in the locker room immediately. This is not meant as an attack at Kotkaniemi as I look forward to having him on our team, whether now or in the future. 

 

At this point in time, we still have Pacioretty. If he's traded prior to the season for solely futures, I would have to believe that it will be a strong indicator of what the organization's plans are for this year, if it hasn't already become clear. At that point in time, depending on our standing in the league as well as the return, it will certainly be difficult to watch the remaining part of the season. On the other hand, if the Habs do get off to a patented hot start, unlike last year, and Price starts off the year well, I'll be looking forward to the return of Weber and once he returns, I'll be watching because of him and Price. I do also look forward to seeing Domi and will be viewing Drouin like a hawk. I found that he had even less effort than Galchenyuk seemed to have a reputation for. The last two interesting storylines are actually once again kids, in that I have high expectations for Scherbak, in general, and am interested to see if Mete gets any more offensive stats this year. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I will start watching because I don't know any different.  If it's a complete dumpster fire my attention will quickly return to nfl. Which I love more and more every year. The year Chucky and Gallagher came up,  the habs were supposed to suck. They didn't.  In part because teams were taken by surprise by therrien gallant system, but also because they had some serious compete from unexpected players. And Subban price were awesome.  A breakout from one or two players can completely change a team.  That's why I will watch. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wont see many. I am in Europe then Dubai so will get little chace to feel the pain. I will be in Canada for the playoffs but would be shocked to see a game then.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am an addict. That and an undying optimism in the face of all rational evidence that the team will somehow be better. Hell, I’m still watching Alouette games

  • Like 2
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, PMAC said:

I am an addict. That and an undying optimism in the face of all rational evidence that the team will somehow be better. Hell, I’m still watching Alouette games

 

Someone please get this man some help.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We will watch but I feel guilty.

 

I created a die hard Habs fan in Bruins/Rangers territory.  My poor six year old eats sleeps and breaths the CH.

 

Problem is he goes into a full meltdown every time they get scored against; let alone lose.

 

I'm such a bad father.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, Helmethead said:

We will watch but I feel guilty.

 

I created a die hard Habs fan in Bruins/Rangers territory.  My poor six year old eats sleeps and breaths the CH.

 

Problem is he goes into a full meltdown every time they get scored against; let alone lose.

 

I'm such a bad father.

 

Ouch! But it's not your fault...how could you have known six years ago that you'd be subjecting him to this level of garbage? This was supposed to the the Cup Window for the Price/Subban/Patches/Gal(l)y Habs.

 

I like Habs29's distinction between *following* the team and *watching* it. From sheer force of lifelong habit I expect to try to watch this bunch of turds on a fairly regular basis, but to tune out after the first period or two as it becomes grindingly obvious that they're both boring and pathetic. But I'll still follow debates around the club with interest.

 

BCHabnut's point about the unexpected - the unforeseen breakout player, the bad team that gets hot and rides a wave - is fair enough. I would be more receptive to this possibility if Weber weren't going to miss half the season. It is really, really hard to see a team with Jeff Petry as its #1 defenceman accomplishing anything at all.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/28/2018 at 10:16 AM, PMAC said:

I am an addict. That and an undying optimism in the face of all rational evidence that the team will somehow be better. Hell, I’m still watching Alouette games

 

 

I can admire a man who knows the ship is sinking but hold his head up high and carries on all the same...

 

tenor.gif?itemid=11869919

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2018-07-29 at 5:35 PM, Link67 said:

 

 

I can admire a man who knows the ship is sinking but hold his head up high and carries on all the same...

 

tenor.gif?itemid=11869919

Thanks? I like the clip also but I find the experience is more like this: 

 

https://goo.gl/images/YQMb1m

 

It has a lot more angst and a lot less stoicism 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a very low excitement level about hockey this year, and luckily I have other sports that I can give my attention.  But I probably will tune in out of habit, and I'll be watching for improvements in the young guys.  Domi's also an interesting player, and maybe he'll be less frustrating than Galchenyuk.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shout out to Joel Armia. I’ll be watching you closely for 5 games plus.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...