Seb Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Good enough to win the Cup? Quite easy to answer: it's possible, but extremely unlikely. Are the odds less than or more than 1/30? And how many cup winners are evident after the season's 10th game? Even the team we all consider the most likely to win, is not even close to guaranteed to win. All we need, is to be in the picture. We'll see if this team is good enough to be in the Stanley Cup picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habitforming Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Are the odds less than or more than 1/30? And how many cup winners are evident after the season's 10th game? Even the team we all consider the most likely to win, is not even close to guaranteed to win. All we need, is to be in the picture. We'll see if this team is good enough to be in the Stanley Cup picture. Remember when Pittsburgh shit the bed last season and turned it on in Feb? Were they the 1st seed, did anyone give them a chance at all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeLassister Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Remember when Pittsburgh shit the bed last season and turned it on in Feb? Were they the 1st seed, did anyone give them a chance at all? Yeah, the SC final Carolina vs Edmonton is hell of a proof that nothing is played until the end... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
habs rule Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Remember when Pittsburgh shit the bed last season and turned it on in Feb? Were they the 1st seed, did anyone give them a chance at all? yep right about the time they made a coaching change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revvvrob Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 i know one thing i've seen already this season, that i haven't seen in Montreal for a long time - was the way Montreal stood up for themselves against Atlanta. seeing players defend Bergeron & seeing Gomez defend himself. i don't see this team as being mediocre at all. they may not be the favourite to win the cup any time in the next 5 years - but - i think they will be in the discussion every one of those 5 years. to me, the difference between the Habs being good and great is all on the shoulders of the unprovens like Price, Subban, MaxPax, Latendresse, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 It's impossible to tell how good this team can be, at this point. As Gainey said, we could win the Cup, we could miss the playoffs. Look. It is clearly a team built - almost literally - on the New Jersey model, relying on system and diffused skill through the roster rather than franchise players (because we don't have any and aren't likely to, short of pulling a Pittsburgh/Tampa Bay). Yes, a lot hinges on Price, but I don't think that Price will have to play out of his mind for this team to get to the Conference Finals; what it will take is total team commitment to an excellent system, staying healthy, our top players playing their best, and some amount of consistently effective secondary scoring. The last question is the biggest. It will require some of our young players and/or our young vets (Pleks, Kostitsyn, Lats) to step up and produce. For once. People will point to Boston, Washington, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh as unstoppable steamrollers that this team has no chance of overcoming. Excuse me if I fail to faint, but I've heard that song before. I've heard it about San Jose for several years running, I heard it about the Oiler in 1986, about the Nordiques and Penguins in 1993, I even heard it about us in 2008. So I'm not all that impressed. I can't see this team ever being categorized with these 'heavy hitters' but I CAN see us being in the upper-echelon of second-tier contenders, a team capable of doing serious damage. I can also see us failing to make the playoffs. Now my prediction has been that the veteran leaders would carry us through the early-season fires and into the dance. based on what we've seen so far, I'll nervously stand by that. From there, if we're firing on all cylanders, we will be dangerous, especially for any favoured team dumb enough to listen to the 'experts' prophesying that guys like Gomez and Gionta just aren't front-line Cup material despite a total of four Cup rings that say different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seb Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 to all posts since mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Good enough to win the Cup? Quite easy to answer: it's possible, but extremely unlikely. Oh common BTH, you're smarter than that. Extremely unlikely? Really? Based on what? I don't wanna pick on you, but that's nothing short of stupid commentary on a team based on 10 games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyhasbeen Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 I think this team shows as much, if not more than the teams of the last two seasons, I think all the guru's with thier preseason picks already feel that they will be eating crow, once again by their predictions. This team has some jump to it, is following a system (something we have been missing for years) and has made all but one loss and one win close faught matches. I truely believe that as this team grows together this year everyone around her will be feeling the love. Not that that has anything to do with Lil' Twit. I think they way things are going with him he has to disprove that name. AK also has so much improving in his back checking to be a useful top 6. Last season was a real bad time for these guys and I hope to hell they snap out of it and get back into the game. So much talent in these two and IF we ever can unlease it we will be unstopable. As a big and if of course is the goal spot, but I will also state I believe Halak can carry the team and eventually Price will steal the spot back. I like what I see and what I am hearing out of the pound this year, and if SK is our only drama for the season we are miles ahead of last year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cataclaw Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 (edited) I don't want to digress from the SK discussion, but adding on to the Canadiens' performance thus far: .500 after 10 games, for a totally redesigned team, that has yet to fully build up chemistry and cohesiveness, is not too shabby at all. Edited October 26, 2009 by Cataclaw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PMAC Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 (edited) .500 after 10 games, for a totally redesigned team, that has yet to fully build up chemistry and cohesiveness, . SK will have to earn a promotion--or a trade-- through a lengthy period of excellent play in Hamilton, unless we can unload him for Toronto's first round pick in 2012. Burke is sure to go for him because he is trucculent. As for the quote above: .500 after 10 games, for a totally redesigned team, that has yet to fully build up chemistry and cohesiveness and has been is missing its best defenseman, and arguably its best player, since game 1 is not too shabby at all Edited October 26, 2009 by PMAC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafikz Posted October 26, 2009 Author Share Posted October 26, 2009 (edited) I don't want to digress from the SK discussion, but adding on to the Canadiens' performance thus far: .500 after 10 games, for a totally redesigned team, that has yet to fully build up chemistry and cohesiveness, is not too shabby at all. Very well put Plus, we are without Markov Edited October 26, 2009 by rafikz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonus Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 Very well put Plus, we are without Markov and a rejuvenated O'Byrne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTH Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 Are the odds less than or more than 1/30? And how many cup winners are evident after the season's 10th game? Even the team we all consider the most likely to win, is not even close to guaranteed to win. All we need, is to be in the picture. We'll see if this team is good enough to be in the Stanley Cup picture. My point wasn't that it was impossible to win the Cup, but that our chances of winning go down after this season - and yet our chances this season aren't so great to begin with. Bad news. If your point was that you think this team will appear to be a bonafide Cup contender by season's end, then I simply think you are wrong. We're at least a top 6 forward away from being in the same class as Philly, Washington and Boston. Colin: Even a contender's odds of winning in a specific season are pretty low. So it goes without saying that a team that may or may not make the playoffs has very long odds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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