Underdog surprises give us the heartwarming side of sports!

[REV-G]

We all enjoy seeing the successes of highly touted players like Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield but I think something special occurs when players we didn't expect much from exceed everyone's expectations and rise to the occasion in a way no one really saw coming.

 

Today the obvious example is Samuel Montembeault. What a great story he has become. A young goaltender put on waivers, claimed by his hometown team, where most of us didn't expect much from him, and slowly through hard work and a refusal to give up, he played himself into being close to the starting goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens and this month he went to the world championships and played very solid to lead his team to the gold medal. 

 

Now he's being noticed by people, he's made friends for life on this years Team Canada and has wonderful memories forever. What a great story. 

 

This past year I think all of us were surprised and excited by a young defenceman that we all thought would start the season in Laval but Arber Xhekaj jumped from junior right onto the roster of the Montreal Canadiens. We all know there were injuries that helped open a spot for him but he and a few other first year defencemen made this year fun to watch because they caught us all by surprise. Rafael Harvey-Pinard came out of nowhere for many and suddenly he was scoring goals and playing so well. Underdogs who rose to the occasion and brought excitement to the team.

 

A few years ago I think it was players like Philip Danault and Paul Byron who came to us as players just beginning, not having established themselves as bonafide NHL players, and we watched them develop and grow into valuable players for us.

 

Now with all the focus on the upcoming draft and Montreal being in a position to draft what should be an impactful player, I wonder who will be the underdog surprises? Can we draft another Carey Price but much later than where Price was drafted? Top level players are fun to watch and develop but I think it's the underdogs who rise up and shine that really give us the fun and excitement that we didn't expect.

 

Can you name a player who was an underdog but rose up to shine and surprise us all?

 

 

 

 

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

I'm very happy for Monty! From day one, I took a somewhat irrational shine to the guy. He reminded me of Jakob Markstrom when he first came to the Canucks - a big, gangly guy everyone kind of dismissed. He turned out to be a late bloomer whose brain needed time to catch up to his frame. In no way, shape or form am I saying that Montembault will be as good as Markstrom. But he has certainly made a case for himself as a legitimate NHL starter, defying all expectations. Hopefully he can keep developing.

 

The 'underrated' guy who jumps to mind for me is David Desharnais. I always felt he was a player that fans should be pulling for. Undrafted, totally overlooked even when he was leading the AHL in scoring, he gave us four seasons of quality playmaking at a position where we had a crying need. Many fans dismissed him as a Pacioretty side-effect, but the bottom line was that he seized the chance he was given and made a modestly successful NHL career for himself, despite nobody giving him the time of day.

 

Another player with an incredible story was Carey Price. He was hardly an "underdog," inasmuch as he was anointed the Chosen One from draft day onward. But it was an astonishing arc for an Indigenous kid to go from Anahim Lake, BC, to winning the Hart Trophy as the #1 goalie for the Montreal Canadiens and winning Olympic Gold. He came from the most obscure place imaginable, from the most marginalized and oppressed population in Canada, to the most high-pressure and prestigious position in the entire sport. I always thought his story was somewhat under-appreciated, even if his playing was not.  

[Prime Minister Koivu]

30 minutes ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

I'm very happy for Monty! From day one, I took a somewhat irrational shine to the guy. He reminded me of Jakob Markstrom when he first came to the Canucks - a big, gangly guy everyone kind of dismissed. He turned out to be a late bloomer whose brain needed time to catch up to his frame. In no way, shape or form am I saying that Montembault will be as good as Markstrom. But he has certainly made a case for himself as a legitimate NHL starter, defying all expectations. Hopefully he can keep developing.

 

The 'underrated' guy who jumps to mind for me is David Desharnais. I always felt he was a player that fans should be pulling for. Undrafted, totally overlooked even when he was leading the AHL in scoring, he gave us four seasons of quality playmaking at a position where we had a crying need. Many fans dismissed him as a Pacioretty side-effect, but the bottom line was that he seized the chance he was given and made a modestly successful NHL career for himself, despite nobody giving him the time of day.

 

Another player with an incredible story was Carey Price. He was hardly an "underdog," inasmuch as he was anointed the Chosen One from draft day onward. But it was an astonishing arc for an Indigenous kid to go from Anahim Lake, BC, to winning the Hart Trophy as the #1 goalie for the Montreal Canadiens and winning Olympic Gold. He came from the most obscure place imaginable, from the most marginalized and oppressed population in Canada, to the most high-pressure and prestigious position in the entire sport. I always thought his story was somewhat under-appreciated, even if his playing was not.  

Oh Boy, remember the Halak vs Price debate? 
 

After being thrown to the wolves through piss poor development strategies, Price survived a very difficult beginning in Montreal. Half the fan base wanted Halak because Price was a bust…

 

LOL @ Habs fans who wanted Halak. How do you like Price now?

 

1 hour ago, REV-G said:

We all enjoy seeing the successes of highly touted players like Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield but I think something special occurs when players we didn't expect much from exceed everyone's expectations and rise to the occasion in a way no one really saw coming.

 

Today the obvious example is Samuel Montembeault. What a great story he has become. A young goaltender put on waivers, claimed by his hometown team, where most of us didn't expect much from him, and slowly through hard work and a refusal to give up, he played himself into being close to the starting goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens and this month he went to the world championships and played very solid to lead his team to the gold medal. 

 

Now he's being noticed by people, he's made friends for life on this years Team Canada and has wonderful memories forever. What a great story. 

 

This past year I think all of us were surprised and excited by a young defenceman that we all thought would start the season in Laval but Arber Xhekaj jumped from junior right onto the roster of the Montreal Canadiens. We all know there were injuries that helped open a spot for him but he and a few other first year defencemen made this year fun to watch because they caught us all by surprise. Rafael Harvey-Pinard came out of nowhere for many and suddenly he was scoring goals and playing so well. Underdogs who rose to the occasion and brought excitement to the team.

 

A few years ago I think it was players like Philip Danault and Paul Byron who came to us as players just beginning, not having established themselves as bonafide NHL players, and we watched them develop and grow into valuable players for us.

 

Now with all the focus on the upcoming draft and Montreal being in a position to draft what should be an impactful player, I wonder who will be the underdog surprises? Can we draft another Carey Price but much later than where Price was drafted? Top level players are fun to watch and develop but I think it's the underdogs who rise up and shine that really give us the fun and excitement that we didn't expect.

 

Can you name a player who was an underdog but rose up to shine and surprise us all?

 

 

 

 

 

I can’t think of anyone that fits exactly but lots of underdog/mediocre players go through periods of greatness. I think Lars Eller fits that. 
 

The crappy part of this type of success by underdogs is that they then get paid 3 times what they are worth but usually sink back to mediocrity. Handicapping the cap for years - maybe Armia fits too

[alfredoh2009]

2 hours ago, REV-G said:

We all enjoy seeing the successes of highly touted players like Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield but I think something special occurs when players we didn't expect much from exceed everyone's expectations and rise to the occasion in a way no one really saw coming.

 

Today the obvious example is Samuel Montembeault. What a great story he has become. A young goaltender put on waivers, claimed by his hometown team, where most of us didn't expect much from him, and slowly through hard work and a refusal to give up, he played himself into being close to the starting goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens and this month he went to the world championships and played very solid to lead his team to the gold medal. 

 

Now he's being noticed by people, he's made friends for life on this years Team Canada and has wonderful memories forever. What a great story. 

 

This past year I think all of us were surprised and excited by a young defenceman that we all thought would start the season in Laval but Arber Xhekaj jumped from junior right onto the roster of the Montreal Canadiens. We all know there were injuries that helped open a spot for him but he and a few other first year defencemen made this year fun to watch because they caught us all by surprise. Rafael Harvey-Pinard came out of nowhere for many and suddenly he was scoring goals and playing so well. Underdogs who rose to the occasion and brought excitement to the team.

 

A few years ago I think it was players like Philip Danault and Paul Byron who came to us as players just beginning, not having established themselves as bonafide NHL players, and we watched them develop and grow into valuable players for us.

 

Now with all the focus on the upcoming draft and Montreal being in a position to draft what should be an impactful player, I wonder who will be the underdog surprises? Can we draft another Carey Price but much later than where Price was drafted? Top level players are fun to watch and develop but I think it's the underdogs who rise up and shine that really give us the fun and excitement that we didn't expect.

 

Can you name a player who was an underdog but rose up to shine and surprise us all?

 

 

 

 

I hope HugGort does as well with the underrated and bottom of the baril picks as the old crew.

And let’s hope the drafting and development outperforms anything we have seen since 1993!

Go Habs Go!

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

2 hours ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

Oh Boy, remember the Halak vs Price debate? 
 

After being thrown to the wolves through piss poor development strategies, Price survived a very difficult beginning in Montreal. Half the fan base wanted Halak because Price was a bust…

 

 

I've often commented on how insane it was that they had Price living as a single guy in a condo in Old Montreal at what, age 19? It's incredible that he managed not to self-destruct.

 

Not only that, but they traded away a guy who could have sheltered him a bit during the 2008 playoffs (Huet). "Into the deep end you go, kid!"

 

Remember when he gave the crowd the ol' Patrick Roy salute? That was also a bad sign...

 

His development into a superstar was a VERY near thing. Fortunately management decided to double down and not trade him, and Price turned out to have the resiliency and character to overcome the early pressures and embrace the CH. Thank the hockey gods. 

[Neech]

Gally springs to mind, seems like he had the underdog mentality from day one. Always considered too small, and always outworked everyone else to get where he was.

 

As for Price, his underdog factor is mitigated in my mind by how wealthy he was (although that's almost all hockey players these days). His mom was a chief and his dad could afford to buy an airplane to fly him to games. Then he was drafted at the top of the first round so he was never held back professionally, in fact he was given opportunities before he probably deserved them. Tootoo and Cheechoo seem like much bigger underdog stories as native players.