NHL Playoffs: Requiem for the Montreal Canadiens

Montreal Canadiens fans awoke Saturday morning to thick, dark, rain-soaked clouds, hanging heavy over the city like a shroud.

Rain spattered along Ste. Catherine Street and Rene-Levesque Boulevard, and it flowed down the gutters of de la Montage to de la Gauchietiere Street, outside of the Bell Center.

It was not the kind of morning the Habs faithful were hoping for.  It spoke of ominous tidings.  

Still, as the day wore on, the clouds drifted on and broke apart, with rays of sunshine breaking through and raising spirits. 

Unfortunately, it did not raise the spirits of the dead, the ol' Forum Ghosts that have been known to be pesky poltergeists for opposing teams.  They lay dormant as the Philidelphia Flyers steamrolled over the Canadiens, ending the Drive for 25.

The question on everybody's lips is now: what happened?

There are no easy answers to that question, though.

Sure, you could cast accusatory glance at Montreal's subdued power play unit, who failed to capitalize on most chances, both in this series and the previous seven against Boston.

The finger of blame could easily be pointed at coach Guy Carbonneau for throwing Yaroslav Halak, a young goalie with no playoff experience whatsoever, in to nets.

The burden most certainly fall squarely on the shoulders of rookie goalie Carey Price who let some softies in, had trouble controlling rebounds, and had difficulty clearing the zone. 

Finally, GM Bob Gainey could share in this loss. He did not sign a big-name player at the draft deadline day, and he also shipped off goalie Cristobal Huet.

In the end, however, all it comes down to is Philidelphia playing much better hockey than the Habs.

'Dats it, 'Dats all, as they say in Quebec.  

Montreal Canadiens fans are disappointed and heart-broken, upset that they have only Montreal Alouettes football to look forward to now (and that's a team that hasn't been playing all that well, either).

Still, considering the Habs' were a team that was written off at the beginning of the season, a contender that was no contender at all, Montreal fans have no reason to sob in to their Molson Export. 

Be proud of the team's accomplishments this past season, and take comfort in knowing it's only a matter of time before the Cup returns to Montreal.  

The Drive for 25 is still very much alive and no rainy days are going to dampen this city's—and this team's—spirit.