Is it me or do the Montreal Canadiens always seem to get hurt around this time of year?
Already without punishing defenseman Mike Komisarek, the Canadiens will be without defensive replacement Mathieu Dandenault indefinitely and Chris Higgins will be out for awhile as well.
But if we flashback to the last ten seasons, this always occurs to the Canadiens.
During the mundane and disappointing 1998-99 NHL campaign when the Canadiens leading scorers were Saku Koivu with 44 points and Martin Rucinsky with only 17 goals, the Canadiens only had one player that played in all 82 games - Stephane Quintal.
That season, the Canadiens lost a staggering 500+ man games due to injury.
The injury bug must love le bleu, blanc, et rogue because over the last 10 seasons, it has hit and hit hard. Then up-and-coming star Brian Savage's spinal cord injury that he never fully recovered from to Saku Koivu's bout with cancer, the Canadiens lack of luck against the injury bug has hindered their progress along their storied history.
In the past, many of their main players were able to stay healthy - Larry Robinson, Serge Savard, Henri Richard, Jean Beliveau, and Ken Dryden. However, even the greatest Canadiens suffered injuries at the expense of the team's success such as Maurice Rocket Richard and Patrick Roy.
The injury bug may be the only obstacle between the Canadiens and a 25th Stanley Cup championship. Being injured for short periods of time can throw off any hockey players play, both mentally and physically.
During the playoffs, it is the norm for hockey players to play through injury. For the Canadiens, to capture another Stanley Cup, that might be the solution - play through all the pain.
Patrick Roy's injury during the 1994 Eastern Conference Quarter-Finals against the Boston Bruins when he was frozen up to play the game - a game in which he delivered a hard-earned victory in the Boston Gardens - is an example of playing no matter what.
With the injury bug jamming adversity down the throats of the Canadiens lineup in 2008-09, we will see the true colours of le bleu, blanc, et rogue. Can they deliver through the injuries unlike the teams of the past?
Now with Komisarek, Higgins, and Dandenault all out of the lineup coming into play Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, we'll see if the Canadiens can play through the pain and succeed.
8 comments Last one added 7 months ago — Leave a Comment
Miah D. 7 months ago
great read! very informative! Quintal should have gotten a medal for his season! ;p
now is the chance for the two youngsters who have been watching the game from the stands for a little while.
one thing though, we still can look like a decent team despite the injuries. imagine if instead of dandenault, higgins and laraque, it would have been Markov, AK46 and Ak27?
it would be trickier! what is with Laraque by the way?!
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Dylan O'Brien 7 months ago
Dude, just in case you haven't been watching the Habs this year AK-27 is a thing of the past. Since his swan song in Pittsburgh, Kovalev hasn't produced to his standards, and his goal totals last year were more the product of a dominant powerplay than a superstar player. I admit, if the game were played in a phone booth, Kovy might be the best player in the NHL, but his production is absolutely unacceptable. He is about to set a career-high for games without a goal, and he is stinkin it up this year.
You'll be fine though, I've been watching the Canadiens this year with much attention, and I think with the additoinal experience for a guy like Carey Price, and what looks to be like great seasons from Koivu and Tanguay, the Canadiens should contend in the East.
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Matt Eichel 7 months ago
I totally agree Dylan, AK-27 is a thing of the past. He just doesn't have any more gas in the tank to put up high-octane numbers. Even if he's playing with Lang and was productive with him in Pittsburgh, it's probably not going to happen twice.
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Miah D. 7 months ago
that was just an example but yeah ... gotta agree on that one. ouuiiiinnnn! lol
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Daniel Arouchian 7 months ago
Great read Matt,
it's sad to see we got hit with injuries again. Hopefully it won't effect the team much
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Harani T. 7 months ago
Great read Matt! Glad then you concentrated only on this point. One.. should I say ''good" thing about this is that the Habs don't depend on one player. What I want to precise is that it is a four-line team and the effort comes all together. When a team works in unison, it is harder to debalance it with a few injuries. By the time it begins getting hard to manage, the players will be returning from injuries and we can cope with it.
Take the example of Komo. When he left, it almost felt like the end of the world but we didn't come across without our top 2 D. Although at times it was hard, we put it together. So, that's I'm not that worried about the injury bug!
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Matt Eichel 7 months ago
And that's what makes a team successful - not focusing on one player for everything. Look at Atlanta - Kovalchuk is the man, and they're in the cellar. Tampa - Lecavalier - in the cellar. To have a four-line team, you'll win consistently.
Thanks for the insightful comment!
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Lisa Boychuk 7 months ago
I know, the Habs are cursed with injury!! Or maybe I am the curse?? The same thing happened this year obviously with my Roughriders...now the Habs. :P
But seriously, I think they can get through it. They have to prove to the other teams (especially the likes of the Bruins and Rangers) that there is no stopping them.
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