Thank you Habs

[GreekHockeyCoach]

Thank you Habs for providing us with a quality and entertaining season. It's always tough losing in the first round but a lot of positives came out of this year. I for one, can't wait until next year.

As well, a big thank you to all the members that post here and make this the best hockey forum on the net.

Cheers!

[maddienmike]

I just wrote my thankyou in the senators HABS thread then I come back and here this is,but I don't care I can say thankyou again.

Thankyou for a really suprising season love you all.

GO HABS GO :wub:

[Guest]

Thank you Habs for providing us with a quality and entertaining season. It's always tough losing in the first round but a lot of positives came out of this year. I for one, can't wait until next year.

As well, a big thank you to all the members that post here and make this the best hockey forum on the net.

Cheers!

Couldn't have said it better coach.

[jedimaas]

Thank you Habs for providing us with a quality and entertaining season. It's always tough losing in the first round but a lot of positives came out of this year. I for one, can't wait until next year.

As well, a big thank you to all the members that post here and make this the best hockey forum on the net.

Cheers!

This. Our future hasnt looked this bright for a long time. Im very excited for next year & cant wait to see how our young players (especially) respond next year.

I look forward to what MB will do over the summer & am interested to see how MT will put it all together on the ice in October.

[js2]

You guys may be proud of the Habs this season but I'm definitely not.

They mailed it in the second they clinched a playoff spot. Problems arose from the net out and even to the coaches where they made questionable decisions all over the place. Then the playoffs came around and they tried to goon it up and turn the series into a media war rather than focus on their own game. Then injuries started rolling in and the complete lack of depth in this organization made its appearance.

Sure they made progress from last season and won the division this season but they blew it when it counted.

[musicalhab]

You guys may be proud of the Habs this season but I'm definitely not.

They mailed it in the second they clinched a playoff spot. Problems arose from the net out and even to the coaches where they made questionable decisions all over the place. Then the playoffs came around and they tried to goon it up and turn the series into a media war rather than focus on their own game. Then injuries started rolling in and the complete lack of depth in this organization made its appearance.

Sure they made progress from last season and won the division this season but they blew it when it counted.

The season was a mess for every team. Season starting in January is weird enough, only playing teams within your conference 48 straight times is even stranger. It makes it hard to really judge where the team is at, 2nd place or not.

I wasn't pleased myself with the finish of the season. To me though, Paul McLean turned the series into the media war after his comments of Lars Eller and "number 61" (Raphael Diaz) ,but I would strongly agree that PK Subban's comments before game 5 were completely not needed. It held as much ground as Brandon Jennings of the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA saying "were beating the Miami Heat in 6".

Gameplay wise, it fell apart in the third period of game 4. Un-acceptable, poorly played, can't blow that lead. Didn't look like desperate hockey, looked like they were still happy to have clinched a playoff spot. I question the depth at center and on defense myself, Gorges, Boullion, Markov, Diaz, all had a very below average series, but where do you point the finger, I guess management, because those are all third pairing defenseman in my mind. Dumont seems like a good guy, but like David Desharnais and Jeff Halperin, I don't see the need to keep re-kindling the roster with these kinds of players.

All that being said, congratulations to the rookies on the team that had a great year and wore their heart proud on the Canadians crest, and here's to a good recovery to the inured Carey, Brian, Brandon, Alexei, Lars and Ryan.

[Guest habs1952]

Thank you Habs for providing us with a quality and entertaining season. It's always tough losing in the first round but a lot of positives came out of this year. I for one, can't wait until next year.

As well, a big thank you to all the members that post here and make this the best hockey forum on the net.

Cheers!

Well said GHC. Overall the season has been great. Too bad the Habs got away from Habs hockey and had to deal with what can be desribed as a decimated lineup in the playoffs but we certainly do have something positive to look forward to next season. And I for one just can't wait! Let the season begin! :lol:

[ramcharger440]

it was a great year all in all. we can't get to down about the playoffs as not many folks saw us there in the first place and we are quite honestly not ready to perform in the post season yet. I have a lot of hope for the future I like a lot of the young talent we have on hand and with a few tweaks over the next season or two we will be a really good team.

[FirstStar]

You guys may be proud of the Habs this season but I'm definitely not.

They mailed it in the second they clinched a playoff spot. Problems arose from the net out and even to the coaches where they made questionable decisions all over the place. Then the playoffs came around and they tried to goon it up and turn the series into a media war rather than focus on their own game. Then injuries started rolling in and the complete lack of depth in this organization made its appearance.

Sure they made progress from last season and won the division this season but they blew it when it counted.

No coach is perfect, every move a coach does is scrutinized. If his decisions works, he's a genius, if it doesn't, he's an idiot.

So they blew it in the post season against a hot tender and a healthier team, while our tender was clearly nurising an injury and a defense/offense crippled by injuries.

Am I pleased with the way it ended?

Of course not, I would've loved them to go all the way, but with the current situation, it was highly unlikely. Pens have for the most part, have a healthier and are more skill throughout their roster. Yet their bad goaltending have them on the ropes against a much lower seed.

I'm just glad they gave us something to cheer about for 90% of the season, instead of sitting through another season like 2011-12.

Well done boys, you have to hiot bottom before you can rise up again. You are surely on the right track, keep up the good work. We're proud of you, I'm coming away from this season feeling much more positive about our future.

[BigTed3]

Let us all remember that this season started with a mess surrounding the lockout, greed, and utter disrespect of fans. During the season, we've endured further rises in ticket prices here in Montreal and continued inconsistency and bias with both the on-ice and off-ice officials. I said at the start of the season that I would not forgive or forget this, and I'm bringing it up now because at the end of the day, I have not.

Despite this, I am grateful to the on-ice product that was delivered this season. It is one of the first seasons in a while where I have tuned in to each game thinking we had a good chance at winning, and I had that attitude right through the playoffs despite being down in the series. We have a group of players here who showed a high compete level this year, and although there are bad eggs in any basket, the major tone going forward is a positive one. Though I will never forgive the likes of Gary Bettman, Colin Campbell, Brendan Shanahan, Tim Peel, Chris Lee, Erik Gryba, and Zdeno Chara, hockey is still the sport I love and I hope the Canadiens take the success of this past regular season and turn it into a Stanley Cup in the coming years. So thank you to the players for at the very least taking the focus off of the NHL's off-ice disasters and onto the game for a few months and for doing so in an entertaining fashion.

[THEBIGGESTHABSFAN123]

What everybody else said! Thank you!

[weepingminotaur]

You guys may be proud of the Habs this season but I'm definitely not.

They mailed it in the second they clinched a playoff spot. Problems arose from the net out and even to the coaches where they made questionable decisions all over the place. Then the playoffs came around and they tried to goon it up and turn the series into a media war rather than focus on their own game. Then injuries started rolling in and the complete lack of depth in this organization made its appearance.

Sure they made progress from last season and won the division this season but they blew it when it counted.

While I'm proud of what the team accomplished compared to last season, I have to say that js2 has a point here. The way the team spiraled after clinching a playoff spot left a sour taste in my mouth. I'm not saying that the end to the season obliterates all the positive steps we took as a franchise, but the fact remains that we had a chance to do better than a first-round playoff exit and we blew it. And injuries are not an excuse. Two years ago, we took the eventual Cup champion Bruins to seven games in the first round with a worse roster and key injuries, and only lost because of an unlucky OT bounce. Therrien was never able to get the team out of its slump and it showed in the clutch.

[Graeme-1]

And injuries are not an excuse. Two years ago, we took the eventual Cup champion Bruins to seven games in the first round with a worse roster and key injuries, and only lost because of an unlucky OT bounce. Therrien was never able to get the team out of its slump and it showed in the clutch.

.934 vs .894: I think those two numbers may explain one big difference between the two series. And I don't think or defense was any better two years ago.

I'm not even sure I'd say the playoffs was a continuation of the slump. The results were disappointing, but it was encouraging to see us outplay the Sens for most of the series. I don't think I can really blame the coach, I just think a lot of roster issues that we managed to mask in the regular season weren't so easy to hide in the playoffs: Price's poor play, DD (it wasn't a great regular season, but he wasn't knocked around all over the ice), overall team size, arguably lack of impact forward (although the Sens didn't have one either), lack of defensive depth; all of which was made worse by injuries.

[hatethosebruins]

.934 vs .894: I think those two numbers may explain one big difference between the two series. And I don't think or defense was any better two years ago.

I'm not even sure I'd say the playoffs was a continuation of the slump. The results were disappointing, but it was encouraging to see us outplay the Sens for most of the series. I don't think I can really blame the coach, I just think a lot of roster issues that we managed to mask in the regular season weren't so easy to hide in the playoffs: Price's poor play, DD (it wasn't a great regular season, but he wasn't knocked around all over the ice), overall team size, arguably lack of impact forward (although the Sens didn't have one either), lack of defensive depth; all of which was made worse by injuries.

our defense in the 2011 playoffs was something like

Subban-Wisniewski

Gill-Hamrlik

Spacek-Sopel

Mara

Weber

This year

Subban-Markov

Gorges-Diaz

Bouillion-Tinordi

Ok your right idk where I was going

[BeanCountingHab]

.934 vs .894: I think those two numbers may explain one big difference between the two series. And I don't think or defense was any better two years ago.

I'm not even sure I'd say the playoffs was a continuation of the slump. The results were disappointing, but it was encouraging to see us outplay the Sens for most of the series. I don't think I can really blame the coach, I just think a lot of roster issues that we managed to mask in the regular season weren't so easy to hide in the playoffs: Price's poor play, DD (it wasn't a great regular season, but he wasn't knocked around all over the ice), overall team size, arguably lack of impact forward (although the Sens didn't have one either), lack of defensive depth; all of which was made worse by injuries.

It absolutely wasn't IMHO. Frankly, the first two games of that series were two of the best games we played all year. We all know what happened in the 3rd period of game 3, but we adjusted and played another dominant game 4. We dominated the first period of game 5 with half our roster injured, and somehow finished the period down a goal. That was it, the last kick in the teeth we could handle.

Did we play perfect hockey? No. But we played better than the Sens. Did we mistakes? Yes, but we made less than Ottawa. We had the second best posession stats through the first round of the playoffs, second only to Chicago. I'm not saying we deserved to win the series; the Sens were opportunistic and goalies are part of a team like anyone else, and in that facet of the game we got outplayed big time. But I can objectively say our skaters played better than theirs did and I'd like to think poor goaltending with not be a sustainable/recurring issue going forward.

[THEBIGGESTHABSFAN123]

our defense in the 2011 playoffs was something like

Subban-Wisniewski

Gill-Hamrlik

Spacek-Sopel

Mara

Weber

I'm pretty sure it was

Gill-Subban

Hamrlik-Wisnewski

Spacek-Sopel

Mara

Weber

[grecohab]

Very proud of the turnover season, from 15th to 2nd in the East is a pretty huge accomplishment, congrats and give credit to the team for that. Quite disappointed though for the 1st round exit, not because we went down by Ottawa, but how we went down. In order the reasons we went down, were Ottawa's opportunistic play, weak Montreal goaltending, and very bad officating. Non less i would have been happier if we managed to stretch the series to 7 games.

A few more points though. I cant stop thinking that in an 82 games season we wouldn't have been the No2 at the Conference. Probably a 5th, 6th seed, even 7th, because as the season progressed i felt that from game 40 and until the end we played 50% and even lower, rate of winning hockey. It was a slump, no doubt, and in a full season, this slump would probably carry until the 60th game, a mark in which the team would gain the form back, entering the post season in full steam. So i am not that sure that we benefited the most of the shortened season.

I'm not so sure also that we benefited the most of our playoff opponent draw, either. I think that Toronto would have been a better match up. Not easy, but i think we would have eliminated them. Even if you strech a series at 7 games, experience does matter (all 5 teams that have last won the Cup, are still in the playoffs CHI,LAK,DET,PIT,BOS), and the Leafs are not an experienced team. We would have a blowouts series with them, but with us standing on top at the end. Of course its all pure speculation, but just wondering...

[FirstStar]

Very proud of the turnover season, from 15th to 2nd in the East is a pretty huge accomplishment, congrats and give credit to the team for that. Quite disappointed though for the 1st round exit, not because we went down by Ottawa, but how we went down. In order the reasons we went down, were Ottawa's opportunistic play, weak Montreal goaltending, and very bad officating. Non less i would have been happier if we managed to stretch the series to 7 games.

A few more points though. I cant stop thinking that in an 82 games season we wouldn't have been the No2 at the Conference. Probably a 5th, 6th seed, even 7th, because as the season progressed i felt that from game 40 and until the end we played 50% and even lower, rate of winning hockey. It was a slump, no doubt, and in a full season, this slump would probably carry until the 60th game, a mark in which the team would gain the form back, entering the post season in full steam. So i am not that sure that we benefited the most of the shortened season.

I'm not so sure also that we benefited the most of our playoff opponent draw, either. I think that Toronto would have been a better match up. Not easy, but i think we would have eliminated them. Even if you strech a series at 7 games, experience does matter (all 5 teams that have last won the Cup, are still in the playoffs CHI,LAK,DET,PIT,BOS), and the Leafs are not an experienced team. We would have a blowouts series with them, but with us standing on top at the end. Of course its all pure speculation, but just wondering...

Definitely not a graceful exit, but we weren't even suppose to be in the playoff race according to experts who rated the team before the season began.

It's highly likely we would've finished lower in the standings over an 82 game schedule, but there's no way to know for sure.

We have a lot of small players in our line up and even the bigger players had to play over their heads to compensate for the lack of size up front.

On the other hand, over an 82 game season and a less condensed schedule, we may have finished about the same. An 82 game season leaves room for slumps, a condensed 48 game schedule doesn't leave much room for error. A lot of our players were pretty banged up by the end, it's hard to say where we would've finished had the season started in october and finished in April. Longer, drawn out season may have been easier on our smaller guys and Price may have been able to work his way out of his funk.

At this point it's all just speculation.

Well, we'll have a good idea next season.

[grecohab]

Definitely not a graceful exit, but we weren't even suppose to be in the playoff race according to experts who rated the team before the season began.

It's highly likely we would've finished lower in the standings over an 82 game schedule, but there's no way to know for sure.

We have a lot of small players in our line up and even the bigger players had to play over their heads to compensate for the lack of size up front.

On the other hand, over an 82 game season and a less condensed schedule, we may have finished about the same. An 82 game season leaves room for slumps, a condensed 48 game schedule doesn't leave much room for error. A lot of our players were pretty banged up by the end, it's hard to say where we would've finished had the season started in october and finished in April. Longer, drawn out season may have been easier on our smaller guys and Price may have been able to work his way out of his funk.

At this point it's all just speculation.

Well, we'll have a good idea next season.

I agree...its all just speculation. On to next year. GO HABS GO.