Les Canadiens de Montréal
Admittedly, I was getting nervous. This game seemed a little too similar to Game 4, when the Canadiens seemed to own a lead until the third period, when the Vegas Golden Knights scored to tie it.
In overtime in that game, visiting Vegas also managed to notch the winning goal in overtime to take the game and even the series up.
Now, here we were again, this time a couple of games later. But the situation seemed similar enough. Montreal owned a series lead, this time three games to two, with a chance to clinch the series with a win, and earn a berth in the Cup Finals. They led 2-1 after two periods, and if they played well enough in the third, they would finally get back to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1993, with a chance to hoist the Stanley Cup for the first time since then, as well. All they had to so is…
And then, just like that, Vegas scored the tying goal, early in the third period. The game was tied, 2-2.
I was not able to watch on television, because I was at work. But since last time, I had kept the score on Google, and since this familiarity gave me a bad feeling – and also since, admittedly, I can be a bit superstitious when it comes to sports in particular – it seemed like a good idea to close the browser and focus on other things, only occasionally checking in to see if there were any updates as to the results. As if my seeming outward indifference might help lift the Canadiens to victory or something. Lol.
In any case, this is what I did. And that sinking feeling returned with each update, as the third period grew old, and then eventually, expired.
Overtime.
The Canadiens had lost that last overtime game at the Centre Bell, and yes, I was nervous. So I quickly closed the browser once again, returning to other things.
When I checked next, the Canadiens had scored the winning goal in overtime, and thus punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals.
That’s right. The Canadiens entered these playoffs as, for all intents and purposes, the lowest seed. They had accumulated 59 points, the lowest of any team to qualify for the playoffs. So most assumed that they would lose quickly, and that would be that. Indeed, when Toronto took a three games to one lead in the first round series, it seemed to be par for the course. I will admit that at that point, I had also assumed that they would likely lose Game 5 soon enough, and that one the road to the Stanley Cup, they would then quickly take the first exit.
However, that was exactly when the Canadiens began to show what they are capable of. They won Game 5. Most people probably assumed at that point that it was just forestalling the inevitable, but they then took Game 6, They had forced a Game 7. And while the prospects of going to a rabid arena in downtown Toronto for a seventh and deciding game may have seen daunting, the Canadiens had given themselves a chance, and that is really all you can ask for. They outplayed the Maple Leafs, and suddenly, they had managed to achieve a rare feat, coming back from down 3-1 to win a series.
In the second round, the Canadiens were simply on fire. They took the first game in Winnipeg, and then followed that up with another win on the road in Game 2. They walloped the Jets in Game 3, but then had to survive a tough time in Game 4, before ultimately doing just enough to win the game and clinch yet another series.
Now, against the favored Vegas Golden Knights, the Canadiens have pulled the feat off once again. They lost Game 1, but then won the second one. And so, they had a chance to take the series by the throat if they could win their two home games. They took the first home game, but then lost Game 4, as was mentioned already earlier here.
But in Game 5, the Canadiens were at their best. Despite being on the road against a tough Vegas squad, Les Habs convincingly outplayed the Golden Knights. Ultimately, they managed to dominate that game, which gave them a great opportunity to clinch the series, and their first appearance in the Cup Finals in nearly three decades, and to do it right at home, at the Centre Bell in Montreal.
Obviously, they capitalized.
It all started when team captain Shea Weber scored on a power play in the first period, giving Les Habs the early lead.
Alec Martinez of the Golden Knights scored to tie the game again, but Cole Caufield, who has emerged as a breakout star in these playoffs, scored, giving the Canadiens the lead once again. They kept it until the third period, when Martinez scored again for Vegas, tying it up. Ultimately, regulation time ended with the game tied.
So it went into overtime.
It was then that Arturi Lehkonen scored the winning goal less than two minutes in the overtime session. That was game, set, and match.
Team owner Marc Bergevin donned his now usual red suit and did a celebratory dance after his team clinched the series win.
As for Montreal, the city went wild, obviously, as well. There were fireworks and wild celebrations in the city of Montreal after their beloved hockey team won. Of course, the game had taken place on what is the likely the biggest holiday in the province, so people were already celebrating. But the Canadiens gave them even more reason to celebrate, and the city clearly obliged. Most likely, so did the entire province of Quebec. Hopefully, so did the res of the entire country of Canada, for which the team is named.
One interesting note: the Canadiens have a storied history, as one of the most decorated sports franchises in North America, if not the world. However, they received one trophy that the club had never won in their history before last night: the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl. That is because this is traditionally the Western Conference championship trophy, and the Canadiens obviously play in the east.
Now, they await the winner of Game 7 between the visiting New York Islanders and the hometown Tampa Bay Lightning. That in and of itself should be a great game.
The Canadiens have faced a number of teams in the Stanley Cup Finals over the course of their decades of existence, but they have never faced either the Tampa Bay Lightning or the New York Islanders.
Whoever emerges, the Canadiens are looking like they have a real chance to win. This will be the sixth time that a Canadian team has reached the Stanley Cup Finals since the last time that a Canadian team won the Cup. That, of course, was the Canadiens themselves, and this is the first time since then that Montreal has qualified for the Stanley Cup Finals. The Canucks came close twice, in 1994 and in 2011, losing in Game 7 both times. The Calgary Flames were cheated, and should have won it after taking the lead in Game 6 in 2004, but were robbed, and ultimately lost the series in Game 7. Edmonton also lost Game 7 in 2006. The only other Canadian team to have qualified during that stretch was the Ottawa Senators, who lost a short series to Anaheim that only went to Game 5.
Montreal, however, has the most storied franchise not only north of the border, but in the NHL overall. They have a proud tradition, and a young and hot team that seems to be hitting their stride at the right time. They may finally break through and end the Stanley Cup drought north of the border. Surely, you know that I will be pulling for the Canadiens to achieve what no other Canadian team has managed to achieve in the better part of three decades now.
Go Habs, Go!!!
Les Canadiens de Montréal
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