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Has lived the dream!
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Where I lay my head is home...
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Montreal Ends Season With a Whimper
(Was going to write this when I got knocked out, figure I'd get it out now before the offseason starts. I do not mean to distract from the playoffs or finals)
Montreal Ends Season With a Whimper
Montreal Gazette
Stephane L'Frenchie
And there you have it.
Eliminated in six games in the first round of the playoffs, the Montreal Canadiens will not be winning Lord Stanley's mug for a fourth straight season.
Disappointment was heavy in the city as Montreal was defeated by the Winnipeg Jets in six games.
The biggest disappointment didn't come from the exit, or first round exit though. It came because Winnipeg was a team Montreal should have been able to beat.
Although Winnipeg held home ice advantage, it was only because of the division leader rule. The SE was easily the weakest division in the league and Winnipeg was actually 12 points behind Montreal.
As well, besides a blip in the final few games, Montreal finished the last quarter of the season very strongly. Add the fact that they did most of that without their strongest defenseman in Keith Yandle, who was scheduled to come back in the first round of the playoffs, and you had a very confident city.
The path through the first round looked certain, and the stars were aligning for a fourth straight Stanley Cup.
'I don't know what happened,' GM Daradon stated on garbage bag day. 'It's easy to say we were too confident, or that we didn't take them seriously, but I'm not sure that's it. These are champions on this team. We know how to prepare.'
As Daradon had stated going into the series, while the point difference between the two teams was large, the record between them was very close. Montreal finishing 2-1-1 to Winnipeg's 2-2-0. Winnipeg also handily took a game from them in the final week, closing the coffin on Montreal's 2nd place conference finish.
Perhaps it was just a matchup that did not favor our beloved Habs as much as it seemed to on paper.
In the pubs, reactions were varying. But most were very tempered.
'It sucks the way we went out, but you can't win every year,' one fan pointed out. 'The Jets played well.'
'It's only our GM's first year,' another replied. 'I'll wait till the end of next playoffs before I get mad.'
'We definitely should have done better, but we'll be back!' another fan warned the league.
Daradon vowed to look at the whole organization top to bottom going into next season. Given a possible feud with the coach, it's not improbable staff changes will be made. Every GM likes to pick their own coach.
The GM will have his work cut out for him when it comes to remaining under the cap, but there are bright spots with some of the younger players, especially Winnik who was picked up at the end of the season.
'If we have to get rid of a high salary or two, there will be a strong up and comer to replace them,' Daradon told fans. 'We have a good mix of youth and prospects.'
'We will learn from our mistakes and move forward. I fully believe we will be contending for the NE title again next year.'
When asked about the possibility of another Stanley Cup, Daradon didn't mince words.
'I didn't get into hockey to win a president's trophy or GM award. And I wasn't picked to replace the winningest GM of the CPHL because I knew nothing. This is the Montreal Canadiens. Les Habitants. The Bleu, Blanc, et Rouge...'
'They win Stanley Cups'
On a personal note I just wanted to say a few things out of character.
First of all I had a lot of fun filling this role and have come to learn and understand the game and the league. I have also made some new friends I never talked to on the board before, and have tried to promote a few rivalries. I am excited for the offseason and the challenges it presents and can't wait to see what I do for my first full year.
Though I wanted to do as well as possible in the playoffs obviously, I felt a strange amount of relief losing, even the way I did. This is not a complaint, in fact, some of it was kinda fun, but there was a weird amount of pressure for me to come in and take over this team, with all it's recent success, especially one quarter of the way in the season.
Right from the beginning I was told about it's successes and how I should do really well because I obviously had a very strong team. I not only wanted to live up to past successes, but felt it would be embarrassing if I did poorly given the cap advantages I had, etc.
I had more than one GM tell me straight up that if I won the cup again, they would be out of the league, cause obviously something is screwy with the sim. Probably more tongue in cheek, and I definitely understand the sentiment, but kinda puts me in a weird spot.
I also had more than one GM tell me that I should have great success because of the advantages I have inherited, including possibly a sim that favors the Canadiens. Again, at least with the sim, probably somewhat tongue in cheek, but now I'm in a really weird spot.
I don't want anyone to leave, but I don't wanna look like a fool either. Plus I'm kinda caught in this weird spot where any successes I earn, are probably based on my predecessors successes or a buggy sim, not my management. But any failures are squarely on me.
Even winning a cup might not be enough, lol.
This is not meant to me be whining like a little nancy as they say, only to say that I hope this alleviates people's feelings on the sim. (Or at least on the Canadiens aspect of the sim.) It also gives me the chance to prove that any success going forward is an accomplishment of my own.
I have had a lot of fun in this league, and I really love getting into character. Montreal always has been one of my favorite teams, mostly cause of the history. I believe I will enjoy it even if I'm bringing up the rear. I hope to see you all here again next year and hope you will all enjoy having me in the league. Despite the weird role I was thrust in, I am appreciative for it.
Daradon
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