The Canadian finally came up against a wall in the final. The reigning Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning wins in five games. Failure so close to the goal will be hard to take for the Habs veterans.
Barely two weeks after his setback in the grand final, a first tile fell on the Canadian’s head when general manager Marc Bergevin confirmed that the career of captain, Shea Weber, was in jeopardy due to an accumulation of injuries.
PHOTO DAVID BOILY, PRESS ARCHIVES
Shea Weber has not confirmed his retirement, but doubts remain about a possible return of the captain.
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The next day, star goalie Carey Price, who was left unprotected in the Seattle Kraken expansion draft to everyone’s surprise, underwent surgery on one knee. The team expects him to be restored in time for the start of the season.
The same evening, the Canadian put their feet in the dishes, selecting Logan Mailloux in the first round of the draft, after the defenseman had asked the NHL teams earlier in the week not to select him. Mailloux said he did not deserve this honor, having been found guilty by the Swedish justice of having taken and shared without the consent of his partner photos of a sexual act in November 2020.
Even Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he is disappointed with the Canadiens’ decision, while club president Geoff Molson must defend the decision with financial partners.
On July 28, the Canadian lost the services of center Phillip Danault, who accepted a contract with the Los Angeles Kings as an unrestricted free agent.
And with everything looking in place for the start of the season, the Carolina Hurricanes are filing a hostile one-season offer for around $ 6.1million to forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi. On September 4, the Canadian announced that the offer would not be matched since it was deemed “disproportionate”. Kotkaniemi therefore becomes a member of the Hurricanes, while Marc Bergevin tries to compensate for the loss of the young Finn by obtaining Christian Dvorak from the Arizona Coyotes.
Worse and worse
If the Canadiens’ summer had been difficult, it was nothing compared to what awaited him during the fall.
At the opening of his camp, the Habs announced in particular that the striker Mike Hoffman and the defender Joel Edmundson are injured. Even though Edmundson’s state of health is seen as a situation to be reassessed on a day-to-day basis, Edmundson still hasn’t played this season.
A shock wave then struck Montreal on October 7, when the team announced that Carey Price had joined the NHL Player Assistance Program and the NHL Players Association. Price will spend 30 days in a substance abuse treatment center. This will delay his rehabilitation from his knee surgery and he will not play until the Christmas break.
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, PRESS ARCHIVES
Carey Price has resumed training on the ice, but no date has been announced for his return to the game.
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When the season finally begins, the Canadian stumbles at the starting line and loses his first five games. After 30 games, he is posting the worst performance in his history with just 15 points under a 6-21-3 record.
The president of the Canadian, Geoff Molson, had placed the general manager Marc Bergevin in a delicate position by deciding not to extend in advance his contract which expired on the 1is July 2022. Molson finally decides, on November 28, to end his association of more than nine and a half years with Bergevin. Trevor Timmins, Bergevin’s assistant and longtime draft manager, is also shown the exit.
Jeff Gorton is hired as vice president of hockey operations. This decision is badly digested by some supporters and observers since Gorton is an American and he does not speak French. Molson insists, however, that the person who will be hired as general manager will be bilingual and will be responsible for making hockey decisions.
This dossier is to be followed. And the next general manager will have a lot of work to do to bring the Canadian back to the threshold of respectability. It remains to be seen when the Canadian will return to the ice, following the disruption of operations due to the rise in COVID-19 cases.
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Alexis Belanger-Champagne
The Canadian Press
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From a great start to the season to a slide that leads to the departure of head coach Claude Julien. From an unexpected run to the Stanley Cup final to a summer marked by the controversial selection of hopeful Logan Mailloux in the draft. The Canadian experienced the ecstasy of victory, but also the pain of defeat.
Here is a retrospective of the year 2021 for the Habs.
A season in two stages
With a seasoned lineup following the acquisitions of forwards Tyler Toffoli, Josh Anderson and Corey Perry, defenseman Joel Edmundson and goalie Jake Allen, the Canadian is off to a great start to the 2021 campaign.
With a record of 8-2-2 after 12 games, the Canadian won only one of his next six games and general manager Marc Bergevin decided to shock his troops. On February 24, he showed the door to head coach Claude Julien and his partner Kirk Muller, handing over the reins of the Habs to Dominique Ducharme. A few days later, Bergevin also fired goalie coach Stéphane Waite, telling him the news in the middle of the game.
PHOTO BERNARD BRAULT, PRESS ARCHIVES
Head coach Claude Julien was replaced by Dominique Ducharme on February 24.
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The transition under Ducharme’s orders is difficult. The Canadian also saw his campaign halted for a week when Joel Armia tested positive for COVID-19 following a screening test. With a busy schedule which leads in particular to a certain congestion in the infirmary, the Habs will finally qualify for pain and misery for the playoffs.
A dream course
With his back to the wall, down 3-1 in his first-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, no one believes in his chances of turning things around. However, a team meeting before Game 5 in Toronto in which the veterans speak will have an unexpected effect.
Thanks to goals from Nick Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi, the Canadian snatched two overtime wins from the Leafs and forced the presentation of a final game, which he won 3-1 in Toronto.
On a roll, the Canadian easily swept the Winnipeg Jets in the second round and was crowned champion of the North Division. The team then managed to get rid of the Vegas Golden Knights in six games, winning the ultimate game on June 24 and delivering a big Saint John the Baptist celebration to their fans.
PHOTO DAVID BOILY, PRESS ARCHIVES
Artturi Lehkonen’s overtime goal eliminated the Las Vegas Golden Knights in six games.
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The Canadian finally came up against a wall in the final. The reigning Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning wins in five games. Failure so close to the goal will be hard to take for the Habs veterans.
A disastrous summer
Barely two weeks after his setback in the grand final, a first tile fell on the Canadian’s head when general manager Marc Bergevin confirmed that the career of captain, Shea Weber, was in jeopardy due to an accumulation of injuries.
PHOTO DAVID BOILY, PRESS ARCHIVES
Shea Weber has not confirmed his retirement, but doubts remain about a possible return of the captain.
–
The next day, star goalie Carey Price, who was left unprotected in the Seattle Kraken expansion draft to everyone’s surprise, underwent surgery on one knee. The team expects him to be restored in time for the start of the season.
The same evening, the Canadian put their feet in the dishes, selecting Logan Mailloux in the first round of the draft, after the defenseman had asked the NHL teams earlier in the week not to select him. Mailloux said he did not deserve this honor, having been found guilty by the Swedish justice of having taken and shared without the consent of his partner photos of a sexual act in November 2020.
Even Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he is disappointed with the Canadiens’ decision, while club president Geoff Molson must defend the decision with financial partners.
On July 28, the Canadian lost the services of center Phillip Danault, who accepted a contract with the Los Angeles Kings as an unrestricted free agent.
And with everything looking in place for the start of the season, the Carolina Hurricanes are filing a hostile one-season offer for around $ 6.1million to forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi. On September 4, the Canadian announced that the offer would not be matched since it was deemed “disproportionate”. Kotkaniemi therefore becomes a member of the Hurricanes, while Marc Bergevin tries to compensate for the loss of the young Finn by obtaining Christian Dvorak from the Arizona Coyotes.
Worse and worse
If the Canadiens’ summer had been difficult, it was nothing compared to what awaited him during the fall.
At the opening of his camp, the Habs announced in particular that the striker Mike Hoffman and the defender Joel Edmundson are injured. Even though Edmundson’s state of health is seen as a situation to be reassessed on a day-to-day basis, Edmundson still hasn’t played this season.
A shock wave then struck Montreal on October 7, when the team announced that Carey Price had joined the NHL Player Assistance Program and the NHL Players Association. Price will spend 30 days in a substance abuse treatment center. This will delay his rehabilitation from his knee surgery and he will not play until the Christmas break.
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, PRESS ARCHIVES
Carey Price has resumed training on the ice, but no date has been announced for his return to the game.
–
When the season finally begins, the Canadian stumbles at the starting line and loses his first five games. After 30 games, he is posting the worst performance in his history with just 15 points under a 6-21-3 record.
The president of the Canadian, Geoff Molson, had placed the general manager Marc Bergevin in a delicate position by deciding not to extend in advance his contract which expired on the 1is July 2022. Molson finally decides, on November 28, to end his association of more than nine and a half years with Bergevin. Trevor Timmins, Bergevin’s assistant and longtime draft manager, is also shown the exit.
Jeff Gorton is hired as vice president of hockey operations. This decision is badly digested by some supporters and observers since Gorton is an American and he does not speak French. Molson insists, however, that the person who will be hired as general manager will be bilingual and will be responsible for making hockey decisions.
This dossier is to be followed. And the next general manager will have a lot of work to do to bring the Canadian back to the threshold of respectability. It remains to be seen when the Canadian will return to the ice, following the disruption of operations due to the rise in COVID-19 cases.
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