IS THIS THE YEAR?

                             With the 2011-12 season just around the corner, many Canadiens fans wounder if this is the year that Montreal will end there 18 year stanley cup drought. The Canadiens have came close in 2010 as they took out Washington in 7 games and Pittsburgh in 7 games with Jarosalv Halak being the  highlighted hero for Montreal. But that was all about to change in the Eastern Conference Final as the Canadiens fell to the Philadelphia Flyers in 5 games. The Habs were just 3 wins away from the Stanley cup final. The next season, the Canadiens  Cup run did not live up to the hype as they fell to the Boston Bruins in 7 games in round 1.

                So now the question rises. Is this the year for Montreal? The Canadiens have outstanding goaltending from Carey Price. A shot blocker machine in Hal Gill. Offensive talent from Plekanec, Cammalleri, Gionta, Pacioretty and now Eric Cole. The Canadiens also have one of the best Penalty killing and Powerplay units in the NHL. So is this enough?  If you look at the past season, hope was high for the Canadiens as they finished second in the NorthEast division and sixth in the Eastern Conference. They had a record of 44-30-8. Not bad for a team that TSN predicted would finish ninth in the Eastern Conference and miss the playoffs. The Canadiens (just like in the 2010 playoffs) , have proved that they can go beyond there expectations to achieve higher.

                 This season,  the Canadiens have been predicted by Hockey News to finish in 8th, but I think they will once again overachieve by finishing in 3rd with the leader ship from Captain Brian Gionta and head coach Jacques Martin. But if the Canadiens are going to win the Stanley cup, they will need to pull together as a team, block shots, score goals and be the best as they can be on there special teams unit. Thats the keys to succeed in the NHL.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo