Character. That word was used a lot when Marc Bergevin first addressed the Montreal faithful, the rookie GM having just been brought in to right the Good Ship Habitant.
To be honest, I didn't see this focus on personality over production as an encouraging sign. During the Habs' darker days, the word 'character' seemed to be trotted out as a desperate ploy to spin positives out of sub-mediocre lineups. The Canadiens always had their share of likable, hard-working little guys like Gionta, Bouillon, etc. Guys who give it their all on the ice and in the gym, are great in the locker room and in front of the cameras...perfect just about everywhere except on the scoresheet. I didn't want character, I was tired of it. I wanted goals and wins. That's it.
Fast forward three years to where we now find the Montreal Canadiens...once again battling for first place, in a season that follows a very young squad's promising run to the Conference Final. All of this being accomplished without the benefit of a top-25 scorer. How are they accomplishing it? Is it witchcraft? Most will say it simply comes down to Carey Price - and they wouldn't be wrong. Price is in the midst of a Hart-calibre season and I am certainly not going to downplay his contribution, but goaltending alone will not get it done. Just ask Hart winner Jose Theodore, whose superhuman 2001-02 season was barely enough to qualify for the playoffs. Even ask Roberto Luongo, who was a two-time NHL All Star before he'd even played his first playoff game. No, it takes a lot more than a great goalie to get to first place - or to the Conference Final.
The Canadiens are accomplishing this as a team. They are known for bad starts and low scoring...and yet, they score when they need to. These guys get better as the game goes on and they bring their best when the win is on the line. That, to me, speaks to the character of the group that Marc Bergevin has assembled. Gone are the low work ethics of the Kostitsyns and yes, even Alex Kovalev. There are no more Mike Ribeiros cockily swaggering through the halls of the Bell Centre. No more Mikhail Grabovskis sulking their way off the team. This team, to a man, is full of players who care about winning and who care about each other. That was an aspect that was key to the great Habs' teams of the past and it's encouraging to see that it exists among the current group.
So what's the point of this little love-in of a post?
I recently read the rumours of the Canadiens being interested in Evander Kane and immediately thought "No!" I've become a disciple of Bergevin's Gospel on Character and this player seems to me to be the antithesis of it. Kane has tremendous hockey assets and I really hope he settles down and achieves his potential, but that's a project I'd prefer another team to take on.
For those who doubt the importance of Character over Corsi stats, consider the Toronto Maple Leafs. They boast a top-20 guy in Phil Kessel and even James van Riemsdyk is producing Pacioretty points. But what they also have is a noted issue with character, from their comatose Captain Dion Phaneuf, to the cocky Kid Kadri, to their star player in the afore-mentioned Kessel. The issues of character appear to have even driven their former CEO Tim Leiweke away.
One might then say "Well then how have the Bruins been so good, despite being a team full of arseholes like Milan Lucic and Brad Marchant?" Yes, it's true that those players are among the most dastardly and hated in the universe, but they still work hard, care about their team and care about winning.
Just like goaltending though, character is not enough to get it done. It is just one important piece. It is possible that the bad first periods, low scoring and anemic power play will end up being the Canadiens' downfall. That is a very real possibility, but this is a young team on the rise and growing pains are to be expected. What's important is that this is a group of players who WANT to improve. They say you can't teach size and I also believe that while it's possible to build character, you can't create it.
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