Are the Habs too soft?

[Habsfan84]

Say what you want about Don Cherry, and believe me, much has been said over the years. Unquestionably, he's belligerent, verbose, and combative; all things praised by his many admirers. There is an equal segment of the hockey public who find him distasteful and in many ways a blight on our great national game.
But for fans of the Montreal Canadiens he may just be turning into what they fear the most; right.
From his pulpit afforded him by the CBC, Cherry is free to rant on about what he likes and spew his opinions unchecked. Needless to say his cavalier and in many ways, dismissive attitude towards the Habs rankled many Montrealer's. Taking out their frustration they pelted the CBC with complaints and if ratings are any indication turned the channel on their remotes to the french coverage on RDS.
Cherry, an admitted Toronto supporter and former Boston coach clearly feels no particular need to say anything good about the Canadiens. And while part of this may have something to do with history, it has more to do with Cherry's own personal beliefs. A man who proudly refers to himself as pro-Canadian, Cherry also wears the banner of anti-European, a crusade he's been fighting since he first went on the air over 25 years ago. Many point to his seemingly deliberate mispronunciation of the names of the Habs players as proving his disdain for the team, a team comprised of mainly non-Canadian players (with the notable exception of Carey Price many of the Canadiens top players hail from America and Europe). And while many were eager to point out this as the reason behind his quiet disinterest in the Canadiens many overlooked his original point, which he uttered on the eve of the playoffs.
Amongst all those who predicted an easy Habs win in the first round, Cherry was one of the few voices of dissent, claiming that the Canadiens were not a true playoff contender, questioning their toughness and arguing that the team was "too soft".
Now I'm not going to condone Cherry's actions. Clearly an entertainer first and foremost he has supported the Bruins throughout the series and that's his prerogative, but I have to admit that after six games of this series that he just might be right.
Realistically, this series should have been over long ago. A Habs team that has dominated the Bruins completed throughout the regular season should have had little trouble disposing of them in the playoffs. Yet, this hasn't happened. Approaching game seven tomorrow night one has to wonder how the series got to this point.
Watching six games it has become painful to watch the Bruins out hustle and outwork the Canadiens on a regular basis, shift after shift. Making it more excruciating is the closeness of the games. The Canadiens have, to put it simply, played down to their opponent, while the Bruins on the flipside have been able to get the Habs off of their skill game and into a physical showdown with them.
The Canadiens expected superiority in talent has not shown up over the first six games. Instead what we have is a physical series, one in which every inch is earned, where a price has to be paid on every shift, where one has to get their nose a little dirtied, and their lip a little bloodied. Without question, the Bruins have been willing to pay this price; the Canadiens especially over the last two games have not.
For the most part in this series the Bruins have played as if they have nothing to lose, whereas the Canadiens seem to be playing not to lose. The difference between the two is no more apparent than in the fore check. The Bruins have been regularly sending in two forwards on every fore check, punishing the Canadiens defenders, and quite often rushing the Habs blue liners into costly mistakes that sometimes have ended in the back of the Montreal net. Conversely, the Canadiens appear at times, especially when they have the lead, willing to sit back across the neutral zone and to let the Bruins come to them. Simply put this strategic decision has allowed the Bruins to dictate the pace of the series throughout, a shocking development when one considers the offensive firepower and the team speed of the Canadiens.
For those like Cherry this is indicative of the Canadiens unwillingness to play "tough", to give that superior sacrifice required to be successful in the playoffs. Therefore, the Bruins the hard nosed team, the less talented team, have slowly become the team that wants it more, as opposed to the "soft" Canadiens.
Where the Canadiens softness has also shown up is in their lack of a killer instinct, also a hallmark of a "soft" team. Leading the series, 3 games to 1, with game five at home, the Habs had an ideal opportunity to close out the Bruins and get some valuable days off before the next round. And after jumping to a 1-0 lead in the first period, by the beginning of the second period they went into a shell, allowed the Bruins to once again dictate the tempo of the game and came out on the losing end of a 5-1 drubbing. Last night's game six saw the Canadiens squander three separate leads, on their way to a 5-4 loss. The Canadiens seeming inability to put the Bruins away can be attributed to a puzzling attitude at best.
Watching the games it seems as if the Canadiens are simply waiting for the Bruins to roll over and die. Instead of going out and finishing the series themselves, the Habs seem to be waiting for the Bruins to admit defeat and go meekly into the off season. Unfortunately, it hasn't happened. Because of their regular season dominance, the Habs seem to have brought with them in the playoffs a distinct lack of respect for the Bruins, as players and for that matter the character of their team.
Well after six games there can now be no doubt about the character of the Bruins. On the flipside doubt is starting to permeate the Canadiens and their fan base. Is this a "soft" team like Don Cherry insists? A team with no killer instinct? A team not willing to pay the price for success?
The great thing about the sport of hockey is that these questions will be answered tomorrow night in Montreal. A game seven has a way of doing that, of erasing doubts, of answering questions, of separating the men from the boys, the superstars from the mediocre, and of creating legacies and reputations that can last forever.

The Hockey News: Montreal Canadiens Blog: Canadiens Blog: Are the Habs too soft?