Canadiens Took Big Steps In 2007-08

[Habsfan84]

Upset. Bitter. Disillusioned. Stunned.

These words pretty much sum up the gamut of emotions I am feeling at the moment.

And it's damn hard to write all of this with the wound open fresh.

I have loved every minute of being a Canadiens fan this season. Though I am not happy with how this playoff has ended, I am as proud as I have been all season that the Montreal Canadiens have restored themselves among the better NHL teams. They made greater leaps than anyone imagined this season, and brought us fans an exciting brand of hockey along the way. The 2007-08 season has been a thrill ride.

I don't want to dwell much on Saturday's game or this particular series to any length. I'm not sure that time will allow me to have a better perspective or a deeper understanding or appreciation of what took place during five games. I have the same aftertaste that was left after the Carolina series in 2006.

I don't feel the better team won.

I don't even feel as though the team that played best won.

I feel that the luckier of two teams won. The most opportune team won.

I'm not sure if I can give the Flyers credit for the accomplishment of upsetting the Habs, yet there is nothing that they have done to deserve removal of merit.

All I can say is that I have rarely seen a team capable of taking advantage of every break with such tenacity.

There are many good players on the Flyers that I have a newfound appreciation for, such as Richards, Timonen, and of course Umberger, who simply was a Habs killer in this round.

Martin Biron is the luckiest goaltender alive. There were just too many goalposts hit behind him, muffled open net chances by Montreal, and shots fired wide when he was out of position for me to buy into him as the reason the Canadiens summer is starting sooner than expected.

I'll never be sold on Daniel Briere either. A constant perimeter player, he's good, but nothing exceptional. Hardly worth the king's ransom he's being paid. There's a half dozen Habs I wouldn't trade for him even up. He would have never lasted in Montreal beyond a year or two. The expections that would have been impossible for him to meet would have turned him into Pierre "Pack My Bags" Turgeon as soon as the going got rough.

But enough about the frigging Flyers.

That pretty well covers why I am feeling upset, bitter, and stunned.

What is most disillusioning is the way hockey is officiated in 2008. I'm not going to run through a litany of blown calls - I'd be typing until sunup just to scratch the surface.

Hockey officials likely have the toughest job in all of sports. The game is too fast to be called the way it is presently. Too much is missed, misjudged, bumbled, and misrepresented.

During the lockout, fans were told that many issues had been addressed. I see no reflection of that whatsoever in the way the game is called. Hockey is light speed and officiating is neanderthal. The way things are set up, the team that commits the most subtle fouls that they can get away with is rewarded most.

It's a pity that it is this way, because it prevents the game from growing, both on and off the ice.

I know many casual fans who enjoy the sport who are turned off by an almost blatant inconsistency that often ruins the game. The NHL has often said that it wants to reward the faster, more skilled players. I don't see any evidence of that at all.

Now that I have gotten all that I've been holding back for some time, off my chest, it is time to look upon the reason why this site is here and why you are reading it.

Read the rest at Eyes On The Prize: Canadiens Took Big Steps In 2007-08