by Ray Fauteux

Created on: April 20, 2008

Of all the teams that have ever played in the NHL, the Montreal Canadians is without a doubt the most challenging NHL team for any hockey player to be a part of. They most likely have the most knowledgeable fans in the game, and they really don't have much patience for players who don't produce. On top of that, Montreal has a tradition rich in past stars and great teams and the fans expect nothing less than a Stanley Cup every time playoff time rolls around.

They just might expect they will be disappointed once again this year as the Habs have their hands full with a Boston team that just won't go away.

With game seven at hand things didn't look good for the Canadians. Mostly because they were playing at home. For most teams, this would be a huge lift, but for the Canadians, playing in front of their fans means nothing but extra pressure as they know they are expected to win. You could just tell that the Habs really wanted to end the series in 6 games in Boston, but they missed their chance as the Bruins refused to cave in. As if that weren't enough, the Habs will have to face the Montreal media who will take up most of the time between now and game 7 dissecting how they lost game 6.

It's obvious that Price, the so-called rookie sensation is feeling the pressure in goal as he has let in 10 goals in two games. It was hardly the showing of a sensation in the past couple of games.

Price is obviously feeling the heat that comes with a pressure-packed series and with each loss and each goal he lets in, his confidence wavers just a little bit more. Since the mystic of beating Price appeared to have been overcome, there was no hex left for the opposition to overcome and the Bruins probably thought they would be filling the net again in game 7.

So in these playoffs of 2008, the series had all the ear-marks of a the Montreal Canadians team that would once again come up short, and the series they were expected to win will just be another year to forget for the team and their fans.

However, the opposite happened and the Habs, especially Price responded to the fans and playing at home at shut out the Bruins to advance to the second round. It's quite possible that this Montreal team has that special chemistry that will take it deep into the playoffs since they have shown they can bounce back from adversity and respond as they did.

As it is, the Canadians have avoided another off-season of hot debating in the Montreal press as to who should go and who should stay as the 2009 season takes front and center. Disappointed fans will not have to drag their team through the mud because they lost the opening round of the playoffs in 7 games, but instead, when the puck is dropped for the first game of the next series, they will once again fill the stands and continue to be the most demanding fans in the league this particular Habs team seems to respond well to.

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