It's not easy being a fan of the Montreal Canadiens this year.
Like most Habs fans, I have always been proud of my Club. I even have a little Habs flag that flaps in the wind from the rear window of my car.
This year however, is different.
This past week I got a taste of just how hard it can be to have this passion of mine.
When Mike (Camshaft) Cammalleri got traded the other night, I will tell you that my shock meter barely twitched. Might have jumped a little higher at the fact that it happened mid-game though. I have always been fiercely proud of the Canadiens, and their rich heritage, their history, their passion for integrity and honour in a game that is often sullied by contracts, crybabies and criticisms.
This one however, sort of stinks.
Not that he got traded mind you, he mouthed off to the press instead of his locker room, where such remarks ought to stay, and he got what he deserved and wanted, but that he was pulled out of a game and sent off.
Pierre Gauthier, and more than likely owner Geoff Molson, were trying to send a message to the team. Call us losers and get on the bus.
But the only message I got from this atrocity was that PG and Molson didn't care whether or not they won a game against the Bruins. By pulling out a player before the 3rd period, they basically told all Habs fans that they are in charge, they won't brook any insubordination, and they don't care about seasonal consequences.
My thoughts are pretty much neutral on the trade itself. Not bad, but had Gauthier done a little bit of his job, he would have gotten more.
But the next day, I went to work. I work for the post office, and I am lucky enough that my Canadiens hats pretty much fit in with my uniform, so I wear one every day to work. As a result, I get to talk a lot of hockey at work. In particular, I razz on a coworker about his love for the Bruins.
This day however, he found me first, and the first words out of his mouth were, "What kind of team do you have there, Rene? Who does that?" As I prepared my defense, I realized he was right. NOBODY does what Gauthier did. He accompanied the team to Boston. Why? He pulled Camshaft out? Why? He said the trade had been months in the making (a thin and paltry lie).
The answer is, Gauthier doesn't care about the quality of the Canadiens reputation. He couldn't do the kinds of things he continues to do if he understood what the Canadiens mean, not only to Quebecers, but to all of the Habs Nation.
My response to my coworker was a shake of my head, along with a meagre, "I have no idea."
I was given a book by my sister Tyg for Christmas, called "The Montreal Canadiens: 100 years of History". If you get the chance, this is a wonderful read.
It puts you in the mind of the players, the coaches, the fans, the GMs...
Without doubt, I would hold that Gauthier is probably the worst GM the Canadiens have ever had, given that he truly doesn't seem to know how to do his job, and that he truly doesn't seem to care to learn how to do it.
Perhaps the best example of why is so hard to be a Habs fan this year is not how bad they are, it's not how horrible the team is being managed, it's not the language debacle. The best example of how hard it is to be a Canadiens fan is from my mother.
Mom is a Canadiens fan. Bigtime. She loves Cammy (past tense I wonder?) Plekanec and all the boys. She has her own jersey, and watches games with us.
She drove my car the other day. After she returned, I got in my car to go home.
Once in my car, I noticed something.
The Habs flag had been removed from the window, and was lying on the floor beside me.
