2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam only made it big because of the path forged by Hüsker Dü, the Replacements, the Pixies and Montreal bands like the Nils, the Asexuals and Three O'Clock Train.

(If you disagree, dear reader, I am happy to hear what you think in the comments.)

Strangely, I feel a real relevance of that to whatever I'm witnessing here with our Habs, even as they drop the second game of their third round series against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Regardless, the Canadiens' 25th Stanley Cup will not necessarily come to the most deserving Habs team; but the most opportune, when the stars align. It could be now (I really think it might), or it could necessarily be somewhere down the line. Essentially, school is still (and always) in session when you're coached by such a diligent student of The Game as Martin Saint-Louis.

20 years ago,...

Again in 2011...

2021...

Whatevs!

What my eyes see this year: our CH are playing toe to toe with the best.

And it's dawn, not dusk.

GoHabsGo !

Goin' South to North Carolina

(Sung to the tune of Hotel California. Apologies to the Eagles)

On a flight home from Buffalo

An eighth win in the bank

Rank smells from the equipment bags

To remind them of how Game 6 stank

Up ahead on the schedule

They saw an upcoming flight

Their play had steadied

Having fought hard to win

They had to brace for the next fight

There it lay 'midst the hog farms

And a million cowbells

And they were thinking to themselves,

This could be heaven or this could be hell

Then Marty lit up the torCH and he showed them the way

Those Forum ghosts have still got their backs

And you can hear them say:

"You're goin' south to North Carolina

Aaron Ward lives here

He might buy you a beer

Playing Round 3 down in North Carolina

Such a whale of a place

Such a tragic (coach's) face"

Their game is Brind-Amour twisted

Their fans make lots of noise

They got a lot of pretty flashy players

But none to match Suzuki's points

They got a pretty good goalkeep

But his team don't go deep

Canes can win a couple rounds every year

But they can never win three

Recall the Habs' '06 captain

Who'd beaten back cancer like a giant

Then Williams took out Saku's eye

Never fully regained his sight

And still those Forum ghosts calling from far away

Wake these Canes up in the middle of the night

Cuz this is the CH's day

Goin' south now to North Carolina

Justin Williams beware

An eye for an eye I swear

Xhekaj is comin' for you down in North Carolina

Such a whale of a place

Such a tragic (coach's) face

A kid named Sebastien Aho

Took Bergy's offer sheet

He wanted to become a Hab

But the Canes owner, he was piqued

So he matched the Habs' offer

Said: "Kid, you're my property"

"You can sign Bergy's offer sheet 

But you can never leave"

A kid named Kotkaniemi

Thought 6 mill sounded nice

And he found: "We are all just prisoners here

Upon our agents' advice"

And in Brind-Amour's chambers

They haven't played in two weeks

They shoot the puck from every corner of the ice

But they still can't win the East

#GoHabsGo

Love these Habs now

Love These Habs Now

(apologies to Mon Rovîa) 

Do you hear the Bell Centre roar?

Do you recall when you heard that before

Times ain't the same in the Atlantic

Got a bunch of teams juiced like hell

While the refs keep their whistles on the shelf 

 

Do you see the Habs compete

Fighting for every inch of that ice sheet

SFU can write them off as small and weak

But they battle hard cuz they ain't meek

Ain't gonna knock 'em off their feet

 

Love these Habs now

Show em' MSL 

Lindy's Sabres are playing on a heavy foot

And they're trying to keep the Habs down

But no they're never gonna push 'em around

 

They scored fast to start Game 3

But the pushback was more than they'd seen

Newhook and Dach and Slafkovsky

Outclassed the Sabres wicked clean

Showed 'em what it means to be a team

 

Did you see their captain Dahleen?

Norris hopeful, beautiful sheen

Cheap-shotting everyone he can find

Cuz he knows the refs know when to be blind

Man, that's a different kind of weak

Love these Habs now

Show em' MSL 

Lindy's Sabres are playing on a heavy foot

And they're trying to beat the Habs down

But no they're never gonna keep the Habs down

Did you see the scrum in Game 2?

Benson down prone all vulnerable

Mike Matheson protected him well

Union brothers, man, should be a tell

Love these Habs now

Show em' MSL 

Lindy's Sabres are playing on a heavy foot

And they're trying to beat the Habs down

But no they're never gonna push 'em around

 

Deep Playoff Run (apologies to CHappell Roan)

(Sung to the tune of "Pink Pony Club")

 

I know you wanted me to stay

Mired in the Atlantic division, out of Bettman’s way

And I heard Saint-Louis’s sage conseil

Where players on this Habs team are teammates all the way

 

I’m having wicked dreams

Of Habs supremacy

Oh, playoffs’ final round

I swear it’s calling me

Won’t make ol’ Bettman proud

It’s gonna cause a scene

He sees a Canadian team

I know he’s gonna scream

 

God, what have you done?

There are deep playoff rounds

Where Habs don’t belong

Yo mama, we’re having great fun

 

On the ice with FastLane

Where the CH belong all pushing for a

Deep playoff run

I’m gonnn keep on hoping for a

Deep playoff run

I’m gonna keep on cheering

Down at Brasserie CHerrier

I’m gonna keep on rooting for a

Deep playoff run, deep playoff run

 

Newhook scored, and jaws are on the floor

Tage Thompson in the bathroom spewing vomit at the door

Blackout zones; fans screwed throughout it all

Every night’s another reason why the Habs won’t fall

 

I thank my wicked dreams

Of Habs supremacy

Oh, playoffs’ final round

Are you that far from me?

Won’t make ol’ Bettman proud

It’s gonna cause a scene

He sees a Canadian team

I know he’s gonna scream

God, what have you done?

There are deep playoff rounds

Where the Habs don’t belong

Yo mama, we’re having great fun

 

On the ice with our hockey ghosts

It’s where we belong down in a

Deep playoff run

I’m gonna keep on hoping for a

Deep playoff run

I’m gonna keep on cheering

Down at Brasserie CHerrier

I’m gonna keep on rooting for a

Deep playoff run, deep playoff run

 

Don’t think of players left behind

Still love Price and Weber

You’re always on my mind 

And Gary, every Saturday

I can hear your lawyery drawl a thousand miles away, saying

God, what have you done?

There are deep playoff rounds

Where the Habs don’t belong

Yo mama, we’re having great fun

 

On the late Springtime ice

It’s where we belong down in a

Deep playoff run

I’m gonna keep on hoping for a

Deep playoff run

I’m gonna keep on cheering

Down at Brasserie CHerrier

I’m gonna keep on rooting for a

Deep playoff run, deep playoff run

I’m gonna keep on hopin’!

The Habs have a fast Lane

(With apologies to the great Tracy Chapman)

We got David Savard

Blocks lots of shots

With his Stanley Cup rings

But his body’s getting old for defendin’

Can’t keep up with the young new wingers

Need to find talented young blood on the blue line

Somebody’s got to take care of it

So Hughes and Gorton got to work

And that’s what they did

We had a Weber once

And a Danault and a Lehkonen and a Toffoli too

And a Covid-shortened season

And a window to a playoff run

But Price’s knees had a problem

And Weber’s foot was totally finished

Somebody had to replace them

But Bergy had no answers so he earned a pink slip

Cuz I remember when we were driving

Driving for that Cup

Won three big series

Felt like I was drunk

Beating Leafs, Jets and Knights 

Put them in the rearview mirror

And I had a feeling 25 would come

And I had a feeling we could beat anyone

Anyone

Now we got a fast Lane

Skates like the wind

And dekes like a demon

He ain’t too tall or beefy

But he really knows what it means to be scorin’

And we got a Demidov

A young new stud with ridiculous talent

And we got Caufield too

And Laine and Captain Suzuki too

These guys are all just blooming

Best years ahead and no foreseeable limits

And Anderson and Gally still here

Not to mention Armia and Evans 

Now we got a Wild Card

And we can take Washington

Just like the War of 1812

And a new White House that’s fit for burning

And I have a feeling 25 could come

And I have a feeling we can beat anyone

Anyone

GO HABS GO!

[Next year!]

Oh, Carey

(apologies to Steve Perry)

You shouldn't have posted

Knowing how Montrealers feel

And you should've known

Dec. 6 and what it means

Oh, I must've been a dreamer

And I thought you were someone else

'Course you're livin' in a bubble!

Oh, Carey, regarding guns

Hold on, hold your fire

Oh, Carey, "poly" means

Lionizing Lepine

Oh I want to let go

You'll go on hurting this city

You'd be better off alone

If you can't see the misogyny

But you know that there're clauses

Oh, that you can still own guns for hunting game

Can't you feel we're hurting?

On and on

Oh, Carey, regarding guns

Hold on! Hold your fire!

Oh, Carey, the CCFR?!

WTF?! They're using you!

But I should've seen this one

Long ago, far away

And you should've been resting

We hear you've got

Such gimpy knees

Oh, Carey, regarding guns,

Hold fire, on this day

Oh, Carey, get some PR

That was tone deaf