ANALYSIS: Montreal Canadiens look to keep hopes alive to end Canada’s ‘Cup curse’ - BERITAJA

It’s been 33 agelong years since a Canadian-based NHL squad won the Stanley Cup. That year, an unheralded Montreal Canadiens squad went 10-1 successful overtime games successful the playoffs and stood successful the measurement of Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings winning a title that conscionable mightiness person changed the NHL crippled forever.

That post-season was a twelvemonth of upsets that was expected to beryllium the crowning infinitesimal for Mario Lemieux and the Pittsburgh Penguins, who should person won their 3rd consecutive trophy and go 1 of hockey’s top dynasties. It besides marked the first clip Gary Bettman presented the Stanley Cup successful his agelong tenure arsenic NHL commissioner.

At nary clip since that nighttime successful Montreal successful 1993 has Bettman presented the cup to a Canadian-based NHL team. Since then, Vancouver, Edmonton, Ottawa, Calgary and Montreal person each had chances to triumph the trophy, only to person the disappointment of having the commissioner present it to their opponent. Only Toronto and Winnipeg haven’t gone acold capable to moreover person that chance to beryllium disappointed.

Friday nighttime successful Buffalo, wherever the Sabres big the Canadiens successful Game 2 of their playoff series, 1 has to wonderment if we will person a amended thought of whether that much than three-decade drought will extremity this season.

This version of the Canadiens has go 1 of the about entertaining teams successful the NHL. They person been capable to harvester their youthful style pinch velocity and talent and go a poster kid for really to rebuild a squad done the draft, and done it each the while being transparent pinch the about demanding fanbase successful the NHL.

Now, I must admit, location is immoderate irony that a squad named “Canadiens” has go successful done the difficult activity of players from Canada, the United States, Czechia, Russia, Slovakia, France and Sweden, but specified is the world crippled of hockey. Not only has the style of lucky this Montreal squad plays go the envy of the league, but besides really they person rebuilt this squad successful alternatively short order. As about of you know, this is simply a copycat league, and what Montreal is accomplishing — aliases alternatively has accomplished — will person others successful the NHL asking the question, why can’t we do that too?

If it were only that easy.