Marc Dumont
The Montreal Canadiens are no longer in contention for the 2026 Stanley Cup.
To make matters worse, they were eliminated unceremoniously by a Carolina Hurricanes team that dominated almost every facet of the Eastern Conference Final.
And while there’s certainly going to be an elevated amount of criticism in the mix now that the Habs are no longer playing hockey, focusing on the final leg of the journey would be missing the forest for the trees.
Once the frustration and pain resulting from the one-sided elimination fades, the big picture will come into focus.
And within that big picture you will find a bevy of positive factors working in Montreal’s favour.
They’re the youngest team in the NHL.
They’re in the midst of one of the most efficient rebuilds in recent sports history, leapfrogging the majority of the league in just a few short seasons.
And they still own one of the most talented prospect pools in the NHL.
Admittedly, I was tempted to borrow from T. S. Eliot while writing this article, as the Canadiens did go out with a whimper, rather than a bang.
However, ‘The Hollow Men‘ would not be an appropriate poem to reference when discussing the Habs, since it deals with hopelessness and disillusionment.
The Montreal Canadiens, on the other hand, have an incredibly bright future, not to mention a relatively clear path to success.
Teams that have managed to capture the Stanley Cup have a history littered with loss, but that loss only turns into failure if they do not learn from their experience.
In Montreal’s case, the playoff experience has offered an abundance of learning opportunities, including the ultimate lesson given by the Hurricanes: the difference between a good and great hockey team is immense.
The Canadiens are good.
One day they hope to be great.
The encouraging news is that they have all the tools necessary to make it there, but it will take time, effort, and most importantly, a heavy dose of patience when things go awry.
With all due respect to Eliot, perhaps a more appropriate quote would be from Canadian actress Mary Pickford.
“This thing we call failure is not the falling down, but the staying down.”
Considering their affinity for rebounding when things go awry, it’s safe to suggest the Canadiens will not stay down for very long.
