Habs Pride

I took an unofficial poll on the mood of Canadiens fans before Game one of the playoffs last Thursday. It was conducted on my way to work on Highways 40, 13 and 440. This is my stimulating and adventurous route into work every morning. I was surveying the number of cars who had one of those Habs flags attached to the back window of their car. I saw one.

After a somewhat improbable win for the Canadiens in game one, a few more cars could be seen around town sporting the white plastic pole with the Habs logo flapping in the wind. Despite Saturday night's heartbreaking loss, the flags continued to multiply. Hmm, now why would that be?

Habs fans have been accused in the past of being bandwagon hoppers. It's probably a fair assessment if you didn't know the fans in this city. The thing is, being fan of the Canadiens requires two things, passion and something of a grip on reality. Fans of the Bleu-blanc-rouge love their team, I mean really love their team. So much so, that there is never a shortage of opinion as to how things should be run, from upper management right down to quarter-backing the power play. There is also a significant pride in their team, but what many don't understand is that this goes far beyond the current players, coaches and managers.

The Canadiens, for lack of a better term, is a brand. One that represents a level of excellence, on and off the ice, that few in other sports franchises possess. The Canadiens are up there with the New York Yankees, Manchester United and even (ugh) the Dallas Cowboys. Each of these teams has a rich history with numerous championships, in addition to coaches and players who became legends beyond their respective games.

Habs fans are often divided by the love of their team and supporting the players on the ice. Normally you wouldn't think the two could be separated, but for fans of the Tricouleurs, this distinction is a simple one. It's why, from time to time, fans will express their displeasure with a poor effort. There is an expectation of performance when a player wears the CH, and just wearing the uniform doesn't buy forgiveness for complacency. This can sometimes be unfairly directed at the wrong person, as it was for Carey Price a few weeks ago.

As I alluded to earlier, Habs fans know how to manage expectations. The Canadiens stumbled their way into this year's playoffs, with lacklustre and passionless performances in their last four games. Throughout the year, the Habs have failed to demonstrate consistency and the ability to win key games when necessary. And yet they also won a few games that many expected them to lose. Now they are facing arguably the best team in the Eastern Conference. To expect Canadiens fans to be optimistic of their team's chances would be a stretch.

So, does that make them bad fans? Not when it comes to the Habs. Of course they'll be there to cheer them on, but they also remember the team that showed up, or sometimes didn't show up, during the season. They hope for the best, but are not going to pretend that the current team has its work cut out for them. It's not disloyalty, it's just being realistic. Unlike fans of many other franchises, Habs fans can do that without devaluing the overall product.

No matter what happens this year, Habs fans will be no less proud of their team and everything it represents. If you enjoy rooting for a team even when management and players are phoning it in, then you forfeit the right to be critical of fans with higher expectations. The road to greatness is not paved with mediocrity.

For Habs fans, the CH is bigger than any one person, player or group. If the effort and dedication is there, even when they falter, then they have earned their praise. What kind of fan would expect less?

Go Habs, Go.