Happy anniversary Le Tricolore

As everyone is well aware, the Habs turn 100 this season, and they sure put on a good celebration. They are to hockey like Jesus is to Catholics, no matter all the arguments, its a big deal.

To lift from SNL, I think the real question here is, did god create the habs to be superior to all other teams or is he simply a huge fan, and Gainey made them superior to all other teams?

All kidding aside the Habs have never had so much pressure on them to win, period. With impending free agents like Kovalev, Koivu, Tanguay, Higgins and RFA Plekanec, the time is now. What not many Habs fans have realized is that the Salary cap does exist(wierd) and come next year, if they lose some of these core guys without having won the cup in 09, Gainey will feel the heat and the disappointment will be larger than Sean Avery's attitude.

Now that that has been dealt with, the real idea is here. The current state of the team is nothing short of euphoria, the media and fans a like are pumping those tires 24 hours a day. And I love it! But with so much pressure, once the team slips in the slightest, I fear this euphoria could turn to panic very quickly, after all the media loves bad news.

If this team loses 3, 4, or please not 5 games in a row, they will be tested immensely. This thought crossed my mind at the end of last season, and it was scary after seeing the team fall behind so quickly against the flyers. And having Price distrusted in net really broughton the feeling of panic.

Here's where it changed for me, this off season Montreal went out and got WINNERS. Tanguay won a cup with Colorado. Lang has won a golf medal and has played on Presidents Cup winning Detroit, he knows the feeling. Laraque has made the NHL finals 2 of the last 3 years and is a guy who really is a team player. You can say all you want about this guy, but he plays his role as the best in the NHL. Winning breeds winning.

This confidence that the new additions bring should support the already strong willed team. This is why I pick these Montreal Canadiens to win the cup. This pressure is very strong, no doubt, but after all, repeating is exponentially harder than winning it the first time.

Ps: Go Habs Go!