Fast: When did the Bruins and Canadiens final play a significant sport?
The reply is hard to come back by. By happenstance, one may argue that adjustments Thursday night time when the B’s welcome the Habs to Boston for the house opener at TD Backyard. However it’s a significant sport as a result of it is the house opener and never essentially as a result of it is the newest installment in what has been one among hockey’s biggest rivalries.
There may be additionally the notion that any Bruins-Canadiens sport is important, as simply seeing these two groups on the ice collectively evokes a nostalgia that concurrently makes you’re feeling heat and fuzzy whereas additionally wanting to choose a combat.
The rivalry in recent times, nonetheless, has lacked juice, and that is solely the fault of the Canadiens.
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Whereas the Bruins begin each season with reputable Stanley Cup aspirations, Montreal superior past the primary spherical of the playoffs simply as soon as within the final 9 seasons. That got here in 2021 when the Canadiens earned maybe probably the most fraudulent Stanley Cup Last look in hockey historical past. The 24-21-11 Habs completed fourth within the NHL’s “North Division” and beat Toronto, Winnipeg and Vegas to earn the possibility to get steamrolled by Tampa Bay within the Last. The NHL throughout COVID-19 was bizarre.
They went proper again to sucking a 12 months later, and have continued to take action even after turning issues over to Martin St. Louis, the hometown child from simply over the bridge in Laval. Entrance-office turnover, sparked by placing former Bruins government and Massachusetts native Jeff Gorton, has been a piece in progress at finest.
Placing schadenfreude apart for a second, although, Bruins followers must be doing the unthinkable: They need to be rooting for the Canadiens.
That does not imply exhibiting as much as the Backyard on Thursday night time in bleu, blanc et rouge. Nor does it imply anybody within the Hub must be pining for a Cup parade down Saint Catherine Road anytime quickly. It will be good, although, to get a bit of competitors again within the rivalry, no?
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By no means thoughts the rivalry of the Nineteen Seventies and ’80s. We’re not even in search of the playoff tussles of a decade in the past. However keep in mind when Brad Marchand and PK Subban averaged a run-in per sport? It seems like perpetually since we received Carey Value and Tim Thomas dropping the gloves. “They’ve overwhelmed them and tonight they’ve overwhelmed them up” may as nicely be a lifetime in the past. It has been fairly a while for the reason that constructing was vibrating with Montreal on the town.
The Canadiens have not mustered a lot of a combat in any respect when the Spoked-B is on the opposite facet of the ice. Get this: The Bruins are 19-2-2 for the reason that begin of the 2017-18 season. Once more, nobody in Boston goes to ever really feel dangerous about that one-sided consequence, however a bit of little bit of competitors would make this rivalry nice once more.
There’s cause to imagine Montreal may lastly be heading in the right direction. Nick Suzuki is coming off the perfect season of his profession. Cole Caufield is an undersized, gifted offensive participant who actually matches the Brian Gionta mildew. It is laborious to imagine, however Brendan Gallagher is coming into his thirteenth season with Montreal and stays a veteran who can fire up you-know-what with the perfect of them. Getting Kirby Dach again may even assist.
A season-opening 1-0 win over the hated Maple Leafs will assist encourage some early-season confidence, too, propelling Montreal into Boston with a bit of little bit of momentum.
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There is not any doubt the Backyard shall be buzzing Thursday night time. The house opener brings that form of vitality no matter opponent. The Bruins and Canadiens will meet once more in a few months after which will not get again collectively till April 3, Boston’s solely journey to Bell Centre (the NHL’s schedule can also be a serious difficulty, however that is an issue for an additional day).
This is hoping that the springtime matchup has a bit of one thing extra on the road than simply the pomp and circumstance of opening night time. Current historical past says the Bruins will probably maintain up their finish of the discount. It is on Montreal to get its act collectively. The rivalry is healthier for it.
