The Montreal Canadiens marked their 100th anniversary as a franchise on
December 4, 2009, in what was their 101st season. Celebrations officially began
 a year earlier, but since no NHL hockey was played in 2004-05, the 2009-10
season was actually their real centennial year. Few fans noticed, as they were
too busy following the unpredictable chain of events that led to the Habs
longest playoff run in 17 years.

In his final year as general manager, Bob Gainey changed the roster
significantly, losing some veterans to free agency and retirement while
bringing in a number of new players and a coach who fit his vision for success,
 drawing on his experience of winning five Stanley Cups as a player and one as
a GM.

Revisiting the 2009-10 season is important for Habs fans who are skeptical
about the prospects for the current team. In his willingness to embrace change
and take calculated risks, Gainey knew there would be resistance from many fans
 and the media, but it did not deter him from pushing forward.The End of the
Koivu Era

After the Boston Bruins swept the Canadiens in the first round of the 2008-09
playoffs, Gainey had a lot of time to reassess the talent at his disposal and
establish a new plan for coming year. As general manager of the Stanley
Cup-winning Dallas Stars in 1999, his winning squad gave up the fewest goals in
 the NHL. His first big move of the off-season was to hire Jacques Martin, a
defensive specialist, as head coach, in June.

He also chose not to offer captain Saku Koivu, a veteran of 13 seasons, a
contract. It was a tough decision- Koivu was a fan favourite, viewed as a
warrior who overcame cancer and numerous injuries to lead the team through a
difficult decade where their lack of talent left them out of the playoffs as
often as they qualified. The team would start the season without a captain for
the first time in their history.Saku Koivu (Image: French Kheldar)

Additionally, Patrice Brisebois, the last remaining player from the 1993
Stanley Cup winning team, retired, but fans had little time for nostalgia as it
 wouldn';t be long before a flurry of activity left the team looking radically
different from the previous year.Gainey Emphasizes Speed and Defense

Before the end of the month, Gainey sent four players including prospect Ryan
McDonagh, and forward Christopher Higgins to the New York Rangers for
centre Scott Gomez and two other players. In inheriting Gomez';s huge
contract, it was hoped the Alaska native would regain the form that saw him win
 two Stanley Cups with the New Jersey Devils earlier in the decade.Scott Gomez,
 March 2010 (THW Archives)

While Gainey would be later criticized for using valuable cap space and losing
the talented McDonagh, it';s easy to forget how the trade allowed him to
acquire the talent to fit his plan by making the Canadiens look like serious
contenders. After losing Alexei Kovalev and Mike Komisarek to free agency, he
opted for a team of small, quick forwards with a larger defense that could
shut down the opponents'; offense.

Before the beginning of the season, he signed Gomez';s former linemate Brian
Gionta from the Devils, high-scoring winger Mike Cammalleri from the Calgary
Flames, rugged forward Travis Moen from the San Jose Sharks, and defensemen Hal
 Gill, Paul Mara, and Jaroslav Spacek.Markov';s Injuries and Halak vs. Price

With his new team in place, the Habs entered the season with optimism, but it
was short-lived. In their first game of the year against the Toronto Maple
Leafs, defenseman Andrei Markov was sliced by the skate of goaltender Carey
Price and would miss two-and-a-half months with tendon damage to his ankle.

Despite the acquisition of power play specialist Marc-Andre Bergeron shortly
after the accident, the Canadiens would have a losing record while Markov
recovered. It foreshadowed a series of injuries that would keep him out of the
Habs'; lineup for the better part of two years.Andrei Markov (Icon SMI)

The Habs would also lose Cammalleri, Gionta, forward Andrei Kostitsyn, and
defenseman Ryan O';Byrne for significant periods of time, forcing Martin to
rely on reinforcements from their AHL affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs,
including future captain Max Pacioretty.

While many players like Tomas Plekanec would step up and play some of the best
hockey of their careers, franchise goaltender Carey Price would be the biggest
disappointment of the year. After becoming the Habs starting goaltender the
previous season, his poor performance - including a stretch of seven straight
losses - cost him the starting job by December, as Martin preferred his backup,
 Jaroslav Halak.Both Carey Price and Jaro Halak have to be huge (Jason
Hitelman)

Fans angry at the hype surrounding Price, who was selected as a first-round
draft pick by Gainey in 2005, suddenly were seen parading around town with
Halak';s number 41 displayed almost sarcastically on the Canadiens'; souvenir
t-shirts, and the city suddenly became divided between those in one
goaltender';s camp or the other. The attention pleased the Molson family, who
became the Habs'; owners for the third time in their history.

In late December, Markov returned to the lineup almost two months earlier than
expected and the Canadiens won seven straight games to end the year. They would
 not win consistently again until March, when it became evident their chances
of making the playoffs were becoming as narrow as a skate blade.The Second
Season: A Surprise in the Playoffs

When the Canadiens clinched the final playoff spot by losing to the Toronto
Maple Leafs in overtime in their last game of the regular season, people were
cautiously optimistic about their chances against the formidable Washington
Capitals, who lead the league in both goals and points. After falling behind
3-1 in the opening series, the Habs seemed likely to repeat their first-round
performance of the previous year.Jaroslav Halak (THW Archives)

Led by Halak';s stellar goaltending, the Canadiens allowed the Capitals only
three goals in their final three games and came from behind to beat them in
seven games. They moved on to the next round against the formidable Pittsburgh
Penguins and their star center, Sidney Crosby.

In a see-saw battle where neither team won consecutive games, the Habs
prevailed in 7 again, beating the Pens 5-2 in the deciding contest where all
five goals were scored by new players Gainey had acquired that year.

Halak';s continued heroics were aided by a resurgent Cammalleri, who broke out
of a late-season slump after returning from injury to score key goals during
the first two rounds. The victory was bittersweet as the Habs lost Markov
again, this time to a knee injury in the first game of the series. With Spacek
also injured, P.K. Subban made his playoff debut and began a love-affair with
the fans that would endure until his trade six years later.The Flyers End an
Unlikely Run at the Cup

In their centennial year, with one last chance at keeping the streak of winning
 a Stanley Cup in each of their decades in the NHL, the Canadiens seemed
destined to reach the finals. After all, they had overcome many obstacles,
magically finding ways to win clutch games often with a different lineup from
one game to the next. The conference final ended their dream as they were shut
out three times in losing to the Philadelphia Flyers in five games.Bob Gainey
(THW Archives)

Perhaps it was the fatigue of having played back-to-back seven games series
against a tough opposition. Perhaps the loss of Markov a second time proved too
 difficult to overcome. By the time their season finally ended on May 24, the
Canadiens had undergone more changes in personnel on and off the ice than at
any time in recent memory. Even Bob Gainey, who was responsible for much of it
was gone, having stepped down from his position in February.

The 2009-10 season will be remembered for many things. The Canadiens showed
tremendous resolve in handling a variety of injuries and the sudden loss of
confidence in their star goaltender. Their best games were played in March and
April when they needed to qualify for the playoffs, which they did in dramatic
fashion.

Unlikely heroes like Halak, Glen Metropolit, and Mathieu Darche emerged, each
having struggled just to reach the NHL. Finally, they gave fans their most
exciting playoff run in almost two decades, but this time as loveable
underdogs.

Most importantly, their general manager Bob Gainey was not afraid to risk his
reputation by making changes that some viewed as unpopular but ultimately were
in the best interest of a franchise he had embraced as a player, coach, and
finally an executive. Hopefully, his successors will continue to show the same
courage.

The post The Canadiens Wild Centennial Season appeared first on The Hockey
Writers.

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