OT: 20 Years Ago Today (April 19, 2004)...

[HabsCowboysOwn]

...A kid at my high school was wearing a Bruins jersey and everyone made fun of him, rough Monday for him but he was super cocky the week before so he had it coming.

We eliminated the bums the same night after trailing 3-1 in the series and it's one of my all-time favorite Habs memories -- the Zednik-Koivu-Kovalev line was dominant, Theodore was in the zone and my 13-year-old self was convinced we were winning the cup that year. In restospect, the team was nothing special but the excitement was real, it's all people were talking about around me. The Lightning had other plans of course, we know what happened next.

The playoffs are starting soon so I thought I'd share my little story, time flies man. This time of year always makes me nostalgic, there's nothing like watching the Habs play meaningful hockey when the weather starts to get nice. There's something special in the air, it transforms the city, people look happier... Looking forward to experience it again in a (hopefully) not too distant future.

In the meantime, feel free to share your favorite Habs playoff memories. It'd be a pleasure to read you all!

Cheers.

Click to read more...

 

[Skip Bayless]

The Kovalev era will forever be engraved in my memory.

My fondest playoff memories consist of this dogshit team finding a way to beat the bruins with a bunch of third liners.

 

[HuGort]

The Kovalev era will forever be engraved in my memory.

My fondest playoff memories consist of this dogshit team finding a way to beat the bruins with a bunch of third liners.

The '02 upset stands out more to me. I think we barely scraped into playoffs and Bruins were conference #1 seed. Zednik was on fire. Theodore won the Hart that year. Gilmour was right veteran at right time

 

[Skip Bayless]

The '02 upset stands out more to me. I think we barely scraped into playoffs and Bruins were conference #1 seed. Zednik was in fire. Theodore won the Hart that year. Gilmour was right veteran at right time

That was the year I became a habs fan. For me it was all expos and WWE before that year.

 

[HuGort]

That was the year I became a habs fan. For me it was all expos and WWE before that year.

The '02 team I always wonder what would happened if Zednik doesn't get elbowed? He was playing like Cournoyer in '73 playoffs. The speed down right side, explosive. Canes got to Finals.

Habs '02 was solid team, hard out in playoffs. Reminded me of '21 Habs. Theodore was playing like prime Carry Price. Perrault, Gilmour, Juneau down the middle was right mix. Good defense in Markov, Rivet, Brisebois. Audette was good move at deadline.

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

We should raise a banner for it next year

 

[BLONG7]

...A kid at my high school was wearing a Bruins jersey and everyone made fun of him, rough Monday for him but he was super cocky the week before so he had it coming.

We eliminated the bums the same night after trailing 3-1 in the series and it's one of my all-time favorite Habs memories -- the Zednik-Koivu-Kovalev line was dominant, Theodore was in the zone and my 13-year-old self was convinced we were winning the cup that year. In restospect, the team was nothing special but the excitement was real, it's all people were talking about around me. The Lightning had other plans of course, we know what happened next.

The playoffs are starting soon so I thought I'd share my little story, time flies man. This time of year always makes me nostalgic, there's nothing like watching the Habs play meaningful hockey when the weather starts to get nice. There's something special in the air, it transforms the city, people look happier... Looking forward to experience it again in a (hopefully) not too distant future.

In the meantime, feel free to share your favorite Habs playoff memories. It'd be a pleasure to read you all!

Cheers.

Credit given to A Savard, and Gainey for making us a relevant team again after the Corey teardown of our franchise....
Koivu and Kovalev and Zednik all worked so well together.....good times for the most part, beating the bruins was a right of spring.
Then came the Bergevin era..............poof.

We need to become that team again, Marchand was recently quoted as saying the Leafs were their main rival, and he has a good point, since we have been dog$hit since 2017.

 

[Skip Bayless]

The '02 team I always wonder what would happened if Zednik doesn't get elbowed? He was playing like Cournoyer in '73 playoffs. The speed down right side, explosive. Canes got to Finals.

Habs '02 was solid team, hard out in playoffs. Reminded me of '21 Habs. Theodore was playing like prime Carry Price. Perrault, Gilmour, Juneau down the middle was right mix. Good defense in Markov, Rivet, Brisebois. Audette was good move at deadline.

Yup, Zednik was reaching a new level before that gutless hit. I wonder what player he would've become hadn't it been for that. He was fun to watch.

I remember my 6th grade teacher had our class hooked on hockey that year with the olympics and that edition of the habs. He was a huge hockey head. Grew up playing hockey with bruins legend Normand Leveillé.

He had to address the situation the morning after the incident, gave us a long speech about the importance of not giving into vengeance through violence, but to get back up on the horse and go to the next round.

The habs went onto win the series, it was epic. Owning the bruins will never get old.

 

[holy]

Year I became a fan. Series in specific was the first Habs hockey I'd ever watched.

 

[Tyson]

Andre Savard never got the credit he deserved. He was very competent.

 

[CheldishGamibno]

That was the year I became a habs fan. For me it was all expos and WWE before that year.

Me too, pretty fun for a first year seeing that upset when you're a underdog after finishing 8th. I went to a live practice and Gilmour was the last one to leave the ice, I fondly remember the fans cheering for him.

 

[Andrei79]

The '02 upset stands out more to me. I think we barely scraped into playoffs and Bruins were conference #1 seed. Zednik was on fire. Theodore won the Hart that year. Gilmour was right veteran at right time

They ended the year on a string of victories.

Everyone was sure they wouldn't make it when the Rangers stacked themselves at the deadline, notably with Bure.

Gilmour went pretty much ppg with Petrov and Zednik after the Varada hit.

Theodore was garbage to start the playoffs. Zednik was amazing until McLaren hit him with one of the dirtiest hits I've ever seen. I still remember Andre Savard coming down completely furious with what I think was a rule book in his hands lol. The Bruins moderators and fans here were disgusting though. One poster had that hit as an avatar and it was tolerated. Imagine if someone had Bergeron or Moore getting clocked as an avatar, but this shit used to be tolerated here.

 

[JianYang]

The '02 upset stands out more to me. I think we barely scraped into playoffs and Bruins were conference #1 seed. Zednik was on fire. Theodore won the Hart that year. Gilmour was right veteran at right time

02 was very inspirational. Koivu came back from cancer late in the year and co-led the team on playoff points with Doug Gilmour who turned back the clock one last time. That game 4 where the Habs came back from a 3-1 deficit capped off by a spectacular koivu goal is one of those highlights that sticks in your head forever.

04 was also satisfying to stick it to the bruins again. They loaded up that year and got gonchar at the deadline, but kovalev just took over that series and I think that is exactly when the organization really soured on Joe Thornton.

They ended the year on a string of victories.

Everyone was sure they wouldn't make it when the Rangers stacked themselves at the deadline, notably with Bure.

Gilmour went pretty much ppg with Petrov and Zednik after the Varada hit.

Theodore was garbage to start the playoffs. Zednik was amazing until McLaren hit him with one of the dirtiest hits I've ever seen. I still remember Andre Savard coming down completely furious with what I think was a rule book in his hands lol. The Bruins moderators and fans here were disgusting though. One poster had that hit as an avatar and it was tolerated. Imagine if someone had Bergeron or Moore getting clocked as an avatar, but this shit used to be tolerated here.

I remember that. It was a disgusting. That guy had that avatar of the headshot for years.

You may be getting confused about Andre savard though. He came out during a Devils game and pat burns out of all people had to step in and calm him down.

 

[BenchBrawl]

Insane that the Kovalev era is now 20 years ago.

2004-2024 feels so much shorter than 1979-1999, say.

 

[the]

Le Dieu du f***ing Stade with the ultimate comeback after that bump with Souray. He took over that whole series after that incident in a way that only Alexei Kovalev could do.

 

[BenchBrawl]

I was at that Souray-Kovalev game. It was a great night for me but a bad one for fans.

 

[JianYang]

I was at that Souray-Kovalev game. It was a great night for me but a bad one

Who would have thought the way they lost that one that they would reel off 3 wins in a row?

There's nothing like bruins/Habs series. The Roller coaster of emotions that those series produce is something you don't quite get on other series.

 

[David Suzuki]

We should raise a banner for it next year

good banter

 

[the valiant effort]

What I would give to get the "dead puck era" playoffs back

 

[StCaufield]

The Koivu overtime goal the same year he came back from cancer against Boston is probably my all time favourite moment. I’m not old enough to remember a cup but yeah. Super emotional

 

[HuGort]

02 was very inspirational. Koivu came back from cancer late in the year and co-led the team on playoff points with Doug Gilmour who turned back the clock one last time. That game 4 where the Habs came back from a 3-1 deficit capped off by a spectacular koivu goal is one of those highlights that sticks in your head forever.

04 was also satisfying to stick it to the bruins again.

Anytime you can stick it to Bruins is very satisfying!! Their fans are most obnoxious arrogant fans in pro sports.

I am glad we upset them in '02, '04, '14, '84, '86. And many more

 

[JianYang]

The Koivu overtime goal the same year he came back from cancer against Boston is probably my all time favourite moment. I’m not old enough to remember a cup but yeah. Super emotional

I don't think that ever happened. Koivu scored a really nice go-ahead goal to cap the comeback in game 3 though. That might be what you are referring to.



Still gives me chills.

 

[the valiant effort]

Doesn't show the whole sequence, but there's amazing work by Markov keeping it alive

 

[HuGort]

Gilmour said in his book the '02 Habs upset of Boston was on emotion of Koivu return

 

[StCaufield]

I don't think that ever happened. Koivu scored a really nice go-ahead goal to cap the comeback in game 3 though. That might be what you are referring to.



Still gives me chills.

Oh yeah that’s right. It felt like overtime as it was the winner. It’s been so long since I’ve watched that. Thanks