Did Carey Price live up to his 8 year, $84M contract?

[koyvoo]

This seems to be getting lost in this thread a bit. I even have heard it being downplayed as 'Yeah, price was very good until the finals'

Price was better than 'very good' to the point where he was putting up one of the most dominant runs we have ever seen by a goalie. The Vegas series was essentially Price standing on his head as he waits for his offense to put one by Fleury. The offense was so inept that Vegas fans actually blamed Fleury for most of the goals instead of crediting Montreal's offense. Price was clutch in pressure moments too, I believe he had a 4 game OT win streak that bled into that Vegas series.

It wasn’t.

He was super human level in the last 3 games of the leaf series. And games 1 and 2 of the Vegas series. Montreal was better than Vegas from there on out and probably should’ve closed out the dries in 5 rather 6 games.

Granted, if they hadn’t of split the first two games, they likely would’ve been cooked, but the narrative that Price in that run had some type of Giguere 2003 impact is one of the biggest misnomer’s in recent NHL history.

Aside from closing out the leafs, and the opening of the Vegas series, he was steady and mistake free, but it was far from an historic, all time type of performance.

 

[IWantSakicAsMyGM]

Yes, there was one less team in the Canadian division, but they also had more strong teams and fewer bad teams (based on your example of previous season results).

The Honda West division had four bottom-feeder teams from the previous season – SJ, LA, Anaheim and Arizona. It was far easier to make the playoffs in that division, where only three teams were considered good.

The Canadian North division had only one team below .500 the previous season: Ottawa. That previous season saw four Canadian teams making the playoffs, with a fifth, Vancouver, barely missing with a .565 P%. In other words, Montreal had more legitimately strong opponents in the Canadian division than they would've had in the West, and the same number they would've faced in the East.

There have been NHL divisions in the past with uneven number of teams, just like there's always been an uneven level of talent between divisions. Nothing about that was unique to 2020/21. In fact, other than the bubbled-off divisions, 2020/21 was the same format as every season. Full season (albeit shortened) followed by four rounds of playoffs. Montreal made it fair and square, in a division that was no easier than many, and tougher than at least one division from that same 2020/21 season.

IMO, 2019/20 was the real 'Covid Cup', because they rebooted the playoffs after five months off, and then had that ridiculous 'play-in'. It was nothing like a real season + playoffs. If you're motivated to dump on Montreal, I'd agree they had no business being anywhere close to the playoffs in 2019/20.

I'm sorry, are you seriously claiming the only division without a single team that was top 10 in P% the previous year when Covid shut things down "had more strong teams"? There were only 2 teams that were even considered halfway decent in that division, and 5 teams that were below average or worse. In other words, Montreal didn't play a single legitimately strong opponent the whole regular season.

The West had Colorado, Vegas and St Louis, who were all top ten in P% the previous year (St Louis and Colorado were 2 and 3). And Minnesota was comparable to most of the best teams in the North, in the middle of the pack. Arizona finished 3 points ahead of the Habs the previous year, and had the same number of wins as the Habs during bubble play, but wasn't even close to being a playoff team.

I do agree that the 2019-20 playoffs also deserve an asterisk. But 2020-21 wasn't a real season either, no matter how much Habs fans want to pretend they earned something.

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

I think you gotta look at the value of just having his legacy there, what he added to the city beyond his play. Stellar dude, added wins and runs that storied franchise wouldn’t have otherwise had- imagine if they’d been without a serious starter instead, they’d have possibly missed playoffs friggin every year. So just that stability and the interest he garnered- worth it from a franchise valuation perspective. Dude added value, made em respectamabler.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

One game to win it all you take Lundqvist. This has been established before and in other places.

Why Henrik Lundqvist is the greatest Game 7 goaltender in history

Which goaltender would you start in a one-game, winner-takes-all scenario? Most would answer a legend like Martin Brodeur, Patrick Roy or Dominik Hasek, but when it comes to Game 7s, there’s no goaltender as great as Henrik Lundqvist.

thehockeynews.com

I'd also add that Lundqvist was more consistent than Price ever was. Price may have the marginally better season high sv % (.933 vs .929 which works out to a whopping 4 more goals every thousand shots) but Lundvist had 7 straight years of save % over .920. Price has 6 seasons total in his career at or above .920.

There was a stretch of about 16-18 months where you could make a case that Price was better than Lundqvist, otherwise it was either equal or Lundqvist was better.

Lundqvist was healthier. That’s the main difference between the two. Price owned Lundqvist in the regular season up until his team was ripped apart. Lundqvist beat Price head to head in the playoffs in 17 with both playing very well. Price beat Lundqvist at the Olympics. Both are in the same class of goalie. Personally I’d take a healthy Price but I think Lundqvist had the better career.

At the end of the day Price was limited by the clubs he was on and his health. His career could have, should have been better. But the reality is that he had to retire far too early and never really had a shot at the cup with those clubs. Regardless, he had amazing career especially considering the brevity of it and should be a first ballot HOFer. For a brief period of time he was arguably the best player in hockey. The with and without numbers in 2015-16 are comical. He took a bottom of the barrel club and made it a first place contender. Very few players can have that kind of impact.

Well worth that contract given that the cap hit hasn’t affected anything while the team has rebuilt.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Even if you want to leave it at that, the Habs still did not make the playoffs the same way every other team did that season.

Who cares?

 

[DingerMcSlapshot]

Nope. For many reasons.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I think you gotta look at the value of just having his legacy there, what he added to the city beyond his play. Stellar dude, added wins and runs that storied franchise wouldn’t have otherwise had- imagine if they’d been without a serious starter instead, they’d have possibly missed playoffs friggin every year. So just that stability and the interest he garnered- worth it from a franchise valuation perspective. Dude added value, made em respectamabler.

In 2015 they’re a first place club. In 2016 they are the best team in the league early on until he gets hurt and then the team plummets to last place across the board. The difference with and without Price are stunning. He took teams that had no business doing anything and elevated them beyond anywhere close to where they should be. In his prime it was an auto win in the playoffs if his team scored three goals or more. He beat better teams in the playoffs with regularity. Great money goalie. It’s just a shame he spent most of his prime with David Desharnais as his first line center.

What an embarrassment for Bergevin. He should be shot out of a cannon along with Therrien. They wasted one of the most talented goalies to ever play the game. The fact that Price managed to put together a HoF career there is pretty mins boggling considering the circumstances.

 

[MacMacandBarbie]

It wasn’t.

He was super human level in the last 3 games of the leaf series. And games 1 and 2 of the Vegas series. Montreal was better than Vegas from there on out and probably should’ve closed out the dries in 5 rather 6 games.

Granted, if they hadn’t of split the first two games, they likely would’ve been cooked, but the narrative that Price in that run had some type of Giguere 2003 impact is one of the biggest misnomer’s in recent NHL history.

Aside from closing out the leafs, and the opening of the Vegas series, he was steady and mistake free, but it was far from an historic, all time type of performance.

So you just disagree, that is fine. It was 2007 Luongo impact. The entire team system ran through price, he was the star and took all the pressure off the other players, and his mistake free rock solid goaltending night in and night out throughout that run with a sprinkle of games where he completely took over allowed that team to play the system that they did. If they would have won, it would have been far more impressive than 2003 Giguere(who played behind 4 hall of famers that year).

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

It wasn’t.

He was super human level in the last 3 games of the leaf series. And games 1 and 2 of the Vegas series. Montreal was better than Vegas from there on out and probably should’ve closed out the dries in 5 rather 6 games.

Granted, if they hadn’t of split the first two games, they likely would’ve been cooked, but the narrative that Price in that run had some type of Giguere 2003 impact is one of the biggest misnomer’s in recent NHL history.

Aside from closing out the leafs, and the opening of the Vegas series, he was steady and mistake free, but it was far from an historic, all time type of performance.

There were at least two wins that he stole in that series. They don’t come close to winning without Carey Price.

That was an insane run. Take a good look at that roster and consider the fact that Caufield was making his NHL debut, Suzuki was a youngster and Weber was totally busted up. That team was a patchwork of old timers and kids. It has no business going three rounds. It was an awesome run.

 

[1989]

There were at least two wins that he stole in that series. They don’t come close to winning without Carey Price.

That was an insane run. Take a good look at that roster and consider the fact that Caufield was making his NHL debut, Suzuki was a youngster and Weber was totally busted up. That team was a patchwork of old timers and kids. It has no business going three rounds. It was an awesome run.

For all the posters who typically go "Oh I always cheer for the underdog / Cinderella runs" they sure do like to downplay a classic one.

 

[Lshap]

I'm sorry, are you seriously claiming the only division without a single team that was top 10 in P% the previous year when Covid shut things down "had more strong teams"? There were only 2 teams that were even considered halfway decent in that division, and 5 teams that were below average or worse. In other words, Montreal didn't play a single legitimately strong opponent the whole regular season.

The West had Colorado, Vegas and St Louis, who were all top ten in P% the previous year (St Louis and Colorado were 2 and 3). And Minnesota was comparable to most of the best teams in the North, in the middle of the pack. Arizona finished 3 points ahead of the Habs the previous year, and had the same number of wins as the Habs during bubble play, but wasn't even close to being a playoff team.

I do agree that the 2019-20 playoffs also deserve an asterisk. But 2020-21 wasn't a real season either, no matter how much Habs fans want to pretend they earned something.

Lol... time to accept reality. Montreal earned their place in the SCF like every team before it, no matter how badly you want to pretend otherwise.

You cited results from the previous season – as if results from different seasons matter! – then you ignored those results when I pointed out the West division had four bottom teams – SJ, Anaheim, Arizona, LA – while the North division only had one. There's no legit case the Canadian division was uniquely weak... especially when Montreal beat one of the West's only three good teams - Vegas. I'm sorry, this isn't even debatable.

You're trying to discredit the Canadian division for having seven teams. Good grief – the 2000s had divisions with five teams. In the 1990s, two divisions had four teams while the rest had five! I suppose those seasons weren't 'real' and those playoff teams didn't 'earn' their spot either.

Your entire argument is based on a make-believe premise that the Canadian division was somehow worse than every other division that season and every other divisional alignment through the decades, and that Montreal – of all teams – was a magical beneficiary. This isn't a valid argument; it's an emotional conspiracy theory.

 

[tsujimoto74]

I've never seen a player whose entire career reputation coasted so hard on 1 season. No, he didn't live up to that contract, and I'm pretty confident he wouldn't have if he stayed healthy either.

 

[IWantSakicAsMyGM]

Lol... time to accept reality. Montreal earned their place in the SCF like every team before it, no matter how badly you want to pretend otherwise.

You cited results from the previous season – as if results from different seasons matter! – then you ignored those results when I pointed out the West division had four bottom teams – SJ, Anaheim, Arizona, LA – while the North division only had one. There's no legit case the Canadian division was uniquely weak... especially when Montreal beat one of the West's only three good teams - Vegas. I'm sorry, this isn't even debatable.

You're trying to discredit the Canadian division for having seven teams. Good grief – the 2000s had divisions with five teams. In the 1990s, two divisions had four teams while the rest had five! I suppose those seasons weren't 'real' and those playoff teams didn't 'earn' their spot either.

Your entire argument is based on a make-believe premise that the Canadian division was somehow worse than every other division that season and every other divisional alignment through the decades, and that Montreal – of all teams – was a magical beneficiary. This isn't a valid argument; it's an emotional conspiracy theory.

Sorry, but every team before Montreal didn't get to make the playoffs by playing against only the 6 mediocre Canadian teams and being better than 3 of them. What they did with their gift playoff berth changes nothing.

And calling the Coyotes a "bottom team" but pretending the Habs weren't makes you lose all credibility. Arizona was 3 points ahead of Montreal with one less game played when the league shut down. Arizona was only 4/5/6 points behind Vancouver/Calgary/Winnipeg, who you previously referred to as "legitimate playoff teams". Only 7 points behind the Leafs, who you claimed were arguably a "powerhouse". Seems like if Arizona actually is a "bottom team" like you want to claim, there's a very strong case that the North was weak, given that none of the teams could really distance themselves from a "bottom team".

Did any of those 4 or 5 team divisions only play within their division of mediocre/weak teams and have more than 50% of the teams guaranteed a playoff spot? Or were they still playing the entire league with only 2 guaranteed spots per division?

And, your entire argument is based on the make-believe premise that the Covid Cup season wasn't totally different than every other season in NHL history. And it seems like the only reason to make this kind of laughable argument is to protect Habs fans from the reality that their team needed special rules to even make the playoffs after Price signed his albatross contract.

 

[IWantSakicAsMyGM]

Who cares?

Maybe you should ask the Habs fans who took offense to me calling it the Covid Cup. If they weren't quoting me with their bad faith arguments, this wouldn't even be a thing.

 

[Favster]

No he didn't but because of injuries.

 

[Lshap]

Sorry, but every team before Montreal didn't get to make the playoffs by playing against only the 6 mediocre Canadian teams and being better than 3 of them. What they did with their gift playoff berth changes nothing.

And calling the Coyotes a "bottom team" but pretending the Habs weren't makes you lose all credibility. Arizona was 3 points ahead of Montreal with one less game played when the league shut down. Arizona was only 4/5/6 points behind Vancouver/Calgary/Winnipeg, who you previously referred to as "legitimate playoff teams". Only 7 points behind the Leafs, who you claimed were arguably a "powerhouse". Seems like if Arizona actually is a "bottom team" like you want to claim, there's a very strong case that the North was weak, given that none of the teams could really distance themselves from a "bottom team".

Did any of those 4 or 5 team divisions only play within their division of mediocre/weak teams and have more than 50% of the teams guaranteed a playoff spot? Or were they still playing the entire league with only 2 guaranteed spots per division?

And, your entire argument is based on the make-believe premise that the Covid Cup season wasn't totally different than every other season in NHL history. And it seems like the only reason to make this kind of laughable argument is to protect Habs fans from the reality that their team needed special rules to even make the playoffs after Price signed his albatross contract.

Here's your argument: “This season isn’t legit because of stuff that happened last season.” You must realize this doesn’t make any sense.

I prefer reality: Montreal made the playoffs in 2021 by being among the top-4 teams in their division. Sound familiar? It should. Those were the same rules for many divisional alignments over the years.

Montreal then made the SCF by beating three teams in a best-of-seven series. I assume that also sounds familiar, because those were the same rules as every season.

So much for the nonsense that Montreal needed 'special rules'. Other than different divisions, 2020/21 followed the same format during the season and through the playoffs. I'm amazed at the degree of cope it takes to claim that Montreal – alone among every team and every division in history – was spirited to the SCF by special magical forces.

Want to call 2020/21 the “Covid Cup”? Knock yourself out. It’s a fantasy version you’ve created, a harmless substitute for reality. I'll stick to reality, thanks.

 

[IWantSakicAsMyGM]

Here's your argument: “This season isn’t legit because of stuff that happened last season.” You must realize this doesn’t make any sense.

I prefer reality: Montreal made the playoffs in 2021 by being among the top-4 teams in their division. Sound familiar? It should. Those were the same rules for many divisional alignments over the years.

Montreal then made the SCF by beating three teams in a best-of-seven series. I assume that also sounds familiar, because those were the same rules as every season.

So much for the nonsense that Montreal needed 'special rules'. Other than different divisions, 2020/21 followed the same format during the season and through the playoffs. I'm amazed at the degree of cope it takes to claim that Montreal – alone among every team and every division in history – was spirited to the SCF by special magical forces.

Want to call 2020/21 the “Covid Cup”? Knock yourself out. It’s a fantasy version you’ve created, a harmless substitute for reality. I'll stick to reality, thanks.

No, that's your strawman's argument. My argument is that the 2020-21 season wasn't even remotely close to being a normal season and therefore should not be treated as such. I also think it's pretty obvious that the totally unique divisions and lack of interdivisional play for only that season are the biggest reasons why the Habs had the regular season results that they did.

And so far, not a single Habs fan has presented a shred of evidence that suggests they would be a playoff team without the special Covid rules. It's just inane excuses about how other divisions were uneven in the past, or claims that the win against Vegas proves they didn't need special rules to get to that point, or the usual ad hominem attacks.

And, I will absolutely continue to call 2020-21 the Covid Cup, thank you very much. The only people who seem to ever have a problem with it are Habs fans who want to pretend that playoff run wasn't a gift, courtesy of a global pandemic.

 

[Lshap]

No, that's your strawman's argument. My argument is that the 2020-21 season wasn't even remotely close to being a normal season and therefore should not be treated as such. I also think it's pretty obvious that the totally unique divisions and lack of interdivisional play for only that season are the biggest reasons why the Habs had the regular season results that they did.

"It's not the same because I say so" is not an argument. Obviously there were differences. However, hockey was the same fundamentally. It still followed the normal format and was therefore a normal season. The idea that everything coalesced to benefit Montreal is just bizarre.

And so far, not a single Habs fan has presented a shred of evidence that suggests they would be a playoff team without the special Covid rules. It's just inane excuses about how other divisions were uneven in the past, or claims that the win against Vegas proves they didn't need special rules to get to that point, or the usual ad hominem attacks.

Nobody needs evidence to prove what happened happened. It's you who need to prove your imaginary fantasy version is more valid than actual reality. You keep pointing to other seasons and hypothetical outcomes, and pretending they apply... because you say so. That's not evidence.

This is the problem we keep having. You seem to believe your make-believe story carries weight. It doesn't.

And, I will absolutely continue to call 2020-21 the Covid Cup, thank you very much. The only people who seem to ever have a problem with it are Habs fans who want to pretend that playoff run wasn't a gift, courtesy of a global pandemic.

I would have a problem if you sincerely didn't know the NHL's history with different divisions, but I've realized you're not interested in history, context, or facts. You're not even interested in a debate. You're here for one reason: to sell your fantasy that a team you hate didn't really succeed. And since you can't debate someone else's fantasy, I'll just sit back and enjoy the tale. I look forward to the next reply when you'll claim Montreal made the SCF thanks to dragons and evil elves.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Maybe you should ask the Habs fans who took offense to me calling it the Covid Cup. If they weren't quoting me with their bad faith arguments, this wouldn't even be a thing.

The Covid cup thing is dumb.

 

[IWantSakicAsMyGM]

"It's not the same because I say so" is not an argument. Obviously there were differences. However, hockey was the same fundamentally. It still followed the normal format and was therefore a normal season. The idea that everything coalesced to benefit Montreal is just bizarre.


Nobody needs evidence to prove what happened happened. It's you who need to prove your imaginary fantasy version is more valid than actual reality. You keep pointing to other seasons and hypothetical outcomes, and pretending they apply... because you say so. That's not evidence.

This is the problem we keep having. You seem to believe your make-believe story carries weight. It doesn't.



I would have a problem if you sincerely didn't know the NHL's history with different divisions, but I've realized you're not interested in history, context, or facts. You're not even interested in a debate. You're here for one reason: to sell your fantasy that a team you hate didn't really succeed. And since you can't debate someone else's fantasy, I'll just sit back and enjoy the tale. I look forward to the next reply when you'll claim Montreal made the SCF thanks to dragons and evil elves.

It was different because that season was 4 mini-leagues, without a single interdivision game until the Conference Finals, due to a global pandemic, which is unique in NHL history regardless of how badly you want to misconstrue my argument. In other words, Price needed special rules to make the playoffs after signing his albatross contract. Which is exactly what I said in my first post in this thread, and continue to stand by.

And your whole position seems to be that because hockey was still played the same, we should totally ignore the obvious differences in division alignments that created 4 mini-leagues that didn't play each other and pretend it was a "normal season", and not totally unique circumstances due to a global pandemic. And we should pretend that upsetting the Knights somehow proves it wasn't a totally unique set of circumstances that gave Montreal their playoff berth in the first place.

As for your ad hominem attacks, I've been a hockey fan for almost 40 years at this point, and lived through much of the history you're talking about. I know what happened and don't need it explained by someone with an obvious agenda in spinning it to their advantage, thank you very much. And, you're right, I'm not interested in a debate because you still haven't made a single argument that makes me believe it's even up for debate. If you want a legitimate debate on this topic, it might be helpful for Habs fans to actually have a good argument first. Until then, I'll absolutely continue to call it the Covid Cup and dismiss it as unearned, even it it means I'll have to repeatedly explain why while refuting the bad faith arguments of Habs fans who want pretend Price didn't need special rules to make the playoffs.

 

[IWantSakicAsMyGM]

The Covid cup thing is dumb.

Is there a better phrase that serves as easily understandable shorthand for "the totally unique Covid shortened, bubble season where there were 4 mini-leagues of various talent levels and no interdivision play until the Conference finals, rendering the results suspect at best"? That's just too much to type every time the Habs fans want to pretend Price was even arguably good for the duration of his albatross contract.

 

[Lshap]

It was different because that season was 4 mini-leagues, without a single interdivision game until the Conference Finals, due to a global pandemic, which is unique in NHL history regardless of how badly you want to misconstrue my argument. In other words, Price needed special rules to make the playoffs after signing his albatross contract. Which is exactly what I said in my first post in this thread, and continue to stand by.

And your whole position seems to be that because hockey was still played the same, we should totally ignore the obvious differences in division alignments that created 4 mini-leagues that didn't play each other and pretend it was a "normal season", and not totally unique circumstances due to a global pandemic. And we should pretend that upsetting the Knights somehow proves it wasn't a totally unique set of circumstances that gave Montreal their playoff berth in the first place.

As for your ad hominem attacks, I've been a hockey fan for almost 40 years at this point, and lived through much of the history you're talking about. I know what happened and don't need it explained by someone with an obvious agenda in spinning it to their advantage, thank you very much. And, you're right, I'm not interested in a debate because you still haven't made a single argument that makes me believe it's even up for debate. If you want a legitimate debate on this topic, it might be helpful for Habs fans to actually have a good argument first. Until then, I'll absolutely continue to call it the Covid Cup and dismiss it as unearned, even it it means I'll have to repeatedly explain why while refuting the bad faith arguments of Habs fans who want pretend Price didn't need special rules to make the playoffs.

Let's be clear: You've added no evidence. Nothing. Zero. Here's your entire case: You imagine Montreal may not have made the playoffs if they'd played against different teams, based on different results from different seasons.

It's a fun 'what-if' fantasy. But doubling down repeatedly on this make-believe scenario and demanding others adopt your fantasy as fact... and then demanding the onus is on us to prove Montreal earned their playoff spot ("Um... they actually made the playoffs... so...?")... well, thats the definition of a bad faith argument.

You've been shown how the Canadian division was not the weakest division that season, and certainly nowhere close to the much weaker divisions from previous eras.

You've been shown how that season adhered to the same format as every other season, with the Habs receiving no benefits. In fact, the unique divisions hurt them (and Vancouver) by imposing the toughest schedule with the most travel time and time-zone changes of any other team.

The Habs were a terrific underdog story. If having an unexpected run discredits them, we'll need to re-litigate dozens of NHL playoffs and discredit every underdog/Cinderella story in history. Fortunately, we're not discrediting any team's underdog story just because you dislike this particular one. Montreal 100% earned their spot, just like every underdog before and since.

You claim to know history, yet you continue to ignore it, and continue to parrot your fantasy as if it's fact. As I said, you're not here to discuss; you're here to preach your dislike of Montreal. Which is why I'm not wasting more time explaining what's already been explained.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Is there a better phrase that serves as easily understandable shorthand for "the totally unique Covid shortened, bubble season…

Again, I say to you… who cares?

If things were different they wouldn’t be the same. Okay… who cares?

 

[IWantSakicAsMyGM]

Let's be clear: You've added no evidence. Nothing. Zero. Here's your entire case: You imagine Montreal may not have made the playoffs if they'd played against different teams, based on different results from different seasons.

It's a fun 'what-if' fantasy. But doubling down repeatedly on this make-believe scenario and demanding others adopt your fantasy as fact... and then demanding the onus is on us to prove Montreal earned their playoff spot ("Um... they actually made the playoffs... so...?")... well, thats the definition of a bad faith argument.

You've been shown how the Canadian division was not the weakest division that season, and certainly nowhere close to the much weaker divisions from previous eras.

You've been shown how that season adhered to the same format as every other season, with the Habs receiving no benefits. In fact, the unique divisions hurt them (and Vancouver) by imposing the toughest schedule with the most travel time and time-zone changes of any other team.

The Habs were a terrific underdog story. If having an unexpected run discredits them, we'll need to re-litigate dozens of NHL playoffs and discredit every underdog/Cinderella story in history. Fortunately, we're not discrediting any team's underdog story just because you dislike this particular one. Montreal 100% earned their spot, just like every underdog before and since.

You claim to know history, yet you continue to ignore it, and continue to parrot your fantasy as if it's fact. As I said, you're not here to discuss; you're here to preach your dislike of Montreal. Which is why I'm not wasting more time explaining what's already been explained.

If we're being clear, maybe you should stop trying to put words into my mouth and building strawmen.

My factual statement in my first post was that Price didn't live up to his contract and the Habs needed special rules to even make the playoffs after Price signed that albatross contract. To me, there's no reason for me to have to make a case to support this, when it's objectively true and easily verifiable. All the evidence I need is the fact that they didn't make the playoffs any year that didn't have special rules, which I'd like to assume you can verify on your own.

But Habs fans like you always want to make up reasons why the special rules that obviously contributed to their playoff berth during the Covid Cup weren't actually special to try to pretend what I said about Price needing special rules to even make the playoffs isn't actually true. That includes such inane claims as the North had the toughest teams, other seasons had different divisions too, and just imagine what Price might have done on a team that could drag him to the Cup, and when they inevitably fail to convince me, it's ad hominem attacks, attacking me as being unknowledgeable, unreasonable or a hater because I don't blindly agree with their weak arguments and excuses. But, after all the bluster from the Habs fans, the fact still remains that Price only got the Habs to the playoffs when Covid resulted in special rules, so what I actually said remains 100% true.

Lastly, for the record, I fully agree that the Habs were a great underdog story. A team that needed special rules to even make it into the playoffs in the first place, beating Toronto and the Jets and then finally beating a legit powerhouse like Vegas to make the SCF is a feel good movie just waiting to be made. If Montreal actually legitimately deserved to be there in the first place, they wouldn't be that much of an underdog and just making the SCF wouldn't be seen as that much of an unexpected achievement.

 

[IWantSakicAsMyGM]

Again, I say to you… who cares?

If things were different they wouldn’t be the same. Okay… who cares?

How about this, I'll keep calling it the Covid Cup, and will try to compile a list of all the Habs fans who take issue with it, and let you know who cares. I can't promise it'll have everyone on the list, but I'm sure I'll get more than a couple of names for you.