The rival cities of Montreal and Toronto have had their share of stories swirling around and being blown up by their respective media bodies this season, and their most memorable ones have occurred over the past two weeks.
In mid-December, the Montreal Canadiens fired their Francophone head coach Jacques Martin in favour in the INTERIM English-speaking, Randy Cunneyworth. Cunneyworth seems to be the equivalent of an "Untouchable" in the Indian caste system to most Quebeckers. Fans were so outraged that their dismal bunch of garden gnomes (and Hal Gill) being coached by an English-speaker, that it seemed appropriate for their owner Geoff Molson to come forward and apologize to the masses in case they were offended by the move, and make it clear that Cunneyworth's job came with an INTERIM tag. Talk about a vote of confidence eh?
This saga has continued into 2012, with Montreal fans organizing an anti-Cunneyworth protest which occurred on Saturday night prior to the Canadiens home matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
A few hours after the protest, the Canadiens skated away with a solid 3-1 victory. Big statement achieved I'd say.
Earlier this week several hours west in Toronto, Brian Burke lamented the loss of Colton Orr and the demise of the "enforcer-era". Yet on Saturday night in Toronto, in the final moments of their matchup with the ageless wonder Detroit Red Wings the Leafs were clinging to a 4-3 lead. The men charged with taking a face-off in their own end, and protecting that lead were the men of the Leafs fourth line: Mike Brown, Darryl Boyce, and Joey Crabb. These men effectively handled the final minute to seal the victory for the home team, with no goons in sight. Good on the useful fourth-liners for closing one out.
The words from the fans and powers that be can keep flying, but these stories prove that the naysayers and pundits can often be the best motivators. Good on both teams for getting the job done.
No comments:
Post a Comment