The Montreal Canadiens and Montreal Alouettes are in very different places right now. One team is on top of the world after logging a perfect postseason record; meanwhile, the other is trying to climb out of the basement of the NHL’s standings while battling the injury bug.
With that said, both clubs began their respective seasons as heavy underdogs.
After the Als won the Grey Cup in dramatic fashion earlier this week, Canadiens bench boss Martin St. Louis was asked to find parallels between the two Montreal franchises.
The Laval native admitted to not watching the game as a result of travelling to Connecticut to spend time with his family, but was able to draw a lesson nonetheless.
“First of all, congratulations. I know they weren’t the heavy favourite,” St. Louis said.
And like the Alouettes, who were ranked at the bottom of the CFL’s power rankings this past season, the Canadiens have long been undermined by critics and experts too, specifically before their run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021.
“That’s why you play the game. Whatever the paper says or what your chances are, it doesn’t matter once the game starts,” the 48-year-old explained to reporters on Monday. “The message or the lesson [for us] is that everything’s possible if everybody’s pulling in the same direction, and you have the right mindset, and you compete. And they did that.”
They did indeed, in the final 13 seconds of a game, coming back from a deficit against the highly-favoured Winnipeg Blue Bombers to win it all despite the odds.
And although Canadiens fans’ anticipation for another Stanley Cup parade has recently passed the three-decade mark, another procession will march through the streets of downtown this week as the Alouettes’ homecoming with the Cup rolls through this Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Canadiens, riding a 7-9-2 record, will kick off their three-game road trip in California that same day with a game against the Anaheim Ducks.
Hopefully, Habs players catch a glimpse of the event, which may serve as a reminder that they can still turn their year around.