What is the Habs team identity?

[Miller Time]

Asking this in all sincerity. Curious to see what other posters feel this teams identity is, as constructed by the GM.


Going on 4 years into his tenure, would be unfair not to call this Bergevin's team...

what is the identity of his team?


I thought that "CHaracter" was one of the defining characteristics the team was being built around, but then looking back at our moves, i don't really see that standing out...

Briere - playoff chops but questionable off-ice issues and certainly not known as a character leader
Murray/Parros - tough customers, where they reputed for their high character?
Vanek - polar opposite of high character player
Parenteau - hard worker who defied draft expectations, but not known for stand out character
Sekac - apparently dubious off-ice behavior & inability to get along with his coach
DSP - out of shape
Petry - character/toughness questioned while in edmonton
Mitchell - high character depth player
Flynn - high character healthy scratch

looking at the past 2 years, would be hard to build a case that our roster moves were made to improve the character of the team... but was there another link/consistency?
certainly wasn't speed...
nor size...
grit? maybe, but then only in depth spots... all of the skill/talent players were completely non-gritty/physical



so what kind of team, or team identity, do we have? What do you think MB is looking to build?

Click to read more...

 

[WeThreeKings]

Grinding team.

 

[Draft]

A cheap to acquire team.

 

[expy]

Carey Price.

 

[Seb]

Where skills die.

Feels like the Leafs under Burke.

 

[punk255]

What is the Habs team identity? We scare to do a mistake

 

[Frozenice]

Eclectic - or just a bunch of random players playing different positions then they should be for the heck of it with a supposed purpose and plan.

 

[JayKing]

No risk. No reward.

 

[Andy]

They have none. Carey Price stealing games in the regular season gave the coaching staff and the management team a false sense of validation that what they have been doing is actually good for the club.

 

[TheBlindFan]

Great game tonight... 2 major errors (TB did many), no luck at all...

so tonight... Corsi winners, dark eyes was on us.

 

[Apoplectic Habs Fan]

They dont have one.

They arent tough to play

They arent able to grind because they arent big annd strong enough

not skilled, talented or fast team. They are stifled creativiley and youngsters who show a spark are degraded by therrien.

Its a mismash of players playing a horrid system.

 

[OnTheRun]

Aren't we priding ourselves in our lack of identity?

The generic "fast team" don't even stick anymore since we don't use our speed anymore.

 

[TheBlindFan]

They have none. Carey Price stealing games in the regular season gave the coaching staff and the management team a false sense of validation of they are doing was actually good for the club.

That on players, game 2 was on players, game 1-3 clear domination from the habs... lost on smalll errors.... scoring chance are there ... score... no...

 

[L4br3cqu3]

'NO EXCUSES'

 

[Miller Time]

Grinding team.

Briere, Vanek, Parenteau, Gilbert, Sekac, Maholtra, Petry, Flynn, Mitchell... none would be considered "grinders"... maybe mitchell, but an undersized one at that.

can i really be building a grinding team if the only grinders i add in a 2-year span are Murray, Parros and DSP...

and the only grinder i have in my top-6 is Brendan Gallagher...

 

[Big Lurk]

No risk. No reward.

"No finish, and I'm not talking about the country."

 

[Miller Time]

They have none. Carey Price stealing games in the regular season gave the coaching staff and the management team a false sense of validation of they are doing was actually good for the club.

that is my feeling... but I find it hard to believe that MB didn't/doesn't have a vision for the type of team/style of play he thinks will be successful/is trying to build.


i just can't seem to decipher it by looking at the roster moves he's made, so curious to see if someone else out there has a read on how the dots connect.

 

[Bob Cole]

team identity is whining, double standards and constant excuses

 

[Habs8517]

The same as the past years. To turtle and let the goalie win the game.

 

[Andy]

I also wanted to add that MT and MB have done everything in their power to sell this team as an underdog this season. This wasn't only suggested several times with MB's constant reminder that the Habs are a young team in transition, which I vehemently disagree with, but was explicit when MT before the Tampa series tried to play the Habs as the underdog despite finishing ahead of the Bolts in the regular season.

Hard to sell the underdog story to your team when you finish second in your conference. On the one hand, you want to tell everyone how successful you are because of where you finished, but on the other hand, you want to sell yourself short. It's an odd tension.

The club is in an ambiguous state right now.

 

[elsubz]

No risk. No reward.

This sums it up pretty good.

 

[Banjo Cat]

Hard to sell the underdog story to your team when you finish second in your conference..

We were though. I mean, seriously, most of us knew it. Most of us were scared to face Ottawa.

 

[Canadiens Ghost]

Is having no identity an identity?

 

[ArtPeur]

'NO EXCUSES'

I can't remember which episode it was last week but.. Gaston Therrien said that he didn't remember if the "No Excuses" was still hung in the dressing room but the team should really stop will all those "Excuses". I never thought I would hear him say that!

 

[punk255]

I also wanted to add that MT and MB have done everything in their power to sell this team as an underdog this season. This wasn't only suggested several times with MB's constant reminder that the Habs are a young team in transition, which I vehemently disagree with, but was explicit when MT before the Tampa series tried to play the Habs as the underdog despite finishing ahead of the Bolts in the regular season.

Hard to sell the underdog story to your team when you finish second in your conference. On the one hand, you want to tell everyone how successful you are because of where you finished, but on the other hand, you want to sell yourself short. It's an odd tension.

The club is in an ambiguous state right now.

Things that are not in ambiguous states with the Habs:
PP unsuccess
MT coaching
Needs of offensives players
Young players development problems