Tricolore#20
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There were always stories coming out of the Habs dressing room in that era that there were several cliques, and they barely talked to each other. There was so much drama. Koivu vs Ribeiro being a big one.
That era wasn't just dark because of behind the scenes issues. They also had some horrifically traumatic injuries, and I saw it all. Brian Savage's broken neck. Trent McCleary taking a slap shot to the throat, and hurrying off the ice before passing out at the benches because he lost his airway. Donald Audette getting his arm sliced after he fell and it was skated over. OMG, the blood.
Hell, they even managed to get snowed in in Carolina. They were playing a back to back with Washington the next night. The Habs requested that the Caps game be rescheduled and the NHL refused. The Habs got into Washington around 2 p.m. for a 7 p.m game and played with little to no sleep. I think they spent the night at the airport, while waiting for clearance to take off. Boy, was that a fun game!
That whole era was just one big cluster****. No one wanted to play in Montreal. Horrible times, and yeah, I'd watch a documentary on it. I want to know how bad it all really got.
Interestingly, it was also a time when the Quebec economy was really bad, businesses on Ste Catherines were shuttering up, and even nobody from Montreal wanted to buy the team! (enter George Gillett).
I think it would be a fascinating documentary. In hindsight, it truly was dark times. I think 1998-2001 was easily the lowest I've ever felt as a Habs point.