Being a glass half empty kind of gal myself I'm not usually a cheerleader type either.
Even two years ago some of my fellow bloggers - most of whom write for this site - and I all pointed out that the team was going to struggle in the future and pay for the Habs Cinderella run dearly, though we hoped to be wrong.
Sometimes it's not always hindsight that's 20/20, and not all Habs fans and bloggers are clueless zealots despite the stereotypes that get bandied about.
But now that the Canadiens have in fact imploded as predicted and are all but guaranteed to miss this year's playoffs, there are still reasons I enjoy watching them and reasons to look forward to the future of this club instead of merely bracing for impact.
The Lars Eller Story
When Jaroslav Halak got traded I was miserable but not because I preferred him to Carey Price. I wanted to keep them both, and in all honesty I'd never even heard of Lars Eller.
By the end of Eller's first year on the team I was in favour of the trade and now it's clear he's going to form part of the Canadiens spine in the rebuilding process.
His talent, size and speed and the hard work and development of his confidence and skills have been a pleasure to watch.
Pierre Gauthier made a good deal here, and while I was negative at first I'm enjoying eating the humble pie he served up with this trade.
The Josh Gorges Signing
Also in this vein, I'll cop to getting ticked about only a one year deal for Josh Gorges last summer. He has long been a rudder on the blueline for the Habs and, while I wasn't sold on the Andrei Markov deal, I thought Gorges had at least earned a similar vote of confidence from the management.
The fact that this club finally broke with recent tradition and locked up a key player during the season, was a bit of an admission that they had done a disservice to Gorges and were keen to correct that oversight.
The Youth Core
The Habs have some nice talent to help build upon moving forward in the aforementioned two plus PK Subban, Carey Price and Alexei Emelin. I also like David Desharnais and Louis Leblanc and am pleased by reports of Jarred Tinordi and Nathan Beaulieu's progress.
True, there may be no legitimate superstars amongst the group but they are young, hard working, skilled players with more upside than down. It's crucial that the Canadiens have a solid pipeline moving forward.
Once the team is officially out of the running I'm hoping to see more of the youngsters get their chance to pick up some valuable ice time and experience.
Death of the Jacques Martin System
I've never been one for trap hockey. A good defense is always important, but not to the point where it smothers creativity and offense.
To me, watching a team try not to get scored upon is like trying to keep your tongue out of the sore hole in your gum where your tooth used to be. It's terribly painful to endure.
Under Randy Cunneyworth, this team now employs a two man forecheck and, though they struggle to score, they at least mount a consistent offense to go with the defense instead of sitting on their heels waiting for the opponent to make a critical mistake.
I am no longer immensely surprised when I see three Habs forwards down low fighting hard in front of the net, and a few weeks ago witnessing something like that would have made me pause to check my alcohol levels.
The Randy Cunneyworth Accountability System
Under Martin, veterans on the team enjoyed close to 20 minutes a night of ice time regardless of actual performance. They also enjoyed time on the power play or penalty kill regardless of actual skill set, something that routinely set my teeth on edge.
Under Cunneyworth, ice time is earned regardless of status on the squad, something Mike Cammalleri learned the hard way and Lars Eller has taken advantage of.
There are still lapses as to usage of players on special teams, but since the entire roster seems to be struggling I'm not going to rag on Cunneyworth for grasping at straws.
The Redirect
Whether it's a retooling of the team or a full on rebuild remains to be seen, but the fact is this organization is finally left with no choice but to stop clinging to the past and separate the wheat from the chaff. Frankly it's overdue.
For expensive underperformers this will likely mean a new team or retirement. For the youth core it will mean an opportunity to shine.
Bob Gainey's vision of a small speedy team helmed by a coach who would be better served with big bodied stalwarts is now officially dead and gone. Gauthier has even admitted something that Habs fans have stated for awhile now - this team needs more size.
It also needs more consistency in scoring and better unity and cohesion both on the ice and in the locker room. I don't think Larry Carriere was put in position for his overlooked coaching savvy, but so he could finally view, first hand, what needed to be done and help the brass get it done.
It's a small thing, but putting Carriere behind the bench was perhaps one of the first clear indicators that the Habs were serious about moving in a new direction. They now want to better contend in today's NHL and forget the fairytale of two seasons past.
There are problems that will remain in the near future, but steps are finally being taken to address the ones that this club has routinely ignored for far too long.
There can be no progress without change, just stagnation. It's a harsh lesson to learn for the team and for its long-suffering fans.
Now that the Montreal Canadiens are embracing change I find myself growing quietly optimistic about where this team is finally headed.
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Rosalyn used to frequent the old Forum during her early childhood when her father was a corporate season ticket holder, where she fell in love with Larry Robinson, so her lifelong obsession with the Habs is entirely his fault.
(Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images North America)
