Written by Graeme Nichols | 01 June 2009

For whatever reason, the Montreal Canadiens have never really invoked any fear into me as an Ottawa Senators fan. This confidence manifested itself at an early age for me. I was there October 8th, 1992 - Opening Night versus the Canadiens. My family was sitting three rows up from the ice at the Senators blueline. The seats created a perfect viewing angle for when Neil Brady scored the game's first goal. At that point, my mind was blown. I went bonkers by spending the next couple of hours yelling and screaming into my red Coca-Cola mini-megaphone. I was mesmerizing watching the likes of Sylvain Turgeon, Brady and Doug Smail systematically dismantle the bleu-blanc-et-rouge.

Seventeen years later, my feelings haven't changed. Sure, the Habs have had some good teams but they've never given me the impression that the Senators didn't have a hope in hell of beating them. Well, after today's news, my feeling has only been substantiated. Jacques Martin is the new Head Coach of the Habs.

Yes, you read it correctly. Jacques Martin is the new Head Coach of the Montreal Canadiens.


I know a couple of Habs fans have frequented the site before, so I'm going to give some advice to you fans. But before I do, I want to categorize the two prevailing opinions of the Sens Army for Jacques Martin:

- First, he coached the team and brought respectability to a franchise that was often a perennial loser. You'll ignore the fact that the team was laden with blue-chip prospects and it was really only a matter of time before these players developed and the team's play subsequently improved. I'll give him a standing ovation for not accomplishing anything. He deserves it.

- Or, when you hear the name Jacques Martin, you immediately think of how the Senators lost four consecutive playoff series against the Maple Leafs. Instead of thinking about some regular season accomplishments, you're reminded of a coach who was routinely outcoached during the most important time of the year, in the playoffs.

That being said, here's a little advice for you guys & gals.

1) Watch out! Since Jacques has officially taken the position, you can be sure to expect a visit from Shaun Van Allen at Jacques' next celebrity golf tournament. He's successfully lobbied for a job this way once, and he'll do it again. (Note: Trevor Timmins, don't trust Vanner. In two weeks, he could take your job.)

2) Remember the midseason stories about the mafioso, Carey Price's smoking habits, and pictures of players in banana hammocks? Well, put the off-ice fears aside, Jacques' blandness will counteract all of that. He's going to be the Pat Boone to your Little Richard. If one of the young kids gets out of line, expect one of these bombshells, "This is a man's League and he's still a boy."

3) Respectability? No worries, Jacques will bring that. A Stanley Cup? That's an entirely different matter. Although Jacques' prep-work and advanced scouting is impeccable, his stubborness or inability to adapt in-game has resulted in a myriad of playoff flops. Welcome to the Sens world Habs fans, where winning the Cup has taken a backseat to becoming respectable. It's the new cliche for Canadian hockey markets.

4) If you Habs fans were concerned about your team's annual inability to entice marquee unrestricted free agents to sign, go buy a Morrissey record and drown in your miseries. Despite having a horrendous second half to the season last year, the Habs were in an ideal situation for the summer. With an absurd number of free agents on their roster, they could easily put themselves in a position to tinker and retool. They didn't have to return the status quo. With a poor economy and a load of cap room, the Habs would have had a slew of money in a buyer's market this summer. So what's the problem? Nobody wants to play there when it's not going well. Don't believe me? Ask Danny Briere. Fact of the matter is that no one wants to play in a tough, francophone market with heavy media scrutiny where Jacques Demers can't even read the name on the back of your jersey? Now compound that problem by bringing in one of the most defensive minded coach's in the NHL. What kind of premier offensive player is going to sign there? The answer, no one.

Enjoy the ensuing respectability fellas.

UPDATE: 1:18PM

Okay. So we endured 4 consecutive playoff losses to the Leafs but the fan and media scrutiny was never really that hard on Jacques. It's weird noting how some journalists are putting it out there well after the fact.

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