The puck drops here!

YEAH!!!

The NHL season officially begins tonight! And for Canadians coast to coast, that's really something!

Sadly, the Montreal Canadiens are in no position to make much noise. The Habs made the playoffs by the skin of their teeth last year, and then proceeded to lose in the first round, even though they led the series 2-0. And no, being eliminated by the team that would ultimately win the Stanley Cup doesn't make us feel any better, thank you very much!

Our General Manager's inactivity this summer did little to help improve the team. Signing "homegrown" talent to contracts that such players would never have gotten elsewhere doesn't help matters in the least. As things stand right now, Hockey News ranks Montreal 15th in the Eastern Conference. Dead last. And as much as I hate to say this, I can find no fault in their reasoning. We'll be lucky to make the playoffs next spring. . .

Teams that finished the season below us last year have improved quite a bit. Which means that the Montreal Canadiens will be hard-pressed to secure the last playoff spot in the East -- which may not even be within the realm of possibilities. With deficient goaltending, a porous defense, and blatant lack of size down the middle, it could be a very, very long season.

Still, hockey's back, for better or worse.

Go Habs Go!;-)