The Rebuild: Inside the Montreal Canadiens Episode 5
What I particularly enjoy about the docuseries now streaming on Crave, The Rebuild: Inside the Montreal Canadiens, is how it gives fans a new perspective. It doesn't solely focus on the hockey aspect of the team but on all the components that allow it to run like a well-oiled machine.
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The fifth episode focuses on the January 25, 2024, game and how it saw a Canadiens legend return to the Bell Centre as the coach of the day's opponents. It's interesting to see the Habs coaching staff discuss what led to Roy's trade in December 1995, but it's also shocking to see how little they know about it.
Stephane Robidas keeps saying Roy was traded in November 1995, while any knowledgeable Habs fan will tell you the blowout game against the Detroit Red Wings happened on December 2, 1995, and that the trade that plunged the franchise into a dark era took place on December 6, 1995.
Meanwhile, Trevor Letowski asks if Roy pulled himself that night after surrendering nine goals to the Red Wings. I don't know about you, but I distinctly remember the goaltender desperately looking over to the bench, hoping for a sign from his coach letting him know his night was over. It only came after the ninth goal, once Roy was completely humiliated.
From a marketing standpoint, the show also reveals how it was decided to honor the Canadiens' former netminder during the national anthem on the night of his return as the New York Islanders coach. You might have gotten goosebumps looking at the scoreboard during the anthem if you were there on the night.
The timing to show this episode is uncanny as it also discusses Brendan Gallagher's hit to Adam Pelech's head; in light of what we've seen during the last two games, it's interesting to hear that when a disciplinary review is upcoming, Kent Hughes gets an email or a text.
Roy's return is also the perfect opportunity for the series to bring us inside Sunil Peetush's man cave. You may remember an article about the season ticket holder's impressive basement, which is a shrine to both the Canadiens and St-Patrick. It's hardly surprising that he and his buddy Mike Tzouvadakis attended the game wearing Roy jerseys and masks.
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In the episode, we also hear about how the Canadiens' communications team watches the third period in its bunker, under the stands, at the ready to write on the board in the dressing room, which players will have to meet the media. Chantal Machabee explains there's a seven-second delay, which means they know in advance when a goal is coming, thanks to the fans' reaction.
The Canadiens vice president of communications also adds her team knows in advance which players the media will want to speak with. It's fair to say you can tell by who's standing out during the game, but they also have another way to know. In the third period of every game, the communications department texts the Habs beat media group, asking who they would want to speak to.
It's not necessarily an "ask and you shall receive" system; however, sometimes journalists want to speak to a particular player, and the request is denied. We experienced it during training camp. Everyone wanted to talk to Patrik Laine from day one, but the organization decided to ease him in the Montreal media circus and protect him a bit, so it took a few days before we could speak to the big Finn. The same thing happened after the last two exhibition games; the media wanted to talk to Arber Xhekaj, but the organization didn't oblige.
The show also allows us to go back in time and see Juraj Slafkovsky's draft from a different angle. We get a look at how everyone on the team tries their best to help a young player like him when he's struggling to score. The first overall pick got shooting tips not only from Cole Caufield at practice but also from Hughes, who stood on the bench and chipped in.
The next episode will cover the Sean Monahan trade, amongst other topics.
Related
First Impressions - The Rebuild: Inside the Montreal Canadiens
The Rebuild: Inside the Montreal Canadiens Episode 4
The Rebuild: Inside the Montreal Canadiens Episode 3
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