Montreal Canadiens Jacques Martin Cheats the Habs with “The System”

Carey Price

I’m pretty sure that if you managed to catch any of the the Montreal Canadiens game against the New York Rangers, you’ll have one of two opinions.

But that’s going to depend on whether you caught the first forty minutes, or the last twenty.

It was evident from the opening puck drop that there would be plenty of intensity and breath catching moments. After all – it took more than 6 minutes to earn the first whistle for a play stoppage. But both teams showed they came to play, and the action was fast and furious end to end.

Just the kind of action that Montreal coach Jacques Martin doesn’t like to see.

There was plenty of open ice play and a definite lack of closing down the neutral zone. Both teams were playing all out, wide open hockey, and there were equal chances at both ends.

So when Brian Boyle scored for the Rangers at the 06:58 mark of the first, there were a few things to be concerned about across Habs Nation.

For the following six minutes, all fears were realized appropriately. The Canadiens closed down, and a crucial PK Subban penalty seemed to suck the life out of the team, as they struggled to find the intensity that they had opened the match with.

But the tide soon changed, and with a great penalty kill followed with a power play opportunity, the Canadiens not only mounted the pressure, but managed to get back into the game with a goal from Roman Hamerlik – thanks to a Brandon Dubinsky penalty.

But let’s not let this become a play by play game analysis. Let’s get back to the point at hand.

The Habs found strength in that power play goal and they continued to feed from it.

There was a return to forechecking, cycling down low, and preventing the Rangers to gain puck possession. There was incredible vintage tape to tape passing that resembled the Habs of old. Even CBC announcers were considering the Montreal Canadiens of the 70s.

That play (as well as discipline from taking penalties) awarded them with more power play opportunities, resulting in two more goals.  There was no doubt that this team had hit a stride that the Rangers seemed unable to match. And even as the second period was seeing the sand drip through the hourglass, the Habs continued to press, gain the offensive zone, inhibit the Rangers from puck possession and shots, and maintain serious control of the match.

Even Henrik Lundqvist showed his frustration by serving up several blocker punches to Max Pacioretty at the end of the second, as he crashed the net thanks to a push.

But here’s where things came apart, and where I once again have to question the manageability of Jacques Martin.

Le Bleu, Blanc, et Rouge came out lifeless in the third. Protection at it’s best. No forecheck. No backcheck. No neutral zone presence. Nothing!

It is pretty clear that this team is built for speed and movement. The incredible puck movement in the first two frames were magical examples of that. They cycled low, won the battles in the corners, were fast to the puck. It’s no secret that with the size of this team, that they need to win through use of that speed. And through two periods there was no doubt that they played in their element.

Enter the Jacques Martin System.

As the third began and progressed, it was clear that Martin and his System had taken possession of a team that had played 40 minutes of great hockey. It became all about trying to shut down the Rangers offense, and being a defensive unit. Speed was removed. Sitting on their skate heels replaced the aggressive style that had gained them a 2 goal lead. Turnovers in their own end was the result, and Carey Price got hung out to dry.

If Lundqvist had kept New York “in” the game, then Carey Price saved the game for Montreal. The team that had asked Price to save 6 shots in each of the previous periods, made him stretch out to stop more than 3 times that many shots in the third (21 in all). They turned it over consistently in the defensive zone, and lacked the fortitude to hold the offensive zone.

It was like watching two different teams in one night.

The question then arises. How can the leadership of this great franchise see this system as positive and working? Because they have more in the Win column than in the Loss column?

Maybe Martin’s system can work with an over-sized NHL team (or a regular sized team for that matter), but clearly it’s steering the ship in the wrong direction in Montreal.

This is a team that needs the direction to play hard, fast, and strong, for a full 60 minutes. Utilizing their strengths of speed and grinding. They don’t have the size to sit back and protect a lead. They have the speed to push on; relentless, and win a game.

I, for one, am becoming tired of this old dog that is the Jacques Martin system of hockey. My finger nails can’t take it.

With two years left on the Martin contract, wouldn’t we be better to cut our losses and hand the reigns over to a man that the team seems to respect and play hard for? Kirk Muller would be twice the coach that Martin is. I believe that he understands the players in his organization far better than Martin, and also knows how to encourage them from the ground up.

Tonight was just another example of the Martin system failure. But sadly – with Carbonneau still on the pay list … It would seem like we’re stuck with what we’ve got.

10 thoughts on “Montreal Canadiens Jacques Martin Cheats the Habs with “The System””

  1. I have to agree with the fact that it was like watching two completely different teams but I feel like I see them doing this all year, they’re kind of a hot or cold team to me. I saw it in the playoffs last year, sometimes they come out blazin and others as flat as old beer. I’m not sure its JM or just the team it’s self. I also think that the 3rd period could have used Markov and Georges in the lineup, that would have made a big difference defensively. Reguardless of who is causing this drop in momentum JM or the team, they need to figure it out for the next half of the season, there are alot of good teams in the east this year and if they wanna compete they’ve got to get more consistant.

  2. Do you really think Martin didn’t like the first two periods and told his players to stop doing what they did perfectly in the first 40 minutes to only focus on defense for the remaining of the game?

    After the game, Martin didn’t seem particularly pleased with the 3rd period either actually, and he said he would have liked the habs to spend more time in the offensive zone. So maybe that third period isn’t exactly the best illustration of what Martin wants this team to do, and maybe it’s a bit unfair to take this as an example of his “system”. Sitting back during the last portion of a game when you have the lead is a pretty universal thing. Every single coach tells his players not to do it, but it still happens very commonly at all levels in all sports.

    I’m not always supporting Martin and his decisions, but I just don’t think this is representative of his system.

  3. This is right on. Les Habs bailed on the 3rd period and were very lucky to escape with a win. I like Martin but when he pulls back the reigns on a team that is full of speed and energy, they can’t compete with the bigger more physical teams.

    Lets hope Les Habs learn and keep going but it’s not likely. You need to play 60 minutes to win, not 40 and hope to get lucky.

  4. The bottom line is winning. The Habs went to the Conference final last season under Jacques Martin and they are in a playoff position again this season. What do want?

    I’m sure the some of the Bruins and their fans feel the same way under Claude Julien. Tough! Sound defense wins championships in the NHL.

    You could be a Leaf fan whose team has no effective offense or defensive system and sit near the bottom of the standings every year.

    Leave Jacques Martin alone. He knows what he’s doing. If you don’t like the Habs style, cheer for the Capitals or some other team.

    • Well Mike, you are certainly right! Winning is the bottom line, so that is one thing that we can certainly agree on. The other thing we agree on, is that there are other fans of other teams that feel the same. Hence the comment above from Karl – who’s a Florida Panthers fan.

      But I can’t leave Martin alone. True we made it to the Conference Final last year, but much of that was due to the outstanding defense of Hal Gill and Josh Gorges who lead the playoffs in blocked shots, and Jaroslav Halak – who stood on his head most nights to secure a win.

      When you have a team that has the ability to be far more offensive, with all the speed and agility that forces their opponent to play cautious and defensive hockey, then not using that skill set becomes an issue.

      I don’t disagree that defense is a big part of the game, but I’m pretty sure if you asked anyone which zone they would rather see a team playing in, the answer would not be “In their own zone”.

      The Habs proved without doubt last night, that they can outplay their opponent when they utilize their speed. And a system that prevents that from happening for a full 60 minutes can be detrimental to the outcome of each match.

      I stand behind my thoughts, and I appreciate yours as well. Thanks for leaving them. However, I DO like the Habs style. It’s the style of the coaching that is suspect.

  5. OMG!!!! I thought that I was the only one that feel that way about JM. For a team of Smurfs, I find that oftentimes, he might as well be coaching the Leafs as he is not using his players’ talents – speed & skills. As a Habs fan, the only redeeming feature is that the Leafs are not in contention to make the playoff. I dread them meeting with his 0-2 record playoff record against TO with a much more talented OTT team. Of course, his 0-4 record in game 7 prior to last year is not inspiring.

    It is too late for Boucher but please bring in Muller ASAP!!!!!!

  6. As a Panther fan, I know this feeling all too well. The Habs are fortunate enough to have the talent to overcome the system and register more wins than losses. Florida never did.

    • And believe me, we are very grateful for the wins that we have! I can only imagine what the outcome would be if the players weren’t instructed to play shutdown hockey and try to protect leads.

      Thanks for reading and leaving your comment!

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