Canadiens ‘keep building’ with Stanley Cup Playoffs on horizon
“If we’re not the youngest team, we’re one of the youngest teams in the NHL again this year with a lot of potential. We’re sticking to the plan, but if an opportunity comes to get better quicker that doesn’t impact our plan, that’s a good plan as well.
“The expectations are that we provide, as we did last year, an outstanding experience for our fans, but most importantly that we progress and keep building to have a good team for the very long term.”
There were no guarantees then of a trip to the playoffs this season. A miss, Gorton said, would not be qualified as a failure.
“I don’t like the word failure,” he said. “We all want the playoffs, we all want to keep moving forward. We’re trying to build something for a long period of time. I like our group; let’s see where it takes us. We’d be disappointed (to not make the playoffs). We want it, the players have been outspoken about that, I wouldn’t expect anything else.
“The players don’t want to hear ‘rebuild’ or anything like that, I understand that. The players are focused, they like their team, they like their group. You can see how tight-knit they are, they’re ready to go. I think 750 players in the League all think they’re making the playoffs, and our players are no different.”
Eighty-one games into the season, Montreal is buzzing in anticipation of the playoffs. With seasoned veterans, talented and perhaps overachieving youth and strength in goal, the Canadiens have been an engaging story.
The intriguing next chapter is straight ahead.
Top photo: Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki holds his 100th-point puck Sunday in his team’s UBS Arena dressing room.
