A controversial request made by the Canadiens is not unanimous and may be reviewed

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MarcO
January 9, 2023 (2:08 PM)

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The Canadiens' annual holiday trip has been a feature of most seasons since 1987-88. At that time, Jean Perron's team played all four games after Christmas away from the Forum. The following year, Pat Burns had to leave town for five games.

Since then, the Canadiens have played five to 10 games away from home at the worst time of the year, while events ranging from the Ice Capades to the Cirque du Soleil to Disney on Ice invade their building.

As Jack Todd of The Gazette reports, this trip is historically a disaster. CH's final weeks have been no exception. The veteran journalist began his analysis in the 1996-97 season, the first at the Bell Centre. The club had, for a rare time, finished with a positive record from that trip (3-0-2).

Since 1996-97, the Canadiens have a road record (unofficial and calculated by Todd) of 60-88-9 during the holiday season, including the occasional solo game played at home. Over the same time period, since 1996, the club's road record is 415-450-38.

If you take out the ties and don't pay attention to games won or lost in overtime or in a shootout, the winning percentage on the holiday trip since the move to the Bell Centre is .405. On the other hand, the winning percentage on the road is .480 since the 1996-97 season.

One has to wonder if this trip is still relevant in the club's current situation. When we know that the CH is aiming for evolution and consistency over the next few years, is it relevant to voluntarily put this trip on the road?

This trip is indeed a request from the organization that prefers, as we said above, to fill the Bell Centre with events during the holiday season for the benefit of a few games of his team. The profitability of the building is then much greater, to the great pleasure of Geoff Molson and the shareholders.

A controversial request that is not unanimously supported.

The effects of the trip, however, were far greater than just the team's record during it. The disaster continues on the team's return home as the club has taken folds from its defeats and especially lost a lot of confidence. The first games at home are therefore, as we can see now, quite difficult.

That's not to mention the fact that the players and members of the organization are always away from home as Christmas approaches, which can generate some stress of not being there in time with their families.

If he really wants his team to succeed, Geoff Molson will have to think sooner rather than later about changing his philosophy and no longer demand that the league leave for days during this time.