The Montreal Canadiens have the most Stanley Cup wins in history. They're also the most recent Canadian team to accomplish the feat (back in 1993), and showed moxie in taking down the Pittsburgh Penguins in the qualification round of the 2020 postseason.
As is tradition, GM Marc Bergevin did quite a bit of tinkering with the roster this offseason. Is there a long playoff run in store for them this spring? Here's everything you need to know about the Canadiens ahead of opening night:
Big question: Has Chef Marc Bergevin finally perfected the recipe?
Bergevin has been the general manager of the Canadiens since 2012. There have been times when Montreal looked like an appetizing contender. Other times, they looked half-baked, missing a few ingredients or occasionally rancid (2017-18 ... woof).
But Bergevin kept cooking, looking for the right mix around his aging main dishes, goalie Carey Price (age 33) and defenseman Shea Weber (35). The Canadiens showed some promise last season, and then rolled over the Penguins in the qualification round before losing to the Flyers in the first playoff round in six games. Bergevin went on a supermarket sweep in the offseason, adding some key new players. On paper, the recipe looks delectable. But how is it going to taste?