the metros of it all in tlg
let me just be very very clear because i feel like i'm being willfully or not misunderstood when i say there is no world in which a montreal hockey team lets shane walk away. so, let me say it plainly: i am not saying that the habs, in a situation like what rachel wrote in, would accept shane and keep him because they're woke or better than other teams.
i am saying they would keep him because
a) the actual hockey he plays
the habs are and probably to some extent always will be, an team that takes themselves very, very seriously. one of their entire marketing bits in the recent years was basically 'no, we're not part of the original six. we are the one, the original one.'
they have always taken this seriously (as a fan of the team though i'm happy to report that this iteration of the habs is a lot more fun and easy going!!)
some eras of the habs, however, have been far worse about this and they've gone about it in the most insane way possible. the gm that existed in the time rr had set these books was genuinely the worst and set the org back years* including shitty trades, shitty ways he treated some of his players (domestic violence warning, another) and yes, shitty rosters.
i am not saying that the montreal voyagers canadiens metros would keep shane because they were a progressive organization.
i am saying they would keep him because he brought the cup home THREE fucking times. i can not reiterate enough how big of a deal this would be. the last time a canadian team won the cup it was in 1993 (and yes, it was the canadiens). the entire country is fucking YEARNING for a cup. they are FERAL for a cup. montreal was starving for a taste of that silverware.
if shane is as we've been led to believe the best player in the league at his best and at worst, tied for the best player in the league, he's the one who helped make that happen.
and its not even old news. he isn't aging out! at the point that montreal pushes him out he'd have won a cup with them the season before.
this seems like a generational player. no, not even generational, maybe historical player.
hockey men are a lot of things including bigoted and close minded but they aren't so fucking stupid they wouldn't realize what an asset he is to their team.
and then, on top of the hockey of it all, the city of montreal would fucking burn to the ground.
this man would be a fucking god in this city. he'd be worshipped. (the best player they had in the era rr had set this team in was carey price and they literally called him jesus price)
montreal is a crazy hockey city. they live, breathe, eat hockey. they live and die by hockey. their stadium is right in the middle of downtown so when the bell centre is buzzing so is the city. when the bell centre is furious so is the city.
he loves hockey. he loves the city and the team. he loves getting fucked up the ass but that's neither here nor there. he is a blingual ontarian who speaks perfect french. he brought home three fucking cups.
he brought home three fucking cups
he is not fucking going anywhere.
here is a great post about this (op mistakenly said they were trading him instead of just letting him walk but all of this is still right). here's a great primer that explains in the start just who the habs are and why they're not just a hockey team (and therefore not just making hockey decisions in a vacuum)
*which is partially one of the reasons i can't actually 1 for 1 him with shane's gm because whoever shane's gm is, is a guy who built a real team who won three cups but whatever
dededos
titsay
annaxmalina
origamiaround
vaporwave
areudirty
