I confess, I didn’t believe, either. On this very blog I said the Canadiens would bow out in 6 to the Capitals. Don’t get me wrong, I took no joy in saying that. It pained me very much, actually. And it pained me to think that I was being generous in giving the Canadiens 6 games. That was my stupid brain talking. By the end of game 3, I was hurting, but took solace in the fact that I had seen this coming. That it was merely inevitability setting in. It made the losing easier to swallow. In stark contrast, earlier in the month, I wondered about the next steps in the Canadiens rebuilding plan, and mentioned that I had an eerily good feeling about the Canadiens. That was my heart talking, and it was before the final week of the year that saw the Canadiens clumsily stumble in to the playoffs.

The only common ground between my head and heart was that there was no way that the Canadiens would be embarrassed by the Capitals, despite the apparent mismatch. They hang in there, “make us proud” for not being crushed like everyone said they would, and then we’d talk about how great that was. Then the requisite “next year the team will be better talk” would resume.

While the vast majority of bloggers, experts, and even ardent Habs fans took the Capitals, there were those who stayed with the Canadiens. Whether because they refused to pick against their team, or because they truly thought they would win, I’ll tip my hat to those who picked the Habs from the start. I did that last year, mostly because I was too afraid of what I would see in the mirror if I chose the Bruins. So I took the Canadiens to upset the Boston. My loyalty was rewarded with an embarrassing 4-game sweep in which the Canadiens barely put up a fight against their forever rival.

So I was done with the blind faith thing. I was always the type to take the Habs no matter what, and more often than not, the Canadiens would find a way to flame out in a spectacular way. This year really marks the first time that I decided to go with my brain, and I was rewarded for it with a lesson in eating crow. Best tasting crow I’ve ever had, but it just goes to show that in the playoffs, and in the first round in particular, you just never know.

Here’s what NOBODY can say they saw coming: that the Habs would block ten million shots, and that Halak would instantly make himself a folk hero, if he wasn’t one already. The defense that ran around their own zone all season long (literally) looked like the total opposite of themselves, against the best team in the league no less. They were poised, tough, effective, efficient and played with heart. Even though the number of shots against was sky-high, and even though many of those shots were of the extremely dangerous variety, the defense really did a good job of limiting second and third opportunities.

While most of the credit belongs to Halak and the defense, the forwards are not undeserving of praise either. Gainey’s acquisitions all paid off big dividends during the series. Even Max Lapierre reappeared after an 85 game slumber (with sporadic fits of wakefulness). Something got in to these guys. There really was a flip that was switched on, and the Capitals were completely unable to turn it off.

Now as we look forward to tomorrow night’s game vs the Penguins, I find myself trying to break down the series. The heart, as always, says to go with the Habs. But there’s the stupid brain again. It’s saying that Crosby has shown over the past year why he is without a doubt the best player in the world. Not the flashiest (though he does cast a considerable glare of his own), but the best. He’s more clutch than those mentioned alongside him as best in the world. Even if the Habs manage to ensnare Crosby in some sort of quagmire, they have that bull named Evgeni Malkin to deal with. You remember him, don’t you? Last year’s Conn Smythe trophy winner? Of course you do. While he’s not the focalpoint of the Penguins attack, he can certainly take over a game on his own. Then there’s Jordin Staal. And Max Talbot. And Bill Guerin…all guys who still have the stink of Lord Stanley all over them. They obviously know what it takes to win. This is a good matchup for the Penguins, but are they still as hungry? You see how the brain louses everything up? Why should I even entertain the thought of the Habs losing after what we just saw? If the Habs beat the Caps, they can be the Penguins, right? Counting intangibles is tough, and while you’ll find plenty of intangibles on any Cup winning club, the Canadiens have shown that they aren’t without the je ne sais quoi qualities, either.

So I’m reverting back to form. I’m going to be a believer in this series. If they get down, I’ll believe that they’ll crawl back. If they crumble, I’ll believe that they’ll bounce back.