You've Made Fun of Me for Years, So F* It... Let Me Have It!

This past week might go down as one of the worst sports weeks of my life—or at least the worst in a long time. Everything seemed to hit at once. My favourite hockey team, the Montreal Canadiens, went from rolling to collapsing under a wave of injuries, and my favourite NFL team, the Seattle Seahawks, reminded me how tough it will be for me to fully trust them as they try to chase a Super Bowl title this year.

Let’s break down how all of this somehow happened in seven days and start in Montreal.

Just one week ago, the Canadiens looked like one of the best teams in the NHL. I literally wrote a blog about how good things were… and then everyone got hurt.

• Kirby Dach — Out six weeks

• Alex Newhook — Gruesome ankle injury, out four months

• Kaiden Guhle — Already out 4–6 weeks, then somehow re-injured without having surgery, now out an additional 8–10 weeks

It's hard to overstate how devastating this is. These are not depth injuries—these are key pieces of the roster.

Then, head coach Marty St. Louis tried to rebuild Samuel Montembeault’s confidence by rotating him and Jakub Dobeš. Instead? He ruined both goalies’ confidence.

Now the Habs effectively have no goalie, and no clear direction in net.

The only silver lining... The entire Eastern Conference—and especially the Atlantic Division—seems… mid. No team is really pulling away, which means the Habs aren't losing catastrophic ground.

But the only way Montreal stays afloat is:

• the top-end guys take over

• Noah Dobson stops making brutal mistakes (he needs to handle a pass),

• and Marty St. Louis regains control of the room.

The talent is there. The health (and maybe coaching), right now, is not.

Onto the PNW.

While the Canadiens collapsed, the Seahawks added their own stress to the week with a disappointing loss to the Rams. But unlike Montreal, I’m not panicking.

Seattle’s defense was ELITE against this high-powered Rams offense.

Mike Macdonald continues to cement himself as the best defensive mind in football. He’s a defensive psychopath in the best possible way—his schemes, adjustments, and pressure concepts are keeping Seattle in every game.

Even with the offense melting down, the defense kept them within striking distance as the Seahawks somehow had a chance to kick a 61-yard field goal to win the game at the buzzer.

If that kick went in, that may have been the most undeserving win of the entire NFL season simply because of how bad quarterback Sam Darnold was today.

This was my biggest concern heading into the season, and it showed up again.

Sam Darnold’s recent track record:

• Week 18 last year (with Minnesota): terrible performance with the division on the line

• Wild Card game vs. the Rams (with Minnesota): sacked nine times, melts down again

• Today vs. the Rams: throws four interceptions

He was horrible, and it’s impossible to win a championship like that—even with an elite defense.

If Grey Zabel is out long-term, the Seahawks’ season changes drastically. The interior offensive line is weak, and without Zabel, they cannot protect Darnold—or anyone.

The good news? If he returns in a couple weeks, Seattle can still be dangerous. The roster is complete, the defense is legitimate, and if the offense can avoid self-destruction, this team can win games.

Man, this all changed so fast...

Last Sunday, I genuinely believed the Habs could win a playoff series and the Seahawks were legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

Now? I’m more confident in the Seahawks than the Canadiens, but both teams reminded me how quickly sports can turn on you.

Seven days. That’s all it took.

You've made fun of me for years, so let me have it if I was overreacting.