There is hope: these teams that have experienced a renaissance

BET À DAY

The fans of the Montreal Canadiens have gone through a difficult year with their Sainte-Flanelle.

The team, which has lost a string of losses to finish at the bottom of the NHL standings, is beginning a reconstruction in order to reconnect with its past successes. 

Here are stories of rebirth that will allow Quebecers to hope for better days for the Montreal club.  

1. Toronto teams 

In Toronto, sports fans had to be very patient before they tasted success . 

In 2011, ESPN ranked the nation's largest metropolis as the worst sports city in North America.  

None of the Toronto teams, whether the Maple Leafs (NHL), Blue Jays (MLB), Raptors (NBA), Toronto FC (MLS) or Argonauts (LCF), were able to advance to the playoffs of their leagues. andnbsp;

The Blue Jays were the longest-absent professional sports team in North America at the time. North. The Raptors went on losing streaks, the Maple Leafs were completely tasteless and the Argonauts were unable to fill their stadium. 

Analysts told the joke that Toronto was bathed in the tears of its athletes. 

However, slowly, the wind began to turn. Some leaders took risks by making choices that paid off in the long run. 

Since 2015, 3 of Toronto's 4 teams have had successes not seen in decades. decades.  

The Blue Jays have replaced their ace pitcher David Price for J.A. Happ and Marco Estrada, two young players who have brought great success to the team. 

The Blue Jays began to participate in the Major League Baseball playoffs. They also drafted two future stars in Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero. 

The Maple Leafs won the 2016 draft lottery, their to select center Auston Matthews, as the Raptors ended up winning an NBA title in 2019 thanks to the prowess of Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry. 

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The cynicism that marked the sports culture of Toronto was thus transformed into hope. 

2. Pittsburgh Penguins 

The Pittsburgh Penguins of the early 2000s were nothing like those of today. From 2001 to 2004, the team didn't make the playoffs in addition to languishing at the bottom of its division standings more often than not.  

The losses allowed the Pittsburgh Penguins to string together first draft picks and build a solid team.  

The reconstruction began with the arrival of goaltender Marc-André Fleury in 2002. 

Evgeni Malkin joined the team in 2004. 2005 was a historic year for the Penguins when 'they drafted young Sidney Crosby. 

 

Crobsy's first year in the NHL laid the foundation for the team's success. The team reached the playoffs in 2007 and the finals in 2008. It was in 2009 that the Penguins won the Stanley Cup. Sidney Crosby was in his fourth NHL season. playoffs in the NHL since 2007. 

3. Chicago Blackhawks 

Team USA went through a complete rebuild in the early 2000s, which led to much success. 

Indeed, the Hawks had only appeared in the playoffs once between 1997-1998 and 2006-2007. 

These poor performances allowed the team to get their hands on several players from the top-10 of the draft.

 

The arrival in 2007 of the first pick Patrick Kane really made a difference for the team that managed to get their hands on the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015. 

< p>The team was named the 2010 Franchise of the Decade by the NHL.