Arpon Basu

Montreal

Editor-in-Chief, The Athletic Montreal at The Athletic

Senior columnist on the Canadiens for @TheAthleticNHL. Father of three, husband of one. My views and no one else's, obviously. Banner photo: @bernardbrault

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Articles

The Canadiens took a big step

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Arpon Basu

MONTREAL - Throughout their regime, going on more than three years now, Montreal Canadiens executive vice-president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton and general manager Kent Hughes have tried their best to toe the line between transparency and protecting proprietary information. In other words, they want their fans to be informed while preventing the other 31 teams in the NHL from knowing too much about their plans.
Nick Suzuki's Olympic dreams, perspective on Patrik Laine, Arber Xhekaj's development and more

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Arpon Basu

Nick Suzuki made it sound like the decision was out of his hands. A year ago, Suzuki opted not to play for Team Canada at the men's world championship despite the Montreal Canadiens missing the playoffs. He was left off the Canadian team that won the 4 Nations Face-Off, a tournament he said was a bit difficult for him to watch on television, knowing he was in the running to make that team, especially with the early games being played at his home rink.
Canadiens have work left to do, but this season has shown they have a strong core

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Arpon Basu

BROSSARD, Que. - The Montreal Canadiens' season was at a crossroads when the team headed for the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off, at which point the team's young captain decided to do something. Nick Suzuki knew that Canadiens management was strongly considering selling off veterans on expiring contracts at the trade deadline, names that included Jake Evans, Joel Armia, Christian Dvorak and David Savard, and he wanted to convince general manager Kent Hughes to give the team one last chance.
Canadiens' playoff elimination shows bright future and challenges ahead all at once

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Arpon Basu

WASHINGTON - As Martin St. Louis called his final timeout of the Montreal Canadiens' season with 96 seconds left and a two-goal deficit to make up, he tapped on the shoulders of his captain, his leading goal scorer and three players who are 21 or younger. And with them, he sent Brendan Gallagher on the ice.
Capitals eliminate Canadiens with 4-1 win in Game 5: Takeaways

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Sean Gentille |Arpon Basu

WASHINGTON - Ahead of his team's game on Wednesday night, Spencer Carbery was asked how difficult it was to close out a series in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The coach of the Washington Capitals, his team up 3-1 in the series on the Montreal Canadiens, couldn't help but laugh a bit. "It's extremely difficult," he said. At the time, he'd never done it; the Rangers swept the Capitals in Carbery's first playoff series as an NHL coach.
How to compensate for potential absence of Alexandre Carrier

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Arpon Basu

BROSSARD, QC - The Montreal Canadiens' record on Dec. 18, the day they acquired defenceman Alexandre Carrier, was 12-16-3, second-to-last in the Eastern Conference, floundering. The Canadiens went 28-15-8 the rest of the way, a .627 points percentage, ninth-best in the NHL and third-best in the Eastern Conference as Carrier helped bring balance to a very young and imbalanced defence corps.
Being counted out feels familiar, line matchups and calm

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Arpon Basu

MONTREAL - The Montreal Canadiens have numerous players who have never experienced this feeling of being down 3-1 in a playoff series. But they have all faced something similar already this season, and that is what they will be drawing on as they prepare to face the Washington Capitals on Wednesday facing elimination in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series.
Canadiens are on the brink of elimination and need to take ownership of that fact

2 weeks ago | ourcommunitynow.com | Arpon Basu

Share MONTREAL — The frustration was heavy in the Montreal Canadiens’ dressing room Sunday after a 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals in Game 4, giving the Capitals a 3-1 series lead with a chance to eliminate the Canadiens on Wednesday at home.Frustration is normal when you lose a playoff game at home, when you are facing elimination and when you feel as though you were wronged, which the Canadiens felt they were.Their head coach left no doubt of that.“I feel bad for the group a little...
Canadiens are on the brink of elimination and need to take ownership of that fact

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Arpon Basu

MONTREAL - The frustration was heavy in the Montreal Canadiens' dressing room Sunday after a 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals in Game 4, giving the Capitals a 3-1 series lead with a chance to eliminate the Canadiens on Wednesday at home. Frustration is normal when you lose a playoff game at home, when you are facing elimination and when you feel as though you were wronged, which the Canadiens felt they were. Their head coach left no doubt of that.
Capitals fend off Canadiens, take 3-1 series lead: Takeaways

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Sean Gentille |Arpon Basu

MONTREAL - It took an extra game, but the Washington Capitals cracked the code at Bell Centre, beating the Montreal Canadiens 5-2 and going up 3-1 in their first-round series. Now, the teams will head back to Washington for a potential elimination game on Tuesday night. The Capitals scored two third-period goals - a greasy one by Brandon Duhaime, then a slicker one from Andrew Mangiapane - to take the lead.