No Excuses. Remember that?



It was the initial mantra of the Marc Bergevin regime when he took over as general manager in 2012, written in big, bold letters in the Montreal Canadiens dressing room, in both Brossard and the Bell Centre.



It was good, strong messaging, making it clear that nothing less than the best would be acceptable for a franchise where that was once the standard. It was no longer the standard, and Bergevin wanted to change that.



It went well at first; the Canadiens went from 28th overall in the NHL standings in 2011-12 to fourth in Bergevin’s first season, the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. Over his first few seasons in Montreal, Bergevin could do no wrong. He was a master at unloading the cumbersome contracts he inherited from his predecessor Pierre Gauthier and was on the opposite end of the charisma spectrum from him as well.



Everything was just super.



At the start of the 2016-17 season, the No Excuses messaging...