Here’s an excerpt from the ESPN article by Damien Cox who looks at what has transpired in the early stages of the 2008-09 season:

10. The Montreal Canadiens intend to celebrate their 100th anniversary in styleThe Habs are unbeaten out of the gate and are playing with the swagger of the Flying Frenchmen of old, although the current roster is made up more of Finns, Belarussians and Americans.

The All-Star Game is also in Montreal and should be another occasion for the Habs to thump their chests as the world’s most successful hockey franchise. Patrick Roy’s No. 33 will also be retired in a ceremony in late November, and nobody does ceremony like the Canadiens. Let’s just say it’ll be better than the one done in Denver when the Avalanche retired his number there.

Landing Mats Sundin in the summer, meanwhile, would have been a lovely addition, but Robert Lang has done just fine as an addition down the middle and Alex Tanguay has helped the power play continue to be lethal despite the departure of point man Mark Streit.

After struggling on and off the ice in the late 1990s and the early part of this century, the Canadiens are back to their old selves, just as relevant in Quebec and the NHL as ever.