by Rookie, AllHabs.net

MONTREAL, QC. — I guess I should say, right off the bat, that I occasionally see a conspiracy theory where I shouldn’t. I think the same paranoia may plague all sports fans, whether they have a set of pregame superstitions or bemoan the fact that game officials always make calls in the other team’s favour.

A little while ago I noticed a pattern, however, and I think other people have noticed it as well. Every month, the Canadiens’ official website releases a downloadable desktop wallpaper with an action shot of a current Hab and the schedule of games for that month. And every month, something happens. I’m presenting the three most recent wallpapers as proof:

On January 18th, calendar boy Michael Cammalleri separated his shoulder in Buffalo.

On February 17th, calendar boy James Wisniewski was taken to an Edmonton hospital after being struck in the face by a puck.

On March 8th, calendar boy Max Pacioretty suffered a concussion and a fractured vertebra after a brutal hit at the Bell Centre.

Not to alarm you, but I feel like the Canadiens wallpaper is like the old All Habs banner, which we compared to the Madden NFL curse. Think about it: players featured on the cover of the EA video game eventually wind up suffering an injury or other misfortune within that same season. Players featured on the Canadiens wallpaper, at least in recent months, have been suffering unfortunately timed injuries.

Perhaps I should ignore next month’s wallpaper. If I don’t see it, maybe nothing will happen.

Photos property of Canadiens.com.