The action takes place on July 8, 1984, at the very first (and last) Dallas Grand Prix…
It’s 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) in the hot Texas sun, and manufacturer Goodyear records the track temperature at 150 degrees Fahrenheit (66 degrees Celsius). The temporary circuit at Fair Park in Dallas is visibly falling apart and F1 drivers are struggling to see how this event can end normally.
Drivers wonder how their cars can withstand such intense heat. And since they’ve never raced in conditions like this, some fear they won’t be able to handle it. Believing that the risk is not worth it, Niki Lauda and Alain Prost try to convince their colleagues to boycott the event. In vain.
In the end, only eight single-seaters will manage to complete this crazy event, which will also produce one of the most memorable scenes in the history of the world championship.
Nigell Mansell started from the leading position aboard his magnificent Lotus for the first time in his career, losing several places during the race. He makes mistakes and his tires deteriorate quickly. As he completed the final lap, his transmission stalled.
With his visor up and his belt unbuckled, the Briton rounds the final corner in slow motion. Obviously, he doesn’t have enough speed to make it to the finish. Desperate, Mansell climbs out of the cockpit and tries to push his car. Completely exhausted, however, he collapsed before crossing the border. He is finally credited with 6th place.
It is quite unusual to start a hockey column by telling an F1 anecdote. But the parallel with the Canadians is so striking that it seems entirely appropriate in this case.
Canadiens interim head coach Dominique Ducharme
The Canadians’ season had started very well. But the more it progresses, the more the heat is oppressive and the more the structure cracks everywhere. At the speed at which things are moving, it is even permissible to wonder if Dominique Ducharme will end the season as Mansell ended the Dallas GP: desperately pushing a machine that has stopped moving and which has just obtained a place will miss in-game- offs which until recently were 99% exceeded.
The CH, which had worried its fans for two months, found a way to make them more alert last week.
After a solid win over the Toronto Leafs on Monday, the Canadiens followed three games where they barely touched the puck, so to speak.
In a pivotal two-game series against the Calgary Flames, the Montreal team was outscored 30-12 in scoring opportunities. Saturday afternoon, CH was never in the game against the young Ottawa Senators, who left Montreal with an easy 4-0 victory.
Friday night, however, a miracle happened. CH managed to win a game (2-1) that outscored the Flames 18-5 in scoring opportunities, in addition to hitting three posts. Without this incredible gift from the hockey gods, the Flames would be just two points behind the Canadiens with two games less to go.
That said, even as the season draws to a close and they have a 6-point lead over the Flames (with two games in hand), Dominique Ducharme’s men are not out of the woods.
They flew to Alberta on Sunday, where they played two games against the Oilers on Monday and Wednesday. They will then travel to Calgary to face the Flames three times in a row starting Friday.
If the CH does not correct the situation in Edmonton, it could theoretically arrive in Calgary with only four points and a game in hand against the Flames. And when the two teams meet face to face at the start of next week, Calgary can enjoy an incredibly advantageous schedule afterwards.
The Flames’ schedule has been postponed due to the severe COVID-19 outbreak that has hit the Vancouver Canucks. So, while the CH will continue to play four games a week until the end of the season on May 12, the Flames will enjoy the following breaks for five of their last seven games:
Also, the Flames close out their season by playing the Canucks four times in a row. It’s a safe bet that the latter, coming out of a tough ordeal, will be destroyed in mid-May. Although not all of their players were able to return to the game, the Canucks launched a ridiculous run of 19 games in 32 days on Sunday.
To resolve the Flames case this week, CH will first need to address their offensive issues, which are extremely concerning.
Since Brendan Gallagher injured his hand on April 5, the CH has averaged just 1.57 goals per game, placing the team 29th overall in the NHL. The Habs couldn’t do better than a 2-5 record during that span.
Gallagher will not return to competition until the end of the season. Despite the fact that the depth of the formation should be a strength of the CH, the absence of the formation’s most combative warrior remains remarkable. As of the 2016-17 season, the CH have played for .557 when Gallagher is on the team and just 392 when he is not.
Brendan Gallagher’s season is probably over.
Photo: Getty Images/Minas Panagiotakis
The most recent acquisition, veteran center Eric Staal, seems like the end of the line. He hasn’t contributed so far, and one has to be too optimistic to believe that he will eventually. Steel has the biggest organization difference (-8) after just 8 games, which is hugely telling.
Fans are demanding that the CH coach modify his list, but Ducharme reiterated on Saturday for the third time that he could not do so because CH was only entitled to four recalls after the trade deadline and that he already had three. Since there are still 14 games to play, we are trying to keep some leeway.
Team leaders will therefore wait until further notice until an injury occurs before making any changes.
Jonathan Drouin, who should be one of the best offensive producers in CH, is undoubtedly the player who best illustrates the period of extreme offensive drought that is raging in CH.
Drouin hasn’t scored in his last 24 games and has just two assists in his last ten games. He’s also had just two scoring chances in his last 10 games, including one on Saturday when Senators Colin White gracefully handed him the slot record.
CH centers have scored just 20 goals this season, a stat that puts CH in the back of the NHL with centers being Columbus (20), Dallas (19), Detroit (19) and New Jersey (19). At least three of these last four formations will be banned from the series within a month.
Meanwhile, Jeff Petry, another key offensive catalyst, has been down for a month.
On March 13, Petry was the second most prolific offensive defenseman in the NHL (11-14-25 and +14). Since that date, Petry has been ranked 68th among fullbacks in the NHL with a production of 1-5-6 and a negative defensive record of -8. In a defensive brigade made up mostly of big defensive backs, this fuel depletion certainly has a stark effect.
With 14 games left on the schedule, despite their 6-point lead over the Flames, CH will walk a very fine line this week.
The specialized site Sports Club Stats estimates a 90.9% chance that Montreal will participate in the playoffs in May. But this high percentage will melt like snow in the sun if the CH continues to flow as it has for the past two weeks.
A bit like Nigel Mansell’s chances at the Dallas GP in July 1984.