Mike Wyman is following the Canadiens' run throughout the playoffs. For more entries in his ongoing journal, check out his columnist page...

Here in Quebec it sometimes takes a little longer for cultural phenomenon from the rest of the continent to take hold. The only place The Beatles played to empty seats on their first tour was at the Montreal Forum.

But when we do catch on, we do so in a big way. Chicken wings, for instance – the rest of North America made them a sports snacking staple well before they caught on here. And catch on here they did, to the point that yesterday’s Journal de Montreal made mention of a possible province-wide shortage due to the increased playoff-related demand for the product.

Another thing that caught on around the continent before being accepted here was the practice of adorning one’s motor vehicle with flags, mounted on plastic rods held in place by the car’s windows. They made their first noticeable appearance in these parts during soccer World Cups as drivers whose grandparents were born overseas, without a Canadian team to cheer for, celebrated their cultural heritage and flew the flags of their ancestors.

When Mark Twain first came to Montreal, some years before the Habs set up shop, he wrote that you couldn’t throw a rock in any direction without hitting a church. If he came back to town today, he’d remark on how it’d be hard to throw that rock without hitting a car with a Habs flag on it.

They’re everywhere and seem to be increasing in number exponentially with each passing day. A month ago there were just enough of them flying that you realized they were on the market. Then it seemed as if you’d run across one every time you took the car out.

It went viral after the Canadiens clinched a playoff spot and continued climbing the standings, reaching Twainian proportions in the past few days as the city, and probably the rest of the province, caught the fever.

I’ve lived in Montreal for over thirty years and have seen more than a few playoff bound Habs squads in that time. In the early years, it was a given that they’d go deep into spring before hanging up their skates.

The powerhouse teams of the 1970s were deemed to have had a bad year if they didn’t win the Stanley Cup. The teams of the 80s were expected to do well, but if they didn’t bring home the silverware, they could still show their faces in public in the offseason.

In the past 15 years the Canadiens have become NHL also-rans, still with a large hardcore fan following but no longer perennial contenders – a team whose fans had a romantic attachment to memories and tradition rather than a connection with present day excellence and accomplishments.

This year’s edition began the season with little fanfare or acclaim, consigned to an early holiday by most experts. Habs fans, conditioned by the results of previous years, didn’t raise any major objection to the experts’ projections and were in large part as surprised as the paid prognosticators when the season’s finals games were played out. While the experts had to find some way to explain away their earlier choices, Habs fans were free to delight in the unexpected success the team had shown in the regular season.

Who knew the youngsters would all progress as much as they did? Who knew that Alex Kovalev would come to play every night? Who knew that Carey Price could handle netminding duties at an NHL level? And who expected all of it to happen the same season?

The unheralded squad managed to outscore the rest of the league, with seven players breaking the 50-point plateau. The various criticisms levelled over the course of the schedule –among them that they couldn’t play 5-on-5, couldn’t win at home, wouldn’t be able to replace Sheldon Souray’s power play contributions and didn’t have a number one goaltender were all dealt with in the past 82 games.

Despite winning their division and conference, the team goes into the playoffs as an underdog in the opinion of many fans. Conditioned by the disappointments of the past decade or so, expectations are relatively low. Fans have been delighted with the team’s play so far but are still pinching themselves to make sure they’re not in the middle of a pleasant dream.

In a town where hockey was once a religion, there’s a revival coming to town and the faithful are starting to think they might have a chance at the chalice

Toe Blake said that predictions were for gypsies. Faith, however, is for anyone willing to line up with the faithful. While the congregation doesn’t expect this year’s edition to parade down Ste-Catherine Street in June (yet), that it should come to pass wouldn’t come as a complete surprise.

The bandwagon is coming down the road and there’s still a little room on it. It’ll be rolling into the Bell Centre Thursday evening and leaving after Saturday’s game, bound for Boston.

You’ll recognize it when you see it. It’ll be festooned with flags.