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

Ultimately proving to be of no real use to the Habs on the ice, one hundred thousand flags begin disappearing from vehicles in Quebec today as the Montreal Canadiens start searching for their shaving cream and notice that the seasons have changed since they last came up for breath. Some can’t quite believe that their season has come to an end. Carey Price, a little unsettled at the prospect of a day without practice remarked, “When it all ends, it ends in a hurry,” before vowing to put aside his pads for the next three months.

Once the initial disappointment wears off, and for some it vanished seconds after the end of last night’s game, both fans and players probably learned a fair bit from this season and its unexpected playoff run.

Fans learned that anyone with the letters K and O in their names stand a better than even chance of becoming contributing members of the Montreal Canadiens, that Trevor Timmins, Habs Director of Player Personnel since 2002-03, is among the best in the NHL at his job, and that their favorite team is only going to be getting better in the coming years.

They also learned that there are always a lot of good seats available to Bruins–Habs games, but you have to go to Boston to sit in them and, perhaps most importantly, they realized that it takes more than coach Guy Carbonneau’s magic tie to get the team into the conference finals.

The hideous, garishly colored bit of designer silk - one deserving a place in Don Cherry’s closet achieved mojo status when Carbonneau wore the gift that cost his wife almost $300, in the final Boston game. Likenesses were printed in the papers, some already inked, others in black and white to allow readers or their kids to try to outdo the original’s flamboyance.

Cut out, colored in and glued to cardboard, it was seen on schoolyards and commuter trains, another bandwagon locals eagerly climbed aboard. Recent reports say the tie will be auctioned off for charity, allowing it to do somebody some good.

The players learned, or in some cases were reminded, that playoff hockey doesn’t have a whole lot to do with the season that came before. The slate is wiped clean and when the puck drops in the postseason, it’s as if the preceding six months hadn’t happened.

It is the rare team that can glide through the playoffs, playing at the same intensity level they did in the regular schedule. Those unable to generate added effort and energy are usually destined to make an early exit. Philadelphia won because they wanted to win more than Montreal did. They worked harder, longer and with more dedication. They also got great goaltending from a somewhat unexpected source, another sign of a team going somewhere in the postseason.

And then there’s R.J. Umberger, who has become a household name in Habs country. All he did, after picking up 13 goals in the regular season was pot eight in the five games against Montreal. He’ll be remembered in these parts for a long time to come, but whenever his name comes up, it’ll be paired with one or several adjectives a parent probably wouldn’t approve of.

Many of the youngsters who represent the future of the Montreal Canadiens were members of the Calder Cup winning 2007 Hamilton Bulldogs. Now that they’ve won as a team and lost as a team, they have some time to look back and remember which feels better and make a few resolutions about the upcoming 2008-09 season.

I (and what use is a blog if the last word’s not about me) am heading into the off-season with plans involving mystery novels, softball, golf, Clapton, Aretha, the Jazz Festival and as little honest labor as possible, all of which I hope to pack in before September brings training camp around once again.