The opening sequence said it all. History and tradition can be powerful motivators. My eyes teared up as the message sank home.

The Ottawa Senators were swept in the first round of the NHL Playoffs. The Edmonton Oilers didn’t put up much of a fight in their series. The Montreal Canadiens, who start the second round tonight, are the last Canadian team in the hunt for the Stanley Cup.

I had no doubts about the Habs ability to overcome the Tampa Bay Lightning when I saw the pre-game ceremony of Montreal’s first home game. The iconography was perfect. Watching that opening minute, I wondered why the Lightning even bothered to show up.

They did of course, with the series going the full seven games. All decided by one goal. to me though, the power of that sequence convinced my in game three that the series winner was never in doubt.

If you aren’t a hockey fan and watch the clip, it won’t mean much. Just an old man, a torch and some ecstatic fans. But there’s a lot of history and symbolism there.

The old man is Yvan Cournoyer. Eighty-two years old. Hockey Hall of Fame member. Former Captain of the Canadiens. Ten-time Stanley Cup champion. And he is holding a torch.

The fans understood. On the wall of the Montreal Canadiens’ dressing room is a line from John McCrae’s “In Flanders Fields.” The same line was on the dressing room wall in their old building, the Montreal Forum: “To you from failing hands we throw the torch / Be yours to hold it high.”

There is tradition there. This is a hockey team more than a century old, that has won the Stanley Cup more times than any other team. The expectation is excellence and victory.

When Cournoyer raised that torch, he was telling today’s players what was expected of them. He was evoking the memories of Canadiens’ legends: Maurice Richard, Jacques Plante, Howie Morenz, Bill Durnand, Doug Harvey, Jean Beliveau and so many more. He was reminding today’s players that they have a duty to the past – and that it was time to write a new chapter, to add to the legend.

On paper, I would have expected Tampa Bay to meet Montreal. That Montreal prevailed may have had something to do with the power of tradition giving the extra boost needed.

In theory, the Buffalo Sabres should have no problems sending the Canadiens home for the summer. On paper they too are the better team.

Havi9ng seen what happened in the first round though, I am not prepared to rule Montreal out.