History repeating itself?

With the improbable run that this year's Montreal Canadiens are having, knocking off the heavily favored Washington Capitals and the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins in back-to-back series, it reminds me of the 2006 playoff run by another 8th seed in the Edmonton Oilers. The comparisons are there, aside from the obvious both teams were 8th seeds. For one, the Oilers knocked off the Presidents' Trophy winning Detroit Red Wings in six the year they made their run. This year: Montreal knocked off the Presidents' Trophy winning Capitals in seven. There's more:

*The Oilers rode the hot goaltending of Dwayne Rolosson through the playoffs. The Canadiens are riding the hot goaltending of Jaroslav Halak this year.

*Despite the offseason acquisitions of players such as Chris Pronger and Mike Peca, the Oilers largely underachieved in the regular season. The Canadiens underachieved, despite lower expectations. Keep in mind that the Canadiens play in Montreal, where a "Stanley Cup or Bust" mentality always exists.

*Both teams are from Canada, and there are some fans that would love nothing more than a Canadian team winning it all just to stick it to commissioner Gary Bettman.

Even though the Canadiens are only halfway to the championship, they've already proven that anything can happen with some great goaltending, a goal scorer stepping up when it counts the most (Mike Cammalleri), and a little luck. Maybe those ghosts of the old Montreal Forum have finally settled into the new Bell Centre after all.