Mike Brophy

Veteran hockey columnist Mike Brophy writes Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday on Sportsnet.ca and appears regularly on Hockeycentral.

Brian Gionta, centre, is one of a handful of Habs with Stanley Cup-winning experience.

It is widely accepted that the team with the most playoff experience stands the best chance to win.

That's why smart teams make a point of loading up with guys who have won Stanley Cups, or at least made it to the final.

The Montreal Caandiens, for instance, acquired Scott Gomez (two Cups with New Jersey in 2000 and 2003), Brian Gionta (one Cup with New Jersey in 2003), Travis Moen (one Cup with Anaheim in 2007) and Hal Gill (one Cup with Pittsburgh last season). Those players have played significant roles in helping the Canadiens knock off the No. 1 seed in the first round, and then send the defending Stanley Cup champions home in the second. The Canadiens were huge underdogs in both match ups, but regardless of who wins Game 7 between the Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins, you'd have to make the Habs the favourite in the Eastern Conference final.

But the funny thing is that you could make a strong case the two players most responsible for the Canadiens making it to the Eastern final are two guys you might least expect to be leading the team. Goaltender Jaroslav Halak and left winger Michael Cammalleri entered this year's playoffs with no post-season success on their resume.

As good as Halak has been - and you'd have to put him right in the thick of things in terms of leading candidates for the Conn Smyth Trophy - he entered this year's playoffs with a grand total of 97 minutes of NHL post-season action and an 0-1 record. Is it any wonder there was strong debate as to who should start in net for the Canadiens when they opened the playoffs against the Caps, Halak or Carey Price?

Then again, what was Cam Ward's track record before he led the Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup in 2005-06? And who the heck was that gangly Ken Dryden guy called up late in the year from the American Hockey League in 1970-71? Those two players wrote amazing chapters in their careers in their first stab at the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The difference is Ward's Hurricanes and Dryden's Canadiens were superb teams that didn't rely as heavily on their goaltending to save the day the way this year's Habs team does. Their performances were pivotal, no question about it, but they had lots of help along the way.

And regardless of how this season ends for the Canadiens, Halak will be able to say he got lots of help, too.

Most notably from Cammalleri.

With 12 goals in 14 games, Cammalleri is three shy of the 15 that Sidney Crosby scored last season when he led all playoff goal-scorers in 24 games with the Penguins. He's also just seven shy of the record Reggie Leach and Jari Kurri share for most goals (19) in a playoff year.

Be honest, did you see this coming? As good a goal-scorer as Cammalleri is - he scored 39 for the Calgary Flames last season and had 34 for the Los Angeles Kings three years ago - he has no playoff track record. In six playoff games with the Flames last season, Cammalleri managed just one goal. He had one goal in six playoff games with Manchester of the American League in 2004-05 and didn't score in his only playoff game with Manchester the year before that.

Now he looks like the second coming of Rocket Richard. Playing for a team that has no captain, Cammalleri has emerged as a leader on and off the ice. I wouldn't be surprised to see him wearing the 'C' next season. But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, there's still plenty of business to be taken care of this year.

Halak and Cammalleri have helped put a happy face on playoff hockey in Montreal. This team has already exceeded expectations and there's still plenty of hockey to be played.

It's going to be fun watching two guys who had never shone in the playoffs before write chapters in their careers that won't soon be forgotten.

Wonder how high they can fly?