The Archdiocese of Montreal has placed an ad in French language newspapers urging fans to pray for the Montreal Canadiens who are toiling in last place in the Northeast Division and 14th, out of 15, in the Eastern Conference.

The ad shows the Eastern Conference standings with the exception of the last place Canadiens. In the spot for eighth place, the final playoff spot, it says in French, "Let Us Pray".

The Archdiocese of Montreal has been faced with declining attendance and has been known for clever ad campaigns used to raise money for the church. The ad agency, Bos, has been tying to figure out a way to combine Catholicism and hockey for a long time and have finally figured it out.

The ad was only featured for one day and one day only.

The Canadiens have been dealing with injuries, most notably Andrei Markov and captain Brian Gionta, and have the worst power play in the NHL.

The Canadiens have had their fair share of controversy this year as well. After the Canadiens fired coach Jacques Martin, they hired Randy Cunneyworth and that hire did not sit well with fans or politicians for that matter. Fans thought Montreal should have hired a French speaking coach and the Quebec government have been trying to get the team to replace him. Montreal also traded Michael Cammalleri after he criticized the Canadiens losing ways.

So, yeah, the Canadiens need as many prayers as they can get.