There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, learning from failure. – Colin Powell
MONTREAL, QC. — Take a flashback to September 2011, when the the start of the 2011-’12 NHL season was only weeks away. “It is October yet?” was on everyone’s lips, eager for the season to start, and for the Montreal Canadiens to show their fans what they could do this season.
Rise Together
“Rise Together” was the chosen marketing slogan for the Montreal Canadiens this season, and everyone who cheers for the bleu blanc rouge was ready to rise together with their team.
Andrei Markov
- Pierre Gauthier had not deviated from his previous statements that Andrei Markov would be ready for the start of the season.
Health Factor
- Many Habs fans felt this would be the year, the year where a much healthier team than that of the previous season’s team, would undoubtedly have what it takes to do better than the previous season, where they had lost to the Stanley Cup champions, in overtime, of the seventh game of the first round.
20-Goal Scorers
- I also remember arguing with a friend, who felt it was possible for the Montreal Canadiens to finish the season with seven 20-goal scorers, who would be:
- Tomas Plekanec (22 goals in 77 games last season)
- Mike Cammalleri (19 goals in 67 games last season)
- Erik Cole (26 goals in 82 games last season)
- Max Pacioretty (14 goals in 37 games last season)
- Brian Gionta (29 goals in 82 games last season)
- Andrei Kostitsyn (20 goals in 81 games last season)
- P.K. Subban (14 goals in 77 games last season)
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The Cold Hard Truth
And here we are, with the Montreal Canadiens having only 16 games left to play in their season, and they sit dead last in the Eastern Conference.
- Why is it that in a season where everyone was supposed to “Rise Together”, it seems that everyone has done quite the opposite.
- Why is it that in a season where Andrei Markov was supposed to be back in the early part of the season, he’s had to undergo an additional surgery, and has still yet to play one single game this season?
- Why is it that the Montreal Canadiens are one of the two teams who’ve undergone the most injuries this season?
Some of these questions we already have the answers for, others we can only speculate, and in the case of Markov, apparently a knee that’s exploded twice is a complicated thing in itself.
Oh and Those 20-Goal Scorers
If we go back to that argument about the 20-goal scorers, here’s the current tally for all seven aforementioned players:
- Tomas Plekanec: 12 goals in 65 games this season.
- Mike Cammalleri: 15 goals in 59 games this season.
- Erik Cole: 23 goals in 66 games this season.
- Max Pacioretty: 26 goals in 63 games this season.
- Brian Gionta: 8 goals in 31 games this season.
- Andrei Kostitsyn: 13 goals in 55 games this season.
- P.K. Subban: 5 goals in 65 games this season.
Although we can already say it’s mission accomplished for Cole and Pacioretty, in the case of the others, only Mike Cammalleri has any real chance of hitting the 20-goal mark, unless either Kostitsyn or Plekanec go on a surprising goal streak, and in the case of Cammalleri, he now plays for the Calgary Flames, is currently injured and out of tonight’s lineup against the Canadiens, after receiving a puck to the head.
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Where Did It All Go Wrong?
A lot of people will be looking to blame this season’s downfall on injuries, bad luck, and on the current Montreal Canadiens’ management, most notably general manager Pierre Gauthier. The truth in my opinion, or the blame, extends far beyond, and I’m not quite sure “blame” is even the right word.
Let’s move all the way back to the start of the Bob Gainey era in 2003 (Bob Gainey’s tenure as GM began Jun 2, 2003). It’s important to do so because he became the Montreal Canadiens’ general manager when the lockout occurred, and was a key figure in deciding how the team would move forward, in a league that promised to crack down on hooking and holding.
Here are a few examples of trades that were performed under Bob Gainey by the Montreal Canadiens (a big thank you to @HabsWatch for this information):
- March 2, 2004 – Jozef Balej and a 2nd round pick (Bruce Graham) in 2004 traded to New York Rangers for Alex Kovalev
- June 26, 2004 – Mathieu Garon and a 3rd round pick (Paul Baier) in 2004, previously acquired from San Jose, traded to Los Angeles Kings for Radek Bonk and Cristobal Huet
- March 8, 2006 – Jose Theodore traded to Colorado Avalanche for David Aebischer
- September 30, 2005 – Marcel Hossa traded to New York Rangers for Garth Murray
- February 25, 2007 – Craig Rivet and a 5th round pick (Julien Demers) in 2008 traded to San Jose Sharks for Josh Gorges and a 1st round pick (Max Pacioretty) in 2007
- September 30, 2006 – Mike Ribeiro and a 6th round pick (Matthew Tassone) in 2008 traded to Dallas Stars for Janne Niinimaa and a 5th round pick (Andrew Conboy) in 2007
- July 12, 2006 – Richard Zednik traded to Washington Capitals for a 3rd round pick (Olivier Fortier) in 2007
- June 16, 2007 – Sergei Samsonov traded to Chicago Blackhawks for Jassen Cullimore and Tony Salmelainen
- September 12, 2008 – 2nd round pick (Jared Knight – Boston) in 2010, previously acquired from Toronto and later traded to Boston in the Phil Kessel deal, traded to Chicago Blackhawks for Robert Lang
- July 3, 2008 – Mikhail Grabovski traded to Toronto Maple Leafs for Greg Pateryn and a 2nd round pick (Jared Knight – Boston) in 2010 which was later traded to Chicago, back to Toronto and then to Boston in the Phil Kessel deal
- June 20, 2008 – 1st round pick (Greg Nemisz) in 2008 and a 2nd round pick (Stefan Elliott – Colorado) in 2009 which was later traded to Colorado, traded to Calgary Flames for Alex Tanguay and a 5th round pick (Maxim Trunev) in 2008
- December 1, 2009 – Kyle Chipchura traded to Anaheim Ducks for a 4th round pick (Magnus Nygren) in 2011
- November 23, 2009 – Guillaume Latendresse traded to Minnesota Wild for Benoit Pouliot
- June 30, 2009 – Chris Higgins, Ryan McDonagh and Pavel Valentenko traded to New York Rangers for Scott Gomez, Tom Pyatt and Michael Busto
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What stands out to me is a couple of things here, throughout Bob Gainey’s tenure:
He appeared to focus on skill, at the sacrifice of size. (Kovalev, Bonk, Lang, Tanguay, Pouliot, Gomez)- He appeared to be attempting to change the face of the team by trading arguably key players away. (Theodore, Rivet, Ribeiro, Zednick, 2nd round pick, Grabovski)
In the summer of 2009, not long after the trade which brought Scott Gomez to Montreal, players such as Brian Gionta and Mike Cammalleri were signed, again supporting the argument that quickness and skill were being preferred over size, and this now six years after the lockout.
(…) he [Gainey] became the Montreal Canadiens’ general manager when the lockout occurred, and was a key figure in deciding how the team would move forward, in a league that promised to crack down on hooking and holding.
Bob Gainey gambled after the lockout. The league promised a whole lot, and the argument could be made that a small team, with quickness and skill, could beat out tougher and grittier opponents, in a league that promised to provide stiffer officiating, allowing those players to use their skill all over the ice.
The changes did bring about some of this, it’s not all bad. But overall, if this was the Canadiens direction and it appears to me it was, Bob Gainey lost on his gamble, and the league continues to prove to this day, that a small team of skilled players cannot compete in an 82-game season, and then 16-28 additional playoff games against bigger, tougher teams.
It’s tough on the players, the grind takes its tole, and the punishment they suffer on a nightly basis does not make them immune to injuries. The Montreal Canadiens know this all too well.
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Now if I go back to the quote at the beginning of this article, Colin Powell states, in very simple terms that there are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, learning from failure.
Where do the Habs fall in these three categories?
Preparation
- The Montreal Canadiens prepared for the post-lock out era, gambling on a team of small of skilled forwards and sacrificing size in the process.
Hard Work
- Worth ethic both on and off the ice has not something the Montreal Canadiens have been renowned for in recent years.
Learning from Failure
- Six-years after the lockout, with the Canadiens still unable to provide a dominating force on the ice, Bob Gainey continued with the same formula, of going after small skilled players, rather than opting for size at the forward position. Perhaps the fact the Canadiens finished 1st in the East during the 2007-08 season clouded his judgement.
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Are the Canadiens on the right track?
With the acquisition of players like Rene Bourque, a big size forward who can score goals, and Brad Staubitz, a renowned great teammate who’ll drop the gloves and go toe to toe with anyone, you could argue that the Canadiens have finally understood, and are finally making that size change that so many Habs’ fans have for so long been dreaming of.
At the same time, you could also argue that this is just a general manager’s attempt at keeping his job.
Speaking of the general manager, it makes little sense that Pierre Gauthier is still in office today. When a team and organization go through a transition phase where they are attempting to get the team bigger in size, as admitted by Pierre Gauthier himself, the change in philosophy has to be shown at all levels.
I don’t see how Gauthier, who essentially mimicked Gainey in continuing to acquire small skilled players, can be the master chef who will lead this transition.
Many believe Gauthier will be replaced during the offseason, but with him having been at the heart of the trade that brought Rene Bourque to Montreal from Calgary, in exchange for Mike Cammalleri, and also having had the green light to trade away players who would have been unrestricted free agents (UFAs) like Hal Gill and Andrei Kostitsyn, it really makes you wonder what Geoff Molson’s ultimate plans really are.
Whatever they may be, one can only hope that going forward, more emphasis will be put on finding the right mix of size and skill on the ice.
It’s not about one or the other, it’s about finding the right balance between both, and wrapping it all nicely with a pink ribbon of chemistry.
If however, one is looking to blame this season’s mishaps on events that happened this season alone, I beg to differ, the real problem started almost 10-years ago.
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You can follow the author on Twitter here: @stevofarnham
While I agree with your logic re the need to get bigger and tougher and the need to replace Gauthier, the examples you gave about size are mostly incorrect:
“He appeared to focus on skill, at the sacrifice of size. (Kovalev, Bonk, Lang, Tanguay, Pouliot, Gomez)” – Kovalev is 6’2″, 222lbs; Bonk is 6’2″, 210lbs; Lang is 6’3″, 217lbs; Pouliot is 6’3″, 200lbs and while I wouldn’t describe Tanguay as having size (6 feet, 200lbs), he’s not small.
From your list, effectively only Gomez is small, you could however add the names of Gionta and Cammalleri to support your argument and maybe once can debate how physical the players on your list are, but their size is not the problem in my opinion.
That was my immediate thought on the players listed, only Gomez is small. The others excluding Tanguay all had good size though they may not have played a rugged game.
I think a better summation of Gainey’s actions is that he “made a number of bone headed short sighted trades that demonstrated his complete inability to build a championship team, while also mortgaging the future by giving away draft picks.”
Trading a 1st and 2nd for Tanguay and then deciding not to re-sign him at season’s end was idiotic to say the least!
Great article Steve.
Well done.
MJ: Perhaps I could have been more clear and I’ll take the blame for that. Although I agree with you (the numbers speak for themselves) that the players are not small in stature, they are not players that will go bang it up in the corners and take a pounding in front of the net. Robert Lang is maybe the player that comes closest, but otherwise, players like Kovalev, Bonk, Pouliot and Tanguay in my opinion don’t “play big”.
Thanks Chantal!
Good one Steve.
But i think i am one of the few who is fine with Gauthier’s mmoves and would love to see him stay on.
All 3 big moves this year, Kaberle/Bourque/Gill as well as Cole signing are all good deals and getting rid of Martin was a bit long overdue, but also glad he is gone. Just too bad the 2 Randys wont be staying neither.
The problem with Gainey’s tenure is his policy of not signing any players during the season, which inevitably led to losing players to UFA. Kovalev, Koivu, Souray, Streit, Komisarek, etc. Now I’m not saying it would have been a good idea to resign these players, but if you know you aren’t going to resign them, then you better trade them instead of losing them for nothing. Trading poor attitude Ribeiro and Grabovski for Ninimaa and a 2nd rounder respectively are certainly bad trades, but losing players with value to free agency is just as bad. gainey’s only real good move was getting Gorges and a 1rst rounder for Rivet, and thank god Gauthier finally dropped Gainey’s stupid policy and signed Gorges during the season. Gauthier could’ve gotten Gorges for cheaper a few months earlier, but that’s another story.
Hi Jim, while you are welcome to criticize Gainey, we do believe in myth-busting. Just because a radio personality says that Gainey had a policy for not signing players during the season, doesn’t make it true.
There was no policy. However, there was a strategy (whether you agree with it or not.)
In the post-lockout NHL cap space is seen as an asset just like a prospect or a draft choice. Gainey did not resign players as he needed substantial cap space in order to reshape the team.
So why didn’t Gainey proceed with a sell-off of upcoming UFAs at the trade deadline — likely because he wasn’t authorized to do so. Keep in mind that this was the year of the Centennial celebrations and that the NHL All-Star game was held in Montreal a few weeks before the deadline. Also the NHL Entry Draft was coming to Montreal in June. The image-conscious organization would undoubtedly be concerned about how a sell-off would appear to the outside world during the historic season.
And also keep in mind that Gainey traded for Mathieu Schneider and added Glen Metropolit in the push to get to the playoffs. Clearly, Gainey was given direction that the post-season was a priority. The Habs squeaked into eighth spot which probably wouldn’t have happened if Gainey had ditched Koivu, Kovalev, etc. as you suggested.
So why was it so important to make the playoffs even for only four games? Well the aforementioned centennial season drove many decisions that year. But also, let’s not forget that the team was up for sale. George Gillet did not announce until June 20th that he had sold to the Molson brothers. Missing the playoffs, and trading away star players at the deadline surely wouldn’t have boosted the attractiveness of the team to new owners.
Things are not as simple as you described. Unfortunately sometimes hockey decisions are driven by business reasoning. If you disapprove of the decisions made in 2009 a good portion of your criticism should be aimed at Pierre Boivin.
Thank you all for the comments. Overall, with regards to Gauthier, I do think he’s done some fine moves, but overall, I don’t feel that what he’s done can be characterized as great. The fact he’s still on board amazes me a little, and I I’m thinking more and more that he might be back next season too. That being said, overall, the thought I wanted to express the most in this article is that I don’t feel the Habs’ problems started yesterday or this season, I think they pretty much started 10 years ago, when they went into a direction that didn’t end up bringing success, and it took them too long to realize they needed to change that direction. The wrong direction was to build a team, based on skill and speed, which translated into small teams, when they needed have that skill and speed, but find a way to balance it with some grit and toughness. I don’t think they ever really saw the latter is being too important.
Good article Steve!
I’m not sure that the plan was flawed necessarily, but it was the execution.
Following the lockout, it was possible to be successful with a team that relied on speed and skill. However, that type of team required a coach who employed a puck possession style. Given the Canadiens language policy Gainey was forced to hire a coach who was exactly opposite to what he needed.
Martin’s passive read-and-react system best suited a big physical team. Martin’s system didn’t exploit the team’s best assets.. skill and speed. It was a match made in hell.
Meanwhile it has been well-known for years that the weakest link in the Canadiens front office was Pierre Gauthier. His recommendations while heading the pro-scouting department were simply awful. Look no further than the acquisition of Ninimaa, Laraque, Tanguay and Gomez (to name a few) for Gauthier’s handiwork.
Gauthier has further weakened the team since he assumed the GM’s role.
While you take exception with the plan, I prefer to criticize the way it was carried out.
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