On October 12, 2008, Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher was tossing a football on his front lawn with his son. Wurzelbacher decided to wander over to a political rally that was happening in his Ohio neighbourhood.
The visiting politician was looking for a photo op with the common folk. Wurzelbacher decided to take the opportunity to ask a simple question about the candidate’s tax plan and its affect on small businesses.
Without the aid of a script or a teleprompter, the politician stumbled with his response.
An ordinary guy had entered the daily news cycle about the U.S. Presidential election. “Joe the Plumber” was born. The campaign machine working to elect candidate Barack Obama was not amused.
Setting aside politics, one had to be impressed that a regular guy had a substantial impact on such a major event. One side exploited Joe the Plumber as a poster boy while the other spent a great deal of time and money trying to discredit him.
But Joe, with his simple question, was part of the conversation.
For some time now, a few of us in the new media have been discussing the hiring policy of the Montreal Canadiens. The policy, as articulated by the President of the Canadiens, puts language skills above hockey expertise. Further, Pierre Boivin has stated that the goal of the policy is to employ francophones at every level of the organization.
Some believe that this is a sacred cow that shouldn’t even be discussed. Others feel that the policy has bred mediocrity and merit should be the primary criterion used to hire talent.
To date, the main stream media have steered clear of the issue.
The MSM mostly asks softball questions of Canadiens’ management due to a lack of knowledge, pandering to the organization, or busy promoting their own personal agenda. The Canadiens are able to control the message and we are left to read descriptions of the facade.
When the Habs appointed Pierre Gauthier to the position of General Manager in February without conducting a single interview, Boivin described the process as “no stone was left unturned.” The mirage that he created was not challenged.
On Wednesday night, the Canadiens lost 6-to-3 to the Washington Capitals in game five of their playoff series. Following the game, the first caller to the Team 990’s post-game radio show was rather memorable.
Some may say that he is Montreal’s version of Joe the Plumber. The caller’s name is Sal. He is a self-described “frustrated and proud Canadiens’ fan.”
Sal’s voice quickly elevated in volume with his message mostly directed at Habs upper management. “You start getting some competent people behind the bench!” “I’ve had it with this!” “I want them fired!”
People have had different reactions to the call. Some are shocked, some are amused, and others applaud. Personally, I experienced all three emotions.
Refrain if you can from focusing on Sal’s delivery. Instead listen to his message. He is a passionate fan who has been driven to the point of exasperation. Amidst the frustration and anger, Sal made some very salient points.
In a grassroots way, Sal’s rant brought the main stream media into the ongoing conversation. On Thursday, hosts of the Team 990 began discussing the issues that until now have been taboo.
Let’s face it. The Canadiens are an organization that is broken right now. Mediocrity has replaced excellence. Winning the Stanley Cup has given way to making the playoffs.
It is unfair to place the burden of responsibility on the players until management are in place who support the philosophy of a meritocracy. Having the Montreal Canadiens guided by a commitment to winning should not be controversial.
Thank you to Sal, Joe and all other regular people who have the courage to question the rich and powerful. Sometimes, it is the first step to change. Your voice can truly make a difference.
~This article is available for your listening convenience via All Habs OUT LOUD. Use the player below or download to take it with you from the link in the sidebar.~
it's also a whole different league now.32 teams says it all!
@Ir – what does that even mean? That because there are 30 teams that the team should just accept and expect to just be middle of the pack? That's nonsense. The last time I looked, there were just as many teams in baseball, football and basketball, yet some teams remain at the top year after year after year. This is not luck. This is dedication to excellence. The Canadiens had it once upon a time. Now they don't. They don't even pretend to care anymore, with their stated goal of "making the playoffs".
The story is right – the Habs are broken. Sure, when you walk by the Bell Center the Canadiens have never looked healthier. The plaza in front of the arena is now a shrine unto itself. Part of the problem is the insistence on leaning on the 1st 100 years of history. While it should never be forgotten, it should not be the focus of the present, or future.
Boivin has been the equivalent of botox to this team. He's preserved the exterior, but the innards continue to erode and rot, all with a big smile as the cash registers continue to suck in the fans dollars.
As fan who care about the success of the team, we should be demanding more. Instead, many fans have already resigned themselves to the fact that it is no longer a 6 or 12 team league and that excellence is a thing of the past. Someone should tell the Red Wings that. Or the Colts. Or the Yankees/Red Sox, or the Lakers. Or the Steelers. Or the Patriots. Or the Devils.
See my point? While it's true that not all of those teams ALWAYS reach the top, it's clear that the goal is the top of the mountain. Nothing else. Not 8th place. Not "competitive".
Boivin's myopic policies can lead to nothing BUT mediocrity, and it is tragic that so many fans have fallen under his spell.
The latest proof of a disconnect from upper management? They gave us FOAM FINGERS for a playoff game. Hell, I was laughing at the pompoms but even that would have been better… And they also asked the media to "spread the word that the fans should wear red". I guess they never noticed that most of the fans going to the game have their sweaters on (except the few who leave early always seem to be plain clothed but whatevs). If they wanted us to wear red, they should have given us rally t-shirts at the door like they do in many other cities. Not like this organization is strapped for cash even though their primary interest appears to be to milk us of every penny we have…
Nice post and I hate to say it, but I agree. We briefly talked about this on our last episode. Time to get some people in there that are willing to take risks and not worry about all the politics.
Put their neck on the line and be a true leader.
Delivery aside, Sal makes excellent points that will be strongly ignored by Canadiens management until we all go back to being good little sheep who buy and buy and take out our frustrations on the internet boards instead of on their bottom line.
Delivery aside, Sal makes excellent points that will be strongly ignored by Canadiens management until we all go back to being good little fans who buy and buy, but take out our frustrations on the internet boards instead of on their bottom line.
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