posted by FlyersRule
All Habs
After hearing the news today that the Montreal Canadiens GM Bob Gainey stepped down from his position – and that Pierre Gauthier will take his place as interim GM – I couldn’t believe my ears (well, eyes – since I had to read about it online). I’m still learning a lot about the Canadiens franchise, but I’ve always had the impression and understanding that Bob Gainey was doing good things for the organization. So why would he step down? The unspoken answer troubles me.
It doesn’t take an advanced degree to figure out that I’m a fan of an American hockey team…my name says it all. I’m very proud to be a Flyers fan – we were the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup, and we did it two years in a row. That may not sound like much, but Philadelphia fans are extremely loyal to their team – almost to a fault – because we simply appreciate the hard work that our guys display each and every time they step onto the ice. For us, it’s not about how many banners hang from the rafters of the Wachovia Center, it’s about staying true to what hockey is all about.
However within the last year I’ve also expanded my hockey support beyond this country’s borders and have adopted the Montreal Canadiens as my official #2 team. Yes, that makes me a “newbie” to Habs-land – but I’m learning a lot about the bleu blanc et rouge… It’s a very different experience for me to root for a team with such a storied history. It fills me with a completely different sense of pride to talk about the 24 Stanley Cup Championships which belong to the Canadiens. The Habs are one of the original six – a legacy team, an organization inspiring fans and players worldwide through their class, style, leadership and talent.
However, I have never heard of a franchise (in ANY sport) so driven by nationality and language restrictions until I started to “dig into” the Canadiens’ background. Some folks like to pretend the “To Be or Not To Be…French” debate isn’t really there. But if you know where to look, you can find plenty of examples. What about Louis Leblanc, the latest Habs recruit picked up at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Hmmm, anyone notice that he’s French? Go figure. But ok, let’s give him the benefit of the doubt…he’s probably a phenomenal player and THAT’S why the Habs took him first in the draft, right? I think many will argue that there were better choices out there – Leblanc didn’t need to be first. (Check out this article on the All Habs blog with some true “scouting” of Leblanc’s abilities: Louis Leblanc’s Development will Require Patience)
The apparent francophone hierarchy leaves me, as an English-speaking American, feeling a bit alienated – Boivin (at today’s press conference) talked about how important bilingualism is in order to maintain relativity to the 3/4 of Habs fans who are French. Now I’d love to learn the French language, but I don’t see having the time or resources available to do so anytime soon. Of course a practical solution would be to simply move to Quebec to immerse myself in the language and the culture, right? Yeah, ok. Why should a fan/supporter/enthusiast have to resort to such extreme measures to feel “accepted” by the organization? And does the front office have any “official” research showing the numbers of Habs fans WORLDWIDE who are French? These fans are found EVERYWHERE – and I would bet that there’s a lot more of them who aren’t French then management would like us to believe. (see this article posted by Rocket: Nous Sommes Canadiens / We Are Canadiens )
So a question I raise for the Canadiens management is this – What do you care more about, winning hockey games and championships? Or building a team based on discrimination regardless of whether your French personnel will actually contribute to the success of the team? Why risk losing one of the largest hockey fan bases in the WORLD simply for the sake of furthering your own political agendas and nationalistic biases?
Listen, the language of hockey is hits, dekes, checks, slapshots, saves, goals, power plays, penalty kills, faceoffs, passes, sticks, gloves, skates and ice. It’s a language of hard work, perseverance, dedication, education, teamwork and courage. Feel free to translate that into French or any other language you’d prefer – but what happens during those 60 minutes on the ice transcends any language barrier…I just hope the Habs’ front office figures that out before it’s too late.