“Fools”, said I, “You do not know, silence like a cancer grows. Hear my words that I might teach you. Take my arms that I might reach you”. But my words, like silent raindrops fell, and echoed, in the wells of silence. – From “Sound of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel

By Stevo, AllHabs.net

MONTREAL, QC. — They say that actions speak louder than words; it would appear that inaction can sometimes speak even louder. The “sound of silence” from the Montreal Canadiens organization today was surprising to many, with the Habs having lost six straight, and heading into games against the Philadelphia Flyers and home-and-home series with the Boston Bruins.

I, for one, believed that today, the Canadiens would either make the coaching change that many are impatiently waiting for, and which I would have never considered possible just one week ago, or at the very least, some type of trade. Something. Anything. You can’t just pray that things will get better, they may only get worse.

Tick tock, tick tock, but nothing. Actually, there was something, Aaron Palushaj was called up from Hamilton to replace the injured Max Pacioretty, out indefinitely with torn ligaments in his wrist, after getting tangled with a Florida Panthers’ player Monday night.  But no big move. No atomic bomb drop. Silence.

The Canadiens shouldn’t be looking at a trade right now. General managers in the league know very well what the situation is in Montreal, and how desperate they are with injuries. Finding a trade partner who wouldn’t attempt to rob Gauthier of his youth and draft picks would be near impossible at this very moment, and the guys in the lineup can get the job done.

The other option is the coach, and it’s only a matter of time now before he goes. It doesn’t matter whether you like him or not, or whether you believe he has done a great job or not, or whether you believe he deserves this faith or not, what matters is that the team is not winning. In a business that’s all about winning game, the start to the season that the Montreal Canadiens have had is unacceptable. Coaches have been fired for less.

If you work in an office, you’ve probably seen this yourself. When an employee within a department is not performing, the business addresses the issue in one way, shape or form. When the greater majority of the employees within a department are not performing, the business will usually be lead to believe the team leader is unable to get the best out of his employees.

The Canadiens situation is the same.

If the coach is unable to get his players to put together a winning combination on the ice, the coach needs to go. Coaches in professional sports are measured on one thing and one thing alone, wins.

As for the players, the greater majority of the them are not performing at the level they should be. Injuries can be discouraging but in the words of Carey Price, “Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us”…”We can’t just sit here sucking our thumbs”.

Unfortunately, this inaction is costing the Habs a chance of getting back into the mix, to have a chance of eventually getting back into a position to make a late season playoff run.

With their 1-5-2 start, they currently sit last in the Eastern Conference with four points, after eight games played. If you read my last column, I indicated that on average since the lock-out ended, teams have needed 92 points to squeeze into the playoffs. (That’s on average, so it’s no guarantee it gets you there.) That means that with now 74 games remaining, the Canadiens will need 88 points to reach that mark of 92. This translates to a winning percentage of 0.595% between now and the end of the season, better than the Canadiens were able to achieve over the entirety of the last three seasons. (0.585%, 0.537%, 0.567%)

When Canadiens players were interviewed earlier today, they all repeated that “the answer is within the room”. Unfortunately right now, as their season is in jeopardy, they might have the answer, but nobody seems to know what the question is.

“And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said, “The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls”
And whispered in the sounds of silence”

(From “Sound of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel)

(Video posted on YouTube by ea3dfx)