MONTREAL, QC –One day last week, I realized something phenomenal had happened. A whole day had gone by without anybody in the Montreal media or Canadiens blogosphere reporting any Jaroslav Halak news. And yet, just when I thought we could go multiple consecutive days (or multiple days at all) without having to hear about Jaro, he went and posted another shutout.
So the city talked about that for longer than was necessary, and by that, I mean at all. I kept thinking it would blow over once Halak started showing signs of being human, but in his last start, the Columbus Blue Jackets (grr, remember them from last week?) chased him from his net by scoring four goals on 15 shots. This time Montreal talked all about how they felt bad for him for having a bad night.
“Poor Jaro.”
Look. I love Jaro. I really, really, do. At the top of my Christmas wishlist sits a St. Louis Blues 3rd jersey with Halak’s name and number on it, and I wish the little dude all the best in St. Louis. It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside to see how well he’s been playing so far. Well, except that last start, but you get the idea. Because youve been hearing all about the idea since the NHL season started.
Anyway. I have a lot of love for Jaroslav Halak.
But Jaroslav Halak is not a Montreal Canadien. He plays for another team, in another city, in another division and in another conference. I’m having a little trouble understanding why the fans and media in Montreal seem to have missed that memo. And I’m having even more trouble understanding why hockey analysts at large can’t stop talking about the Halak trade.
First, they decided it was a mistake because Halak was clearly the better goalie. Then they decided that Price perhaps had the potential to be better, but that he couldn’t handle the pressure in Montreal. Then they decided Price was probably the next Andrew Raycroft. Then the preseason happened and they went back to the pressure thing. Then the season started and they decided Price couldn’t sustain his excellent play for longer than the first couple of games.
And then, when it became obvious that Price was answering the bell loud and clear, they turned to the return on the Halak trade. Apparently Lars Eller is not enough value for Halak, as if the first ten to fifteen games constitute a definitive indicator. You know, as opposed to the entirety of both their careers. As if Eller and Halak play the same position, as if their role and responsibility on their respective teams are exactly the same, and as if you can compare a rookie who has played 21 NHL games to an experienced player who has reached or is entering his prime.
So I want to know: why? Why are we obsessed with a player that is no longer ours when we have a perfectly superhuman one right here? Why must the news of Price’s heroics against Vancouver be seasoned with talk of Halak’s three shutouts in five games? Is Halak ever coming back to the Habs? (Hint: No.) Is Price not a perfectly reasonable goaltender? (Hint: No. Hes ridiculously good.)
Here is what I know for sure: The cautionary tale I like to call The Legend of Mike Milbury. Before Mike Milbury was one of the most annoying hockey broadcasting personalities in the history of the universe, he was one of the most destructive hockey team general managers in the history of the universe. A quick recap of all his lightbulb moments can be found in this Wikipedia paragraph.
Mike Milbury’s reputation as a hockey executive will never recover. Nobody would ever hire him to run a team ever again, and his name has become synonymous with terrible management decisions: “thats almost Milbury-esque. ” I’ve heard it used in non-hockey contexts, too.
Nobody from any NHL front office would want to forever destroy their chances of working in hockey operations the way that Mike Milbury has. Including Pierre Gauthier. And let’s face it, Pierre Gauthier, unfortunately, has neither the face nor the voice for broadcasting, so he can’t use that as a back-up plan.
When Pierre Gauthier made that trade this summer, he put his reputation and his future in hockey operations on the line. He has a lot to lose if it turns out that he traded away a franchise goaltender and kept a Toskacroft.
None of us fans, bloggers or journalists have much to lose if our opinions on this trade turn out to be wrong. So its easy to talk about how this was the Montreal Canadiens biggest mistake in over a decade.
But think about what Gauthier has put on the line, banking on the hope that he made the right choice.
And then think about whether we’re all still in a position to analyze the trade to death.
(Photo by Shaun Best, Reuters)