Here is an article about another Montreal media story that has been debunked. This one came from a reporter who claimed to have inside sources. It said that a new signed contract for Saku Koivu was sitting in Bob Gainey’s desk drawer waiting for the right time to announce.
from Francois Gagnon (translated)
La Presse
March 25, 2009
Amid rumors of the ocean in which the Canadian mess since the beginning of the season, another good source of information has been disproved: the assumption that Saku Koivu and the Habs had agreed on the parameters of a contract two years.
“It’s completely crazy,” said Saku Koivu when questioned by the press on this subject after the victory on Tuesday.
According to this rumor, Koivu had not yet affixed his signature to the contract, but had obtained a verbal agreement which provided for two other seasons in Montreal.
“There is no contract, no agreement, there has not even been any discussion between me, Canadian and my agent (Don Baizley). With nine games to play in the season, while we are at the height of a battle for a playoff spot, do you really think the time is conducive to questions of contract? Several of us in the same situation and it is unthinkable to deconcentrate the team in reaching out to think about issues of contracts,” decided the captain.
Saku Koivu completes the final season of a four-year contract which has reported $19 million. He will become a free agent without compensation on 1 July if no agreement with Canada by then.
Canadiens’ captain since his election early in the season 1999-2000, Saku Koivu joins Jean Béliveau (1961-1971) as master with the longest reign with Canadian if prolonged his career in Montreal.
Although he is the captain for ten years, Koivu has lost a season because of the lockout that canceled the 2004-2005 season.
Aged 35, Saku Koivu was the first choice of the Canadian round (21st selection) in 1993. He began his career in Montreal in 1995-1996.
Gainey is LAME DUCK at the moment. Everything will be on hold, or have to go through Pierre Boivin for the foreseeable future. I imagine that Boivin will delay any major player personal decisions as long as possible until the current chaos sorts itself out. I think the odds of Gainey returning as G.M. next season are less than 50/50. Boivin has already userped Gainey’s authority by stating that the next coach will be bilingual.
Tiny Trevor has been put on a short leash to find draft prospects in the province of Quebec after several years of squandering them in the state of Minnesota.
Wrong again. Neither Timmins nor Gainey reports to Boivin.
Perhaps both Gainey & Koivu are occupied right now with getting to the playoffs.
The point of the story is that once again the Montreal media have been caught manufacturing a story.
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