May 29, 2009 8:15 am.
Office of the President
Montreal Canadiens
Executive Assistant: Mr. Boivin, I have the General Manager on the line.
Boivin: Put him through.
(pause)
Boivin: Pierre!! Ça va?
Gainey: Ummm, Mr. Boivin, it’s Bob. Bob Gainey.
Boivin: *deep sigh*
Gainey: Well sir, I’m just calling about our new coach. I think I’ve found him.
Boivin: Is he francophone? You know that’s my top priority, Bob.
Gainey: Yes, sir. Yes, he is.
Boivin: OK fine, then hire him.
Gainey: I thought you’d be interested in hearing about his qualifications.
Boivin: *deep sigh*
Gainey: Remember we agreed that he should have NHL coaching experience?
Boivin: If you say so.
Gainey: He has experience. Almost 15 years as a head coach.
Boivin: Did he win anything?
Gainey: I didn’t say it was winning experience, just experience. His teams only made it past the first round of the playoffs three times. Once he even got past the second round. Unfortunately since the lockout, there hasn’t been any playoff appearances.
Boivin: You did say he is francophone, right?
Gainey: Yes sir, I did.
Boivin: Good job, Bob. Gauthier will be proud of you. Anything else?
Gainey: I want a coach who will demand that our players aggressively pursue the puck. We really need a coaching system to match our team. With the new additions I’m planning, we’ll have players with speed and skill.
Boivin: Whatever. So does he have that?
Gainey: Well, he *says* that he wants a puck possession team. Although, his previous teams have never used that style.
Boivin: That’s good enough for me.
Gainey: So, shall I go ahead, sir?
Boivin: You had me at “Allo”, Bob. But do me a favour. You better run this past Pierre.
Gainey: Yes, sir.
Boivin: One more thing, Bob. I’ll have my assistant send over the TV schedule for the Winter Olympics. I wouldn’t want you to miss a minute.
While some of us still reminisce about 24 Stanley Cups, the Canadiens continue to fight down to the wire in a struggle to secure one of the final playoff spots. What’s next? A pessimist (or maybe just a realist) will predict that a few post-season games will bring an end to a frustrating season.
But why should we expect any better? When the dynasty teams of the Canadiens were winning Stanley Cups, they had some of the best players in the game. We are reminded of them as we look at their retired sweaters in the rafters of the Bell Centre: Richard, Beliveau, Harvey, Savard, Plante, Dryden, …
But it should not be forgotten that the Habs also had the best off-ice talent in the league too. Dick Irvin, Toe Blake and Scotty Bowman are all Hall of Fame coaches. As General Manager, Sam Pollock built nine Stanley Cup winning teams and Franke Selke had six.
When was the last time that the storied Montreal Canadiens franchise declared that they were in the market for the best available person to fill a hockey department vacancy, without caveat?
The Detroit Red Wings currently own the longest consecutive playoff streak at 20 years and have won the most Stanley Cups in the last 15 years. Is that not a measure of success? So why would the Canadiens insist on sending a message to the NHL’s best and brightest, like Ken Holland or the promising executive Steve Yzerman, that they need not apply? Even McGill University alum, Mike Babcock, is not welcome by the bleu, blanc et rouge.
So how would we rate our current crew? Based on his management record, would Pierre Gauthier rank in the top 20 GM’s in the NHL? Not a chance. Was the pro-scouting department one of the gems of the organization under his tutelage?
Perhaps the most positive thing that can be said about Jacques Martin is that his coaching style is a poor match for the type of players on the team. Being more critical, the game has probably passed him by since the lockout.
For his part, President Pierre Boivin has decided that a social engineering experiment is far more important than hockey excellence. The Canadiens are no longer a meritocracy. The organization is set on a path of continued mediocrity.
Should we have any expectations that the new owners will right this bobbing ship? Sadly, no. Hope was dashed when Gauthier was not given an interim title when taking over from Bob Gainey. These guys are here to stay.
It’s discouraging that the league’s most dedicated fans will likely continue to ride the rollercoaster of hope and disappointment. And some of us will wonder what it would be like if those at the helm of the Montreal Canadiens shared the passion for the team of its loyal supporters.
So next time you have the urge to complain about a lack of first line talent on the ice, instead think about the group of fourth liners that we have running the show.
If truer words were ever spoken, I have yet to hear them.
There's simply no denying that the Canadiens have done this to themselves. They have chosen to be profitable through politics and marketing, rather than excellence on the ice.
Some years ago after the Roy trade, when it was clear to the organization that they had lost their way, they shifted their focus from winning the cup to merely making the playoffs. With that, marketing took over (hello Boivin and Lalonde) and they managed to successfully convince the craziest fans in hockey that making the playoffs was now the benchmark. The ultimate goal. Because, hey, there's 30 teams now, and there's no sense in trying to beat them all because "when you make the playoffs, anything can happen".
Congrats, Habs front office. You've taken one of the great brands in all of sports and turned them from something remarkable and made them remarkably unremarkable.
Well done sirs.
I've been saying this for quite some time too: the problems with the Canadiens are mainly not player problems, but management ones.
I mean, sure, making the playoffs COULD be a big achievement… if you finished first seed in the conference and fight your way to the conference final. Nobody can say that is a bad team, or a lucky team.
Unfortunately, it seems that nobody in the Canadiens' staff can lead by example. I dunno how their meetups are with coaches and managers, but I just don't see the players getting motivated by them.
I heard a player say the other day "you don't play for the coach or the GM, you play for each other (the players)"; while this is certainly true, it's also true that the Canadiens' players haven't been able to find that ignition by themselves: a little push might be in order; be it a correct team strategy (preferably) or a sports movie speech (well, whatever).
It's a shame that nobody seems to be willing to get off the chair, unbutton their suit and get this team where it actually belongs: hockey elite.
The fans will always support them (it's Montreal, that's just how it works); but sometimes, even the most loyal fan needs to see a hockey team out there, not just people chasing after a piece of rubber.
Who should have the Habs hired? I am curious.
I am not sure why Mike Babcock's name was floated about. Was he ever in the running for a position with the Habs? Yzerman has no intention of leaving Detroit until after his daughter graduates high school, so I am not sure why his name was bandied about either.
Martin is probably not the right coach for the Habs, but it would be nice to see some well researched and feasible options discussed.
Thanks for the compliment kyleroussel. You are right that marketing machine of the Canadiens has been busy for a few years 'dumbing down' the brand. Its a textbook case of lowering the standards/quality and raising the hype.
You're right jclin1. At least part of the responsibility of the coach is motivating his players. Its called leadership, and the Habs don't seem to be getting any from the current coach.
The All Habs research dept. is doing just fine thanks, Pink Frosty. Its unfortunate that you completely missed the point of the article.
When there were vacancies in the organization, we had a full and comprehensive discussion here about potential candidates. I am on the record regarding my choice for coach.
Given that there are no positions available currently, and not likely to be in the near future, the thrust of this article was to discuss management philosophy. To illustrate the Canadiens' personnel policy, I mentioned a few quality names that would not be welcome as candidates now or in the future. Well, at least as long as the failed policies are in place or the current President is determining direction.
If Mr. Molson would have liked to right a significant wrong, he could have politely ask Bowman if he had an interest in the position he desperately wanted and rightfully deserved before they screwed him over and gave the job to Irving Grundman. (Though I doubt he wants to leave Chicago considering his family issues).
"The Detroit Red Wings currently own the longest consecutive playoff streak at 20 years and have won the most Stanley Cups in the last 15 years. Is that not a measure of success? So why would the Canadiens insist on sending a message to the NHL's best and brightest, like Ken Holland or the promising executive Steve Yzerman, that they need not apply? Even McGill University alum, Mike Babcock, is not welcome by the bleu, blanc et rouge."
I'd just like to know the reasoning behind this paragraph.
What message did the Habs send to Babcock and Yzerman? When? Yzerman and Babcock weren't ever available for any position with the Habs were they?
Is there an official policy that keeps candidates like Babcock and Yzerman out? Could you fill the reader in. The unfortunate part of the article is that it starts off with fiction. Stronger points would be made if real, feasible and possible coaching candidates had been given as examples and actual quotes from management had been used.
I am trying to be constructive and also get a little more insight into management policy. If you can share some articles where Boivin stressed the need for a francophone at every level and made it publicly known that non-francophones didn't stand a chance, that'd be great.
Thank you.
I will take you at your word one last time Pink Frosty that you are trying to be constructive. But your second set of comments look remarkably like your first, even after my explanation.
Let's give it another go, shall we?
Writers have to make assumptions of base line knowledge. Admittedly I did not begin at ground zero with this story as much has been written on this topic on this site and others. Doing so would be boring reading and be disrespectful to loyal readers who have been following along.
Also it seems that you are confused between a news item and an opinion article or commentary. We have several types of articles on All Habs.
But let's try to bring you up to speed.
Let me repeat that this article is NOT about potential candidates for specific positions. There are no vacancies in the Canadiens' organization at this time. Hence there will be no comparative arguments made about individual candidates.
Instead, the article is a critique of the current personnel management philosophy.
Detroit Red Wings were chosen to illustrate the policy as the organization is acknowledged by most as having top NHL executive and coaching talent.
Shouldn't the Canadiens wish to recruit at a similar talent level? It used to be the case.
Yet now, given public statements about language requirements by Pierre Boivin, the Habs restrict themselves to hiring from a tiny subset of the available pool.
When Bob Gainey was charged with the responsibility of hiring a new coach last May, Boivin publicly announced that the coach would be bilingual.
When Pierre Gauthier was hired, Boivin (and later Gauthier) used different terminology when describing hiring policy. Boivin said that it was his intent and organizational mandate to hire francophones in key positions at all levels of the Canadiens and their affiliates.
If you wish to read specific quotes, they are included in news articles on the topics at All Habs.
Happy reading!
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