Breaking News - Habs GM Gainey to announce resignation today
by Robert L on Feb 8, 2010 12:49 PM EST
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PrintWhoa, shocker! Glad I didn't name this site in Bob we trust after all!
In an unforeseen story, TSN is reporting that Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey will be stepping down after 7 seasons at the helm of the club. Reports are that assistant GM Pierre Gauthier will assume the position on an interim basis.
A press conference has been called for 4 p.m. and you can listed to it here.
Listening to radio station CKAC this morning, french commentator Martin Maguire was speaking about the approaching trade deadline in regards to what the Canadiens would be doing in terms of their goaltending questions. Maguire had it on good sources that while Halak in the past been shopped, including very recently, that offers for him had not increased. However, Maguire pointed, offers for Carey Price were piling up.
This would be a connundrum leading to philosophical differences, one that would cause Gainey to step down.
Two scenarios: Gainey has traded goalies at this time of year, twice before. I do not think it unthinkable that at this point he would part with Price with the right offer on the table. As I see it, he was about to do one or the other, and the Molson family stepped in.
This story will use up a great deal of ink and be talked about for years. It will be curious to see how much Gainey admits.
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The timing for this is really weird. Philosophical differences? But for Gainey to step down/be stepped down over philosophical differences at this stage it would have to be over some very specific element they have differences over.
I’m worried.
I am extremely worried
If ownership is meddling this may become an even bigger circus
I’m honestly not that surprised. I kind of thought he wanted out last year, but did the grunt work in the meantime (until Centennial was over, ownership switch had occured) and now is leaving on his own terms. If he decided he didn’t want to GM another year, why would he be the GM for the trade deadline, UFA resigning period, etc.?
Hockey blogging can't get any flatter.
I agree, the writing was on the wall when a coach/gm is hired to be the coach and a young superstar coach is hired for the AHL, that meant to me that if things didn’t go well, Gainey would be fired, Martin would become Coach/GM and Boucher would get a shot at the NHL in the near future.
Unfortunately, it appears to be the senario, meaning this year is shot.
by blockersave93 on Feb 8, 2010 1:59 PM EST up reply actions
I posted that suspicious blog post a year ago regarding Carbonneau’s firing, but I’ve come around. I’m not suspicious about this at all. Any timing would be curious in Montreal. This timing is not really bad or odd, in my books. In fact, it’s kind of convenient… Bob’s right hand man in Gauthier calls the shots at the deadline and ownership gets TONS of time to hire a permanent guy to implement a plan for next year/draft.
Hockey blogging can't get any flatter.
My concern comes from watching this team being built for 6 years and understanding and agreeing with the logic behind everything Gainey did.
Then he fired Carbo and since then every decision he has made has puzzled the shit out of me. So either Gainey totally panicked, changed his philosophy OR has been pushed in a certain direction.
The “pushed in a certain direction” is what makes me nervous.
My fingers are crossed that you are right sask.
I don't think Gainey gets pushed away.
But I’ve been wrong so many times…
Anyway, I mostly agree with the “did the grunt work, now goes out on his own term” theory. What has me more worried is that, between Gauthier, Timmins, Pearn and Martin, these guys are all the Ottawa Old guard and so I don’t see renewal on the horzion.
These guys have pedigree, sure, and having Hossa, Alfredsson and Havlat on the RW speaks volume of their ability to develop top-end talent (drafting is a crapshoot and Timmins is pretty good at edging the bets, we already know that). But they never, for the life of them, could bet on the right goalie. Right here right now, that makes me nervous, y’know?
Maybe the Molsons blow the whole office up come summer time and build around Boucher and some new GM?
They DO NOT need to force the issue on this goaltending decision.
At the end of the day, all I want is a Stanley Cup contender. I don’t care if it is Price or Halak in goal. What I want is to make sure they cross ALL their T’s and dot the i’s before they make that decision.
Right now, they haven’t done that. With the way Halak has played over the last 2 month, they need to hold onto them and gather more info before making a franchise altering decision.
No they do not. What they need to do with these two is keep both until Halak walk as a free agent (even then, if the price is right, why not?) Strong goaltending for 70+ games for less than 5 millions is a very correct deal (ask the Oilers about that).
But, as I said, when it comes to goaltending decisions, the Ottawa bunch makes me nervous.
There was atime when this would have been upsetting. But that time has passed. Gainey had a go at this organization, a good long chance. Ultimately, he turned the team from a non-playoff team to a playoff one, but how do you separate credit for that from the natural cycle of improvement that every team goes through.
For all the good things Gainey did, his legacy for me will be this Carey price mishandling. From looking a gift horse in the mouth in 2007-08 and trading that chance at success for a little playoff development time to letting some very key players go last summer, he’s had his lows. I think one must surely just run out of steam in this job.
I’ve said many times that it feels like our GM is on holiday, and that just cannot be the case on a club actually striving to do what Montreal has done in the past. The club probably just needs new energy and new ideas, and Bob’s heart isn’t in it that way anymore.
Personally, I don’t think it was the Molsons who stepped in, but rather Boivin, who after all, is responsible for the performance of the employees below him. I don’t think given the long tenure, the extended window the GM had to make inrods into real contention and everything else that this decision is so otherworldly. In fact, if Boivin wasn’t asking this of his employees there would be far more to worry about.
The major thing to worry about next is hiring the right candidate. You’ve seen Edmonton make a hash of things, same elsewhere. I hope the Habs go the Guy Boucher type route and try to find the best thing coming from anywhere.
patience is indeed a virtue
Well, I am not nearly as informed as most of you on the whos and whys of this one.
However, I am a firm supporter of most of the moves Gainey made over the years, especially the many upgrades this past summer. The team has steadily improved during his tenure, even if the standings don’t always reflect this.
Besides adjusting to the excellent makeover on the ice and behind the bench, the real issue this season has been injuries. If you look at the best campaigns under captain Koivu (2006-7 + 2007-8) what do you see? – few injuries to top players. All our best players this year, except the reincarnated super-Pleks, have been out for a significant stretch. That is not Gainey’s fault. These guys have had generally robust careers, and the most important injury of all was totally uncanny.
OK, enough excuses. My point here is that, IMHO, Gainey cashed in a team last summer that had been a significant improvement on what he started with when he took on the job, and turned it into something even better.
We have not had a scorer the likes of Cammalleri since the mid-1990s. Our goalies make up the best duo in the league (and a good trade will probably come of this soon). Gomez and Gionta make us faster than ever. Our defense is the right combination of experience and youth. Snagging MAB was a coup. With the Pouliot acquisition and the patient reform of the Brothers K we now have two killer top lines+ – IF we ever get to see them all on the ice at the same bloody time!
Most importantly, Gainey has assembled a team that will work hard to improve and never quit till they win it all.
I humbly submit that this team that will be a contender. Perhaps not this season, but for seasons to come. I will continue to be patient, and Bob will be vindicated.
All the best Bob Gainey, I believe you did your best for the team we all care about so much.
by patience is a virtue on Feb 8, 2010 4:02 PM EST reply actions
PS
Thank you for the amazing recap/links on Gainey’s tenure Robert, and for the link to the press conference which I am watching now.
Bob has class.
by patience is a virtue on Feb 8, 2010 4:21 PM EST reply actions
One thing I dislike about this is that Gauthier and Martin have known each other for a long while, so Gauthier is likely to retain Martin for some time, perhaps longer than he should. I expect the team to stagnate as long as Martin is at the helm, so that’s bad news right there.
Then again I didn’t expect Martin to get replaced for a year or two, so no change there really. Just that I had hope he might get moved up.
Bilingual GM
The question was asked to Pierre B. by Tony M. if it was essential that the new GM be bilingual. He replied that it was a necessity. Really shortens the list doesn’t it. How many coaches and GM are bilingual? Not many.
We go from “In Bob we trust” to “In Pierre we trust”, as long as its not Rejean Houle.
Go Habs Go and by the way THANKS to Bob Gainey
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