Maybe some of Bob’s moves could be questionable but I’ll tell you one thing, he did the best he could for the team and for the organization. There is so much that we as fans do not see in regards to management of this team but yet we have no shortage of armchair GM’s who know the whole scoop. This is a new NHL. We are a team that has to compete with one arm tied behind the back because we have to have so much language on our team. Not saying that Having to have French players on our team is bad but when you have to make decisions not always based upon the absolute best we can get, regardless of ANY language, we will be at a disadvantage. Bob had to do both. Considering that he has improved this team during his tenure, we should all be grateful.

I can tell you that bouncing your grandchild on your knee is a very fine thing.

Robert, your choice of the word “abandons” in your headline is telling of your sentiment, I suspect. You wrote that Gainey said he was asked to remain with the Habs, but I haven’t come across that quote (I didn’t see the press conference). I did read him say, however, that "At this point I’m not prepared to make a commitment of four, or five, or six more years in this position…" as if such an offer or option was even open to him?!

I definitely see what Doogie2K said above, and in that light you can’t blame BG at all for wanting to get out and focus on more simple and beautiful things in life as he nears his twilight. But in answer to your question "did he jump or was he pushed", in my opinion (to play the out-of-the-loop armchair GM described above by Wrencher) he probably decided to jump before he was pushed (or for fear of being pushed). I felt that portraying himself as someone who had all the options in the world and was not in increasingly hot water was disingenuous on the part of BG. I agree that using "abandons" rather than "steps down," "retires," or even "quits" to describe the move was most appropriate.

On another subject, I found Pierre Boivin’s comments telling of what, in my opinion, is a major problem with the Habs:

“You bet it’s important,” the team president said (referring to the importance of language as a job criterion). “French is the language spoken by 2/3, 3/4 of our fans and clients. It’s a matter of respect and sensitivity to the reality of Quebec.”

A business has only one main priority: to make money. A professional hockey team also has one main priority: to win games and championships. So which is it for the Canadiens? Does the "reality of Quebec" make those two priorities mutually exclusive in Montreal – unlike every other NHL franchise? Is Boivin afraid of alienating a portion of his customers and revenue at the expense of the team’s on ice performance? In the long run I think it’s a terrible business strategy because the team will end up failing to achieve either priority: Keep losing (and giving post-loss press conferences in French) and eventually many of the stinky baby Habs fans will move their allegiance to the new franchise in Quebec City. "Respect and sensitivity" – give me a break.

And, for the record, je m’appelle Guy Tremblay.