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The secret of the Habs' success

Associated Press and Canadian Press

Latest comment posted at 11:56 PM EDT 20/03/08

Good health, Kovalev rebound prime reasons for Canadiens surge ...Read the full article

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  1. Alberto Bayo from Canada writes: Guy Carbonneau should get the Jack Adams award.
  2. Robert Miller from Halifax, Canada writes: Here are the top 3 reasons for the Habs success:

    1. Bob Gainey
    2. Bob Gainey
    3. Did I mention Bob Gainey?
  3. George S from Toronto, Canada writes: This team totally shocked me. Overall it is a pretty young team and I didn't count them to be battling for first place as they are. Their hasn't been any blockbuster trades or shakeups in the lineup so it must be the way this team nurtures and develops its own young talent. Gainey and Carboneau are proving to me to be true hockey minds to bring this, what used to be, an average team, and now develop this roughly same team and make them contenders. I hope that the Habs go far in the playoffs.
  4. R. Carriere from Maritimes, Canada writes:

    "Goaltending: Montreal lucked out by getting the fifth overall pick by lottery in the lockout year 2005 draft and selected six-foot-three Carey Price...."

    Yea, Gainey really got nailed in the press for that one. Those same media "experts" are pretty quiet now!

    Robert Miller from Halifax,writes about Bob Gainey and I couldn't agree more, but there are a few other parts (LISTEN CLOSELY MLSE BOARD)

    They hired a GM with Cup rings as a player and as a manager. The criteria was not some media savy inexperienced lawyer. In fact, Gainey could fit in well at the funeral parlour!

    They hired a coach with Cup rings. But most important, they have a President who lets the guys run the hockey aspect of the business, who keeps his nose out of the team, stays AWAY from the dressing room, and you NEVER see him on TV or being interviewed!

    GET IT?

    ( and although Tie Domi was a lovable teddy bear creature, Gainey would have NEVER allowed a 45 minute ceremony for a ...........)
    .
  5. sam themacman from Waterloo, Canada writes: I love this team, largely due to the GM and coaching staff, and all the experience of winning they bring to the team. It is a cerebral brain trust to say the least, where they quietly lead by example. They don't over react, and choose to respond to challenges. Last off season Gainey did just that with Kovalev, and look at the resulting fruitfulness of that approach. Kudos to the ownership for sticking their noses out of the press and media. Let the hockey people run the show. Mr. Gillette thank you for being the kind of owner that should be imitated in order to created a successful franchise. MLSE could learn a few lessons from the Habs organization on that score. The bottom line is knowing your product, knowing how to assess talent, and develop that talent, and to tap in the past successes for the people you need to guide and manage the team to success. The 70's were the glory years for the Habs, and look who they have managing and coaching. The Laughs, God love `em, don't have any connections to winning in the organization. They have nothing they can call their own. Take a lesson MLSE. Davey Keon, where are you? Even the Big M is treated like royalty in Montreal compared to Toronto. I don't understand MLSE in the least. The Habs have honoured their heroes of the past with dignified ceremonies all season, unlike the tacky ceremonies for nobodies at MLSE. Unbelievable the difference. Habs have been first class in what they have done and how they have done it. When I saw the Gainey jersey retirement, and that Gainey had the `86 Cup Champion teamates there, that spoke volumes not only about Gainey, but about the character and values of the organization and the team. It is a workmanlike, pride in doing your best, being there for each other, respecting the long storied history of the team, and the humility that you are a part of its living history, that drives this 2007-2008 team. Watch what they do in the playoffs.
  6. sam themacman from Waterloo, Canada writes: I love this team, largely due to the GM and coaching staff, and all the experience of winning they bring to the team. It is a cerebral brain trust to say the least, where they quietly lead by example. They don't over react, and choose to respond to challenges. Last off season Gainey did just that with Kovalev, and look at the resulting fruitfulness of that approach. Kudos to the ownership for sticking their noses out of the press and media. Let the hockey people run the show. Mr. Gillette thank you for being the kind of owner that should be imitated in order to created a successful franchise. MLSE could learn a few lessons from the Habs organization on that score. The bottom line is knowing your product, knowing how to assess talent, and develop that talent, and to tap in the past successes for the people you need to guide and manage the team to success. The 70's were the glory years for the Habs, and look who they have managing and coaching. The Laughs, God love `em, don't have any connections to winning in the organization. They have nothing they can call their own. Take a lesson MLSE. Davey Keon, where are you? Even the Big M is treated like royalty in Montreal compared to Toronto. I don't understand MLSE in the least. The Habs have honoured their heroes of the past with dignified ceremonies all season, unlike the tacky ceremonies for nobodies at MLSE. Unbelievable the difference. Habs have been first class in what they have done and how they have done it. When I saw the Gainey jersey retirement, and that Gainey had the `86 Cup Champion teamates there, that spoke volumes not only about Gainey, but about the character and values of the organization and the team. It is a workmanlike, pride in doing your best, being there for each other, respecting the long storied history of the team, and the humility that you are a part of its living history, that drives this 2007-2008 team. Watch what they do in the playoffs.
  7. Swifty J from Mtl, Canada writes: Let's not put the organization on too high a pedestal. Yes, they have the hockey department on the right track, Pierre Boivin keeps a fairly low profile (he does, however, do interviews) and George Gillett largely confines himself to cheerleading.

    But the Habs also waited an obscenely long time before honouring Geoffrion, Robinson, Moore and Cournoyer, in particular. The only reason I can think of is that they wanted to wait until the current team was decent. I'm not convinced that's good enough.

    As a corporate citizen Gillett is something of a disappointment, with his frequent whining over property taxes. (Worse, he and his people have often cloaked this in the nonsense equation of "lower property taxes = money to sign a superstar.")

    And ticket prices? If you think they're high now, just watch what happens when the Habs are a perennial contender. They know we love 'em, and they will continue to take advantage of that fact, mercilessly -- not so different from a certain other franchise in that respect.

    I'll always cheer for the boys wearing the uniform and the man running the hockey department, but that doesn't mean the entire organization is perfect and unfailingly classy. It's a business and most of the time it acts like one, right down to the masterful PR.
  8. Neil no more last name from Mississauga, Canada writes: Health is a big factor here too. For years the Habs were plaqued by injuries - this year not so much.

    Not to discount the coaching, team mentality, player development, or GM. They've been great as well.
  9. Jude Hannaford from Canada writes: Greetings

    Swifty, I have long wondered why the Canadiens took so long to retire jerseys but it seems to me that when Molson owned the team we did not see much action on this front and it has been under Mr Gillett's supervision that we have seen a fair amount of deserved men have thier number's hoisted to the rafters. Now I will say that for a team that had dominated the league for 30 years (50's-70's) the bar is set a little higher, it's far more difficult to get your number retired with the Habs than it is to get into the Hall of fame. I mean most of our boys would be wearing 50 and up if they weren't picky.

    On a side note, has anyone heard this nonsense about MLSE going after Gainey for the GM position? I thought that they had tried to get him before they hired JFJ but he was holding out for the Habs gig. One thing I'm sure of, however unlikely it may be, if he did jump ship, a pile of ashes would replace the spot where his banner once hung.

    Vive Les Canadiens
  10. Neil no more last name from Mississauga, Canada writes: I can't see Gainey leaving MTL for the Leafs - doesn't make any sense.

    MLSE can try, but they'd be wasting their time
  11. Swifty J from Mtl, Canada writes: Jude, I suppose blaming Molson is reasonable; they were largely to blame for the grim late-90s situation as a whole. Still, George Gillett did take almost six years to start catching up in that department...

    As for Toronto hiring away Gainey, it's just wishful thinking. Whoever's doing the search has a duty to inquire, but I'd be shocked if it went beyond that.
  12. R. Carriere from Maritimes, Canada writes: Swifty J from Mtl, Canada writes: Jude, I suppose blaming Molson is reasonable; they were largely to blame for the grim late-90s situation as a whole. Still, George Gillett did take almost six years to start catching up in that department...

    As for Toronto hiring away Gainey, it's just wishful thinking. Whoever's doing the search has a duty to inquire, but I'd be shocked if it went beyond that.

    Hi Swifty-Believe the blame of the demise of the HABS was Ron Corey. He fired Savard, then hired beer salesman Reggie Houle(zero experience) as the GM and put Mario Tremblay (who never coached) behind the bench with Cournoyer (who never coached) and Steve Shutt. Corey then traded all the assets ( Chelios-Corson-Desjardins-Roy-Keane-.John Leclair Remember when Patrick Roy told him he was finished in Montreal?

    As for Gainey, I think he was offered the Leafs job at that time by Dryden but refused and took the Habs job instead. Too bad for the Leafs........
  13. Robert Miller from Halifax, Canada writes: R Carriere from Maritimes, Canada:

    When you said that Gainey might fit well into a "funeral parlour," you weren't talking about the ACC, I hope?

    The big smoke had their opportunity previously to choose Gainey as the Leafs' GM and completely blew it... Fortunately, for current Habs fans, MLS&E cannot make a sensible decision to save their lives... as has been proven time and time again.

    Gainey has previously taken alot of heat from the fans in Montreal, La Presse and some of the Gazette columnists... Yet, he has a plan for the team, has a vision with respect to the game, and he sticks to his plans... Usually his decisions are made over what a player has done over the last two years and not the last two weeks.

    How else would you explain how a guy can pull a no-name from the Swiss League and turn him into a quality NHL defenseman and forward... Gainey has also been getting prospects directly from the NCAA (ie. O'Byrne) as well as through the draft like Price ...

    Gainey is a brilliant hockey mind, but you're correct, in that, he is certainly not a flashy character...
  14. Swifty J from Mtl, Canada writes: Yes, that's all true. The point is that Corey was allowed to preside over that whole mess by a corporate owner (Molson) that was focused on the bottom line. Corey and Houle's mandate was to worry about money first, winning second.

    The really stupid thing about that is that if you put money first, winning rarely follows; but if you put winning first, the money always follows as long as you have a big enough market, which the Habs do.

    That, in a nutshell, is why ownership matters.
  15. Robert Miller from Halifax, Canada writes: Swifty J from Mtl, Canada:

    Spot On!

    "If you put money first, winning rarely follows..."

    Actually, this is true about a number of activities -- not solely sports franchises...

    The way in which Molson was running the Habs several years ago is quite comparable to how MLS&E is currently running the Leafs... completely lost and without any direction, but able to count on the deluded fans to continue to support the team as long as management threw the occasional Mark Recchi, Trevor Linden, Doug Gilmour, Own Nolan, Jason Blake, Andrew Raycroft or other flavour of the day their way...

    The Habs now have a T-E-A-M again by consistently building based mainly on one architect's plan (Bob Gainey)...
  16. R. Carriere from Maritimes, Canada writes:

    OK Swifty-maybe saying the same thing. it seemed like Molson was just a little too hands off-the realized their brand was getting hurt.

    But did you remember that Gillett bought the canadiens for $275 Million including the them Molson center? and if memory serves me well, I believe molson "lent" him about half the $$ to do it! And I believe the cost of the Molson center at that time was over 200 Million. So basically stated, he got the team for free financed by Molson. Nice job!

    Robert Miller from Halifax, Canada....but Gainey also did some"Doozies" Signing Samsonov. Trading Ribiero...but at the time,...rumour has it that ..well....hope he found himself in Dallas and grew up! then Jose Theodore-....same thing, but he got out of that lucky because another french canadian in Colorado-Pierre Lacroix GM-thought he had the second coming of St. Patrick (Roy)....but Jose is doing really well this year. We'll see in the playoffs....
  17. Robert Miller from Halifax, Canada writes: R Carierre from Maritimes:

    I think the Samsanov's signing was a panic signing to appease the fans in Montreal who were freaking about the lack of a free agent signing in the summer 2006... Remember TO had acquired free agents, Kubina and Gill... Had to keep up with the Jones! One of the few instances where Gainey strayed from the plan...

    Ribeiro??? Flash in the pan... Who cares.... Watch how he tanks when the playoffs roll around... Effort is definitely not his middle name.

    Theodore??? Same thing -- a $6 million dollar inconsistent goaltender who had become locker room poison with his off-ice antics... Good riddance!

    BTW Swifty -- I was thinking if there has to be a decision between a Stanley Cup parade on Ste. Catherines St. and a parade across the Halifax-Dartmouth bridge with Sid carrying the cup, I think I know which team that I will cheering for...
  18. Mitka D from Canada writes: In fairness to the Habs not having lost player-games in 07/08, that was just Karma: the opposite was true in 06/07. The mid-season flu bug and injury to Huet was the beginning of a decline for Habs fortune in January and early February of last year (they went 7-13-1 in that stretch). They pulled it together for the past 6 weeks and managed to miss the playoffs by 1 point. I was a bit surprised that pre-season pundits were so hard on them. It didnt stop there: JFJ on TSN voted the Habs "the big loser" from the trade deadline, because they only got a 2nd round pick for Huet. Well, better that than nothing come summer, but JFJ knows all about productive trades, right? R. Carriere, WRT Samsonov, he was a bad pick up for the Habs, agreed, but he definitely has his assets, as he is now proving with the Canes. If this is a Bob Gainey mistake, he can be forgiven.
  19. david waye from Halifax, Canada writes: First, Let me state right away that I have always been a Habs Fan and have been behide them even when they had bad years. The story just read says a lot about the team and the improvement they have shown, but I think it goes deeper to what was not said.
    Before that trade dead line, there was talk of some trades and yet only Huet was traded. The team as a whole looked at the vote of support given them and I think that makes them dig deeper for the win. But the bigger reason that I feel for thier better play as a team is that The Montreal Fans have come to grips with the fact that not all of the players will come from Quebec anymore and have gotten behide the team ever more then the last few years. Now, IF THEY COULD ONLY BEAT OTTAWA, GO HABS GO.
  20. rick binda from Montreal, Canada writes: Even if they crash and burn ??? Only someone in Toronto can imagine that ! Here in Montreal only a parade on Ste-Catherine's street can make a season a success. Your 1967 champs would never do. !993 is a long time...and 1989's defeat against Calgary is not forgiven.
  21. Robert Miller from Halifax, Canada writes: David Waye from Halifax:

    An excellent point.

    However, one shouldn't think for a single second that Gainey hasn't been richly criticized by La Presse in the last few years for not just putting French Canadian players on the Habs' roster...

    Nevertheless, Gainey seems to have said, "Damn the torpedos", and seems to have decided to keep a player's effort as the deciding factor as to whether they stay or go... The Habs roster is now very deep and there is no single player on the current Habs team who is not expendable regardless of language, nationality, attitude, etc. ...

    In fact, Gainey has put together a roster that represents Canadian players from Williams' Lake, British Columbia (Carey Price) to Bonavista, Newfoundland (Michael Ryder.) If any team could make the claim of being, "Canada's team," the Habs should be the one!

    PS... Rick Binda from Montreal -- I thought that that "crash and burn" quote in this article was hilarious, and yet, the last G&M article about the Leafs indicated that they were still in a "playoff hunt."
  22. Swifty J from Mtl, Canada writes: David Waye, that attitude shift is real, but I don't think it's really complete or ever will be.

    The fans love a good Habs team no matter the nationalities of the players, but Montrealers still harbour a deep desire for a local hero.

    That's why there was so much chatter about Daniel Briere last summer, and why there will be speculation about Vincent Lecavalier until he signs with the Habs, retires or is eclipsed by some other rising Quebec star.

    Although the hand-wringing is often way overblown, I don't think there's anything wrong with that basic desire for a local hero.

    Anyway, here's hoping the Habs give us lots to cheer about tonight!
  23. Swifty J from Mtl, Canada writes: Robert: "I was thinking if there has to be a decision between a Stanley Cup parade on Ste. Catherines St. and a parade across the Halifax-Dartmouth bridge with Sid carrying the cup, I think I know which team that I will cheering for..."

    Are you saying you'd cheer for the Pens in the event of a Pens v. Habs series? Say it ain't so!
  24. Robert Miller from Halifax, Canada writes: Swifty J from Mtl, Canada:

    I never said any such thing -- I refuse to answer your 6:06 PM question until the playoffs are over, but I am hoping to again see the Habs back on the ice at the Metro Centre in the exhibition season next season!

    Several years ago, the NHL used to have what they called "second site games" -- We were the second site of the New York Rangers, I believe... I would love to see the NHL one day re-institute that idea with a team that I actually gave a damn about...

    GO HABS!
  25. Hugo Lapointe from Canada writes: Kovalev was badly managed by Carbonneau last season. Gainey probably talked to Carbo last summer, and things work just fine. That's the first reason why the Habs are so much better than last year, along with the talented yougsters that for some reason eluded all the so said "experts", especially at TSN....
  26. Robert Miller from Halifax, Canada writes: Hugh Lapointe from Canada:

    Actually Hugh:

    After a hot start to last season, I think the whole Habs problem last year began when Samsanov (a Russian) got angry about being sent down to the third line in order to give one of the local boys (who was for some strange reason being compared to Sid Crosby by La Presse at the time) a chance to try and pad his stats on the first line and live up to the Montreal crowds chants of "Gui-Gui-Gui..."

    The chemistry of the team again became toxic surrounding issues that had nothing to do with hockey but more about what language each player first spoke...

    So, if you ask me who was to blame for the mid-season collapse of the Habs last year... my finger would point directly at some of the idiots at La Presse.

    Fortunately, that's yesterdays newspapers now...
  27. Michael Dunleavy from Waterloo, Canada writes: Hmmm...I don't know if the pundits from the Toronto Sports Network and TO are in general actually watch the Canadiens other than when they play the Leafs.Because if you thought they would finish in 13th or 14th then you haven't been following this team. Kovalev is a surprise that was not expected.But Plekanec was better last year than the year before and has been brilliant in both ends of the ice.Andrei Kostitsyn was improving and his kid brother is as talented offensively but actually logs more ice time because he is already an excellent defensive player.Markov is having his best year yet.Hamrlik has been a real shock...I am stunned at how well he has played.Streit has played well but lately cooled off.Grabovski is the fastest player they have and hopefully they will play him.Last year Carbo wouldn't play Perezoghin and he went back to Russia. Coaching has been good but the real key is Gainey.For years the Habs wouldn't play their kids,now they are drafting well and they are developing on the ice.The new rules NHL with the salary cap forced them to play their kids and that is where their talent lies. This team is looking very Russian especially if they can get Alexie Emelin over from Russia in the next two years and then add Pavel Valentenko when he's ready.

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