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Fire Bergevin


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Mitch Melnick is a Montreal legend and an outstanding radio journalist. Another way to put it is that he is 1000X better at his job than the idiots driving the clown car in the Bell Centre are at theirs, and for them to get him fired would be absolutely appalling - just more proof that it's all about egos for these Bozos.

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27 minutes ago, hab29RETIRED said:

My guess is the newly transparent habs brain trust threatened the station with going to a different provider and Mitch may be on thin ice for not sucking MB’s balls, instead of doing his job and asking MB some tough questions.

 

They wouldn't have to do that much. Bell owns 18% of the Canadiens. Bell owns TSN. Not hard to figure out. 

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Can someone make a timeline of what happened today? Maybe add some highlights of the interview.

 

Cant let this stuff fade away. I wonder if Boomer over on NHL radio would like to hear about this?

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The interview was on Tuesday. Melnick grills Bergevin on the team... on if the attitude is the GM's fault, on why he hasn't fixed the centres, on Karl Alzner.  Bergevin dodges most questions, but overall he sounds pretty bad IMO.

 

Late Yesterday or early today it was removed from the TSN 690 website. 

 

Mitch Melnick and Rod Francis (his producer) were both off sick yesterday

 

When asked by at least two people on twitter why it was removed, Rod Francis said he wasn't authorized to talk about it. 

 

The thing blew up on twitter. 

 

The interview is back up. 

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Bergevin did sound pretty bad in that interview, Melnick even slightly laughed at his last answer. 

 

I was surprised at the direct questions that were asked and also not please with the answers given

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It’s funny when you think about it. When talking about Alzner, Bergevin refers to how many people thought Chara was too slow a few years ago and it turns out he was just tired. His comment about Alzner is then that perhaps he was just tired this year, implying that he may not be too slow for the league.

 

The topic later changes to our centers and one of the names that comes up is Eric Staal. Bergevin then states that it looked like he was done a few years ago. 

 

First he defends Chara and states that he wasn’t actually over the hill and that we can’t go by what people say in that respect. He also says that Alzner may have just been tired this year, sardonic or not. He then comments that Staal looked over the hill and everyone was saying the same thing. Why couldn’t Staal have been “just tired”?

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Someone posted the original TSN690 interview on Soundcloud.  You can listen to it here. I plan to compare it to the TSN690 "editted" version later.

 

Bergevin on Melnick in the Afternoon - Soundcloud

 

The new "transparency" era is a somewhat interesting one, but to me it seems like a bone to placate the dog-like media in Montreal.  I heard that the Canadiens long-time head of communications, Donald Beauchamps, will be leaving the organization.  I find it interesting that at the same time this message of "transparency" is now forthcoming from the Habs as of the start date of their end of season press conference. Maybe Donald was the scapegoat for the Papal-like secrecy behind the Habs communications?

 

I have heard Chris Nilan gripe at least once a month on the air about how difficult it is to try to get anyone from the Habs organization to come on the air for his show for an occasional interview.  So I guess maybe one of those times must have been when Geoff Molson happened to tune in to the radio? Perhaps that's wishful thinking.

 

I fear and feel, that this version of the Habs is on the precipice of a lengthy slide into the cellar dwellars of the league, similar to the dark ages under Rejean Houle.

As I type this, I am watching the Jets versus the Wild in game 2, and Paul Stastny just scored.  If I was him, I would seriously consider any offer that Winnipeg makes to keep him before July 1st.  The guy has already reached his peak contract at $7M/season, so realistically he must know he will never get more than that amount. He could stay and play in Winnipeg for less, a team that is clearly on the rise.  Or he could take his chances on a bigger payout by a team like the Habs, one that will struggle to get back into a playoff position.  Personally I think he's a fine #2 center, but if he signs with Montreal he would be deemed their #1 and I don't feel he would succeed in that environment.

 

-Norm
 

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Melnick and Francis come back to work? Any word? 

 

I loved the pressure put on MB - my respect for Melnick grew again because of this interview. 

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1 hour ago, revvvrob said:

Melnick and Francis come back to work? Any word? 

 

I loved the pressure put on MB - my respect for Melnick grew again because of this interview. 

Supposedly Melnick was in Toronto yesterday (according to Spaceman Bill Lee;)) and back on show on Monday. 

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It's amazing that the state of sports journalism is celebrating a veteran radio journalist simply asking questions to the GM that need explanations in the answers. 

 

I asked tougher questions to the dean of my college during a strike when I was in journalism school. But that's where we are. There's a fear of making these guys explain themselves when they make mistakes. If Bergevin was doing well they would have no issue going into detail of the decisions. But make it a critical conversation and suddenly it's touch and go. 

 

Good on Melnick though and I hope this is the beginning of a new leaf turned for Montreal sports media. 

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The Habs have a long history of being much less open and accessible than management in other markets. Heck, here in Van, the GM and also team president are very frequently on the radio, including once a year where the president is on air for an entire 3-hour show. I don't know where the Habs got this idea that they had to run their operation like the CIA. 

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From Habsterix blog, Molson quote which I hadn't heard before.,

“The decision that we had to trade P.K. was taken months before the trade. We had to wait for the right occasion for the organisation. I thought about it for months. But not wanting to get into details, we had to make the change on the team. When Shea Weber became available, the reflexion was already done. And I think that most of the GM’s feel like we made an excellent trade even if P.K. is a big star.”

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3 minutes ago, DON said:

From Habsterix blog, Molson quote which I hadn't heard before.,

“The decision that we had to trade P.K. was taken months before the trade. We had to wait for the right occasion for the organisation. I thought about it for months. But not wanting to get into details, we had to make the change on the team. When Shea Weber became available, the reflexion was already done. And I think that most of the GM’s feel like we made an excellent trade even if P.K. is a big star.”

 

Yep, the trade has worked out just great :rolleyes:

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I'm guessing after his slow start in 15-16, the first time since Bergevin came in that Subban struggled, that talk opened up on trading PK. He played great in January and February before his injury, but stories leaked that Subban was being discussed in February. Bergevin denied it and pretty much said Subban was a Hab for life, and freaked out on the Canucks for saying there was trade talk. By the draft that changed to, "Anything can happen, even Gretzky was traded." Which is of course the dumbest defence ever for making a trade.

 

The fact Molson was well aware for months of a Subban trade says he approved of the idea before the return. The fact a single slow start and a misconstrued quote was all it took to sour on Subban is pretty revealing. 

 

Karl Alzner is just tired though. Like Chara he will bounce back. Thanks Marc. You joke.

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38 minutes ago, Machine of Loving Grace said:

I'm guessing after his slow start in 15-16, the first time since Bergevin came in that Subban struggled, that talk opened up on trading PK. He played great in January and February before his injury, but stories leaked that Subban was being discussed in February. Bergevin denied it and pretty much said Subban was a Hab for life, and freaked out on the Canucks for saying there was trade talk. By the draft that changed to, "Anything can happen, even Gretzky was traded." Which is of course the dumbest defence ever for making a trade.

 

The fact Molson was well aware for months of a Subban trade says he approved of the idea before the return. The fact a single slow start and a misconstrued quote was all it took to sour on Subban is pretty revealing. 

 

Karl Alzner is just tired though. Like Chara he will bounce back. Thanks Marc. You joke.

 

Amen, brother.

 

The fact is that Therrien never liked Subban, and Bergevin was always skeptical about him, as the refusal to lock him up as an RFA demonstrated. The reports that Bergevin had the gall to then be "furious" that Subban grabbed him by the nuts and twisted during the post-bridge deal contract negotiations - even though everyone and his dog knew that this would happen, as it was, indeed, the logical result of Bergevin hard-balling him on the bridge deal - suggest that MB's dislike of PK was solidified or confirmed at that point. He was as good as gone at that moment IMHO.

 

The trade had absolutely nothing to do with hockey, and everything to do with the egos of blinkered old-boys upset that PK declined to bow and scrape and kiss their arses. We should have kept PK and dumped those turds right then and there.

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8 hours ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

Yep, the trade has worked out just great :rolleyes:

Molson is a moron.  We are doomed again unless Molson gets pushed out.  I want the American owner back?

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Last night against Philly Crosby slammed his stick because he was pissed about the outcome of the game. 

 

My question is, does Bergevin look at this as a bad “attitude” or good? I feel as though he’d call it whatever he wants if it fits his narritive. On the one hand he could say the vets need to be more composed and professional. That would instill confidence in the team. On the other, he could say the players need to “hate to lose”. As he had before.

 

My opinion? It’s all a pretty bullshit, semantic premised mantra. Speed, skill and hockey IQ win games. Sure you need to care, but they pretty much all care enough in the NHL. 

 

CH and ATTITUDE sound more like an excuse to me. Radulov was once looked at like a shit character. All it actually meant was he was very skilled and not a “good Canadian Don Cherry boy.” My point? 95% of people who make it to the show have enough character. That’s down to drafting. Once they make it, it’s all about skill and the current game of hockey.

 

CH and attitude is 90% an excuse, with only a shred of truth. 

 

MB needs a reality check and the ability to admit his faults. Seriously. His main fault is not admitting and leading from his failures. Sadly I feel it may take getting fired for MB to put his ego aside. He might actually become a pretty good GM for a couple decades. I few he is liked by his team, but too set on his own ways.

Lets hope that despite his press conference, he actually recognizes his faults more, and compensates for them. If not, we’ll be signing more character Alzers for too much term and money. 

 

I have 1/10 confidence MB can do it. He’s shown shreds of competency. But he has so much work to do. 

 

Go Habs go.

 

May the hockey gods bless us Dahlin.

 

P.S.

 

Sticks out for Humboldt

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53 minutes ago, Meller93 said:

Last night against Philly Crosby slammed his stick because he was pissed about the outcome of the game. 

 

My question is, does Bergevin look at this as a bad “attitude” or good? I feel as though he’d call it whatever he wants if it fits his narritive. On the one hand he could say the vets need to be more composed and professional. That would instill confidence in the team. On the other, he could say the players need to “hate to lose”. As he had before.

 

My opinion? It’s all a pretty bullshit, semantic premised mantra. Speed, skill and hockey IQ win games. Sure you need to care, but they pretty much all care enough in the NHL. 

 

CH and ATTITUDE sound more like an excuse to me. Radulov was once looked at like a shit character. All it actually meant was he was very skilled and not a “good Canadian Don Cherry boy.”

 

My point? 95% of people who make it to the show have enough character. That’s down to drafting. Once they make it, it’s all about skill and the current game of hockey.

 

CH and attitude is 90% an excuse, with only a shred of truth. 

 

 

MB needs a reality check and the ability to admit his faults. Seriously. His main fault is not admitting and leading from his failures.

 

sadly I feel it may take getting fired for MB to put his ego aside. He might actually become a pretty good GM for a couple decades. I few he is liked by his team, but too set on his own ways.

 

Lets hope that despite his press conference, he actually recognizes his faults more, and compensates for them. If not, we’ll be signing more character Alzers for too much term and money. 

 

I have 1/10 confidence MB can do it. He’s shown shreds of competency. But he has so much work to do. 

 

Go Habs go.

 

May the hockey gods bless us Dahlin.

 

P.S.

 

Sticks out for Humboldt

 

Agree totally with your take on 'character.' It's basically BS that lets old-school old-boys get rid of players they don't like, or justify acquiring players they do like, for reasons that have no connection to results on the ice, i.e.,  winning.

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17 hours ago, Machine of Loving Grace said:

Current word that Rick Dudley will be going to Carolina to work in their front office.

Great news! I never liked that guy for some reason 

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