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2021 NHL General Discussion


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28 minutes ago, alfredoh2009 said:

How about Bobby Smith?

 

Interesting option ... he has been the owner of the Halifax Mooseheads but don't know that he was ever their GM ... he was their coach for one season ... Bobby was the Phoenix Coyotes first GM (1996-2000), but that was 20+ years ago ... strikes me as someone who may not be interested in the day-to-day job of a GM ... perhaps a short-term Team President?

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2 hours ago, DON said:

Would you have any suggestions for a good or possible replacement out there? Any french AGMs, or out of work options that might be promising and Molson may interview...when time comes to make change? 

NOT my list, but my favourite French HockeyBuzz (Hockey30) has suggested

 

Patrick Roy

Martin Brodeur

Roberto Luongo

Vincent Damphousse

Stéphane Quintal

Martin Madden Jr

Martin Lapointe

Scott Mellanby (if he learns French).

Claude Loiselle 

 

Damphousse and Quintal strike me as Team president options more than GMs ... 

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2 hours ago, GHT120 said:

NOT my list, but my favourite French HockeyBuzz (Hockey30) has suggested

 

Patrick Roy

Martin Brodeur

Roberto Luongo

Vincent Damphousse

Stéphane Quintal

Martin Madden Jr

Martin Lapointe

Scott Mellanby (if he learns French).

Claude Loiselle 

 

Damphousse and Quintal strike me as Team president options more than GMs ... 

Maybe someone of this is OK, but seems some slim pickins.

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6 minutes ago, DON said:

Maybe someone of this is OK, but seems some slim pickins.

 

Madden Jr. was who I was going to suggest from your question on the previous page though I don't know how fluent in French he is.  He's from Quebec and his father worked for the Habs for three years about 20 years ago.  I think he's Anaheim's next GM when Bob Murray retires.  Brodeur is the other feasible option if he's willing to leave New Jersey and he has built up a reasonable level of front office experience.

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9 minutes ago, Habsfan89 said:

That's because of restrictions in Montreal with media and fans that GM and coach have to be French. 

 

True ... but I don't know that Anglo-fans would be very happy if the most brilliant hockey mind on earth was a uni-lingual Russian and all interviews/announcements had to be conducted through a translator

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2 minutes ago, GHT120 said:

 

True ... but I don't know that Anglo-fans would be very happy if the most brilliant hockey mind on earth was a uni-lingual Russian and all interviews/announcements had to be conducted through a translator

I couldn’t care if the coach and GM only spoke Swahili and had to communicate with everyone through an interpreter, as long they could put together a team that could win. 

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5 minutes ago, GHT120 said:

 

True ... but I don't know that Anglo-fans would be very happy if the most brilliant hockey mind on earth was a uni-lingual Russian and all interviews/announcements had to be conducted through a translator

 

Wouldn't trouble me in the slightest, but I'm sure you're right that some fans would be annoyed.

 

More telling is that most Russian or European GMing candidates would be able to speak some English, because - unlike what seems to be the case with the North American hockey community - they have no problem manning up and learning to be basically functional in another language. I have yet to understand why anglophones cannot be asked to learn a meaningful amount of French as a condition of their hire; guys like Gainey and Dryden made the effort back in the day and were respected for it. Sometimes in the 1990s it came to be seen as just unthinkable that Habs players, captains, and unilingual coaches might, God forbid, learn the language.

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2 hours ago, Habsfan89 said:

That's because of restrictions in Montreal with media and fans that GM and coach have to be French. 

Really, the French media seemed to have no trouble at all with Muller after Julien got ill.

 

For the fans ... I think an anglo GM that makes an effort to speak some French would be quite sufficient.

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18 minutes ago, tomh009 said:

Really, the French media seemed to have no trouble at all with Muller after Julien got ill.

 

For the fans ... I think an anglo GM that makes an effort to speak some French would be quite sufficient.

 

I think they knew that Muller was the only plausible option at that time.  And the Habs had to basically issue an apology for it in the announcement of his interim promotion which was embarrassing.

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1 minute ago, dlbalr said:

I think they knew that Muller was the only plausible option at that time.  And the Habs had to basically issue an apology for it in the announcement of his interim promotion which was embarrassing.

Oh, I know. But I still think an anglo with some semi-respectable French skills would be acceptable to the fans (and media). But it's hard to know which anglo candidates would actually have (at least some) French skills.

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Just now, Commandant said:

I still say the GM (who does maybe 10 press conferences a year) is a different animal than the Head coach who talks to the media at least once or twice every day. 

Another valid point.

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13 hours ago, Commandant said:

I still say the GM (who does maybe 10 press conferences a year) is a different animal than the Head coach who talks to the media at least once or twice every day. 

 

I doubt that Molson thinks the same way. L’affaire Cunneyworth did little to reassure me that he has the cojones to risk a PR teapot tempest by hiring an Anglo GN.

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2 hours ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

I doubt that Molson thinks the same way. L’affaire Cunneyworth did little to reassure me that he has the cojones to risk a PR teapot tempest by hiring an Anglo GN.

Agree - another more recent example was during Or even the more recent necessary promotion of muller temporarily during the playoffs.

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2 hours ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

I doubt that Molson thinks the same way. L’affaire Cunneyworth did little to reassure me that he has the cojones to risk a PR teapot tempest by hiring an Anglo GN.

Strictly business decision to let anglo coach gets hired, only to then toss under bus and drive over a few times.

So when push comes to shove, Habs success is 2ndary. And itty bitty cojones, or lack of backbone also part of it.

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We are now what 7 years? 8 years from Cunneyworth being hired as an interim head coach?

 

I think it all comes down to branding. 

 

Tell them that you are hiring the best GM for the job.  His press conferences will be the same number per year as Bergevin (do the math and figure out Bergy's press availability and then lean into it), say that the team will have a translator for the early press conferences but the GM will work to learn french, and then be done with it. 

 

 

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5 minutes ago, Commandant said:

We are now what 7 years? 8 years from Cunneyworth being hired as an interim head coach?

 

I think it all comes down to branding. 

 

Tell them that you are hiring the best GM for the job.  His press conferences will be the same number per year as Bergevin (do the math and figure out Bergy's press availability and then lean into it), say that the team will have a translator for the early press conferences but the GM will work to learn french, and then be done with it. 

 

I agree ... but the rational minded are not those that need convincing ... the unknown is what percentage of the media and fan base would not be convinced by such an approach ... and what degree of backlash the Habs would face, for how long and the financial impacts ... I have to expect the Habs have done substantial research and understand the risks.

 

I have long felt that if the Habs still feel the GM needs to speak French, then when MB is replaced (this summer or later) if the best available GM candidates do not speak French then the team needs to hire a francophone Team President along with the anglophone GM ... the President could then be the face of the franchise to the media when required.

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5 minutes ago, GHT120 said:

 

I agree ... but the rational minded are not those that need convincing ... the unknown is what percentage of the media and fan base would not be convinced by such an approach ... and what degree of backlash the Habs would face, for how long and the financial impacts ... I have to expect the Habs have done substantial research and understand the risks.

 

I have long felt that if the Habs still feel the GM needs to speak French, then when MB is replaced (this summer or later) if the best available GM candidates do not speak French then the team needs to hire a francophone Team President along with the anglophone GM ... the President could then be the face of the franchise to the media when required.

 

A francophone president is a good idea and could really make things easier on the GM.

 

That said, I think we are gonna make the playoffs and if we lose in a tough fight, i think MB will stay. 

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On 4/26/2021 at 5:28 PM, GHT120 said:

 

Interesting option ... he has been the owner of the Halifax Mooseheads but don't know that he was ever their GM ... he was their coach for one season ... Bobby was the Phoenix Coyotes first GM (1996-2000), but that was 20+ years ago ... strikes me as someone who may not be interested in the day-to-day job of a GM ... perhaps a short-term Team President?

Having worked in the org.. I don't think Bobby is coming back to hockey. He's very comfortable as is in the business world.

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On 4/27/2021 at 11:00 AM, Commandant said:

 

A francophone president is a good idea and could really make things easier on the GM.

 

That said, I think we are gonna make the playoffs and if we lose in a tough fight, i think MB will stay. 

 

It’s an interesting question. Despite the team seemingly doing everything in its power NOT to make the playoffs, we’re highly likely to back into them, looking mostly insipid and unconvincing. So that box is ticked. But what if we bow out in an honourable series (say 6 games)? Are we, as fans, ultimately willing to be satisfied with that - ?

 

Molson may try to rationalize it: “well, MB had a tremendous off-season” (true). “Well, this franchise is on an upward trajectory” (completely untrue). Or maybe Molson will man up and say, “f**k this, I’m tired of waiting for success” and throw MB out the door. 

 

Again, it’ll be interesting. 

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30 minutes ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

It’s an interesting question. Despite the team seemingly doing everything in its power NOT to make the playoffs, we’re highly likely to back into them, looking mostly insipid and unconvincing. So that box is ticked. But what if we bow out in an honourable series (say 6 games)? Are we, as fans, ultimately willing to be satisfied with that - ?

 

Molson may try to rationalize it: “well, MB had a tremendous off-season” (true). “Well, this franchise is on an upward trajectory” (completely untrue). Or maybe Molson will man up and say, “f**k this, I’m tired of waiting for success” and throw MB out the door. 

 

Again, it’ll be interesting. 

 

I shudder to think how bad we would be have been this year  without the additions of Toffoli and Anderson.  An upward trajectory requires the development of Suzuki and KK into bonafide NHL centers,  it still may happen. 

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24 minutes ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

It’s an interesting question. Despite the team seemingly doing everything in its power NOT to make the playoffs, we’re highly likely to back into them, looking mostly insipid and unconvincing. So that box is ticked. But what if we bow out in an honourable series (say 6 games)? Are we, as fans, ultimately willing to be satisfied with that - ?

 

Molson may try to rationalize it: “well, MB had a tremendous off-season” (true). “Well, this franchise is on an upward trajectory” (completely untrue). Or maybe Molson will man up and say, “f**k this, I’m tired of waiting for success” and throw MB out the door. 

 

Again, it’ll be interesting. 

Umm look at last 8 years if he hasn't been fired yet it isn't going to happen under Molson. 

Can't wait for season end news conference from these 2. Molson --I have the out most confidence in Bergevin he's doing a great job.

Bergevin-- I believe I have done everything I could to put a wining team on the ice..... Its hard to make trades for star players in this league without giving up a lot.... we had key player injuries all year which hurt us... Out key players under preformed its in between their ears👂....  Blah ..... Blah..... Blah.... Blah 

 

Stop me if you heard this from these 2 before. 

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