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As Gainey Missed The Boat ?


PB

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I seriously think that this province deserve to have a better team playing better hockey in Montreal and I doubt that Gainey as done everything he could to make this hapening.

Gainey did not get the players he needed for this team to win the battles in this new NHL.

It was clear with the new rules in place that penalties would be up,...so would power play opportunities...

which have climbed from 8.7 p.p. per game during the last season to 12.5 this season.

Goals per game as also rise as expected and more wins are being decided by a team that can score goals.

Now that Montreal can spend an equal amount of dollards than any other team out there, I dont see how

he as failed to provide the team with the minimum fire power this team was blatantly in need of.

The UFA availables of proven offensive talents where extremelly hight since

the last season ( two years + bought-out players from other teams) and came at an incredible variety of rates,....from Selanne 500.00 to Fosberg 5.5 millions.

Considering that Koivu was the only true first class talent in the team it was (to say the least) a miss opportunitie from our GM not to get an extra quality player after Kovalev...........terrible if you ask me.

Gainey as said on CKAC that things are looking bad and that he would need to do something

to help out the team.

Of course it was a missed opportunitie,...the market is over and so is the choices.....now he need to gives players in order to get players........more cost, less choices,....a situation that should have been avoided....

cause we deserve better than that.

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I seriously think that this province deserve to have a better team playing better hockey in Montreal and I doubt that Gainey as done everything he could to make this hapening.

Gainey did not get the players he needed for this team to win the battles in this new NHL.

It was clear with the new rules in place that penalties would be up,...so would power play opportunities...

which have climbed from 8.7 p.p. per game during the last season to 12.5 this season.

Goals per game as also rise as expected and more wins are being decided by a team that can score goals.

Now that Montreal can spend an equal amount of dollards than any other team out there, I dont see how

he as failed to provide the team with the minimum fire power this team was blatantly in need of.

The UFA availables of proven offensive talents where extremelly hight since

the last season ( two years + bought-out players from other teams) and came at an incredible variety of rates,....from Selanne 500.00 to Fosberg 5.5 millions.

Considering that Koivu was the only true first class talent in the team it was (to say the least) a miss opportunitie from our GM not to get an extra quality player after Kovalev...........terrible if you ask me.

Gainey as said on CKAC that things are looking bad and that he would need to do something

to help out the team.

Of course it was a missed opportunitie,...the market is over and so is the choices.....now he need to gives players in order to get players........more cost, less choices,....a situation that should have been avoided....

cause we deserve better than that.

I cant agree with u more and u have the same feeling as me if u can read what i wrote on the other post the one with kost up and zhogs down lol.

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I cant agree with u more and u have the same feeling as me if u can read what i wrote on the other post the one with kost up and zhogs down lol.

You've taken a bit of flak today, so I'm gonna word this as gently as possible.

I'll leave my general distaste of "lol" aside, and I'll even let the abbreviations for "you" slip by...

but would it be at all possible to get some punctuation in that sentence?

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What a bummer that Gainey is still getting dissed. What is the sensible sober solution? I suppose we could hire Howdy Doody, Scooby Doo or Krusty the Clown to take his place - NOT.

I know, I know. It would have been nice to get one high impact UFA during September or October. Like Palffy or Satan as an example. But the last thing Montreal needs is top lose one of the best GM's in the game.

The jagged little pill that habs fans need to swallow is that there is not one team in the NHL nor manager who wants to be remembered as the guy who gave us the player(s) to win the prize. No one wants to help Montreal get a 25th mug.

Gainey also knew that any UFA signing would lead to a demotion of the rookies. IMO - Plekanec and Higgins NEED to be in Montreal. Many will say so does Perezhogin.

Gainey probably had concerns hiring free agents due to the risk of them being a bust. This is underlined by the Bonk move. Now, that's already considered a bust. BG knew he wanted to evaluate the current roster before making moves.

Number 2. We have virtually the same team as we did in 2003-04. I believe that's where the awesome start came from. These guys already had chemistry and did not need to build it from scratch as did Boston as an example. Our funk is as simple as other teams have caught up to that advantage and we are just presently plain lousy.

Finally, we all know that this team is being built through good drafting and prospects. BG is aiming for '07 or even '08 to be a contender. With this in mind he simply did his best to ice a team that either would make the playoffs or would not. This year is a "roll the bones" year. If all goes well (right now it's looking very good) then BG will probably pull another Kovalev at the deadline.

Patience. I'm not dissing those of you who are impatient. After all, I need to keep telling myself, "Patience"

BTW: People might wonder where I'm getting the "playoffs looking very good" right now but never forget this; The Habs always make the playoffs if they are .5 by All Star game. Well, this year that corresponds to the Olympic break. We have 19 games to play until then and all we need is 7 wins to be a .5 by then. Here's A) hoping we do better by then and B) Hopefully we have the red hot stretch run to close out the year.

Edited by ATHLÉTIQUE.CANADIEN
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the last thing Montreal needs is to(p) lose one of the best GM's in the game.

True, that's what he is. He's doing a good job. It's hard but we have to be patient.

:hlogo:

In Bob we trust

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Nice post ATHLÉTIQUE.CANADIEN.

Everything you said is very true. Although I hope when you say contender you mean winner, because to me and many other habs fans I believe Stanley Cup finalists and finishing in the basement in the league are the same.

GO habs Go

Anyone who is groaning and griping about Gainey please post whom you think is a better candidate.

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You've taken a bit of flak today, so I'm gonna word this as gently as possible.

I'll leave my general distaste of "lol" aside, and I'll even let the abbreviations for "you" slip by...

but would it be at all possible to get some punctuation in that sentence?

this is also some "pass the cheese" from my part... although I myself am guilty of not properly using Punctuations... I am okay with abreviations u and the Imao lol. but PB i know its funny to write "as" instead of "has" cause french speaking citizens alsways gobble the "h" .. but in writing it's most irritating... i have to re-read every sentence you put "as" in cause Im not 100% sure which as your using! and thus i feel like an ASS.

as i was saying as anyone seen how much perez as been playing in hamilton as a Bulldog? hehe get my drift?

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I will never, ever understand this attitude. What makes anyone think Gainey didn't try very hard to get every single sniper and superior talent available? Selanne already said that Montreal approached him, but he decided to go elsewhere. There is one very, VERY major fact that gets overlooked by a large number of fans way too often.

Players do not like coming to play in Montreal.

The situation is improving because Gainey has brought back some of the class to the organization, yes. However, this is a cold locale, a highly political locale, and the toughest place to play hockey on the PLANET. All you have to do is look at the first post in this thread to see why. Gainey is getting bashed for not lasooing talent and forcing them by gunpoint to play here. I mean, come on.

Brisebois had a good year last season, and he was STILL booed. Turgeon practically begged to be sent away. You think Patrick Roy left the Habs ONLY because of Tremblay? Remember what happened during the game? He was embarassed - sure by the coach - but also by the fans. Anyone recall the mocking cheers and how Roy raised his hands in mock salute right back. You can bet your bottom dollar he was pretty damn pissed at the fans that night. Montreal is not a destination city because the fans and the media are horrible to play in front of. Sure, when things are going well you're a hero, but make a mistake.... God forbid.

Selanne was asked. He said no. I'm sure there were many others asked as well. Remember Lapointe a couple of years back when he chose Boston over Montreal? Wanna guess why? We can never know for certain, but I'll put pretty good money on what I've mentioned so far as the reason he chose Boston.

You want people to play in Montreal? Get rid of the nonsense from the fans. Get rid of the nonsense from the media. Get rid of, PLEASE get rid of the politics - it has no place in hockey, and yet when you talk about the Canadiens, it seems it goes hand in hand. Hockey should be a place where your language means nothing because it's what you put on the ice that counts. Only in Montreal does it matter to anyone. Our captain still gets flack for not speaking French, and yet he performs at a very high level on the ice. Isn't the language of hockey goals, assists and saves, not, "Merci pour votre question, M. Le Media?"

I'm not saying it's impossible to attract big-name talent, but even with Bob Classy Gainey as the GM, it's a very tough task. I've said it before, I'm sure I'll say it again - we want the high-priced talent? Well it all starts with us first. We have to help make Montreal a place where people want to play.

Ask yourself this: if you make a mistake at work, do you like fifty reporters sitting around you at the end of a long day picking apart your every move? How long would you stay in that position?

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ABSO######INLUTELY COLIN!

You know I think its almost wise that Koivu doesnt learn french! This way he gets to miss half of the bashing they write in Montreal! Quick someone tell Kovalev to suspend his french classes!

(Just in case By the way I was brought up au Quebec french school from day one til cegep )

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Colin has hit the nail on the noggin. Everybody thinks that it's just a matter of Bob snapping his fingers and then watching the FAs come running. In fact, Montreal has been one of the worst cities to play in in the NHL for the last decade (not to diss the city itself, which is by far the coolest place to live in Canada - just to say that, as a hockey player, you do NOT need the incessant pressure, the losing teams and the shitty organization of the pre-Bob era). In the new NHL, money will matter less than the combined appeal of the city and the organization when it comes to attracting talent.

Let's also remember that, thanks to Bill 101, players with families will be forced to enroll their kids in French schools insofar as they use the public system. Would YOU really want to mess up your kids' education to play in Montreal for a few seasons---? Think about it. That's one reason Carbo left for Dallas, supposedly.

So the Habs have several strikes against them in terms of attracting talent. However, history amply shows that high-profile FA signings are in NO WAY a guarantee of success. I guess Bob's critics would prefer that we be the Pittburgh Penguins.

Bob has it right. Build from within. Bring the rookie talent along, slowly but surely (whether he and Julien are on the same page about this is another story). Supplement that talent with a few additions (Kovalev, Bonk, Dandenault). Sign your core guys. And hopefully win a Cup in 3-4 years.

Finally, remember: this team has been decimated by injuries. It will take time for everyone to get fully healed and fully groovin'. Stay cool - Bob is.

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Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There, I feel better now. It should be obvious that Bob is trying to build the team over A NUMBER of YEARS to contend for the Cup on an annual basis. Obviously, we are not there yet. Just as obvious is the fact that signing a bunch of high profile free agents does not a good TEAM make. Hello, Pittsburgh!

Give it time. Of course I get impatient, just like everyone else. I hate losing and I hate when my team loses. And no, I dont like the Perezhoghin move, but I hated the Murray trade at the time, so what do I know?

I know that we couldn't find a better GM for this franchise at this point.

Think about what happened before and be grateful to Andre, George and Claude and Bob.

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As suggested by COLIN, Gainey might have tried to get an impact UFA player but as not been able to or,

as suggested by ATLH.CAN., he might have decided to wait and see,... how the present roster would have fared before acting further on it.

Because I dont believe Selanne has actually been approched by Gainey (Demers interviewed Selanne) and

nothing else as provided us any proof that gainey was after specific players,....I tend to follow

ATLH.CAN on that one,.......but there is no argument about the fact that no one else than Kovalev has been added to our team last summer........ and no argument about the CH sharing with Pittsburgh the lowest seat in the Eastern division in term of offensive production.

I believe that a single addition from the UFA market in the form of an impact offensive player would have contribute tons more benefits, any way you want to look at it, than anything else was ever going to be.

Offensive production would be up,..the CH's standing higher,....cup comptention nearer,... and so would the uplifting elements associated with Quality and Beautifull hockey.......THIS IS what the impact skilled offensive

UFA players are conscerned with before signing to a new team.....Those are the factors that are within our

GM's immediate influences (not climate change).

What I am saying is that a single move could have best burry the CH deplorable '' beige'' decade and overhauled its image for the now crucial UFA market (now accessible within 7 years only).

This could have been done without negative effect on our rookies,...on the contrary.

I am just a hockey fan and most specifically a CH's fan,...those are just some thoughts.

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I was going to say something like what Colin said but it seems it's already been said. One more example that Colin left out is this one (and it's very good):... Many Habs fans had Adrian Aucoin at the top of their offseason wishlists. When he signed with Chicago, fans were pissed that Gainey hadn't gone for him. But Gainey had pushed VERY hard for Aucoin. Gainey had even matched Chicago's offer yet he chose the Blackhawks. And I assure you Aucoin can speak French and the Habs were probably his favourite team while growing up but pplayers just don't want to come here. Why do fans bitch about having no offensive defenceman? We had a good one last season but fans didn't like him and thought it would be better to boo him out of town. If an Av is considering coming to Montreal and he asks some of his ex-habs teammates what would Brisebois tell him I wonder?

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Of course THE CHICOUTIMI CUCUMBER I didn't forgot Kovalev in my initial post...a fantastique

choice by Bob, nothing less.

I am only saying that an addition of an extra proven first line players would have catapulted

the overall performance of the team,....of its first line,.....of its power plays,.. into an elite

categorie by taking full advantage of the changes brought about the New NHL.

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