Yet another Joke from TSN

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

Well, Burke is a more plausible candidate. He's achieved his primary goal in Anaheim, and a big head like him would probably revel in the Toronto spotlight. On the other hand, he apparently has a great relationship with the owners there (whoever they are). But I can see him being ready for a new challenge - building a team rather than finishing someone else's job - and a massive media throng hanging on his every word.

Gainey? Why on earth would Bob leave Montreal before he can reap the ultimate reward, i.e., watching a team he built nearly from scratch, in a city he knows and loves, and in which he's endured great highs and terrible lows, win the Stanley Cup? I just see Bob as far too goal-oriented, too much a true champion, to just flit from organization to organization like that.

And besides, how often do we see GMs being poached by other organizations? Off the top of my head I can't think of one example. That's a position with considerable stability, in hockey terms; most GMs remain in place for years and even decades. (Which is exactly where I want Gainey to be.) Typical of the Leafs' Nation to assume that elite GMs deep down want nothing better than to clean up their abysmal mess. Like most things Leafs, this is best met, not with anxiety, but with laughter.

Edited March 2, 2008 by The Chicoutimi Cucumber

[Pierre the Great]

hmmm I thought the joke here on TSN was how every so called "expert" on that channel had the Habs finishing 14th or something.

Eat crow TSN.

[InsaneHABSfan]

hmmm I thought the joke here on TSN was how every so called "expert" on that channel had the Habs finishing 14th or something.

Eat crow TSN.

TSN, Sportsnet, The Score, Toront Star, Globe and Mail and all the rest of IDIOT sports people in Toronto. All of them said Toronto was a playoff contender, I emailed them all and said 12th place in the East! I know more about the Leafs then those so called experts.

I do not watch or read anything based in Toronto!

Edited March 2, 2008 by InsaneAVSfan

[BTH]

I was actually going to mention this. I am a tad worried - I think it is possible that Gainey leaves us for the Leafs, though it would have to be a longshot. I'm sure the Leafs would love him, he's the perfect man to turn that team around, he just did it in Montreal.

[Dirty Harry]

They can't even TALK to Gainey while he is still under contract (without the team's permission). Someone else said that is until 2011 so don't worry.

[Seb]

Any money the leafs offer Bob that would actually convince Bob to move, the Habs would match the offer in a second. So it wouldn't be money. So what would it be? There is ZERO reason for Bob to go to TO.

[Neech]

I was actually going to mention this. I am a tad worried - I think it is possible that Gainey leaves us for the Leafs, though it would have to be a longshot. I'm sure the Leafs would love him, he's the perfect man to turn that team around, he just did it in Montreal.

You're better than this. You know what else is possible? The Leafs winning the Stanley Cup this year. Gainey's going nowhere, least of all Toronto. He's built his career on loyalty and leadership in MONTREAL, the last thing he would ever do is bolt and sign with our oldest rivals, with whom he has no history.

[Familia]

not going to lie, although I know that this will hopefully never happen, the very notion or thought makes me want to puke. When first reading it I thought that was a figure of speech, but it really actually makes me feel ill

:puke:

[Athlétique.Canadien]

This is all silly. I'm sure T.O. will attempt to lure Gainey away with a lucritive offer.

Would Gillett allow that to happen. Would Pierre Boivin allow it? The Maple Leafs might have cash falling out of the sky but Montreal is a market that can match the offer or come reasonably close anyway.

Gainey may go to the Leafs in 2012. Him going now just makes no sense. Why would the man take 5 steps forward and 3 steps backwards?

The Leafs will try as they always do. It reminds me of a THN yearbook article on the Leafs and how they did so little to deserve so much hate and did so little to deserve so much love from their fans. They cited how 40 UFA's were rumoured to be heading to Toronto.

Now it's Gainey and Burke. This type of nonsense just lights the Anti-Maple Leaf fuse in all of us. Here we have these guys fishing for Gainey and it makes us hate the for Leafs yet again for doing so little to deserve so much hate but at the end of the day I still want to have an aspirin because of that team and their meddling.

It is :puke:

Edited March 2, 2008 by Athlétique.Canadien

[thib46]

This is all silly. I'm sure T.O. will attempt to lure Gainey away with a lucritive offer.

Would Gillett allow that to happen. Would Pierre Boivin allow it? The Maple Leafs might have cash falling out of the sky but Montreal is a market that can match the offer or come reasonably close anyway.

Gainey may go to the Leafs in 2012. Him going now just makes no sense. Why would the man take 5 steps forward and 3 steps backwards?

The Leafs will try as they always do. It reminds me of a THN yearbook article on the Leafs and how they did so little to deserve so much hate and did so little to deserve so much love from their fans. They cited how 40 UFA's were rumoured to be heading to Toronto.

Now it's Gainey and Burke. This type of nonsense just lights the Anti-Maple Leaf fuse in all of us. Here we have these guys fishing for Gainey and it makes us hate the for Leafs yet again for doing so little to deserve so much hate but at the end of the day I still want to have an aspirin because of that team and their meddling.

It is :puke:

For some people money really is NOT the only thing or the primary reason to take a job. I believe Gainey is one of those people who would not leave Montreal for Toronto because of money. I could be wrong but I doubt it.

[Pierre the Great]

I was actually going to mention this. I am a tad worried - I think it is possible that Gainey leaves us for the Leafs, though it would have to be a longshot. I'm sure the Leafs would love him, he's the perfect man to turn that team around, he just did it in Montreal.

WHY THE HECK WOULD GAINEY LEAVE MONTREAL???

I'm sorry but if I called Montreal home, spent my whole career there, treated super well there, everybody likes me etc, why would I go to the Maple Leafs?????

######ing ridiculous from the toronto media.

If Gainey leaves for Toronto, I'll become a supporter of Stephen Harper.

[Wamsley01]

Well, Burke is a more plausible candidate. He's achieved his primary goal in Anaheim, and a big head like him would probably revel in the Toronto spotlight. On the other hand, he apparently has a great relationship with the owners there (whoever they are). But I can see him being ready for a new challenge - building a team rather than finishing someone else's job - and a massive media throng hanging on his every word.

Gainey? Why on earth would Bob leave Montreal before he can reap the ultimate reward, i.e., watching a team he built nearly from scratch, in a city he knows and loves, and in which he's endured great highs and terrible lows, win the Stanley Cup? I just see Bob as far too goal-oriented, too much a true champion, to just flit from organization to organization like that.

And besides, how often do we see GMs being poached by other organizations? Off the top of my head I can't think of one example. That's a position with considerable stability, in hockey terms; most GMs remain in place for years and even decades. (Which is exactly where I want Gainey to be.) Typical of the Leafs' Nation to assume that elite GMs deep down want nothing better than to clean up their abysmal mess. Like most things Leafs, this is best met, not with anxiety, but with laughter.

This all comes from the fact that the same organization got Colangelo to run the Basketball operation and that has been a success.

So they just figure they will do the same thing with the hockey side.

But Colangelo was available because his dad was getting rid of his stake in the Suns and Sarver the owner did not really see eye to eye

with Colangelo and wanted to go another way. Apparently David Stern tipped off the Raps and the whole ball began to roll.

The Burke thing is in no way similar. Like you said CC, (especially if the Ducks win this season) when is the last time a GM has left an

organization for another one after a title or that much success? Burke could leave, but the fact that the T.O. media has him signed,

sealed and delivered is ridiculous. As far as Gainey, pipedream.

[loved1986]

They wish.

Methinks they're creating the rumor because they want it so bad.

I agree 100%

That is all the Toronto media does. The funny thing more times then not it works too. They are brutal!

Gainey will never be the GM of the Maple Leafs, it would be sac religious!

[habscout]

All this article shows, is how desperate the Toronto media is for the Maple Leafs to turn things around. They want a panacea to fix their team, whether it be parachuting in unreachable but successful GM's like Burke, Gainey or Ken Holland, or trading Mats Sundin for some unsuspecting team's best prospects and their first round draft pick. It ain't gonna happen, plain and simple.

I lost what little respect I had for Dreger, and this article once again proves that the 'T' in TSN stands for Toronto.

[Habsfan]

Money wouldn't make Gainey change teams. Let,s not forget that Gainey has "carte blanche" in Montreal. Meaning he can do whatever he wants. He is THE hockey guy in the montreal organization. Boivin and Gilette know this and trust gainey to make the right decisions.

Why would gainey leave a perfect situation(like the one he has in Montreal) to go to an organization that is in disarray? As long as the Leaves have too many people at the top who want control (MLSE vs. Ontario Teachers pension fund), it just wouldn't make any sense for Gainey to go there...or anyone else for that matter(ie: Burke).

Edited March 3, 2008 by Habsfan

[jrhabs]

Once again we're seeing how The Toronto Sports Network are desperate and envious of Montreal and the organization.

[Colin]

Lots of apparent insider commentary in this thread that's as valuable as the implied commentary from Dreger. Apparently everyone "knows" that Gainey wouldn't chase the money, they "know" he'd never leave Montreal for Toronto, and the "know" that Dreger doesn't have a clue at all. Why not take this "story" for what it's worth, rather than reading doom and gloom into it?

If the Leafs have set up a search committee to find potential candidates for the GM job, they would be downright irresponsible not to consider Gainey, pure and simple. Would he be near the top of any list? If he wasn't, I think Gainey's record would also prove that an irresponsible decision.

As to whether or not Gainey would leave? It's an interesting question. I think, more than the money issue and the living in Toronto issue, the thing that would most concern Bob is the tampering approach the Leaf board has with the GM and his moves. I'm not sure Bob would be able to thrive in a situation where every move was second guessed and every decision needed to be rubber stamped.

I'm also not sure that the Leafs board, or its fans, for that matter, would be able to have the patience required for Gainey's approach. He's built from within in Montreal and not through the UFA market or through trades; those are just supplemental. And let's be honest here, the Leaf scouting department isn't half what it is in Montreal - there's fairly strong evidence of that in the last few drafts. Even if he left, the first year in TO would be taken up just dissolving most of the crap that's there and instilling a new direction, finding and hiring the right people behind the scenes, and getting the organization on the right track. And that's before anything substantive on the ice.

Remember Bob's first season here? Didn't do a thing for half a year on the ice (which, of course, caused the Montreal media and fans to wonder if he was the right choice), only fired and hired in the backroom. Do you think the Toronto fans, media, and ownership would allow the appearance of nothing improving on the ice? They'd demand immediate change. Remember this: no matter what's said out of Toronto, the Leafs are a business, winning is secondary. They are there to make money - my wife knows that for certain as MLSE is one of the major entities in which her pension plan invests. Therefore, Toronto can't do a real rebuild, they must *always* have the illusion of being competitive.

That's perhaps a bit over the top, but I think there's a very valid point in there - and I'm not sure Gainey would have the patience to deal with that atmosphere. Every trade the Leafs do, they do from a position of weakness because everyone knows it's a dollars driven club, and not Cups.

Then there's still the unfinished business in Montreal, and I think Gainey has a target and likes to follow through with his goals. If Montreal wins? All bets are off - that's exactly what happened in Dallas; he left because he wanted a new challenge.

All that said, any GM in the league would have to think twice about an offer from Toronto. Winning a Cup there would be the biggest thing in hockey. And yes, it'd be bigger than winning in Montreal. The Leafs have supplanted the Canadiens as Canada's team and there's a whole lot of sympathy for the plight of the Toronto club since they haven't won since, well before I was born, and that means a very long time. The GM who brings success to Toronto will be lauded with gold, jewels, and a lifetime season ticket to the HHOF.

Of course, any approach to Gainey would have to meet with approval from Gillett, and I don't see that happening until the Canadiens have some real success; Gainey has obviously done a fantastic job here, so why would Gillett allow him to leave before the job is finished? The Stanley Cup is a very real possibility in Montreal in the next two or three years based on how he's turned this franchise around. Gillett would be, using the same word again, very irresponsible to allow him to leave - unless that was Gainey's express wish.

And there's no way of knowing at all what he'd like to do. We can speculate, make educated guesses, and consider possibilities, but in the end, only Gainey knows for sure.

[Wamsley01]

Lots of apparent insider commentary in this thread that's as valuable as the implied commentary from Dreger. Apparently everyone "knows" that Gainey wouldn't chase the money, they "know" he'd never leave Montreal for Toronto, and the "know" that Dreger doesn't have a clue at all. Why not take this "story" for what it's worth, rather than reading doom and gloom into it?

If the Leafs have set up a search committee to find potential candidates for the GM job, they would be downright irresponsible not to consider Gainey, pure and simple. Would he be near the top of any list? If he wasn't, I think Gainey's record would also prove that an irresponsible decision.

As to whether or not Gainey would leave? It's an interesting question. I think, more than the money issue and the living in Toronto issue, the thing that would most concern Bob is the tampering approach the Leaf board has with the GM and his moves. I'm not sure Bob would be able to thrive in a situation where every move was second guessed and every decision needed to be rubber stamped.

I'm also not sure that the Leafs board, or its fans, for that matter, would be able to have the patience required for Gainey's approach. He's built from within in Montreal and not through the UFA market or through trades; those are just supplemental. And let's be honest here, the Leaf scouting department isn't half what it is in Montreal - there's fairly strong evidence of that in the last few drafts. Even if he left, the first year in TO would be taken up just dissolving most of the crap that's there and instilling a new direction, finding and hiring the right people behind the scenes, and getting the organization on the right track. And that's before anything substantive on the ice.

Remember Bob's first season here? Didn't do a thing for half a year on the ice (which, of course, caused the Montreal media and fans to wonder if he was the right choice), only fired and hired in the backroom. Do you think the Toronto fans, media, and ownership would allow the appearance of nothing improving on the ice? They'd demand immediate change. Remember this: no matter what's said out of Toronto, the Leafs are a business, winning is secondary. They are there to make money - my wife knows that for certain as MLSE is one of the major entities in which her pension plan invests. Therefore, Toronto can't do a real rebuild, they must *always* have the illusion of being competitive.

That's perhaps a bit over the top, but I think there's a very valid point in there - and I'm not sure Gainey would have the patience to deal with that atmosphere. Every trade the Leafs do, they do from a position of weakness because everyone knows it's a dollars driven club, and not Cups.

Then there's still the unfinished business in Montreal, and I think Gainey has a target and likes to follow through with his goals. If Montreal wins? All bets are off - that's exactly what happened in Dallas; he left because he wanted a new challenge.

All that said, any GM in the league would have to think twice about an offer from Toronto. Winning a Cup there would be the biggest thing in hockey. And yes, it'd be bigger than winning in Montreal. The Leafs have supplanted the Canadiens as Canada's team and there's a whole lot of sympathy for the plight of the Toronto club since they haven't won since, well before I was born, and that means a very long time. The GM who brings success to Toronto will be lauded with gold, jewels, and a lifetime season ticket to the HHOF.

Of course, any approach to Gainey would have to meet with approval from Gillett, and I don't see that happening until the Canadiens have some real success; Gainey has obviously done a fantastic job here, so why would Gillett allow him to leave before the job is finished? The Stanley Cup is a very real possibility in Montreal in the next two or three years based on how he's turned this franchise around. Gillett would be, using the same word again, very irresponsible to allow him to leave - unless that was Gainey's express wish.

And there's no way of knowing at all what he'd like to do. We can speculate, make educated guesses, and consider possibilities, but in the end, only Gainey knows for sure.

Well, Gainey has turned them down 2 times. And one of those was lead by a good friend in Ken Dryden. So he has rejected the glam, the money etc twice already.

And my problem is with Dreger. It is all in the way it was presented. Like that was insider info, look at me, look at what I know that you don't.

Well, why not drop the name Ken Holland again? Lamierello? Sutter? Why Gainey? I am sure they are all on a dream list.

Because he knows damn well that the other names have little impact outside Leaf Nation. But he knows the words Bob Gainey will get the Habs fans going.

That is the point. I don't think anybody here believes Gainey will leave. It is the pompous way in which Dreger delivered it.

Edited March 3, 2008 by Wamsley01

[BTH]

You're better than this. You know what else is possible? The Leafs winning the Stanley Cup this year. Gainey's going nowhere, least of all Toronto. He's built his career on loyalty and leadership in MONTREAL, the last thing he would ever do is bolt and sign with our oldest rivals, with whom he has no history.

I think he is definitely a possibility. Here are my reasons:

1) You can bet that the Leafs are very interested in him

2) The Leafs are our oldest rivals, but I think Gainey respects them as a hockey team, as a hockey market and as an Original Six organization. I don't think he would turn them down with disgust the way some diehard Habs fans would.

3) He may feel that his work in Montreal is done now that the rebuild is complete. He's turned them down in the past because he was in middle of a big job that he had to finish. Now, he's rebuilt us and we're sitting atop the East, maybe he has no more business to settle.

4) The Huet trade. Why would Gainey trade Huet now when he can let him be our back up during the playoffs? I've already given reasons in other threads why I liked the trade and why I thought Gainey did it. But when I think about it, if Gainey were considering leaving after the season, he would want to get rid of Huet before he left - because most GMs would have signed Huet to an extension, and this wasn't Gainey's plan at all. I don't believe he will leave us just yet, but that move makes me think that maybe it was his last thing he had to do in order to complete the rebuild.

That's about it. Let me repeat the fact that I do not expect Gainey to leave - but if he did leave I would not be terribly astonished, just a bit disappointed.

[thib46]

I think he is definitely a possibility. Here are my reasons:

1) You can bet that the Leafs are very interested in him

2) The Leafs are our oldest rivals, but I think Gainey respects them as a hockey team, as a hockey market and as an Original Six organization. I don't think he would turn them down with disgust the way some diehard Habs fans would.

3) He may feel that his work in Montreal is done now that the rebuild is complete. He's turned them down in the past because he was in middle of a big job that he had to finish. Now, he's rebuilt us and we're sitting atop the East, maybe he has no more business to settle.

4) The Huet trade. Why would Gainey trade Huet now when he can let him be our back up during the playoffs? I've already given reasons in other threads why I liked the trade and why I thought Gainey did it. But when I think about it, if Gainey were considering leaving after the season, he would want to get rid of Huet before he left - because most GMs would have signed Huet to an extension, and this wasn't Gainey's plan at all. I don't believe he will leave us just yet, but that move makes me think that maybe it was his last thing he had to do in order to complete the rebuild.

That's about it. Let me repeat the fact that I do not expect Gainey to leave - but if he did leave I would not be terribly astonished, just a bit disappointed.

A number of you are drinking a strange kind of Kool-aid if you come up with these theories or conspiracies concerning Gainey. You must have really interesting nightmares.

[les_glorieux]

4) The Huet trade. Why would Gainey trade Huet now when he can let him be our back up during the playoffs? I've already given reasons in other threads why I liked the trade and why I thought Gainey did it. But when I think about it, if Gainey were considering leaving after the season, he would want to get rid of Huet before he left - because most GMs would have signed Huet to an extension, and this wasn't Gainey's plan at all. I don't believe he will leave us just yet, but that move makes me think that maybe it was his last thing he had to do in order to complete the rebuild.

That's about it. Let me repeat the fact that I do not expect Gainey to leave - but if he did leave I would not be terribly astonished, just a bit disappointed.

I would be astonished if Gainey left. His work is far from complete. I don't care what the standings and stats say, we are not contenders, and I know that Gainey will not leave until we are perennial in that regard. As for the Huet deal, it has been over-discussed as to why he was traded, but one thing that I know is that it was not the final step in the rebuild, as you put it.

[BTH]

I would be astonished if Gainey left. His work is far from complete. I don't care what the standings and stats say, we are not contenders, and I know that Gainey will not leave until we are perennial in that regard. As for the Huet deal, it has been over-discussed as to why he was traded, but one thing that I know is that it was not the final step in the rebuild, as you put it.

I'd like to think so too but aren't we contenders? If you really think, we might be the most balanced team in the East. All the teams are flawed. I think Boston (who is a piece of cake for us if we have to face them) and NJ are two other solid all-round teams. So I consider us contenders, not because I think we're a lock to atleast the Conference Finals. I just think that we are one of the most likely teams to come out of the East.

As for whether we are a perennial contender or not, I think the job is already done. We have a team full of young players and an organization full of even more outside the NHL. If Gainey leaves the team and Pierre Gauthier (or Julien Brisebois or Trevor Timmins or whoever you like) takes over, all he'd have to do is let Ryder walk, allow a guy like D'agostini to take his place, re-sign Streit (imo), maybe give a guy like Valentenko a spot on D and just keeping on drafting well. The only way someone could really ruin our team is if they pull off an unnecessary blockbuster that involves guys like the Kostitsyns, Price, Plekanec, etc.

Obviously, the longer we have Gainey, the better off we are. But I think that, with a team as young as ours is, all it really takes is for the new GM to not mess up and we will keep on being successful. There will not be any tough decisions for another few years, once everyone starts getting raises.

Again, I do not want Gainey to leave and I do not expect Gainey to leave but if he did, I would respect the decision. He's set us far enough on the right path that it would take a Rejean Houle-type regime to dismantle his work.

[InsaneHABSfan]

Wa happened? double post so I deleted this one...

Move along nothing to see here...

Edited March 4, 2008 by InsaneAVSfan

[InsaneHABSfan]

I would be astonished if Gainey left. His work is far from complete. I don't care what the standings and stats say, we are not contenders, and I know that Gainey will not leave until we are perennial in that regard. As for the Huet deal, it has been over-discussed as to why he was traded, but one thing that I know is that it was not the final step in the rebuild, as you put it.

I agree, he has not won the cup with the Habs as GM yet. Plus every home game night his Jersey hangs in honour. This is not the right time for him to leave.

Hey I'm disagreeing with Colin and BTH, who would have thunk-it! (I think these two are closet leafy fans )

Keep in mind any New GM still has to deal with PEddie! He will not relinquish his greatness on their franchise. :puke:

Is there a chance Gainey would leave? I say 1% before he wins a cup with Habs as GM, and 50% once they win. He slowly moved himself out of Dallas after they won. Gainey is a champion and will see this through.

[Colin]

I agree, he has not won the cup with the Habs as GM yet. Plus every home game night his Jersey hangs in honour. This is not the right time for him to leave.

Hey I'm disagreeing with Colin and BTH, who would have thunk-it! (I think these two are closet leafy fans )

Keep in mind any New GM still has to deal with PEddie! He will not relinquish his greatness on their franchise. :puke:

Is there a chance Gainey would leave? I say 1% before he wins a cup with Habs as GM, and 50% once they win. He slowly moved himself out of Dallas after they won. Gainey is a champion and will see this through.

I think you misunderstood my post. I don't think he'll be moving; I think he has unfinished business, and it's my impression that Gainey likes to finish what he started. I think the idea of him moving has merit, yes, but I'm just not convinced it's in his character to move to a place where he'd be on a leash, so to speak.

BTH just wants him to move because he gave Koivu an NTC.

I'm not a closet Leaf fan. I'm a not-so-closet Bruin fan. And a closet Sens fan (I live in Ottawa and LOVE to yell really loud in bars when the Sens get scored on, but I'd still love to see the Cup here if not in Montreal.) BTH likes the Leafs and Rangers; he's a $$$ guy.