tokyohabs Posted May 23, 2009 Share Posted May 23, 2009 Good to know The Surge has the financial backing behind him to fight with Quebecor. Will make for an entertaining summer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeLassister Posted May 23, 2009 Share Posted May 23, 2009 Good to know The Surge has the financial backing behind him to fight with Quebecor. Will make for an entertaining summer! Maybe not, as Mathias Brunet wrote last day : He thinks that maybe Gillett is presently showing to the financial institutions the real worth of the team and trying to get another loan. Brunet pointed out, and it is true, that Gillet NEVER OPENLY said that the team was on sale. It is a possibility, and a strong one, but Gillet maybe has more than one trick in his hat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted May 23, 2009 Share Posted May 23, 2009 All I know is that THIS HAS TO BE RESOLVED SOON. No major hockey decisions will be made until ownership is settled. If it isn't settled soon, we'll be out in the cold re: coaches and UFAs including our own, and a disastrous season could lie ahead of us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ForumGhost Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 It's the GM's responsibilities to handle those things. The ownership may have a say in the coach, but we won't need one till training camp. Bob will take care of everything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hab29RETIRED Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 (edited) It's the GM's responsibilities to handle those things. The ownership may have a say in the coach, but we won't need one till training camp. Bob will take care of everything else. Given the number of players that are signed - the habs need to get a coach before the free agency period and realistically need to have a coach before the draft. The habs own free agents have said that whether they resign will depend on who the coach is and what the ownership situation is. The same concern is going to be there with the rest of the UFA market. Players in that position want to know who they will be playing with and for. The habs have a hard enough time as it is to sign free agents, the last thing they need is the uncertainty about ownership and the coach. There's not much Gainey can do about the ownership situation, but as far as coaching goes, the habs need to proceed forward with a business as usual attitude. The ownership situaion can easily drag into the fall. Moreover, with the number of teams with coaching vacancies, it doesn't make much sense to wait and let the best candidates get snatched up. Gainey needs to start moving Asap, as both Komi and Tangauy have said who the coach is will factor into their decision, as has koivu. Edited May 24, 2009 by hab29RETIRED Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 Given the number of players that are signed - the habs need to get a coach before the free agency period and realistically need to have a coach before the draft. The habs own free agents have said that whether they resign will depend on who the coach is and what the ownership situation is. The same concern is going to be there with the rest of the UFA market. Players in that position want to know who they will be playing with and for. The habs have a hard enough time as it is to sign free agents, the last thing they need is the uncertainty about ownership and the coach. There's not much Gainey can do about the ownership situation, but as far as coaching goes, the habs need to proceed forward with a business as usual attitude. The ownership situaion can easily drag into the fall. Moreover, with the number of teams with coaching vacancies, it doesn't make much sense to wait and let the best candidates get snatched up. Gainey needs to start moving Asap, as both Komi and Tangauy have said who the coach is will factor into their decision, as has koivu. I 100% agree with everything you say, except that I'm not so sure Gainey can just go and sign a coach. As a coach, would you sign on in the knowledge that the GM who hired you *might* conceivably be cut loose under a new owner?? (Needless to say, a new GM would likely bring in his own man). We all assume that Bob will stay on, but that's not a guarantee. And I seem to recall Larry Robinson saying as much - that you can't solve anything coaching-wise until ownership is settled. It's *terrible* luck to have this ownership turmoil at this exact moment, when the Habs have so many UFAs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hab29RETIRED Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 I 100% agree with everything you say, except that I'm not so sure Gainey can just go and sign a coach. As a coach, would you sign on in the knowledge that the GM who hired you *might* conceivably be cut loose under a new owner?? (Needless to say, a new GM would likely bring in his own man). We all assume that Bob will stay on, but that's not a guarantee. And I seem to recall Larry Robinson saying as much - that you can't solve anything coaching-wise until ownership is settled. It's *terrible* luck to have this ownership turmoil at this exact moment, when the Habs have so many UFAs. I agree with what you are saying, but the ownership situation may not be settled until later in the summer or even sometime in the fall. I think the habs are screwed if they don't have a coach in place by the draft, otherwise it may be too late to sign their own UFA's, as I doubt if we can sign our own UFA's unless they are signed before July 1. I think Gainey also needs to make a decision whether or not he wants to stick around - if he does he needs to proceed with business and let whatever happens with a new owner take its course. The last thing the habs can afford to do is be into August and have slim pickings left in the free agent pool. As far as coaches not signing without knowing who the new owner is, well, as long as they get a 2-3 year deal, I doubt if it matters to them. If they are let go afterwards, they are still going to get paid for the duration of the contract and given that whoever they pick up isn't working right now anyways, I can't see them complaining. The bigger issues is the issue with the players. It is hard enough as it is to attract free agents. If they don't get the right coach in place, it is only going to be harder to sign players. One very disturbing article I read was Eric Engels blog about Tanguay, where he is supposedly have said that he won't sign until a new coach is picked and his preference is that the coach be either Hartley or Roy - and its being suggested he doesn't want to play for anyone else - which I find very disturbing if that is true, as I'm not sold on either. See linK: http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?blogger_id=82 Roy may become a great coach one day, but I want a proven winner, I'm fed up with the habs being a french affermitive action programs for inexperienced french coaches. Hartley may have won a cup, but he also lost and was fired becuase he couldn't repeat with a loaded colardo lineup as well. The only way I'd be interested in Hartely was if I found out that Ilya Kovalchuk lREALLY iked playing for him, because if he did have a good relationship with Hartley, it may be worth having Hartley, with Kovulchuk becoming a free agent in 2010. The habs have go to do somthing to entice top tier free agents. On the other hand, if there is even a hint that Kovulchuk didn't like playing for Hartely, I'd steer clear of Hartley. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 (edited) You're absolutely right that the Habs MUST have a coach in place by the draft. In today's NHL, with players so mobile, you just can't hope to re-sign players or sign new ones unless they have some sense of who will be steering the ship. And rightly so. As for Hartley: I don't think we should confuse the (sensible) position that the Habs should NOT be an affirmative action program for francophone coaches with the (dubious) view that Hartley can't be hired because it seems to pandering to the 'affirmative action' crowd. Hartley is eminently qualified, has a strong track-record, understands the Montreal environment, and comes strongly recommended by Marc Savard and Patrick Roy among others. If Tanguay also endorses him, that's not a problem, it's a strength. After Jacques Lemaire, he would be my first choice. (And I sure don't think you can make decisions based on Ilya Kovalchuk's opinion!). My bigger concern is that quality coaches will be leery of signing on, even with a 2-3 contract, because they want to be in a position to succeed, and won't know whether Montreal can offer them that until the ownership stabilizes. A guy like Hartley has already seen his reputation tarnished rather unfairly by a disastrous couple of seasons in the bush-league operation that is Atlanta. His rep may not survive if he signs on to an ownership dog-and-pony show here. So while I HOPE that money plus term will be enough to secure high-end coaching services, I'm worried that it won't be. If the Habs sign a veteran, winning coach before the draft I will breathe a HUGE sigh of relief. Edited May 24, 2009 by The Chicoutimi Cucumber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTH Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 I agree with everything you said but I find it unlikely that Hartley would turn down an NHL coaching position (from Montreal!) because he's unsure of the management situation. There are only 30 NHL head coaching jobs in the world; these guys are dying to get back into one of them. Hartley already does some work for the local team's TV station and is the favourite to get the job... why should he let the opportunity slide? He's been unemployed for a little while, he might not ever get another chance. If it's true that Tanguay wants him as a coach, then that's great. Tangs is our top priority. He also seems to be good at teaching one-way offensive forwards to play defense and become more complete players. We have a few guys that could use this tutelage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazy26 Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 If it's true that Tanguay wants him as a coach, then that's great. Tangs is our top priority. He also seems to be good at teaching one-way offensive forwards to play defense and become more complete players. We have a few guys that could use this tutelage. Could he teach our defensemen too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 Could he teach our defensemen too? He's not a magician. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hab29RETIRED Posted May 25, 2009 Share Posted May 25, 2009 (edited) You're absolutely right that the Habs MUST have a coach in place by the draft. In today's NHL, with players so mobile, you just can't hope to re-sign players or sign new ones unless they have some sense of who will be steering the ship. And rightly so. As for Hartley: I don't think we should confuse the (sensible) position that the Habs should NOT be an affirmative action program for francophone coaches with the (dubious) view that Hartley can't be hired because it seems to pandering to the 'affirmative action' crowd. Hartley is eminently qualified, has a strong track-record, understands the Montreal environment, and comes strongly recommended by Marc Savard and Patrick Roy among others. If Tanguay also endorses him, that's not a problem, it's a strength. After Jacques Lemaire, he would be my first choice. (And I sure don't think you can make decisions based on Ilya Kovalchuk's opinion!). My bigger concern is that quality coaches will be leery of signing on, even with a 2-3 contract, because they want to be in a position to succeed, and won't know whether Montreal can offer them that until the ownership stabilizes. A guy like Hartley has already seen his reputation tarnished rather unfairly by a disastrous couple of seasons in the bush-league operation that is Atlanta. His rep may not survive if he signs on to an ownership dog-and-pony show here. So while I HOPE that money plus term will be enough to secure high-end coaching services, I'm worried that it won't be. If the Habs sign a veteran, winning coach before the draft I will breathe a HUGE sigh of relief. I'm not saying that Kovulchuks opinion should be a factor per se. But I would want to know how he got along with Heatly and Kovulchuk. I Know Roy likes him, but Roy has always got along with coaches like Demers who gave him preferential treatment. I'd also want to know what Sakic, Forsburg, Foote and Hejduk thought of Hartley as well, because, what worries me is that there was a lot of negative said and written about him back when he was fired from Colorado, I can't remember if it was players of just themedia, but hopefully, it wasn't true, because he seems to be the front runner for the job in Montreal right now. Edited May 25, 2009 by hab29RETIRED Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeLassister Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 There you go : Geoffrey E. Molson and Molson Family stepping into the dance !!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tokyohabs Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 If they bring back our crossed-stick escalators, I'm all for 'em! 1$ toastés or steamés, smoking in the blues, standing room scrambles...ah, bring it all back Molsons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chips Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 Has anyone heard where this is at? are we sold yet? will we be moving to Mexico? I could really use a vacation... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tokyohabs Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 CKAC says Molson just met Uncle George. Prelude to a kiss? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
habs rule Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 according to a certain mr. gainey, gm or something, the team is being sold and will happen in the next few weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habsfan Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 I heard on the radio this morning that apparently the Price for the Habs had goen up to approx. 600 million$. I don,t know how accurate that is, but if it is true, that would be quite incredible! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saskhab Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 I heard on the radio this morning that apparently the Price for the Habs had goen up to approx. 600 million$. I don,t know how accurate that is, but if it is true, that would be quite incredible! It's between Quebecor and Bell at that price, I'd think. Remember, the Molson bid is from certain family members, not the Molson-Coors company. It's completely seperate and is a personal financing. I can't imagine a non-corporation would pay $600m for the Habs that didn't have vested interests that go beyond personal gain (i.e. media syngergy possibilities). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habsfan Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 It's between Quebecor and Bell at that price, I'd think. Remember, the Molson bid is from certain family members, not the Molson-Coors company. It's completely seperate and is a personal financing. I can't imagine a non-corporation would pay $600m for the Habs that didn't have vested interests that go beyond personal gain (i.e. media syngergy possibilities). I wouldn't be surprised if the Molson family bid is just to increase the bidding and the overall sale price! What's good for the molson family is still good for Molson-Coors! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlbalr Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 A small update to note: Talks with RBS have been ongoing for some months and it is thought that the bank will issue fresh terms to the Americans in the coming weeks. The owners will be optimistic that these accounts, combined with encouraging performance in the season just ended, will satisfy concerns over the club’s viability. Any questions will address the owners’ ability to service the debt at the holding company level. Both men have sought to sell portions of their US sports businesses in recent months in order to defend their postion in Liverpool, which now looks to be their prime sporting asset. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/...at-Anfield.html What does this tell me? At the very least, Gillett won't be declaring bankruptcy any time soon if he gets refinancing terms from the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) - no one had thought that it would happen unless RBS called the loan when the last extension became due. This will allow him to extend the bidding process for the Habs should he so desire, which to me suggests he is still trying to find a way to retain his stake (or a majority stake) in the Habs. It's a small note, but it's a slow news day after yesterday's excitement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athlétique.Canadien Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 FRENCH - CKAC - Demers believes Gillett is now not selling. GOOGLE TRANSLATION - ENGLISH LINK TRANSLATED: (Corus Sports) - With the events of recent hours, our analyst Jacques Demers believes that George Gillett will keep its majority owner of the Montreal Canadiens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tokyohabs Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 And Serge stepping aside to pave the way for the Molsons / Bell to stop the Peladeau parade. Hmm...methinks a massive red herring all round, as George needs us to secure loans for Liverpool. Let's the Molson's in further? Why would he? Now if Liverpool were to miss out on a Champs league place next year to Arsenal and Man City... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeLassister Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 So far, only 2 groups officially went with an offer, today was the deadline. 1. the Molson family 2. Quebecor with partners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bosoxpatsnhabs Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 so if the Molson boys buy the team, will the Bell Centre revert back to the Molson Centre in name? Not that it's important, but although I don't like any of the corporate names, few are as bland as Bell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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