Habs Fan in Edmonton Posted January 20, 2022 Share Posted January 20, 2022 3 hours ago, GHT120 said: Should you need an online link, Press conference: Kent Hughes - YouTube First time I have heard Kent Hughes speak, am definitely impressed. I think the Habs made an excellent choice, no doubt he and Gorton will work together well. I look forward to the next steps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted January 20, 2022 Share Posted January 20, 2022 Definitely a solid performance by Hughes. His French is imperfect and idiosyncratic at times, a classic case of a guy who learned his French on the fly and in the streets, but he’s both comfortable and more than fluent (which is more than ّI can say these days, anyway). Being a West Island Anglo myself originally, I LOVE the fact that West Island Anglos are now called upon to save the Habs.✊ I like the vision of a fast, creative, possession team. Wisely, though, he didn’t promise this - merely laid it out as his ideal scenario. He brings the calm demeanour of Serge Savard, the analytical temperament of Pierre Gauthier, and the bald head of Pierre Macguire - all in one sleek package. Put him between the requisite goofy-looking hockey guys in Gorton and Molson, you’ve got a promising braintrust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DON Posted January 20, 2022 Share Posted January 20, 2022 By August we will see some (alot) of their cards; but, I didnt get any feeling one way or other on them, middle of road speak, wasnt it? Curious, could Gorton understand the french media questions and Hughes/Molson answers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredoh2009 Posted January 20, 2022 Share Posted January 20, 2022 2 hours ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said: Definitely a solid performance by Hughes. His French is imperfect and idiosyncratic at times, a classic case of a guy who learned his French on the fly and in the streets, but he’s both comfortable and more than fluet (which is more than ّI can say these days, anyway). Being a West Island Anglo myself originally, I LOVE the fact that West Island Anglos are now called upon to save the Habs.✊ I like the vision of a fast, creative, possession team. Wisely, though, he didn’t promise this - merely laid it out as his ideal scenario. He brings the calm demeanour of Serge Savard, the analytical temperament of Pierre Gauthier, and the bald head of Pierre Macguire - all in one sleek package. Put him between the requisite goofy-looking hockey guys in Gorton and Molson, you’ve got a promising braintrust. I liked how he showed some flightiness when he stopped the questions to address the "theme" that he was being painted as Gorton's drinking buddy. He clarified that he believed all candidates had a "fair chance" and that if he is the new GM it is because he was the best candidate: merit vs who-you-know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlbalr Posted January 20, 2022 Share Posted January 20, 2022 7 hours ago, DON said: Curious, could Gorton understand the french media questions and Hughes/Molson answers? Probably not - his French skills are pretty much non-existent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomh009 Posted January 20, 2022 Share Posted January 20, 2022 2 minutes ago, dlbalr said: Probably not - his French skills are pretty much non-existent. Even if he had started working on his French the day he was hired, he would have been starting from zero, and much of the French discussion was pretty rapid. I could follow some of it, but too long out of practice! For sure, though, Hughes had no trouble with the language at all, so I should think that this was a good start for him with the French-language media. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted January 20, 2022 Share Posted January 20, 2022 8 hours ago, DON said: By August we will see some (alot) of their cards; but, I didnt get any feeling one way or other on them, middle of road speak, wasnt it? Curious, could Gorton understand the french media questions and Hughes/Molson answers? At one point, Molson was asked a question in French and said he would respond in English because it involved Gorton and he wanted Gorton to understand. In fact, Molson asked the reporter if he could respond in English, the reporter said no, and he did it anyway. Probably the most wince-inducing moment of an otherwise successful presser. So, no - zero French for Gorton. Frankly, Gorton came off as a bit of an old-school hockey guy to me. And these days part of what that means is absolutely no effort to learn French. Hughes seemed more up my alley, sharp and forward-thinking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GHT120 Posted January 20, 2022 Author Share Posted January 20, 2022 3 hours ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said: At one point, Molson was asked a question in French and said he would respond in English because it involved Gorton and he wanted Gorton to understand. In fact, Molson asked the reporter if he could respond in English, the reporter said no, and he did it anyway ... I thought Molson asked if the reporter would mind if he replied in English so Gorton could understand what was being discussed ... I took the "no" as the reporter agreeing that Molson could respond in English. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted January 20, 2022 Share Posted January 20, 2022 12 minutes ago, GHT120 said: I thought Molson asked if the reporter would mind if he replied in English so Gorton could understand what was being discussed ... I took the "no" as the reporter agreeing that Molson could respond in English. Ah! Maybe I missed that nuance. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlbalr Posted January 20, 2022 Share Posted January 20, 2022 3 hours ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said: Frankly, Gorton came off as a bit of an old-school hockey guy to me. And these days part of what that means is absolutely no effort to learn French. It's hard to learn a new language, especially when you're already working pretty heavy hours in the day-to-day operations of the team; that doesn't leave a lot of time for intensive lessons. Over the years, that's a general criticism that hasn't been the most realistic to me - work ~60 hours a week with extended travel and somehow in between all of that, take pretty intensive French lessons to garner at least a decent command of a language that's fairly difficult to get a decent command of. It's easy to say but extremely difficult to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted January 20, 2022 Share Posted January 20, 2022 30 minutes ago, dlbalr said: It's hard to learn a new language, especially when you're already working pretty heavy hours in the day-to-day operations of the team; that doesn't leave a lot of time for intensive lessons. Over the years, that's a general criticism that hasn't been the most realistic to me - work ~60 hours a week with extended travel and somehow in between all of that, take pretty intensive French lessons to garner at least a decent command of a language that's fairly difficult to get a decent command of. It's easy to say but extremely difficult to do. Fair. Probably I should reserve my irritation for players. There was a time when guys like Dryden and Gainey and Robinson made a point of learning French. Now players regard it as beneath them. That pisses me off a bit, TBH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomh009 Posted January 20, 2022 Share Posted January 20, 2022 1 hour ago, dlbalr said: It's hard to learn a new language, especially when you're already working pretty heavy hours in the day-to-day operations of the team; that doesn't leave a lot of time for intensive lessons. Over the years, that's a general criticism that hasn't been the most realistic to me - work ~60 hours a week with extended travel and somehow in between all of that, take pretty intensive French lessons to garner at least a decent command of a language that's fairly difficult to get a decent command of. It's easy to say but extremely difficult to do. It takes some time, but you don't need to do it in a classroom. Spend 30 minutes studying on your phone and you'll have some basic conversational skills by the end of the year. And you can do it anytime, anywhere. (I have been studying Japanese, which I will claim to be much more challenging for an English-speaker, so I have personal experience picking up a new language using a mobile app.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GHT120 Posted January 20, 2022 Author Share Posted January 20, 2022 1 hour ago, tomh009 said: It takes some time, but you don't need to do it in a classroom. Spend 30 minutes studying on your phone and you'll have some basic conversational skills by the end of the year. And you can do it anytime, anywhere ... After being pillaged by some in the media because he could not speak French I don't expect he would attempt it at major press conference unless he was beyond "basic conversational skills" ... NOT predicting that he will or won't, or even whether or not he intends to, learn French. BTW - I expect it is more difficult for most, perhaps even all, English-speakers to learn Japanese than French ... I only said "most because there are always outliers in any group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomh009 Posted January 20, 2022 Share Posted January 20, 2022 He said he intended to, in his initial press conference. We'll see whether he follows through with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DON Posted January 20, 2022 Share Posted January 20, 2022 Is too bad this is even a topic, when this team has so much to address with roster. 1 hour ago, tomh009 said: .... Spend 30 minutes ... As dlbalr already pointed out, running a billion dollar enterprise...doesnt Gorton have 1,000 more important things than learning a 2nd language simply to appease local media jackals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomh009 Posted January 20, 2022 Share Posted January 20, 2022 2 hours ago, DON said: Is too bad this is even a topic, when this team has so much to address with roster. As dlbalr already pointed out, running a billion dollar enterprise...doesnt Gorton have 1,000 more important things than learning a 2nd language simply to appease local media jackals. Maybe he has other things he'd rather do. Or maybe he wants to be able to speak French, not just with the media but with the fans. We'll find out whether he follows through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCHabnut Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 I took French until grade 11 in Northern bc. Wasn't around it for many years. I can't understand a thing french Canadians say. I worked with a group from France, and could follow 25 to 50 percent of the conversation. Quebecois speak way too fast with much different accent and vocabulary from what we are taught in school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DON Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 3 minutes ago, BCHabnut said: I took French until grade 11 in Northern bc. Wasn't around it for many years. I can't understand a thing french Canadians say. I worked with a group from France, and could follow 25 to 50 percent of the conversation. Quebecois speak way too fast with much different accent and vocabulary from what we are taught in school. Ya, anyways i just hope the local media doesnt make huge deal out of it, if Gorton still unilingual next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomh009 Posted January 24, 2022 Share Posted January 24, 2022 On 1/18/2022 at 12:36 PM, huzer said: I don't mind the hiring. Other than irrationally being pleased it wasn't Darche or Briere, because of my own personal desire not to have a GM with ties to the team as a former player. It wouldn't have felt like a fresh start to me, just more of the same. i figured Castonguay was a darkhorse, and that the Habs probably filled their internal "diversity" quota when they hired Machabee. Castonguay now hired by the Canucks as an AGM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GHT120 Posted January 24, 2022 Author Share Posted January 24, 2022 31 minutes ago, tomh009 said: Castonguay now hired by the Canucks as an AGM. Best wishes to her ... strange that the 'Nucks hire a AGM before making the official decision/announcement about who is the GM ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commandant Posted January 24, 2022 Share Posted January 24, 2022 40 minutes ago, GHT120 said: Best wishes to her ... strange that the 'Nucks hire a AGM before making the official decision/announcement about who is the GM ... Just shows that Rutherford is going to be running that show for a while (even if he names a GM). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir_Boagalott Posted January 24, 2022 Share Posted January 24, 2022 On 1/23/2022 at 9:15 AM, BCHabnut said: I took French until grade 11 in Northern bc. Wasn't around it for many years. I can't understand a thing french Canadians say. I worked with a group from France, and could follow 25 to 50 percent of the conversation. Quebecois speak way too fast with much different accent and vocabulary from what we are taught in school. I was fairly decent at French in school but I also find that they talk too fast so its hard for me to to follow when 1 word seems to merge into the next. I find it much easier to read it. It's a tricky language due to the grammar. Out of all the Latin based languages the grammar in French is very different. It almost seems like when the Romans conquered the Francs and forced them to speak Latin that the Francs never spoke it properly and would say the words out of order to be rebellious or something funny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neech Posted January 28, 2022 Share Posted January 28, 2022 https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/west-island-gazette/kent-hughes-incredible-journey-from-backyard-rink-to-canadiens-gm I enjoyed this article about Hughes' upbringing, and agree with his dad's assessment of the new regime as 'starting with one hand behind their back because of the all these long-term contracts from mid-level hockey players '. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomh009 Posted January 28, 2022 Share Posted January 28, 2022 Nothing new on the long-term contracts. But the current perceived value is largely driven by the low 5-on-5 shooting percentages some of the players are showing. And yet these really should be no more sustainable than the 30% for Pitlick. Suzuki 3.70% (for comparison, Lehkonen is 7.58%) Armia 2.27% Caufield 2.08% Toffoli 2.04% Gallagher 0.00% Would another GM really assume that 2.04% is Toffoli's new normal when his career average is about 11%? I really don't think so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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