Now I, along with everyone else, understands there are issues in Montreal. I think you’d have to be blind not to notice. However, I don’t necessarily think the problem lies with Guy Carbonneau.
Have there been off-ice incidents? Does a bear shit in the woods?
Did this impact the on-ice product? Uh, I would think so.
Unless Gainey was willing to PAY someone to babysit his stars how much impact does the organization really have on their lives. You can tell them not to do something, but it is ultimately their decision. Les Habs could have punished their players for their actions. Team suspensions? I don’t remember seeing any. Florida didn’t have a problem suspending Boynton for exchanging a few words with the coaching staff. I could be wrong but a few words with the coaching staff is NOTHING compared to les parties and les friends a few of the Habs have been keeping. Did Gainey suspend any players? Nope.
Gainey mentions the team has been relatively stagnant in the last 8 weeks. No offense, BOB, but you did NOTHING on March 4th. Nothing. What impact do you think this had on your team? You had the opportunity to try and trade some of the “cancer” you had in the room and did nothing. You could have sent these people to the AHL and replaced them, yet you did nothing. So, onto the Sabres/Habs game on the 4th. You have the Sabres who got a back up goalie to support Patty, a center that can handle faceoffs who’s not named Goose, and re-signed the Glassman. The Sabres were energized by what happened on March 4th, your team, not.so.much. AND IT SHOWED.
Unless this is a ploy to get Patty Roy behind the bench, Les Habs just threw the baby out with the bathwater. Not good, monsieur, not good.
On a completely different note, I was supposed to be in Nashville this evening attending the Preds/Caps game. Unfortunately, my business trip got cancelled last minute. So, if you know anyone that’s in Nashville and may want to go tonights game. Have them e-mail me at ISHMTC[at]yahoo[dot]com. I have the ticket in email format and will send out to the first person that emails me. It is one ticket in section 206, row E, seat 7.
