Gauthier deserve better than some of the shit he's taking!

This is an answer to Dissecting Pierre Gauthier By JD

Anaheim was an expansion team in 93 I never heard of an expansion team who made the playoff in year one. In 96 a year after he left the team that he build reached the Conference Semifinal. The Senators were pretty much in the same boat when Gauthier joined them and after 2 years of not making the playoff they did and reached the playoff for the rest of the decade.

We are not talking about a coach here. General Managers rarely if ever affect the direction of a team overnight. Gauthier had a bad second run in Anaheim but guest what the year that he left the team that he build reached the Stanley cup final. The Ducks that Gauthier build had success after he left reaching the conference two season later and winning the cup three season later. So one can conclude that Gauthier is leaving teams in better shape than when he get them. That the curse of an NHL GM they get the job when a team is in deep shit and are expected to fix them overnight and they also get fired before they can enjoy the fruit of their labor.

While I consider that the Habs scouting was pretty damn crappy at best in the past two decade Gauthier can't be blamed for anything prior to 2003 and even after the puck stop with the GM and the GM was Gainey. One should also note that the first big move that Gauthier made as GM of the Montreal Canadiens was fire the whole scouting staff. That may indicate that Gauthier was of my opinion that scouting was a problem for the Habs and he acted to fix that problem. I don't particularly like the man but I believe that we should judge him after a few years at the helm. He may not be Sam Pollock but he's no Réjean Houle either.

Riddle me this habs fans! My car is on the fritz!

My car got some serious mechanical problem.
The engine is a mix bag of working parts and parts that are leaking oil it can't hold highway speed for more than 40 minutes. Plus the next day after a ride forget it my car not starting unless it boosted. The front breaks are brand new but the back are old and about to give on me plus I can't find new replacement parts, my credit card is max out and nobody would trade with me for my old parts at the meet swap.
The power steering is loose and there 7 millions persons who think they can drive my car better than me!
Who am I?

Law of intended consequence!

First erratum apparently you should never blog in the middle of the night half asleep or half drunk it make you forget to check some facts like can a team send down players who are 35 or older in the minor to save cap space! Unfortunately for me and the Habs you can't! Fortunately for me nobody read my shitty blog in the middle of the night anyway who am I kidding nobody reading this shit period!


Why was Halak traded anyway? Wrong question why was Halak traded to a western conference team? Every time a team move a player that may become a franchise player it always easier to dump him in the conference you don't play in. This is especially true of goalies the thinking is that since you don't get to play that team on the other conference many time it not going to bite you on the ass too much if the player is say the next Patrick Roy! Am not going to discuss the idiocy of trading away that kind of asset because you know my view on the matter and the deed done. Plus it help that Price is having a good start!


This is an intended consequence that is well known another one less discussed is that you may get to steal points away from conference rivals. If the player really become a franchise player and help his team win more they will meet and likely defeat many teams in your own conference. take a look at the blues schedule and result for October.

Results October Saint Louis Blues

Sat Oct 9, 2010 Flyers Blues 7:00 PM FINAL PHI (1) - STL (2) OT    Recap                                          

Mon Oct 11, 2010 Ducks Blues 1:00 PM FINAL ANA (1) - STL (5)   Recap                                          


Thu Oct 14, 2010 Blues Predators 7:00 PM FINAL STL (3) - NSH (4)   Recap                                            

Sat Oct 16, 2010 Blues Stars 7:30 PM FINAL STL (2) - DAL (3) SO   Recap                                          


Mon Oct 18, 2010 Blues Blackhawks 7:30 PM FINAL STL (2) - CHI (3) OT   Recap                                            

Fri Oct 22, 2010 Blackhawks Blues 7:00 PM FINAL CHI (2) - STL (4)   Recap   

Sat Oct 23, 2010 Penguins Blues 7:00 PM FINAL PIT (0) - STL (1) OT   Recap   

Thu Oct 28, 2010 Blues Predators 7:00 PM FINAL STL (3) - NSH (0)   Recap   

Sat Oct 30, 2010 Thrashers Blues 7:00 PM FINAL ATL (3) - STL (4) SO   Recap   

Out of six possible points for the Eastern conference the Flyers, Penguins and Thrashers managed to make only one each. It would be better if the Blues did not give away so many loser points but still it three points! The Blues are playing the Bruins today and the Rangers tomorrow later this month they will play the Devils and the Senators. While they will play the Habs once later this season all the points that they get off Eastern conference team may well make the difference for the Habs at the end of the season. Remember the Habs made the playoff by one point last year. If Montreal does not waiver too much and fix their fucking power play it may not matter but if it come to a nail bitter those points might make a big deal! So Go Halak Go!

Now this is where things get dicey what if both team have great playoff run and end up meeting in the final. That the very definition of the law of unintended consequence. Gauthier chicken might come to roost at the worse possible time! With so many team having a crappy season so far it a real possibility.                                                

Habs aging blue line!

Roman Hamrlik and Jaroslav Špaček are 36 years old Hal Gill is just a year younger at 35 between them they will cost the Montreal Canadiens around 15 Millions of cap space this year! And two of the three are UFA next Summer.

Just saying that was enough cap space to keep Halak and still sign Plekanec last Summer with enough left for a top 6 forward to back up Gomez/Gionta and an extension for Markov and the amazing Andrei Kostitsyn next season. Gauthier gambled on Price and it look to have pay off so let sleeping dogs lies. It was a bold move and it a shame that it was the only one Gauthier is willing to make so far. The Habs have a lot of cap space that could be used right now to get out of their power play rot and maybe get two line that produce instead of one if they are willing to bury bad money!

If Gauthier was bold enough to sell it to the owners group one of these old horse could be put to pasture in the AHL for cap space now or better yet let find a sucker in the NHL for Spacek! The Habs have a really good defensive right now the problem is it not centered around these guys! Forget Hal Gill the Habs need his size and playoff clutch play but you could easily remove Spacek and Hamrlik from that blue line and the Habs will not be all the worse for wear! Even more now that Markov is back Subban and Gorges make whoever play with them look a hell of a lot better than they are. Bring Weber and Carle up and put Picard back where he belong with Subban.  O'Byrne deserve either a real shot or a trade and rumor as it he will get traded maybe the Habs could kill three birds with one stone! The future belong to those who are brave and bold enough to seize it! The question is will Gauthier move?

Quebec city new arena and journalistic hypocrisy!

Vancouver Olympic cost
$6-9 billion

G8 and G-20 Toronto summit security cost. 1 Billion maybe 2 we may never kow

The next time you hear bitching at the Federal, Provincial and Municipal government paying for the construction of a new arena in Quebec city remember all that money spent somewhere else.

Also remember that the Montreal Canadiens renegotiated their municipal Tax to get a sweetheart deal a few years ago! By the way that Tax break is going to cost more to the city of Montreal over the next five years than what the city of Quebec will spend on their own new arena. Remember every museum, festival and cultural center that are getting public money every year! Remember every Canadian movies and TV shows that are getting generous tax break!  So I got to ask where were you to preach fiscal restrain? When GM got their ass saved with money from the Federal I did not hear many Ontarian bitch too much about that!

Back then where the hell was all these offended taxpayers when under the Liberals the Human Resource Development Department lost a billion, not spent, not wasted just fucking lost! If you are coming out of the woodwork to bitch about public money spent to build a municipal arena now you are way, way too late...
Am not exactly trill at the way this new arena will be build but I despise all the "vierge offencée" that we are hearing this week! Sure it done for political reason but guess what everything a politician does is for political reason!

It time for the fucking season to start!

We are still a month away from the start of the season and every NHL fans out there are on the edge. NHL Bloggers are tearing each other up when they don't have a pissing contest with the MSM, you know those so called real sports journalist...
But I digress everybody out of subjects right now because every subject was milked to death!

Kovalchuk: Thank god that drama over!
Carey Price: Signed for two years.   

What else? Actually we got nothing else and we still have one damn month to wait for the start of the NHL season! At least training camp is about to start. I could pull a rumor out of my ass but that somebody else specialty! The current situation beg the question should the NHL start the season in the middle of September? They could still play 82 games you just move a few Sunday afternoon bore fest in the middle of the season for a few Saturday night happening in the middle of September!

NHL players on twitter. To follow or not?

So Hockey fans, Habs fans and bless your heart Leafs fans do you follow NHL players who are on twitter? I know I don't because they never say anything interesting anymore, mind you that a problem with pro athletes in general.

These guys make millions and are so afraid to jeopardize their status that we never heard anything but rehash cliché from them! While I can't always mute, escape or skip a cliché filled TV/Radio/Newspaper interview I got no reason to go out of my way to follow players who bore me to death! Where are the Roy, Carbonneau, Lafleur and Ali of the current NHL, can you think of anyone? 

The last interesting quotes from an hockey players was about sloppy seconds and Sean Avery got so much grief over it I bet he never said anything but cliché after the incident!

Updated: And if you happen to know NHL players who are actually interesting to follow on twitter add them in the comments bellow.


  

Being an Habs fan is costly!

Am not a cheap guy but seriously $9.75 of service charges per ticket per game that enough to tick me off!


The ticket business is the only business that I know who get away with charging peoples for the privilege of doing business with them. Now mind you the entertainment business usually charge a per transaction service charge meaning that no matter how many tickets you buy it only one charge not one per item! The banks have service fees but mostly you don't buy things from a bank you get services. Beside if you make many transaction they got service plan that let you have a flat monthly rate.


$9.75 per game, per ticket is just the first of many money grab an Habs fan who want to see a game is victim of. Let pass on the actual price of the tickets mainly because that life in the NHL. At least in Canada

$25 that the price of parking at the Bell center on game night.


Foods and drinks mainly Beer will also cost you an arm and a leg. Once upon a time the game started at 8:00 or even 8:30 PM you always had the time to eat somewhere else before going to the old Forum. So it no surprise that now the game start at 7:30 or even 6:30, they want you hungry and thirsty!


Souvenir for the kids you can't go to a game and get back empty handed that gonna cost you!  


The Reebok EDGE Montreal Canadien Authentic Home Jersey will cost you $289 on Amazon. Likely made in a Chinese sweatshop by the way! Did I mention that if you want your mom to see you on TV you better wear one! On the other hand if you don't want the wife to know you were at the game...  It no surprise that the team has a fake jersey problem at that price!


Come to think of it that $9.75 service charge is not so bad after all! If you can afford the stiff ticket price and the rest, the service charge should not bother you much... Otherwise RDS has every Habs game in HD.

I miss the Nordiques!!

I am an Habs fan always was, always will be but I came to the realization in the past few years that I miss the Nordiques! In fact I miss them a lot!


Why? Well it feel to me that the Montreal Canadiens players and management was trying a hell of a lot harder to win when they had to fight for the heart and minds of the province! It why a few sports columnist want more local guys to play for the habs it not just a language thing they also think that local talent got an extra motivation to perform!


The Habs vs Nordiques rivalry helped a lot with that. Remember 1993 if the Habs had played the Sabres in the first round they might not have recover from losing the first two games! You get eliminated to the Sabres or any other team in the NHL you might hear about it for a month. You lose to the Nordiques and you never going to live that down! That what was at stake after the first two games for Guy Carbonneau, Patrick Roy, and the rest of the 17 local guys on the 1993 Habs roster!


1993 habs roster 17 local Guys

Centres

21 Guy Carbonneau (Captain) Local
15 Paul DiPietro Local
18 Denis Savard (A. Capt.) local
25 Vincent Damphousse Local
29 Jesse Belanger Local
47 Stephan Lebeau Local

Wingers
11 Kirk Muller (A. Capt.)
12 Mike Keane
17 John LeClair Vermont apparently close enough!
22 Benoit Brunet Local
23 Brian Bellows
26 Gary Leeman
31 Ed Ronan
32 Mario Roberge Local
36 Todd Ewen
45 Gilbert Dionne Local
6 Oleg Petrov††

Defencemen
5 Rob Ramage
27 Mathieu Schneider
14 Kevin Haller
24 Lyle Odelein
28 Eric Desjardins Local
34 Donald Dufresne Local
38 Sean Hill
43 Patrice Brisebois Local
48 Jean-Jacques Daigneault Local

Goaltenders
33 Patrick Roy Local
37 Andre Racicot Local

"Après les deux premiere partie l'équipe c'est mise a gagné sur l'orgueil!"
Loosely translated. "After the first two games the team started winning on pride and sheer will!" If you think pride and willpower does not apply to the 2010 NHL you can always ask Alex Ovechkin and Sydney Crosby how they liked their long Summer! Pride is the reason the Bruins and the Leafs are always playing a little better against the Habs. Pride for a lack of a better word is good! That why I miss the Nordiques they motivated the Habs like nothing else!   

Year of the last chance!

For many in the Montreal Canadiens organization this is the year of the last chance. If the Habs have an ugly year these guys might all be gone by the deadline.




1. Andrei Markov : If he get hurt again or contract negotiation stall expect him to get moved at the deadline. We lost too many assets with no return to UFA in the past Gauthier will not make the same mistake that Bob Gainey did before!




2. Roman Hamrlík : Yeah we all hate his cap hit! The same cap hit that keeping him in Mtl because nobody want him and the Habs are too cheap to send Hammer to the bulldogs! Gauthier is probably stuck with him until the deadline but at the deadline if the Habs are already out expect Hammer to finally get moved!




3. Jacques Martin : If the season goes bad or if the Habs exit the playoff early he's the likely first scapegoat that Gauthier will throw to the wolves! The team did better than expected in the last playoff but three games with no goals against the Flyers that a black mark on Martin that will require one hell of a season to heal in my book!




 4. Hall Gill : Yeah we all love USS Hall Gill he's a warrior and had an amazing playoff run but he's an aging warrior who's getting slower! Gill is also turning UFA next year and his past playoff performance make him an attractive rental at the deadline if the Habs are out. Off course Pierre Gauthier might just sign him to an end of career contract for dirt cheap! 50/50 chances of that happening. 




5. Pierre Gauthier : Eller and Price if either of these two guys are not having a superb season Gauthier is dead GM walking! Hell Geoff Molson might replace him anyway even if they do. Short of a cup Pierre Gauthier time with the habs are counted. The new boss is not likely to keep the last administration in place for long if they don't get some real result fast.




That it for today if you don't agree or got names you want to add don't hesitate to comments!! 

My sources are telling me...

A very reliable source has told me that the Montreal Canadiens will have their first Pre-Season game on September 22 7:30 PM Easter! That three weeks from now! Yeah!!! Unfortunately Carey Price will be in goal for the Habs since he just signed! Why is that unfortunate well considering the mismanagement that Gainey and Gauthier have done to his career the best thing that could have happen for him this Summer would have been a trade! As far away from Bob Gainey and Pierre Gauthier as possible! Fact is Carey Price was over hyped and should have spent one more season in the minors. Now mind you it not the kid fault and at 23 he's not longer a kid anymore anyway!

By the way if you remember the 1986 cup I got a fact that might make you feel old Carey price was born in 1987!

So Gainey gambled the farm on Price two years too soon and loss now Gauthier is doing the same a year too late and will likely lose. Why is Gauthier likely going to lose? Considering Halak amazing playoff run and the vindictiveness of the average Habs fans, Lars Eller would probably have to scores 50 goals in 50 games for Pierre Gauthier to survive this season. And Carey Price will need a Vezina worthy season for fans to feel that Pierre Gauthier made the right choice in goal! Even that might not be enough if the team fold early in the next playoff. Let face it the bar we Habs fans have always used to measure up success is the Stanley Cup. Everything less is just not worthy of the motherfucking Montreal Canadiens! Is that fair no it not but that the price to wear that uniform. If you cannot take that heat I suggest you get the hell out of that kitchen. I hope he does alright I truly do I just don't see that in the cards...

On a personal note am turning this Blog into an Habs Blog because we are all idiots for the Habs!