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Grant’s Rant: Safe is Death

October 11, 2017

By Grant McCagg

I have been watching the Habs play hockey for close to 50 years now, and I have to say that finally, after a half Century, I am truly fed up with the conservative approach.

I put up with it in the Scotty Bowman years because he kept winning Stanley Cups, but even then I used to get frustrated when a Pierre Larouche, who had scored 50 goals at 19 years of age in the NHL, was benched over Doug Jarvis, Rick Chartraw, Pierre Mondou, Jimmy Roberts and even Cam Connor his first two seasons on the club, especially in the playoffs. The thing was. . . Scotty had a team full of superstars, and he felt he needed six or more grinders on the bottom three lines and, most importantly,  it worked so how critical could you be?

Mind you he had Dryden in nets, the Big 3 on defence and Lafleur and co. up front. He had no business coming within a goal of losing to Boston when Lafleur scored that famous power play goal while “coming out rather gingerly on the right side”. The difference in talent between the Bruins and Habs on that team in 1979 was substantial, but Bowman got the Cup ring (and a few more after that on other stacked teams) and Don Cherry eventually got the HNIC gig and the opening montage that shows him saluting the Montreal crowd that infamous night when the Habs somehow prevailed over the Bruins when all looked lost.

I always felt that the Habs won Cups in the 1970’s despite the defence-first approach.  I think if Don Cherry was behind the bench from 1972-1980, he wins at least five Cups with that lineup as well, but we’ll never know. .. and today Bowman is revered as the greatest coach ever. Boston should not have been a goal away from stealing that series in 1979 – not with the differences in talent.

Cherry took a bunch of “lunchpail players” like Stan Jonathan and turned them into 27-goal scorers.  The Bruins had 11 20-goals scorers one season,  a record that is not likely ever to be broken. Despite that defence and goalie in Montreal, Cherry’s Bruins pushed the pace. Cherry wasn’t conservative, and he truly out-coached Bowman with his approach, even if that’s something Habs fans don’t want to hear.

What happened next, after Bowman left the Habs to be GM/Coach in Buffalo, was that the Habs hired an offensive-first coach in Bernie Geoffrion, and Boom Boom lasted 30 games before packing it in and being replaced by Claude Ruel. Geoffrion hadn’t done poorly – the club was playing .600 hockey – but it wasn’t the same team as Bowman had. Gone were his Hall of Fame goalie Dryden and center Lemaire. Savard and Lapointe weren’t the same defencemen they’d been in the 1970’s, especially Savard, who now was in his mid 30’s, and Lafleur would have his final 50-goal season in 1979-80 as his decline started after hard living.

Bob Berry took over and would also try to play an offensive style for three seasons, but the Habs were going through a turnover with the veteran core having aged, and legendary GM Sam Pollock having moved on to be unwittingly replaced by the incompetent Irving Grundman.

The frank conclusion at that time was that the Habs had made a big mistake trying to win with an offence even if there was little chance that a defensive system would have propelled any of those teams past the Islanders from 1980-84.

The club’s deep thinkers decided that they would get back to the glory years by employing a conservative approach like Bowman had with a huge emphasis on defence and relying on veteran teams and ,frankly, since 1984 that has been the team’s playbook with two notable exceptions.

Since 1984 the Habs have had 14 head coaches, and in many cases, it’s a who’s who of “defence first” names, most notably Lemaire, Burns, Tremblay, Carbonneau, Gainey, Martin, Therrien. . . and now Julien.

None of these defence-oriented coaches, with the exception of Pat Burns, came close to taking the Canadiens to a Cup championship. Burns, in fact, is the only one of that group who took the Habs back to the Cup final.

Two coaches have guided Montreal to Stanley Cups in the past 38 years, and it’s interesting to revisit those teams and the coaching styles and team approach.

Jean Perron was a young coach who had little to lose in 1985-86 as Montreal was not expected to get out of the east having finished fifth overall with 87 points. Philadelphia and Washington were the class of the east that season with 110 and 107 points, and Montreal was expected to win one series, two at the most if they were lucky, as Quebec was the top team in their division. Certainly, if they ever got to the Cup Finals, they would be demolished by the Edmonton Oilers who were winning with high-octane offence.

Perron took a lot of gambles that season. He handed the starting goaltending duties to a raw 20-year-old with tons of promise in Patrick Roy, gave a rookie Swede Kjell Dahlin a scoring role, had 19-year-old Petr Svoboda in a top-four defence role, and kept giving rookie players who were called up a chance to play.

GM Serge Savard was fairly new to the job and also wasn’t afraid to take some risks; he called up Brian Skrudland, Mike Lalor, John Kordic, Stephane Richer and Claude Lemieux during the season, and all had regular roles by the playoffs. He signed David Maley out of college hockey and the Habs played him in seven playoff games despite having three games of NHL experience.

In the 1985-86 playoffs, the Canadiens took an unconventional approach in comparison to past Habs teams and relied heavily on their youth. They had nine players under the age of 23, and five who were 20 years old or younger. They brought tons of energy and enthusiasm to the lineup, and it was infectious not only on the team, but in the stands, as the Forum was rocking that playoff year when the club went on its terrific run with the indomitable Roy leading the way.

As luck would have it the division winners Quebec and Philadelphia lost in the opening round, Washington would fall to the Rangers in Round 2, and Montreal would defeat New York in the eastern finals to advance to the Cup finals.

The luckiest thing that season for Montreal happened out west, as one of the biggest upsets in NHL playoff history occurred in Round 2 when the Calgary Flames defeated the powerhouse Oilers in seven games. As magical as Montreal’s run was that season, they would not have beaten the Oilers that season.

The Habs would win the Cup, and the two key players were the two 20-year-old rookies that carried that team: Roy and Claude Lemieux, who scored ten goals in the playoffs after having netted just two in his NHL career to that point.

The other coach employed in the past 38 years who also wasn’t afraid to take chances with young players and employ an offensive system was Jacques Demers, and in 1993 he would guide Montreal to the last Cup won by a Canadian team.

There were a lot of familiar scripts that season when compared to 1986.

The Habs were by no means a Cup favourite when the playoffs got underway. Pittsburgh was the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions with Mario in his prime, and no one was expected to stop them in the east.

Montreal finished third in the Adams Division behind Boston and Quebec and the Bruins won eight straight going into the playoffs.

They don’t call it the “second season” for nothing though, as Buffalo would sweep Boston while Montreal got by Quebec. After sweeping the Sabres, the club watched the Islanders take Pittsburgh to seven games, and miraculously beat the Penguins at home 4-3 in overtime on an unforgettable goal by David Volek.

The Habs would dispose of the Islanders in five and then defeat Gretzky and the LA Kings in five games to win the Cup for the last time.

The Habs once again benefited from the spectacular goaltending of Roy and won an unbelievable ten overtime games that season that set a record that may never be broken, but just as importantly Demers was not afraid to gamble with young players and an offensive system that relied on energy and risk-taking.

There were 12 playoff regulars who were 24 years old or younger, including a preponderance of rookies who would play key roles, including Paul DiPietro, Gilbert Dionne and John Leclair.

Fast forward to last year’s team, and we were looking at a division winner that looked to have a shot at getting to the eastern final, backed by a franchise goalie in Price.

GM Marc Bergevin decided to tinker with team chemistry at the trade deadline by picking up veterans Steve Ott, Dwight King and Andreas Martinsen while dealing Sven Andrighetto.

Entering the playoffs, no young players were called up from the AHL, even though de a Rose had ended the season strongly, Hudon had another productive season and Scherbak hit his stride offensively late in the year. None were added to the roster as the club decided to go with NHL veterans only.

Mike McCarron and Brandon Davidson found themselves in the stands as the playoffs started; Nesterov getting the nod over Davidson even though Davidson had clearly been playing better. Why? Well. . . Nesterov had played 26 career playoff games and Davidson had played none. You couldn’t possibly ask someone to play in the playoffs with no previous experience. Wayne Gretzky and Ray Bourque had never had a first NHL playoff game, had they?

McCarron had been bringing lots of energy and some grit to the lineup and had been playing better than King, but Bergevin had traded for him at the deadline and he had been part of two Stanley Cup wins, so surely there’s no way that a playoff veteran could be worse than a playoff rookie.

Well. . . it didn’t work. Nesterov was horrible as was Emelin. King and Martinsen were no better, while Hudon, de la Rose, Scherbak and McCarron (until later) were nowhere to be found.  There was one rookie in the lineup unlike 1986 when there were ten or more, and it’s arguable that the one rookie –  Lehkonen – was the best Habs player in the first round of the playoffs.

I wondered last April why Hudon wasn’t called up, and the way he has played so far this season, does he not look like someone who could have contributed more to the Habs last playoff than King or Martinsen?

This was not a juggernaut Canadiens team. Much like in 1986 and 1993, the Habs of 2017 were by no means favourites in the east, so why didn’t the club look at their past two Cup winners and have some young legs available when it was clear that the series was in jeopardy and the veteran pickups weren’t cutting it? I expressed my reservations with that decision before the playoffs got underway, and when you look at the results – losing in the first round after winning a division – I don’t think my criticisms were unfounded.

Why was there so much caution? Was Julien reluctant to upset Bergevin if he benched the trade deadline pickups? Why was Bergevin reticent to call up any young players as insurance in case some of the veterans weren’t contributing as they should? Why were the last two Habs Cup winning teams not considered or reflected upon when it came to the playoffs? Why, instead, follow the Scotty Bowman approach (defence first and veterans) with a team that didn’t have a Guy Lafleur, Jacques Lemaire or Steve Shutt on the first line, as well as unreal depth that saw a future Hall of Famer in Bob Gainey playing on the fourth line or the Big 3 on defence?

John Tortorella once famously said “Safe is death” the season he took Tampa to the Stanley Cup title. Well, the Habs organization seems to have become stuck on safe for decades. . . and it has been pretty deadly.

Did Bergevin learn from his playoff conservatism? The offseason started promising enough when he made a deal for Jonathan Drouin, but that would be the pinnacle. After that it was back to old habits: picking up Alzner, Schlemko and signing a 39-year-old Mark Streit, playing hardball with the club’s only other offensive defenceman in Markov and ultimately losing him along with Alex Radulov, signing a 33-year-old Alex Hemsky instead of letting young players battle it out for a roster spot as he has the Habs continue the recent tradition of never having more than two rookie forwards start an NHL season on the opening day roster.

The Habs started the 33-year-old veteran Hemsky on the top line in camp and it soon became evident he was a step behind almost everyone in the league. Same thing with Streit who, despite being noticeably slower than every other defenceman vying for a spot in the eastern conference, is handed a top-six role out of training camp. Only after flopping around like a seal in front of his own net on a particularly embarrassing goal against did the club finally decide that perhaps Streit won’t be the answer.  Philadelphia and Pittsburgh both determined that last season. It’s not signing Streit that is frustrating, as players who sign cheap one-year contracts can always be released, it is the reluctance to cut him because he’s a veteran when 12 other defencemen have looked better.

Jordie Benn has struggled mightily so far this season as has Petry in his pairing with Alzner, but there is no indication that Petry will be moved back to a third pairing role until he improves or that Benn might sit out a game or two when Schlemko returns from injury.

Even though Davidson has been one of the Habs’ two best defencemen since he got a spot in the lineup, I fully expect him to be back in the stands when Schlemko returns because, well. . . Benn is the veteran. Streit will likely be kept on the club even though he looks to be washed up, while Jerabek and Lernout won’t get called up any time soon. That is the feeling I get as that has been the pattern over and over again, and it is frankly frustrating.

Al Montoya struggled in the preseason. He did not have one strong outing, and did not play particularly well last year either. Charlie Lindgren, on the other hand, was excellent, and clearly deserved the backup role out of training camp. The Habs decided to go with the veteran though. Familiar refrain, n’est-ce pas?

If Lindgren had a shot at being the number one goalie in Montreal in the next decade, I would understand the decision to send him to Laval to get in 60 games, but Price is going to be the main man regardless. I see no reason in not going with the best possible backup, as those games where Price isn’t playing look like they will be extremely important given the slow start. Yet another example of the conservative “veteran over better player” approach that isn’t going to improve this hockey club today.

Bergevin has done a pile of good things as Habs GM. He has given up very few tangible assets while building the team’s depth significantly over the past five years, and had four playoff appearances in that time. He has, for the most part, kept draft picks and the club has rebuilt the prospect depth admirably after a stretch where the club had very few top 90 picks. Bergevin’s worst trade in 5.5 years was the Andrighetto deal; there are plenty of GM’s who wish that they could make the same claim. While it wasn’t a good deal, Andrighetto was by no means a player that was indispensable on a club that already has a bunch of undersized wingers.

The longstanding Habs penchant to embrace conservatism and veterans is at some point going to have to end in my opinion if this club is ever destined to compete seriously for a Stanley Cup again. There needs to be a Jake Guentzel-type performance in the playoffs, and you aren’t going to get that from an Andreas Martinsen or Ales Hemsky – it will be from a Scherbak-type player.

The Habs were noticeably better against the Rangers with Hemsky out of the lineup, but he got put back in to replace de la Rose versus Chicago, and he was noticeably worse. It’s the same old. . . same old players.

I would really like the ultra-safe approach to stop. It’s not working. Make life uncomfortable for veterans by giving young players some looks. Cut or bench the ones you made mistakes on, like Hemsky and Streit, and bench the ones who aren’t good enough for the playoffs like Martinsen and King.

My wish is that they call up Scherbak now and put him on the top line instead of trying to fill that spot with a player like Gallagher who has been in a scoring slump for 18 months. Develop young players at the NHL level who may be able to help offensively instead of always waiting until they have no waiver eligibility left and the team has no choice but to keep them on the roster.

Yes, I understand that you want players to fully develop and not be rushed. . . but the needs of the team have to come first. If he can help the team now, why not?  Scherbak looked like an offensive NHL player the last three games I saw him play. He looked like he would be much more effective on the Habs top power-play unit over Hemsky or Gallagher right now – a power play that has gone 0-for-14.

It needs to start today. Cut Hemsky and Streit, sit out Benn and try Davidson in the top four, call up Scherbak and give him a look on a scoring line. . . be proactive beyond giving Mete a chance. If the lack of scoring continues, try Galchenyuk at second-line center for a game or two just to see if he’s inspired. Give the talented players an opportunity to play with talented linemates if all else fails, instead of the opposite approach where you become even more defensive and hope to win 1-0 in a shootout with Danault centering the top line and Galchenyuk on the fourth line, even if he is clearly struggling and driving the coach crazy.

There were a lot of empty seats for the home opener last night, and I think it’s a signal to the brass, and Geoff Molson in particular, that fans are finally fed up with the ultra-conservative approach that the club has taken since firing Demers in the mid-1990’s.  Defensive coach after defensive coach has been brought in and veterans other teams aren’t particularly enamoured with persistently obtained and given the benefit of the doubt over the kids in the system at the start of the season and to start the playoffs. Not only have they not won, they have bored the fans going to games with defence-first systems while never getting beyond the conference finals.

Safe is death. Time to ramp it up and live a little.

About Grant McCagg

Read "A Scout's Story" to learn more.

View all posts by Grant McCagg

  • Simon Brouillard says

    October 11, 2017 at 12:31 pm

    Loved it, completely agree. Personally I call it trying ”not to lose” instead of trying to win. And anther great example was the 2014 olympics team (they needed overtime facing LATVIA for fuck sake).

    • Grant McCagg says

      October 11, 2017 at 12:40 pm

      That’s a good example. I get tired of the safe approach.

  • Robert Thomson says

    October 11, 2017 at 12:32 pm

    Very well written and right on point. Open up the game let them play offence first. If you have the best goalie in the league he should be able to bail them out if they get in trouble. As you say the current approach is not working. Time to change things.

    • Grant McCagg says

      October 11, 2017 at 12:40 pm

      Good point…thank you Robert.

  • David Auger says

    October 11, 2017 at 12:38 pm

    Yes.

    This is good.

    I have nothing to contribute aside from saying that this is good.

    • Grant McCagg says

      October 11, 2017 at 12:39 pm

      I’ll accept that. 🙂 Thanks!

  • Chris Loreto says

    October 11, 2017 at 1:04 pm

    Thank you!

  • Arul Ananthanarayanan says

    October 11, 2017 at 1:22 pm

    Excellent article! Thank you for saying what most of us long time fans have been feeling for years.

    • Grant McCagg says

      October 11, 2017 at 1:34 pm

      I appreciate that Arul.

  • Allan Warren says

    October 11, 2017 at 1:26 pm

    Great read Grant. Unfortunately you hit the nail on the head many times and there not appear to be a “philosophy change” with management in the near future. The picture may be a bit dismal now and maybe, just maybe, someone hears you.

    • Grant McCagg says

      October 11, 2017 at 1:34 pm

      LOL..you never know…as long as they can handle the constructive criticism. 🙂

  • David Muhlstock says

    October 11, 2017 at 1:31 pm

    Excellent and persuasive.
    It would be nice if it was read by Molson, Bergevin and Julien.

    • Grant McCagg says

      October 11, 2017 at 1:33 pm

      Thank you, David.

  • Shawn Couch says

    October 11, 2017 at 1:44 pm

    Agree Grant but I think that with the coach they hired there is not a chance they do not play it safe.

  • kelkun says

    October 11, 2017 at 1:46 pm

    Not only is safe death, it’s also super duper boring. They are asking for top entertainment dollar but I’m not getting entertained. I complained in 1993, saying I’d actually rather not win the Cup if the team is going to be dull. Sure, I was happy for the win, but I wasn’t very excited watching it. I’m getting close to just switching to a team who is fun to watch, like the Oilers. Or the Leafs….

    • Grant McCagg says

      October 11, 2017 at 1:49 pm

      Ten overtime wins/12 rookies in the lineup was boring? Hmm..not sure any team would entertain you long term. 😉

      • kelkun says

        October 11, 2017 at 2:35 pm

        The overtime was exciting. That’s fine, that’s an outlier. The overall style of play was dull.

    • Adrian Geary says

      October 11, 2017 at 7:46 pm

      Haha, see ya!

    • Yanick Blanchette says

      October 12, 2017 at 9:42 am

      Difference between entertaining and name power

  • Chris T says

    October 11, 2017 at 2:02 pm

    IMO the hiring of Julien was not a far departure at all from the coaching style of Therrien. They’re personalities are similar and they both have the same approach. So in what world was Julien ever going to be the saving grace for this franchise? Nothing has changed except some minor details on how he approaches defensive responsibilities.

    I agree 100% with you Grant, change has to come from the way in which they use the youth in the organization. Enough with signing these one year contracts of players that other teams have discarded just because they’re veterans. We already have a good leadership group, now lets surround them with raw talent and youth!

  • Adrian Geary says

    October 11, 2017 at 2:07 pm

    Oh boy, this is good. Great stuff here Grant!

    Although I fear the changes will not be made as long as Bergivin is still there. Don’t get me wrong, I like the job he’s done. BUT, I fear you are absolutely correct with your assessment of his “safe” attitude towards the team.

    So, in order in implement an offense first philosophy we’d need, a new GM AND a new coach. I’m not sure I can handle such a massive transition! Lol 😉

    But the results… Oh the results would be so much fun!!!

  • Marvin Matthews says

    October 11, 2017 at 2:15 pm

    Totally in sync with Grant on this. Habs are too afraid of the possibility of losing with young, inexperienced players. The coffers at Palais Molson must be kept full.

  • Stephen Ogden says

    October 11, 2017 at 2:16 pm

    “Bergevin’s worst trade in 5.5 years was the Andrighetto deal.”

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • Grant McCagg says

      October 12, 2017 at 6:59 pm

      My Subbanista sense is tingling. Let me guess…you’re in the “Weber sucks” crowd.

  • Jean-Yves Fillion says

    October 11, 2017 at 2:36 pm

    Man you hit the nail on that one.You are absolutely right Grant and again a great article from you.

  • Peter Mandrapilias says

    October 11, 2017 at 2:38 pm

    Someone had to say it and you just did. excellent one of the best reads I’ve had in years. Unfortunately I feel it’s gonna be like the same old song and danse like it’s been for years.. I have been watching habs hockey for 45 years religiously. I’m finding it hard to watch since they got rid of PK. It’s like they made a decision that day let’s get the safe defenseman, And rid of they unpredictable exiting defenseman, and it’s not just about PK its all the moves the have made in the last few years, how can they not try to pick up a Duchenne or a Athansiou to bring some offence, I have been bored by the play of the habs to the point where I’m ashamed to admit it, I’m actually losing interest in the team, again great article

  • Henry says

    October 11, 2017 at 2:45 pm

    I’m so glad I’m not the only one who feels the Habs don’t give the rookies a fair shot. One mistake and the’re banished. I must agree with your analysis about Habs conservative approach not working. Great article. Quite refreshing.

  • Halifaxhab says

    October 11, 2017 at 2:48 pm

    Grant I absolutely LOVED this. Bravo. I couldn’t agree more. This team needs more talent and why the heck not allow players like Scherbak to play in a top 6 role. The current ones arent producing anyway.

    Bravo

  • Andy Kirstein says

    October 11, 2017 at 2:57 pm

    Excellent Grant!
    Spot on. Sherbak played against Toronto this past January and scored a goal scorers goal.
    Gallagher is a plugger with zero natural talent and yet is on the top line and pp. Time to get comfortable by being uncomfortable!!

    • Grant McCagg says

      October 11, 2017 at 3:18 pm

      Competition is good. when you feel like you will keep your spot no matter what unless your name is Galchenyuk..where is the urgency?

  • Bart van Eyk says

    October 11, 2017 at 3:42 pm

    Great rant, Grant! The unfortunate thing is the fact that our young prospects are not being developed properly on the farm. And Bargain Bergie won’t cut his buddies loose! I agree, though, give Scherbak a chance with Drouin and Patch. Or, better yet, how about giving Galchenyuk some positive encouragement, by either playing him on the first line, with Patch and JD, or let him centre the 2nd line. Sadly, that’s not something we’re likely to see. Why? Because Bergevin is pig-headed and arrogant. Chicago gets rubbed in our faces again and again. However, this GM has failed to learn from the mistakes Chicago made, where the Hawks gave out contracts that would shackle them for years. I fear that Bergie has gone done the same path. Head games, financial mismanagement, and poor asset management have crippled this franchise. That’s my rant. Thanks for listening.

  • OK says

    October 11, 2017 at 4:00 pm

    exactly how i’ve been feeling about the habs approach to things since I started watching them in the early 80’s. Summed up perfectly and considering that goalie that they have, all the more reason to go with the discussed approach.

  • Meg says

    October 11, 2017 at 4:51 pm

    Great read, well done Sir, Now lets get this team going, GHG!

  • Patrick Moss says

    October 11, 2017 at 4:57 pm

    YES YES YES. safe is death. And playing Galchenyuk on the 4th line, and signing Alzner while letting Markov go – these moves reek of hockey conservatism. The game has changed. Change with it or get out of the way!!!

  • Bob Dee says

    October 11, 2017 at 5:41 pm

    I agree 100% so fed up with the way their going I just want to stop watching altogether…

  • Job Goulding says

    October 11, 2017 at 6:35 pm

    I wish habs management could read this. This may be the best article I have read in 5 years. Wow Grant. Hit it outta the park on that one, round the bases my friend, round the bases.

    • Grant McCagg says

      October 11, 2017 at 6:42 pm

      Thanks!

  • Michael says

    October 11, 2017 at 7:11 pm

    Great read Grant! Time for the Habs to walk on the Wilde side.

  • Mark Paas says

    October 11, 2017 at 7:35 pm

    Couldn’t agree more.

  • Mark says

    October 11, 2017 at 7:47 pm

    Why are GM’s not held to the same standards as others businessmen? Results based evaluation is all that’s needed, complimented with a strategic vision.
    So Bergevin has not done much and his plan is garbage.
    Bergevin has to go, the ultra-conservative approach is not working. Leaving young guys in the minors or in the stands while veterans shit the bed. That is all on Bergevin. His acquisitions of Hemsky and Streit ? Embarrassing. Get older and slower while the league gets younger and faster. Al “Rogaine ” Montoya was awful in the pre-season, and Lindgren was great. So keep Al as back up and send Lindgren back down ? Bring the young goalie up and have him push Price who looks very comfortable on his $10 million dollar cushion.Empty seats at the home opener, this may be the only thing that fires up Geoff Molson to can this jackass.

    • Grant McCagg says

      October 11, 2017 at 8:17 pm

      Four playoff appearances in five years and three division titles..rebuilt the system…embarrassing and fireable offences? No. Conservative? Yes.

  • Matt says

    October 11, 2017 at 8:05 pm

    Amen

  • Bob Tiller says

    October 11, 2017 at 8:21 pm

    Great job Grant … well written and very to the point. I love how you tie it all in with a Habs history lesson.

  • Eric Seligman says

    October 11, 2017 at 8:33 pm

    Great read. I’ve personally felt this way for years. Every year I would look forward to the young players I would hear about in the minors, given a chance to succeed in the NHL, only to read in the summer Bergevin trading or going to free agency to get 30+ old players. Nope not this year. Once again young players would rot in the minors. And it’s not like these players Bergevin would get would actually work out. They wouldn’t.

  • Stephen Lenet says

    October 11, 2017 at 8:35 pm

    Perfectly stated article. How can rookies get experience and develop if they aren’t given a chance? So frustrating.

  • Joe Szyslak says

    October 11, 2017 at 10:25 pm

    GREAT article, Grant. Love it. Cheers.

    • Grant McCagg says

      October 11, 2017 at 10:34 pm

      Thanks Joe!

  • David says

    October 11, 2017 at 10:26 pm

    When did Robin Sadler play for the Habs? I agree about the young players, especially De La Rose. I think if the season spirals downward, many of those vets will become draft picks.

    • Grant McCagg says

      October 11, 2017 at 10:34 pm

      Late 1970’s one playoff run he dressed a few game even though he could hardly skate.
      Larouche played a game..scored the winning goal vs. the Bruins..and was back in the stands the next night.

      • J. Taylor says

        October 11, 2017 at 11:04 pm

        Bravo, being of that vintage the 70’s Habs tie-in was spot on. Always liked the Pierre Larouche “asking asking Picasso to paint a barn” quote. (paraphrasing)

        You should post this on the Recrutes Facebook page, it would be a huge hit, guaranteed.

  • Rick Blaine says

    October 12, 2017 at 1:13 am

    I’ve been on this page for several seasons and totally agree with you. Trade deadline day should be to move your veterans to other clubs and bring up the kids. One minor point and I may be misreading it, but Robin Sadler never played a game for the Habs. His was a strange story and I wish I knew more.

    • Grant McCagg says

      October 12, 2017 at 1:21 am

      Thanks for that…for some reason I mixed up Sadler and Cam Connor.

  • Jon Lavigne says

    October 12, 2017 at 1:50 am

    Excellent article Grant.

    • Grant McCagg says

      October 12, 2017 at 11:38 am

      Thank you Jon…late-night ramblings.

  • Alex says

    October 12, 2017 at 7:59 am

    Great read. As much as I like Julien, I wonder if his old school style fits the new school league. Will Galchenyuk end up being an other Seguin? Hope the team figure things out but if not and MB (out of mulligans) ends up being replaced, I hope Julien Brisebois gets a shot.

    Cheers

    • Grant McCagg says

      October 12, 2017 at 11:37 am

      So Julien out..Julien in? 🙂

  • Gary says

    October 12, 2017 at 9:01 am

    Wow. That is fantastic. I truly hope someone in the Habs organization, with some kind of say, reads this. But I have my doubts. Maybe year 6 of a 5 year plan is too much.

    • Grant McCagg says

      October 12, 2017 at 11:36 am

      Every team has a five-year plan but only one of them wins the Cup in Year 5. Unfortunately the Habs aren’t playing in a 2-team league. 🙂 My rant is out of my system..back to having guarded optimism that this management crew will figure it out. 😉

  • Yanick Blanchette says

    October 12, 2017 at 9:40 am

    Great rant; although I think for a short window with Carbo, Habs were pretty run & gun; Kovy-Pleks-Kostitsyn were driving the play. Other than that, whew, reason always been a Nordiques fan: even really bad, they were always entertaining.

    • Grant McCagg says

      October 12, 2017 at 9:43 am

      Run and gun with Carbo? Yes..Habs have been conservative for awayyy too long if you think that was run and gun. Ha ha. Thanks Yannick.

  • Tony sollazzo says

    October 12, 2017 at 9:48 am

    Great article Grant

  • k3x says

    October 12, 2017 at 1:21 pm

    I gotta say – you absolutely nailed it on the head with this story. Wow! I thought that there was an unwritten rule that the media wasn’t allowed to write stuff like this about the Habs – they sure as shit won’t ask the tough questions in any press conference – so to read it here is so wonderful and refreshing. Here’s my take on it all (not that you would care but in case you are mildly interested – I have been a Habs fan since the early 70’s) Bergevin, for all his good points, is in way over his head and he is a liar. He was an average defenceman and he has built the Habs in his image. There was no logical reason to sign Mark Streit. He had no business saying point blank – Galchenyuk is not playing centre – He has tied Julien’s hands because if he does play him at centre, it makes him look incompetent and forces him to lie about the reason he was played there. He spends most of the season not making deals because he knows he’s dealing with a loaded deck. He has nothing to trade that anyone wants – proof in the pudding – he could place them all (Benn, Davidson, Streit, Morrow, Hemsky ) on waivers and not one of them would get picked up. Trading Galchenyuk again forces him to lie about how he wasn’t a good fit with the team (there is no upside to bringing Matt Duchence in for Chucky – and at this rate the Habs would have to throw in a draft pick to make it happen). So Julien is dammed if he does and dammed if he doesn’t. So he should let the boy play hocky – put him with Drouin and Patches for a bit and see what happens – it can’t be much worse that what we have to put up with right now…could it? Great article Grant! I love this place!!

    • Grant McCagg says

      October 12, 2017 at 2:59 pm

      I love this email! 🙂 Cheers!

  • Joefish says

    October 12, 2017 at 1:36 pm

    Well written comprehensive summation of your time observing the Habs. I would add that we have not had teachers behind the benches at any level for a very long time, we’ve had managers. Managers who expect the kids to teach themselves on ice and get it together on their own. Owners have expected no more. UGH

    • Grant McCagg says

      October 12, 2017 at 3:01 pm

      I’ve always looked forward to seeing young talent playing in Montreal and developing on the big club..just doesn’t seem to happen much these days…instead we often get stop gap solutions like a Parenteau/Flynn/Mitchell etc.

  • Javier Sanchez says

    October 12, 2017 at 3:09 pm

    Why is it so hard for management to see what is painfully obvious to most of the fan base?

  • James Clubb says

    October 12, 2017 at 5:41 pm

    Great article!

    It’s too bad that “Dumb” couldn’t have been worked into it:
    – The Canadiens hire/trade for King, Ott and Martinen at the end of the 2016/2017 season – all gone. Only thing that resulted was that they gave Andrighetto away.
    – They have also given Beaulieu away.
    – If you look through the shenanigans which were in effect the Eller for Shaw trade and the shuffling of 2nd round draft choices, the Canadians didn’t just lose Eller, Chicago used the highest draft choice they inherited to pick Alex deBrincat. Andrighetto and DeBrincat both have more points than any Canadiens player.
    – Who advised Bergevin on Streit and Hemsky?
    – If you seriously want to keep Radulov and Markov, you don’t tell the press that you have made your “final” offer – negotiating 101.

    TSN 690 has coined the term “not made for hockey reasons” in describing the Beaulieu trade. The Subban trade can similarly be described.

    The bottom line is that the team is in trouble. It is weaker than it was when Bergevin was hired, but the killer is that the fans recognize this. Their favorite player was traded for reasons most disagreed with (“not hockey reasons”). The other 2 players that gave fans so much optimism back in 2012, Price and Pacioretty, are 5 years older.

  • K B says

    October 13, 2017 at 8:42 am

    I’ve been watching the Canadiens since CBMT Montreal channel 6 came on the air in 1955 (I was 6 at the time ) and I wholeheartedly concur with your viewpoint.

    • Grant McCagg says

      October 13, 2017 at 5:20 pm

      Thank you KB..oh yes…CBMT. 🙂

  • John says

    October 14, 2017 at 10:13 am

    Amazing article, Sadly bergevin is so arrogant and full of himself he would shurg off your opinion and remind you it is not playstation….

    • Grant McCagg says

      October 14, 2017 at 10:24 am

      Thank you John. It was therapeutic writing it.

  • Roland Briere says

    October 15, 2017 at 9:51 am

    Very conservative management. I don’t see it changing. Good read Grant.

  • Don Cattani says

    October 17, 2017 at 12:27 am

    Totally agree. Can I mention one more reason to ditch safe mode? There are too many times when the games are just mind-numbingly boring. I cheer for the Habs but have reached the point where I don’t really want to spend a couple of hours watching paint dry. There’s very little excitement. Goals, when they do come, are often scrappy, sloppy things. That’s why a seminal moment for me was Radulov’s goal in last year’s playoffs. At last, someone brought us out of our seats for the first time since they banished L’Artiste – Kovalev. I miss being excited when the Habs play this awful style.

  • Stewart Dowbiggin says

    October 19, 2017 at 10:05 am

    great historical perspective and it seems the league is also getting away from conservative coaching more than the last few years; so yes our team should join the wave!

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