Go Habs Go - Fan Forum 11/12

[Guest Low Roller]

Forward Gabriel Dumont and goalie Robert Meyer get their first call-up ever from Hamilton.

[Booche]

Thank you for your interest in applying for the vacant position of General Manager of the Montreal Canadiens. Please note that this application form is available in both French and English.

Why do you want to be the next general manager of the Montreal Canadiens?

( ) In current front office job, am getting tired of constantly being called an idiot by the media in only one language.

( ) Have a rare form of amnesia where I constantly forget how many Stanley Cups my team has won; would like work someplace where I'll be reminded every few minutes.

( ) Have reviewed the current roster and prospect pool, and enjoy the idea of having the next four or five springs off.

( ) Without revealing my current job, let's just say I get a little tired of being stuck in between two coaches pretending to want to fight each other.

Ideally, the successful candidate would be bilingual. Do you speak French?

( ) I speak fluent French.

( ) I speak high-school level French.

( ) I speak Randy Cunneyworth-level French.

( ) I didn't think I knew how to swear in French, but then I read the details of Scott Gomez's contract and found out I was wrong.

Montreal is known for a passionate fan base. What are your impressions of Canadiens fans?

( ) I admire their passion, although I'm still not sure why three of them are standing a few feet away while I fill this out and booing me.

( ) I recently worked for a southern-based US team and have never dealt with anything like what you have in Montreal, by which I mean hockey fans.

( ) Have to admit that it's nice to see some Canadian fans who know how to riot after a playoff game without immediately tagging themselves in photos of it on Facebook.

( ) I have completely forgiven them for forcing my trade to Colorado by booing me during a blowout loss and am certainly not applying for this job as part of some devious long-running revenge plot, so let's just change the subject.

It's important to learn from past mistakes. What would you do differently than previous Montreal GMs?

( ) Respond to every crisis by reflexively trading for players who can speak French, instead of responding to every crisis by reflexively trading for players whose names just make it seem like they can speak French.

( ) When trading for struggling veterans on a long-term deal, do not simply look at their recent stats and then assume that extra zero at the end of their cap hit must be a typo.

( ) No more firing coaches minutes before a game begins; have a big hook come down from the rafters and pluck them off the bench in the middle of a period instead.

( ) Maybe hire some scouts or something.

A successful GM can impart a sense of optimism to fans. Please highlight something positive about the current roster.

( ) The team is practically unbeatable when Andrei Markov is healthy, so that's like having a four point head start every year.

( ) Carey Price has firmly established himself as one of the NHL's elite goalies, so we should be able to trade him some spare parts any time now.

( ) Most of the roster in young and in good health, so it's possible that a few of them will still be playing when Josh Gorges' contract finally expires.

( ) Montreal has the only fans in the league that don't have to wake up each morning and immediately think "Man, I really hope my team doesn't go out and acquire Tomas Kaberle today".

Finally, if you are the chosen candidate, when would you be available to start work?

( ) Am available immediately.

( ) Am available starting next Monday

( ) Would need to give two weeks' notice at my current job.

( ) Will probably not be available until the end of next season, although the way things are going around here maybe check back with me in November.

Wait. Burkie? Is that you?

( ) Um… how do you hang up on an application form?

This concludes the application. If you chose to fill out the French version, please place it in a sealed envelope and submit it to our human resources department. If you filled out the English version, please save us all time by placing it directly into your recycling bin.

[Guest Low Roller]

No! Stop winning you idiots!

[Booche]

Totally. I want 'early season Budaj' not 'March Budaj'.

Please let the record show that my tail is between my legs regarding David Desharnais. That guy has completely won me over. Last season, I was sure he was going to be killed as an NHL'r based on a number of hits I saw him take but he has figured out the speed the pros play at and adjusted accordingly. God bless that littlemotherfucker.

[Guest Low Roller]

Ok, so we know that Vinny Damphousse and Pat Brisson have bowed out of the 'race' to be the next GM.

Apparently Luc Robitaille interests the Habs ownership, although I would like to strongly remind anyone willing to listen: " DO NOT HIRE A ROOKIE GM OR A ROOKIE COACH FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!"

[Guest Low Roller]

Ron Hextall???

Serge Savard is just setting him up to get ambushed by Chris Chelios, right? RIGHT?

[Guest Low Roller]

Gauthier is a larger douchebag than I could have ever imagined: He made Cammalleri pay $1,250 to keep his Habs jersey

[Hal Johnson]

What a weird story. Maybe Cammy was fooling around with Gauthier's daughter or something, it would explain a lot.

[Booche]

Nope. Gauthier's a fucking douchebag.

[Booche]

MONTREAL - Very sad news out of the Canadiens family this Saturday morning: former captain Émile (Butch) Bouchard, a member of the Habs from 1941-56, died early Saturday morning at Longueuil in South Shore Montreal, surrounded by his family. Big Butch was 92.

Bouchard captained the Canadiens from 1948-56, following goaler Bill Durnan with the C and succeeded by Maurice (Rocket) Richard. The 1966 Hall of Fame-inductee was a strapping stay-at-home defenceman who could get the job done with punishing force. He won the Stanley Cup four times with the Habs, incredibly arriving with the team just six years after he’d learned to skate.

[Guest Low Roller]

R.I.P. Butch!!

I will always respect Ryan O'Byrne for his classy move to give up his number for Bouchard's jersey retirement ceremony.

[Guest Low Roller]

RIP Emile Bouchard. It was a honor to meet him and a honor to be included in his jersey retirement.

[Guest Low Roller]

Gauthier is a larger douchebag than I could have ever imagined: He made Cammalleri pay $1,250 to keep his Habs jersey

Happy ending:

"@MCammalleri93: Just received a hand written letter from Geoff Molson and my jersey from last game with #Habs."

[Booche]

I'm actually surprised how muffled the organization has been able to keep things thus far regarding the quest for a new GM.

Edited April 28, 2012 by Guest

[Guest Low Roller]

Indeed. Word has it down to three candidates right now:

Marc Bergevin

Julien Brisebois

Pierre McGuire

McGuire probably won't get it since the Habs would have to wait until the end of the playoffs to make the nomiation due to McGuire's contract with NBC. This is unlikely since the Habs will want the new GM to have more time to get ready for the draft.

Brisebois would have to wait until his AHL team is out of the playoffs, and since they are favorite to win it is the same scenario as McGuire.

Andre Savard apparently never got a call from the Habs, Francois Giguere was called, but did not get a second interview like Bergevin, McGuire, and possibly Brisebois.

I would put my money on Bergevin at this point, which would mean a rookie GM for the Habs.

Here is Bergevin scoring the worst own-goal in NHL history (besides the historical significance of the Steve Smith blunder):

[Booche]

I'm going to bite my tongue and hope that Sloth reads your post.

[Guest Low Roller]

Bergevin is the new GM. Presser at 2pm.

McGuire was runner-up in case Bergevin declined. Brisebois third choice.

[badams]

The Habs are going to buy out Gomez's contract.

[Guest Low Roller]

I REALLY hope that is fake news that's floating around. It makes no sense at all and will immediately sour me on the new management team.

I still doubt that they will buy him out. The terms are too punishing.

It's either $10M and $0 cap hit to hide him in Hamilton for the last two seasons of his contract, or $6.67M in salary and the following cap hit if he is bought out:

2012-13: $3,523,810

2013-14: $4,523,810

2014-15: $1,666,667

2015-16: $1,666,667 (from Capgeek.com)

Not worth the penalty to save $3.33M in actual salary IMO.

I don't know however if the No-Motion Clause restricts Gomez from being sent down to the AHL. That would be a whole different story.

Heck, I would try re-entry waivers before I try buyout. If Gomez was picked up by another team on re-entry waivers his cap hit on the Habs would be:

2012-2013: $3,678,571

2013-2014: $0

Either way, the following cap hit is simply unacceptable:

2012-2013: $7,357,143

2013-2014: $7,357,143

[Booche]

Fuck that rumour. The Habs just hired a new GM and there is still the slim possibility of an amnesty clause with the new CBA. No one has a clue what they are gonna do but I wouldnt be a fan of that buy-out based on the first two years. Just suck it up and bury him in the minors if need be.

[Guest Low Roller]

Confirmed by my contact at the NHL that a No Trade Clause (NTC) does not mean that a player is immune to being sent down to the AHL. If it was a No Motion Clause (NMC) that's different. Gomez thankfully has a NTC.

Edited May 3, 2012 by Low Roller

[Booche]

You mean a No Movement Clause you fuckingmoron.

All Hail the new leader:

Edited May 3, 2012 by Guest

[Guest Low Roller]

I knew it!

Not only was Gauthier in charge of pro scouting when the awful Gomez deal happened, meaning he liked what he saw in the horribly slumping Gomez in New York, but he also has his fingerprints on the whole deal.

Why did Habs trade McDonagh to N. Y.?

There’s been much talk in Montreal of beefing up the Canadiens pro-scouting department now that Marc Bergevin has arrived as the ever-smiling general manager.

Despite the dour Pierre Gauthier, the former GM, nobody can say Montreal’s amateur scouts have failed in their duties in the last few years.

The 2007 draft brought the Habs Ryan McDonagh, Max Pacioretty and P.K. Subban in the first 43 picks. How is that for a trifecta?

Oh yeah, McDonagh isn’t in Montreal anymore. He played 53 minutes for the New York Rangers in that triple overtime game against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday. Seeing McDonagh take that wallop from Matt Hendricks, the one that almost ripped his head from his shoulders, then see him play another 30 or so shifts as if the hit were, as the Monty Python actors used to say is “just a flesh wound,†is to see a true warrior in action.

The trade of McDonagh to the Rangers to get Scott Gomez came on Bob Gainey’s watch when he was the GM. This should tarnish Gainey’s reputation for knowing who can play in the NHL and who can’t, but several sources say Gauthier’s fingerprints were really all over this one.

“Bob’s daughter had died (swept overboard at sea while working on a training ship) before this and he was letting Pierre (his confidant) do a lot of the work. Pierre didn’t like McDonagh, for some reason. Saw him play in the world juniors and didn’t like him. The scouts loved McDonagh, though. When he was traded, they couldn’t believe it,†said a source close to the scene.

“At least make up your mind on McDonagh after he’s played a few seasons.â€

Instead, McDonagh was dealt on June 30, 2009 while he was still attending the University of Wisconsin, after he had finished his junior year there. He had just turned 20.

“The scouts didn’t think he was going to put up a lot of points, but he was big (213 pounds) and he competed,†said the source.

How would he look as Subban’s safety blanket in Montreal today? McDonagh, Subban, Josh Gorges and a healthy Andrei Markov on defence? Pretty good.

McDonagh for Gomez, who might well be buried in the minors next season so the Habs can save his $7.35 million US salary-cap hit, has to go down as one of the most one-sided trades in the last few years.

Bergevin, while too nice of a guy to shovel dirt on his predecessors, is probably grinding his teeth over that one.

Gomez has gone from 59 points to 38 points to 11 points in his three years in Montreal. He won two Stanley Cup rings in New Jersey and has 99 points in 140 career playoff games, but he looks done. How can that be? He’s only 32. Ray Whitney of the Phoenix Coyotes turn 40 on Tuesday. Teemu Selanne of the Anaheim Ducks turns 42 in July.

Link

Gauthier truly is the king of the douchecastle.

[Guest Low Roller]

[Guest Low Roller]

Lots of rumours floating around regarding Larry Robinson. In an interview with TVA Sports, Larry Robinson's agent confirmed what Bryan Hayward told me earlier this year, in that two years ago Robinson called the Canadiens offering his services and Gauthier never called him back. The agent SLAMS the old management and offers hope that Robinson would be willing to listen if Montreal called him. Very frank interview, especially given that the Devils are still in the playoffs.