15 years ago...

[MXD]

The events that led to the worst trade ever happened.

Click to read more...

 

[tony d]

Hard to believe that's 15 years ago. Yeah it was a trade that forever changed the face of the 2 franchises. I don't think it's the worst trade ever but it was pretty bad for Montreal.

Question is and I don't want to derail this thread but would Montreal trade Roy to Quebec the same as they traded him to Colorado? Which team would have got Roy in that case?

 

[Buck Aki Berg]

Question is and I don't want to derail this thread but would Montreal trade Roy to Quebec the same as they traded him to Colorado? Which team would have got Roy in that case?

Never in a million years - you don't trade someone that good to a team in your own division that you play a half-dozen times a year.

Wherever he goes if the Nords are around at that point, I think it would be in the other conference just to minimize the number of times you play against him. Weren't there some rumours about him going to Detroit?

 

[Derick*]

One bad game and when you leave the ice, you're gonna hear us chantin' loud for Carey Price, but don't feel bad it's just how we roll, we can be a little tough on the guys in goal

 

[jkrx]

If Nords still existed Roy would go to another contender in the West and most likely to the Canucks or maybe the Blues (You never know with Keenan). I highly doubt many of the other teams would gone into bidding as they were set with goalies.

Back on topic, yes this was the pinnacle moment where you could actually see the end of the Habs being a top team in the league. They should've never have hired Houle and Tremblay.

 

[JackSlater]

That damn trade cost the Red Wings a dynasty... little did they know as they ripped Roy that night.

 

[RabbinsDuck]

It's crazy that Detroit almost ended up getting Roy after that.
Pretty easy to see two more Cups in that scenario.

 

[sr edler]

remember that one

good by roy

if your management and home crowd craps on you like that you better show them

 

[seventieslord]

Can't believe it's been 15 years alread. Heck, I can't believe it's been five years since I commemorated the 10-year anniversary!

Ahh, I remember it so vividly. It was a Saturday night, and the Leafs were playing the Ducks. CBC was cutting in for updates to the Habs/Wings game seemingly every 5 minutes.

 

[BraveCanadian]

remember that one

good by roy

if your management and home crowd craps on you like that you better show them

next up.. Carey Price!

 

[FiveForDrawingBlood]

That damn trade cost the Red Wings a dynasty... little did they know as they ripped Roy that night.

Ironic how things work out.

 

[Dark Shadows]

One of the few times a player demanding the trade was fairly justified in doing so.

 

[No 19]

**** Tremblay,**** Houle and most of all **** Corey for ****ing up the habs for 15-20 years

 

[EventHorizon]

My question isn't who would Roy have been traded to if the Nordiques hadn't moved, it's who would the Nordiques have traded for instead? Surely they were still in the market for a goalie; does anybody remember if any other teams were actively shopping a goaltender at the time?

 

[Big Phil]

It is no wonder Houle and Tremblay haven't had jobs in the NHL since they were let go by the Habs. No doubt Tremblay was the worst coach in Habs history. And to think, the guys they let go prior to these two were Serge Savard (GM) and Jacques Demers (coach), two proven winners. Ouch.

15 years ago Montreal lost the last superstar they have ever had. Yes Theodore had that one freak year, but when your best players of the last 15 years are Saku Koivu, an old Kovalev and Mike Cammalleri you know you are doing something wrong. To tell you the truth, Montreal is only now starting to recover from that horrible trade.

 

[seventieslord]

It is no wonder Houle and Tremblay haven't had jobs in the NHL since they were let go by the Habs. No doubt Tremblay was the worst coach in Habs history. And to think, the guys they let go prior to these two were Serge Savard (GM) and Jacques Demers (coach), two proven winners. Ouch.
.

Savard had a brutal recent history as a GM though.

 

[Big Phil]

Savard had a brutal recent history as a GM though.

The Habs missed the playoffs in 1995 in that shortened year, the first time ever under Savard and then they got off to a slow start 5 games or so into the year in 1995-'96. All of the sudden Savard and Demers get their pink slips. Roy never leaves town if Demers is there. Demers wouldn't leave Roy in net to get spanked like that. Someone brought up a point once by saying "its like leaving Sidney Crosby on the ice for the whole game if he's playing poorly, or hurt". That's just the thing, even the best like Roy have rotten games. This was an otherwise meaningless game in December. He was not on his game that night, a smart coach takes him out and realizes this.

What were the bad trades that led up to Savard getting fired that you think? He got Damphousse the year before they won the Cup in 1993. The Chelios trade in 1990 was not a smart one but I don't think he was justified in being fired in 1995.

 

[seventieslord]

What were the bad trades that led up to Savard getting fired that you think? He got Damphousse the year before they won the Cup in 1993. The Chelios trade in 1990 was not a smart one but I don't think he was justified in being fired in 1995.

I'll let someone else answer this one. I know that at the time there was a long list of good players he had traded away for poor value, guys like Lumme, Carbonneau, Svoboda, Lemieux. And the Savard trade stung for years. And although they got probably the best player in the Recchi deal, LeClair and Desjardins were both more or less as good as Recchi so that was a 2-for-1 deal too.

I'm sure there are more and better examples but a jaded habs fan can fill in the blanks for us.

 

[Big Phil]

I'll let someone else answer this one. I know that at the time there was a long list of good players he had traded away for poor value, guys like Lumme, Carbonneau, Svoboda, Lemieux. And the Savard trade stung for years. And although they got probably the best player in the Recchi deal, LeClair and Desjardins were both more or less as good as Recchi so that was a 2-for-1 deal too.

I'm sure there are more and better examples but a jaded habs fan can fill in the blanks for us.

Yes the Leclair deal was poor as well. Especially the constant assault he gave to the Habs EVERY time he played them afterwards.

 

[Regal]

My question isn't who would Roy have been traded to if the Nordiques hadn't moved, it's who would the Nordiques have traded for instead? Surely they were still in the market for a goalie; does anybody remember if any other teams were actively shopping a goaltender at the time?

That's a good question too. CuJo was traded that season, but that was before the year, so I suppose if they didn't do it before the season in real life, it wouldn't have happened anyways. Though, it would be interesting to see how things played out if he was though. With playoff success behind Colorado, Joseph would definitely be seen in another light. Though, if they didn't end up winning a cup it would have further sealed the idea that he wasn't a winner (and would have affected the views of Sakic and Forsberg as well).

Other than that, there doesn't look like too many options that season. They could have made a play for Ranford, who ended up being decent down the stretch for Boston, but they probably wouldn't have been able to win a cup with him. Or they may have played out the year with Fiset, and again, probably not have won the cup.

If that was the case, they may have gone after a goalie in the coming seasons. Belfour was traded the next year, and then signed as a free agent, and Joseph and Vanbiesbrouck were free agents in '98. Or they could have tried their luck with Thibault, who was a serviceable, if not championship caliber goalie. You would think they would have spent big money to get an elite guy, though at the same time, you wonder if their finances would have been the same. Colorado was always selling out, but part of that was because they were an elite team right from the start. If that wasn't the case, perhaps things would have been different.

 

[jkrx]

I'll let someone else answer this one. I know that at the time there was a long list of good players he had traded away for poor value, guys like Lumme, Carbonneau, Svoboda, Lemieux. And the Savard trade stung for years. And although they got probably the best player in the Recchi deal, LeClair and Desjardins were both more or less as good as Recchi so that was a 2-for-1 deal too.

I'm sure there are more and better examples but a jaded habs fan can fill in the blanks for us.

Trading Kirk Muller and Schneider to Islanders for Malakhov and Turgeon was what ultimately sealed their fate. Not that it was a bad trade (I think it was a good trade) but it wasn't liked.

 

[MXD]

I'll let someone else answer this one. I know that at the time there was a long list of good players he had traded away for poor value, guys like Lumme, Carbonneau, Svoboda, Lemieux. And the Savard trade stung for years. And although they got probably the best player in the Recchi deal, LeClair and Desjardins were both more or less as good as Recchi so that was a 2-for-1 deal too.

I'm sure there are more and better examples but a jaded habs fan can fill in the blanks for us.

Well...
Lumme was caught in a numbers game and traded for a 2nd pick, which isn't bad value.
And he had Kevin Haller for Svoboda, which is not that bad.

 

[MXD]

Trading Kirk Muller and Schneider to Islanders for Malakhov and Turgeon was what ultimately sealed their fate. Not that it was a bad trade (I think it was a good trade) but it wasn't liked.

Yeah...
Turgeon might have wore out his welcome, but there was no point in trading him for Shayne Corson.

Houle was way worst than Savard.

 

[EventHorizon]

That's a good question too. CuJo was traded that season, but that was before the year, so I suppose if they didn't do it before the season in real life, it wouldn't have happened anyways. Though, it would be interesting to see how things played out if he was though. With playoff success behind Colorado, Joseph would definitely be seen in another light. Though, if they didn't end up winning a cup it would have further sealed the idea that he wasn't a winner (and would have affected the views of Sakic and Forsberg as well).

Other than that, there doesn't look like too many options that season. They could have made a play for Ranford, who ended up being decent down the stretch for Boston, but they probably wouldn't have been able to win a cup with him. Or they may have played out the year with Fiset, and again, probably not have won the cup.

If that was the case, they may have gone after a goalie in the coming seasons. Belfour was traded the next year, and then signed as a free agent, and Joseph and Vanbiesbrouck were free agents in '98. Or they could have tried their luck with Thibault, who was a serviceable, if not championship caliber goalie. You would think they would have spent big money to get an elite guy, though at the same time, you wonder if their finances would have been the same. Colorado was always selling out, but part of that was because they were an elite team right from the start. If that wasn't the case, perhaps things would have been different.

I'm thinking they have to wait for Belfour, Joseph or Vanbiesbrouck. Don't forget that Beezer was a part of the Rangers package for Lindros so we already know the Nordiques have some interest there.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

It is no wonder Houle and Tremblay haven't had jobs in the NHL since they were let go by the Habs. No doubt Tremblay was the worst coach in Habs history. And to think, the guys they let go prior to these two were Serge Savard (GM) and Jacques Demers (coach), two proven winners. Ouch.

15 years ago Montreal lost the last superstar they have ever had. Yes Theodore had that one freak year, but when your best players of the last 15 years are Saku Koivu, an old Kovalev and Mike Cammalleri you know you are doing something wrong. To tell you the truth, Montreal is only now starting to recover from that horrible trade.

Tremblay was Jacques Lemaire's assistant in Minnesota and then in NJ in the second go-round.