Bergevin takes Autumn by Storm (Part 8)

[Runner77]

Reminds me of Brian Burke who was always style over substance.

You have to admit though, he's a mane man. Champ f***ing hair.

 

[Runner77]

Are the Habs the only major franchise in North America where it's the General Manager that gets marketed as the superstar?

I don't believe in Bergevin's abilities when it comes to the matter of assembling a credible contender. However, if I were Geoff Molson, I would be tempted to extend Bergevin and to give him a substantial raise. The man has charisma and good looks to burn, he is surely good for the value of the franchise. Just look at the ads ... it's the general manager who gets sponsorships, holy ****. Just like it's the general manager that people want an autograph from.

Ha, another DA Champion post vaunting Bergevin's good looks. A weekly feature now.

Keep 'em coming.

 

[Runner77]

No one is exempt for hoof-mouth disease.

He and his consortium made picks,how many will come to fruition is another matter for sure. Selecting such young players that will be a force later on,not an enviable job in Montreal.

I'm assuming he'll still be around when those among his prospects, graduate and stick with the club. By then, the tally of homegrown talent should be significant.

 

[LaP]

Are the Habs the only major franchise in North America where it's the General Manager that gets marketed as the superstar?

I don't believe in Bergevin's abilities when it comes to the matter of assembling a credible contender. However, if I were Geoff Molson, I would be tempted to extend Bergevin and to give him a substantial raise. The man has charisma and good looks to burn, he is surely good for the value of the franchise. Just look at the ads ... it's the general manager who gets sponsorships, holy ****. Just like it's the general manager that people want an autograph from.

Probably. BTW i'm very surprised he got the go to do those adds. I mean no problem with him doing adds but now was maybe not the right time to act like you're more important than the team.

 

[Tighthead]

Probably. BTW i'm very surprised he got the go to do those adds. I mean no problem with him doing adds but now was maybe now the right time to act like you're more important than the team.

Shh. That is a cardinal sin to MB...

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Are the Habs the only major franchise in North America where it's the General Manager that gets marketed as the superstar?

I don't believe in Bergevin's abilities when it comes to the matter of assembling a credible contender. However, if I were Geoff Molson, I would be tempted to extend Bergevin and to give him a substantial raise. The man has charisma and good looks to burn, he is surely good for the value of the franchise. Just look at the ads ... it's the general manager who gets sponsorships, holy ****. Just like it's the general manager that people want an autograph from.

Jesus Christ dude...I don't want to destroy your weird and hilarious illusions here, but notorious hunk and panty-dropper Bob Gainey also did commercials for Saint-Hubert restaurants.

 

[OldCraig71]

Are the Habs the only major franchise in North America where it's the General Manager that gets marketed as the superstar?

I don't believe in Bergevin's abilities when it comes to the matter of assembling a credible contender. However, if I were Geoff Molson, I would be tempted to extend Bergevin and to give him a substantial raise. The man has charisma and good looks to burn, he is surely good for the value of the franchise. Just look at the ads ... it's the general manager who gets sponsorships, holy ****. Just like it's the general manager that people want an autograph from.

I hope that you are being sarcastic here, looks or not, he is still a moron.

 

[CHwest]

I hope that you are being sarcastic here, looks or not, he is still a moron.

The moron runs deep and strong in him.

 

[Andrei79]

Bergevin done a great job considering the mess he inherited. Then he had to trade stars to change the attitude in the dressing room. A difficult job to say the least. All of Galchenyuk/Subban/Pacioretty had attitudes and have not done much since we traded them. Trades like Armia/Domi and out and out steals. Especially if Caufield and Primeau live up to expectations scouts are putting on them. The team is turning tens of millions in profits. He has put this club in excellent condition for the future.

I hope you're joking here. What he inherited were future Vezina+Norris winners in their early years, another 1st pair D, depth and a 3rd overall pick all of which quickly made the Habs into a 100 point team despite adding nothing of significance.

He actually managed to add nothing through the best years of his core players. On top of adding nothing, he couldnt even draft and develop a single key player through that window. Like, the team had no player coming up from one year to the next. He's now missed the playoffs 3 of 4 years including two seasons of historical lows for the franchise, breaking century old records of mediocrity.

Man... I just dont get this.

 

[OldCraig71]

I hope you're joking here. What he inherited were future Vezina+Norris winners in their early years, another 1st pair D, depth and a 3rd overall pick all of which quickly made the Habs into a 100 point team despite adding nothing of significance.

He actually managed to add nothing through the best years of his core players. On top of adding nothing, he couldnt even draft and develop a single key player through that window. Like, the team had no player coming up from one year to the next. He's now missed the playoffs 3 of 4 years including two seasons of historical lows for the franchise, breaking century old records of mediocrity.

Man... I just dont get this.

The new spin involves forgetting the past, bypassing it as if it doesn’t matter, a loser of a GM doing fast food commercials, go Bergie!!!! All of this as we sit in no mans land, you are not the only one that does not get it.

 

[BLONG7]

Bergevin done a great job considering the mess he inherited. Then he had to trade stars to change the attitude in the dressing room. A difficult job to say the least. All of Galchenyuk/Subban/Pacioretty had attitudes and have not done much since we traded them. Trades like Armia/Domi and out and out steals. Especially if Caufield and Primeau live up to expectations scouts are putting on them. The team is turning tens of millions in profits. He has put this club in excellent condition for the future.

Easy big fella, the team he inherited, was better than the team he created. Where would we be right now, if he had not inherited Price and Gally?
He had ONE good offseason in 8 years....he has made some good trades, but all in all, he is in way over his head.

 

[Runner77]

I hope you're joking here. What he inherited were future Vezina+Norris winners in their early years, another 1st pair D, depth and a 3rd overall pick all of which quickly made the Habs into a 100 point team despite adding nothing of significance.

He actually managed to add nothing through the best years of his core players. On top of adding nothing, he couldnt even draft and develop a single key player through that window. Like, the team had no player coming up from one year to the next. He's now missed the playoffs 3 of 4 years including two seasons of historical lows for the franchise, breaking century old records of mediocrity.

Man... I just dont get this.

Should we even have to bring up the arguments in this post? Aren’t these facts widely known? But no, not on this forum — it’s a sad weekly chore to have to flag the shameless cherry picking and incredible gymnastics that some posts exhibit when mischaracterizing MB’s tenure in terms of the assets he inherited.

Maybe we ought to pin your post at the top of every thread. And even then, you’d still see posts making the same misrepresentations. Friggin hopeless.

 

[DAChampion]

I hope that you are being sarcastic here, looks or not, he is still a moron.

Bergevin's a moron, but he's a moron that's good for business.

I don't like Bergevin as a fan of the team, because all I care about is seeing a credible contender. However, if I were the owner, I might like Bergevin, because he's good for business. Due to his charisma, fans are willing to support the team and make excuses for him regardless of what's on the ice. That wasn't the case with Houle, Gainey, and Gauthier.

 

[Sorinth]

Jesus Christ dude...I don't want to destroy your weird and hilarious illusions here, but notorious hunk and panty-dropper Bob Gainey also did commercials for Saint-Hubert restaurants.

Doesn't this actually support his point?

In Montreal GMs are "stars"so the owner might/should value the charisma of the GM and not just his competence on making the team better. We also saw what happens when the GM lacks that charisma/media savvy with Pierre Gauthier, who actually did a better job as GM and improved on the team he inherited.

 

[Sorinth]

Bergevin's a moron, but he's a moron that's good for business.

I don't like Bergevin as a fan of the team, because all I care about is seeing a credible contender. However, if I were the owner, I might like Bergevin, because he's good for business. Due to his charisma, fans are willing to support the team and make excuses for him regardless of what's on the ice. That wasn't the case with Houle, Gainey, and Gauthier.

There's a legitimate case to be made that having a GM who keeps the media content and positive is actually an important part of the job. We've all seen how terrible our media can be with the players when they decide to go negative. They can certainly play a part in derailing a young persons career, or causing a player to not want to re-sign, or scaring away UFAs, etc...

So a competent GM that can keep that away from his players might actually do better then a GM that's better at roster building but has a bad relationship with the media.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Doesn't this actually support his point?

In Montreal GMs are "stars"so the owner might/should value the charisma of the GM and not just his competence on making the team better. We also saw what happens when the GM lacks that charisma/media savvy with Pierre Gauthier, who actually did a better job as GM and improved on the team he inherited.

I'm saying that Bergevin's looks aren't a deal breaker or the reason why he's still in charge. Nor is it the reason for his misguided assumption that the average Habs fan supports Bergevin.

 

[ECWHSWI]

I'm saying that Bergevin's looks aren't a deal breaker or the reason why he's still in charge. Nor is it the reason for his misguided assumption that the average Habs fan supports Bergevin.

not misguided. the number of peeps I know that think he's doing the best he could and that's more than enough is pretty impressive I'd say

 

[Sorinth]

I'm saying that Bergevin's looks aren't a deal breaker or the reason why he's still in charge. Nor is it the reason for his misguided assumption that the average Habs fan supports Bergevin.

So why do people still support him and why is he still in charge? Because it's clearly not because he's a good GM.

 

[Lshap]

There's a legitimate case to be made that having a GM who keeps the media content and positive is actually an important part of the job. We've all seen how terrible our media can be with the players when they decide to go negative. They can certainly play a part in derailing a young persons career, or causing a player to not want to re-sign, or scaring away UFAs, etc...

So a competent GM that can keep that away from his players might actually do better then a GM that's better at roster building but has a bad relationship with the media.

We've come to believe that marketing is a necessary skill for our GM, but that expectation is a result of recent inertia, not logic. We went decades with a series of invisible GMs and nobody cared. Because it's not about the GM himself; it's about team access. So give them access via a President or PR person. Choose a President skilled in public relations and the media can get its insider information, but in a calmer, friendlier package. What we have now is the worst of both worlds, where GM and media are pulling in opposite directions. Plus, it overlays onto our GM a secondary job he doesn't want and isn't good at. If we want someone good at managing contracts and moving personnel, don't expect him to also be good at smiling in front of a camera. It's like telling your accountant that he also needs to design your company's website. Two different skill-sets require two different people.

 

[DAChampion]

There's a legitimate case to be made that having a GM who keeps the media content and positive is actually an important part of the job. We've all seen how terrible our media can be with the players when they decide to go negative. They can certainly play a part in derailing a young persons career, or causing a player to not want to re-sign, or scaring away UFAs, etc...

So a competent GM that can keep that away from his players might actually do better then a GM that's better at roster building but has a bad relationship with the media.

I don't think that protecting the players in this manner is that big a deal, and anyway he's not doing it. The Habs have not really protected players during the Bergevin era, especially compared to Gainey who told the fans not to boo Brisebois.

The reason that I think that Bergevin is good for marketing and for profits is that due to his looks and charisma, fans are willing to be satisfied with mediocrity. There is no way that fans would have tolerated such a poor outcome under Gainey and Gauthier, but with Bergevin the fans are happy. Molson probably sees this, and is probably relieved that he doesn't lose attendance and ratings if his team doesn't make the playoffs.

Bergevin has had 8 drafts as Habs GM. Just yesterday, might have been two days ago, a poster told me that Bergevin is building through the draft on the basis that he's drafted 8 1st rounders in those 8 years (he phrased it euphemistically, as "Bergevin has never traded away a 1st round pick."). That is an example of the mental gymnastics that people go to in order to defend Bergevin, and to validate him. The brand is really secure with him as the figurehead. People want to believe in Bergevin.

It's equivalent to a political party having an extremely charismatic leader. With such a leader, the people are willing to submit to lesser conditions prior to ditching the party in power. It's a great advantage to have.

I have zero respect for Bergevin in terms of his capacity to assemble a credible contender, and in terms of his character. I think that he's a narcissistic moron with a revolting personality. However, I also think that Molson may have struck gold by hiring him.

Edited to add: It helps that the media, largely made of former mediocre players, sees Bergevin as one of their own.

I watched the Toronto game on some French-language feed. At one point, a guy with a microphone praised Bergevin because he wanted to draft Morgan Rielly rather than Alex Galchenyuk in 2012. He went on for a minute or something, and he really presented this information as if it was validating of Bergevin. That's because when you love someone, you will tend to interpret their actions in a positive light.

 

[Doc McKenna]

Probably. BTW i'm very surprised he got the go to do those adds. I mean no problem with him doing adds but now was maybe not the right time to act like you're more important than the team.

I give him 4 classless subbans on those commercials. Think of the children!!

 

[llamateizer]

Comments are disabled for this video and those videos.

Go figure out why.

like 100% of the channel's videos

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I don't get the 'Bergevin is good for business angle' but whatever.

I think he's kept around because ownership is (and I'm saying this factually not as a swipe) is content with mediocrity. I think Molson sees the Habs as a side project and it's not something he's really interested in rocking the boat on. As long as the fans aren't burning down the streets I don't think he cares. He probably likes Bergevin on a personal level and that's why he's still around.

 

[Tighthead]

I don't get the 'Bergevin is good for business angle' but whatever.

I think he's kept around because ownership is (and I'm saying this factually not as a swipe) is content with mediocrity. I think Molson sees the Habs as a side project and it's not something he's really interested in rocking the boat on. As long as the fans aren't burning down the streets I don't think he cares. He probably likes Bergevin on a personal level and that's why he's still around.

Molson has most of his net worth wrapped up in the Habs so if that is a side project what is his main project?

I think he likes Bergevin and is slightly deferential to him as well because he is an ex NHLer. Molson loves the alumni and like many owners probably is in some small part a jock sniffer type.

 

[Runner77]

I don't get the 'Bergevin is good for business angle' but whatever.

To me it's just further confirmation that Bergevin is the face of the franchise.