Can someone answer me this - Why does Bergevin still have a job?

[Orfieus]

Need a GM to speak French to the fans

French interviews >>>> on ice performance

 

[Pi]

Probably because they haven't found another Francophone GM candidate suitable enough to replace the one they currently have.

I'm pretty sure that's the biggest prerequisite.

Why not just have a translator and hire the best talent available?

 

[sandysan]

What does speaking french have to do with having a job?

ask randy cunneyworth !

 

[CauZuki]

The man oozes CHaracter how could you fire that...

 

[Askel]

He is going to beat Mike Milbury and Don Sweeney in the category of awful moves by a former mediocre defenseman.

I think Jim Benning wants in on this category

 

[poetryinmotion]

It's not evident but my theory, and take it for what it's worh (eg. I'm totally speculating) but Molson is afraid of getting rid of him somehow. Either he has no idea who we can hire next or it's a financial issue. I refuse to believe it's blind faith when the house is literally on fire.

 

[NobleSix]

Need a GM to speak French to the fans

French interviews >>>> on ice performance

Not really the case in this situation. If they wanted to fire Bergevin and replace him, yet needed a French speaking candidate, arguably the best candidate language aside is Julien Brisebois. He could easily replace Bergevin. Besides, the GM isn't required to be francophone much like the coach is. And that's a whole different debate in itself.

Molson isnt holding back from firing MB because he speaks french. He's not firing him because he believes in MB's trash 'plan', because MB is basically just starting his extension with a coach he just signed, and because their relationship has evolved into a friendship based one rather than simply a business one.

 

[CristianoRonaldo]

He is a native french speaker.

That part is key, just being fluent in the language isn't enough. You have to be a real "Pure Laine" to join Molson's boys club.

It means that the list of candidates deemed appropriate by ownership is pretty thin; especially because the rest of the NHL is also interesting in perusing top management talent out of Quebec... just like they are trying to find the best in the rest of Canada... and the US... and Europe. The age when Montreal got first pick of the best hockey minds out of francophone Quebec before everyone else is long since gone. That means limiting themselves to just searching Quebec for their GM and head-coach results in having a far shallower talent pool to draw from; hence you get incompetents like Bergevin who get hired and kept, even as they run the team into the ground.

To be fair, Bergevin struggle to speak in french and in English.