Did politics kill the Habs franchise ?

[OldManGroin]

Hear me out.

Montreal by far has the most media coverage of any team since they deal in both official languages and anyone who lived here knows french sports media is 24/7 about Habs.

That adds increased pressure for any potential UFAs wanting to play here.

Not to mention higher tax rates.

Also the reputation they have for demanding french representation from their players.

It really started to become apparent during the Koivu captaincy era. He had already been with the team for years and i remember the media started ripping into him because he couldn't speak french despite living in Quebec for years.

Obviously this did get heard about amongst the players community.

Than they rehire the same 2 coaches they fired just becuz they spoke french meanwhile disregarding better english only candidates ( apparently Babcock was interested ).

Than they obviously needed a french speaking GM, not just a GM. Once again limiting your candidates.

And now all the pressure to get a french speaking superstar they traded away a solid bluechip D ( Sergachev ) after they had lost Subban n Markov and were in desperate need of D now for a LW Drouin ( who lets not forget he had drama while in TB playing for one of the best teams in the league and HOF Yzerman ) that they decided was a natural C to please the masses.

Not counting all the forced drafting of french players not panning out ( Leblanc, Latendresse )

Anyone else believe if the Habs focussed on getting the best coaching staff, management and players regardless of language spoken theyd be better off ?

Click to read more...

 

[The Senators Guy]

I don't buy it. I think the Habs are just like the rest of the teams. I agree with the last statement but I just think they had a bad year and will be back next year. But yeah that language speaking thing is real dumb. I only believe in NHL scheduling trolled Beregvin because it's funny.

 

[Rebels57]

Bergevin killed the Habs.

 

[OldMilIce]

It certainly doesn't help.

 

[Fandlauer]

It certainly has been a massive negative for the team.

Limiting your most important jobs to bilingual candidates just makes it much harder to be competitive. You've instantly screened out some of the best hockey minds on the planet because they can't speak French. As time goes on and the game becomes bigger and bigger in the US it's only going to handicap the Habs even more.

 

[JackSlater]

Montreal limits itself with language politics. That doesn't mean that the team cannot succeed, but in a competitive league it isn't the best idea to impose a limitation on yourself that no other team has. Montreal should remember that the GM who set up Montreal's historical dominance in hockey was Frank Selke, from Kitchener Ontario. Two of Montreal's three finest coaches ever, Dick Irvin and Toe Blake, were also not from Quebec and I'm not sure how strong their French was.

The media is another problem, but pretty much every Canadian team has that.

 

[justafan22]

Though he wasn't a good coach, they ran out Cunneyworth since he didn't speak French. Hell, they didn't bring in Babcock despite him going to school in the area etc and speaking no French.

 

[TheMule93]

it compounded their other issues

 

[Butch 19]

this would be a cool thread on the habs board, no?

i mean, how would fans of 30 other teams have any info on politics??

 

[Bood12]

so if the Subban trade does not happen are they still a playoff worthy team? or was their demise inevitable

 

[CashMash]

Part of a multitude of reasons. An appropriate analogy would be affirmative action versus merit. Whether or not a coach speaks French is irrelevant as far as their ability to coach is concerned. Imposing arbitrary restrictions is anti-meritocratic.

 

[OldManGroin]

so if the Subban trade does not happen are they still a playoff worthy team? or was their demise inevitable

Trading subban accelerated the downhill process.

Like him or hate him he had infectuous energy.

They played well beyond their means for years. They were outshoot regularly and didnt dominate possession.

No advanced stats ever backed there winning seasons.

 

[Spirit of 67]

I don't think so. I think it's been a contributor but it's not been the death knell.
Also, I think that very poor/meddling ownership is what is the biggest problem currently.
Shanny seems to be the first team president we've had that's been able to put up a firewall between the team and the board room.

 

[El Cohiba]

Just skimmed the original post but I will say that Bergevin has done more to ruin the franchise than politics.

 

[Evergreen]

I hate when people say “hear me out.” Like the idea they have is so wild that everyone needs to put their drink down and listen to the crazy guy who might just be right.

Yes, the pressure to have French-speaking figures in the organization means the Habs are often limited in their candidates. That’s unfortunate but it’s the way it is. Either they appease the media and French-Canadian fan base or they deal with criticism for the sake of having better options. Personally I think a winning team would erase all criticism so I’d just go for the best candidates and players instead of worrying about language, but it’s often not that easy.

 

[OldManGroin]

this would be a cool thread on the habs board, no?

i mean, how would fans of 30 other teams have any info on politics??

Its good to get different perspectives.

As you can see many ppl has there own opinion about it.

Hence the whole idea of discussion boards.

 

[OldManGroin]

Just skimmed the original post but I will say that Bergevin has done more to ruin the franchise than politics.

You dont think its because he tried to play the politics game he ruined the team ?

 

[nobody]

So unlike Toronto, you guys have won cups since the expansion. How come this "politics" didn't matter then?

Also, what part of Quebec is Shea Weber from?

 

[Spring in Fialta]

I hate when people say “hear me out.” Like the idea they have is so wild that everyone needs to put their drink down and listen to the crazy guy who might just be right.

Yes, the pressure to have French-speaking figures in the organization means the Habs are often limited in their candidates. That’s unfortunate but it’s the way it is. Either they appease the media and French-Canadian fan base or they deal with criticism for the sake of having better options. Personally I think a winning team would erase all criticism so I’d just go for the best candidates and players instead of worrying about language, but it’s often not that easy.

Especially for such a common idea.

 

[Iapyi]

I think they should keep on doing exactly what they've been doing.

 

[El Cohiba]

You dont think its because he tried to play the politics game he ruined the team ?

Not really. Look at the Subban trade. He was dealt for an Anglo player. I don't know about salary specifics in this case to comment on the impact of taxation here, but Shea makes a pretty good chunk of money at a long term.

 

[JT Kreider]

Look at the player who was drafted with the next pick after Lebanc lmao

 

[Master P]

I don't know if it kills the franchise but its definitely like playing the game with one arm tied behind your back. Really silly stuff.

 

[Hennessy]

It certainly stands out, though I can't say what share of the blame it may have. I do know that for years Colorado still had a pretty strong French-Canadien bent to their dealings after leaving Quebec. It wasn't as obvious as before they relocated or what Montreal continues to do, but old habits die hard.

 

[B17 Apricots]

I think it's more than that, besides the bad moves it sems like the culture management has created is just flat out shameful. In no way am I ripping the fanbase by any means but the stuff with Briere and Desharnais was just degenerate shit