News Article: Geoff Molson re-affirms confidence in Marc Bergevin, will not hire a president of hockey operations

[Miller Time]

75% of the players are overpaid? I think you are falling towards exaggeration to prove your point. I think Price, Gallagher, Drouin, Savard are overpaid. You probably got others on the list but that would be marginal at best. It's not 75% bud but we are loosing games so as always, it's going to be presented as it being worse than it really is.

Price might well be one of the only vets not overpaid lol... wether or not that % of cap for a goalie makes sense or not, is a different question. but as he showed in carrying the team to 3 playoff series wins last spring, he is elite and when at his best, among the top 3-5 most valuable players in the leauge.

Gallagher, Drouin, Anderson, Armia, Dvorak, Byron, Chiarot, Savard, Hoffman, Petry... most of our vets are either overpaid for what they contribute, or on track to be so in short order if they decline even a touch from their current level as they move into/further along their 30's... unless the cap goes up significantly.

& yeah... veteran players paid to perform that aren't able to do so and as a result, the team loses a lot more games than they win, are by definition "overpaid"... what could they be paid for if not to perform and help the team win

 

[Buck Dancer]

Montreal Canadiens will not hire a non bilingual general manager . The province of Quebec is a francophone province to be considered for the position of general manager of the Montreal Canadiens being bilingual is a must.

I’m not a Habs fans but I do live in Montreal and I can’t for the life of me understand that. Who gives a flying you know what, what the GM has to say in his press conference? If the team on the ice can rack up W’s, nobody will care if the coach can only speak Spanish and the GM can only speak Russian.

Winning cancels all the other nonsense and unfortunately for Habs fans, these idiot reporters like Réjean Tremblay and the other separatist journalists are going to cry and moan about this until they retire or grow a brain.

They got their French Canadian quota this summer and all of them have been massive disappointments, but hey, you have your "Québécois"!

P.S. I’m French Canadian btw

 

[Habs Halifax]

Price might well be one of the only vets not overpaid lol... wether or not that % of cap for a goalie makes sense or not, is a different question. but as he showed in carrying the team to 3 playoff series wins last spring, he is elite and when at his best, among the top 3-5 most valuable players in the leauge.

Gallagher, Drouin, Anderson, Armia, Dvorak, Byron, Chiarot, Savard, Hoffman, Petry... most of our vets are either overpaid for what they contribute, or on track to be so in short order if they decline even a touch from their current level as they move into/further along their 30's... unless the cap goes up significantly.

& yeah... veteran players paid to perform that aren't able to do so and as a result, the team loses a lot more games than they win, are by definition "overpaid"... what could they be paid for if not to perform and help the team win

Price is overpaid. Didn't read anything past that.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Montreal Canadiens reside in a fracophone province to be general manager of the team being bilingual is a must .
If you don't agree or like it that's fine but that's how it is and isn't going to change.

The Montreal Canadiens belong to the NHL and can absolutely have a GM or Coach that is not bilingual. As they have had in the past. Otherwise, the appointing of Cunneyworth as Head Coach would not have been legally possible, but it happened - because it isn't a BFOR.

 

[L4br3cqu3]

Montreal Canadiens reside in a fracophone province to be general manager of the team being bilingual is a must .
If you don't agree or like it that's fine but that's how it is and isn't going to change.

Nationalisme stupide.

Petit peuple, petit héros.

Especially when they don't give a f*** about the french speaking part and just pretend to, how easy it is to fool brainwashed masses.

We're not second grade people, but that nationalism is second grade.

Et en tant que québécois, cette hypocrisie là m'a toujours mis en criss.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

It's not a must. It's a privately owned company and the person who owns that company can do whatever the hell they want.

Absolutely but anyone knows that the team's place in the culture goes far beyond that and frankly, if someone isn't from Quebec, they should probably take a pass on that debate. And I'm a Quebecois who couldn't care less if the GM spoke French.

 

[417]

75% of the players are overpaid? I think you are falling towards exaggeration to prove your point. I think Price, Gallagher, Drouin, Savard are overpaid. You probably got others on the list but that would be marginal at best. It's not 75% bud but we are loosing games so as always, it's going to be presented as it being worse than it really is.

Who cares at the end of the day how we qualify player's contract...overpaid or not.

It doesn't change anything.

There isn't a single NHL team who doesn't have players on their roster we can considered "overpaid". There's also no such thing as an NHL team whose got 23 value contracts.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Here's Engels thoughts on the matter, just for reference from someone who reports on the organization.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Here's Engels thoughts on the matter, just for reference from someone who reports on the organization.

View attachment 478217

He's 100 percent right on all of these points. I don't like Timmins but there's no way he's not in charge of the upcoming draft.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Also, I believe the French speaking thing has kind of become a self-fulfilling anchor. It's been talked about for so long and pandered to that if the Habs pull the plug, people who might not have cared twenty years ago will think they're being given the finger. I think it'd be irrational but definitely something that a billion dollar corporation with major cultural value to an ethnic group has to take into consideration.

 

[WeThreeKings]

He's 100 percent right on all of these points. I don't like Timmins but there's no way he's not in charge of the upcoming draft.

I think what he says for #2 makes the most sense - if you put someone in place there with the right philosophy and is really in charge, then you could put a bilingual GM in place and AGM can be bilingual as well (and should be if your prerequisite is bilingualism) because the point is to groom successors in the organization.

Sam Pollock was groomed as the successor.. Julien Brisebois was being groomed as a successor but they didn't do a good enough job of succession planning and let him go.

We haven't been grooming succession planning for awhile, they started to do it with Ducharme/Bouchard at a coaching level but again let Bouchard go.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

I think what he says for #2 makes the most sense - if you put someone in place there with the right philosophy and is really in charge, then you could put a bilingual GM in place and AGM can be bilingual as well (and should be if your prerequisite is bilingualism) because the point is to groom successors in the organization.

Sam Pollock was groomed as the successor.. Julien Brisebois was being groomed as a successor but they didn't do a good enough job of succession planning and let him go.

We haven't been grooming succession planning for awhile, they started to do it with Ducharme/Bouchard at a coaching level but again let Bouchard go.

I agree. As for Bouchard, they didn't let him go, he chose to leave (I believe he was offered a contract - if not even a spot on Ducharme's staff?). I don't know what the next GM is going to look like, but personally, I have an inkling that if a rockstar candidate is available, the Habs won't care what language they speak and probably never have so long as it was a slamdunk. Weren't they looking at Jim Nill in 2012? He was a hotshot candidate. As for the rest, my position is hire the best regardless language and like I believe @417 suggested before, with the prerequisite that a genuine effort to learn French is made, all paid for by the organization.

 

[GammaAway]

Also, I believe the French speaking thing has kind of become a self-fulfilling anchor. It's been talked about for so long and pandered to that if the Habs pull the plug, people who might not have cared twenty years ago will think they're being given the finger. I think it'd be irrational but definitely something that a billion dollar corporation with major cultural value to an ethnic group has to take into consideration.

It would be interesting if they went for a non-Canadian French speaker (i.e. Swiss, since they are the only other country that speaks French and has a legitimate hockey culture). Then we'd see if it's about speaking French or being a Québécois.

 

[417]

I agree. As for Bouchard, they didn't let him go, he chose to leave (I believe he was offered a contract - if not even a spot on Ducharme's staff?). I don't know what the next GM is going to look like, but personally, I have an inkling that if a rockstar candidate is available, the Habs won't care and probably never have. Weren't they looking at Jim Nill in 2012? He was a hotshot candidate. As for the rest, my position is hire the best regardless language and like I believe @417 suggested before, with the prerequisite that a genuine effort to learn French is made, all paid for by the organization.

Having prerequisites, that aren't related to hockey, is not a smart hiring practice.

Don't make it a requirement, just make it a condition that has to be fulfilled, not qualified.

If someone wants the job, they'll make it important and learn.

And to be honest, even some french candidates could use some french language training from le Centre Linguistique du Collège de Jonquière.

 

[CHwest]

I still have a hard time believing this team will do a full rebuild and that MB won't be back, though the longer it goes without hearing anything about the contract talk between Molson/MB maybe he won't be back. With the team struggling so bad maybe that will change Molson's mind as well. Or are they waiting for Price, Edmundson, Byron and Perreault to get back and hope that the team plays a lot better?

The reason why I don't believe Molson would want to admit to a rebuild is how f***ing stupid he will look. So 2 years ago he sends out a letter saying it could take up to 7 years for the rebuild and then the next year he says the rebuild is over and now the players are saying not so fast. So what's he do say the rebuild is back on again? So it's on, it's off and then on in the span of under 3 years? Wouldn't that point to someone having no clue at how to run this organization and shouldn't be president just because they had enough money to buy the team?

I know most want MB and Timmins gone and think one or both are the main reason we suck but to me it starts with this clown as we need a real hockey president that has experience at running a NHL team not selling shitty beer.

He probably thinks his beer is good as well.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Having prerequisites, that aren't related to hockey, is not a smart hiring practice.

Don't make it a requirement, just make it a condition that has to be fulfilled, not qualified.

If someone wants the job, they'll make it important and learn.

And to be honest, even some french candidates could use some french language training from le Centre Linguistique du Collège de Jonquière.

Fully agreed. A guy like Bergevin had been living in the US since the 80s prior to being hired and obviously worked strictly in English. It shows.

 

[Fish on The Sand]

If a general manager is not bilingual they are not qualified to be general manager of the Montreal Canadiens .

This is ridiculous.

You're basically saying we aren't qualified to be an NHL hockey team then because there are so few qualified people who speak French.

 

[417]

If a general manager is not bilingual they are not qualified to be general manager of the Montreal Canadiens .

Sure… as long as bilingualism is the only qualification to be GM of the Montreal Canadiens.

In which case I’d advanced I’m more qualified than anyone they could potentially hire right now.

I’m French and achieved exempt status in my 2nd language evaluation (English).

I mean sure I’ve never played hockey in my life and I have zero experience in managing hockey teams but I’m perfectly bilingual.

 

[Miller Time]

Price is overpaid. Didn't read anything past that.

you'd think a player that almost singlehandedly provided the fan base with it's most exciting playoff run in 30 years would get a touch more respect... then again, from fans who love the , approach to following the team, i guess not.

 

[Mandala]

That is a problem. I am not happy with competent, I want good or best. Screw competent just because they speak a certain language.

By definition competent is good. Not sure what is your definition of competence.

 

[Buck Dancer]

The thing is that the Habs will have to recycle the same guys because who else is competent enough to get the job as a head coach or a GM. The only coach I can see who hasn't already been fired by the Habs is Bob Hartley and Patrick Roy.

Outside of those 2 guys, there's absolutely no one else with the proper pedigree to take over this shitshow.

 

[Catanddogguitarrr]

Using your standard ownership could hire someone from Russia or China who couldn't speak french or english and just hire a translator.
Montreal Canadiens will not hire a non bilingual general manager .

To be considered for the position of general manager of the Montreal Canadiens being bilingual is a must .

Montreal have to be the first team with a non francophone and non anglophone coach. There will be translation on the spot on the bottom of the screen, in both languages. Yeahh, cool ! To be fair with everyone and to make people happy. I want that coach coming from China, he must be tought on discipline, yell orders in chinese, Tortz version chinese. And a full time translator. This is all to satisfy everyone because anything else would be xenophobia.

I'll blog about it !

 

[HabsWhiteKnightLOL]

75% of the players are overpaid? I think you are falling towards exaggeration to prove your point. I think Price, Gallagher, Drouin, Savard are overpaid. You probably got others on the list but that would be marginal at best. It's not 75% bud but we are loosing games so as always, it's going to be presented as it being worse than it really is.

add Anderson , Chariot , Byron and Armia.
Alot of dead weight money on secondary players.

 

[dcyhabs]

Air Canada has a long history of opposition to francophones. Even when it was a public entity. You don't see that in European airlines used to multilingual clients.

The Habs are a real private company but they have a multilingual market. It makes sense that in such a case, the leaders can communicate with the market.

Air Canada has a history of asking for bailouts, telling the unions and shareholders that they have to accept worse deals, getting the bailout, saying that since it's a onetime payment there is nothing they can do with it, certainly not pay debt, and then giving it all out as bonuses to the executives who trashed the company. I'd hope Air Canada long term and this CEO short term would be cut off from government money.

 

[QuebecPride]

I agree. As for Bouchard, they didn't let him go, he chose to leave (I believe he was offered a contract - if not even a spot on Ducharme's staff?). I don't know what the next GM is going to look like, but personally, I have an inkling that if a rockstar candidate is available, the Habs won't care what language they speak and probably never have so long as it was a slamdunk. Weren't they looking at Jim Nill in 2012? He was a hotshot candidate. As for the rest, my position is hire the best regardless language and like I believe @417 suggested before, with the prerequisite that a genuine effort to learn French is made, all paid for by the organization.

Bouchard apparently left because he felt he was let down by Bergevin last year when they stole Burrows away from him. The team didn't hire another assistant for him, so him and Daniel Jacob had to take on more responsibilities. Also, he probably saw a better chance to access the NHL via the ducks.