When the Montreal Canadiens search for answers as to why they failed to advance past the second round in this year's playoffs, they can pin the blame upon themselves.
The team had promise. With a good core of young talent, grit, and veteran leaders who were playing solid hockey, the signs were encouraging.
What's more is the team's starting goalie, Carey Price, had a fantastic year and should be considered a phenom between the pipes for years to come.
That's why, if I were Bob Gainey, I would be furious with the decisions that head coach Guy Carbonneau made in the second round against the Philadelphia Flyers. He pulled Price in Game Three, and starting backup goalie Jaroslav Halak in Game Four.
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Gainey traded away Cristobal Huet to the Washington Capitals for a second round pick in this year's entry draft, with the intentions of having Price take the reins between the pipes far into the future.
It can be argued that pulling your goalie can be a smart move in that it usually makes your team play harder.
However, Price gave up four goals on 30 shots through two periods, which is hardly a lackluster effort. Price had kept the Canadiens in the game and the pull seemed to be a rookie decision.
Carbonneau then decided to start Halak in Game Four, instead of giving Price, who played a huge role in taking the team up to first place in the Eastern Conference, a chance to redeem himself.
By the time Game Five rolled around, Price must have felt like the team had left him for dead. This was evident when his teammates ignored him as he skated off to the dressing room at the end of Game Four.
Toying with a goalie's confidence is a dangerous game. Doing so with a young goalie like 20-year-old Carey Price is asking for trouble.
It won't be surprising if Carbonneau finds himself handing out resumes for a new coaching position come training camp.
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8 months ago
I think truthfully that Carbonneau's the most overrated coach in the league. Everyone touts him as great; truthfully, I just don't see it. He seems to make too many knee-jerk decisions that result in dumb mistakes. I doubt he gets fired by Gainey, and I guess there really isn't a reason to either considering he brought the team up from the depths of hell to 1st in the conference, but I'm not convinced he's the longterm answer for the Habs.
8 months ago
Punishing a goalie for his previous performance is bad coaching, plain and simple. I don't have any statistics in front of me, but I can say with great confidence that goalies perform MUCH better in games following a bad performance than they do on a typical night. The only thing you accomplish by sitting your goalie is pissing him off and hurting his confidence.
7 months ago
You people don't know what you're talking about. Have you listened or read any player responses since Montreal was ousted? There has been nothing but praise for the coaching staff and a general feeling of excitement to get back at it next year as a group. The coaching staff admitted they made a mistake in not recognizing just how mentally exhausted Price was until it was too late (something Price confirmed in later interviews) but how they handled Price in games 3 and 4 had NOTHING to do with why Montreal lost. They were simply out worked, could not capitalize on the opportunities they had, and didn't get the big save when they needed it (a la Biron).
"I don't have any statistics in front of me, but I can say with great confidence that goalies perform MUCH better in games following a bad performance than they do on a typical night"
Translation: "I don't know what I'm talking about but I'm going to say it with confidence anyway"
"Price gave up four goals on 30 shots through two periods, which is hardly a lackluster effort." Maybe its not lacklustre in PeeWee but a .867 save percentage does not cut it in the NHL, especially the second round of the playoffs.
Sorry ...this article is uninformed as are the responders.
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