Bleacher Report - Articles by Shaun McMahon

The Seventh Floor: Where It All Went Wrong for the Montreal Canadiens

Shaun McMahon — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 17:40:04 -0400

Montreal Canadiens owner George Gillett may be laughing all the way to the bank if he manages to offload the NHL's most-storied franchise for the right price.

The fans, meanwhile, will be left wondering exactly where things went wrong during this highly-anticipated and largely-disappointing centennial season.

If only to be a fly on the wall of the seventh floor at the Bell Centre.

MONEY MAKER

According to a Forbes report last October, the Canadiens are worth $411 million (CDN), placing them behind only the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers.

Quite the turnaround for Gillett, who became the majority owner with 80.1 per cent of the club and the Bell Centre in January 2001, for an estimated $275 million (CDN).

Now that the Gillett family has asked BMO Capital Markets to "assess various strategic alternatives to optimize the value of its corporate assets," according to team president Pierre Boivin, Canadiens fans are scratching their heads and holding their collective breath.

Considering the volatility plaguing the global economy, it must be tough for a billionaire to successfully balance the Canadiens and 50 per cent of English Premier League juggernaut Liverpool, not to mention his interests in the Richard Petty Motorsports NASCAR team, Gillett Entertainment Group, ski resorts, car dealerships and agricultural companies.

Even the best jugglers drop the ball sooner or later.

NOW WHAT?

There's news out today from the Liverpool Echo that suggests there is no FOR SALE sign on the front lawn at Anfield. “We may do some recapitalisation, but any links between what we are doing and the situation at Liverpool is incorrect. We have made no decision to sell,” said Gillett.

So if Liverpool stays in Uncle George's back pocket, the situation looks even worse for the Montreal Canadiens.

To be fair, the Colorado tycoon swooped into Montreal with deep pockets nearly a decade ago when the team was in a veritable tailspin and not a single local enterprise or businessperson would step up to the plate.

None of that matters now.

Bob Gainey was brought in to rectify years of incompetent player management, Guy Carbonneau was groomed as the next great bench boss, and the proposed "five-year plan" was supposed to crescendo with a downtown parade along Ste. Catherine Street in celebration of Montreal's 100th season.

Instead, the Canadiens find themselves struggling on and off the ice and the mood around the team can be constituted as no less than a widespread panic, despite what glib press releases and post-game press conferences may suggest.

Some Montreal players have been linked with known criminals, the team is teetering on the brink of an early golf season, the coach has been fired, and now, the team may be up for sale.

With so many pending unrestricted free agents and an obvious failure on the administrative, coaching, and player levels, it's time to clean house and bring in the right individuals to return this franchise back to the level of respectability it once knew.

Maybe the 101st season will be the one to remember.

Montreal Canadiens Deal Gritty Forward Steve Begin

Shaun McMahon — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:40:16 -0500

Steve Begin's face often matched the red and blue of his Montreal Canadiens uniform.

The 30-year-old Trois-Rivieres native has been traded to the Dallas Stars in exchange for 28-year-old defenceman Doug Janik, who has spent the majority of the season with Rockford of the AHL.

Janik has one assist and three penalty minutes in 13 games this year with Dallas. Begin collected four goals and six assists in 42 games for the Habs this season.

The trade won't be evident on the scoresheet, but it will have an effect on the overall team toughness the Canadiens so sorely lack.

Begin was a warrior on the ice with a heart of gold and an unwavering willingness to do anything for his teammates, but reduced playing time in recent weeks appeared to signal the end of the line for him in Montreal.

As a career fourth-liner, Begin was rarely in the spotlight, but the Calgary Flames' draft pick turned into a fan favorite in Montreal after his arrival in 2003-2004, and was quickly recognized for his bone-crushing bodychecks and fearless shot blocking.

Canadiens fans will have mixed feelings about this deal.

On one hand, a popular and truly good guy is leaving. On the other hand, you can't help but feel happy for Begin, who requested a trade in order to get a new lease on his hockey life.

The Stars disposed of Sean Avery earlier this season, and while Begin doesn't have Avery's offensive upside, he's a better team guy and will add some depth and experience to their locker room.

Good luck Steve, thanks for the effort, the courage and the memories.

Is Brad Richards on the Montreal Canadiens' Shopping List?

Shaun McMahon — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 21:03:17 -0500

According to the French-language sports radio station CKAC, Bob Gainey is reportedly eyeing forward Brad Richards and defenseman Matt Niskanen of the Dallas Stars.

The Canadiens are in desperate need of a talented center following the potential season-ending achilles tendon injury to veteran Robert Lang last Sunday. Lang was cut by the skate of Boston's Stephane Yelle on a harmless-looking play along the boards.

Lang underwent a successful operation in the hours following the game.

Richards, not Niskanen, is the interesting piece to this puzzle. Not since his Conn Smythe performance, when he played for the Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004, has Richards played as well as his salary would suggest.

The 28-year-old native of Prince Edward Island, who played his junior hockey in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, has two years left on deal that pays him $7.8 million per season. Richards had a career-high 91 points with Tampa in the 2005-2006 season, but has tapered off in recent years. He's collected 42 points so far this season.

Those 42 points would make him the leading scorer on the Montreal Canadiens roster, but many feel Richards makes franchise-player money and fails to produce like one.

Keep in mind that the Canadiens have 11 pending unrestricted free agents. While some guys will certainly leave, others will be up for a hefty raise.

Hopes are high in the Dallas organization for Matt Niskanen, a 22-year-old Minnesota native drafted in the first round in 2005 (28th overall). He's making $635,000 this season, and is set to make $805,000 next season before hitting RFA status in 2010-2011.

While he may be an interesting prospect, he's not the No. 4 blueliner the Canadiens desperately need. Not yet, anyway.

Florida Panthers defenseman Jay Bouwmeester should remain Bob Gainey's primary focus. However, it is clear that he'll have to find a talented center to pivot one of Guy Carbonneau's top two lines, before the season slips away.

The playoffs are far from a guarantee, and the time to act is now.

Price, Koivu, and Higgins to Return for the Montreal Canadiens

Shaun McMahon — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 09:53:56 -0500

The Montreal Canadiens have an interesting "problem" on their hands.

Head coach Guy Carbonneau will have some important decisions to make this week as three notable regulars (Carey Price, Saku Koivu, and Chris Higgins) are poised to return from injuries.

That's great, unless you're Max Pacioretty or Matt D'Agostini.

Every team wants to be healthy. After all, it's a very long season and you need everyone to succeed. That's being said, the Canadiens are 11-2-1 over the last month and have been playing really well despite the injury troubles.

Let's not forget, Alex Tanguay is still on the shelf and will obviously regain his regular roster spot upon his return. That means some guys will have to sit...and wait.

Higgins-Koivu-Tanguay is basically an entire line that needs to find some room on what has become a well-oiled machine.

Does Carbonneau really want to break up the dynamic checking third line of Maxim Lapierre, Guillaume Latendresse and Tom Kostopoulos? That would potentially become Montreal's fourth line, dropping their ice time and probably their effectiveness.

Bad news for Steve Begin, not to mention George Laraque and Mathieu Dandenault who will also want a piece of the pie once they're healthy.

The youngsters have stepped up big time, but the Canadiens can only carry a 23-man roster and it's hard to fathom Pacioretty and D'Agostini will BOTH find a way to stay with the team.

D'Agostini blasted out of the starting gate when he was called up, but has slowed down since losing linemate Koivu and taking over fourth line duty.

Pacioretty has been a revelation on a line with Alex Kovalev and Tomas Plekanec, but he's a young player with a two-way contract, possibly forced to take a back seat to a high-priced veteran, regardless of how popular he is.

Goaltending seems to be the only no-brainer.

Jaroslav Halak fought through a couple of tough games, but played well in Price's absence. Nevertheless, it'll be good for the Canadiens to get their number one goaltender back.

Price will stabilize the defense and could be the difference-maker in tight games as the regular season winds down.

The Canadiens are statistically better off than they were this time last year and some key guys are coming back, but chemistry is difficult to quantify and easy to disrupt. Throw in a Vincent Lecavalier trade rumor and things get kind of wobbly.

We'll see how the Habs fare this week with all the expected roster movement.

Maxim Lapierre, Molson Cup Winner, Gives Habs What They Need

Shaun McMahon — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 00:43:58 -0500

Gritty Montreal Canadiens centre Maxim Lapierre was honoured as the Molson Cup Player of the Month for December, marking the first time the St. Leonard native has captured the award.

With four goals and three assists in 13 games, Lapierre collected 11 points in Molson Cup standings last month after being voted first star of the game once and getting two second-star selections. He finished ahead of teammates Matt D’Agostini and Andrei Kostitsyn, each with a 10-point Molson Cup total in December.

The most impressive performance during that span was when the guy they call "Lappy" had a “Gordie Howe hat trick” (a goal, an assist, and a major penalty) to help the Canadiens beat the New York Rangers 6-2 on Dec. 4.

As Canadiens fans scratch their heads over Chris Higgins' ongoing injury troubles and revel in the arrival of top prospect Max Pacioretty due to a busy infirmary, Lapierre is steadily becoming the type of forward the Canadiens have been searching for.

He's intense on the fore-check, an agitator, very responsible in the defensive zone, and gaining in offensive confidence. Flanked by Guillaume Latendresse and Tom Kostopoulos, the trio gives head coach Guy Carbonneau a shut-down line with some offensive punch.

As the team's top stars continue to struggle, those three hard workers are even getting some rare power play time, a true sign that the coach is all about rewarding hard work. It also sends the message that Carbo isn't happy about top guns who have been shooting blanks with the man advantage.

After spending the last two seasons with the best power play in the NHL, the Habs are currently ranked 27th with a paltry 13.4 percent efficiency. Only Phoenix, Nashville, and Columbus are worse with the man advantage.

Lapierre was sent down to Hamilton for a brief spell last season and it seems he got the message. Watch for this young man in the next few years as he could become what Carbonneau was for the Habs a couple of decades ago.

Two Minutes for Ruining the Game

Shaun McMahon — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 01:05:39 -0500

Gone are the days of clutch and grab hockey and thank goodness for that, but smash-mouth hockey also appears to be gone forever.

Prior to the most recent work stoppage in the NHL, players were water skiing and hacking their way across the ice, a truly frustrating game for the players and fans. During the lockout, the NHL stepped in and gave its referees a mandate to clean things up.

What ensued post-lockout was a wide open, free-flowing game, prompting the NHL to pat itself on the back for rectifying a style of play it deemed detrimental to the evolution of the sport.

Don't get ahead of yourself Gary.

Last season was bad and this season is just as unimpressive as the men in stripes are dictating the results with quick whistles and poor judgement.

The Montreal Canadiens took 11 consecutive penalties in a game against Carolina recently. Carolina had ONE. At least 10 of Montreal's penalties were merited, but the Hurricanes were certainly guilty on more than the one occasion.

That's just one example of the lack of balance that exists these days. It happens far too often and the fans are the ones who suffer.

The flow of a game is severely affected when the majority of a 60-minute hockey game is spent on power plays. It's hard to fathom that the NHL is pleased with the current brand of hockey being played, especially when a number of markets (i.e. Phoenix) are having trouble keeping the casual fan interested.

The Vancouver Canucks are averaging about 20 penalty minutes per game this year. Luckily they're in a voracious hockey market and the fans can see past the fragmented play.

Every true fan wants to see quick skating and adept playmaking, but the over-application of the rules has created a league where contact is rare and gaining body position on your opponent is a tricky task because any errant stick or misplaced hip can result in questionable hooking or interference calls.

The experiment is over and if the league wants to progress in the right direction, it needs to tell the refs to back off and let the players do their jobs.

Mike Komisarek is the Key to Success

Shaun McMahon — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 01:45:28 -0500

The Montreal Canadiens went into the Christmas break on a sour note, suffering a disappointing 3-2 shootout loss to the Carolina Hurricanes at the Bell Centre.

It should come as no surprise as the Habs typically don't win games on Dec. 23; coupled by the fact the Hurricanes have had Montreal's number since the lockout.

One positive note from the last three games before the break was the much-anticipated return of rugged defenseman Mike Komisarek. The man many believe to be the next captain of the Canadiens returned to the lineup after sitting out 16 games with a shoulder injury, suffered in a fight with Boston's Milan Lucic on Nov. 13.

During those 16 games, the Canadiens lost nine times, in stark contrast to the six losses they've suffered in 17 games with Komisarek in the lineup this season.

Josh Gorges has done an admirable job filling in for Komo alongside Andrei Markov, but there's no replacing a guy like Mike. A perennial leader in hits and shot blocking, Komisarek is developing into one of the games premiere blue liners.

The Canadiens lack intensity on many nights and they're far from being a physical team. Komisarek supplies the sandpaper the Habs desperately need.

During his absence from the ice, Komisarek was beckoned behind the bench by head coach Guy Carbonneau, putting even more emphasis on his leadership qualities. Those qualities have him poised to see a significant salary increase in 2009-2010.

Komisarek will be an unrestricted free agent this coming off season and will likely command north of five or six million dollars per season, compared to the 1.9 million he's earning this year.

Bob Gainey is notorious for his patience, but that patience may need to take a back seat to the urgency surrounding Montreal's most important UFA.

So much has been made of the centennial season and while it's important to celebrate Montreal's 100th year, the 101st will be really disappointing if the right moves aren't made now, before it's too late.