Habs Hundredth Season is Hell

The Montreal Canadiens' 100th anniversary season is becoming a nightmare. The firing of head coach Guy Carbonneau becoming the latest horror.

General manager Bob Gainey will take over behind the bench for the second time in three years after axing his former teammate Carbonneau.

The surprise announcement came a day after the team ended a two-game losing run with a 3-1 victory over the Dallas Stars.

They say the first hundred years are the worst but season No. 100 has been hell for the Montreal Canadiens. They are facing an investigation for links to criminals and gangs.

The team is being investigated by the NHL for having links to an organized crime figure who is being charged with weapons and drug charges, and is alleged to be an intermediary between criminal gangs in Montreal.

La Presse reported that there were ties between three Montreal Canadiens players and Pasquale Mangiola, who is facing various charges: Andrei, Sergei Kostitsyn, and Roman Hamrlik. The three players are not suspected of any criminal activity.

Earlier this week, Montreal GM Bob Gainey traded for veteran defenseman Mathieu Schneider, shipped Sergei Kostitsyn to the AHL and left star Alexei Kovalev home for Montreal's road trip.

Founded in 1909, the Canadiens are the oldest continuously operating professional hockey. The Canadiens have won 24 Stanley Cups (including their first in 1916, before the NHL existed), more than any other team.

The Canadiens are right up there with the New York Yankees and the Glasgow Rangers, in terms of championships. Well, the Yankees have won 26 times, but the Glasgow Rangers have won the Scottish league championship 51 times.

Celebrating their 100th anniversary has been hard, lately.

The Montreal Canadiens have slipped from third to sixth place in the NHL's Eastern Conference in less than a month. They are 3-11-1 in their last 15 games and are fighting for a play-off berth.

Their best player, Alexei Kovalev, is playing so poorly that the team told him to take a time out away from the other members.

At the start of the season, the Canadiens were considered the favorites to win the Eastern Conference.