Habs Chime In On Sundin Saga, New Expectations

Fourteen players from the Canadiens, in addition to team president Pierre Boivin and coach Guy Carbonneau are on the links at Laval sur le Lac this afternoon for a charity golf tournament. Several media caught up with them, including Pat Hickey of the Gazette, and the audio interviews are posted at Habs Inside Out. Carbonneau and Boivin speak about the Sundin Saga, and players such as Mike Komisarek, Carey Price, Tom Kostopoulos, Steve Begin and Alex Tanguay chime in on the expectations for the new season.

I have transcribed the parts of the Boivin and Carbonneau conversations dealing with Sundin questions below. The individual interviews last on average five to seven minutes. Check out this HIO link for more.

Manager Bob Gainey was also on hand, and was asked the obligatory Sundin question that if did not decide by December, then what then?

"Well, we'll start the season and we're going to play our cards that we have available, trying to guess what might be. But ten, or twelve or fourteen cards lower in the deck, that's not a good card to play."

Pierre Boivin treaded carefully over Sundin queries worded for alluring quotes.

"We still have room for him. He fits our team beautifully. He knows that, but at one point, training camp is around the corner, and we're gonna need to get on with our lives".

Do you feel it important to have an emissary there to know that you are still very much foremost on his mind to the point that you...

"No, he knows where were at. He has had multiple conversations with Bob. He has all of the information. You know this is not a beauty pageant, this is about a very mature, very established player deciding about his career and about his life. Nobody is going to twist his arm. We'll see."

The fans are starting to believe this is a beauty pageant and that this is a Prima Donna move. Do you think he risks losing the respect of fans just dragging it out like this, and holding up GM's all around the league?

"I don't think so, once he decides, if he doesn't come back, people will understand that this was a very tough decision for him to take, and probably will understand why it took so long. If he comes back, you know, he'll be in training camp, he'll be at a faceoff in an opening game, and life will go on. People will forget. Whatever city he ends up in, the fans will be happy to have him, and those who lost him will turn the page and move on and focus on the team they have."

There's twenty five guy that are hung up right now and could be pissed off at him...

"That's the unfortunate part. The unfortunate part is that his decision has a domino effect on a number of players, and because of there are a number of teams in the running and options on all sides, and the CBA has no provisions for that, and you know he could not land a decision and decide in December that he's coming back, as did Niedermayer and Selanne did last year, so who knows."

Are you guys philosophically open to a possibility of a player like Mats parachuting in say, December or January.

"We haven't even talked about that. I have absolutely no idea. I really don't know how we would react. I would hope that are teams is complete and that we are winning a lot of games and that we are solidly entrenched in the standings and that we don't want to disturb what going on. But you know we get to the trading deadline in February, and you at you look at how you might be able to take yourself over the top, but frankly we haven't had that conversation yet. So it's one step at a time."

Guy Carbonneau doesn't seem to be losing much sleep over what is keeping Sundin awake at night.

"I had a good talk with Bob at the start, when we decided to try to go that route. You know if he decides to come here, and I think the 29 other coaches that feel the same way, anytime you have a guy like that who is allowed to go anywhere he wants and join a team - you know you're going to be a better team - so obviously we had a little boost at the start, but it's not like everytime I got up in the morning that I was reading or looking at my e-mails. We knew that our team was built at 99%, there was room for him if he wanted to come here, but if he does he does, if he doesn't, we're ready to start."

Do you expect there will be more changes, because there is a lot of cap room left?

"Like I said, I think Bob is always trying to improve, there is still a few guys available, and everybody knows that there are some teams that are over the cap. Some teams are a littler higher than they expected to be, and they have until the first game of the season to make room so you never know what's going to happen tomorrow."

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Habs For Breakfast - March 9, 2008

Baptism Of Fire For Habs Young Guns - Gazette

"There has been a lot of talk about the importance of experience in this series and both teams offer a mix of seasoned veterans and raw rookies. Much has been made of the fact that the Habs have 10 players with no NHL playoff experience and that group includes 20-year-old goaltender Carey Price." - Pat Hickey

Higgins Prepares For Playoffs - Gazette

"A mature voice and a leader in the dressing room and on the ice as an alternate captain, Higgins admits he's hardly the go-to guy for younger players seeking insight into the nuances of the playoffs. He has only six postseason games to his credit, all against the Carolina Hurricanes in 2005-06, scoring once and adding three assists in that series." - Dave Stubbs

Getting Chara Off His Game Key For Habs - Gazette

Chara had a goal, three assists and a minus-6 rating in the Bruins' eight losses to the Canadiens this season. He also had a team-high 31 penalty minutes against Montreal, though that's a misleading statistic; he earned 25 of them on Nov. 17 when he pretty much lost his mind in one incident. But Chara's discipline can be fragile, if not invisible, especially if he's laid into often. Montreal was the NHL's highest-scoring team, with its most prolific power play. The equation, then, is simple: Bruins minus Chara could equal big trouble for Boston." - Dave Stubbs

Coach Julien The Underdog Once Again - Gazette

"The irony isn't lost on Bruins head coach Claude Julien, who finds himself in the same situation he was in 2004 when he coached the Canadiens. The Bruins finished second in the Eastern Conference that year with 104 points, 11 more than the seventh-place Canadiens. The Bruins were heavily favoured in the playoffs, but the Habs won the series in seven." - Pat Hickey

Bleu, Blanc, Rouge In The Red? I Don't Think So! - Gazette

"Multiply the capacity of the 21,273-seat Bell Centre by 41 home games during the 2007-08 season. For purposes of this exercise, we won't count the five exhibition games the Canadiens played at the Bell Centre in September. That works out to 872,193 paid admissions. At an average ticket price of $70, revenue from attendance was $61 million." - Mike Boone

Montreal Going Giddy Over Surprising Habs - TSN

"They captured their fourth straight Cup at a time when winning a championship in Montreal was no more of a spring phenomenon than potholes or drinking beer on a terrace. The mayor could announce that the Stanley Cup parade would be held on the usual route and everyone knew what he meant. Indeed, winning cups were so routine then, Montrealers never even bothered to riot." - Michael Farber

Canadiens Watch: Don't take Bruins Lightly - The Hockey News

"An optimist would say the Montreal Canadiens couldn’t have scripted it better. A pessimist, or at the very least a believer in the law of averages, would say watch out for dropping shoes. The Canadiens have beaten the Boston Bruins in 11 consecutive games. Recent playoff history has seen the Habs push the Bruins from the post-season in 2002 and 2004. Montreal holds an incredible 23-7 playoff series advantage all-time on Boston." - Ryan Dixon

Montreal Aware Of Julien's Resume - Globe Sports

"If the Montreal Canadiens start to feel a little too confident about their first-round playoff matchup against a team they dominated this season, the Boston Bruins, all they have to do is steal a glance at the bald, plump man behind the opposition's bench. Bruins head coach Claude Julien stands as a reminder of how an NHL playoff upset can be pulled off." - Tim Wharnsby

Easily Excited? - Lions In Winter

"It’s really the only sport in town, and in that building the fans get excited and get excited pretty easily." - Claude Julien

A Few Of My Favorite Things - The H Does Not stand For Habs

"Kirk Muller and Claude Julien screaming at each other at the end of a Canadiens' blowout of the Bruins. That was so bloody entertaining. I half expected them to go, and it made me laugh to see Muller so riled up." - J.T.

Here's Hoping The Flames Get Through And Lose To The Habs In The Final - Dennis Kane's Excellent Montreal Canadiens Blog

"If there’s one team I wouldn’t mind seeing come out of the western division in these Stanley Cup playoffs, it would have to be Calgary. Of course, Montreal would take them out quickly and effectively in the finals, but that’s not why I want Calgary. It’s because they were nice to me and a Russian couple a long time ago." - Dennis Kane

Begin prevoit la turbulance - RDS

"Steve Bégin sait qu'il va être un joueur marqué, à compter de jeudi. Le pugnace attaquant du Canadien s'est fait de nombreux ennemis dans le camp des Bruins de Boston, au cours de la saison régulière."

Hamrlik est charmé pat les partisans - RDS

"Ayant connu la fièvre des séries dans les uniformes des Oilers d'Edmonton et des Flames de Calgary, Hamrlik trouve que les amateurs de Montréal sont plus fanatiques que ceux de l'Alberta. "C'est pour le moins particulier ici, a-t-il affirmé, mardi. J'admets que je suis quelque peu surpris. Je ne m'attendais pas réellement à ça. Les amateurs sont plus enthousiastes qu'à Edmonton et à Calgary."

Le Canadien, une equipe trop jeunes? - RDS

"Il y a longtemps qu'on attendait un virage jeunesse à Montréal. Déjà muni de bons jeunes joueurs, le Canadien a décidé de faire confiance à une autre vague de petits nouveaux cette année. L'éclosion des frères Kostitsyn et la tenue du gardien Carey Price devant le filet ont contribué à la saison de rêve du Tricolore."

Le vrai test de Price - La Presse

"Carey Price n'a pas encore disputé un seul match en séries et déjà, Bob Gainey s'est fait demander d'établir un lien entre son jeune gardien et des légendes comme Ken Dryden et Patrick Roy! C'est qu'à l'instar de ces deux grands, Price se voit confier le filet en séries éliminatoires dès sa première saison, et surtout sans avoir amorcé la saison en tant que numéro un." - François Gagnon

Gorges mis K.O. par Gainey - La Presse

"Ma première réaction? Je suis sonné. Vraiment. C’est impressionnant de recevoir un tel compliment de la part de ton patron. Mais quand ton patron s’appelle Bob Gainey, avec tout ce que ce nom évoque, c’est encore plus gratifiant", a lancé Josh Gorges une main sur le front."

Komisarek: "Si Bergeron joue, il doit être conscient de ce qui l'attend" - Le Journal

"Je me prépare moi-même à retourner dans le feu de l'action après avoir subi une blessure», a dit le défenseur, blessé à la hanche après avoir été frappé à répétition par les joueurs des Bruins lors du dernier passage du Tricolore à Boston, il y a près de trois semaines." - Mike Komisarek



O' Byrne du même moule que Price - Le Journal

"Décidément, ils ne sont pas nerveux, les géants de la Colombie-Britannique. Ryan O'Byrne est aussi calme que Carey Price à l'approche de son baptême du feu dans les séries de la coupe Stanley." - Marc De Foy

L'intelligence bien avant la robustesse - Le Journal

"Les propos de Milan Lucic selon lesquels il entend secouer le pommier des joueurs du Canadien n'avaient pas atteint Montréal quand on a rencontré ses éventuelles victimes après la séance d'entraînement d'hier. De toute façon, les joueurs du Tricolore ne s'attendent à rien de moins." - Marc De Foy

Visionaire ou chanceux? - Le Journal

"Il y a plusieurs mois de cela, Pierre Boivin m'avait fait une déclaration que beaucoup de monde, pour une raison assez évidente, avait prise avec un grain de sel. Il n'écartait pas la possibilité que le Canadien profite des fêtes du centenaire, en 2009, pour célébrer sa 25e coupe Stanley." - Bertrand Raymond

More from RDS, La Presse and Le Journal De Montreal
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And If Hossa Could Be Had?

Transcribed from Bertrand Raymond's column in today's Le Journal De Montreal

Pete Mahovlich is employed as a professional scout with the Atlanta Thrashers and he has taken in the last three Canadiens games, including last Sunday's accompanied by coach and GM Don Waddell.

When bringing up Atlanta, we are talking about Marian Hossa, plain and simple. He is the player most sought after as the trade deadline approaches if the Thrashers cannot manage to get his signature on the dotted line.

As a lark, I asked Mahovlich if he could bring Hossa to see when the Thrashers play here next.

"Why do you ask?", he said.

"Because we'd like to talk to him", I answered.

"So would we!", Mahovlich replied, half seriously.



















Mahovlich plied his trade in a day when contract talks weren't at the heart of every discussion revolving around players. He's not, however, the type of person that envies today's professionals or complain that he was born too soon to profit from it.

Still, he finds today's contract demands a bit exaggerated. Atlanta has offered Hossa a multi year deal at above seven million dollars per season and he didn't flinch. Regardless of the next offer Hossa receives, inside he knows he'll be lured with more come July. The current system favors a player in h is situation.

Hossa wants to win a Stanley Cup. He doesn't see the day when the Thrashers can compete for it. If he's not traded before February 26, he'll choose his destination come summertime.

The Canadiens did everything imaginable to get Daniel Briere, offering him a little more than the 52 million he is being paid by the Flyers.

After proving that the Canadiens can make the big home run pitch, how would Bob Gainey react if Hossa were among the eligible free agents in July.

"At this time we know exactly what we have to spend and what we have to offer in a trade", Gainey says. "We also possess many good elements that are not yet with the team. On top of that, we have an owner who would approve 100% any decision that improves the team."

When the opportunity comes to make such a decision, Gainey insists on the fact that it has to be the right decision for the team, because the consequences, should it not be, are heavy.

"The right choice would make a big difference, but the wrong choice could spell disaster", he puts it.
























Gainey, evidently, is not the sole decision maker in such a process.

In the case of an impact player such as Hossa, who's averaged 40 goals over the last 4 seasons, he'd need the green light from Goerge Gillett and Pierre Boivin because the financial implications would be considerable.

Boivin confirms that the team has the elements that allow the organization such flexibility when considering these kinds of moves. Thanks to a very credible scouting staff, he sees no know reason why the pipeline of young talent heading to Montreal in the coming years would suddenly run dry.

No two ways about it, Boivin affirms, the Canadiens will be in the hunt for such a player.

"We are actually one of the better positioned teams in the league now", he makes a point to say.

"A top rate player is all we are missing. We have the means and the depth for such transactions, and we also have a very attractive team for these players to consider when they look for teams where the future is bright."

And that, is the major element such players look for. These athletes all want to win.

Consequently, when the Canadiens were less hopeful, players looked away.

"We have total confidence in our hockey people", adds the president. "They benefit from the owner's support and mine."
















Boivin understands fully that if the player is not aquired before the deadline, he can always be brought in during the summer months.

"We were among the finalists in the Shanahan and Briere sweepstakes over the last two summers. Sooner than not, we'll score one."

Can we expect Bob gainey to pull off a trade in the next 17 days?

Gainey hesitates some before answering.

"Today, I would say that it is unlikely that it happens. If got nothing brewing that could be called a major transaction. There are so many teams still in the playoff hunt who believe that they can win the Cup that few teams are willing to sacrifice important elements."

Gainey maintains that he's keeping his eyes open for all scenarios.

"Making a major trade isn't the only method to improving a team. Sometimes a minor change can have the same effect."

Would Gainey be hesitant to break up the chemistry of a team that is doing fairly well so far by puling the trigger on a big time deal?

Gainey tiptoes around the question.

"We've been patient to far", he points out. "We have established the direction in which we wanted to proceed. The coaching staff also have their ideas themselves. They know what they need and want and they let me know it. Put it this way, the communication between us is clear."

Now if you read between the lines, you get the sense that Gainey is in line with the thinking of those running the team at ice level as far as what the team requires.

He wouldn't hesitate to make the right deal should the opportunity present itself.

Boivin Sees No Margin For Error

Transcribed from Le Journal De Montreal, September 5, 2007

Over the course of the past few season, the Canadiens brass have gotten fans used to the same old line. From rejean Houle to Bob Gainey, and passing through Andre Savard, the goal has been the same - make the playoffs. It now seems that the direction of the team has tossed out the old worn cassette, if one believes team president Pierre Boivin.

Boivin is categorical in his response. It's high time the Candiens aspire to greater heights. A simple playoff showing is no longer good enough.

"Our goals must be focused beyond just getting there. The playoffs are but a starting point. Furthermore, it is unacceptable to miss the playoffs."

At first glance, it appears Boivin's fuse has gotten somewhat shorter in recent years.

Could a disastrous season, as is predicted by the "hockey experts", signify the premature end for the Gainey - Carbonneau duo?

Boivin's comeback may require interpretation.

"Bob Gainey and Guy Carbonneau know what it takes to win. They know we are not in a rebuilding mode. They know their responsabilities."

"It is up to them to assure the maximum is brought out of all players and that the team enjoys a season not only nearing the fans expectations, but meeting those of the organization also.

If the Canadiens president hopes to see the Habs play in May, the players must buy into the notion as much. Saku Koivu's clipped quote of two weeks back not only caught Boivin off guard - it shocked him.

" I think it's an opinion based on his disappointments. Saku wants to win the Cup in Montreal. In my opinion, he hasn't had the time to realize the impact of the players we've brought in over the summer months."

Speaking of free agents, for the second summer running, the Canadiens watched their targetted signing slip between their fingers at the last minute.

According to Boivin, the day isn't far off when Montreal becomes a prefered destination as opposed to a questioned one. In fact Boivin states that the process of changing minds is already underway.

"We're going in the right direction. Five or six years ago, we weren't even on the free agents radar screen. Players used us mostly for leveraging deals with other teams. That's not the case anymore."

"In 2006, we were one of two teams in the Shanahan derby. This summer we were a hair's length from signing Briere. When you consider that a player of that stripe get maybe 15 offers...."

It leaves little doubt that the Habs best bargaining chip in these matters involves going a good distance in the playoffs. The team president understands this.

It's up to all concerned to make it happen.

Senators Video Lacks Respect Towards Gainey Family

It was an unbelievable lack of respect from the Senators organization. Then again, they've never had much class to begin with!

In the moments during the pregame buildup between the Senators and Habs, a scene on the video screen above the ice sent a rage throughout the Canadiens organization.

In an inconsiderate display of brash idiotic arrogance, heartless timing, and ill will, a cartoon featuring the Senators mascot Spartacat teases a Habs fan in a boat, inviting him to jump in the lake, so to speak. Senators owner Eugene Melnyk steers the ship, while the mascot taunts and pokes at the fan, before finally throwing him overboard.

Have the Senators organization no knowledge of the recent tragedy that involved Bob Gainey's daughter Laura, who perished at sea in December, after being swept off a boat during a storm?

I am sure that there wasn't one Canadiens representative, be it a staff member or a player on the ice or on the bench at that moment, that didn't squirm upon seeing such a tasteless sight.

In the RDS broadcast booth, it was said that they had debated whether to make mention of the incident live on air. Hall Of Fame journalist and color commentator Yvon Pedneault spoke of the Canadiens brass in attendance being simply horrified. He said that what he was about to speak of, is outside the bounds of the game, but needed to be addressed nonetheless.

Pedneault stated that the Canadiens members who witnessed the scene were practically out of their heads with disgust.

Apparently this video clip plays before each game, only the sweater of the particular opponant of the night changes. It plays to pumping up the fans at the puck drop.

Would there not be a single person in the Ottawa brass with enough foresight to clue into this disgrace waiting to happen? Are the Senators really so anal as to not take certain precautions prior to this fiasco happening.
You cannot say that there would not be anyone who didn't make the allusion to the Gainey tragedy when seeing this clip play before Senators games leading up to this moment.

It was a disgusting sight! It was reprehensible and irresponsible. There is absolutely no excuse for it.

Upon gauging the reactions of the Canadiens, Senators president Roy Mlakar immediatly offered his apology to Pierre Boivin, the Canadiens president.

I'd assume he was promptly told to go straight to hell!

Mlakar then phoned owner George Gillett Jr. and his son Foster, to offer an apology.

Renaud Lavoie of the RDS team stated the Ottawa brass would be drafting an official letter of apology to the Canadiens.

They should be told right where to stick it.

The person or people in charge of these pre-game video montages ought to get the axe. I hope he is named. I imagine there is hardly any form of apology that could remove the bitter taste this has left with the Canadiens.

The whole indiscretion is quite simply unforgivable.