I would rather be a nobody behind the bench, then a hero away from it.Carbonneau was on a SRC interview this week, answering some interesting questions, but by and large not putting him at risk of never coaching again.
-- Guy Carbonneau
What amazes me is the amount of support this Guy is getting; they reference his standing ovation at the Arts banquet in the interview, and the audience responds with its own chants of Guy! Guy! Guy!
This is the Guy who was sacrificed to the braying fans back in March, to satiate their blood lust over a faltering club. And now he gets standing ovations everywhere he goes?
Kyle Roussel posted on All Habs:
The unnamed agent goes on to say that most players today are aware of Montreal's great past...but don't care much for it. It makes for great stories, but doesn't carry much weight today. They use the past 15 years as more of a reference point.This strikes to the heart of the matter: it seems like the press, and therefore at least 50% of the fan base, are more interested in the "story" part of "the most storied franchise." It seems like the press / fans are gonna manage to scare off the most interesting prospects we've had in years (Higgins / Komisarek / Price) -- only to praise them once they are gone.
It's a better story that way.
Too bad it means we won't see a winning team any time soon. And this is a real shame; because the hockey fans are extremely enthusiastic (like Toronto) and knowledgeable (unlike Toronto, where they would cheer a potato in a leafs Jersey). And really, it should be about the hockey, not about the story.
Even Bob Gainey got sucked up into this whirlwind of insanity, losing his cool and resorting to quick, rash decisions instead of playing his usual role of calming influence.
If all you want is stories, then we should sign Sean Avery, the Ruutus, a Tootoo, Downie, and Emery. Bring Fleury and McSorely in as Associate coaches, and really start the clown show. We would be (even more) dispised by the hockey world, but the Press would be happy because they'd have something to write about -- everything except that boring thing on the ice.
Should we start a "bring hockey back to Montreal" campaign? I get the feeling there are more Habs fans interested in a proper hockey team than the bullsh!t. So how do we combat the negative image of playing in Montreal?
Is this all just a massive over-reaction to a let down of the 100th season? Maybe everyone will go back to forgetting about the Canadiens for the 101st, like they did for the 99th, and we might get to see some exciting hockey again.
I'm frustrated with other people's frustration.
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You said it: "And really, it should be about the hockey, not about the story." The hockey has always influenced the perception of the team. Now the drama affects the team, which affects the perception of the team.
ReplyDeleteThe whole Canadiens 'ecosystem' is borked beyond belief. The media does its ridiculous song & dance, the team spirals in and out of control, the marketing department uses the 100th season to draw ridiculous comparisons of the Rocket to Kovy, Markov to Harvey...no wonder the fans are all pulling their hair out.
Would the real Canadiens please stand up? Not only on the ice, but in the front office. I was very surprised that Carbo was fired in the way that he was, when he was. Apparently several players told Gainey that Carbo's lost the team and that they don't want to play for him anymore. The Gainey I thought I knew as a GM would have told those players that Carbo is a good coach, and that they have to work together to make it work. Instead, it appears as though Gainey panicked and fired him. Very uncharacteristic of him. Did Gillet tell Gainey that if they don't make the playoffs, that he's out too? Could it be that simple?
Anyway, I think the Habs played up this 100th season thing WAY too much. And I think the fans gobbled it up far too fast. Chew your food! Indigestion is a bitch!
Now we're left with a team with major question marks, and on the brink of collapse.