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About Dave Stubbs
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Dave Stubbs
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Dave Stubbs has been a sportswriter since 1976, which was roughly a decade after he wore the first of many holes through the knees of his jeans playing nets in road hockey (using a modified butterfly popularized by Hall of Famer Glenn Hall). He still has the welts to show on his shins from that rotten, frozen orange ball.
Stubbs kept thick hockey scrapbooks filled with game summaries and Gazette and Montreal Star stories, collected dozens of Bee Hive Corn Syrup photos and put a fortune of hockey cards through the spokes of his bikes. First book ever owned: Scrubs On Skates, the classic by Scott Young (Neil's dad).
Stubbs's fantasy is to travel back in time to the 1950s and watch the great Canadiens dynasty that won five consecutive Stanley Cups. Or a decade earlier, to watch Elmer Lach centre Rocket Richard and Toe Blake on the fearsome Punch Line. Or at least to get Rogie Vachon into the Hockey Hall of Fame – where he belongs.
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I have finally figured out Gainey's plan. He's trying to unload a bunch of "Ks" from the roster in the interest of consonant diversity.
If they were a bullpen, all our K's would be the envy of MLB.
See, that is why he can't in good faith bring Vinny to Montreal. There would be too many "Ls."
As good a reason as any!
"After much discussion and thought, Mike Komisarek has decided to enter the
Free Agent market tomorrow at noon. Should they desire, we intend to keep
Montreal involved in the process as they have treated Mike so well during
his time in the organization. He remains interested in resigning with them."
Matt Keator, Agent for Mike Komisarek
Another epic failure by Gainey
The only "epic failure" is your thought process. Sure, I would like Komo back, but but not at 5 or 6 million. If someone is that stupid to pay that, so be it.
Because he won't pay $6M for a 15-point defenceman who can't fight? Yup. Epic failure.
So, but not offering a stupidly large contract (which some other GM will) to a player that hasn't been the same since his injury is an epic failure?
You MUST be a Loaf fan.
I always fail to understand the folks who get so bitter when a player actually exercises his right to explore free agency. That's the whole idea. It doesn't necessarily mean they won't be back, just that they want to look around. Is that so wrong? It's a business.
Please explain HOW that is an "epic failure" instead of just writing that it is. If you can't back up one single post of yours, please refrain from making them!
He made an offer that he thought was fair. I guess you, in all your brilliance would have just written him a blank cheque?!?
Go Habs Go!! "I can't hear what Jeremy (Roenick) is saying because my Stanley Cup rings are in my ears" - Patrick Roy
Every agent in the League knows that Gainey has the most cap money to play with. Because of that, he is going to have to overpay for any UFAs he signs, foreign or domestic. Fairness has nothing to do with it.
Then we get to read 500 posts about how stupid Gainey was for paying them too much.
Go Habs Go!! "I can't hear what Jeremy (Roenick) is saying because my Stanley Cup rings are in my ears" - Patrick Roy
At least you've figured out how things work here.
And we get to watch you lash out in all directions if your previous Gainey-Koivu leadership group is questioned in any way.
Fun all around!
I just try to stick with the facts and be fair to our players.
This team hasn't exactly been stacked as it was in the 70's through Koivu's tenure, has it?
Anyway, to each their own. If you believe the lack of success should be blamed in a major way on Saku Koivu, that's your business.
Go Habs Go!! "I can't hear what Jeremy (Roenick) is saying because my Stanley Cup rings are in my ears" - Patrick Roy
Can I point out I'd rather have Koivu than Gomez?
Gainey is just plain doomed. He is like a guy walking around a "red light" district with a wad of $100 bills and his pants down at his ankles, yet he still can't get lucky!
Exactly, his approach is total garbage. It's failed repeatedly and yet he insists of continuing on in this manner. Oh well, his days are numbered. By friday a massive FAIL stamp will be applied on his forehead.
Cause Lang, Tanguay, and Schneider were such bad moves.
Either you're not a fan and just srewing with us, or your a fan who has no F'n idea what you're talking about.
I guess you prefer teams that finish with 77 points and miss the playoffs 4 out of 5 years. Go back to 2003 and watch that team play. You'll come back asking Bob if you can lick his nuts.
Thank God you're not in charge.
Go Habs Go!! "I can't hear what Jeremy (Roenick) is saying because my Stanley Cup rings are in my ears" - Patrick Roy
I didn't personalize anything. I simply ask that if people are going to constantly bash Gainey, perhaps they could provide some insight as to what he did that was so wrong.
If any of you believe he should have offered him any amount to keep him, I disagree. I do agree that he could have offered him more during the season, but we don't know if he would have accepted then either.
Chances are when he's gone, we won't even notice him on another team. He hits & blocks shots but he is not an impact player. I think Bob probably offered him $5M, and I would have only offered him $4M.
Go Habs Go!! "I can't hear what Jeremy (Roenick) is saying because my Stanley Cup rings are in my ears" - Patrick Roy
"Another epic failure by Gainey"
...depends on the offer
"Money talks and bullshit walks and that's just the way it is!"
And Komo decided to walk.
No, Gainey is the one doing the walking here. Right off the plank.
The Habs last pick in this year's draft Petteri Simila was just drafted 21st overall in the CHL import draft. Hopefully he decides to come over where his adjustment and development will be sped up.
Looks like the available D list got shorter. TSN is reporting Oduya signed and Blake too.
Check my comment comparing Team USA and a projection of what TEAM Canada will look like and leave you thoughts. It's under the main story "Komisarek invited to Team USA camp"
double post:
Komisarek will test free agent market - source team 990
Well, off to the cottage and NO internet. Yikes! I hope BG proves me wrong and pulls off the most astonishing move in history. Please Bob, do something.
Don't hold your breath in the meantime!
Maybe we should trade for Heatley... who cares about that $4 million - Uncle George can give us one last present!
I hope not. He is a no-class guy with lots of room to rent between the ears. Talented goal scorer, yes, but not a guy for this bunch to look up to. He is a problem for any GM and is a proven non-leader.
A) Do you know him personally? Because i've never seen any reports on this.
B) Edmonton Oilers leaked the news that Heatley wanted out of Ottawa not him....
Admittedly, my comment was a little harsh. But the facts are that he doesn't have a winning track record and I think that fatal Georgia car crash left an indelible stain on his character. BTW: your reply here is the first I heard that the Oilers leaked the news first. And anyway, he could've denied it instead of tying the hands of the Sens organization by stating to the media that he wanted out. That's where I was coming from.
The Edmonton news leak was reported by EJ Hradek yesterday on NHL Live.
Him denying the reports would've been lying to the media, leaving another indelible stain on his character. Either way I'd love to see him in Montreal.
C) I'd personally be honoured to have a Canadian 50 goal scorer on our team.
But the 64K question is: Will Jack Martin be honoured as well?
Ali B.
Was he still in Ottawa when Heatley came in?
To answer my own question, non.
PER TSN: Edmonton Sun says Oilers made an offer to Roloson for one yr. at roughly $3 million. I think the team MVP was a little insulted by that offer cause he hasn't agreed to sign. I hope Bob grabs him for two years at $7 million to give Price the right kind of guidance and security. That would leave Halak hanging, but I think Price really needs that.
This i agree with, however, 3.5 million is a lot of money to pay for veteran guidance. I'd even consider Biron between 2 and 2.5.
Bad idea jeans...if Biron is brought in as a backup the good folks at Anti-CH-ambre will be screaming for him to start every game.
....but you're right. He's better for the money.
Obviously School is out.........and if you don't know what I mean by that, that means you!
I had read today from a USA today guy that we are meeting with Komi's agent today. So if there was news, I could see it being associated with that.
WARNING-BLOG-PLUG!!!
http://thevoiceofsport-nhledition.blogspot.com/2009/06/free-agency-thoughts.html
I live in Calgary, and someone called in to the radio station I was listening to so he could let it be known that "he knows for a fact" that J-Bo has been building a house in Calgary for more than a month now, haha.
The Eklund doctrine of reporting the news. Just yell fire long enough and it is bound to come true at some point.
I don't bother with the guy anymore, but in fairness, he just claims to be passing on rumours and not news. Of course, he may be making most of them up himself. :)
I hope its the news is Kovy signing or Komi signing!!!! Something for chrissakes!
I agree, I bet I could have a better percentage of perdicting what is going to go down by just listening to TSN and making educated guesses, instead of making up a bunch of crap
We will all sit back and wait for more news...... someone once said no news is good news..... let's hope!!!
"To you from failing hands we throw the torch. Be it yours to hold high."
THIS JUST IN EKLUND FULL OF CRAP.
THIS JUST IN, MATS SUNDIN TRYING TO DECIDE ON WHAT TO DO FOR NEXT YEAR. More at 11.
(100 in 25!-- ...what?)
Crap! Now I have to keep going to his stupid site!
Just check TSN RDS. I'll assume you were joking about checking his site.
However I do find it is like a car accident. No matter how much I want to look away, I just can not.
The Breezer is saying goodbye!
Yeah just got the twitter. What a doofus.
What time tomorrow (ET) does free agency begin?
i think if bob gainey still insists on sitting there twiddling his thumbs and does nothing he should be fired! the new owners, the molson bros should tell bob gainey in no uncertain terms,don't minced words be blunt and upfront with bob,and say this" if you don't have a deal for a#1 center(impact player) like vinny,marleau etc... by tonight at midnight at the latest your fired''! and we will be having a press conference tommorow to announce your firing! with this fire lit under gainey's *** watch him have a trade done,not almost done or he's trying it'll be done!this is the only way to take the passive bob gainey and make him pro-active! no more of this passive b.s. it's time to get aggressive and make things happen!
Since you call yourself "god", why don't you post what you would do if you were to replace Gainey right now, taking into account the parameters, cap space et al., that he has to work with, instead of bashing him to no end.
If your post turns out to be something half way intelligent, than not only the rest of us at HIO but, even Gainey may benefit by following your ideas. Otherwise as Bugs would say "peace" (meaning that you keep yours).
PS: To all the other bashers: this applies to you too. So why don't you try the same exercise? Because your rants without any reasonable alternatives have become rather inane, childish and insufferable for the majority of the HIO posters, myself included.
Ali B.
well i would replace bob gainey with pierre macguire! he see all the players in the league,knows every young prospect in the league and around the world!don't talk about the cap prarameters,capspace etc...! all the other teams deal with the same issues! other teams have aggresive g.m.'s that get results ,while we have a g.m that is passive and does nothing! i'm not bashing bob gainey i'm stating the obvious in what should happen! i love this team endlessly and want them to win very badly and bob isn't or hasn't improved this team,we keep losing guys and aren't replacing them.
I didn't ask you with whom you would replace him.
You did not answer my question which was: what would you do if you replaced him right now?
Suggesting McGuire to replace Gainey is not the right way to an answer that makes sense. Because McGuire DID NOT criticize Gainey, but you did in a very vituperative way. So obviously you don't have a clue on what to do if you were in Gainey's place but suggesting someone else to do the job!
Sorry you lose, now keep your "peace".
Ali B.
sorry dude i'l answer the question!i would sign mike komisarek immediately at 5.25 million per! then i would offer the k bros ,our 1st r.d pick in 2010 and p.k.subban to sanjose for marleau and cheechoo! then i would trade higgins ,halak,andsomething to toronto for kaberle!resign tanguay and go hard after ohlund or jay mckee and hope to sign of of them as well!that is what i'd do ali berke .
I totally agree Ali B. GREAT POST!!!
SO happy! After that, I'll want Bob to trade Lecavalier and a number of 1st rounders for an all-star defenseman (and maybe, the entirety of the Detroit Red Wings organization). PROBLEMS SOLVED.
(100 in 25!-- ...what?)
No can do. We are going fishing. A date's a date. Take it or leave it.
what's kind of funny is that we're rumoured to be interested in every top free-agent...the wonders of desperation and salary cap space.
- Pride + Envy = Second Place
Everyone hold on to your panic hats, tear buckets and so on. Could be a very good team on paper after a few signings tomorrow.
Love that you added "on paper!"
"On paper" is only as good as the airplanes, made from them, that sail down from the pressbox.
haha
The Eklund dude is driving me nuts. I just go to chek out what stories he can cook up and he comes up with the weirdest possibilities. Almost like excuses to keep people busy (And I can't help but look!)
Latest from the rumour machine with 0% credibility:
Komi to Boston (But Bob meets Komi's agent today)
Habs REALLY interested in Gaborik although he's supposedly headed tto Vancouver
Habs wanna tie up Sedins for 7 - 9 years
Hossa has signed with Detroit
Koivu to anaheim
Camalleri to Washington or Nashville
What I don't get is according to the NHL, free agency starts tomorrow at noon and that's when other teams can start negociating with the players. How can this guy say Koivu is going to Anaheim with such certainty? That's Bull!
i seriously believe that komo has more heart than that to sign with our arch-rivals...
signing for the laffs or the bruins is a slap to the face of the organization that brought him into the league...he'd be booed louder than when dany briere was...louder than what chara gets on every visit.
- Pride + Envy = Second Place
And why in the blue hell would he want to play with Lucic?
To keep from getting beat up by him, of course.
That said, on day one of the B's training camp I could see Lucic trying to lay a beat down on Komisarek just out of habit.
Komi and Kovalev only have a few hours to sign before BG and I go fishing for the day. It will be cool to come back late tomorrow night and see who has signed with whom of the different UFAs with Canadiens and around the league. Bob and I are going to check out the TSN website together over a beer.
lol. (and i'm a Bob believer :)
You really have to wonder just what kind of lineup the Habs will have this fall. In the event Gainey is not able to add the big desperately needed centre, or any other impact player, through free agency or some huge shakeup trade...then this team is going to fall a few steps behind, to say the least.
Suppose Koivu and Tanguay both opt for an offer from elsewhere (they are pretty much being told they are plan B right now, anyway). And suppose Komisarek doesn't find Bob's offer to his liking and he does the same.
What does that leave us with? Seriously. I think Gainey is walking a very fine tightrope here and that this could all blow up in his face. As fans, we certainly hope this is not the case. We hope Bob has something solid in the way of what he knows regarding who he will be able to add to the lineup. Hopefully he has something "real" cooking. When I think back to last summer's fiasco with Sundin (a deal that we didn't get done that really turned out to be a lucky break for us), and now look at this summer's potential fiasco, it gives me cause for worry. Through no real fault of his own, because unlike many of the Gainey crucifiers here I believe he is always trying as hard as he can to make our lineup more competitive, we could face the cold shoulder again with the free agents.
Without the big centre...without a solid addition to the blueline...without the addition of some needed grit...without an upgrade offensively...without Koivu, Tanguay, and Komisarek...seriously, what will the Habs look like. I am praying to the hockey gods to smile down on Bob Gainey between now and October, and deliver something to this team to make it better than it was in April '09.
I share you concerns as well...good post...well said.
Barring some minor miracles, I think it is going to be another tough campaign. Unless, through the grace of God, Price really finds his game and he turns out to be the guy Gainey thought he was when he picked him fifth. The UFA situation has more to do with the team's chances and playing in Montreal than it does with Gainey. If this team were maybe two guys away from making a serious run, I think he could get the players he needs to fill those spots regardless of how unappealing it is to play in this town. If they are going to be a "bubble" squad or worse next season, I would just rather see him play the kids and draft high. Yea, I know it's a closet tanking, but who gives a crap whether you finish first or last if you don't win the Cup. The one thing that does suck about that though is that you can't bank cap dollars and carry them forward.
Agreed. Unless there is some big surprise signing coming, we could be in for a painful year. Better to look at it the way you do, from the bottom of a tall Belgian and with another within easy reach. That will be my game plan this year if we remain status quo, or worse.
Well, if it's gonna be a throw-away year, Price might as well see as much rubber as possible. It would also be interesting to see who steps up considering that there will be few marquee guys to rely on.
With no pickup in the off-season to upgrade our D, especially if Komi walks, and even if he stays, suffice it to say Price will indeed see more than his fair share of rubber. Our D was far from stellar last season, and now we may find ourselves in our own end of the rink more, due to a lack of offensive talent. One thing I am hoping for, if not actually expecting, is for Price to find his groove this year. With Melanson and the meddling gone, maybe Price will be able to return to his own style of goaltending. The style that brought him the success of which he made champions out of the Bulldogs, and what enabled him to jump to the NHL to begin with.
He has a breakout year and the rest of the squad, no matter how weak on paper, should feed on it and be much better. Confidence in the guy back-stopping you allows you to play much looser than you would otherwise. Remember how tight the team was when Aebischer got the start? Even on TV you could sense the tension and the fear of impending doom.