Bob Gainey

In his state of the team session with media this morning at St. Jovite Arena – outside in the windy cold so he could gauge how seriously we wanted to hear it – GM Bob Gainey revealed that head coach Guy Carbonneau has signed a new contract.

Gainey would not disclose duration of the deal nor its value, but in discussion later, Carbo let it slip that the deal is for three years. You'll hear that near the end of the English audio clip of the coach in the post below.

Gainey also said forward Max Pacioretty would likely begin his pro career in Hamilton, but said a decision wouldn't be made before the end of Saturday's final exhibition game against the Minnesota Wild.

Bob Gainey was in Newfoundland yesterday, hanging with Great Big Sea, meeting fans and talking about his meeeting with Mats Sundin.

Proud Newfoundlander and Habs Inside/Out regular poster was there. J.T. has a full report on her blog, http://www.habsloyalist.blogspot.com/

Gainey said Sundin is physically ready. But the big Swedenot sure he still has the passion to play hockey at a high level.

"He's interested," Gainey said. "I told him to make a decision. I said, if you feel like you want to retire, then retire. But if you're not sure, you should play and the emotion will come." 

Later in the session, a fan asked "But do you think he'll come to Montreal?"
The half-smile pushing the outer limits of a real grin this time, Gainey replied, "He didn't say no."

•  •  •

François Gagnon whining because he got scooped by J.T.

•  •  • 

How quickly it can all turn to crap in pro sports:

Tom Brady 

At a time when too many NHL general managers are spending money like drunken sailors, Gazette sports editor Stu Cowan points out that Bob Gainey (flashing his best Eddie Creachman move in this photo) has done a masterful job of managing the Canadiens' payroll.

• And in Buffalo, Sabres GM Darcy Regier is drawing praise for his smooth negotiations with Ryan Miller,  a franchise cornerstone who has re-upped for five years.

•  •  •

CBSsports.com's Wes Goldstein has rated the off-season moves of NHL teams.
Here's Goldstein's take on the Canadiens:

The biggest news out of Montreal so far this summer has been the announcement that the team will host next spring's draft. It's going to be part of the franchise's centennial, an anniversary the team hopes to celebrate with a 25th Stanley Cup title.
Montreal believes that goal is in reach if it can land the missing piece it has been seeking so desperately since the trade deadline. That would be big center Mats Sundin, the former Toronto captain who has yet to decide if he even wants to continue his career. Montreal traded for his negotiating rights before the free-agent market opened, but to this point have failed to convince the 37-year-old to sign.
In the meantime, the Canadiens haven't stood still, trading for high-scoring but sometimes tentative forward Alex Tanguay and adding some muscle with enforcer Georges Laraque. Montreal also re-signed some key young players including Andrei Kostitsyn, who was targeted by the upstart new Russian league. Overall, the Canadiens probably has enough to repeat as division champs, but if they can land Sundin, the Habs might just be legitimate Cup contenders. Grade: B

A rocking gala in Montreal this Tuesday, St. Jean Baptiste night, raised a terrific $155,000 for the Gainey Foundation.

Read more below, and thanks to all who supported the evening in a great many ways.

In his brief press scrum in Ottawa today, Bob Gainey offered a variation on the mantra he's been repeating since the trade deadline:

The Canadiens, Gainey said,  would like to land an "accomplished forward." I take this to be synonymous with "impact forward." Gainey also said if he had his druthers, the acquisition would be a centre.

The Sporting News has named Bob Gainey National Hockey League Executive of the Year.

Gainey received 12 of 28 votes cast by league executives. Detroit vice-president/GM Ken Holland was second with six votes.

Sporting News Coach of the Year Mike Babcock got six of 18 votes cast by his peers, while Guy Carbonneau picked up five votes to finish second.

Alex Ovechkin was named Player of the Year, picking up 250 of a possible 287 votes in a poll of players conducted for the magazine. Evgeni Malkin finished second with 18 votes.

The Sporting News named Patrick Kane Rookie of the Year. The magazine's All-Star team includes Martin Brodeur, Mike Green, Nicklas Lidstrom, Ovechkin, Malkin and Jarome Iginla.

Toward the end of their 50-minute season review/look ahead, Bob Gainey and Guy Carbonneau were asked whether two goaltenders could be kept happy next season.

"Happiness," Gainey replied, his habitual sly smile playing at the corner of his lips, "is an unattainable state."

Well, how about contentment?

Gainey was too diplomatic to reveal the degrees to which he was satisfied or dissatisfied with his hockey club. But the Canadiens GM bristled when it was suggested that some deemed the team too soft for the playoffs.

"A lot of people think alot of things," Gainey said, his tone leaving little doubt what he thought of the general expertise level of vox populi. The Canadiens, he added, are built on "speed, quickness, intelligence and opportunism."

"We want to play a fast game," Gainey said. " We're quick, we're exciting. We're going to play to score, and we're going to play to beat you, within the rules."