Bob Gainey
posted by Mike Boone at 21h50 EST on Feb 8
Let's not judge Bob Gainey on the basis of Janne Niinimaa or Sergei Samsonov.
And let's not compare him to Frank Selke or Sam Pollock.
The team Gainey took over had gone 30-35-8-9 in 2002-'03.
The Canadiens haven't been that bad since.
Nor will they be that bad in Bob Gainey's last season – unless Pierre Gauthier REALLY screws things up over the last 22 games of the regular-season schedule.
Unlikely, but it could happen.
The Canadiens' freshly-minted GM was director of pro scouting when the team signed Samsonov.
• Mike Farber's take
• Renaud Lavoie
Continue reading "The Gainey era" »
Bob Gainey oozes hockey.
He defines dedication, leadership, and loyalty.
In 100 years of history, Bob Gainey stands out as one of the greatest to ever wear the bleu-blanc-rouge.
He captained this team to the Stanley Cup.
He led this team through sacrifice: he's bled, he's fought, he's played with dislocated shoulders.
Gainey wore the CH with pride.
He loves this team and he loves this city.
He stayed with this team through hard times - both on and off the ice.
Love him or hate him as a GM, having a man like Bob Gainey step away is a sad day for the Habs organization.
I wish him the best and thank him for everything that he has given to this city.
...
Listen live to CBC Daybreak (88.5FM) Tuesday at 7:15AM to hear me talk more about Gainey's resignation.
I'll be representing Habs fans - so leave your comments and let me know what you think about all of this.
posted by Dave Stubbs at 13h08 EST on Dec 15
Bob Gainey during his time as captain of the Canadiens.
Steve Babineau, NHLI via Getty Images
Canadiens executive VP and general manager Bob Gainey will carry the Vancouver 2010 Olympic torch late this afternoon in his hometown of Peterborough, Ont.
You should be able to see his 300-metre jog with the torch here or here (RDS and CTV feeds), the relay streamed live on the Internet.
Gainey, an alumnus of the major-junior Peterborough Petes, is expected to run nearing 7 p.m. ET. If you want to watch, link to the live site a little early just to be safe.
Our thanks to Inside/Out reader Marty Silvestri, writer and editor with CHEX television in Peterborough, for the tip, and to regular T.C. Denault for clarification of the time.
posted by Dave Stubbs at 21h22 EST on Jul 1
The first two playoff games down in Boston have been humbling affairs for our Montreal Canadiens. They were soundly out-muscled and clearly out-played. The Bruins played well in Game 1 and they played damn well in Game 2. The Habs played decently in Game 1 and piss-poor on Saturday. Game 3 will truly show what these 2008-2009 Montreal Canadiens are made of.
We’re down 2-0. We were given a good spanking on Saturday. And now, at home, we can prove that we deserve to still be competing.
We need to redeem ourselves.
We need to claw back into this series.
We need to take advantage of a Lucic-less Boston team.
Continue reading "From Milan to Montreal" »
The Habs are playing like the Habs again. The boys are scoring goals, skating hard, playing defensively sound and maybe most importantly –
smiling.
And who can we thank for this last minute resurgence? Look no further than behind the bench.
Coach Gainey has implemented a system that uses players to their strengths and creates a team chemistry that helps overcome individual weaknesses.
This is the team that
GM Gainey had envisioned at the beginning of the season. This is the team that, on paper, looked like it could compete deep into the playoffs.
Continue reading "Making a Statement" »
posted by Chris Aung-Thwin at 23h44 EST on Mar 22
After this weekend’s devastating loss to those damn, dirty Maple Leafs,
Bob Gainey did exactly what I telepathically told him to do. Instead of making the boys skate, skate, skate, the Habs’ coach/GM allowed the team to work out in the gym and then sat down to chat with individual players.
Here’s what he
should have told them:
Continue reading "Fireside Chat" »
When I heard the news that
Guy Carbonneau had been fired, I was – I’m a little ashamed to admit – ecstatic. I’ve always been a fan of Carbonneau the Player, but skeptical of Carbonneau the Coach. I was willing to be extra patient with bench boss Carbonneau – because as a player, as a captain, and as a Jack Adams nominated coach – he’d earned the leeway.
As a fan, it was hard for
me to realize that Carbonneau had to go.
I can’t even begin to imagine how difficult it must have been for GM
Bob Gainey to tell his good friend to go home.
But it was a decision that needed to be made – not just for the success of the team now, but next year and for years to come.
Continue reading "Good Decision, Sad Day" »
posted by Mike Boone at 9h45 EST on Mar 9
Nice mash-up: Bob and Coldplay
Must start every game until Komisarek restores his mean-on: Ryan O'Byrne
Must start every game until BGL's contract expires or Andrew Conboy is ready, whichever comes first: Gregory Stewart
Must play together for the rest of the season ... and beyond: Alex Tanguay and Andrei Kostitsyn
Kladno's answer to John Madden: Tomas Plekanec
The wrong guy for Steve Ott to wake up: Alex Kovalev
Johnny Carson's words of wisdom for Jaroslav Halak: If life were fair, Elvis would be alive and the impersonators would be dead
Good news for Steve Bégin: Those $$$ he put on the table before the game went back into his pocket
Could be interesting Thursday night: Carey Price vs. Yann Danis
Good one tonight: Rangers at Carolina, 7 p.m. TSN-2
Who needs playoff revenue? Uncle George, for one. The Liverpool sale is heading south
posted by at 11h03 EST on Mar 5
From Montreal singer/songwriter/entertainer/Habs fan Daniel Iorio, a compendium of Bob Gainey quotes, delicately laid over the music to Frank Sinatra's timeless My Way.
Drop by Dan's site here.
posted by Dave Stubbs at 22h34 EST on Mar 4
Bob Gainey got his shopping done early in the bodies of Mathieu Schneider and Glen Metropolit.
Christinne Muschi, Reuters
Bob Gainey’s telephone wasn’t ringing off the hook on Wednesday, nor were there many outgoing calls from his Brossard office.
On a day when 22 trades were made, involving 45 players and 21 draft picks, not one involved the Canadiens.
The National Hockey League’s trade deadline day came and went quietly for the Canadiens.
But the team’s stoic general manager wasn’t nursing a broken heart into French and English media scrums at the Bell Sports Complex at 3:30 p.m., a half-hour after the clock struck a figurative midnight.
Stubbs column continues here.
posted by Dave Stubbs at 16h56 EST on Mar 4
General manager Bob Gainey says his phone wasn't ringing off the hook today, and he's confident that the team in uniform now, and to be dressed as players returning from injury, have the goods to get the job done.
Once Gainey acquired Mathieu Schneider a couple of weeks ago and claimed Glen Metropolit off waivers, that was pretty much it.
"Unless something came out of left field," he said in French. "But that didn't happen."
In English, Gainey said it's not so much the Eastern Conference teams that trade which concern him, but those that didn't, suggesting they're also confident in what they can do down the stretch. Here's Gainey's full English media scrum, just recorded.
posted by Mike Boone at 14h35 EST on Mar 2
What should Bob do?
I figure there are two possibilities:
a) Stand pat – which is what I'm guessing will happen; orÂ
b) Pull off a blockbuster, which is unlikely ... but fun to speculate about.
I don't see tweaking. Gainey has done that already by acquiring Mathieu Schneider and Glen Metropolit.
No, as we count down to 3 p.m. on Wednesday the Canadiens GM is either swinging for the fences or taking all the way.
For me, the home run is Olli Jokinen.
This guy is the kind of stud centre the Canadiens have needed for years: 6-3, 215, scores, hits, plays mean. And he's signed through next season at ann affordable $5.5 million.
The knock on Jokinen: clubhouse lawyer who's worn out his welcome in Phoenix already.
I say he'd shine in a hockey market ... and in a room with Saku Koivu.
Whom would I give up?
An established-but-expendable player and a firdt-round pick or a player and a prospect and a lower-round pick.
Untouchables: Andrei Markov, Carey Price, Max Pacioretty, Andrei Kostitsyn, Saku Koivu, Maxim Lapierre, Yannick Weber
Let the educated, uneducated and just plain crazy guesses begin in the Comments section.
NB: We have software that automatically deletes any post that begins: "Boone is a #$%^ing idiot!"
posted by Dave Stubbs at 18h26 EST on Feb 26
Highlights of GM Bob Gainey's teleconference to discuss today's trade:
• Gainey says Bégin more wished for than demanded a trade;
• GM hopes Janik clears waivers at noon Saturday, "some gamble, some risk there." Says best place for Janik for now is Hamilton, from where he can be called up as an injury fill-in; mentioned injury to Francis Bouillon;
• Canadiens are "active" in talks with other GMs, often by email. Gainey says his goalies currently fulfill the team's needs; club is most interested in finding a depth centreman to support Koivu, Plekanec, Chipchura and Lapierre;
• Having lost UFA Ds Mark Streit and Sheldon Souray in consecutive summers doesn't change Gainey's mind about negotiating with D Mike Komisarek, who's a UFA on July 1.
• "This was a year for us, with the maturity of some of our younger players, to really be a buyer rather than a seller. We’ve done that within the limits of our capabilities, either roster size or cap space. Each team decides its own designation and has to live with it. It’s not an easy decision because everybody wants to play in the playoffs. You can easily see a way for a team that’s (currently) in 12th or 13th with a good couple of weeks (might) find themselves in a position to challenge the seventh and eighth place." – Gainey
Full Gainey audio here (about 12 minutes)
Much can happen in 24 hours.
Welcome back Mr. Schneider!
Sayonara Sergei!
Have a Kit Kat, Kovalev.
We all knew that the Canadiens needed a shake-up.
Badly.
This week GM
Bob Gainey has managed to put the Habs locker room through a spin cycle. Interestingly enough, this turnaround has been done without any permanent changes:
Kovy could be playing in Saturday’s matinee against the Senators; SK-74 can be re-called, as can Ryan O’Byrne; and Gregory Stewart should know his stay up in the big leagues is like a game of snakes and ladders. Schneider will see the season through, but Montreal didn’t give up any manpower that could have an immediate impact on the ice.
Gainey, a quiet and conservative man, made a bold statement to everyone in the Canadiens organization – both to the players on the ice and the personnel behind the bench.
Continue reading "More To Come From Bold Bob" »
posted by at 16h32 EST on Oct 30
The owner of the Picton Castle says he is "devastatingly sorry" for the death of Laura Gainey, the daughter of Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey, who was swept off the vessel and drowned in a severe mid-Atlantic storm two years ago.
An exhaustive report by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada was released today into the tragedy that claimed Laura Gainey's life.
A statement from the Gainey family, released this afternoon by the Canadiens, appears below.
Read more on the report here. And here you'll find the entire report here.
Continue reading "Update: Report on Gainey tragedy released" »
posted by at 20h37 EST on Oct 3
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.
posted by Mike Boone at 6h25 EST on Sep 8
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."Â
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.
•  •  •Â
How quickly it can all turn to crap in pro sports:
Tom BradyÂ
Continue reading ""He didn't say No."" »
posted by Mike Boone at 8h07 EST on Jul 20
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
posted by Dave Stubbs at 17h57 EST on Jun 26
posted by Mike Boone at 21h31 EST on Jun 19
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.
Continue reading "Gainey decoded" »
posted by Mike Boone at 16h59 EST on May 20
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.
posted by Mike Boone at 15h13 EST on May 6
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."
Continue reading "Was that Bob Gainey or Leonard Cohen?" »
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