Carbonneau

A quiet, 25-minute one-on-one chat with Guy Carbonneau in a Toronto hotel lobby this past Nov. 9, four months to the day before he was fired by the Canadiens.

Carbo talks about the pressures of coaching in this city, and all the little things that make up the job.

He's revealing and candid about what makes – made – him tick in one of the toughest jobs in professional sports.

Andie Bennett
Our thanks to Team 990's ace reporter

Circumstances beyond my control kept me from Brossard today to attend GM Bob Gainey's mid-season media briefing and collect his voice on the state of the Canadiens.

So we offer our heartfelt thanks to Andie Bennett of Montreal's Team 990 all-sports radio for sharing with us the audio she rounded up from the event. (Melnick: Give this woman a raise!)

Here's a summary of the news by Manny Almela, at canadiens.com

• The complete Gainey briefing

And here, stitched together, are the clips Andie edited for Team 990 use:

• Guy Carbonneau first, then Bob Gainey on the Canadiens at the halfway mark

Finally:  • Josh Gorges, Saku Koivu and Maxim Lapierre after practice

Captain Saku Koivu runs his injured ankle through a workout today before his team's practice in Brossard. Koivu skated the entire practice, as well, and in all probability expects to return to the lineup next week.
Marie-France Coallier, Gazette

You'll find the highlights of today's practice at the posts below, filed from the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard. And below you'll find the Stubbs news story and column on the Sergei Kostitsyn-Mikhail Grabovski feud, as it were, which might (or might not) resume Feb. 7 in Montreal when the Canadiens and Maple Leafs next meet.

Listen in to a few voices following today's practice:

• Carbo's bilingual media briefing (fantastic new soundboard in Brossard in a very large room, so the coach will sound great and you'll barely hear the questions);

• Robert Lang on his first half, the team's first half, the Grabovski affair, and Lang's picturesque second goal vs. the Rangers, the highlight-reel special;

• Captain Saku Koivu on his rehabilitation and Grabovski;

• And a little more Koivu.

From the Canadiens dressing room this afternoon after a spirited midday practice, the final practice (thankfully) before the team gets down to business Friday in Columbus and Saturday in Toronto:

• Christopher Higgins on playing with Saku Koivu and Alex Tanguay, etc.;
• Mike Komisarek on slow starts after a long break (remember Anaheim?), etc.;
• Josh Gorges on being rassled WWE-style to the ice by Koivu, and on being off the hook for a rookie dinner that can't be held without any rookies;
• Head coach Guy Carbonneau's daily briefing in English and French.

Following practice today in Saint-Jovite, a number of Canadiens on a number of subjects.

The team returns to practice up here on Friday before returning to Montreal for its final preseason game, Saturday vs. the Minnesota Wild.

• Head coach Guy Carbonneau, in English

• Carbonneau, in French

• Captain Saku Koivu

• Christopher Higgins

• Georges Laraque, in English

• Laraque, in French

• Kyle Chipchura

• Max Pacioretty

Canadiens head coach Guy Carbonneau had a conference call this morning with NHL media from Canada and the U.S.

Not a whole lot you didn't hear earlier in the week at Inside/Out, but Carbo did address next Tuesday's Hockeyville event in Roberval, expectations for the season ahead, his hopes for Mike Komisarek and Alex Kovalev and the new faces in Alex Tanguay, Georges Laraque and Robert Lang. 

Here's the 24-minute conference call in audio format.

But much better, I think, are Carbo's two informal sessions with Montreal media afterward. Here's the coach in English, for 14:17, and in French, for 8:22.

Head coach Guy Carbonneau picked his spot carefully to discuss his concern yesterday.
Pierre Obendrauf, Gazette

For roughly the length of a minor penalty yesterday, Canadiens head coach Guy Carbonneau spoke to the media who cover his team and asked that they show a little restraint in their zeal to get a story.

In just a little more than two minutes, Carbonneau showed more about himself than I've seen this season. And it was hardly a coincidence that he chose to bring this up on a day when two of his players – captain Saku Koivu and Francis Bouillon – navigated the Bell Centre corridors on crutches, just three games before the playoffs.

A few thoughts about Carbo and his address:

The NHL featured Canadiens head coach Guy Carbonneau in a conference call for North American and international media this afternoon, a wide-ranging talk about the Habs and their success this season.

The entire interview transcript appears below:

A little sound from the dressing room post-practice on Friday afternoon:

Canadiens captain Saku Koivu on the team's troubles at home, playing with Sergei Kostitsyn and Koivu's own goal-scoring drought. Clip runs 3:43.

Goalie Carey Price on fine-tuning his game, home ice, his success against the Maple Leafs and how his mother was impressed by his first apartment in Montreal. Clip runs 2:08.

Rookie forward Sergei Kostitsyn talks about his NHL debut. Clip runs 6:07.

Head coach Guy Carbonneau's daily media conference in English and French. He begins speaking about the health of Andrei Kostitsyn and Guillaume Latendresse. Clip runs 10:47.

The Canadiens are off to Buffalo this afternoon, ready to begin a back-to-back Friday-Saturday weekend against the Sabres, then home to the Boston Bruins.

The Gazette's Pat Hickey caught up to one head coach and two players in the Canadiens' dressing room after today's practice in Verdun for these comments:

Head coach Guy Carbonneau on changes to his lines, among other things, as he shuffles his deck by switching Michael Ryder for Tom Kostopoulos on his No. 1 line. Clip runs 5:00.

Goalie Cristobal Huet on starting tomorrow in Buffalo, and on back-to-back games. Clip runs 2:24.

Forward Christopher Higgins on his new linemate, Kostopoulos, and on the challenge that awaits in Buffalo. Clip runs 3:12.