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Front Office Change: Gauthier Replaces Gainey |
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“Interim” is not a label Pierre Gauthier will be wearing as he takes over for Bob Gainey as General Manager of the Montreal Canadiens, having signed a multi-year deal. After years of service as Gainey’s right-hand man, Gauthier was officially named his successor yesterday afternoon at the Bell Centre. Within seconds of his first address as the incumbent leader of hockey operations, Gauthier was pressed on the team’s most pertinent issues; the impending free-agent status of Tomas Plekanec, and the immediate future of goaltenders Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak. If you were expecting him to sidestep those issues, Gauthier provided the second surprise of the afternoon by directly addressing them:
On Plekanec:
“We’ve actually spoken to Mr. Curran, who’s an experienced agent in the league and represents Tomas. We both exchanged the wishes of staying together; I think Tomas would like to stay with the Montreal Canadiens and we certainly would like to keep him. The process will continue. I can’t tell you how it’s going to evolve, but we’re interested in keeping Tomas.”
On trading a goalie before the Olympic break, or the trade deadline:
“We have two very strong, young goaltenders, and they’ve been a very big part of our team this year. They give us a chance to win every night, and that’s a very important thing in a very close league. We believe we can go forward with these two young men and that’s our best chance to get into the playoffs this year."
As the formal segment of the press-briefing dissipated, we we’re given the opportunity to speak with the newly-minted GM, one-on-one. He was quick to acknowledge that though the short-term decisions regarding his goaltending were made, he would inevitably have to make a choice between the two who are set to become restricted free agents. Both have proven to be capable starters at the National Hockey League level, and it’s understood that only one can be committed to long-term.
Gauthier was also quick to acknowledge his presence on the market, candidly assuring he’d do anything possible to help the team accomplish its goal of making the playoffs, not dismissing the concept of adding “rentals”, but not suggesting that will be his course of action. He exuded a resonant confidence in his coaching and player personnel, and suggested, without outright exclamation, that no drastic changes were pending.
In that regard a transition in the front office of the club that could’ve been ground-shaking is nothing more than a minor tremor when it comes to changing the operation of the hockey department. The structure remains intact, and the philosophy does as well—with a familiar face now in charge of pushing the final button on executive decisions. And wouldn’t you know it; Bob Gainey will now serve as his consigliere.
To many fans, Gauthier’s promotion is a sign of a continued mediocrity (for lack of better words) given that his pro-scouting department was largely responsible for the deals that were the most prevalent subjects of criticism expressed during Gainey’s tenure. Oft-ignored are the deals that never came to fruition—deals that people may have raved about but never heard about as they were proposed by Gauthier and denied by Gainey. Rarely credited for--are the deals they did pull off that helped this team accomplish some good things throughout Gainey’s time as GM.
Will the people of this city give Pierre Gauthier the chance that the Molsons and Pierre Boivin have committed to giving him? Presently, he may only be judged by the accomplishments and defeats of his former experience, but the opportunity ahead of him is to distinguish himself apart from the Gainey Administration. With crucial decisions to be made in the coming months, ahead of two trade deadlines and a summer of continued transition given the roster overhaul last July, it’s an opportunity Gauthier will have to make the best of.
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In the minutes that followed Bob Gainey’s final press conference as General Manager of the Montreal Canadiens I couldn’t help but feel too many questions went unanswered. I think everyone would’ve liked to have heard Gainey express what it meant to him to have the support of his organization through times of personal strife, and professional strife as well-- through a monumental collapse from a team he and many others felt was destined to accomplish great things in the last two seasons. What he did express was his appreciation for the position and challenge he undertook with the Canadiens—referring to the time as “fabulous”.
Some would like to rehash the details of each and every transaction he made in an assessment of his performance as GM of the Montreal Canadiens. I prefer to see those moves as part of a plan to resurrect and stabilize a franchise that had turned down the wrong path headed into the new millennium. Upon instilling stability, organization and structure—a job he could only be commended for, he wasn’t able to turn his stable franchise into a winning one. It’s a regret I’m certain he’ll lament for the months and years that follow. His pride was evident in recalling moderate success of bringing his club to 4 playoff berths in 5 years, and his humility-- always apparent-- in planting the seeds for a team that could accomplish more but failed to.
Gainey’s leadership was an extension of the examples he set as a cherished player and legend of the Montreal Canadiens. The days where he stood to support Patrice Brisebois, or Saku Koivu, or Guy Carbonneau serve as reminders of how team-oriented he truly was. He was as fit to handle the responsibilities of his position as any other candidate worthy of holding power in a market like Montreal—unique with its bilingual nature, and its history of unmatched success. His imperfection in a market that demands nothing less than perfection was his undoing, like many who served in his shoes before him. His calm and patience--considered to be his greatest assets-- were also in a sense his greatest faults.
There’s rarely a semblance of unanimity in this city when it comes to the all-important decisions of the Montreal Canadiens, this being no exception, as I’m certain the vehement Gainey-bashers were out in force as the news came down yesterday. For his supporters, Gainey will be missed for his integrity and class; his intentions and resolve to do what everyone in this city wanted him to do. He should be unanimously respected for his sense of tradition and for his efforts to bridge the gap between the team’s rich history and the realities of a 30-team, salary-capped league, and he should be commended for his dignity and accountability—which remain intact as he bows out, leaving “too early instead of too late”.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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