OT: Hossa to Montreal at the 2008 Deadline

[badfish]

I just posted about this in the trade deadline thread but thought it was interesting enough that it deserved it's own thread. There's been rumours forever about Montreal trying to acquire Hossa at the 2008 deadline. I don't remember the whole story, but there was even some lore that his gloves were spotted in Montreal. There's an article in the Athletic today where Ray Shero, who worked for the Pens at the time and acquired Hossa, shares some details on that day. Here are the excerpts:

Shero: The Marian Hossa deal was with one minute to go
...
Don Waddell thought he might have a deal with Montreal (for Marian Hossa). I called him or texted him at about 2:40 (Eastern). And he basically said, "Do you want to do this?"... And I said, "What's the deal?" Because we'd talked about a few different things. When we got the package, it was a first-round pick and two good roster players for us, Colby Armstrong and Eric Christensen, and our first-round pick the year before, Angelo Esposito. And Don's like, "Do we have a deal?"... I'm looking at our board and seeing we'd take out two roster forwards. I'm like ... I need a forward. He goes, "What about Pascal Dupuis?"
...
I put him on hold. And I have Mario on my office phone.

I said "Here's the deal. I'll go as quick as I can..."

"Ray if you like the deal let's do it."
I said: "It's a big risk..."

He said: "Ray, I'm a risk taker. I bought this team out of bankruptcy."

With about one minute to go, I hang up and Chuck Fletcher (then Pittsburgh's assistant GM) is right there and he's got the fax line. I say "We have a deal, Chuck. Hurry up!" And it goes through.

The rest of the Athletic's article on this is great. I also have some free passes still if anyone is interesting trialing the Athletic.

It's interesting to think about what could have been if Hossa had come to Montreal that year (and maybe signed an extension, however remote those chances would have been...). Montreal finished first in the conference that season. I wonder what Montreal's offer was.

Click to read more...

 

[Habs13]

This has nothing to do with Montreal? What am I missing?

 

[nhlfan9191]

That was the 2008 trade deadline, not the 2009. And we could’ve used a player like Hossa that year. I still think the young goalies without Huet would’ve sunk us still however.

 

[badfish]

This has nothing to do with Montreal? What am I missing?

What do you mean? Hossa was long rumoured to Montreal and the quote I put references that Waddell thought he had a deal with Montreal before Pittsburgh swept in 20 minutes before the deadline.

That was the 2008 trade deadline, not the 2009. And we could’ve used a player like Hossa that year. I still think the young goalies without Huet would’ve sunk us still however.

Yes. Thanks, I corrected in the text and title.

 

[MasterD]

This has nothing to do with Montreal? What am I missing?

"Don Waddell thought he might have a deal with Montreal (for Marian Hossa). I called him or texted him at about 2:40 (Eastern)."

According to this, we came 20 minutes away from trading for Marian Hossa that day

 

[Schooner Guy]

That was the 2008 trade deadline, not the 2009. And we could’ve used a player like Hossa that year. I still think the young goalies without Huet would’ve sunk us still however.

Habs were supposed to get Johan "Moose" Hedberg in the Hossa deal who would have provided veteran presence stability as well as insurance. Pretty sure Gainey wouldn't have traded Huet had he not felt there was an agreement with Atlanta.

 

[Habs13]

What do you mean? Hossa was long rumoured to Montreal and the quote I put references that Waddell thought he had a deal with Montreal before Pittsburgh swept in 20 minutes before the deadline.

Yes. Thanks, I corrected in the text and title.

I think I misunderstood - my bad

 

[Gustave]

Habs were supposed to get Johan "Moose" Hedberg in the Hossa deal who would have provided veteran presence stability as well as insurance. Pretty sure Gainey wouldn't have traded Huet had he not felt there was an agreement with Atlanta.

Exactly, Huet was traded because Hedberg was coming back. Gainey was too old school; when he had a handshake deal, deals were done for him.

He got played that year, and the TB trade for Lecavalier too.

 

[badfish]

I think I misunderstood - my bad

No worries!

 

[Price is Wright]

Everyone here has a cousin who saw, "Hossa's gloves" at the Montreal airport.

 

[Vachon23]

20 minutes away... men that's hurt !

Hossa would have been awesome

The question is what we would have trade for him ?

 

[Gustave]

20 minutes away... men that's hurt !

Hossa would have ben awesome

The question is what we would have trade for him ?

Chris Higgins, a first and I’m actually forgetting the other (Grabovski??)

 

[Vachon23]

Chris Higgins, a first and I’m actually forgetting the other (Grabovski??)

That was reasonable

 

[nhlfan9191]

Habs were supposed to get Johan "Moose" Hedberg in the Hossa deal who would have provided veteran presence stability as well as insurance. Pretty sure Gainey wouldn't have traded Huet had he not felt there was an agreement with Atlanta.

I’d have believed that if they didn’t trade Huet away for peanuts anyways with no backup plan.

 

[Michelangelo]

Man the hype around that deadline was epic

I was 15

 

[Wats]

20 minutes away... men that's hurt !

Hossa would have been awesome

The question is what we would have trade for him ?

Wasnt it Higgins++

 

[Mrb1p]

Hossa probably gets us to the ECF and without Hossa, does Pittsburgh go to SCF?

Anyhow, Detroit was a monster that year.

Man the hype around that deadline was epic

I was 15

Same. My first big deadline.

 

[ThaDevilGirl]

I remember being in CEGEP and texting people to get news about the deadline. No laptop, no smartphone back in the day. Good times.

 

[Gustave]

I remember being in CEGEP and texting people to get news about the deadline. No laptop, no smartphone back in the day. Good times.

I didn’t have a cell yet, all HF consumption was done on a PC for me.

 

[badfish]

Same. My first big deadline.

Man the hype around that deadline was epic

I was 15

Yes, this was my first big deadline as well.

I remember being in CEGEP and texting people to get news about the deadline. No laptop, no smartphone back in the day. Good times.

At the time half my courseload was being entirely instructed by computer (pretty novel at the time). I am going to guess I wasn't paying much attention to those courses.

 

[JianYang]

Man the hype around that deadline was epic

I was 15

I think that was also the year that Pierre McGuire was standing way too close to Dutch, and talking about his long stick.

This is back when deadlines were really fun.

I didn’t have a cell yet, all HF consumption was done on a PC for me.

This was still common in 08, I think. I think blackberry was a major player as far as smartphones go back then... That really hits home for me with respect to how long ago this was.

 

[Andy]

Wasnt it Higgins++

If I recall, it the rumor was Higgins, Grabovski, and O'Byrne.

I know Grabovski was definitely part of the package.

The return was to be Hossa and Hedberg.

 

[Gustave]

I think that was also the year that Pierre McGuire was standing way too close to Dutch, and talking about his long stick.

This is back when deadlines were really fun.



This was still common in 08, I think. I think blackberry was the major player as far as smartphones go back then... That really hits home for me with respect to how long ago this was.

You are absolutely right. BB were the shit. I was hesitating back then because my circle was more or less using cells, only but to “call” or text through the keypad…

I think I caved what… a couple years later when the IPhone became rampant and I was definitely missing out. I was 24 in 08.

 

[Gustave]

If I recall, it the rumor was Higgins, Grabovski, and O'Byrne.

I know Grabovski was definitely part of the package.

The return was to be Hossa and Hedberg.

The first was in there for sure, Gainey traded it to Calgary for Tanguay that same summer. AND, traded Grabo (or some twist of it)for the rights to Sundin…

 

[Wats]

If I recall, it the rumor was Higgins, Grabovski, and O'Byrne.

I know Grabovski was definitely part of the package.

The return was to be Hossa and Hedberg.

Funny how they took the worse deal and saw it as better.