HF Habs: Montreal Canadiens Hockey Ops - Part 3

[Tyson]

I don’t think the media had a problem with it. I don’t even know if Molson had a problem with it. He just seemed to be okay with MB running (ruining) the show.

Agreed. Molson allowed the mess of 10 years of Bergevin.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Geoff Mol$on was as big a donkey as Bergevin..................10 years squandered on the back on a goalie who had no chance of doing it all. Mol$on is lucky he was born into $$$$ Ownership should have ousted him......he is lucky the board didn't remove him.

That said, finally when the decision was made, about 5 years too late at least he made a great choice in Gorton, who made a great choice in Hughes.
An owner who blows with the wind eh.............

Better days ahead.

I always felt like Molson just stayed out of the way. He wasn’t a hockey guy and didn’t pretend to be. And that’s fine with me.

Except… he made a huge mistake hiring MB. Then re-upped with him long before he had to. Absolutely brutal and it’s 100 percent on him.

All that being said, maybe he’s learned from his mistakes. He went out and hired the best mgmt he could find. He dismissed the language stuff and seems to be focused on having the best mgmt team he can get. I have no complaints from that standpoint.

So yeah, absolutely blame him for MB. He deserves it. But credit him for Hugo. He deserves that too.

 

[Mudz]

I don’t think the media had a problem with it. I don’t even know if Molson had a problem with it. He just seemed to be okay with MB running (ruining) the show.

The medias were definitly not ok with it. Even before the players started talking about playoffs at the end of season, some were saying they need to make the playoffs next year. Ratings have been terrible for the last 3 years.

But now they are the best in like... forever!

 

[red devil]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1835018394879316147

 

[Guess]

This is fantastic news IMO.

What's so good about him? (besides helping Marty with the concepts they're using)

 

[Rapala]

What's so good about him? (besides helping Marty with the concepts they're using)

Did you watch the video all 45 minutes of it?
It's more about helping the players be the very best they can be. ALL of them.
Creating drills that are fun while being extremely competitive.
Taking players out of their comfort zones. Utilizing every second of practice time productively.
Examining your own work as much as that of the players.
and more...

This is all designed to help the players read and react to real time situations.
And yes if you can't do this throw the whole concepts approach out the window.
I'm expecting a far different camp from what we saw last season.

 

[ahmedou]

Jeff Gorton: ''Playing games in April that really really matter''

 

[Scintillating10]

Marty wanted to run the power play. He said after Burrows Left it wasn't fair to bring in a lame duck coach. Rather have a consultant for whole coaching staff.

 

[tazsub3]

We are finally bing operated by pros that run this team as a multibillion dollar business.
Not as the corner grocery store like back in the day

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

We are finally bing operated by pros that run this team as a multibillion dollar business.
Not as the corner grocery store like back in the day

 

[salbutera]

What's so good about him? (besides helping Marty with the concepts they're using)

Out of the box thinking for modern NHL hockey. Proactive possession based game vs reactive defending game.

NHL has become much more of an NCAA game with every passing season - with no red line + infractions being adhered to by refs, good D starts in the Ozone not Jacques Lemaires neutral zone

That’s why a disproportionate # of NCAA coaches are being hired by NHL teams vs traditional CHL junior coaches

 

[Habs Icing]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1834588145817415922

45 minute video. Watched about 10 minutes and he's good.

I watched it all. He isn't good. He's great. Very interesting. The Habs didn't make a mistake hiring him.

I know bringing up soccer on a hockey forum is a no-no but this guy reminds me of the Canadian national coach, Jesse Marsch.

 

[Tyson]

Rob Ramage is pretty damn impressive. He created some life challenges for himself but somehow he found his way and seems to be a top notch human being.

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

I really like the idea of having an ''eye on the sky'' coach to bring a different perspective to the staff. They do it in football, more teams should do it in hockey IMO.

 

[jrom]

I really like the idea of having an ''eye on the sky'' coach to bring a different perspective to the staff. They do it in football, more teams should do it in hockey IMO.

I think he’s also there to coach the coaches, give them feedback perspective on what they do.

 

[BLONG7]

I think he’s also there to coach the coaches, give them feedback perspective on what they do.

The more accountability the better.
It's now an organization, and not The Gong Show, with big Biceps.
All the money in the world, and resources up the wazoo, and Mol$on doubled down on an idiot, with a good goalie....

I think he’s also there to coach the coaches, give them feedback perspective on what they do.

The more accountability the better.
It's now an organization, and not The Gong Show, with big Biceps.
All the money in the world, and resources up the wazoo, and Mol$on doubled down on an idiot, with a good goalie....

 

[dinodebino]

The medias were definitly not ok with it. Even before the players started talking about playoffs at the end of season, some were saying they need to make the playoffs next year. Ratings have been terrible for the last 3 years.

But now they are the best in like... forever!

This. TVA Spanre, radio, La Presse and RDS have had parrots repeating ad nauseam that the rebuild needed to stop. Ratings and readership have gone down since the start of the rebuild.

I think Molson wants the ‘rennaissance’ to happen in time for the next local TV contract, next year. It will make for a great viewership cycle if the team becomes competitive. A lot of money is in play.

 

[dinodebino]

Out of the box thinking for modern NHL hockey. Proactive possession based game vs reactive defending game.

NHL has become much more of an NCAA game with every passing season - with no red line + infractions being adhered to by refs, good D starts in the Ozone not Jacques Lemaires neutral zone

That’s why a disproportionate # of NCAA coaches are being hired by NHL teams vs traditional CHL junior coaches

Yes and no. Playoffs are won by teams that do play the trap and the counter. Plus being absolute brutes in the Dzone.

If it would have been the high flying, puck possession hockey in the playoffs, Edmonton would have won it. Heck, Colorado maybe. Playoffs are still a very passive affair in systems.

 

[Rapala]

Rob Ramage is pretty damn impressive. He created some life challenges for himself but somehow he found his way and seems to be a top notch human being.

I can't help but think how He and Danny Heatley would have been crucified in this day and age.

This. TVA Spanre, radio, La Presse and RDS have had parrots repeating ad nauseam that the rebuild needed to stop. Ratings and readership have gone down since the start of the rebuild.

I think Molson wants the ‘rennaissance’ to happen in time for the next local TV contract, next year. It will make for a great viewership cycle if the team becomes competitive. A lot of money is in play.

Montreal Canadiens

WE are the Mix.

 

[ahmedou]

Stephane Gervais, the new Chest-Bras coach. I mean the new strength and conditioning coach.

 

[dcyhabs]

What always annoyed me is how they constantly tried to blame it on the fans, that "the fans in Montréal wouldn't accept a rebuild" when it was obvious ownership and the media were the ones who truly had a problem with it.

Ownership forced GMs to trade good players for worse players with lower salaries but they wouldn’t rebuild. They figured the fans would accept perpetual mediocrity, the Ballard method.

 

[salbutera]

Yes and no. Playoffs are won by teams that do play the trap and the counter. Plus being absolute brutes in the Dzone.

If it would have been the high flying, puck possession hockey in the playoffs, Edmonton would have won it. Heck, Colorado maybe. Playoffs are still a very passive affair in systems.

Today’s playoffs, but with each passing year more GMs coming in are from NCAA background and more head coaches … once that population becomes dominant (which is going to happen within 5-yrs), the playoff game / infraction calls will reflect regular season.

2-more US based expansion teams incoming, both will likely be owned by hedge fund types meaning management will be analytics focused and NCAA background coaches ….

The game is tilting completely away from old school hockey types & CHL mindsets

 

[dcyhabs]

Agreed. Molson allowed the mess of 10 years of Bergevin.

Bergevin was tough to judge in the moment. Most of his moves looked bad, but a few of them worked out surprisingly well. The problems were mostly fundamental and less visible, not valuing good players, trading away too many picks, absolutely trashing player development.

It’s obvious he was bad in retrospect, but at the time some of them things I blasted him for worked out. Therrien had a good season or two, Domi scored, PK crapped out a season or two after the trade.

No question he was bad, but he had enough unexpected successes that he could fake competence.

 

[Jaynki]

Bergevin was tough to judge in the moment. Most of his moves looked bad, but a few of them worked out surprisingly well. The problems were mostly fundamental and less visible, not valuing good players, trading away too many picks, absolutely trashing player development.

It’s obvious he was bad in retrospect, but at the time some of them things I blasted him for worked out. Therrien had a good season or two, Domi scored, PK crapped out a season or two after the trade.

No question he was bad, but he had enough unexpected successes that he could fake competence.

The move isolated one by one are not bad by any means.

Its the lack of plan and constant improvisation that tanked the whole thing.

Also, in hindsight, it was a toxic environment under his leadership.