Repeated Theme...

[BRAD HABSFAN]

Not sure if you heard this but in 1 interview with PK he said this is the closest team he has ever played on--Pierre McGuire has repeatedly told the story on Melnick how how Pleks in particular and the team as a whole were DDs biggest cheerleaders when he was struggling through the early part of the year. CBC interviewed PK after game 1 and he wanted Price there instead and same time NBCSN was interviewing Price and he talked about PK. I also heard yesterday and I am not sure what show it was but when Gainey blew up this team it was mostly due to the cancer that had crept into the locker room

I find it more then just a coincendence that this team is experiencing success and the tightness of the group from early on has been a big point and topic.

 

[Tuggy]

I had this conversation with my wife not long ago when we were watching an episode of 24 CH. Saying this team is so much different than the years of the cliques (like Koivu vs Ribeiro).

It's an important part of having a winning team. These guys play for each other and put it all on the line for their teammates. Obviously you need to have good players to win but having chemistry and comradery is vital.

 

[Burke the Legend]

I also heard yesterday and I am not sure what show it was but when Gainey blew up this team it was mostly due to the cancer that had crept into the locker room

I find it more then just a coincendence that this team is experiencing success and the tightness of the group from early on has been a big point and topic.

Yeah Gainey gets a lot of crap here, but as a HoF great team captain himself he knew there was a serious problem in the locker room and engineered the huge change after 2009 with a specific goal of radically altering it. That included unceremoniously letting Koivu go UFA without a contract offer. I think Koivu was a good guy and was still a quality hockey player, but Gainey saw there was a problem when your captain was part of a clique. Gainey made it a point to dump these cold euro vets and bring in gregarious, friendly American dudes. Obviously we overpaid for Gomez which wasn't great, but at the time he was still a quality hockey player. Gomez despite his eventual failing was a big part of the new vet leadership core along with Gionta, and by all accounts a super guy and a significant part of the locker room culture change to bridge the divide between the vets and the young up and coming core (Patches, PK, Gorges, Price, DD). If we manage to retain Vanek it will be because he is impressed with this culture as well.

 

[Lshap]

Yeah Gainey gets a lot of crap here, but as a HoF great team captain himself he knew there was a serious problem in the locker room and engineered the huge change after 2009 with a specific goal of radically altering it. That included unceremoniously letting Koivu go UFA without a contract offer. I think Koivu was a good guy and was still a quality hockey player, but Gainey saw there was a problem when your captain was part of a clique. Gainey made it a point to dump these cold euro vets and bring in gregarious, friendly American dudes. Obviously we overpaid for Gomez which wasn't great, but at the time he was still a quality hockey player. Gomez despite his eventual failing was a big part of the new vet leadership core along with Gionta, and by all accounts a super guy and a significant part of the locker room culture change to bridge the divide between the vets and the young up and coming core (Patches, PK, Gorges, Price, DD). If we manage to retain Vanek it will be because he is impressed with this culture as well.

Great points. It's good to be reminded of the texture that defines a team, beyond the point totals.

 

[WhiskeySeven*]

Yeah Gainey gets a lot of crap here, but as a HoF great team captain himself he knew there was a serious problem in the locker room and engineered the huge change after 2009 with a specific goal of radically altering it. That included unceremoniously letting Koivu go UFA without a contract offer. I think Koivu was a good guy and was still a quality hockey player, but Gainey saw there was a problem when your captain was part of a clique. Gainey made it a point to dump these cold euro vets and bring in gregarious, friendly American dudes. Obviously we overpaid for Gomez which wasn't great, but at the time he was still a quality hockey player. Gomez despite his eventual failing was a big part of the new vet leadership core along with Gionta, and by all accounts a super guy and a significant part of the locker room culture change to bridge the divide between the vets and the young up and coming core (Patches, PK, Gorges, Price, DD). If we manage to retain Vanek it will be because he is impressed with this culture as well.

Gomez was not a quality hockey player or any sort of respectable hockey contract. Aside from that - sure.

I totally think that Koivu's leadership was resting on its laurels during the late-2000s as our team motivation and lockerroom dynamic was clearly lacking. Gainey should've fixed it long before his blow-up. That said, players like Gorges and Gionta clearly give this team another aura.

Our team doesn't come out flat any more. Our team doesn't give up on plays. It's really refreshing to see and it's the difference between mediocre pretenders and legitimate top-tier teams.

 

[Sorinth]

Gomez was not a quality hockey player or any sort of respectable hockey contract. Aside from that - sure.

I totally think that Koivu's leadership was resting on its laurels during the late-2000s as our team motivation and lockerroom dynamic was clearly lacking. Gainey should've fixed it long before his blow-up. That said, players like Gorges and Gionta clearly give this team another aura.

Our team doesn't come out flat any more. Our team doesn't give up on plays. It's really refreshing to see and it's the difference between mediocre pretenders and legitimate top-tier teams.

The thing is Koivu was basically alone in the leadership department, who else were the leaders Kovalev, Rivet, Souray, Higgins? I mean that's not a lot of help.

The idea that one guy can lead the whole team by himself just isn't true anymore (If it ever was). You need a large group of leaders that are on the same page which is what we have now.

 

[Mrb1p]

It's all good and games until we lose the next game.

 

[BRAD HABSFAN]

The thing is Koivu was basically alone in the leadership department, who else were the leaders Kovalev, Rivet, Souray, Higgins? I mean that's not a lot of help.

The idea that one guy can lead the whole team by himself just isn't true anymore (If it ever was). You need a large group of leaders that are on the same page which is what we have now.

Gomez was not a quality hockey player or any sort of respectable hockey contract. Aside from that - sure.

I totally think that Koivu's leadership was resting on its laurels during the late-2000s as our team motivation and lockerroom dynamic was clearly lacking. Gainey should've fixed it long before his blow-up. That said, players like Gorges and Gionta clearly give this team another aura.

Our team doesn't come out flat any more. Our team doesn't give up on plays. It's really refreshing to see and it's the difference between mediocre pretenders and legitimate top-tier teams.

I would say Rivet and Souray were verbal leaders

Let us not forget Gomez had 14 points in 19 games in our 2010 run. Though he was not a great player back then everyone was loving what he brought to that playoff run.

 

[Habstract]

Props to the management... They were able to put up a team of guys with CHARACTER !!

 

[Madevilz]

Props to the management... They were able to put up a team of guys with CHARACTER !!

Are we on that character bandwagon again?
All I saw this year was people making fun of MB's pursuit of "character".

 

[1UP]

It's all good and games until we lose the next game.

That team didn't look ready to chop each other's head off and then slit their own wrists after the game 2 loss.

They rolled up their sleeves, made adjustments, and played their best game of the 3.

 

[Mrb1p]

That team didn't look ready to chop each other's head off and then slit their own wrists after the game 2 loss.

They rolled up their sleeves, made adjustments, and played their best game of the 3.

It was a reference to the fan base, not the team.

 

[Habstract]

Are we on that character bandwagon again?
All I saw this year was people making fun of MB's pursuit of "character".

Find a quote of me saying that... I disagree with what people say on here most of the time.

And... I was just trying to be sarcastic and point out how bi polar our fan base is.. (which is not a bad thing). I live in Vancouver and here fans simply don't care about the Canucks when they lose, which is way worse than being "bi-polar". When Montreal will lose 2-3 in a row, some fans are going to change their mind!

Props also goes to the players, that's for sure but when I say props to the management team it's in regard to the way they choose the new players and the one that get extended with the team. I think MB is really big on the "how is this player going to fit in the mix" side of things. This is not going to make us win all of our games but at least even in the defeat, I like to see that our guys are not staring down at eachother and trying to find someone else to blame.

 

[1UP]

It was a reference to the fan base, not the team.

Oh. Carry on then.