This is the 100th season that the Montreal Canadiens have been in existence, and during that time they have become the most storied franchise in hockey, winning 24 titles. They've won almost a quarter of the Stanley Cups that have ever been handed out, and expectations this season have been through the roof. The problem for Montreal is that the longer this centennial season drags on, the more it falls apart.All of this was summarized in one quick press of the proverbial panic button Monday when GM Bob Gainey fired head coach Guy Carbonneau.
Maybe Carbonneau wasn't doing a great job managing his team, but to right the ship, the Habs have their work cut out for them. It may not even be anything a change in coach can fix.
Whether it's troubles with Alexei Kovalev, tales of excessive partying or some players keeping not-so-choice friends, the Canadiens seem to have brought out the big guns for their centennial celebration. And not on the ice. They've shown a penchant for getting into trouble off it and keeping themselves in the media's crosshairs. That's also part of the territory when you play in a hockey crazed city such as Montreal.
Firing Carbonneau is not going to right the ship. It's the last move for a GM who has watched his team completely fall apart, starting with a rigorous seven-game series last spring against the eighth-seeded Boston Bruins. The Habs would prevail, but fell flat in the following five games against Philadelphia. They proceeded to lose Michael Ryder and Mark Streit during the offseason and now are looking at things in reverse. The Bruins hold the top spot in the conference, with the Habs fighting tooth and nail to just get in -- one point up on eighth place at the moment.
But this was a season of expectations in Montreal that makes Mount Everest look like a hill. Whether or not you blame the players, the former coach or the GM for the team's shortcomings, it's worth noting that the expectations may have been misplaced and the blame may need to be spread around. This was a team that lost key players in the offseason, as mentioned above. A team that was forced to depend more on a 21-year-old sophomore goaltender, Carey Price, who was annointed the savior and now carries a chunk of that Mount Everest on his back. Then there's the aging star, Kovalev, whose power play production has gone through the floor. And there's also the injury bug keeping major acquisitions out of the lineup.
Maybe it's the media-created distractions, or a team that simply isn't what it was last year -- departed players, injuries and enigmatic stars on a downturn changing the squad's makeup. Either way, it's not quite as simple as exiling one person. Blaming the coach is a start, but doesn't tell the whole story.
