Well, I always feared this day would come. Habsinsideout reports that this site's namesake has been sent home while the Habs continue their road trip. And not for medical reasons.
Well, those who are always saying Bob Gainey should "blow up the team" are getting their wish.
Gainey spoke pretty frankly about Kovalev's performance - too frankly. If there was any thought about him returning next year, Montreal fans can forget it. Players don't react well to being publicly embarassed. Patrick Roy comes to mind.
Debate Kovalev's merits all you want, but this is a larger issue than just one talented Russian.
Montreal has also just sent Sergei Kostitsyn down to Hamilton. This team managed to alienate Sergei Samsonov and Michael Ryder (both of whom, on further inspection, seem to be doing much better with a change of scenery). The first reaction a lot of people are going to have is that, when they see all these Russian names, they'll write this off as making sure the Russians play an NHL, not a European game.
Folks, that's a load of bullshit.
First of all, remember that Michael Ryder also floundered under Carbonneau's "leadership." Mike Ribeiro isn't doing so bad either. Keep in mind that Montreal will be unable to sign any Russian free agents if it gets a reputation as an inhospitable place. What's more, other players in general see playing in Montreal as an exercise in psychological torture. Mike Ribeiro and Michael Ryder have mouths, and they tell their teammates about the catty behavior of Bob Gainey and Guy Carbonneau. Or, hell, the players can see it for themselves when Bob Gainey fights with Kovalev in the media.
This is NOT the way good teams are managed. Good managers praise publicly, and criticize privately. Bob and Guy seem to have the opposite idea.
5 comments:
This is the pre-cursor to Vincent Lecavalier being delt to Montreal. C'mon, Mathieu Schiender does not solve their powerplay woes. I feel bad for Habs fans, Gainey missed his chance last year and now this team is falling apart under his watch. Geoff - I can hear you sobbing all the way back here in MA. I think I can actually say that I might rather have Harry Sinden running my team rather than Bob Gainey.
BTW Alex Kovalev is ripped! If I was a Montreal fan I'd seriously have to think twice about either having sex with Gisele Bundchen or having dinner with Alex Kovalev!
Eh...I never saw it as Bob humiliating Kovy in the media. In fact, it's a good thing he came out and spoke so frankly because the idiots in the media would have gone off the map with speculations. (They did anyway). Bob told it like it is and did it well. To me, it sounds very much like Bob cares a great deal about Kovy (and Sergei) and what he needs to be for the team, otherwise he'd have been left to rot in pointless agony. As with any job, sometimes it takes your boss to nudge you one rather than give you a pink slip.
Kovy loves Montreal, couldn't care less about rumors and media. Bob and Kovy have this mutual respect thing. Kovy is a proud man and no one is more upset about his play/production than he is. If he's traded at the deadline (Pens fans are calling for him--but hey, he'd have some decent linemates there in Malkin at least), he could always come back in the summer eh ;)
You've got a good point about the Montreal media. What's even worse is that the Russian media seems to always fan the flames (see the latest on Habsinsideout.com).
My problem is more that Gainey did this to begin with. In any case, he could have sugar-coated it, saying that Kovalev was overdue for a sick day, that he needed to be back with his family, or some other pre-arranged facade. Bob Gainey knows the Media, and knows that no matter what, they would form their own conclusions. So why call Kovalev out publicly like that? I still think it was a bad move to say what he did. But that's just my own opinion about management.
Perhaps Gainey figures everything eventually gets out anyway so why bother trying to hide anything from the press.
I have no doubt that Gainey cares about Kovalev, but I'm afraid that Carbonneau has made the situation much worse than it should be. I've been on the fence a long time with him, and I have come to the conclusion that he has no idea how to get the best out of his players. If I were a free agent looking for a long-term contract, I would have serious reservations about playing under him. I would go in knowing that with the first bad pass, I would be separated from my line-mates and shuffled through a random assortment of defensemen and ill-matched forwards. What's more, I would know I have a better chance at being in the lineup if I were a washed-up turnover machine back for a farewell tour than if I were a truly talented player in my contract year.
By the way, keep the comments coming!
Power to the people.
And the good news keeps coming...
The Kousin is on the outs, and now the whole team is under investigation for their involvement with organized crime. Ladies and Gentlement...the New York Yankees of hockey!
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