Bob Gainey 2008-09

[AK-1]

Bob Gainey

Position: Executive Vice President and General Manager

Born in Peterborough on December 13, 1953, Bob Gainey became the 15th General Manager in the history of the Montreal Canadiens on June 2, 2003. On January 14, 2006, he took over as interim head coach of the Canadiens before handling the coaching duties to Guy Carbonneau on May 5, 2006.

Called by Russian hockey pioneer Anatoli Tarasov the world's most complete hockey player, Gainey played his entire NHL career with the Canadiens from 1973 to 1989, and was the team captain for his last eight seasons. His resume includes five Stanley Cup championships (1975 to 1979 and 1985-86) and seven Prince of Wales Conference championships. A four-time All Star team selection, Gainey also won the Frank Selke Trophy for four consecutive years, from 1978 to 1981, more than any other NHL player. He was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Playoffs Most Valuable Player in 1979.

Following his playing career, Gainey began coaching the épinal hockey team, in France, before joining the Minnesota North Stars as Head Coach in 1990. That same year, he guided the North Stars to the Stanley Cup finals. He was the Stars' Head Coach and General Manager from 1992 to 1996.

During that period, he managed the team's move from Minnesota to Dallas. From 1996 to 2002, as the Stars' General Manager, Gainey led his team to one Stanley Cup Championship (1999), five consecutive Division Championships (from 1996 to 2001), and two Presidents' Trophies awarded to the team with the NHL's best regular season record (1998 and 1999).

At the international level, Gainey was Assistant General Manager of the 1996 Canadian Team at the World Cup of Hockey, and also acted as one of the three general managers of the Canadian Olympic team at the Nagano Olympic games in 1998. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992. Bob Gainey is a member of the NHL Competitive Rules Committee since 2005.

http://canadiens.nhl.com/team/app?service=...direct_hOD_1953

[Innis_Mor]

I thought I'd make the first post, my thank you and bonne chance to Bob Gainey for bringing the excitement and pride back to the Les Canadiens. This 100th anniversary season the Habs embark with much promise. a potently offensive and exciting hockey team, fast in the skating, and slick in the puck movement, with a star in the making as puckstopper.

I am looking forward to this coming NHL season like I have not since the 70's and 80's (yes, a long time).

And thanks, Bob for doing the best possible job at courting Mats Sundin. I believe he'll be successful. And after Mats, (and ignoring possible long-term injuries to starters) it's just one more piece (a 4th top-4 D-man by the trade deadline) and the team is all set for the play-off run. Bob's going for the Cup in this 100th anniversary year. Great job Bob developing your staff, and developing this team. I am really looking forward to this club being competitive for years to come. It's been a while since I've had that thought.

Good luck this season, BG. Thanks again.

[flames4eva]

If Bob Gainey can convince Mats Sundin to sign before the start of the 2008-2009 Season it will be much needed icing on the cake and much of the past, that may have been questioned, will be forgiven and forgotten by some (some others are like elephants).

Sure there have been some failures along the way since he took over as the Habs GM (Samsonov, Niniima - failure to land other top ranked UFA's), but he has built the team methodically and advanced it from within. Gone are the days: Julien, Theodore, Rivest, Zednik, Bulis, Ribiero, Ryder and Dagenais (did I forget anyone? Zubrus?). He brought in fillers that have done there part along the way: Bonk, Johnson, Downey, Murray, Brisebois and Smolinski.

With the signing of Tanguay and Laraque (and a slew, it seems, of players for the minor league; Biron, Glumac, Henry, Flynn, Belle etc. - to name a few), shrewd drafting and the development of young players (Plekanec, Higgins, the Kos-Bros, Komisarek, O'Byrne, Lapierre, Lats, Chips - and yet other players on the horizon), the future is developing as it should.

The team has had ups and downs - understandable with such a makeover and new coaching that continues to improve: Carbs, Captain Kirk and the Iron Man are alll winners - IMO, and the progression has been in the right direction.

The Habs are on the verge - a shot at Stanley is getting near.

Good show I'd say

GO HABS GO!!!

[GreekHockeyCoach]

If Bob Gainey can convince Mats Sundin to sign before the start of the 2008-2009 Season it will be much needed icing on the cake and much of the past, that may have been questioned, will be forgiven and forgotten by some (some others are like elephants).

Sure there have been some failures along the way since he took over as the Habs GM (Samsonov, Niniima - failure to land other top ranked UFA's), but he has built the team methodically and advanced it from within. Gone are the days: Julien, Theodore, Rivest, Zednik, Bulis, Ribiero, Ryder and Dagenais (did I forget anyone? Zubrus?). He brought in fillers that have done there part along the way: Bonk, Johnson, Downey, Murray, Brisebois and Smolinski.

With the signing of Tanguay and Laraque (and a slew, it seems, of players for the minor league; Biron, Glumac, Henry, Flynn, Belle etc. - to name a few), shrewd drafting and the development of young players (Plekanec, Higgins, the Kos-Bros, Komisarek, O'Byrne, Lapierre, Lats, Chips - and yet other players on the horizon), the future is developing as it should.

The team has had ups and downs - understandable with such a makeover and new coaching that continues to improve: Carbs, Captain Kirk and the Iron Man are alll winners - IMO, and the progression has been in the right direction.

The Habs are on the verge - a shot at Stanley is getting near.

Good show I'd say

GO HABS GO!!!

BRAVO! Well said my friend!

[ColRouleBleu]

As Mike Boone says on Habs Inside/Out, this is a "must read" http://habsloyalist.blogspot.com/2008/09/m...rom-gainey.html in which Gainey answers questions from the fans last weekend in NL.

[habsfan512]

I love this team- the additions of Lang, Tanguay, Laraque are superb - always get the guys who are willing to play they are better than those who are not. (even superstars). Let the preseason begin - Hope springs eternal

[CheeseHab]

I really like what Bob has done since last season.

I hope he's taken Carey out for coffee once or twice.

Alex, George, Patrick, Robert (who will keep Kovy interested), and even Marc!? = BRAVO!

[fourtrax]

Okay, although I absolutely hate how money we've spent on lower-tier players, I nonetheless feel that, taking away capology, we're a stronger team on paper than we were last year.

Departures:

Ryder

Smolinski

Streit

Grabovski

Arrivals:

Tanguay

Laraque

Lang

IMO Tanguay essentially replaces Streit's point production. On the power play point, we can use Tanguay, Brisebois, Hamrlik, or one of the Kostitsyn brothers.

Lang replaces and upgrades Smolinski. Basically, if Lang has the same kind of season he's had for the past few years (20 goals, 50 points), he'll almost replace both Smolinski (25 points) and Ryder (31 points) in terms of point production on his own. The small deficit should be made up by Saku having a bounce-back season. Lang also offsets the depth hit generated by Grabovski's departure.

Laraque gives us a physical dimension we haven't had in years. If someone tries to start something with our skill players, we can respond with Laraque.

Nothing else has changed, except that our young players (the Kostitsyns, Higgins, Plekanec, Latendresse, O'Byrne, Price, Gorges) will have more experience under their belt and should thus be more consistent through the regular season and the playoffs.

[teststory]

I'm pretty confident this team will have more offense then last year. Anything can happen, but on paper Tanguay/Lang provide more offense then Streit/Ryder/Smokes. Lang wasn't at his best last year, but I believe he is capable of hitting 60-80 points if he can find a spot on the top two lines. I know Koivu is held in high regard around here and he is a very good player, but Lang has had some seasons that Koivu really hasn't come close to in point production. Of course Lang is a bit older and perhaps doesn't have the same work ethic of Koivu, but that doesn't mean he can't have a very good year offensively IMO.

[sach]

I'm pretty confident this team will have more offense then last year. Anything can happen, but on paper Tanguay/Lang provide more offense then Streit/Ryder/Smokes. Lang wasn't at his best last year, but I believe he is capable of hitting 60-80 points if he can find a spot on the top two lines. I know Koivu is held in high regard around here and he is a very good player, but Lang has had some seasons that Koivu really hasn't come close to in point production. Of course Lang is a bit older and perhaps doesn't have the same work ethic of Koivu, but that doesn't mean he can't have a very good year offensively IMO.

Ok Lang has had one 80 point season in 2001 playing with Lemieux,Straka,Jagr.... Koivu has had a 75 point season i dont see the differential your speaking of

[Innis_Mor]

....

Nothing else has changed, except that our young players (the Kostitsyns, Higgins, Plekanec, Latendresse, O'Byrne, Price, Gorges) will have more experience under their belt and should thus be more consistent through the regular season and the playoffs.

And this, IMHO, will prove to be the biggest, most meaningful change for the Habs this season. That list of very good players will all be 10-30% better this season. I also think Halak will impress. It is the improvement of these players, primarily, along with their increased experience, that will drive the Habs' success this season. The player additions will top it all off.

[leafsbaby08]

Congrats Bob on your accomplishments this summer. Tanguay, Laraque and the big faceoff winning center Lang. The team is now tougher up front with Tanguay and Lang to make up for Ryder and Smolinski's lack of offense. (though I will always remember Smoke as last year's Devils slayer). The same defensive and goaltending core remains the same and they can only get better. This year should be a helluva ride.

[DA_Champion]

Bob Gainey may have had the best off season in the entire NHL.

We lost: Mark Streit, Bryan Smolinski, Michael Ryder

We gained: Alex Tanguay, George Laracqes, Robert Lang, Marc Denis

Josh Gorges, Ryan O'Byrne and Andrei Kostitsyn were each signed to 3 year contracts at very reasonable rates.

Jaroslav Halak was signed to a reasonable two year contract.

The defensive corps of the team were given a further enforcement to their prospects, with players like Alex Henry and Shawn Bell being signed up; and Yannick Weber got promoted to Edmonton.

We may have the best offensive lineup in the league. We have a strong defensive lineup anchored by 3 top-2 defensemen in Markov, Komisarek and Hamrlik, 3 other quality guys, an offensive defensemen in brisebois and no shortage of potential backups in Hamilton.

Meanwhile, Price as gaolie with two options for backup.

All looks good.

[fourtrax]

While I'm not sure Gainey had THE best offseason in the entire league, I do agree that he had a very good offseason, better than a lot of GMs, and in typical Gainey fashion, it's a quiet, unremarkable-on-paper sort of offseason that will have people marvelling in a few months. The best of Gainey's moves tend to be very subtle, with little on paper to write home about, and benefits possibly only accruing in obvious fashion months or even years down the line. Take the Rivet trade. At the time, it was a fire-sale type move to get rid of a vet who apparently clashed with the coach and who was also going to be UFA in the subsequent offseason. Two years later, look at what that trade has given us: a steady, reliable young 5th d-man who may one day be a fixture on the second pairing, and Max Pacioretty, already signed to a contract and in all likelihood a future member of the Habs in 2009-10.

I don't think people realize just how helpful Lang is going to be until midway through the year. Similarly, it will probably take a few months for the rest of the world to realize how much of an upgrade Tanguay is on Streit. Tracking Gainey's moves as a GM is kind of like watching a time-lapsed video, or watching Theoden's recovery in the movie version of The Two Towers: you're not quite sure what's happening, but by the end of the sequence, he looks completely transformed.

[DA_Champion]

While I'm not sure Gainey had THE best offseason in the entire league, I do agree that he had a very good offseason, better than a lot of GMs, and in typical Gainey fashion, it's a quiet, unremarkable-on-paper sort of offseason that will have people marvelling in a few months. The best of Gainey's moves tend to be very subtle, with little on paper to write home about, and benefits possibly only accruing in obvious fashion months or even years down the line. Take the Rivet trade. At the time, it was a fire-sale type move to get rid of a vet who apparently clashed with the coach and who was also going to be UFA in the subsequent offseason. Two years later, look at what that trade has given us: a steady, reliable young 5th d-man who may one day be a fixture on the second pairing, and Max Pacioretty, already signed to a contract and in all likelihood a future member of the Habs in 2009-10.

I don't think people realize just how helpful Lang is going to be until midway through the year. Similarly, it will probably take a few months for the rest of the world to realize how much of an upgrade Tanguay is on Streit. Tracking Gainey's moves as a GM is kind of like watching a time-lapsed video, or watching Theoden's recovery in the movie version of The Two Towers: you're not quite sure what's happening, but by the end of the sequence, he looks completely transformed.

Which other GMs would you putt on the shortlist for having had the best offseason?

Possibly Chicago and Tampa Bay... New York and New Jersey did well but are somewhat behind.

Pittsburgh did very poorly.

I think Toronto's GM did well actually.

[Innis_Mor]

Which other GMs would you putt on the shortlist for having had the best offseason?

Possibly Chicago and Tampa Bay... New York and New Jersey did well but are somewhat behind.

Pittsburgh did very poorly.

I think Toronto's GM did well actually.

Yes, Toronto (picking up Grabs!); Tampa Bay? Recchi and Roberts? (well, Florida is in the aging / retirement market ).

from: http://www.hockeyjournal.com/Article.php?ArtID=859110

This bit of praise for Montreal’s GM from our Ron Spence: “Bob Gainey was one of the best forecheckers in the history of the game – if not the best. He never waited for the action to come to him; he went after it. Did Mats Sundin actually think that he could keep Bob Gainey waiting? He waited for a while, and then took action, like he always did. Good for you, Bob.” …

[DA_Champion]

Yes, Toronto (picking up Grabs!); Tampa Bay? Recchi and Roberts? (well, Florida is in the aging / retirement market ).

from: http://www.hockeyjournal.com/Article.php?ArtID=859110

This bit of praise for Montreal’s GM from our Ron Spence: “Bob Gainey was one of the best forecheckers in the history of the game – if not the best. He never waited for the action to come to him; he went after it. Did Mats Sundin actually think that he could keep Bob Gainey waiting? He waited for a while, and then took action, like he always did. Good for you, Bob.” …

I think the Toronto GM did well because he liquidated his team... the team will suck next year but that should help their next generation emerge, such as Schenn and Kulemin.

Tampa Bay will not be the worst team in the NHL next year.

[Innis_Mor]

I think the Toronto GM did well because he liquidated his team... the team will suck next year but that should help their next generation emerge, such as Schenn and Kulemin.

Tampa Bay will not be the worst team in the NHL next year.

Certainly agree on both counts. Leafs needed to 'purge' and I think they will be proven smart for having picked up Grabovski.

I do "worry" about the strategies (lack thereof?) in Tampa. They piled in a bunch of new forwards, some of which are at the (far) twilight of their careers, and focused very little on the team's defense. We'll see how it plays out this season. The new owners seem a bit too involved to me (isn't that why the Tampa GM left?).

And that's one (another?) thing I really like about Montreal right now: Gillette-to-Boivin-to-Gainey really seem to have it together. Each do their own jobs, not someone else's, and they appear to let Gainey do his GM thing. He in turn, seems to be letting Carbo coach, but I don't have the complete / knowing evidence of that. I had thought Sundin would have been impressed with all that, and find it "refreshing" -- in the end he was likely impressed; just couldn't commit to playing hockey, period.

[HabsFanInCalgary]

I think BG has done a wonderful job this off-season. Lang will produce and can fit at center or on the wing, Tangs is a 70 point man for sure and George should alleviate some pressure from Komi. I do not however, agree w/ letting Ryder go. He had a bad season point wise, but if I'm not mistaken <which could be> he improved about 20 points on his +/- last year. Not bad for a guy who was supposed to have had a 'bad year'. Would loved to have kept him. Too bad. He'll end up w/ 40 goals in beantown, w/ about 10 coming against the Habs.

[Innis_Mor]

I think BG has done a wonderful job this off-season. Lang will produce and can fit at center or on the wing, Tangs is a 70 point man for sure and George should alleviate some pressure from Komi. I do not however, agree w/ letting Ryder go. He had a bad season point wise, but if I'm not mistaken <which could be> he improved about 20 points on his +/- last year. Not bad for a guy who was supposed to have had a 'bad year'. Would loved to have kept him. Too bad. He'll end up w/ 40 goals in beantown, w/ about 10 coming against the Habs.

Maybe Ryder wanted to leave, more than Habs wanted to let him go?

Who knows.

Also, Habs would have had to match Bruins' $4MM offer (maybe). That's a lot.

[fourtrax]

Which other GMs would you putt on the shortlist for having had the best offseason?

Possibly Chicago and Tampa Bay... New York and New Jersey did well but are somewhat behind.

Pittsburgh did very poorly.

I think Toronto's GM did well actually.

I think we have different opinions in this instance. I think Fletcher did a terrible job in Toronto and Tampa Bay did nothing but sign UFA forwards like a drunken sailor. Nothing in either team suggests a team that is ready to come together. The Rangers did what they always do: throw tons of money at big-name UFAs; it remains to be seen whether their moves will be enough to off-set Jagr's departure. New Jersey is somewhat improved.

Hands-down, the best offseason IMO goes to Detroit. They re-signed all their key players AND acquired a game-breaker in Marian Hossa for relatively cheap. You have to like them as favorites not only to make it to the Cup final, but to repeat.

[Dutch]

Hands-down, the best offseason IMO goes to Detroit. They re-signed all their key players AND acquired a game-breaker in Marian Hossa for relatively cheap. You have to like them as favorites not only to make it to the Cup final, but to repeat.

Habs - Wings for the Stanley Cup finals ... but yes, Detroit is a force again, they did indeed a great job again this summer.

Talking about us, I think BG did a pretty good job aswell. The team looks very promising for the near future imo (1>3 yr margin to win the cup). Would be awesome to celibrate our 100 years with a Cup.

Go Habs Go!!!

[sach]

Uncalled for? At least 20 times last year me and Ryder were in the same club at the same time, ive met him so many times that we actually became friends.

ya and what did that have to do with his on ice play

[Johnny_rudeboy]

I did some clean up. Please stay on the topic of Bob Gainey.

[tony1234]

It is only pre season, but the potential is there, you can see it.

Bob has this club in good shape.

Don't worry about injuries, we have call ups.

Don't worry about all our UFA's , we have kids coming.

Don't worry about RFA's, we have kids coming and will get the chance to add more.

Don't worry about players not meeting their potential, we have more who will.

Don't worry about possible holes in the line up, we have the assets available to fix that !!!

Good Job Mr. Gainey- IN BOB I TRUST !!!