HOCKEY.ONTHEWEB MENU

Your browser is not Java capable or Java has been disabled.


This website is protected by copyright. Any use of the materials contained herein without the consent of Hockey.Ontheweb is strictly prohibited.

Google

The top site for Hockey.Ontheweb

http://www.hockey-ontheweb.com
http://www.hockeyontheweb.com

The Top Site for Hockey.Ontheweb!

MONTREAL'S WOEFUL SEASON
Originally posted January 1, 1999: Volume 1, Number 8

No one would blame Rejean Houle were he frequently looking over his shoulder these days. The beleaguered General Manager of the Montreal Canadiens is now being "assisted" by Jacques Lemaire, who arrives with an impressive resume: former coach of the New Jersey Devils, former coach of the Montreal Canadiens, former assistant GM with the Montreal Canadiens, ex-player great with the Montreal Canadiens, possessor of many Stanley Cup rings (eight as player, one as a coach, and two as an assistant GM), former NHL Coach of the Year (1994 with New Jersey), French-Canadian and bilingual. Lemaire was hired by the Canadiens as a "consultant" to Houle.

I'm Not Vinny Barbarino
Vinny
One might consider that Hab Coach Alain Vigneault ought also to be concerned, but that is not the case. Vigneault's job is fairly secure for the time being. It is really Houle who is under the gun. The once proud Hab franchise is securely mired in last in its division. The Habs' first victory in December did not come until the day after Christmas, against arch-rival Toronto.

The slow disintegration of this great team began almost from the moment Houle traded Patrick Roy in 1995. The trade followed the spectacle of Roy's public embarrassment of rookie coach Mario Tremblay, after Roy had suffered through a nine goal Detroit onslaught. Few at the time questioned why Tremblay had left Roy in for the entire game -- was it to provoke the star goalie? Whatever the reason, it was determined by Houle, Tremblay and team president Ronald Corey that Roy had to go -- and go quickly. In retrospect, it was perhaps a shabby way to treat a goaltender who had almost single-handedly brought the Canadiens Stanley Cups in 1986 and 1993. As if to punctuate that point, Roy proceeded to backstop the Avalanche to a Stanley Cup that same season. Montreal has been searching for a goaltender ever since.

Will Recchi remain a Hab?
Recchi
Houle has never really recovered from that trade, and he has since made other questionable deals (Odelein for Richer, for example). So now Ronald Corey has provided Houle with some assistance (and this is a move that has Corey's fingerprints all over it). Outwardly, Houle has expressed pleasure at the signing, referring to Lemaire as a "great asset". Inwardly, he must realize that Corey is telling him that the clock is ticking.

To be fair to Houle, there is too much talent on this team to expect them to continue to founder. A reasonable assessment of the first half of the season suggests that too many players began the season late owing to contract squabbles. Recchi, Damphousse, Koivu, Rucinsky, Savage and Brisebois -- some of the team's best players -- all had their contracts come up for renewal at the end of last season. The conditioning of these players has suffered without a full training camp. Of these six, five have suffered injuries that have kept them out of the lineup for a significant period of time and that have affected their play. None has played to his capabilities. However, even this coincidence in timing has to be laid in the lap of Houle. The simultaneous expiration of so many contracts is a testament to bad planning and organization.

Koivu must play better
Koivu
One expects that Recchi and Damphousse -- unrestricted free agents at season's end -- will play better hockey. Koivu and Rucinsky are also capable of putting up better numbers. Jeff Hackett, while not spectacular, has been steady in goal. The problem is that the team may have fallen too far behind to recover. Moreover, Montreal may be forced to trade Recchi and Damphousse before the March deadline, because it likely cannot afford to sign them to long-term deals. Like the other Canadian teams, Montreal is under a severe financial constraint, stemming not only from the weak dollar but also from the exhorbitant property tax it is forced to pay on the Molson Centre.

Montreal ended 1998 on a good note, winning its last three games in a row. But it will take more than than to vault Montreal into a playoff position. If Houle can't turn things around this season, expect Lemaire to assume the GM mantle next season.

NOTES -- The signings of Palffy and Audette leave only Sandis Ozolinsh as an unsigned restricted free agent. Signed holdouts Bure and Potvin continue to await trades... It looks like Pittsburgh wants to unload more salary. Craig Patrick is actively shopping Stu Barnes and Kevin Hatcher, who together make about $5 million a year.

[Photos courtesy of the Neutral Zone Hockey (formerly the Hockey Image Archive).]