Gainey Stepping Down as GM of the Habs

[crazykaka]

Source TSN


The Montreal Canadiens have called a news conference for 4pm et/1pm pt where they will announce that Bob Gainey is stepping down as general manager of the hockey club.

Assistant general manager Pierre Gauthier will take over the duties on an interim basis.

The Canadiens are 28-26-6 this season and are sixth in the Eastern Conference standings.

Gainey, 56, was hired in 2003 as the 15th general manager in franchise history and the Canadiens made the playoffs in four of the five full seasons he led the front office.

Their best season during that period came in 2007-08, when the team finished atop the Eastern Conference standings and made it to the second-round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

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Never thought He'd step down.  The team isn't doing incredibly well, and they sogned a bunch of players to bad contracts, but really, I thought he could work his way out of it.  There's got to be more to the story.

[NAFFAEL]

They are a proud bunch over there and wining is everything, but you're right; there has to be something to this because 28-26-6 isn't that bad.

[B_Wforever]

Yeah, he saw what Burke was doing an new he couldn't compete. 


Se4riously though, I hope its not personal issues.
Gainey is good for the game of hockey.

[crazykaka]

Looks like he couldn't envision a long term plan for the team.  I guess that's a nice way of saying "I've made some bad signings and don't know how to get us out of it"

[calico]

There was a time when I hoped he'd come our way...actually there still is.

[crazykaka]

There was a time when I hoped he'd come our way...actually there still is.

Come our way as a player, or as a GM who dropped 32% of his salary cap over the next 5 years, on 3 guys who average a combined 1.01 Goals per game and who are getting worse by the year?

[NAFFAEL]

There was a time when I hoped he'd come our way...actually there still is.

Come our way as a player, or as a GM who dropped 32% of his salary cap over the next 5 years, on 3 guys who average a combined 1.01 Goals per game and who are getting worse by the year?

Well he did say "there was a time" 

[Rubens]

There was a time when I hoped he'd come our way...actually there still is.

Come our way as a player, or as a GM who dropped 32% of his salary cap over the next 5 years, on 3 guys who average a combined 1.01 Goals per game and who are getting worse by the year?

There was a time I wanted him Gainey as GM as well.  But given his horrible track record for Montreal and outrageous signings, I am glad he never came to TO.  He seems like a very astute hockey man, but he never seem to make that work in a management position.

[caper]

Yeah I don't like the signings he made and wouldn't want him here.
The new gm has already started working on signing Plekanac and says he plans on keeping botrh goalies which is what Gainey should have been doing .
I think he made a huge booboo when he traded Huet and put all the pressure on a young goalie in Price and set the kid back.
Don't see much good that he did there and in my opinion is lucky he wasn't fired before this.

[Rubens]

The one signing he got right was Cammelleri.  I don't know what the h e double hockey sticks he was thinking with Gomez that.  That contract is NUTS.