In Hainsight: No Longer Afraid Of The R Word

For years, the Canadiens’ management lived and died with Carey Price, year in, year out, the stated objective was to qualify for the playoffs and then hope for a Price-backed magical run. Now that Marc Bergevin is long gone, team owner Geoff Molson finally uttered the “R” word, which had been avoided for years, and acknowledged that his team was undergoing a rebuild which could still take some time to complete.

As for executive vice president Jeff Gorton, when questioned about his expectations for the team this season, he joked with journalists that he wasn’t going to use the “P” word. General manager Kent Hughes and head coach Martin St-Louis also stuck to what seemed like the word of the day: growth. As you may recall, at the end of last season, Gorton and Hughes had said that expectations would be raised for this coming season, and yesterday, it was time to explain how.

In a nutshell, the three men want to see their players be more accountable; mistakes will matter more as the players keep growing. Martin St-Louis spoke of the importance of “winning the day”, warning that sometimes, winning the game can be just a smoke screen if you got the result but you didn’t play well.

As a result of the players being kept accountable, the team as a whole will also grow, the team concepts will be better integrated and executed and that should eventually be reflected in the standings. At the end of training camp and prior to the team’s first game, the team will go on a three-day retreat which will allow the players to better understand what the team concepts are and what’s expected of them.

If management now refrains from using the “P” word, the players don’t, and that’s perfectly normal. Team captain Nick Suzuki said it best: “We don’t play to not win; it should be every team’s goal to make the playoffs”. Part of management’s job is to manage expectations; the players’ job is to win games. Josh Anderson also mentioned that the last two years had been tough with so many losses. Looking at Anderson yesterday, he didn’t look particularly happy and also added that he wanted to be “more of a leader and more consistent”. Could it be that he would have liked to have the “A” that will now be stitched on Michael Matheson’s jersey? Perhaps, but whatever the reason, the power forward stood out as the player who least wanted to be answering the media’s questions.

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Meanwhile, Brendan Gallagher said it was up to the players to improve, to make a push, and improve in the standings, which would eventually force management’s hand. The alternate captain also stated that if it was to happen this season, it had to happen early and that the team just had to start strong and build momentum that could get them through the season. The veteran also had some words of wisdom for his young teammate Juraj Slafkovsky saying that the best thing he could do was really listen and take in what everyone was telling him. He also added that the big winger had all the talent in the world and was still very young.

One of the highlights of the day for me was hearing Martin St-Louis talk about newly acquired Alex Newhook. The Canadiens’ bench boss said that he avoided watching videos of the new number 15 playing in Colorado. Why? Simply because he wants to have a fresh look at him in the Canadiens’ environment. He knows the kind of player they got in that trade, he’s aware of what he can do. He’s a speedy guy with playmaking skills who can play wing or center and also be part of both the power play and the penalty kill.

Overall, yesterday’s interviews were music to my ears. After years of hearing that “anything can happen when you qualify for the playoffs”, it’s almost magical to see that the men in charge are really building something and they are willing to take the time needed to do it. I believe that this sentiment is shared by the vast majority of Habs’ fans as well. Marc Bergevin always said that the team’s fans would never accept a full rebuild, but he was wrong. Perhaps he would have been right when the team’s supporters were used to winning a cup every other year, but a large part of today’s fans have never seen the Canadiens lift the Stanley Cup, and they understand how a salary cap league works, to win, you need to build a winner and not just hope for the best.