montreal canadiens hockey – habs blog RSS

Guy Carbonneau Fired

Leave a Comment Leave a Comment
17 Comments
  1. #1 the1wanderer says:
    March 9, 2009 at 5:49 pm

    I’m not too surprised, there had been a lot of speculation this would happen. However, I’m not sure how I feel about this happening with only 16 games left in their regular season. It will be interesting to watch, if the Habs miss the playoffs this year I think I will be physically ill.

  2. #2 Senet1 says:
    March 9, 2009 at 7:18 pm

    I hate to see Carbo leave the organization, I still think he would make a great coach, but maybe he just was not ready for the NHL and should have had some time in Hamilton. Carbo coached like he played unfortunately his players didn’t play with the same enthusiasm. But I think the most disappointing part is that he actually got let down by his veteran players. The kids played well, he also had the misfortune of having key players injuried for lengthly periods namely Lang, Tanguay, Koivu, Price and the other misfortune was that he had some very bad goaltending after the allstar break that really did us in. So to me you cannot blame Carbo for all our problems, if he had decent goaltending for half those games that we lost he would still be the coach right now and we would probably had about 85 point and be in 4th place and in a comfortable position for the playoffs. But that did not happen and he was not able to overcome all the problems that this team had. So now Gainey moves into the job with both our goaltenders playing well. Our penalty killing could not be any better, our PP has shown signs of improvement and now all we have to do is get our goal scorers to score. If that happens we could still make some noise in the playoffs.

  3. #3 4mGhost says:
    March 9, 2009 at 7:38 pm

    When Julien was fired, I believe it had little to do with the job he was doing and more to do with shaking things up/motivation/etc. Perhaps the same here? If the Habs win 12 of the remaining games and make a serious bid for the cup, this will be seen as pure genious. Otherwise…

  4. #4 Mats Naslund says:
    March 9, 2009 at 10:40 pm

    The problem that Carbo has in his years in Montreal is that he never became more then a rookie coach. A coach doesn’t lose games, but he can mismanage them. There were too many times to count where Carbo made critical strategic mistakes that cost Montreal points. Small things like not calling time-outs, putting grinders on the powerplay (especially Metropolit on a 5 on 3 powerplay when your team is down one goal) etc etc etc. From reading Gainey’s comments from the news conference it seems that he finally had had enough. The fact is, the coach has the team playing a system it was not built for. He has proven offensive talent that is handicapped by his constant line-juggling, and his insistence on playing a passive trap. Gainey has Stanley Cup coaching experience and the most intimate knowledge of his franchise. The Canadiens will be well served with him behind the bench, and my hope is that the players respond to the fact that there is no other excuse to fall upon. Now is the time to pull it together.

  5. #5 Joseph says:
    March 9, 2009 at 11:00 pm

    Wow. I just got back from a disappointing display by Canada at the WBC–eliminated–and this.

    So Gainey went with his only realistic option. He had to as they obviously don’t play for the guy. No hard feelings, Guy, but you aren’t the coach that this team needs.

  6. #6 Donnie says:
    March 9, 2009 at 11:12 pm

    It was only 2 days I wrote on here that Carbs should go. Wow…didn’t expect so soon. Thanks for the memories, I respect Guy Carbonneau as a player, but never did like his coaching…so I’m not upset at all.
    The things you were saying Mats is the reason why…mismanagement and bad decisions….grinders on the PP, 4th liners getting 18 minutes of ice time…..how far can you actually go like that…very unothodox and didn’t work more than it did.
    I also don’t know I’d blame the veteran players….perhaps they are drastically underachieving because they don’t like Carbs system as I don’t…perhaps as a coach they just don;t respect him or his decisions and just can’t get UP to play for him anymore….time will tell.
    Anyways, I like the move….this summer time to fulfill step 2…go out and get a top notch center…pay what you will and lets build a winner around him.
    This style of hockey doesn’t work, just as it doesn;t in Minnesota. Get the best coach for the job Bob…that doesn’t necessarily choosing from the Habs alumni…there are great coaches out there who are not from the province of Quebec….good move Gainey.

  7. #7 Senet1 says:
    March 9, 2009 at 11:22 pm

    I think that Carbo fell into the same trap that Lemaire did when he coach the team, Lemaire went on to be a great coach but itis too bad he did not learn his skills in the minors instead of at the NHL level, I think Carbo can be and will be a great coach one day, but as all rookies they make mistakes and sometime who win and more often you lose. I would like to see carbo given the job down in Hamilton, to me he is a teaching coach and he can learn the trade in the minors. But I still say had Carbo not had the unfortunately luck of injuries to key personal as better goaltending, we would not be having this conversation right now, the Canadiens would have 10 to 15 more points right now and Carbo would still have his job. I do agree with Gainey’s move and as I said Friday night he had to make a move and that he would be the guy to go behind the behind. I do feel sorry for Carbo though.

  8. #8 Joseph says:
    March 9, 2009 at 11:48 pm

    Go behind the behind? Senet1, are you implying that there’s more to this relationship than meets the behi- err, the eye? :-)

    Seriously though, there’s no question that that kind of underperforming cannot be tolerated at this level. However, I do think that this being their centennial season, the pressure to accomplish something is even moreso. That had to be a factor on some level because missing the playoffs this season would be beyond unacceptable. It would be viewed as a complete and utter failure.

  9. #9 BFE says:
    March 10, 2009 at 7:40 am

    Hi folks….

    Is this a case of too little to late? Not sure at this point. Do the leaders on this team have the players around them to turn the switch on at this point? Gainey is making this move to look good based on the criticism across all levels. Should have reacted quicker right after the return of Price. Too much expected from a very young, and perhaps psychological fragile goalie. He should have also made a splash in the trade deadline. I guess Lafleur’s comments a few weeks back came true.

    The season isn’t over, the playoffs are there for the taking…remember who’s in first??? Yup, my Bruins, and you guys always play at another level against us. So, the team may need to find that type of motivation…any kind of motivation.

    This team will need a coach that brings fire and brimstone to the organization….can you say St-Patrick in 09-10??? I see it.

    See you in the playoffs (and I mean it)…..Tony from NB

  10. #10 Donnie says:
    March 10, 2009 at 9:39 am

    Something else to think about from the perspective of our goal scoring lines…….you score 2 goals in the first 10 mins and you’re given somewhat limited ice time to make way for 4th-liners OR you don’t score and you’re given limited ice time to make way for 4th-liners….it’s the same result no matter how we play for this guy. How can our stars, get up for games night after night knowing that how ever they perform, shortened ice time is the result, and the scattered shift you do get you are forced to stay in your end the entire shift. Not saying this is or is contributing to the problem, but it makes sense doesn’t it?

    Carbonneau rewards players who play like he did, thats obvious…..problem is, players who play like he did and good enough to score goals and win games….so rewarding these guys with PP time, double shifts, playing the end of the game to try and get a goal, and playing 15-20 mins a game, for the mostpart, came at the expense of the team. These guys are 4th liners for a reason…lack of skill, and you don;t live and die with these guys. Tom k, Lapierre and a few more getting 15-20 minutes a game, coupled with trying to hold a 1 or 2 goal lead by playing trap hockey isn’t great coaching…it’s just dumb….and is a great part of the reason we are where we are in the standings.
    Hopefully Gainey will change this…give our top lines some free range, let the D worry about the majority of the D, cut back 4th-liners ice time to “normal” 4th line minutes, and see if we can still salvage something outta this season. GO HABS GO !!!

  11. #11 Donnie says:
    March 10, 2009 at 9:42 am

    Trying to hold a 1 or 2 goals lead by polaying tarp hockey FOR 50 MINS is what I should have said. I apologoze.

  12. #12 Joseph says:
    March 10, 2009 at 11:48 am

    I’ve read or heard all kinds of reasons why Carbonneau was fired, one of which claimed that it was a result of Carbonneau’s wife being on the charter (silly), so who knows what really happened.

    The point is, one cannot assume that this was a hockey move, despite the fact that logic would suggest that it was. Maybe Carbonneau challenged Gainey after the Kovalev fiasco. Maybe he challeneged him over something else entirely. Maybe he was upset with him for not making moves which Carbonneau deemed to be necessary moves at the deadline. Maybe their friendship took a turn for the worse due to their working relationship and the pressure which comes with it. Who knows.

  13. #13 nilan says:
    March 10, 2009 at 1:04 pm

    Obviously there were problems previously, but WOW…the only Hab worth his salt in Atlanta was Price. Gainey said that next morning is when he started making phone calls. I realize Atlanta beat Calgary badly right after that, but a beer league in-line team could’ve beaten Montreal friday night. The players play, but the coach is responsible for making sure the team is ready to play and managing the game once the puck drops. Guy remains one of my all time favorite Habs, and best of luck to him, but he was clearly not the man for the job. Not for the centennial season expectations anyway.

  14. #14 Joseph says:
    March 10, 2009 at 1:11 pm

    I agree, Nilan.

    I don’t buy the ‘Atlanta beat Calgary too’ argument either. That’s comparing apples and oranges. Calgary and Montreal are light years apart right now. Atlanta beat Calgary, yes, but they did so by playing the spoiler role very well against a good hockey team. on the other hand, they beat Montreal by allowing Montreal to beat themselves. Big difference there.

  15. #15 Mats Naslund says:
    March 10, 2009 at 1:26 pm

    Nilan I fully agree with you. Guy was absolutely one of my favorite players growing up, but he didn’t make the kinds of decisions that makea tam successful. I think he could be a great coach in this league, but noone could compare him to a guy like Boudreau or Babcock. Those guys understand how to get their players in position to be successful. Carbo has a lot to learn as far as how to be a top coach.

    Well, I don’t know if Gainey is making changes just for the optics or if he has see something drastically different, but he has put D’Agostini on the PLex-Kovy line and shuffled his defense around. Markov-Komi, Hamrlik-O’Byrne, Schneider-Gorges. Brisebois and Pax are sitting out. I’m on board with the changes although I do remember that Markov-Komisarek were BRUTAL together during January and February. I also think Max-Pax’s style fits the Kovy line better as he’s bigger and stronger than D’Agostini, but I’m willing to give Bob the benefit of the doubt as he is closer to the situation the rest of us. I can’t wait for the game tonight. Kovy is so happy to see Carbo gone he scores a trick?

  16. #16 Joseph says:
    March 10, 2009 at 2:00 pm

    “The last time Gainey took over as coach, he led Montreal into the playoffs, but lost in the first round to eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina.” — ESPN

    Yes, but what they’ve failed to mention is that the Habs were on the verge of going up 3-0 in that series before Captain Koivu nearly lost his eye and was sidelined for the remainder of the post-season. Prior to that, the 7th place Habs were playing with passion and confidence.

    I think that Gainey will do a good job.

  17. #17 Joseph says:
    March 10, 2009 at 2:07 pm

    It’s interesting how an isolated event can result in an outcome or a long term change in sports. Carolina was close to being eliminated in that series. And then the Williams high stick on Koivu changed everything. They proceeded to win four straight against the shaken Habs and go on to win the Cup. And in all honestly, they probably never have survived the first round that season.

    Similarly, the Bruins looked average at the start of this season. But then they finally beat the Habs to get that monkey off their back and they never looked back. Until recently. It’ll be interesing to see what unfolds in the playoffs.

Leave a Comment
ShoutBox
Last Message 1 day, 10 hours ago
1 guest is online. Google is crawling the site.
  • muller93 : MB is forced to go out and get a big D-man. Missing Emelin for almost half the season is the last thing we needed to hear. Now going out and getting a big D-man is a MUST!!!
  • muller93 : Now for the Fu**en Bruins who have no business even being in the second round are going to get a nice rest. Yes the same goons who took out one of best D-man for 6 more months. There is NO Fu**en justice. Just venting--Ok i feel better now.
  • muller93 : So pissed to see the Rangers lay down and play like total crap. How did the Rangers beat the Caps? This team is playing with no heart--a must win and can only muster 23 shots...PATHETIC !!!
  • muller93 : Senet I did see Galchenyuks goal--Made a great move for the game winner. You can see the kid has so much confidence.
  • goalie : If Rangers get swept I wonder if Tortorella will get his walking papers? Or Glen Sather? They have tons of 'talent' but zero wins in this series.
  • goalie : It's really too bad we lost to the Sens as we would have played the Rangers and the way NYR are playing we would have beat them too. If only. If only!
  • Senet1 : Actually I agree it was a good move for them to play a shorter season and get the experience. He could not have played in the minors this year he would have had to play junior or the NHL. However, he now has a year under him and knows what to expect next year and hopefully take a bigger responsibility on the team. Did you see those two goals in the bronze game? Wow.
  • muller93 : Good move by the Habs not having Galchenyuk play in the minors. Now Galchenyuk has 1 year in the NHL and playoff experience this is going to pay off big time come next year.
  • Senet1 : Galchenyuk scores to back to back goals in shoot out to help USA win Bronze metal. I did not see the second goal but the first was a beauty.
  • Senet1 : So we could pick anywhere from 25th to 23rd depending on who wins these quarter final series.
  • Senet1 : First, is the 14 teams in the lottery. Then there are 12 teams that did not make the semi finals in the order of the seasonal finish, Then there are the four teams in the semi final the first two eliminated pick in the order of the regular season points total and the last two based on who wins and who loses the cup. So as it stand now if say Detroit beats Chicago then Detroit moves up to pick after us. Boston or NYR will move up and pick after us. LA or San Jose will move up and pick after us
  • Senet1 : Basically, I was wrong about the draft pick situation. There are three groups of drafting teams within the 30 teams.
  • Senet1 : seriously ready to challenge for the cup. He will us win games but he will not be the difference between winning the cup and not winning the cup. You pick up players like that once you have the team ready to challenge,.
  • Senet1 : I am looking at the players to draft and there are a lot of big 6'3-6'5 forwards available ion the draft this year. If we could draft 3-4 big young players in the 2nd and 3rd round why would you want to give that up for a roster player who may have 2-3 years at best. If we are going to build a winner to have to build it with bigger players and there are a lot of good big players available this year. So you sign Ott and he is with us for the short run, but probably not when we are seriously re
  • Senet1 : Boullion is a great mentor for the young D-men
  • muller93 : Boullion is one of MBs great additions--Boull ion is a definite Keeper.
  • muller93 : Getting rid of Kaberle frees up a lot of cash. Boullion is small but is reliable and doesn't back down from anyone.
  • muller93 : Exactly Goalie any thoughts on a punishing D-man?
  • goalie : They;re showing determination adn skill vs Ducks and Blackhawks.
  • goalie : REd Wings could turn out to be the surprise team of this year's playoffs!
  • goalie : WE need to rid our team of Kaberle and Webber. Step two would be to then move Diaz. If we get that big d-man I believe that would push Boullion to # 7 on the chart. We'd then go with Georges, PK,Markov (to continue mentoring Ememlin) Tinordi as our starting six . THEN I'd be excited about our chances. We could then work on getting bigger forwards.
  • goalie : I too would gladly give up a 3rd round pick for Ott- the type of player we sadly lack. AND if we could get one more rugged, expeienced defenceman it would help immensely.
  • muller93 : Senet what you are saying makes sense but if we can get Ott for a 3rd round I'll take that all day.
  • muller93 : MB should be looking at a big D-man first, even though I like our blue line with the addition of Tinordi. We need that insurance just in case one gets injured. Also I'm a firm believer in starting with the goalie first then-defense-for wards-and we already have good goalie. We have all noticed when we have the lead Price is tough to beat.
  • Senet1 : So sometimes you have to sacrifice for one year or two to build that team in the draft. then add the finishing touches through FA and trades.
  • Senet1 : Muller, Detroit is another good example. They have been in the hunt every year with good well balanced teams yet only one or two cups to show for it. However, they have built a team that has a chance every years for the last 10+ years. That is what I think we have a chance to do this year with a good draft. It reminds me of the habs teams of the mid 80 and 90's we built a team then with sold draft picks and won the cup twice during that time period. So sometimes you have to sacrifice a one
  • muller93 : Very true Senet, you do need luck and we haven't had any luck it seems since the habs moved to the Bell Center. We had an incredible run in 2010 with some crazy goal tending from Halak. With Galchenyuk-Tinor di-Gallagher all in 1 year--not too bad, even with an early exit in the playoffs.
  • Senet1 : Muller I guess we all have our own ideas, but there has never been too many times that were successful when they traded their draft picks away. We have a chance to build this team so we have a shot at winning the cup over the next 10 years. Even as good as Pittsburgh has been they have only won the cup once since Crosby and Malkin have been with the team. That is because you not only need great players but you need luck to win, but one thing about Pittsburgh they have a chance every year. The
  • muller93 : Good point on Torres, he might be a liability. Torres has to tone it down a bit, but that's his game-very aggressive.
  • goalie : Though I don't condone what Raffi Torres did - thos shows you how repeat offenders or near offenders are going to be treated. His hit was NOT illegal BUT what the rap sheet adn reputation Torres has he got severly punished. Lesson to be learned by OTHER players because Torres dopesn't learn fromk his mistakes.
  • muller93 : Senet normally I would agree with you on not trading draft picks but we are not in a rebuilding stage. Sometimes draft picks can be a roll of the dice and it can take up to 3 years to be NHL ready. We have a good team and I agree with Stuo players like Clowe-Torres-Ott -Scott will make a big difference. Somebody has to protect Gallagher, he can't keep getting hit the way does--we need a tough forward so they think twice before going after Gallagher.
  • Senet1 : Really a heathly Habs team would probably win more games against the Pens that we did against the Sens. Reason they Pens would not play as physical against us as against the Sens. If we get good goaltending we win at least two games.
  • zpezada4ok : hello all «link»
  • stuo11 : hes a tougher big guy too! Just a minor adjustment but will help a bit
  • stuo11 : hes better than markov, and hes french who was in mention for defenceman of the year

You must be a registered user to participate in this chat

Archives
Blogroll
RSS
montreal canadiens hockey – habs blog
Copyright © 2010 montreal canadiens hockey - habs blog