HABS NEED MORE THAN AN ‘ATTITUDE’ ADJUSTMENT
Bergevin is eyeing a new organizational mindset, but talk is cheap for the time being
If “Attitude” can play centre and score 30 goals next season, the Canadiens might get back in the playoffs.
If not, at least ticket prices won’t be increased, seasonticket holders will no longer be charged extra for printed tickets, there will be better food options at the Bell Centre and an improved “in-game experience,” and management promises to be more transparent with fans and media.
That’s what I took away from a post-mortem news conference Monday in Brossard with owner/ president Geoff Molson and general manager Marc Bergevin after the Canadiens missed the playoffs for the second time in three years, finishing 28th in the overall NHL standings with a 29-40-13 record.
If you played a drinking game during the news conference that lasted more than an hour — taking a shot of booze every time the word “attitude” or “transparent” was used — you would have been hammered after about 15 minutes, which might have been a good thing.
“It was a disappointing season from start to finish and that was unacceptable,” Bergevin said.
“The overall attitude of our team needs to change. We will do a complete assessment of the hockey operations and as a general manager I take my share of responsibilities for the season. But we’re all in this together.
“I think an attitude changes a lot of things. Of course, players make things better. But if you have good players with the right attitude … I could bring anybody here, but if the attitude is not better we’re going to be in the same spot. And that’s my job to address that and I started today. We had meetings throughout the season, but now the real work starts.”
And to think I was led to believe two years ago that P.K. Subban was the problem in the dressing room.
All the talk Monday about an attitude problem leads me to believe captain Max Pacioretty won’t be back next season and will be the latest scapegoat after he failed to score 30 goals for the first time in five seasons without ever having a legitimate No. 1 centre.
Bergevin will be back, and after six years on the job it’s shocking he still has an attitude problem in the dressing room since he’s the one who brought in these players. This is his team.
“Just changing the attitude is not going to be good enough,” Bergevin said. “I just want to make that clear. But bringing other players with the same attitude is not going to be good, either. So we need to start with that and add other pieces to put this back on track.”
Molson wanted to clarify the message to fans.
“Attitude is certainly part of it, but the real message is we weren’t good enough and changes are coming so that we can get better,” he said. “That’s the real message. Our best players weren’t at their best this year. And whether it’s they don’t fit anymore or they fit and they can get better. If a change of attitude is required … all these things are part of the equation. But everyone needs to be better next year and it’s not just the players, it’s the whole organization.”
The attitude in the dressing room might have been better if Bergevin didn’t start the season $8 million below the NHL’s salary cap after failing to re-sign free agents Alexander Radulov and Andrei Markov when they turned down his “first-come/ first-served” contract offers last summer. Molson was asked Monday to explain that situation to season-ticket holders who pay big bucks for seats.
“The money was there,” Molson said.
“Once you don’t get those players, you don’t just go and spend it for the sake of spending it. You have to look for an opportunity to spend it. For me to talk to my fans, they have my commitment that I’m going to spend every dollar possible to win. That’s the way we operate in this business. We’re a great hockey franchise and we’re respected across the league. No stone is left unturned and no dollar is left unspent if it’s going to make us a better hockey team.”
Money wasn’t spent this season and after the Canadiens got off to a 2-6-1 start Bergevin said the answer to the problems was in the dressing room. It obviously wasn’t and the GM did nothing to help.
“You guys don’t know this, but I find myself very active on the phone with other general managers,” the GM explained.
“I can honestly say here right now that I look back if there was a chance I could have got something to help … there was never nothing available.”
Bergevin has his work cut out for him this summer and hopefully he has a Plan B in case Plan A doesn’t work out — like it didn’t last year.
An attitude adjustment alone won’t be enough to fix the Canadiens.
But maybe the food at the Bell Centre will be really good.
Everyone needs to be better next year and it’s not just the players, it’s the whole organization.