‘Direction of the club needed to change’
Habs owner Molson fires GM Gauthier, Gainey steps down from adviser role
Pierre Gauthier is no longer general manager of the Canadiens, and Bob Gainey is no longer a special adviser to the club.
Geoff Molson, the club’s owner, president and CEO, announced at a news conference Thursday morning at the team’s practice facility in Brossard that Gauthier was relieved of his duties immediately. By mutual agreement with Molson, Gainey has also left his post as special adviser to the general man- ager. But Molson, who said he grew up as a huge fan of Gainey, stressed that the Hall of Famer and former Habs captain will forever be part of the Canadiens family.
Hall of Fame defenceman Serge Savard, the general manager for the Canadiens’ last two Stanley Cup championships, in 1986 and 1993, has been brought in by Molson as an adviser in the search for a new GM. Molson said that until a decision has been made, the process of hiring a new GM and the list of candidates will remain confidential.
In the overall National Hockey League standings, the Canadiens sit in 28th place out of 30 teams with a 29-34-14 record and were officially eliminated from the playoffs last Saturday. They have five games remaining in the regular season, starting Friday in New York against the Rangers (7:30 p.m., TSN, RDS, TSN Radio 990).
“We felt that the direction of the club needed to change from a hockey standpoint,” Molson said.
“Our priorities as an organization moving forward are as follows: to improve our team at every level; to reestablish a winning culture for the long term; to give our fans what they deserve, the best possible product on the ice; and establish stability in all areas of our organization.
“Just qualifying for the playoffs cannot be our goal or our standard,” he added. “Not for this team, not for this organization. This organization going forward must set its sights on competing for the game’s ultimate prize every season, and no lesser standard should be accepted. Our fans and our tradition demand nothing less than this.”
Gauthier joined the Canadiens as director of pro scouting in 2003 and was considered the right-hand man to GM Gainey. Gauthier took over as GM after Gainey stepped down in February 2010, but Gainey remained as an adviser. Molson said there is no deadline to name a successor and was noncommital on whether the next GM would be francophone. He said it’s the team’s preference that the next GM be able to speak French, but that the key attribute of whoever is named GM would be “an undying desire to win at any cost.”
Names being floated about include TSN analyst Pierre Mcguire, former Canadiens captain vincent damp housse, Tampa Bay Lightning assistant GM Julien Brisebois and former goal-tending great Patrick Roy, who won two Stanley Cups with Montreal, but was traded to Colorado amid controversy in 1995.
The Canadiens got off to a poor start this season, which led to the firings of first assistant coach Perry Pearn and then head coach Jacques Martin.
“It goes without saying that we’re all very disappointed with our performance this season,” Molson said. “Everyone in this organization, including our players, expected better. We play in the best hockey market in the world and we have the best fans in hockey. Our fans care deeply about our team and want nothing more than a winning team, one that follows in the tradition of our storied past.
“This season did not deliver on those expectations. Our fans can trust that ownership will accept nothing less than a winning culture in this organization. This season our team was decimated by serious injuries and, while this in and of itself is not an excuse, we take pride in knowing that our players have the character to show up every night regardless of the lineup. We managed to be competitive almost every night.
“I strongly believe that we have a solid core group of players in each position. We also have some exciting new players coming into our organization and we have a chance to add even more depth over the next two years in which we have seven picks in the first two rounds.
“Our priority over the next few months will be to solidify our contractual arrangements with our core group of players, prepare for the draft and prepare for this summer’s free-agency market. Montreal is one of the best places to play hockey in the world and our fans deserve the best possible team on the ice.
“The Montreal Canadiens are a storied franchise, often cited as one of the greatest sports organizations in the world. Our 24 Stanley Cups are a testament to this. However, the traits that are common to all successful organizations have been lacking in recent years. When one looks at the great organizations of the past, or the ones that are performing particularly well currently, the root of their success lies in their consistency and stability.
“Just over two years ago, we were fortunate to acquire this franchise and our ownership group is committed for the long term. With this stability in place we must turn our attention to the consistency and stability required at all levels of the organization. It is my responsibility to identify solutions and to rebuild the winning culture that this franchise, its fans, its history and its tradition demand.”