GM shoulders blame for Habs’ plunge
Bergevin says Canadiens will stick with coach Therrien for rest of season — no matter what
MONTREAL — Marc Bergevin has aged — noticeably.
The Montreal Canadiens’ general manager faced the media after practice Thursday to discuss the many issues surrounding his struggling hockey team. There was grey in his hair and beard — and he looked like he hasn’t been getting enough sleep.
That shouldn’t be surprising. What might be surprising to Canadiens fans is the strong vote of confidence he gave to head coach Michel Therrien and his entire staff, insisting nobody will be fired this season, no matter how bad things get. Time will tell if Bergevin is a man of his word, but I believe him.
Bergevin made a smart move Thursday and showed strong leadership. He took all the pressure off Therrien, stopped the constant questions about the coach’s future and made it clear to the players who is in charge. Bergevin met with the team for 20 minutes before practice and his message to the players was simple: Don’t play not to lose, play to win.
“When you play not to make mistakes, you make mistakes,” the GM said. “When you play not to lose, you lose. And that’s my message to our players.”
The Habs are an astonishing 4-16-1 in their last 21 games, while averaging fewer than two goals per game.
“It’s tough,” Bergevin said about his team’s mental state. “Because as a former player I’ve been through it. You just try and say you don’t want to be the guy to make that mistake. It plays in your head and that’s what as a team we have to get out of it.”
Bergevin called Therrien a “good human being” and a “good coach.”
“He communicates with the players very well,” the GM added. “He knows he has to make them better and he works at it every single day. And that’s what I love about Michel Therrien.”
But Therrien doesn’t have the final say on which players he has at his disposal. When asked about the club’s decision to send Daniel Carr back to the AHL’s St. John’s IceCaps last week — despite the fact the rookie had five goals in 17 games on a team that’s starving for offence — Bergevin said: “It’s my decision. At the end of the day, everything is my decision.”
Bergevin was also asked about the bizarre trade that sent former first-round draft pick Jarred Tinordi to Arizona last week and brought enforcer John Scott and his All-Star Game baggage to the Canadiens, who then shipped him to St. John’s.
“I don’t make trades based on the All-Star Game,” Bergevin said. “The timing … that was the timing to make the trade with John Scott. That has nothing to do with the Montreal Canadiens and the All-Star Game. I made a trade that at the time I had to make that trade. I have some reasons that I can’t even tell you why, but if I could you probably would understand.”
As for the rest of the season, the GM said: “If it doesn’t work, it’s the fault of Marc Bergevin. Nobody else.”
Michel Therrien should sleep better now. Not the GM.
“He knows he has to make them better and he works at it every single day. And that’s what I love about Michel Therrien.” — Marc Bergevin