The days of Marc Bergevin in the chair of general manager of the Canadian were numbered. There are few in the history of the NHL who have been able to withstand such a catastrophic start.
• Read also: Big cleaning at the Canadian: a management with two heads
• Read also: A CEO who speaks French: the PM’s priority
• Read also: “Never a pleasant feeling” —Dominique Ducharme
Geoff Molson has also said in his press briefing, which stretched over nearly 60 minutes.
“I made this decision because it was necessary, he insisted on Monday. Our start to the season is unacceptable for the Montreal Canadiens. Something had to be done. I had no other options. “
It must be said that the CH was greatly mortgaged by the loss of Shea Weber, the absence of Carey Price and the injuries of Joel Edmundson and Paul Byron. Still, no one would have believed that this team had the worst start to the season in its history after 22 games.
“On the ice we have a much better team than the results indicate,” said the owner.
“At the very start of the season, it started badly. I was hopeful it would turn out. But the slack period lasted longer than I expected. When I saw that things were not improving, I decided to start looking for a replacement for Marc. It went pretty quickly. “
Hard to hide
So quickly that Bergevin was made aware of the situation through the media and acquaintances working in the NHL.
“It’s yesterday [dimanche] that Marc and I had discussions about his dismissal. He understands that it is difficult to keep this kind of information secret until the last minute, ”he recalled.
“What happened on Saturday [la démission de Scott Mellanby et les rumeurs d’embauche de Gorton] is a pity. I was in discussion with Jeff Gorton. I couldn’t announce anything until the contract was signed. Not long after, someone found out. “
In addition, many claim that the presence of the Canadian in the last series, made possible due to COVID-19, and the unexpected return of the team to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round prompted Molson to offer a reprieve. to its general manager.
It does not appear to be the case.
“Marc and I started discussing a contract extension last year. It took longer than expected. After reaching the Stanley Cup final, we still had discussions, ”said Molson.
Time to think
Then, this fall, the idea of firing Bergevin began to germinate in his mind.
“It wasn’t until September that I said to myself that maybe we should wait before extending this contract. I wanted to give myself time to think about the future structure of the team. “
Nonetheless, Molson admitted that the last difficult campaigns weighed in the balance.
“We have had several seasons in a row with an average performance and we came close to being eliminated against the Maple Leafs. For this reason, concluding a third long-term contract required more time to think. “