The former glories of the Canadiens are not fooled. They know that it would have been very difficult to win four consecutive Stanley Cups in the current context, and this gives them even greater respect for the work of general manager Kent Hughes.
“We were just talking about it at dinner the night before, it would be complicated today, with the salary cap, to keep 16 players together for that long,” confided former defenseman Larry Robinson on Tuesday before teeing off at Serge Savard’s golf tournament at the Mirage club.
At the height of his glory, Guy Lafleur, the best player in the NHL, would have cost at least twelve million. Goalie Ken Dryden towered over his rivals: at least ten million. The three members of the Big Three defensively, Robinson, Serge Savard and Guy Lapointe would not have been far off. The first won two Norris Trophies awarded to the best defenseman, the second won a Conn-Smythe awarded to the best player in the playoffs and the third had two seasons of more than 75 points.
Then comes the club’s number one center, Jacques Lemaire, preceded by Peter Mahovlich and two seasons of more than 100 points, Steve Shutt, 60 goals in 1977, not to mention Yvon Lambert, Pierre Mondou, Mario Tremblay, Doug Risebrough and company, in the shadows in Montreal, but stars elsewhere if they had left.
At some point, you inevitably have to rebuild. And draft well. But even then, it’s much harder to make the right choices with 32 teams compared to 14 at the time.
Larry Robinson
Bob Gainey was the Canadiens’ general manager from 2003 to 2009: “When I started with the Canadiens, there was no salary cap. The modern general manager has a lot to consider. It’s such a more complex job today…”
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
Former Canadiens player and general manager Bob Gainey
Robinson, a former head coach of the New Jersey Devils and assistant coach in many organizations, is optimistic about the Canadiens’ future. “I like the most recent pick, the Russian, [Ivan] Demidov, I think he’ll be very good if he stays healthy. Suzuki, Caufield, they’re exciting. They have to get bigger if they want to have playoff success, though. The Stanley Cup Final teams have proven that.”
Our man believes that the Canadiens are in good hands. “I like the management. Martin St-Louis brings a lot of passion. I don’t attend training sessions, but he seems to be a good teacher and I think he is very appreciated by the players.”
Serge Savard agrees with Robinson. We will need more big guys. “They will have to be good and big. I was very excited by [Cole] Caufield two years ago, but a little less this year. When he arrived, I found him so dangerous every time he touched the puck. I found him less dangerous. There are explanations. He had operations. There is no more space on the ice. They are down to five in the corner and it plays like rugby. Caufield will have to find his space on the power play. [Juraj] Slafkovsky brings a different dimension.”
The Canadiens’ success comes from the draft. Serge Savard is well-placed to talk about it. Montreal drafted and developed Patrick Roy, Stéphane Richer, Claude Lemieux, Shayne Corson, Éric Desjardins, John LeClair, Mathieu Schneider and many others under his reign.
“I didn’t just make good choices, but when we won in 1986, we had nine rookies, five guys from my first two picks and four free agents from the junior ranks. We’ve been talking about the talent of the youngsters for about ten years in Montreal, but this time the organization has been better structured for a few years. According to the experts, we had the best draft in the last two years. It’s going to pay off in the end.”
Michel Therrien retires from coaching
Former Canadiens and Pittsburgh Penguins coach Michel Therrien has given up on coaching. “I’m having fun at TVA Sports. Coaching is over. I told Alain [Vigneault] a few years ago: I’m going to Philadelphia because it’s you. My name is no longer circulating either.
Therrien is encouraged by the Canadiens’ future. “The team is going in the right direction. But the players will have to learn to fight until the end, to play important games quickly. They need to have more success soon. Slafkovsky, Guhle, Suzuki are in my eyes the three key elements of this organization.”