His criticism of the former administration is acerbic and yet it had very little echo, at least in the French-speaking partisan fringe of the Canadian.
Posted at 11:11 a.m.
“This organization was a bit old school,” new VP of hockey operations Jeff Gorton told colleague Eric Engels of Sportsnet on Friday.
“Players need to know that we have their best interests at heart, on and off the ice, the world works that way now. It’s important to present yourself in a positive work environment. And families have to be taken care of. This is one of the reasons behind my hiring. I come from the Bruins and Rangers organization, which are known for their way off the ice, and that’s what we’ll be doing here from now on. »
Jeff Gorton says aloud what many team members have whispered to him during his many consultations since he took office a few months ago.
It is always extremely difficult for a journalist to get the pulse of a team, especially when the dressing room is closed and travel with the club is prohibited. Long gone are the days of columnists interviewing players in the hot tub…
But Marc Bergevin, his assistants and coach Dominique Ducharme have been dismissed and the tongues are loosening little by little.
Bergevin had his qualities, but communication, the field of advanced statistical analyzes and modern development techniques were not his prerogative. The Canadian reached the Stanley Cup final despite the deficiencies of the DG in this regard. And maybe we overestimate some of this data too.
But he nevertheless left the team in a sorry state, after a difficult second part of his reign.
For the sake of transparency, honesty towards the reader and also fairness towards his harshly criticized predecessors, we must set the record straight about Dominique Ducharme despite the sympathy he may inspire in us.
The Canadian was not downgraded in almost every game by chance. The current has never really passed between his players and him. He was an isolated man this season. The context didn’t help him, but neither did the lack of communication. It’s the sad truth.
Jeff Petry hasn’t been nice to his coach this winter by subtly criticizing him through the media, and he was in no position to do so due to his lackluster performances on the ice, but he felt strong enough with his teammates in the locker room to do so.
After being wiped out 38-12 on aggregate in the five games prior to the arrival of Martin St-Louis, the Canadiens have just won back-to-back games for the first time this season, after being competitive in all three games in prior.
The energy and positivism of St-Louis whipped up the troops. In the first place the young Cole Caufield, five points, including four goals, in five games, having obtained eight in his first 30. Nobody mentions the need to send him back to Laval. Caufield played 19:38 and 21:04 in the weekend’s two games.
Petry seems to have regained the momentum of the good old days. He has four points in his last three games and regained his 23.24 minutes per game. He was blamed for his violent shots hitting the bay window. Petry sacrificed velocity for accuracy and his new approach resulted in at least two goals. Why do it now and not before?
Nick Suzuki hasn’t produced a ton of points, but he remains a catalyst on offense. Ryan Poehling is in a modest role, but he has three assists in his last four games. Alexander Romanov continues to gain confidence in defense. Rem Pitlick is earning the coach’s esteem game after game.
We are talking here about individual performances, but the most important transformation remains at the collective level. We play smarter. Petry is not the only one to give up the force of the shot to gain precision. The guards are better protected and do the job. Yet it is essentially the same formation that was being crushed in almost every game.
There will obviously be slower periods. And Gorton must also learn from his mistakes. If he reads his comments, Marc Bergevin could retort that with methods a little more old school, his stars would have been better protected in New York and he would not have lost his job.
But Gorton, and Hughes, are intelligent men who will undoubtedly be able to draw inspiration from all currents of thought, while keeping the emphasis on the most important: communication and positive reinforcement.
If only Jesperi Kotkaniemi, two more goals this weekend, had had the chance to play for this new administration…
Jack Eichel finally breaks the ice!
PHOTO STEPHEN R. SYLVANIE, USA TODAY SPORTS
Jack Eichel
Jack Eichel has recovered from his delicate neck surgery and was playing his third game with the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday. After being limited to one assist in the first two games, he scored twice on Sunday in a 4-1 win over San Jose. “It feels good, I haven’t scored in a long time,” admitted Eichel, whose last goal was almost a year ago with the Sabers. Despite all the success he may have in Vegas, Buffalo will not regret having traded him: Alex Tuch, 25, has amassed 21 points in 19 games since joining the Sabers, Peyton Krebs, 21, has eight points in his last eleven games on the left wing of the second line and the Sabers also hold picks of 1D2and and 3and round of the Golden Knights.