The Montreal Canadiens, hockey’s version of the New York Yankees, fired their head coach Guy Carbonneau Monday afternoon and GM Bob Gainey will take over behind the bench against the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night.
In a stunning turn of events, Gainey fired the man he once called “my best decision” in hopes of maximizing the Canadiens’ chances of making the Stanley Cup playoffs.
In their 100th season, the Canadiens were expected to go all the way and win the Stanley Cup after finishing first in the Eastern Conference last year and bolstering their team this year. That expectation is now gone after a dismal run of form (losing 10 of 13 games starting in late January) has seen the Habs fall to fifth place in the East after an 8–1–1 start to the season.
Carbonneau, a Quebec native, was the captain of the Canadiens in 1993 when Montreal last won the Cup.
“He has been a very special player with the Canadiens,” said Gainey at a press conference at the Bell Centre in Montreal. “He did his best to help us reach our target as a team.”
Gainey spoke at length about the team’s lack of enthusiasm and inconsistent play.
“I had real confusion [in watching the Canadiens] about the overall…it showed up as effort, but I felt like it was emotional engagement to a game.”
Carbonneau had lost the confidence of his senior players including Alex Kovalev. French television station RDS reported that players had spoken with Gainey about Carbonneau’s methods. Much of the complaints centered around a lack of proper communication between players and Carbonneau.
Gainey was particularly disappointed with last Friday’s 2–0 loss to the Atlanta Thrashers, a team that on paper, Montreal should beat. After reflecting about the situation on Saturday, Gainey said, “I find myself in a position that requires my intervention.”
Surprise Firing
The firing is a major surprise, as Gainey and Carbonneau seemed to be the best of buddies. It was thought that they’d be linked with each other for years to come.
“It’s never an easy message to take to someone but I believe I didn’t have any other option,” said the Hall of Famer Gainey. “It’s a tough decision for both of us…60 years of experience in the NHL between us.”
Carbonneau, hired in 2006, amassed an impressive record of 124–83–23 in 230 games as head coach of the Canadiens. He played 13 seasons with Montreal before playing for St. Louis and Dallas. He won two Cups with Montreal and one with Dallas.
Last season, Guy Carbonneau was nominated for coach of the year, eventually losing to Washington Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau.
