Habs Eyes On The Prize

A Big Thanks from Us and Some Evening Habs Links

2012-05-16T22:50:01Z

We hit a milestone last week here at Eyes On The Prize, when we had visitor number 2 million pass through our little part of the Habs blogosphere. It marries up nicely with us hitting over 3 million page views last month.

It's a minor number to compared to other larger sites on the good ole WWW, but for our group of guys (Andrew, Stephan, Chris, Bruce, Robert, Francis and myself) it's a nice little number to be proud of. Thanks to the gents for their work, research and contributions to the site that keep you reading and commenting.

Most importantly, we would all like to thank you, our readers, for your support to hit this mark, and hope that we can continue to carry on whatever it is that brings you back.

We'll be making a few more announcements in the coming months and throwing in a few goodies for you during the dog days of the post-season to keep you entertained.

In the mean time, here's a bit of between periods/late night reading to tie you over.

The Dallas Stars officially welcome Bob Gainey back

Andreas Engqvist on becoming an RFA (Google Translation)

Scott Radley on Alex Henry's departure to Germany

Should the Habs offer Blair Mackasey a scouting position?

Jarred Tinordi on the Memorial Cup

Tweeted by P.K. Subban and well worth checking out for those involved in community hockey.

Chris Boucher examines the Habs neutral zone defense

A tale of two Draft Rankings: The ISS's and Craig Button's

The Bergevin Bunch – Who should be on the Canadiens’ Shortlist?

2012-05-16T04:05:39Z

One would think that I would sit down to write this article with loads of confidence. After all, coming off of correctly predicting the three finalists for Canadiens General Manager, I’m practically the Maggie the Monkey of Habs personnel decisions. But compared with the set of five or six competent candidates for GM, the coaching pool is a group of has-beens and may-never-bes.

I’ve taken the 15 names that have been suggested in several places, and grouped them into three categories. I’ve outlined their cases, and made initial judgments as to whether I’d give them more than a first conversation. I ended up with a list of 4 finalists, and I will break each of them down in a follow-up post. Enjoy.

The Has-Beens:

Guy Carbonneau – Canadiens Head Coach 2006-2009, Currently RDS analyst

Pro: Carbo got the best out of a team that had no business competing in 2008, meaning that expectations were a little too high going into the centennial year. He was likely fired prematurely, and Gainey quickly realized that the problem was the players, and not the coach, as he followed that season by letting all 10 UFAs walk.

Con: Guy has admitted that his greatest problem is with communication. He also had a tendency to abandon line combinations too quickly. He’s been out of coaching for three years, but I would like to think that he’s learned a lot from his time away and his successor's mistakes, and that he’d be more ready the second time around.

Verdict: If his communication skills have improved, I can think of worse candidates. While that may not sound like a ringing endorsement – that’s because it’s not – when it comes to this group of candidates, that means we’ll keep him IN CONTENTION.

Michel Therrien – Canadiens Head Coach 2000-2003, Penguins Head Coach 2005-2009, Currently a scout for the Wild and RDS analyst

Pro: Therrien did a solid job with the Penguins, taking them to the Stanley Cup finals in 2008. He’s pretty much the opposite of Cunneyworth when it comes to temperament – as explosive as they come - and that’s something the Habs haven’t had for many years.

Con: Much like Patrick Roy, one has to worry about how he would self-destruct if things didn’t go well. He was lousy in his first tour of duty with the Canadiens, and has also been out of coaching for three years.

Verdict: I don’t think he’s the right type of coach for this team at this time, and I’d worry how he’d affect the development of guys like Subban, and particularly Eller. ELIMINATED

Marc Crawford – Nordiques/Avalanche, Canucks, Kings, Stars Head Coach 1994-2011, Currently analyst at TSN.

Pro: He won a Stanley Cup 16 years ago, whatever that means. He plays an offensive style, meaning that guys like Subban would have freer reign than under Martin.

Con: The guy has had minimal success in the 16 years since winning a Cup, including no playoff appearances in five years of coaching since the lockout.

Verdict: While it may help in the sales department to hire an offensive-minded coach, it won’t help on the scoreboard. One must only look at the four teams remaining in the playoffs to understand how important playing a strong defensive game is. If you combine this fact with Crawford’s lack of recent success, as well as his idiotic nonsensical commentary on TSN this year, Crawford must be ELIMINATED.

Bob Hartley – Avalanche, Thrashers Head Coach – 1998-2008, Currently Head Coach of Zurich, in Switzerland

Pro: Hartley has won championships at every level, failing only to have success with a dearth of talent in Atlanta. He plays a defensive hard-nosed game, and won the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2001.

Con: He’s known as a guy that can take a good team and make them a championship squad. That is why I believe he would be a great fit with the Washington Capitals. He’s been out of the NHL for four years, but at least he’s worked in hockey for a part of that.

Verdict: I have a lot of respect for Hartley as a coach, but I just don’t think he’s the right fit for the young Habs. I hope he gets another crack at the NHL, just not in Montreal. ELIMINATED

Jacques Lemaire – Canadiens Head Coach 1983-1985, Devils and Wild Head Coach 1993-2011

Pro: Lemaire has had a lot of success in the NHL coaching a highly defensive game, insulating goalies like Brodeur and Backstrom. He is highly respected, won the Stanley Cup in 1995, and turned the Devils completely around last season.

Con: Lemaire is already 66 years old, and for an organization that has already employed six head coaches in the past decade, a short-term option might not be ideal. Lemaire would also instill yet another trap-like system, although that didn’t seem to bother stars like Kovalchuk and Parise last season since the Devils were winning.

Verdict: He’s currently retired, and there are rumors he was asked to return to the Canadiens mid-season when Martin was fired, but declined. That doesn’t mean, however, that with more stable management and a large chunk of cash, he wouldn’t be open to return for one or two more years. He would be a respected presence and would help with development. IN CONTENTION

The Anglos:

Jon Cooper – Norfolk Admirals Head Coach 2010-present

Pro: Cooper is the type of up-and-comer in the AHL that the Canadiens don’t currently have. Boucher would have been that guy, but he was poached by the Lightning, the organization ironically of which Cooper is a part. His team won an astounding 29 consecutive games, and is currently in the AHL’s Conference Finals.

Con: This will be a common theme for this group, but he’s an Anglo. It’s possible that if Julien Brisebois had gotten the job, Cooper would have been interviewed – considering his Norfolk connection - but with Bergevin, it seems doubtful. There is no way of knowing whether Cooper has the poise to deal with the pressure of coaching in Montreal.

Verdict: He won’t be in contention, but based on his track record, he should be. I wouldn’t be surprised if he becomes head coach in a place like Colorado or Columbus in the next couple of years, but he’s probably too risky at this point for a team like Montreal. ELIMINATED

John Hynes – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Head Coach 2010-present

Pro: Hynes came out of the US National Team Development Program, and helped to advance young Americans like Patrick Kane. He’s a good Xs and Os guy, and stresses up-tempo north-south hockey. If that sounds familiar, it’s because he reminds players a lot of Dan Bylsma, his predecessor with the Baby Penguins, and now a successful NHL coach.

Con: Like Cooper, Hynes is unilingual, and has no NHL experience in any position. I would at least interview the American, but he’s also likely too much of a risk, and it’s hard to justify hiring an American Anglophone with no NHL experience in Quebec. ELIMINATED

Dallas Eakins – Toronto Marlies Head Coach 2009-present

Pro: Unlike Cooper and Hynes, Eakins played in the NHL, and has NHL experience as an assistant coach. He’s got glowing reviews from those he’s coached, and has had success at the AHL level. He’s primarily a defensive coach, and despite the goaltending difficulties in the Leafs organization, has shut down the opposition year after year.

Con: Obviously, he’s Anglophone, and would be a first-time NHL head coach. He’s been passed over for the Leafs head-coaching job several times, but given the (lack of) success of those that have been chosen over him, that doesn’t greatly concern me.

Verdict: The Canadiens have the opportunity to hire a good young coach, with NHL experience, who was a former player, and now has a chip on his shoulder, who could one day haunt the dreams of Leafs fans? Of course….IN CONTENTION.

Mike Haviland – Blackhawks Assistant Coach 2008-2012

Pro: Haviland was a finalist for the Jets’ Head Coaching job last summer, and is seen as a sure-fire future head coach. He has a relationship with Bergevin, and is well respected. He’s a former winner of the AHL’s Coach of the Year award.

Con: Considering Bergevin – and myself – is looking for a guy similar to Quenneville, it’s doubtful he hires someone that apparently didn’t fit with Q’s mentality, especially when he doesn’t speak French. He also had trouble figuring out the Hawks’ powerplay, which is something that must be rectified in Montreal if the Habs are to compete. To me, he’s still compelling as a candidate though. IN CONTENTION

The Francos:

Patrick Roy – Quebec Remparts Head Coach, GM, and Owner, 2005-present

Pro: He’s got the pedigree, has been a Head Coach for seven years, and has the experience dealing with the pressure-cooker that is Montreal.

Con: Much like Therrien, he’s got the fiery temper that could cause things to go downhill fast, and unlike Michel, he’s got no NHL coaching experience.

Verdict: I wouldn’t trust Patrick, in this market, to be able to handle this job without prior NHL experience. He’s a sideshow that this team doesn’t need right now. Stay away. ELIMINATED

Gerard Gallant – Blue Jackets Head Coach 2003-2007, Saint John’s Seadogs Head Coach 2009-present

Pro: Gallant has had incredible success since being named Seadogs Head Coach, challenging for back-to-back Memorial Cups. He was a top candidate for the position with the Ottawa Senators.

Con: The guy was atrocious in three seasons with Columbus in the NHL, although he didn’t have much to work with. He also, deceptively, doesn’t speak much French.

Verdict: Not really sure why his name has been so prominent in some circles. The guy has failed at the NHL level, never making the playoffs, and has arguably thrived only on the basis of having a team stacked with future NHLers. I wouldn’t go there. ELIMINATED

Jean-Francois Houle – Armada de Blainville-Boisbriand Head Coach 2011-present

Pro: Thought of as one of the up-and-comers in the coaching ranks, and seems like a natural fit to occupy this role at some point, considering he’s bilingual.

Con: Like many of these candidates, he’s young (only 37 years old), but that didn’t prevent guys like Guy Boucher from getting NHL jobs.

Verdict: Probably not ready to go straight to the NHL, but certainly an interesting name, with potential. He shouldn’t be in the running for the main gig, but would be an interesting choice to come to Hamilton as the possible future head coach of the Canadiens. ELIMINATED

Benoit Groulx – Rochester Americans Head Coach, 2009-2010, Gatineau Olympiques Head Coach, 2001-2009 & 2010-present

Pro: Considered another up-and-comer, Groulx has had success at the junior level, leading the Olympiques to three Memorial Cup appearances, finishing as runner-up twice.

Con: In a short stint in Rochester, the Americans struggled, and Groulx’s willingness to move up to the next level must be in doubt, considering how he left the AHL after only two years in charge.

Verdict: Gatineau has historically been a breeding ground for Canadiens Head Coaches, developing talents like Pat Burns, Alain Vigneault, and Claude Julien. Like those names, however, Groulx would need development in the AHL. I would only consider him for the Hamilton job. ELIMINATED

Clement Jodoin – Hamilton Bulldogs Head Coach 2011-2012

Pro: He has NHL experience as an assistant coach, and AHL experience as a Head Coach.

Con: Yes, they had a discombobulated roster, but the Bulldogs were terrible last season. His QMJHL teams also haven’t had that much success, as he’s only qualified for a single Memorial Cup.

Verdict: Considering his age and experience, the fact that Jodoin has yet to earn an NHL head-coaching gig is a red flag to me. His name and results at every level don’t instill confidence as a fan. I wouldn’t go there. ELIMINATED

Pascal Vincent – Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, Montreal Juniors Head Coach, 2000-2011, Jets Assistant Coach, 2011-2012

Pro: Vincent is considered a top coaching prospect, and many believe he’ll get an NHL bench boss gig in the coming years.

Con: He had mixed results in the QMJHL, coming under criticism for failing in the playoffs with talented teams.

Verdict: It’s a common theme among this group, but Vincent needs to either spend a few more years as an assistant in the NHL, or make a Kirk Muller-like jump to the AHL to be a head coach. I would talk to him about the Hamilton job as well. ELIMINATED

Short-List/In Contention - I will discuss these candidates in depth and make a choice in a follow-up post in a few days

Guy Carbonneau

Jacques Lemaire

Dallas Eakins

Mike Haviland

"In regards to my ankle it sure got a bad break it is cracked three places around the ankle. The...

2012-05-15T01:24:38Z

"In regards to my ankle it sure got a bad break it is cracked three places around the ankle. The main bone is broken above the ankle and the small bone is broken in the side of the leg. It looks like curtains for me as far as hockey is concerned. I look back and say that I was fortunate at that. It’s a wonder I never broke my neck. Thank God I have that at least." -Howie Morenz

A rare letter from Habs legend Howie Morenz, just shortly before his death, is now on the block through Classic Auctions.

The letter comes from the estate of Morenz's former teammate Mary Burke.

The letter is one of hundreds of items up for bid, and we'll feature some of these over the coming days.

Another unique Morenz item is his 1923-24 rookie card graded a 6 by PSA. There is no other higher graded rookie card of the Stratford Streak.

What Should We Expect from NHL Goaltenders?

2012-05-10T12:00:58Z

Analytic minds of the blogosphere are starting to converge on a new frontier: analyzing goaltending. We at Eyes on the Prize have been blessed to have Chris Boyle give us incredibly in depth analysis on the position that is seen nowhere else on the internet, but something came up recently in his piece on Marc-Andre Fleury that got me thinking... what exactly is replacement level goaltending?

Now, I'm not the only blogger out there that is trying to answer this question. Cam Charron earlier this year used it to try and give comparables to Winnipeg Jets starter Ondrej Pavelec, using other metrics other than league save percentage like measuring quality starts and blow-ups. I didn't go this route with my own analysis, but it'd be worthwhile to build a database of these over time. Scott Reynolds of The Copper & Blue earlier this month decided to calculate a replacement level save percentage using all NHL goalies that had 15 or fewer games in a season. He split up even strength and shorthanded save percentages and found these goalies had a much lower threshold than the league average. It makes a lot more sense than just using the league average: clearly there are different expectation levels for goalies who are called up from the minors than those that have guaranteed NHL jobs, and largely the NHL does a decent job of picking who their best goalie is.

My methodology started with a similar threshold. Reynolds posted that on May 1, while I had been working on the charts in April, so they were come up with independently. I wanted to separate goalies by their usage: starters, platoons, backups, and replacements. I came up with my own cut-offs to determine this: anyone who played more than 60% of the minutes in an 82 game regulation schedule would be considered a starter, platoon goaltenders played between 40 and 60%, backups played in over 10 GP a year and up to 40% of a team's minutes, and the rest were replacements. I broke out every year since 2003-04, since I was doing this for a project I'm working on about the 2003 Entry Draft that I'll be posting on throughout June. I looked at save percentage only, but broke it between regular save percentage (all situations) and even strength only.

If you're wondering why splitting up the situations is important, team effects can greatly contribute to a goalie's save percentage on the Penalty Kill. While it is often said that your goaltender has to be your best penalty killer, teams with good penalty kills have to be better at preventing shots and prime scoring chances in order to succeed over the whole season. Therefore, a goalie's save percentage on the penalty kill is less of a factor of his individual skill level than at even strength, although I do agree with Chris Boyle in that teams can design systems that make it a little easier on a goaltender to stop the puck at a higher rate at even strength. However, those fluctuations won't be to the same level a good PK unit can effect a goalie's save percentage. Even strength is a better indicator of a goalie's skill level over time, but we'll include both measures here.

After the jump are some of the results.

There are 4920 minutes in an 82 game season, excluding overtime. I can't possibly be bothered to add all the overtime minutes together and figure out a threshold based on the actual minutes, so I kept it simple: all goalies had the potential to play 4920 minutes for their team, so we'll base our classifications on them. 60% of 4920 minutes is 2952 minutes, which is just over 49 full games. The least amount of appearances a goalie made in this study that classified as a starter was Nicklas Backstrom in 2010-11, with 51 GP. I think that's an acceptable figure for what we'd consider a starting goaltender, a good sample size. 40% of minutes played is 1968 minutes, or just under 33 GP, and Michael Leighton in 2003-04 had the fewest appearances of any goalie in this range with 34 GP, although a number of goalies had 35 GP and didn't reach 1968 minutes. These are definitions I've made up, if one doesn't like them, they're free to adjust them, they just made sense to me. Generally, platoon goalies played in at least 35 games and up to 50. Backups, then, appeared in 11-35 GP. Here's the sample size for each year:

Year	Starters	Platoon	Backups	Call-ups	Total
2003-04	20	15	29	30	94
2005-06	15	19	34	21	89
2006-07	22	12	30	20	84
2007-08	22	11	26	30	89
2008-09	21	12	31	25	89
2009-10	19	16	28	20	83
2010-11	24	8	32	23	87
2011-12	22	13	26	27	88

My educated guess for 2005-06 having more platoon goalies than starters is this: with the NHL lockout, teams lost a year of up close evaluation of their goaltenders and it took longer for them to figure out who their better goalie exactly was (there were more backups that year than any other as well). Every year since has been more normal, with 2010-11 being a bit of an extreme in favour of teams employing a pure starter/backup system. You'll also notice a slight CBA effect: 2003-04 had the largest amount of goalies called up, when there were less restrictions on callups than there were post-lockout.

From here, I figured out the average save percentages for each group of goalie, but you'll notice that it didn't quite work out as linear as I had hoped:

**Even Strength Save Percentage**
Year	Starters	Platoon	Backups	Call-ups
2003-04	.925	.922	.917	.908
2005-06	.922	.914	.908	.900
2006-07	.922	.916	.907	.916
2007-08	.923	.917	.915	.903
2008-09	.921	.921	.916	.900
2009-10	.923	.917	.914	.916
2010-11	.925	.918	.915	.908
2011-12	.924	.919	.917	.912

**Total Save Percentage**
Year	Starters	Platoon	Backups	Call-ups
2003-04	.914	.910	.907	.899
2005-06	.907	.902	.894	.884
2006-07	.910	.909	.893	.900
2007-08	.912	.909	.904	.893
2008-09	.912	.909	.903	.891
2009-10	.915	.910	.904	.901
2010-11	.917	.909	.907	.903
2011-12	.917	.910	.910	.903

As you can see, for the most part, the divisions work, but due to the random nature of sample sizes, sometimes teams are forced to play really bad backups due to injuries, or a call-up has a particularly strong run and it muddles up the numbers at the bottom end. It also shows that it is now harder to score a goal on the top goalies in the NHL today than it was the year before the lockout, and goalies are making one more save every 100 shots than the first year after the lockout, depressing goal totals significantly.

Due to this finding, I decided to expand the sample size for defining a replacement level goalie. Fortunately, the NHL has their own standard definition of what an acceptable sample size is for goalies. It's based on Games Played, not minutes, but who am I to argue against Big Hockey? For determining the awards for the William M. Jennings Trophy (Top Team GAA) and the Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award (Top Save Percentage), the NHL believes a goalie must appear in 25 games to be considered. So, according to the NHL, goalies who play less than that are not really statistically relevant. Perfect.

Therefore, I calculated a Replacement Level SV% based on all goaltenders that appeared in less than 25 GP. Here are the results:

**Replacement Level SV%**
Year	Even Strength	All Situations
2003-04	.911	.901
2005-06	.903	.890
2006-07	.905	.892
2007-08	.911	.901
2008-09	.909	.898
2009-10	.915	.906
2010-11	.915	.908
2011-12	.914	.906

I provide all these figures for future comparisons of goalies by save percentage. From here, I developed a RelSV% metric, basically a +/- figure comparing goalies to others in their peer group. Here are the RelSV% figures for the 2011-12 starters, as well as how they performed compared to a replacement level goalie:

**2011-12 Starting Goaltenders**
Rank	Player	Team	Rel EVSV%	Rel SV%	Rel Comb.	+/- RL (EV)	+/- RL (All)
1	Mike Smith	PHX	.012	.013	.025	+22	+24
2	Henrik Lundqvist	NYR	.009	.013	.022	+19	+24
3	Jonathan Quick	LA	.009	.012	.021	+19	+23
4	Pekka Rinne	NAS	.004	.006	.010	+14	+17
5	Jimmy Howard	DET	.005	.003	.008	+15	+14
6	Miikka Kiprusoff	CGY	.004	.004	.008	+14	+15
7	Roberto Luongo	VAN	.005	.002	.007	+15	+13
8	Kari Lehtonen	DAL	.002	.005	.007	+12	+16
9	Tim Thomas	BOS	.003	.003	.006	+13	+14
10	Jose Theodore	FLA	.004	.000	.004	+14	+11
11	Antti Niemi	SJ	.002	-.002	.000	+12	+9
12	Ryan Miller	BUF	-.002	-.001	-.003	+8	+10
13	Semyon Varlamov	COL	-.001	-.004	-.005	+9	+7
14	Craig Anderson	OTT	-.004	-.003	-.007	+6	+8
15	Cam Ward	CAR	-.005	-.002	-.007	+5	+9
16	Carey Price	MTL	-.006	-.001	-.007	+4	+10
17	Ilya Bryzgalov	PHI	-.003	-.008	-.011	+7	+3
18	Marc-Andre Fleury	PIT	-.009	-.004	-.013	+1	+7
19	Jonas Hiller	ANA	-.009	-.007	-.016	+1	+4
20	Ondrej Pavelec	WIN	-.007	-.011	-.018	+3	E
21	Martin Brodeur	NJ	-.013	-.009	-.022	-3	+2
22	Corey Crawford	CHI	-.009	-.014	-.023	+1	-3

As you can see, Cam Charron was right to put Ondrej Pavelec's season into perspective: he's in the replacement level range as a starter, while Martin Brodeur and Corey Crawford were definitely at that level this year. Mike Smith didn't get the love from the General Managers and missed out on a Vezina nomination, but the other three finalists were right up there as well.

For the most part, teams are employing starters that are above replacement level. Even Marc-Andre Fleury is a step above that level despite Chris' takedown of him last month. Carey Price had a down year, but 10 points above replacement level overall is a decent showing in those circumstances (and average for a starting goalie).

I came up with another metric for evaluating goalies as well that I'll introduce in a follow-up piece. I'm sure there is plenty of material on statistically evaluating goalies that will be coming this summer.

"I do see it in a similar way to what I was doing with the Canadiens over the last two years."

2012-05-10T01:50:30Z

"I do see it in a similar way to what I was doing with the Canadiens over the last two years."

It didn't take Bob Gainey long to find new employment. The former Habs captain, coach and GM is taking a consultant position with the Dallas Stars, a position he held with the Canadiens until the firing of Pierre Gauthier.

Meanwhile, one can nip any thoughts of Saku Koivu coming back to Montreal. The Habs former captain re-signed for another year with the Anaheim Ducks.

"First and foremost, I'm excited about being here in Chicago." "I love the opportunity. I love the...

2012-05-09T02:37:14Z

"First and foremost, I'm excited about being here in Chicago."

"I love the opportunity. I love the organization. I love where we're heading in the future and that's something I want to put to bed right from the outset."

"I've got two years left on the contract. I'm very happy here and [the Montreal job] was the last thing I was thinking about."

Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville squashed any rumors of joining the Montreal Canadiens, after his team dismissed assistant coach Mike Haviland on Tuesday.

Debunking The Canadiens French Territorial Players Rights Myth

2012-05-07T22:00:00Z

Note 2012: Back by popular demand from the EOTP archives

There is a popular myth, longstanding in fact, and surely perpetrated by decades of Maple Leafs frustration that the Montreal Canadiens superiority from the early 1950's to the late 1970's was due to the simple notion that they had territorial rights to the province of Quebec's two greatest hockey talents annually.

The myth has gained ground on the factual truth in many minds based on the coincidental perceived removal of such rights and the Habs descent down to normalness since the heyday of the dynasty years.

But the myth, hockey fans, is complete bunk!

The small sliver of truth and fact behind the one time territorial Habs clause fails to back up the claims of those who have cried, "No Fair," like whining children for years.

I first remember reading about this when I was all of seven years old.

The myth was cemented into young impressionable minds in hockey rinks and schoolyards Canada wide by Maple Leafs fans needing a convenient excuse in explaining their own clubs' decline.

I grew up with kids who believed it then. I know some of them as adults who still believe it today.

The twisted yarn is so maligned, it even now includes the drafting of Guy Lafleur first overall in 1971, as well as others, as part of its Leaf derived legend.

If the myth were true, the Canadiens would have also snapped up Jean Ratelle, Rod Gilbert, and Gil Perreault among others. The possibilities are endless - they would have likely never lost a game, nevermind the Stanley Cup.

Looking back on it all now, on how the mistruth spread, it's become clearer as to why it would permeate logic, given the finger pointing nature of Leafs fans, who have consistantly failed to look in their backyard to explain their failings and past inferiorities.

It's almost as if they agreed in unison that the myth would be their battlecry, their common shield of armour in the face of defeat. One day, somewhere in time, a little light went off in someone's head. I can almost see it now.

"Well no wonder the cheaters won all them damn Cups, the Kweebeckers got the two best Frenchman every year..."

I've long known the truth is othewise, and have long sought out a source that would explain it best, with insightful completeness and perspective.

With much talk of Canadiens drafts in the past few days, the old territorial rights rule reared its famaliar head in chat room talk, when somebody posted a link to hockey historian and trivia expert Liam Maguire's site. As a Canadiens fan himself, Maguire has also been confronted with this myth numerous times, and sets the record straight. He has interviewed many on this very subject, including Sam Pollock, Scotty Bowman, Dick Irvin, Marcel Pronovost, Rod Gilbert, Yvan Cournoyer and numerous others.

It seems the origin of the rule is as old as the NHL itself, going back to wartime days when the fortunes and faith of franchises fluctuated annually.

Contrary to popular belief, the NHL did not start out as an Original Six league. Many teams came and went, existing anywhere between two or three years up to a decade, including the original Ottawa Senators.

Not unlike today's revenue sharing programs amongst sports teams, league members back in the day, found creative ways to assist in each other in the help for financial survival. Often this was done by way of player and monetary loans, but what team owners discovered back then was that locals stars filled seats to great capacity.

This fact was evident even in pre-NHL days, and especially true in Montreal, where a rivalry was built up to fullfill a demand for a french team to compete against the english Montreal teams of the day, the Wanderers and Maroons.

One year after the birth of the Montreal Canadiens, known then as Le Club Athletic Canadiens, it was decided that this would become the franchise that would cater to the desires of the french speaking clientele. Slowly but surely it filled it's roster with french names and proceeded to become semi-successful on the ice, but teetering financially off it.

Over time, the Canadiens became the only Montreal franchise remaining, outliving the Maroons and winning Stanley Cups in 1916, 1924, 1930, and 1931. It fought on through hard times and financial up and downs, and during a spell in the late 1930's, the team was on the brink of folding.

It was around that time, that the idea came up to offer the Canadiens the exclusive rights to two players per year as a means of maintaining interest and ensuring financial success.

To quote Liam Maguire, "(It was) decided that the Montreal Canadiens could take any two players from the province of Quebec in a special draft. There was one rider however. None of these players could have already been previously signed to a C form (confirmation form) with any other club."

"At this time in the NHL and right through the late 60's amateur players were signed by NHL teams to C forms and then placed on their appropriate junior clubs or minor pro clubs depending on their age. The most extreme case of this was Bobby Orr. Orr signed a C form three weeks before his 12th birthday with the Boston Bruins. He was so young his parents signature was required. When he turned 14 he began playing for Boston's junior sponsored team, the Oshawa Generals. That's how Orr became a Bruin."

"From 1936-1943 Montreal protected 14 players through this special draft. Unfortunately none of them ever played a minute in the NHL. Reason being, anybody who could tie their skates and chew gum at the same time were already long signed by other NHL teams including the Canadiens who certainly wern't going to survive solely with this rule."

"The hope was that there would be a spark from signing a French Canadian kid, even better if he could play a bit. The thought was that this could help attendance and thereby help Montreal.

It never did. What really helped Montreal at that time were two shrewd moves. One, a trade with the Montreal Maroons which brought them Toe Blake and two, the signing of Elmer Lach to a C form, who was from Saskatchewan by the way. He was signed after the Rangers passed on him. Lach attended their camp first."

The root of the myth may lie in the fact that just prior to the Habs landing Blake and Lach, the Canadiens first two stars were Edouard "Newsy" Lalonde and Aurel Joliat, both owners of French sounding names. Along Georges Vezina and the Cleghorn brothers, these two succeeding hero's, who were at one time traded for one another, were important facets of the Canadiens success in the 1920' and 1930's.

What many may not know, is that neither Lalonde or Joliat was a home grown talent. Lalonde was billingual, and was born in my hometown of Cornwall, Ontario (a great source of pride!), and Joliat was an Ottawa born player, of Swiss descent.

In the excellent book "Lions In Winter", by Chris Goyens and Allan Turowetz, Joliat comments on his being aquired from the Saskatoon Shieks for the popular Lalonde in 1922. As Habs fans were upset at seing a french speaking player leave, Joliat adds, "Still, it was easier for (GM Leo) Dandurand to trade for me than for a Dick Smith."

The Canadiens other big star of the time, possibly the first true superstar of hockey, Howie Morenz, also has a Swiss background.

Maguire further clarifies the myth's mystique by stating that the reasons the Habs survived the 1930's doldrums had nothing to do with the territorial rule, and everything to do with Lach and Blake working out brilliantly with a player the Habs didn't have in their future plans.

"The rest of the league passed on Montreal GM Tommy Gorman's offer of a trade for what seemed to be a very brittle but explosive goal scorer named Maurice Richard. Richard had suffered injury after injury in his first three years of pro. Gorman tried to unload him but nobody wanted him."

"Needless to say Richard's coming out party in 1943-44 and the subsequent effect he had on the game in the next 17 years has been well documented but suffice to say, these were the three major reasons (Lach, Blake, Richard) for the success of the Habs over a nearly two decade span - not some bullcrap rule that although was well intentioned did nothing to extend Montreal's stay in the NHL at that time. In fact they were even worse in 1940 than they were in 1936."

Bolstered by the "Punch Line", the Canadiens would win the Stanley Cup in 1944 and 1946, but Maguire states that there were two other pieces to the puzzle that would ensure Canadien supremacy for the coming decades.

"It happened in 1946 and 1947, respectively. With the French Canadian rule now rescinded and Montreal rolling with two Cup victories in a three year span something else was going to be needed for the franchise to rise to the extreme greatness they would see in a few short years."

To the distress of Maple Leafs fans, they unwittingly assisted the Canadiens a second time, and in similar fashion. The first had been the firing of coach Dick Irvin Sr. years earlier, who continued to be as successful with Montreal as he'd been with Chicago and Toronto.

"Toronto owner Conn Smythe fired Frank Selke Sr. and Montreal quickly hired him. Selke had a vision about a series of teams in the minor leagues that would be stocked with players that Montreal would sign to C forms. These minor league teams and the players on them were soon to be known as a farm system."

"This was the origin of the farm system as we know it today. It took the rest of the NHL 2-3 years to catch on to this idea but they did and they've all benefited from it but Montreal had a tremendous head start and in some instances they purchased the rights to an entire league to get a certain player."

"They did this for Jean Beliveau and Bobby Rousseau. In Beliveau's case it didn't matter because he told the Habs to get stuffed anyway. He was happy in Quebec and there were only two players in the NHL making more money than Jean who was in the QSHL. That was Rocket Richard and Gordie Howe. Finally Selke was able to sign Beliveau in 1953 when as he put it, " I opened up the vault and said help yourself Jean!" Great quote"

"The move in 1947 was the hiring of Sam Pollock. Pollock came under the tutelage of Selke and finally in 1963 became his successor as GM of the Canadiens."

"In 1963 the NHL finally realized there were a glut of players, post second World War 2 births, that were coming of age to play in the NHL and even with the C form system, stones were being left unturned. For the first time a draft was implemented. There was never any thought that this would one day become the life blood of the NHL."

"In 1963 the NHL finally realized there were a glut of players, post second World War 2 births, that were coming of age to play in the NHL and even with the C form system, stones were being left unturned. For the first time a draft was implemented. There was never any thought that this would one day become the life blood of the NHL."

"At the time the six NHL teams would draft in a rotating order any player who had not signed a C form. Ken Dryden was a draft pick of the Boston Bruins. Boston traded Dryden to Montreal.
In 1963, the French Canadian rule was brought back for the Montreal Canadiens. It was not necessary, no question about it but Selke and Pollock worked a sweet deal and got it back on the books however the same rules applied. The player could not have signed a C form with any other team."

"From 1963-1967 none of the players Montreal selected played one minute in the NHL, ever. Finally in 1968, they drafted their first live one. A goalie named Michel Plasse."

"In 1969, it was determined that this would be the final year of the draft in this manner and the sponsorship of Junior A teams would cease to be. All players were to be 20 years of age or older and they would be eligible for a Universal Amateur Draft. Montreal was given one final kick at the French Canadian can and they made the most of it by selecting Rejean Houle and Marc Tardif. That was it for the French rule."

"By then Sam Pollock or Trader Sam as he was known, was working magic year in and year out on draft day and by flipping players in Montreal's farm system that had been so expertly set up years before by Selke and ran by Pollock, for draft picks. Players like Guy Lafleur, Steve Shutt, Mario Tremblay, several others, were selected with picks that Pollock acquired through trades."

This should clear up any misconception about this long believed fallacy, born primarily by frustrated anti-Montreal fans who for decades suffered through parade after Stanley Cup parade.

And The Winner Is...

2012-05-04T23:50:20Z

In March EOTP held a contest where the person to come up with the best "narrative" surrounding Subban returning to form offensively. The winner would get a P.K. Subban Montreal Canadiens 'shirsey' (t-shirt).

The winner of that shirt is Adam Mills, EOTP commenter subdoxastic with this entry:

I think this counts as one entry,

Obviously, the idea of ‘respect’ (noted by others above) is going to play into any psychodrama explanation for PK’s resurgence next season.

My addition or refinement to the respect narrative is to add a dash of the ‘experience’ meme (also referenced above), but in particular in relation to the losing season.

I’m betting that we’ll be regaled with stories about how playing through tough times both personally (1)depressed offensive stats, 2) benchings, 3) altercations in practice) in conjunction with tough times experienced by the team as a whole (with the specific examples of 1)worst showing in years, 2)seeing a coach get fired, 3)seeing other players dealt, and finally and most importantly 4) disappointing the fans) means that P.K. was forced to reevaluate his approach to the way he played the game and his commitment to working as a member of a team.

It’s nearly perfect, it allows for a tacit acceptance of the blatantly dishonest ‘respect’ dogwhistle that’s been floating around for the past two seasons, by showing how P.K. learned his place and is now a better player (and the Habs a better team) for it.

I think I just puked a little in my mouth.

Congrats to Adam and as soon as I get his size, I'll be sending that off for him.