How the Mighty have Fallen: The Sad State of Nos Glorieux; The Montreal Canadiens

Bob Gainey is a class act. I never met the man but I know people who know him personally. He's every bit the man he comes off on television. Gainey was once called the 'most complete two-way hockey player in the world' by Soviets. As captain of the Montreal Canadiens during the 70s (and 80s), and with quiet reserve Gainey helped lead the Habs to 5 Stanley Cups. He was an integral part of of great Canadiens dynasty of the late 1970s that won four consecutive championships. A team many consider the greatest ever.

Gainey had all the typical traits expected to win at a professional level. Diligence, intelligence, intensity you name it. Once upon a time the Montreal Canadiens defined the city of Montreal; they were one and the same. Who would have thought that with all the success Montreal witnessed in the 1970s - the Alouettes were a power in football and the Expos were an emerging team soon to be ordained the 'best organization in baseball' - that it would have sank as low as it has?

Many point to 1976 as the beginning of the end; the year a separatist provincial party got elected in Québec. While many Quebecers will not accept this explanation, the painful reality is that politics did play a role. The immortal French-English dichotomy has a life force not always beneficial to all concerned. As much as it adds to beauty of this city it can also be its worst enemy. It's just the way things work in here. Hockey was and is not immune to this. Many times the sport was and is used as a proxy for nationalist rhetoric. How could there have no consequences?

Rather than trace back the roots as to why and how the Habs (by extension the city of Montreal) have fallen to their knees and assign blame, it may serve this piece better to lament a lost time and era; to discuss the present and future. Like the Federal Liberals, le Club Hockey Canadiens are living off past glory and reputations. This is fine if you can connect this to the present. It does not seem to have happened.

Poverty of decision making, general incompetence and the reality of modern economics in pro sports were all actors on the stage that led to Montreal's curtain call.

Usually great teams bestow upon themselves the luxury of keeping the dynastic line alive by allowing for the past generation to connect with the new. Tradition is a powerful tool in modernity. The Canadiens have abandoned that tradition. Someone once astutely pointed out to me that the real downfall of the Expos was not that we had poor baseball fans but rather it was a direct result of the Expos severing all ties with themselves and the community. There was no continuity. People need to change hands from generation to generation and sports is no different.

Gainey left for greener pastures in Minnesota and later Dallas as helped to construct a Stanley Cup team in Dallas (he also helped lead the North Stars to a final in 1991). In fact, many of the great Habs were allowed to leave - save Serge Savard. The list included Jacques Lemaire, Larry Robinson and the greatest coach in pro sports history on this continent Scotty Bowman.

Again it is hard not to blame politics. The political, outrageous media, and tax situation (for good measure) are not a combination too many people want to tangle with these days. It must become impossible for some indeed.

After going through some bizarre interruptions and episodes (Patrick Roy's shocking inability to control his ego in 1995 immediately springs to mind for me), Bob Gainey returned in 2002-2003.

It was a return many fans reasonably felt was the beginning of a turnaround. The regal Gainey was just what this franchise needed. A force of tradition of a magnificent era long gone who brought instant credibility. Like a brilliant chess player trying to piece together a beautiful broken puzzle, Gainey exuded a return to Camelot. Alas, it has not turned out this way. It feels as though the rot of the curse in the halls of this team is threatening to swallow him up.

He inherited a team swimming in a pond of defeat. Sadly, he has only added to this. His moves have not been all that impressive for such a hockey mind. I am sure he'd be the first to admit this. Many Hab fans were confused by some of his signings and draft choices. Worse, he seems to have taken on a character many people did not think was in him when he called fans 'gutless bastards' for booing an unpopular and over paid defenseman.

The 2006 edition of the Habs is a collection of sad sacks with no pride. Once upon a time wearing the classic 'CH' was a badge of honor and instant respect. No longer. Too many people who do not deserve this logo have been allowed to wear it. Management is not cleared in any way in all of this. From body to soul, every single one of them have been architects in the downfall of the Montreal Canadiens.

Yes, the Montreal Canadiens are run by the marketing department and as long as fans pack in the Bell Center little incentive is available to turn Montreal into a winner. Players avoid this place like the plague for a reason you know. Who wants to put up with advertising smart-alecs and a media who can turn on you? We have implanted the notion that Montreal must have French players. Why? The Habs don't even draft the best players from Quebec any more - losing a monopoly does that to a franchise. Reasonable players with pride won't put up with it.

As I sat and watched the Canadiens put on another sad display losing 6-2 to the Vancouver Canucks, the camera panned to the Habs bench. Behind the lost, dazed eyes of the players on the bench, I could not help but notice the three men standing behind that same bench - Doug Jarvis, Guy Carbonneau and Bob Gainey. The irony was not lost on many fans I am sure. Three former great Habs on the 70s dynasty who never understood what it was like to lose in such a manner. The performance was indeed listless.

Maybe Gainey is slowly purging the organization behind the scene. Who knows? By now, he should be close to completing the puzzle, right? There is much to be excited about. There are some good young prospects on the team. We just don't know if they are quitters or winners. A warning shot has been fired. Whether Gainey can turn the Habs around is, in part, entirely up to the ghosts of the old Montreal Forum who have declined to migrate into the new arena; they have already reserved #23.