What's Next For Les Canadiens?

PKC wrote:Why would we wanna help them out in any way at all?

Well, that would be for the fleecing, I'd assume.

They have a deadline of Today to complete their coaching staff .... Muller, Jarvis still around tomorrow? we'll see :p

I saw Howie Merenz's plaque at the HHOF on Friday. I thought of you....isn't that nice?

SpezDispenser wrote:I saw Howie Merenz's plaque at the HHOF on Friday. I thought of you....isn't that nice?

Oh yeah? u were in TO? is awesome there hhof, i went about ten years ago now ... I remember the morenz stuff .,.. NEwsy lalonde too lol
did you go see the Jays too?

HowieMorenz wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:I saw Howie Merenz's plaque at the HHOF on Friday. I thought of you....isn't that nice?

Oh yeah? u were in TO? is awesome there hhof, i went about ten years ago now ... I remember the morenz stuff .,.. NEwsy lalonde too lol
did you go see the Jays too?

Front row man! Unfortunately Doc got hurt that day, but it was awesome!!

SpezDispenser wrote:

HowieMorenz wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:I saw Howie Merenz's plaque at the HHOF on Friday. I thought of you....isn't that nice?

Oh yeah? u were in TO? is awesome there hhof, i went about ten years ago now ... I remember the morenz stuff .,.. NEwsy lalonde too lol
did you go see the Jays too?

Front row man! Unfortunately Doc got hurt that day, but it was awesome!!

Oh frig yeah. I really want to go this year. I've spent hours and hours and hours in hours in the big O watching the expos for many years. I'd go with my friends from Ottawa after work at 5 pm and get there for the 7:30 start. We'd play the "beer an inning " game. I miss that.

Good times...

Celine Dion and her husband Rene Angelil; media giant Quebecor; and the Quebec labour unions fund, the FTQ ( Fonds de solidarité de la Fédération des travailleurs du Québec) have formed a consortium to acquire the Habs.

Quebecor bids for Montreal Canadiens
Broadcaster makes an offer for the NHL team
Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter/wire services, June 11, 2009
TORONTO -- Quebec broadcaster Quebecor Media on Thursday put a formal bid for the Montreal Canadiens pro hockey team on the table.

Montreal-based Quebecor, which owns and operates the TVA network and cable operator Groupe Videotron, made an unspecified offer for the National Hockey League team to 80% majority owner George Gillett, a Denver-based sports-team and events promoter.

The Quebecor bid has backing from Quebec-born Celine Dion and her husband/manager Rene Angelil.

Montreal's Molson family, which is part of the Molson Coors beer empire, also made a formal offer to the Gillett Entertainment Group on Thursday.

Molson Coors already holds the remaining 20% stake in the century-old Canadiens hockey franchise.

Terms of both formal offers were not made public because of confidentiality agreements, but media reports point to likely bids in the $350 million-$400 million range.

More on the subject, including Angelil's comments and his stated desire 'to restore the glory to the franchise", is detailed in this report from RDS (link here):
http://www.rds.ca/canadien/chroniques/276712.html

ESPN's EJ Hradek and Puck Prospectus' Tom Awad formulate their fixes for Les Canadiens.

HABS HAVE A PLETHORA OF GAPS TO PLUG
Start with free agent forwards, then ink underrated defenseman
EJ Hradek, Tom Awad, ESPN.com, June 18, 2009

Plugging Holes - Montreal Canadiens


The Hole(s): Too numerous to mention

Plugging holes is the last of GM Bob Gainey's concerns as he deals with the 10 unrestricted free agents he has on the roster. The free agents at forward include captain Saku Koivu, Alexei Kovalev, Alex Tanguay and Robert Lang, as well as restricted free agents Chris Higgins and Tomas Plekanec. On defense, Francis Bouillon, Mathieu Dandenault and Patrice Brisebois are all unrestricted free agents, in addition to Mike Komisarek, who is likely to garner some attention as a restricted free agent. The most immediate concern is up front, with the team's four best forwards unrestricted. The Canadiens will have to quickly attempt to sign Koivu, Kovalev, Tanguay and Lang and then move quickly to obtain other players should any of them leave. The defensemen should be easier to sign, since only Komisarek is a standout.


One Fix (Among Many): Sign D Marek Malik (UFA, Lightning)

Once the roster has stabilized, it will be time to start fixing. The biggest weakness last season was on the blue line, which, with the exception of veterans Andrei Markov and Roman Hamrlik, was porous on too many nights. The Canadiens posted a defensive GVT of -12.6, ranking 24th in the league. While Gainey is unlikely to have much salary-cap wiggle room once he has signed all of his free agents, a stay-at-home veteran defenseman, such as Marek Malik, could be a welcome addition. Malik is coming off an awful injury-filled season in Tampa Bay and should come cheap, but in the six previous seasons Malik averaged 7.4 defensive GVT per year, eighth in the NHL over that period.

E.J.'s Take: As mentioned, the Habs have a lot of holes to fill due to their large number of unrestricted free agents. I'd love to see them be able to start their restructuring by making a major pitch for potential UFAs Henrik and Daniel Sedin, who appear headed to the open market on July 1. I think it would be a tough sell, though. The Sedins, if they do hit the market, will have a lot of options. The pressure of playing in Montreal and the tax situation in Quebec are just two reasons why they'd probably look to go elsewhere.

In recent summers, that seems to be the biggest problem in Montreal: attracting high-end free agents. In past seasons, the Canadiens have been rebuffed by guys like Daniel Briere and Mats Sundin. And, who knows what Vinny Lecavalier really wants to do? The Lightning star likely will be traded. But, does he really want to play in his native province? I have a hard time believing that he does.

Tom Awad is a writer for Puck Prospectus. E.J. Hradek is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine.

Note: A mainstay of Puck Prospectus's metrics is "Goals Versus Threshold" (GVT). The stat blends an array of offensive and defensive figures to measure the value, in terms of goals, a player contributes above what the marginal player would over the course of the season. A marginal player is one that could be replaced with a player of equivalent skill, e.g. from the minors. For instance, Evgeni Malkin had an offensive GVT of +18.9, a defensive GVT of +4.5 and a total GVT of +23.4 for the 2008-9 regular season, meaning that Malkin was worth 23.4 goals more than a marginal player over the course of the season, or worth about 0.3 additional goals per game. In the team context, GVT refers to performance above an NHL average team. For the regular season, the Detroit Red Wings had a +30.8 offensive GVT, a +15.1 defensive GVT, a -21.5 goaltending GVT, for a +24.4 total GVT. Therefore, at even strength, Detroit was 24.4 goals better than the average team.

From Habs Inside/Out:

CANADIENS COULD FETCH $500 PLUS MILLION
Dave Stubbs, Montreal Gazette, June 19, 2009

Sports Business Journal is reporting that an announcement of the sale of the Canadiens could come as early as this weekend, and that heavily leveraged team majority owner George Gillett could pocket between $506-$537 million for the sale of the team and its Bell Centre arena home.
He might also choose to sell only a minority share in the Canadiens, who will play host next weekend to the NHL Entry Draft.

MOLSON FAMILY BUYS CANADIENS
Canwest News Service, July 20, 2009

MONTREAL - Montreal Canadiens owner George N. Gillett Jr. has reached an agreement in principle to sell the NHL's Montreal Canadiens and the Bell Centre to the Molson family.

The sale will be in the neighbourhood of $500-plus million, according to French-language all-sports television station RDS, and will also include the lucrative Gillett Entertainment Group.

Brothers Geoff, Andrew and Justin Molson announced earlier this month they had placed an offer for the club. Gillett bought an 80.1-per-cent stake in the team, worth $275 million, on Jan. 31, 2001 from Molson Breweries of Canada Ltd., the brewery keeping 19.9 per cent.

The brewery bought the club from the Bronfman family for $20 million in 1978. But the Molson family's involvement with the team dates back to 1957 when Senator Hartland de M. Molson and his brother, Thomas H.P. Molson bought the team.
Gillett put the team up for sale earlier this year to help

Timeline: Molson ownership history of the Canadiens
* Sept. 24, 1957: Senator Hartland de M. Molson and his brother, Thomas H.P. Molson, buy the Canadiens and the Canadian Arena Co. from Senator Donat Raymond and Canadian Arena Co. vice-president William Northey. Purchase price not disclosed.
* May 15, 1964: Senator Molson and Thomas Molson sell the Canadiens and the Canadian Arena Co. to their cousins, J. David, William A. and Peter B. Molson for approximately $5 million.
* Dec. 30, 1971: Brothers David, William and Peter Molson sell the Canadian Arena Co. and the Canadiens to Placements Rondelle Lt?e. for approximately $15 million. This syndicate, whose main shareholders are brothers Peter and Edward Bronfman, will later become Carena Bancorp.
* Aug. 4, 1978: Molson Breweries of Canada Ltd., under the terms of an agreement with Carena Bancorp, acquires the Canadiens and signs a long-term lease on the Forum covering the operation of the team as well as the entertainment division.
* June 22, 1993: Ground-breaking ceremonies are held for the Canadiens' new arena, the Molson Centre.
* March 16, 1996: The Canadiens play their first game in the Molson (later renamed Bell) Centre.
* Dec. 31, 2001: Molson Inc. announces the acquisition of 80.1 per cent of the Canadiens and 100 per cent of the Molson Centre by American businessman George N. Gillett Jr. The deal is valued at $275 million. Molson Inc. retains a 19.9 per cent stake in the hockey team. The transaction is approved by the NHL Board of Governors on June 19, 2001.

SOURCE: MONTREAL CANADIENS

Cue Eklund's crazy rumours about Vinny coming to Montreal!!! E4!!!!

SpezDispenser wrote:Cue Eklund's crazy rumours about Vinny coming to Montreal!!! E4!!!!

Actually, SpezD, Ek can't take credit for that.

It was Ron Fournier at CKAC Corus Sports Radio in Montreal who first floated the idea of Vincent Lecavalier 'coming home'.

Fournier said he had information from very reliable sources that a deal was being discussed, and that both parties were amenable.

If you remember how things unfolded, there were a series of denials by the Lightning and specifically Brian Lawton.

But at no time did Lecavalier himself express any objection to the idea in principle. In fact, he said that to play for Le Canadien would be a honour for him.

The purchase of the Habs by the Molson Brothers naturally re-ignites the sprak of hope that many Montreal fans have, to see a successor to Jean Beliveau in the person of Vincent Lecavalier.

Whether or not this comes to pass, it is a very logical step for both clubs and could have significant upside for the Bolts and the Habs.

Markov has to be involved, the trade I recall wasn't good enough by a landslide IMO.

SpezDispenser wrote:Markov has to be involved, the trade I recall wasn't good enough by a landslide IMO.

SpezD, much depends on the current negotiations between Habs management and Komisarek.

If Mike walks, the view from Montreal is that Francois Beauchemin will be targeted.

There is also a history of transaction between Dale Tallon and Bob Gainey. If, for example, Montreal were to acquire a defenseman from the Hawks--seeing as Chicago has a surplus in that respect--Markov could, then, become the centerpiece of a trade with Tampa.

Again, quite a few elements are in play here. So, we could be in for a very interesting next few weeks and months.

Price in Chicago Dave! lol

Howie> cool. Dee Snider is a serious motorcyclist too.

But...does he wear hair extensions on stage?

Hey, are you happy the Molsons bought the Habs or what?

PS the waitresses at La Cage Aux Sports are SMOKIN.

Montreal has the sexiest women in the world.