I make no secret of the fact I'm a Montreal Canadiens fan, have been since 1971.
As a Canadiens fan, I have a pet peeve, that being trade rumors from so-called "NHL insiders" or internet rumormongers suggesting the Habs are seeking more Quebec-born players, or that a Quebec-born player would be a "good fit" in Montreal because he's a Francophone, or that every Quebec-born player in the league pines to play "back home" in Montreal when recent history clearly proves otherwise.
Comments like these display the sheer ignorance of their writers. I'll spare the writer of the following rumor embarrassment by not naming them or the website where I read it, but my analysis will highlight the ignorance and lack of research that went into their post.
Here's the rumor, word for word: " Bob Gainey has seemed to be bringing in a more French presence since becomming the GM, and Montreal would seem like a perfect fit for Martin St Louis."
How then does the writer explain the fact that the number of Francophones on the Habs has DECLINED since Gainey took over as GM? In 2003, 11 members of the Canadiens were Francophones (source: HockeyDB.com). In 2006-07, only four members of the current Canadiens roster are Francophones, of which three are Quebec-born (Cristobal Huet was born in France).
Of the players drafted by Gainey over the last three years, only six are Francophones (Source: Hockeydb.com).
Currently nine members of the Canadiens farm team, the Hamilton Bulldogs, are Francophones, but few of those are considered the Habs top prospects. Of the Canadiens top twenty prospects, only six are Francophones, and of those, Guillaume Latendresse is already playing for the Canadiens.
Of their top ten prospects, only two -Latendresse and goalie Yann Danis - are Francophone (source: Hockeysfuture.com).
In other words, linguistic ability is not factored into the Habs selection of draft choices, nor a motivating factor for trades.
Would Gainey want St. Louis to bolster the Habs offense? Possibly, but the decline in St. Louis' offensive production since his Hart and Art Ross winning campaign of 2003-04, coupled with his huge contract ($5.25 million per season for the next five seasons) make him almost impossible to trade.
If the writer of this rumor had merely suggested the Canadiens supposed "interest" in St. Louis was for his offensive potential, that wouldn't have made it a stupid rumour. A highly unlikely one, given Montreal's obvious need for an affordable offensive center and St. Louis' aforementioned struggles and big salary, but not a stupid one.
Suggesting St. Louis would be a good fit in Montreal because management "seems to be bringing in a more French presence" when the facts prove otherwise is not only stupid, it's just plain ignorant.
This is probably the best blog of the day. Very well done and insightful. I'm a Montreal fan and I sure don't remember anyone worrying about Ken Dryden's lineage during the good old days. Is it fun to have home town guys on the team? Of course, it is. But why do people think it's any more so in Montreal just because it's Quebec? I don't care where the Habs get their players, just so they play Canadiens hockey and win.
I think the Habs would like a francophone player in the lineup just to sell a few extra tickets but I also think that they're not going to gift a francophone player a spot or build a team around Quebec Natives. The bottom line for the Habs is to win a cup and they won't care if TO laces up skates and wins it for them.
Thomas: I don't see how adding more Francophone players will sell more ticket in Montreal, considering they've led the league in attendance since 1997-98, and since last season have sold out every home game.
Otherwise, you're right, Canadiens ownership and management doesn't care about where their players are from, they only care about whether or not they can win. The same, I suspect, goes for the majority of Habs fans.
I'm not from Montreal but I know that theres a following of Latendresse (sp?) from people that aren't usually avid fans from some friends there. The Bell center may lead attendence records but they also have the biggest arena, they don't sell out everygame. Although it's not my place have you ever been to the Maritimes Cheers? it's Toronto all the way for the old timers and a big following of the Pens thanks to Crosby.
La belle province loves its hockey. They're passionate about their team. They want to win. From everything I've been able to find, it seems Koivu is well respected. I'm not 100% sure but the last time I checked the team captain isn't a francophone. Yet he's the captain. I strongly believe Montrealers don't care who is on the ice as long as the team is winning. The top players in Montreal (Koivu, Kovalev, Samsonov) are all europeans. A lot of their prospects are Europeans and the team is doing well. Why would you change that?
Another note...for a team that wants to bring in French players so desperately...why did they trade Ribiero...why didn't they sign Yannick Perrault? There's a couple of French players who fit exactly what Gainey is supposedly looking for.
Bringing in players based solely on their language abilities or their lineage is not only stupid but discriminatory. I suspect Montreal's management will bring in the best players regardless of their background.
This rumour is a joke started by someone who obviously has no idea what they're talking about.
Last edited by Archangel3005 on October 30th at 1:08 AM.
Thomas: The Canadiens do have the largest arena in the league and prior to last season they didn't sell out every game, but did sell out most of them. Indeed, attendence has been going up since the club's struggles at the turn of this century. Even then, however, the average attendence for the Habs never dipped below 20,000.
You're right about the buzz for Latendresse amongst the locals, but it seems to have died down a bit. Obviously there are some Montreal fans who'd love to see another Francophone star on the Habs, but it's just as obvious management isn't building this team based on a player's origin or linguistic abilities.
I was going to stay out of this thread solely based on the fact that the rumor is stupid and the insinuation of the Habs wanting more Francophones is simply ludicrous.
That was until Cheers piped in.
Let's get something straight. Spectors blog is the most respected blog in hockey due to the fact that he supports his statements with facts and he holds no bias even though he is a Habs fan which he proudly proclaims right off the bat. Most of the other rumor blogs rely on sensationalism and outlandish claims to get people to respond, Spector does not. He holds a great forum for discussion of the rumors that circulate in the hockey world and adds his expert analysis backed up by research and facts. And if you knew everything there is to be known about hockey you would have known this as well. Nice try, do all of us a favor and post elsewhere if you can't show some respect.
I agree with Gregsky here... i have been reading Spectors NHL updates and trade rumors site since the tripod days. I make a point of checking each day because his analysis is usually dead on and not filled with personal bias. I have been on plenty of other hockey rumor sites, only to have ideas that i bounce off them treated with what i can only call malice and an eliteist "I know everything and your just stupid" attitude. Spector encourages intelligent discussion on his daily blog and i suspect that is one of the main reasons why he has worked himself from just another anonymous blogger to the position he has now with Foxsports. Spector i always have and will respect your opinion, and i LOOK FORWARD everyday to reading what you post. Keep up the fantastic work, and don;t let the naysayers get your bloodpressure up!
Last edited by njdevils40 on October 30th at 11:36 AM.
Let's see. I've lived outside of Hartford for most of my life. I learned to skate before I learned to walk, as the old proverb goes. My old man was a die-hard Bruins fan, having grown up just outside of Boston. Like father like son. My earliest memories were of the Whalers vs Bruins games of the late 80's. Been playing hockey my entire life, and as a youngin, I aspired to be a Whaler. Doesn't mean they (or any other NHL team) ever showed an ounce of interest in me. Admittedly, I'm not cut out for the new NHL anyway.
However, it's not much of a stretch to see the same scenario in other kids. Why should Montreal, or any of the French-Canadian cities be different? Montreal and Quebec certainly had their share of french canadian fans, and I'm sure there were and are plenty of kids who want to be a Canadien some day. It doesn't mean that's going to happen. However, who doesn't love the hometown hero? Everyone loved Kevin Dineen in Hartford. Why, then, should Montreal be any different?
As for rumors, there'll always be the attention-grabbers out there. I've always said, if you have to toot your own horn, it's because nobody else will. However, the recent emergence of internet "NHL insiders" in fox blogs, and their lack of respect for the veterans therein, is disappointing. I think the regulars will agree, those who have demonstrated they know their stuff have a following. Those who have demonstrated nothing but ignorance and arrogance, beware: this is a community, and if you're not careful, it'll chase you out of town.
After seeing the inane comments from Cheers I had to drop in and say my peace. First, I have also been checking out your rumours page since the Tripod days. (Note the Canadian spelling of rumours in your honor. -haha) I have to agree with many others that you manage to write in a thoughtful and unbiased manner, even though we all now how hard that is to pull off for any die-hard hockey fan.
I check your rumour site at least twice a day and have to say that I agree with your assessments 99.5% of the time, which is cool. You are the rumour king in my book and your hard work is appreciated.
BTW - Thanks for the write-up on the Pens the other day. It's been a while since us Penguin fans had some realistic optimism to hold onto. If this team keeps gellin' maybe Bud Light will bring back the "Beware the Penguins" commercials. -haha
I don't know if I should end this comment with "Take Care" or "Cheers". You take your pick!
Last edited by BlackGoldPenguin21 on October 31st at 1:30 PM.
I am sorry you have to read such pathetic and mindless drivel from people visiting your blog and insulting you and your work.
You are THE ONLY person I respect and visit daily, when it comes to hockey rumors.You only use sourced rumors and always have intelligent, thoughtful comments about each.
Keep up the fine work, it doesn't go unappreciated over here in Vancouver BC.
I'm Lyle Richardson, also known as Spector, Foxsports.com 's "Prince of Pucks".,which is based on the fact I live in Prince Edward Island, Canada and I couldn't think of a better byline. I've been an NHL hockey commentator since 1998 on my website, Spector's Hockey, and I'm a contributing writer for Foxsports.com , The Hockey News and Eishockey News. I'm also a regular on The Faceoff Hockey Show and a frequent guest on "The Late Crew" on The Team 1200 Ottawa.
