According to RDS, the Canadiens have given permission to the Columbus Blue Jackets to speak with Hamilton Bulldogs head coach Guy Boucher about the Blue Jackets’ vacant head coaching position.
The all-sports network did not say whether any talks had already taken place, however.
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…ideally, I believe Guy Boucher and The Habs would be better-off
with Guy doin’ another year in the AHL
…yet, IF Pierre Gauthier
can see the forest for
the tree (ie; the PRESENT AND LONGTERM best-interests of Our Canadiens),
He WILL move Heaven & Earth to convince GB to hang-in-there as part
of the Canadiens’ organization
…I don’t think the offer(s) He
will receive this summer from Columbus, and possibly others, will make
it
realistic for GB to remain at the AHL-level next season …Would You ?,
if You were GB ? …logically Guy was The One that requested PG’s
approval to discuss the potential of coaching with Columbus and/or
another team(s)
…Bylsma, Anderson, Boudreau and other
recent-AHL coaches have excelled in the NHL …Guy Boucher coached
Hamilton, a
team with LESS pure-talent realistically-compared to several other
teams, to the second-best record in the AHL this season (impressively,
in His first-year at the pro-level), …and except for a very-hot Texas
goaltender doin’ a Halak on the Bulldogs, they would today be playing
the Hershey Bears (the LOADED
farm-team of the Washington Capitals !) for the Calder Cup
…several
NHL teams recognize the unique Elite-potential Guy Boucher has as an
NHL coach …Columbus being ONLY one …they especially recognize His
apparent unique-skills maximizing and nurturing young-players potentials
…identifying their individuality rather than seeing them only as just
cogs in the machine …and, THIS is a
quality not very many hard-edged, less-enlightened NHL coaches possess
…such a value-added in a coach is invaluable to a team minimizing the
loss of good-talent from falling-through the cracks …becoming
UNNECESSARILY-lost assets
…it is NOT a
quality, for instance, that Jacques Martin possesses
…as well,
obviously, notwithstanding Don Lever’s previous excellent winning record
with the Bulldogs, and this year with his current AHL team, …there
was ‘something missing’ in the maturity and development of the
Kostitsyns, o’ Byrnes et als, when They were called up and made The
Habs’ lineup
…Sergei
Kostitsin, for instance, may be today ‘spoiled-fruit’ as far as The Habs
are concerned …but not
long-ago He had more than ‘potential’ to be at least a better than
average Player (ergo; AndreiK, Pouliot, o’ Byrne …and Carey) …My
opinion is, IF These and Others had had substantial exposure and
guidance
from a cerebral and psycologically-adept Guy Boucher either at the AHL
or NHL-levels,
…these 5 Players TODAY would have made ‘THE difference’ for Us to be
playing the Blackhawks for the Stanley Cup, …instead of the
Philthydelphia Phlyers
…its fine to feel ‘reluctant’ to want to
replace Jacques Martins with Guy Boucher after the challenges JM had to
deal with as Our Coach …BUT IF We all take a cold-shower and look at
the light of day, …The FACT is, though Jacques Martin was The Perfect
Coach this unique re-building season, JM also will NEVER be a Great
or Elite-Coach (simply-based on His 15+ year RECORD as a coach in the
NHL) …Jacques’ ‘success’ this season was ‘blessed’ by He having a Jaro
Halak and a core of Players Whom needed minimal ‘coaching’ to play with
pride and character …and, in My opinion, Kirk Muller was a bigger KEY
to Jacques’ ‘systems’ than JM was Himself
…if I was Pierre
Gauthier I should ALSO think of The Habs’ best longterm interest …and
THAT to Me is visualizing a progressive new-generation, …a potential
elite-level Guy Boucher as Our Head Coach …if not in 2010/11, then at
least 2011/12
…AT LEAST offer GB Assistant Coach of Our Habs
…NOW ! …IMHumbleO
…because, once the horse leaves Our Barn
…He ain’t comin’ Home no more
…elite-coaches don’t grow on
trees …My gut tells Me Guy Boucher WILL be an elite-coach
Habitant means PASSIONATE HOCKEY
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=423049
Most teams make to and through the playoffs on the back of someone. Crosby, Ovechkin, Richards, Halak. Whats wrong with that?
Maybe I am simplistic but I dont know of many defensive systems that allow you to get peppered between 40-50 shots per game. If the NJ devils of old allowed so many shots then youd have a point.
Being from Hamilton. I’ve seen Boucher coach a bunch of hard working players who also deserve the credit for their outstanding season, not just the coach.
IMO Boucher is not ready yet in the NHL but if he feels he is ready, I say let him walk and sign for Minnesota or some other team.
I just wish the guy the best of luck in his future endeavors, but in another couple of years, he’ll be fired and coaching back in junior hockey or the AHL.
If he wants the head coaching job in Montreal, I have this to say to Boucher….”Patience mon ami, good things come for those who wait”
You still need another season or two in the AHL Guy Boucher.
1 season in the AHL does not make you worthy of being an NHL calibre coach.
“We will win the Cup one day only with ? in the nets “
Martin does not deserve all the credit people are giving him, same goes for discrediting him. Most of the control is in the hands of the players. It would seem that everyone is looking for a scapegoat for every situation, good or bad, depending on who’s talking about the same situations. And HIO wouldn’t have it any other way.
True, but the loss of our best player for most of the season had nothing to do with being a big player…
There may be other teams, but only ONE Club De Hockey…
Habs should tell Guy he will be the coach in 2 years. Give him more money to stay with the dogs. If he goes to columbus he,ll be recommending players to the Jackets organization. If Guy goes to columbus we,ll be making trades with columbus.
Well i must say you have a VERY simplistic view of the Canadiens Playoff games. By the way, I did not see Halak scoring any goals… You do know you cannot win if you do not score…
There may be other teams, but only ONE Club De Hockey…
Hey people, it’s ok to be wrong ya know. I had a footer that said we were doomed to be a good team instead of a great one with Martin as our coach. I was wrong in a huge way.
My reason for that was that in his career I hadn’t seen his players elevate their games when the situation called for it. With the exception of Sergei Kostitsyn and Benny Pouliot, EVERY other player on the roster did elevate with him as coach. And we can speculate that it was Muller’s in your face style or Pearn’s relaxed nature but at the end of the day, it was Jacques’ ship, and HE pushed the right buttons.
And please quit saying that it was a single goaltender who got us there. You all sound like Jack Todd when you say it. It’s an uninformed and bitter opinion.
JM is not that bad; Boucher is not that good.
I would say the same thing about people thinking that we got to the conference finals on one goalie’s back as I would people who say that we backed in because of Jacques.
We’re going to have a busy month watching the news for every tidbit that comes out of the Habs camp, but Boucher I consider a prospect like Subban, Leblanc or anyone else, someone who can potentially rise up and raise the franchise higher.
Albeit, this scouting staff shakeup has my attention until I hear some news of replacements hired.
- I shall always remember Captain Koivu.
http://habsandhockey.blogspot.com/
No kidding about the priorities.
I don’t like Patrick Roy as a person, I really don’t. But, he’s said publicly that he would be interested in coaching the Habs. Since you can’t just hand an NHL job to a guy that’s only coached junior, the Bulldogs would probably be a good start, if they want him.
I’m sure they’d prefer Boucher, but it’s not as if you can’t find a suitable replacement.
I’m really starting to think my Lombardi to Montreal prediction is coming to fruition. I haven’t heard or read that he’s been talking with the Coyotes and I certainly haven’t read that Curran and Gauthier have resumed talks, and despite what people say, he’s gotten better every season since he’s been in the NHL and is only a year older than Pleks. Oh, and he turned into a point per game player when the playoffs started, that’s pretty important too.
As far as addressing free agents. It certainly will be important for the team but I think that they’re going to have a win now mentality going into the summer. Markov’s last season, I’m sure they see the window of opportunity to win the big one closes for a couple of years if he isn’t around.
Doesn’t take long for the crowd in here to crank up the negativity for any subject. The statement at the top is about Boucher. Yet folks use it as another platform to slag JM (incompetent, poor coaching skillls, never a winning coach, destroyer of young talent). Anyone who doesn’t see it their way wears rose-coloured glasses.
Better than wearing blinders I suppose.
FREE TIMO!
Dont undermine what Halak did in games 5,6 and 7 against Washington. We went to the conf finals because of Halak not because of great coaching, lest we call collapsing on the goaltender great coaching, then yeah I guess Martin is a genius…Would have liked to see that genius manifest itself against Philly though; didnt see any adjustments: our D-men kept pinching and kept giving away odd man rushes/excellent scoring chances.
with the draft 3 weeks away i hope they’d already submitted their final reports
I kinda agree with you but at the same time want more big changes to the Habs.They’re always goinna play injured with that line up cause of age and size and while we creeped into to big show, a wait and see position is a bad way to prepare for next season. The Habs need TO SIZE UP! AND while all other teams will be improving and trying to fashion themselves inline with the finalist, so must the Habs! We need to ditch the perimeter style and play more “IN YO FACE AND DON’T EVEN LOOK AT MY PUCK”WITH BIGGER ATHLETES WHO WANT LE CUP DE STANLEY!
Not for anything but i think the habs have more pressing issues than to worry about a coach in the AHL. We have some serious player decisions, like pleks and goaltending that should be addressed before worrying about Boucher; i know he is the hot AHL coach everyone is talking about but we have a coach in JM for the next few years anyways; also we should all be reminded about how things work differently up in the BIG leagues. Past success in the juniors or ahl does not relate to immediate successin the NHL.
I really hope the habs are addressing the rfa and ufa stuff right now beacuse i would hate to see the habs being forced into a matching an offer sheet, letting a player walk or a trade due to being too passive.
With the exact same amount of points as the Eastern Conference Stanley Cup Champions.
There may be other teams, but only ONE Club De Hockey…
only if it were the other one . . . *sigh*
RE: habs won’t be as good as this past year?
Habs were not that good until the playoffs. Remeber they squeaked into 8th with a tie.
We really have people around here who are delusional. Anyone think the COACH is the reason we backed into the playoffs is blinded by stupidity or just doesn’t have any common sense. The only reason we finished close to the line is because we had bad injuries all season. Look at Philly themselves, same thing. Boston didn’t do much better, they snuck in because they forced overtime many more times. I mean the team that won the most games and scored the most goals went out to us…
Give Boucher a team to learn with. Hopefully he will coma back to Montreal. I would prefer a Boucer with experience, than one without. Gainey came back, Carbo came back, and many, many others make their way back to where they started.
JM did a pretty good job. He didn’t do anything with the young players, but neither did Carbo. So it may not be JM’s fault, it might just be that SK is useless. We will see next season.
Anyone who thinks we simply backed in to the playoffs because of coaching, and that we WON in the playoffs to go to the Conf. Finals NOT because of coaching is a candidate for the dumbest person alive. So wake up and get real.
Let’s see how we will do next season, and then judge JM hopefully on a season without so many injuries.
There may be other teams, but only ONE Club De Hockey…
You’re one pessimistic fellah
follow me on twitter — http://twitter.com/spoons91
We can’t afford to let Boucher leave. JM is not competent and I think he will be fired midway into next season. why? habs won’t be as good as this past year and once they star losing, he won’t have the answers and will be fired like Carbo, and then Boucher could step in.
I also cringe having PG as our GM. and guess what? once JM is fired, he’ll become PG’s assistant. OH! the torture never ends.
despite the hate on for JM..he and his staff get credit for the success in the playoffs. he may not be the most talkative type of coach but he did well enough that the Molsons will not remove him any time soon.
its courtesy to let other teams talk to farm staff. Boucher is the flavour now. maybe he goes maybe he does not. if habs denied permission that might cause some bad feelings with Martin.
If Montreal had to give up a third round pick for Julien, Columbus which has done nothing but steal players from Montreal and revenue sharing money should have to give up at least a second round pick.
It’s interesting to read so many posts praising JM for having had an exclllent first year. Looks to me as though the rosy colored glasses group have short term memories and don’t remember how the Habs backed into the playoffs after failing to win a number of clinching games against lower teams like the Hurricances, the Rangers, the Islanders and the Leafs. For the rosy colowred glaases group, as long as the habs got into the playoffs then surprised everyone against the Pens and the Capitals, the year and JM were a success.
But i don’t think so. This year’s team had some solid players like the Smurfs, Gorges,Halak, Metro and Hamerlik when Markov was injured, but the rest of the team often resembled a soap opera. Trying to find a third player for the first two lines showed that JM had no plan- just constance shuffle. And his handling of players like Price, OB and Sergie became a distarction for the whole team.
i have said it here many times before but JM had never been a winning coach and i don’t think he can win here. He cannot motivate players when that is necessary and his history of mishandling younger players is horrible. I know that BG signed him to a long term contract but surely PG and the Molsons will want to put their own stamp on this team and bring in someone who can actually coach. I give a lot of credit for the palyoff run to Kurt Muller and the leadership group of players. The sooner JM is sent on his way, the sooner we might see a Cup in Montreal.
i agree with you. I would rather GB go out , get some NHL experience, and , wait for him to get fired ( 3 or 4 years in this league ) or just go get him back when you need him and when hes fully trained.
Eklund fired
just heard on the team 990 that a majority of our amature scouts for the montreal canadiens were fired today
It is pretty accepted in the NHL that NHL teams will grant access to their minor league staff (and sometimes even their assistant coaches) if teams are interested in offering them promotions. Montreal benefitted from that courtesy a few years back when Claude Julien, then an employee of the Edmonton Oilers, was hired on as the head coach after his successes in Hamilton.
Boucher is a hot commodity right now…he’s coming off some nice junior hockey success and now a very successful season in the AHL. Should he receive an offer from Columbus, Boucher would be a complete fool to not take it. There are no guarantees in professional sports. If Montreal parts with some prospects to get some needed support on the Canadiens, the Bulldogs could easily regress substantially, taking some of the current shine off Boucher’s star next summer.
Memories amongst head-office types are not much longer than those of fans.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Muller’s name crop up in job searches in the near future, either. He’s not likely to get promoted in Montreal (he will have to go somewhere else first to gain some distance from the current players) so if he’s got head coaching aspirations, he will probably have to move on those in the near future.
Surely, they’re not going to let him get away and keep the mighty destroyer of young talent who is currently at the helm. I cringe to think of PK after a year under JM’s discipline.
Why the big hate for Jacques Martin and the big love for Guy Boucher? JM brought a crippled team that were basically strangers to one another to the playoffs and knocked off the heavies and went into the 3rd round.
GB is basically an AHL coach that suddenly everybody thinks is the next coming of Scotty because of word of mouth here. GB is unproven in the NHL.
Let’s all come down to Earth here for awhile.
Is there a chance that this is just a smoke screen, a way for Boucher to show the Habs that he is a wanted man, and to drive up his price tag when it comes time to negotiate with the habs on a promotion in the not too distant future? or just wishful thinking?
Boucher is one of four candiates for The Columbus head coaching job as well as being the least experinced at the professional game so if CBJ want to go on the cheap Boucher is their man……….
Whoa Baby – What’s Going On In Pennsylvania…..(Bob Cole)
…Nick, though GB was not around when these Players
came-up …the Ks, o’ Byrne, Price, (…even Pax, Whom I
didn’t mention), etc. …would have been
handled/nurtured much differently, with a much better result, …IF a
Guy Boucher HAD BEEN part of the organization while They were coming-up
…or, if GB had been an Asistant Coach/Coach the past few years with
The Habs
…the ABSENCE of a Guy Boucher-type, has been sadly-lacking in Our organization, and has resulted, i believe, in some
potentially above-average assets/talent that We had, and still-have, not realizing Their full-’potentials’ …either, by not havin’ Their heads
screwed-on right, or by Their indivudual-talents not being used to Their
strengths, within a Team-concept
…Jacques Martin is more play-it
My way or the highway kind of Coach …which often seems to preclude
allowing some of Our younger-Players to fully play to Their strengths or
‘genius’
…Guy Boucher has this not too-common ability to productively identify, encourage individual character and strengths
unique to each of His Players …and integrate these individual skills
into His Team-concept and strategic-systems
…okay, to Those here sayin’ Let Boucher walk
…or Guy is JUST another AHL-coach that can easily be replaced …He
will be comin’ back ‘someday’ …I say ‘the enlightenment’ and unique
intellectual-acuteness of a Guy Boucher is something long-missing and
badly needed for Our Habs
…His loss will result, in My (humble)
opinion, …We (Our Habs) bumbling-along on the ‘hit ‘n miss’ ratio of Our
Player development as per the past 30 or so years,
…and longterm, I also believe, We will be accepting mediocrity at the
strategic-level on the ice
…PS: …by-the-by, …can We ‘imagine’ BOTH Kirk & Guy leavin’ Us this summer ??? …leavin’ Us with ONLY Jacques & Perry ? …merde !!!
Habitant means PASSIONATE HOCKEY
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=423049
Bring your footer back. The only right move made by Martin was to play Halak. Martin played Bergeron instead of O’Byrne. What else do you need to know? He was too stubborn to admit he was wrong. He tried to win with 3 lines. I said in the Washington series that it was unsustainable. I was right. We ran out of gas.
We beat Washington and Pittsburgh because of Halak, not Martin, and because Gomez, Gionta and Cammalleri stepped up. I’ve no doubt that they motivated themselves.
Lombardi to montreal actually looks like a nice idea. similar numbers when he has been healthy from the looks of his stats ( a few more peaks in terms of points for pleks). how much do you think a guy like lombardi would be looking for?
Pearn did a great job coaching up the D, especially this offseason. I think JM is more expendable since his contributions to this team have been more debatable.
Definitely, the guy is from a rural town on the south shore of Quebec. He probably learned how to speak English as a child though since this town is very close to Maine and New Brunswick. People from that part of the country are completely bilingual.
Get me the 6/49 winning numbers while you’re at it….
Does Boucher speak french?
It is amazing how a report from RDS can cause so much debate…………..do we know if this is a fact or just something to talk about,……….My concern is [if true} losing KIRK he is a go-getter & is always talking to the players during the game
My reaction if Boucher were to leave the organization:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHh0rf0ojEc
I completely agree with everything you just said. The habs need to do whatever possible to ensure that Guy Boucher remains with the organization. The man has succeeded at every level. Just look at the turnaround he had in the Q: he took a 14-54 team and turned them into a 54-14 team. I happen to think that JM would be a much better assistant GM than coach anyways.
Why not replace Pearn with GB?
I’ll be sad if he leaves but maybe he can sign a 2 year contract and come back to a market that matters after he’s done.
This is bloody annoying. This is a blown opportunity for improvement. Jacques Martin is incompetent and our success this year was in spite of him, not because of him.
b.s.
dumbest post of the year… congratualtions
——————
“I like what I’m seeing right now,” assessed Markov. “We’re not perfect, but we’re trying to be.”
I know this looks bad but let’s remember something. The otherworldly Scotty Bowman spent several years coaching the St. Louis Blues after he had coached Montreal’s farm team in the 60s before he would come back to coach the Canadiens themselves.
- I shall always remember Captain Koivu.
http://habsandhockey.blogspot.com/
Yes they did but they also let AL Mcneil go after he won the the cup to bring ib Scotty
In a way, I think it`s a good way for Boucher to get his feet wet.. On the other hand, I really want JM to leave.
Why? Can’t stand success?
I’m not a big fan of JM. I don’t think the Habs made it as far as they did because of his coaching skills. It was a combination of luck and good goaltending which eventually would run out.
Hopefully if Boucher does sign for Columbus, it’ll be short term and we can see him back here in a few years.
Boucher deserves the opportunity to coach in NHL nect season. Do we get to talk to Rick Nash in return, however? ;)
Hopefully PG is being friendly with Columbus in order to try and coax their 1st round pick in the draft out of them.
I do not want to see this guy go, the way he works with young talent seems to be great. Hopefully though, like Serious said, he’ll go over here, learn the ropes of coaching and NHL team, then come back to MTL in a few years when some of our younger guys are maturing into the superstars they’re destined to be.
JM (and staff factor) has proven his adequacy for now.
However, for the future, which does occur, I am thinking it is a huge mistake to let this guy get away. He deserves the chance to coach, but do not let him get away from us. PG, bring him in as an assistant for special teams/scouting, something important.
Think of the future, PG/Molsons, it is coming, and I think this guy is a big fish.
Yeah. RIght. He`s so great. He`s going to handle our young talent very well.