Carbonneau Firing a Shock
March 9, 2009, by Homme De Sept-Iles
Guy Carbonneau was fired this afternoon.
Either the coach has lost this team or this is a Lamoriello-type move. Or both.
Some of the passengers have now been informed.
This really isn’t Carbonneau’s fault. But he also may not be the right guy to take this team to the next level. But he was the right guy to get them this far.
The timing of the decision comes as a surprise but the only thing the players can do now is work hard. And I’m sure they will.
Late-season firings are generally not a good idea so it’s likely that this move was a “must” move for Gainey.
What could make it a “must”? This team can still go far in the playoffs and Gainey believes this is one of the last tools left to make that happen.
As for next year, look for the hiring of a coach with a more innovative X and O resume and a dossier of flexible and experienced relations with players.
Carbonneau’s book on dealing with people is still thin. It will thicken as he gets more NHL experience.
And don’t doubt another NHL team will hire him. Gainey will make sure of that with a glowing and genuine recommendation to whomever bothers to phone him.
Carbonneau will win again, it just won’t be in La Belle Province.
As for the Canadiens, for some players, it is now or never. For others, it has always been now. That combination should allow viewers to see what this team can look like if they play every shift as if it’s the last. We saw flashes of this in the first ten games. Expect more than flashes, now. The team must respond. So it will.
As for next season, the saying “can’t fire the team” is relevant to a point. You can’t rid of them all, no. But you can trade a bunch of them and get rid of the culture of under-achievement. Look for even more veteran signings in the off-season as the word “experience” becomes a truism for Montreal.
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