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Kent Hughes named GM - 5 year deal

Habsy said:
You know Joel?

And if you think that was 8.5? K then.

He's been with a linguistics coach for the past two months in intensive rehab. šŸ˜‚
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8.5 is generous but keep in mind my baseline involves hockey types ā€” guys like Therrien, Bergy arenā€™t exactly well spoken motherfuckers.

I give Hughes bonus points for not using terms ā€œcompete levelā€ and ā€œle challengeā€ when speaking French (Bergy did that all the time)
 
There were only two interesting notes from the press conference (well, 2 & a half technically)

The first is how Hughes wants to build his team. He's more interested in being an offensive team than a defensive team, good.

The second wasn't from Hughes, but from Molson in regards to whether or not he wants Price to finish his career in Montreal. His answer tells you everything: We're just worried about his health and we want him to come back as he was before.

(The half point, we're gunna get more quƩbƩcois cawlice!)
 
Another thing that I kind of liked from Hughes: You could tell he was getting annoyed at the questions (and insinuation) about him getting hired because Gorton & he are buddies.
 
In his comment about ā€œteam buildingā€, there were references to Trotz and Cooper that made it sound like Ducharme will get a nice compensation package at the end of the season. (Expected by one and all, of course.)
 
ā€œI donā€™t want to be an organization that looks at a player and says heā€™s not performing. I want to understand why heā€™s not performing. The more we can work all together in hockey operations, and that means analytics, the development team, managers, coaches, I think weā€™ll be in a better place to get the most out of everyone.ā€

"player development is a constant process. Itā€™s not something that is reserved for prospects. ā€¦ I feel like players need to understand as they move into the pro ranks what are their strengths, what are their weaknesses, how do they become their best player, not the best player."
 
CH1 said:
we got lucky he was available

I hate Geoff but I give him kudos for not waiting any longer to dump Bergy (Gorton may have had more suitors very soon) and resisting the urge for continuity by appointing Mellanby
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He was contacted by Aquelino (Canucks owner) before Molson hired him.
 
CH1 said:
8.5 is generous but keep in mind my baseline involves hockey types ā€” guys like Therrien, Bergy arenā€™t exactly well spoken motherfuckers.

I give Hughes bonus points for not using terms ā€œcompete levelā€ and ā€œle challengeā€ when speaking French (Bergy did that all the time)
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Fair
 
CH1 said:
8.5 is generous but keep in mind my baseline involves hockey types ā€” guys like Therrien, Bergy arenā€™t exactly well spoken motherfuckers.

I give Hughes bonus points for not using terms ā€œcompete levelā€ and ā€œle challengeā€ when speaking French (Bergy did that all the time)
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You got hard at the talk of analytics. Admit it.
 
CH1 said:
not much....he's a fan of analytics and wants everyone in the org to be on the same page

that's very different from Bergevin who basically said "its another tool for us to use (when convenient)"
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I was waiting for , "its hard to win "

You cant find centers

Answers are in the room

Player development is all on the players, not us
 
GEEMAN said:
Good luck with that with 20 other cities who dont break your balls being a hockey player
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Most players in the NHL right now weren't even born the last time this team won the Cup so stuff like "tradition" and seeing banners in the rafters isn't going to convince anyone with options to sign with the Habs. This team will only attract and keep good players if it wins. Players will overlook a lot of other things in order to play for a winner and a perennial Cup contender. But they won't put up with the challenges of living in that market for anything less than that if they don't have to. I'm from there and even I couldn't blame a player for not wanting the aggravation because I got fed up and left too. I miss it sometimes, but not enough to ever move back.

It was a huge mistake for the Habs to build their practice facility in Brossard rather than somewhere on the West Island and it's another mistake in steering players, especially those with wives and children who don't speak French, to buy houses near the practice facility. That's just dumb and it leads to the kind of unfortunate incidents like when Petry's wife got harangued for not speaking French when she was grocery shopping. Every Anglo Quebecker knows where the no fly zones are. If you're an American player like Petry, with an American wife and 3 kids, you don't live in fucking Brossard unless you first invent a time machine and go back to 1967. In 2022 it's a ludicrous proposition. Downtown condo, Westmount, Hampstead, gated community on Nun's Island or somewhere on the West Island. That's your lane unless you want to be made to feel like a foreign exchange student.

If the Habs want to attract more top end talent they're going to need to hire some Anglos who know how things in Montreal work for linguistic minorities and have them liaise with the players and advise them on how to navigate their way around town. Lesson #1 should be not to live anywhere that you have to take a bridge to get to.
 
Krustchev said:
Hmm. Heā€™s still a very fortunate trust fund baby mediocrity.
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He can't help the fact that he was born rich, but that doesn't mean he is incapable of learning things. He at least knows that owning this team and having the last name that he's got bring pressures with them.. He doesn't want to go down in history for destroying either one. When he first took over the reigns, he knew that he didn't know much so he relied on people he looked up to like Savard. Now he's older and he's maybe learned a few things.
 
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