msb, alot of names are floating around, but I don't know if you've been reading Le Journal lately but Vincent Lecalvier and Martin Saint-Louis have been raving about the job ex-Hab Julien Brisebois, assistant to Steve Yzerman, has been doing for the Tampa Bay Lightining. Highly recommended by his boss, his hockey sense and instincts are supposedly very acute and he is an excellent communicator, something very important to Geoff Molson. Also mentionned by these players is that he is calm and calculated and won't give in to the constant pressures and sometimes hysterical highs and lows in hockey crazed Montréal....hallejulah!!!
Brisebois started in Les Canadien's organisation and worked himself up the ranks and always acquitted himself well in every task. Also I remember reading that he is a specialist on salary-cap operations, which is at the utmost importance in today's hockey. I know he isn't the most spectacular or well known of the potential candidates, but with Serge Savard, a brillant choice as adviser, and Geoff Molson taking a more hands-on-approach, this trio in my opinion could be very successfull together as a team.
Marc de Foy (30-03-2012): Julien Brisebois was a twenty-something lawyer at one of the most the prestigious law firms in Canada, Heinen-Blailkie in downtown Montréal, negotiating arbritation cases for the NHL, when Les Canadiens hired him as director of their judicial services. Two years later, he rose to the post of director of hockey operations. In 2007, promoted DG of the Hamilton Bulldogs, notably signing David Desharnais and Jaroslav Halak out of the ECHL into the ranks of the Bulldogs and building that team into a force in the AHL.
Now at the ripe age of 35 he's been Steve Yzerman's right hand man for over two years in Tampa, with a boss clearly reluctant to let him go due to his excellent work. Time to make a bold move and inject some fine new blood into top management.
I'm thinking that either Brisebois or Brisson will be the guy....Brisson is an out of the box choice but maybe that's what the team finally needs to do. I have a feeling that McGuire doesn't get much of a shake for the job. Whoever they choose, it will do good for the franchise to bring in new blood, ideas and hopefully a new way of doing things. Rumor is they've approached the Leafs about Loiselle.....not crazy about taking a guy to run the Habs from the Leafs! Not exactly the model by which you want to follow. Guy who falls under the radar but should get some attention is Blair MacKasey of the Wild...he ran the Canadian junior program with huge success and has helped build the up and coming youth for the Wild...by all accounts their system is stocked and ready to explode onto the scene. He's a Montreal boy, bi-lingual...just saying Serge! All makes for interesting stuff at least.
Heard somewhere that Pat Brisson wants to stay in LA. Julien Brisebois didn't accompany the Lightining to Montréal last night as he usually does. So the rumour mill is flying in his case. I dunno but the more I hear and read about the guy, the more I'm impressed. Maybe Loiselle could be a good assistant GM to Brisebois? Or even as you said msb, MacKasey also sounds like a solid choice as the Wild have been very competitive the last few years , smart with their money having a low payroll to boot.I'm sure he'll get an interview.
Trevor Timmins is another one that is gonna have to hit it out of the park in the draft this year or tar and feather him outta town! Let's just hope the Habs don't blow their chance at a top 3 pick, hello Mikhail Grigorenko centerman power forward at 6'3'' and 220lbs, by winning their last three games! Now is NOT the time...
Serge Savard has just been nominated Senior Vice-President Hockey Operations and will in fact become the boss of the futur GM in the new Habs restructuring. Geoff Molson also said publicly this week-end that the new GM will be ''... hired sooner than later''.
Marc Bergevin is a contender for the job. They have been in contact with Chicago and will continue discussions with him when the season has ended. Tough to say how serious of a candidate he is for the position.
I wonder how Savard being the new GM's boss will affect who wants the job? If at all. It will really be Serge's guy who's put in place this way, not just a recomendation to Molson.
In my humble opinion, I for one think that it is presently wise to have a "senior overviewer'' on any trades or contract discussions in this critical period of the franchise. As clearly demonstrated in the Gauthier era where some horrible bonehead trades and signings were made by one main guy, who in fact possesed way too much latitude and power and worse seemingly didn't have to report to anybody! Thus precipitating the disastrous results we witness today.
Finally a positive day for the Habs....I was on the McGuire bandwagon but either he or Marc bergevin in my opinion would have been great choices. All positive at this point, a native Montrealer who'll understand how it works here, a very personable guy to keep the media happy and by all accounts, an excellent talent evaluator. He's highly respected and well connected throughout the league. Seems like a great hire and they stopped the tired routine of recycling ex-habs. New blood and ideas!
Yup good choice all around. Listened to his press conference and was truly impressed with his intelligence and verve, and mostly when he smartly stated '' This is Les Canadiens de Montréal, not just any team!!'' Yeah this guy get's it! Like you said msb, native Montrealer born and bred in the Pointe, that knows the intricate market of the franchise, and knows how to build a winner through the draft..
Good call on Bergevin hockeybob.
Let's keep our fingers crossed at this draft, with our highest picks in a long time. Could be make or break the club for years to come.
