The die is cast. This year, the Stanley Cup will not return to Canada. The long crossing of the desert is entering its fourth decade. Which leaves room for the worst-case scenario for some.
Geoff Molson knows about it.
“I read in the newspapers that it has become impossible for Canadian teams to win the Stanley Cup. But I don’t believe in that theory,” argues the Canadian’s owner and CEO.
Geoff Molson recalls that the NHL has undergone profound changes over time. Among these changes he primarily counts the numerous expansions that increased the number of teams from six to 32 between 1967 and 2021.
Then the introduction of the salary cap in 2005.
“For a team that can’t win, tackling the salary cap leads to a rebuild of the workforce,” continues Geoff Molson.
“We’re dealing with Edmonton and Toronto. They are performing well, but something happened that they haven’t managed to win the cup yet. »
But he insists on one point.
“It has nothing to do with the fact that these are Canadian teams,” he asserts with conviction.
A first for CH
Geoff Molson continues his monologue.
“For the Canadiens specifically, this is the first time in our history that we’re going through a period of recovery,” Molson said.
“In the 1970s [premières années du repêchage universel]It was not necessary.
“We won the cup in the 1980s [1986]. We did it in the 1990s too [1993].
“In my early years with the organization we had a young Carey Price, a young Max Pacioretty, a young PK, a young Galchenyuk, a young Gallagher. Andrei Markov was 28 years old [31 en fait].
“We had a good team, there was hope. We didn’t win but we performed well.
“When we started going down, we traded Pacioretty and Subban. We did a mini reconstruction. We have Nick Suzuki [dans la transaction Pacioretty]. We swapped Galchenyuk to eventually take on Josh Anderson.
“We made it to the final in 2021, then we fell. »
The taboo word
It’s funny to hear the first leader of the Habs talk about rebuilding. Because there was a time when just hearing the word hurt.
“I wasn’t scared, he’s defending but that’s a word we don’t want to hear.
“It is not comfortable to say that we are starting from scratch. It takes courage and a change of leadership to achieve what you want. »
For now, its lead architects, Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes, don’t have a precise timeline to present to the big boss.
“We’re talking more about the big parts that we need to improve than the timeframe in which we want to achieve our goals,” says Geoff Molson.
Good start
And what are those big chunks?
Geoff Molson laughs.
“You’ll see! he replies with a big smile.
“Our team already has good young players, more will be added. »
Gorton and Hughes took the team’s needs to their president when they landed in Montreal.
“We have to get bigger [plus gros]More quickly [plus rapides] and more talented [plus talentueux] ” they said to me, Debits Geoff Molson in English.
The lottery
While Mr Molson acknowledges that taking on a Connor Bedard would have given the organization a good boost, he disagrees with those who believe the lottery should be redesigned for first choice.
“There were times when teams that finished last didn’t get first pick,” recalls Geoff Molson.
“We’ve seen it at Buffalo in recent years [Connor McDavid à Edmonton en 2015] and Colorado [Nico Hischier au New Jersey en 2017]. »
Many say the Blackhawks gutted their roster this year to boost their place in the lottery. But they were neither the first nor the last.
The Canadian also cut his rankings last year, although there was no Connor Bedard at stake there. But that doesn’t mean Juraj Slafkovsky won’t be indispensable one day.
Nearly $943,000 for youngsters
Photo archive, Pierre-Paul Poulin
Pierre Boivin and Genevieve Paquet
The Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation continues to make people happy. Board Chairman Pierre Boivin announced yesterday that a total of US$942,983 in financial support will be distributed to 65 organizations dedicated to the well-being of children across Quebec.
With these donations, the amounts the foundation has paid to more than 900 nonprofit organizations since its inception in 2000 total $20.6 million.
Develop physical activity
The people present at the check collection at the 9-4-10 restaurant in the Bell Center yesterday afternoon were all smiling and grateful to the Foundation.
These people work tirelessly to enable disadvantaged young people to participate in physical activity and thrive in the community.
The grants given to the organizations they represent also enable young people with disabilities and other people with special needs to access summer camps or enroll in day camps free of charge.
Two more Bleu Blanc Rouge ice rinks will also be built, one in Saint-Jérôme and the other in Quebec.
These additions bring the number of ice rinks offered by the Canadian Foundation across the province to 15.
We don’t say it enough. This foundation is truly a flagship of our community.
Geneviève Paquet and her team are doing a colossal job.
We congratulate them!
