The Bulldogs have lost their bite

[M. Beaux-Eaux]

23-11-2004

The players painfully adjust themselves to Doug Jarvis

Mathias Brunet
La Presse

The Canadiens management should revise their agenda and make it possible for Mike Ribeiro to join the Bulldogs in Hamilton.

Life is not rosy these days for the Bulldogs. The Canadiens best prospects don't score and the team has just suffered eight consecutive defeats. In their five last meetings, they scored only three times.

Chris Higgins his only six points in 18 matches. Duncan Milroy two goals in 17 games. Andrei Kostitsyn shows a meagre total of four points in 19 games. Corey Locke all the same has succeeded in obtaining eight points, including five goals, in 18 games, which is not too bad for a rookie. Even Jason Ward is not dominating as he did two years ago

In this context, the arrival of a hyper-gifted offensive player such as Ribeiro would undoubtedly help give confidence again to the young players of the organization.

It is all the same astonishing to note that a team so rich in talented young players cannot produce on offense. Some have already started, subtly, to call into question the leadership of coach Doug Jarvis.

One of the team leaders, 28 year old Gavin Morgan, signed as a free agent this summer, declared last week to our colleagues at the Hamilton Spectator that the players had difficulty in adjusting themselves to Jarvis' defensive style of play.

Morgan wonders whether a little less rigidity in the team's game plan wouldn't allow some of his team-mates to break out. "It's always necessary to follow the system, whether one likes it or not, but sometimes a player must rely on his instincts, use his strengths in the heat of action at the risk of deviating a little from the game plan, rather than think too much about his responsibilities and then make mistakes."

Jarvis, one of the great defensive players in NHL history, undertook to teach his craft to young Andrei Kostitsyn. Some wonder, however, if making him play in the company of Corey Locke and policeman Benjamin Carpentier on the fourth line will help him to develop. Others will say that ice time must be based on merit. It remains to be seen if Kostitsyn will be able to take off in the second half of the season like rookie Alexander Perezhogin did last year.

To return to the rather pathetic situation of the Bulldogs, André Savard points out that the team lost significant elements from last year. "On defense NHL veterans Patrick Traverse and Karl Dykhuis helped us. Up front the departures of Jozef Balej and Alexander Perezhogin have hurt us. There can be bad stretches of this kind in the AHL, especially with a young team."

Good news for the Bulldogs is that super-sized defenseman Mike Komisarek is getting closer to being ready. The Canadiens first choice in 2001 could return to action in a few weeks. His return, augmented by the arrival of Ribeiro, and why not Pierre Dagenais as well, would contribute to re-igniting the Bulldogs and allow the young players to develop in a much more conducive environment.

- texte français original

[PTH]

Nice article, but if Ribs goes down there, then some other kid gets bumped, and even once the team is back on track, Ribeiro will still be down there.

Signing someone for a season just because you need a slight lift doesn't seem wise to me.

[FormerLurker]

PTH said:

Signing someone for a season just because you need a slight lift doesn't seem wise to me.

Totally agree. Jarvis' mandate is not to win hockey games, it's to develop hockey players. While guys like Ribs and Dags would undoubtedly help the Dogs win, it would cost guys like Locke and Kostsitsyn valuable icetime and slow down their development.

I believe that both Gainey and Savard understand this, so we won't be seeing any panic moves.

[M. Beaux-Eaux]

FormerLurker said:

Totally agree. Jarvis' mandate is not to win hockey games, it's to develop hockey players.

Jarvis serves two masters: The Canadiens for whom the Bulldogs are a farm club, and the local Hamilton businessmen who have invested their good money in the franchise. Coach must tutor the kids and win hockey games.

While guys like Ribs and Dags would undoubtedly help the Dogs win, it would cost guys like Locke and Kostsitsyn valuable icetime and slow down their development.

True. However, I do believe that one of the Dallas forwards (the Finn) is out for the season with an injury. Ribeiro could step in and fill his skates.

I believe that both Gainey and Savard understand this, so we won't be seeing any panic moves.

Hopefully the local investors are just as understanding. Also, a winning environment is a good environment. But it's only a quarter of the way into the season. Hopefully Jarvis is not a martinet and is able to be flexible when the situation warrants (a point 17 raised in another thread).

[Deleted]

This is critical for Jarvis. It's always easier to coach when you're winning, but how he gels, and how he gets the team together to pull their socks up and to play the way they know they're capable of playing is going to be that much more difficult. It always sucks to lose, especially if you know how much better you can be.

This should be interesting to see what happens.

[Habs_fan_in_LA]

The Bulldogs are a young team and the rest of the league has been strengthened with NHL replacements.
We expected the Dogs to have a difficult time and their quick start was a surprise.
Balej is lost and Ward will be a big contribution. They will jell with a little time.

[Habit]

I was board and had some time on my hands. Everyone is saying how young the dogs are this season and how much older the other teams are.

Well, I tend to "prove" it. I took the leading team in each division and divided it into AVG, OLDEST, YOUNGEST, and then a breakdown of their ages:

Team	Manchester	Philly	Edmonton	Milwaukee	Hamilton
Avg	24.2	24.5	23.7	24.6	22.9
Oldest	31	33	2x29	38	28
Youngest	20	20	20	19	19
19	0	0	0	1	1
20	2	1	2	2	2
21	2	1	6	4	5
22	3	4	1	1	3
23	2	6	5	2	4
24	4	3	4	6	3
25	5	1	1	2	2
26	3	3	2	1	2
27	0	1	1	1	1
28	1	2	2	0	1
29	1	0	2	0	0
30	0	0	0	1	0
31	1	0	0	0	0
32+	0	2	0	3	0

As you can see, the dogs are indeed a young team with little or no vet help.

[M. Beaux-Eaux]

M. said:

To return to the rather pathetic situation of the Bulldogs, André Savard points out that the team lost significant elements from last year. "On defense NHL veterans Patrick Traverse and Karl Dykhuis helped us. Up front the departures of Jozef Balej and Alexander Perezhogin have hurt us. There can be bad stretches of this kind in the AHL, especially with a young team."

Habit said:

As you can see, the dogs are indeed a young team with little or no vet help.

IMO the one player the Bulldogs miss the most is Benoit Gratton. He's a fine all-around player and has an exemplary attitude and leadership skills. Even Marcel Hossa would have helped. Oh well.

Btw, nice job building that table on this board, Habit.

[Habit]

M. said:

IMO the one player the Bulldogs miss the most is Benoit Gratton. He's a fine all-around player and has an exemplary attitude and leadership skills. Even Marcel Hossa would have helped. Oh well.

Btw, nice job building that table on this board, Habit.

I agree that Gratton would be a VERY welcome addition to the dogs. I thought that Gavin Morgan as brought in just for that reason, but I see they still need more vet help. Once Komo is ready, he should help the D, but I feel they need more up front.

I would have like to see the dogs pick up someone in the Jim Dowd mold. Someone that will teach the youngsters the D game at the same time, giving them the benefit of his years of experience in the NHL.

And thanks Mr. B, doing tables is very difficult on this board. I wish there was an easier way.

[blaise]

I wonder what Jarvis actually IS teaching. It's certainly not offense. Nor is it clear whether it's defense, his alleged strong suit, since the team plays a ragged game when Ellis is in net. How many of the Bulldogs' few wins can we attribute largely to Yann Danis, with little credit to Jarvis? Let's hope the long-awaited arrival of Mike Komisarek begins to plug some of the leaks and instill some confidence. And maybe CJ should return to Hamilton for a "guest" appearance while Jarvis watches a bona fide head coach from the press box.

[seventeen]

I'm curious as well, Blaise. Not that I don't think Jarvis has a tough row to hoe, but there is decent talent and the lack of scoring, while playing insufficiently strong defense, is a concern. As I've said before, though, the defense is the true weak point. How many of these guys would have made last year's team? Hainsey, because he did, Cote, and ummmm...maybe Focht, but I'm not convinced there either. Komi's arrival will make a huge difference. He automatically becomes #1, so everyone else, playing a role they shouldn't be in, can move down a notch and be a better #2, #3 and so on. We can judge better after a couple of weeks with Mikey on the team.

[M. Beaux-Eaux]

For the record:

Last season, under Jarvis, the Bulldogs finished 5th in the 28 team AHL in goals scored (235), tied for 11th in goals allowed, and tied for 5th in the overall standing (96 points). A very successful campaign by any standard. And to judge by the relative placement in offensive and defensive categories, hardly bearing the stamp of a defensive miser, never mind that of an incompetent.

It ain't the coach, it's the players.

Savard hit the nail on the head when he cited the absence of veterans on the blueline (Traverse and Dykhuis) and superior offensive, and all-around players in Balej and Perezhogin (the former often cited for his work ethic as well as his natural talent, and the latter widely regarded as one of the best forwards in the AHL during the second half of the season and in the playoffs).

As I mentioned, Gratton's departure has truly been a major blow to the team: He was the captain, leading scorer, and pest par excellence. I'd say that even Hossa and Dwyer are missed.

Komisarek will help. Coté, who was arguably the best Dogs d-man last season, will help. the maturation of other young players, notably Kostitsyn, will help. The goaltending seems to be in capable hands.

IMO it's far too early, and unjustified given the circumstances, to call for anyone's head. Learning, especially when there's a lot of it to be done, is often a slow and painful affair: In this case for the fans as well as the players and the coach. Spare the process and spoil the hockey player.

[blaise]

Let's see how long the nosedive goes on. At what point will the team click? They are a young team but not all of the players are raw rookies, and they have Jason Ward back to assume Gratton's role. I reiterate, I hope Mike Komisarek can help stabilize the team. While the losses are not as painful personally as Canadiens losses, and some day several of the Bulldogs will be playing in the NHL, it's all we have to root for at the moment.

[M. Beaux-Eaux]

Blaise said:

Let's see how long the nosedive goes on.

No choice. Life has its downs and ups.

At what point will the team click?

I'd say their win against Rochester the other night would be a good starting point.

They are a young team but not all of the players are raw rookies, and they have Jason Ward back to assume Gratton's role.

Poppycock! Gratton *made* Ward, just as he helped raise the performance level of every other player who skated on his wings.

I'm starting to think that Savard may well have been right when he said regarding Ward, "He's a very good AHL player." Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[blaise]

If Gratton was key to the organization, why didn't Gainey and Savard make an effort to retain him instead of remaking the Bulldogs as (in effect) an overage junior team?

[M. Beaux-Eaux]

Blaise said:

If Gratton was key to the organization, why didn't Gainey and Savard make an effort to retain him instead of remaking the Bulldogs as (in effect) an overage junior team?

They likely did make an effort and an offer. However, Gratton had other plans for his life, as this translated article from the HabsRus vault illustrates:

Benoit Gratton chooses Switzerland

[e-mail]

June 11 2004 - Another member of the Montreal Canadiens organization leaves. This time it's Benoit Gratton who will refocus his career by accepting a one year contract with the Lugano Club of the Swiss first division.

27 years old, Gratton was free as a bird since the two year agreement that had bound him to the Habs and to Hamilton had expired. Realistically, Gratton did not expect anything more than another two-way contract. However, he didn't want to spend another season of six to eight hour trips on a bus.

"It's true that the prospect of a lockout in the NHL in September also weighed in the balance. Since American League salaries could also be re-examined in the fall, Europe proved to be the ideal solution for me", indicated Gratton.

"Negotiations proceeded a little like here, except that it's also necessary to engage in talks about an apartment, a car, insurance. There is the salary, but also many other items which it is necessary to have settled before signing."

Benoit is convinced that the move could lengthen his career by two or three years. "There are fewer trips. With a maximum of three hours in the worst case; they are most importantly shorter. Also, the season has only 48 games. No more dealing with three games in three nights!".

No regrets

Even if he hasn't realized his dream of playing in the NHL on a regular basis, Gratton doesn't harbour any regrets. "I believe sincerely that I gave it all that I had. Certainly there were the injuries, but they are part of the "game". I do not want to live in the past and wonder what I could have achieved if I had been healthy."

Gratton has been encouraged by the favorable reviews he has heard of Switzerland over several years "My agent, my uncle Jean-Guy Gratton, played over there for eight years. I also have many friends who are there at this moment, which speaks well of the place. I think of guys like Christian Dubé, Sebastien Bordeleau, Yanick Dubé, Éric Landry, Yves Sarrault. Patrick Boileau, who has just signed with Lausanne, will be there as well".

It is also significant to note that Lugano also has plans to engage an NHL player. Dany Heatley and Martin St-Louis are possibilities.

"It would be good to get Martin. We played together in Calgary and in St-John (N.B) in the American League. That worked very well."

There remains only the stress of leaving. Benoit, his wife Roxanne and their two daughters Alexia, 2 years old, and Lili-Rose, born at the end of April, will not be having their first experiences abroad. Between the recalls to Montreal and the stays in Hamilton, their luggage served them well.

"To leave will be difficult. But it will be fine once there." And so, Benoît adds his name to the long list of those who understand that to leave is to die a little...

- www.src.ca/sports/hockey/nouvelles/200406/01/002-GrattonBenoitSuisse.shtml