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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Sept 12, 2007 8:34:41 GMT -5
BTW, I am pleading with a well known proctology practising scribber ("reporter" in plain Engrish ) to post on our site under his real name. He wants to post under an alias, which of course does nothing for spirited discussions. The other thing is that he fears that he will be constantly attacked. I assured him that we do not do that here. Maybe I should tie him down and do a Clockwork Orange on him unitl he posts.  As a clear example of how he can expect to be treated no doubt.  |
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Post by Doc Holliday on Sept 12, 2007 9:33:02 GMT -5
Nor can any of us know how genuine his interest was in playing with Montreal. Interest was there. Briere was almost a HABs and that has been confirmed by everyone from Brisson, to Georges Gillett and even Briere's father. The fish was caught, but we didn't reel it in. In salesmen terms, we did not close. The HABS organization had made this signature their #1 priority but it's Philly's GM that was the most creative and aggressive in his pursuit and that is why he got him. Gainey had the green light on the budget and the mandate from the organization to get Briere but he wasn't the most aggressive suitor. Beyond anything else, that is what irks me the most and that is why my trust in our GM has been steadily eroding. When similar situations will occur, we'll probably get the same results... |
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Post by Cranky on Sept 12, 2007 9:34:05 GMT -5
As a clear example of how he can expect to be treated no doubt. LOL! I promised him that HabsRus is a bed of roses. (Thorns? What thorns? ) |
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Post by Cranky on Sept 12, 2007 9:46:48 GMT -5
When similar situations will occur, we'll probably get the same results... Why are you talking in the past tense? We don't know if Gainey did the same "sales job" on previous high quality FA's. So far, only Brieres "incident" has shown us a glimpse of what goes on behind closed doors. Everyone else just spewed the old "I liked their offer but....". Never WHY they did not accept. Smoke....fire.....the Hab Lords came rushing out from ivory tower to put out the fire. They need to make sure the sheep don't run away. |
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Post by HabSolute on Sept 12, 2007 9:52:58 GMT -5
I suspect Briere picked the team where he thinks he has the better chance to succeed in the "SHORT" term...
Like Peter Parker would say: "with great powers, come great responsibilities..."
Briere knows that with a contract this size, he will be under the microscope and he better be producing some majors points or else he's in for a rough ride. And this is a lot more true in Montreal then in Philly.
Will he produce more points in Philly along side Gagne and Knuble ? Most likely. But to say that the Flyers will be better than the Habs for the next 6 years, no one can say that.
Where I have a problem, is when Brunet says that is long life dream of playing for his childhood favorite team was shattered when the GM told him that he couldn't garantee that he was ready to put our captain of many years on the back burner before Briere even put one skate on the ice. If your long life dream is handed to you on a silver platter, (and for more money I might add), you don't blow it away like that.
I think Briere realized the pressure that will come with having the biggest contract in the NHL, he knows he is no Crosby, and went where he will have the best chance of racking up the points in the short term. Fair enough and I can respect that. But don't come and blow smoke up our bum by saying it was your dream to play with the Habs. And to try to divert the blame on Gainey, IMO, doesn't show too much class. Gainey, IMO, did the right thing; he was honest.
And for what it's worth, I really doubt that Gainey would say: "this our team, we will not hire anyone else, we live and die with this formation". Even now, he keeps saying if the right deal came along and it made our team better, he would do it. Gainey is betting on the youth, he said so from the very first day, and he's being consistant. You can agree or disagree, but in the end, he's the one with the job and the decision is his. Personnaly, I agree. He still tried very hard to land a "Star" but not at ANY cost. It didn't work out, so he moves on with the plan. But like he said, "..I am a patient man and I will keep on trying".
Buying free agents right, left and center at an insane price is the way of the Leafs and the Rangers. It does a pretty good job at shutting up the fans for a few months, but it's far from having a proven record for success.
I'm on the rose bandwagon that thinks the future is very bright and I am ready to be patient.
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Sept 12, 2007 10:19:38 GMT -5
I suspect Briere picked the team where he thinks he has the better chance to succeed in the "SHORT" term... Honestly, I think Briere did what was right for his quality of life and for his family. Uprooting the family is bad enough, but he's staying in the USA where his kids have been attending school. His money goes further and he has stability. I don't think he really gave Montreal all that much consideration. In the end we simply couldn't compete with the quality of life issues Philadelphia could offer. Brighter than it's been in years. Don't get me wrong, I'm disappointed in not seeing this team develop faster than it has. It's actually frustrating. But, they're going in the right direction now it seems. Just wish we could have lured Briere here. In the end, though, we just couldn't compete. Cheers. |
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Post by Doc Holliday on Sept 12, 2007 11:34:24 GMT -5
I'm on the rose bandwagon that thinks the future is very bright and I am ready to be patient. I'm excited about our young guns too HABSOLUTE. Latendresse, Lapierre, Komisarek and Higgins are already my favorite players on the team and I'm excited at seeing what Price and Chip are made of. Our team is slowly moving away from a soft figure skating team to one with character and work ethic. But free agency and acquisitions is a key part of any successful franchise and at that we really struggle and I fault our GM for that. |
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Sept 12, 2007 16:19:44 GMT -5
And, of course, all is well and fine in Toronto ... Memo to Habs fans: Briere not coming, so get over it
By MIKE ZEISBERGER, TORONTO SUN
Here is yet another bitter pill for fans of the Montreal Canadiens to digest.
The NHL announced yesterday that the top-selling jersey on NHL.com for the month of August was that of speedy forward Daniel Briere.
And it wasn't a Habs sweater, either.
It has been more than two months since Briere passed over a number of lucrative free-agent offers, including one from the Habs, in order to ink a whopping eight-year, $52-million US deal with the Philadelphia Flyers.
And, judging by the way his duds are being snapped up by all the Flyer Fanatics out there, 'Broad St. Briere' will be a dandy addition.
"The No. 1 selling jersey? I didn't have a clue. That's really cool," Briere said last night. "That's a bit of a surprise. It's flattering when fans appreciate your work."
Briere's decision to gobble up all those lovely Flyers dollars might sit well with him, but obviously it has left a sour taste in the mouths of some in La Belle Province.
All summer, questions swirled throughout Montreal as to why Briere would shun the Habs.
Yes, the native of Gatineau, Que., could have been the new cult hero at the Bell Centre, the French-Canadian star Montrealers have thirsted for since Patrick Roy stormed off the Forum ice more than a decade ago.
But it was Briere's decision to make, and he made it, for whatever reason. It's old news. Let it go, people.
But in Montreal, they can't. Instead the issue flared up again over the weekend, creating controversy that enraged both the Habs front office and the Briere camp.
A story in the Montreal-based La Presse newspaper suggested that one of the reasons Briere snubbed the Habs was because the team would not guarantee him a spot on the top line with Chris Higgins and Michael Ryder.
Speaking to Montreal reporters, livid Habs president Pierre Boivin accused the article of being full of lies.
Said Boivin: "It bothers me that free agency started two months ago and we're still talking about this story."
One person who refuses to talk about the Habs situation is Briere, and understandably so. Time and time again he has recounted his reasons for opting for Philly, but there are some who just won't take him at his word.
"People might think I'm crazy but I like the direction the Flyers are headed," Briere said. "They made great moves at the trade deadline, signed (Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnell) in the summer, and already had a good young core with guys like Mike Richards and Jeff Carter. When you sign a contract like mine, you look at the long-term prospects, not just those for one year.
TEAMMATES
"I'm excited to play with Mike Knuble and Simon Gagne. Marty Biron and I were roommates in Buffalo. And I played junior with Denis Gauthier. Our first goal is to make the playoffs. And I truly believe it can happen."
Interestingly, one of the teams the Flyers could be battling against for a post-season spot might be those same Habs, who did not enjoy the best of summers. They lost out on Briere, allowed power play specialist Sheldon Souray to flee for Edmonton, and grossly overpaid for veteran defenceman Roman Hamrlik, who was given a four-year, $22-million US deal.
Maybe a few egos were bruised along Montreal's famed Crescent St. when Briere didn't take the Habs' money. But with training camps set to kick off this week, the concern should be with the leaky Canadiens roster, not that of the Flyers and of what might have been. The Link |
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Post by seventeen on Sept 12, 2007 19:09:26 GMT -5
"I'm singin' in the rain ...PAFF!!! I never equated that song with "American in Paris" for the longest time. It was such a part of Clockwork Orange. Weird movie. |
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Post by seventeen on Sept 12, 2007 19:11:23 GMT -5
Memo to Habs fans: Briere not coming, so get over it
By MIKE ZEISBERGER, TORONTO SUN
Memo to Leaf fans. Your goaltending is still really questionable. Enjoy the season. |
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Post by Skilly on Sept 12, 2007 20:49:11 GMT -5
Where is the big drop off in ice time or skill from our first line wingers to our second line wingers? It is all relative .... Daniel Briere averaged 19:18 ice time per game last year, of which 4:45 of it was on the powerplay. Those numbers are more than all our forwards last year. The surprising thing to me was that Alex Kovalev led all our forwards in both those categories last year (18:14 and 4:04 per game respectively). But the other second liners? ... the question that needs to be asked here is who are the other two on the second line? Plekanec and Latendresse? Who would Briere be playing with if he came here without the "guarantee" to be playing with Higgins and Ryder? If he was the second line center, our second line center only had 16:00 minutes per game last year and only 2:00 of PP time. Briere wasn't going to settle for that. There is only so much ice time to go around ... and if Montreal gave 19:00 minutes to Briere, that would leave 16:00 minutes to the second line guy assuming our third and fourth liners play the same ice-time as last year. We weren't going to get Briere, or more appropriately, a happy Briere, telling him his was going to play second line center and get under 18 minutes of ice-time. And only 2 forwards on Montreal got more than 18:00 all last year (Kovalev and Koivu) .... it was a weird year for sure (killing all those penalties), but I have a feeling we will be relying on special teams again this year. |
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Post by Cranky on Sept 12, 2007 22:38:13 GMT -5
Briere this...Briere that...to say that I am glad he did not sign with us is an understatement.
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Post by HabSolute on Sept 13, 2007 7:09:04 GMT -5
Briere this...Briere that...to say that I am glad he did not sign with us is an understatement. Well, .......... I agree with you.... Certainly, like les Gaulois would say: "..le ciel va nous tomber sur la tête" |
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Post by Doc Holliday on Sept 13, 2007 7:44:53 GMT -5
Briere this...Briere that...to say that I am glad he did not sign with us is an understatement. The guy certainly went from being a somewhat underdog to an expected superstar. Immagine this, he's, right now, the NHL most sold jersey! The hype in Philly is nothing short of insane... Briere is not getting any less spotlight and scrutiny over there... The guy is a good player but the expectations are now way too high. I would have licked to have an offensive player of this quality and marketability in Montreal nonetheless mind you. I still believe we're missing that and have been missing that for far too long. Here's hoping and dreaming that Lecavalier will cross our path in a near future. As an aside, HABS most popular jersey is 84-Latendresse. Gui-Gui-Gui ! |
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Post by cigarviper on Sept 13, 2007 9:45:22 GMT -5
As an aside, HABS most popular jersey is 84-Latendresse. Gui-Gui-Gui ! Soon to be eclipsed by Price. In fact, the Price jersey will become the most popular jersey in all of hockey soon. |
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Post by Habfaith on Sept 13, 2007 13:01:08 GMT -5
I would have licked to have an offensive player of this quality and marketability in Montreal nonetheless mind you. Now that is dedication to the team!! |
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Post by SiR on Sept 13, 2007 16:02:29 GMT -5
I would have licked to have an offensive player of this quality and marketability in Montreal nonetheless mind you. Now that is dedication to the team!! LOL, Now if only Gainey had included that in his offer Briere would be a Hab. |
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Post by The Habsome One on Sept 13, 2007 18:18:55 GMT -5
Briere this...Briere that...to say that I am glad he did not sign with us is an understatement. The guy certainly went from being a somewhat underdog to an expected superstar. Immagine this, he's, right now, the NHL most sold jersey! The hype in Philly is nothing short of insane... Briere is not getting any less spotlight and scrutiny over there... The guy is a good player but the expectations are now way too high. I would have licked to have an offensive player of this quality and marketability in Montreal nonetheless mind you. I still believe we're missing that and have been missing that for far too long. Here's hoping and dreaming that Lecavalier will cross our path in a near future. As an aside, HABS most popular jersey is 84-Latendresse. Gui-Gui-Gui ! Kopitar's jersey was the NHL's 7th best selling last month.  |
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Post by Cranky on Sept 15, 2007 11:42:34 GMT -5
As an aside, HABS most popular jersey is 84-Latendresse. Gui-Gui-Gui ! Soon to be eclipsed by Price. In fact, the Price jersey will become the most popular jersey in all of hockey soon. Now that is dedication to the team!! LOL, Now if only Gainey had included that in his offer Briere would be a Hab. Guys, English is not Doc's first language. Having said that, it's one hell of a homophone mistake.  Doc, in case you don' know what these rufians are writting about, you uses "licked" (as in lick'ing) instead of "liked" (as in like'ing Gainey as a GM). |
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Post by Habfaith on Sept 15, 2007 14:14:26 GMT -5
Guys, English is not Doc's first language. Having said that, it's one hell of a homophone mistake. Doc, in case you don' know what these rufians are writting about, you uses "licked" (as in lick'ing) instead of "liked" (as in like'ing Gainey as a GM). I know HA, and I wish my French was 1/4 as good as Doc's english. It was only meant in fun. No hard feelings I hope. |
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Post by Forum Ghost on Sept 20, 2007 15:42:40 GMT -5
Asking the question and basing your decision on the response are two completely different things, though. For sure I would expect Briere (through his agent) to ask the question; when we interview for a new job, do we not ask who we would be working with? But unless the answer was "Garth Murray and Mark Streit, no ifs, ands, or buts", I find it extremely unlikely that Briere would base his signing decision solely on that. Briere knows nothing about Ryder, nor Higgins, and neither one of them has the cachet of say, a Sakic, or a Crosby, or an Ovechkin - in other words I doubt players around the league are thinking to themselves "if only I could go to Montreal, and play with Michael Ryder and Chris Higgins." Ask the question, sure. But a deal-breaker? I find that really hard to believe. I couldn't agree more. Hard to believe that this would be the deal breaker. Personally, if I were Carbo, I would've put Briere with Latendresse. |
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