4 Questions with Habs Insider Marek Brahms

Marek runs and moderates a couple of forums with Habs related content, I've exchanged PM's with him the last couple of years and I always appreciate his insight on the Habs organization, Marek has been a season ticket holder since 1987 and I often tease him on having 20 years on the job, but he's a great guy !

Q - In 20 years sitting in the reds what was your favorite edition of the Habs ?

A - We get excited every year, in '95 the team kept changing faces and you had the new guys from Philly and Long Island, guys leaving, it's always exciting when you have Pierre Turgeron centering that first line in his prime, there was a real good thing going with Recchi and Damphousse, it was encouraging, that team the next year had alot of potential, it was a mix of skilled guys and Thibault wasn't that bad either, but it was the beginning of the end and it hit home when Keane left. I really liked alot of players from these years, they carried a notoriety with them you don't find on any of the current editions.

Q - Alot of damage has been attributed to guys like Rejean Houle for the Habs lack of presence during those '' dark '' years, what is your perspective on it ?

A - Rejean Houle wasn't a bad GM, and he desperately wanted to improve his team, people say the Roy deal and other deals are proof enough, but the truth is Roy's play that year spoke books on his unwillingness to be a team guy, but don't get me wrong Patrick is the greatest goalie of all times, but I think that he needed that slap in the face from Montreal to realize he had to calm down and level with his teammates and coaches.
When Demers left, he lost a father in a sense and Mario Tremblay was an old school coach with no cred, you can't expect respect, you have to earn it, and Tremblay wasn't keen on that.
I don't blame Rejean Houle for the Roy debacle though, Ronald Corey and Mario Tremblay are the ones responsible, Corey was jealous of Roy's notoriety and larger than life stature ( as well as the fact he had an incredible influence over the team ) as for Tremblay he just didn't know any better.


Q - The years of poor drafts, who is to blame on the Habs side ?

A - Ronald Corey wanted a team with veterans but Molson didn't want to throw money out the windows for the Canadiens, it was a tough time financially as well, the Canadiens had perspectives on getting guys like Pavel Bure and other good players, but couldn't package anything because the young guys were average at best and the older guys didn't produce, the team still tried to draft with a poor scouting system and a basically crapshoot approach, but it was like watching a castle of cards collapse, Rejean Houle was barely starting to put a real '' team '' together and he was struggling to try to keep everyone happy, the draft at that point was the last thing on their mind.

Q - This year the Habs missed the playoffs but the Bulldogs win a championship ! What is your perspective on that ?

A - The Habs this year are still a team like Atlanta and the Islanders, which is a fringe team, Gainey could have sacrificed a couple of top prospects to push the Habs in the first or second round, but what is the point ? the Bulldogs are a team full of players you can see in the NHL, they are young, they are talented, they are a mean bunch and they are winners !
Would it have been worth it trading a Carey Price to get a guy like Tkachuk ?
Sure not making the playoffs by 1 point is no fun, but that one point was not worth Carey Price.

Q - Is it fair to say Gainey has some responsability in the team not making the playoffs this year ?

A - When all your players say : we need help, and a guy like Koivu says he sure hopes this isn't another rebuilding phase, you know you've failed your players in a sense, alot of guys had hoped for a Messiah to carry this team on, but that is just ridiculous and shows more of a lack of leadership on the player's side than anything, Gainey was in a position where he could have got a guy to give a new wind to the Habs, but he was probably torn between trading away active assets on his roster and sacrificing a brilliant future, I think that by chosing the status quo, he actually showed that this was a playoff team with a brilliant future, and unlike the Islanders and Thrashers, he still has a stacked championship farm team !