Bob The Builder

(First published December 6, 2010)

What a difference a year makes.

There is perhaps no better example of this truism than the 2010-2011 Montreal Canadiens. The team currently sits atop the Northeast division at 17-8-2, five points ahead of second place Boston. The once maligned Carey Price is enjoying a league-leading .935 save percentage, with 4 shoutouts, and has already surpassed his total number of wins from last year.

Of course, it didn't quite start out that way. The preseason debut of the post-Halak era Habs played out with the spotlight firmly and perhaps unfairly glaring into the face-mask of Price. The shadow he cast that night was less than stellar. What came next proved to be an appalling display of classlessness and derision on behalf of a few disgruntled Canadiens fans. It was cruel and ignorant behaviour and frankly an embarrassment to this city.

Price's response? A cool and measured chill out everybody, it's just the preseason.

For a fan base still smarting from the loss of Halak, a player with whom many had come to expect miracles, the notion of chilling out didn't sit too well. But then, how could they know?

Indeed, the expectations on the young Price were ponderous. Tapped as the team's goalie of the future and thrust into that role while still very fresh in the league, Price has shouldered far more adversity than virtually anyone on the team. P.K. Subban, by contrast, emerged from his time in the Hab's farm team, the Hamilton Bulldogs, seemingly inheriting the role of fan favourite. To his credit, Subban has delivered, proving to be every bit the skilled, competitive defenceman we were told about and hoped for.

That is until his overly stylish play put him squarely (although not officially) in the team's doghouse. One might have thought that banishing arguably the best rookie defenceman in the league to the press box was a bit of a risk. Particularly considering that the team is once again without its number one defenceman in Andrei Markov, but that is not how the puck is bouncing this year for the Habs.

Both Yaroslav Spacek and Roman Hamrlik have somehow turned back the clock on their veteran years. Then there has been the surprisingly solid play of two other rookie defencemen in Yannick Weber and Alexandre Picard. Picard is more the veteran at 25, but still, the two are playing far beyond their billing. All of this has resulted in one of the best controversies the team has had to face in years. Too many good players and not enough room on the roster. Reinserting Subban into the lineup means either Weber, Picard or possibly Mathieu Darche would be forced upstairs. Too bad it couldn't be Scott Gomez, but that's another can-o-worms.

Even coach Jacques Martin is being viewed in a new and refreshing light. No longer considered by fans and the media as a one dimensional, puck-possession coach, Martin is showing a remarkable strategic vision. The program, whatever it is, has been bought heart and soul by the team, and thus far it has produced impressive results.

All of this is nice. Nice for the fans, nice for the players, nice for the organization. Even the normally raucous debates on L'Antichambre seem tempered by the team's success.

Unfortunately, the person to whom the fans and organization owe most of the credit is no longer at the helm. Make no mistake, with very few exceptions, the true architect of this team is Bob Gainey. You can be as critical as you like of the former general manager, but take a good hard look at the decisions he has made, particularly towards the end of his tenure, to reshape this team virtually from the ground up. Was he perfect? No. Were his decisions always the right ones? No. But forget the negatives for the moment and consider what has gone right. Moreover, contrast Gainey's success in hockey crazy Montreal versus Brian Burke's success in hockey obsessed Toronto.

Yes, it took time. Yes, there were setbacks. Building, and then rebuilding a team is no easy task. It takes lots of time, lots of patience, and the occasional gamble. To be successful at this process means looking much further down the road than the impatient fans and media are willing to embrace. It also means enduring an insane amount of criticism from people who really have no idea of the challenges most GMs face, or even a good understanding of the process of team building.

Regardless, from my spot in the bleachers there is really only one person who deserves long overdue recognition for the team's success, and without reservation do I give Gainey full credit. It's a shame he no longer holds the position of general manager to enjoy the fruits of his hard work and vision. Knowing Gainey, he's sitting back and enjoying the peace and quiet outside of the spotlight with the satisfaction of knowing he did what he always did best for the Canadiens,  whatever it takes to win.