THE TEAM 990 SHOW HOST BLOGS

Wednesday May 7 2008 7:45 PM

The Team 990 is seven years old today.  Many in this business predicted we wouldn't last one year but we're bigger and better than ever.  Now under the CTV Bell Globe media empire (including TSN & RDS), about to move into new studios and with a strong base of listeners, especially our key demographic of males 25-54.

Thanks for all your support, help, constructive criticism, and incredible loyalty.This goes out to listeners and sponsors alike, especially those who were with us from the beginning on may 7, 2001.

Now back to today.

Saku Koivu-in a pre-playoff conversation with PJ Stock-correctly predicted that if the Habs were knocked out of the playoffs either he or Alex Kovalev would get slapped with the blame. Sure enough, right on cue, there was Quebec Nordiques/Ottawa Senators superfan Francois Gagnon suggesting that the reason Kovalev didn't produce against the Flyers (5 games, 3 goals, 5 points) was because of the return of Koivu (5 games, 3 goals, 6 points).  That perhaps the room is "too small" for both of them.

Now keep in mind that last year we had L'affaire Kovalev after the season. When Alex supposedly said terrible, lousy, rotten things about Guy Carbonneau and his relationship with Russian players. It was a taped conversation they (La Presse) said.  Yet the tape never materialized. (Maybe it went to Roger Celmens.)

Then we had L'Affaire Briere.  Daniel Briere signed with the Flyers (as correctly predicted by Pierre McGuire once Philadelphia acquired one of Biron's best buds, Martin Biron) not because he really wanted to play in Pennsylvannia but because he wasn't guaranteed a spot on the Habs' #1 line (Koivu again). Or because Bob Gainey didn't personally jump on a plane and deliver a last minute offer in person (a charge since rescinded by its author, Rejean Tremblay).

"All lies", said Briere last week.

Or just maybe the Habs room was too small for two players who are too small. Confused?  See a pattern here?

Different day (year). Same old shit.

So here we have a guy (Francois-but he's hardly alone) who picked the Canadiens to finish 14th in the East now explaining their inability to get to the Conference Championship because of supposed friction between Koivu and Kovalev.

It speaks for itself.  (What I find even more disappointing/disturbing was Gagnon's refusal to ask either Gainey or Carbonneau about his theory in a room full of his peers. He either lacked the courage-asking some innocuous question about Michael Ryder and Mathieu Dandenault-or knows full well how full of shit his story really is.)

And to all those who now claim that Cristobal Huet would have taken the Canadiens further?  Have you watched NHL games over the last five years?

In the end the Canadiens, much to my surprise, lost to a better team. The Flyers were the bigger, stronger and in game five, faster team.  Their goaltender was much better.  Heck, Martin Biron's immediate future and rep were on the line, more so at age 30 than was the case with Carey Price. And Philadelphia's special teams were much better.

As weird as some of the Flyer's goals were and as bizarre as some of the Habs misses were, the better team won.  Time to move on.

I have full confidence that Gainey and his coaching staff can take the team to the next level. This is not blind faith. Unlike a lot of critics yapping about Huet and the refusal to trade Chris Higgins for Hossa (The Habs WERE in the Hossa sweepstakes but not nearly as deep as we've been led to believe) I have seen Gainey, Carbonneau, Doug Jarvis and Kirk Muller at their best. I watched them compete. I watched them win. I witnessesed their total commitment to winning. I saw their passion. I saw their will.

I covered those teams.

They're the same guys today,  with just a few more creases around the eyes.

Winners.

Pittsburgh over Philadelphia in six.

Detroit over Dallas in seven.

Thomas Plekanic, Andre Markov & Jaroslav Halak for Vinny Lecavalier. I dreamt about that the other night.

Cathy Newton, Shaun Starr, Ted Blackman, Rob Martier, Paul Graif, Ron Francis, Elliott Price, Terry Haig, Tony Marinaro (Tony from LaSalle), Joey Elias, Marc Aflalo, Patrick Guay, Greg Hebert, Doug Scott, Paul Lambert, Picard, Jimmy Spencer, Andie Bennett, Denis Casavant, Ted Tevan, Dave Kauffman, Meagan Cole, PJ Kennedy, Chris Rochon, Noel Butler, Ben Raby, Andy Nulman, Rod Francis, Conor McKenna, PJ Stock, Jacques Demers, Pierre McGuire, Bill Lee, Stephen Brunt, Eric Thomas, Eric Edholm, Pat Hickey, Bill Beacon, Ron Reusch, Brian Wilde, Randy Tieman, Lorne Rubin, Steve Traynor, Francois Gagnon, Bob McKenzie, Elliotte Friedman, Marco (Polo) Campagna, Scott Saxon, Darrin Gill, Herb Zurkowsky, Dave Jackson, Jimmy Murphy, Matthew Ross, Dwight Walton, Sean Campbell, Nick Russo, Dave Simon, JC Godin, Jimmy Garafoulis, Eric Engels, Johnny Bartolo...most but not all of the people who have helped bring you information and enetertainment over the last seven years. Apologies to those I might have left out.