Stu Cowan: Don’t expect Patrick Roy to be the Canadiens’ next GM

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It seems highly unlikely that Patrick Roy will be the Canadiens’ next general manager.

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Roy probably knows this, which would explain why he was willing to be so explicit about his desire to fill the vacant position instead of sitting quietly and letting things unfold, which is what the owner / chairman of the companies would surely prefer. Canadiens, Geoff Molson, because that’s more. his style.

“Since 1993, the team has been running in circles”, Roy said Tuesday while speaking to Le Journal de Québec . “What do you have to lose if you give me the opportunity to see what I can do with this club? At the same time, I understand the situation. The club is owned by Geoff Molson and he is the one pulling the strings. It’s his team, and at the end of the day, he might not be the guy for him. I accept that.”

Roy has shaken the pot and positioned himself perfectly so that if things don’t work out with Jeff Gorton, the new executive vice president of hockey operations, and whoever the next GM is, he can say, “Look, I told you they should. have given me a chance. “

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Roy will undoubtedly also have a large part of the French media on his side in Montreal. After Molson’s press conference on Monday to officially announce Gorton as the new man in charge, the cover of the Journal de Montréal the next day had a sarcastic headline in English: “Good luck, Mr. Gorton!” along with a French subtitle “Un Américain et le nouveau patron hockey” (An American is the new chief of hockey) and also notes that the Massachusetts native is the first unilingual English speaker in 57 years to be in charge of hockey operations. with the Canadiens.

Roy, who was the goalkeeper the last two times the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup, in 1986 and 1993, has a reputation for not playing well with others. Five years ago the Hall of Famer resigned as head coach and vice president of hockey operations with Colorado Avalanche, surprising general manager Joe Sakic with his decision two months before the start of the season. Roy was upset that he didn’t have enough say in the players’ personnel decisions.

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“I’d be ready to work with (Gorton),” Roy told the Journal de Québec. “He seems to be a person with a passion for hockey. I’ve always been a guy who loved to work in a team. “

Roy noted that as the general manager and head coach of Remparts de Québec, he has never had a problem working with team president Jacques Tanguay. But comparing QMJHL and NHL is like apples and oranges.

There’s no question that Gorton will be the man in charge of the Canadiens, and if he spoke French, Molson would likely have named him general manager rather than executive vice president of hockey operations. Molson has made it very clear that the general manager and head coach must be bilingual, but Gorton was allowed to speak French in his new position.

“The general manager is the person who talks to the fans and that’s the most important thing to me,” Molson said Monday. “Will Jeff speak to the fans? Sure, he will be from time to time, but the general manager will be the person who will finally reach out to the fans and he will. “

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If Roy were appointed CEO, he would have to think that he too would have his sights set on Gorton’s job in the future rather than just being the French mouthpiece for the American’s decisions, and Roy would probably get some help on that front of the game. French media (remember that headline?) If things start to go wrong.

That is why I think the most likely candidates for the CEO position are Mathieu Darche (who would be my pick) and Daniel Brière, whose name has appeared in recent days. Darche is the director of hockey operations with the Tampa Bay Lightning under general manager Julien BriseBois, who is also a close friend of his. Darche may already have more voice in hockey decisions than he would with Gorton in Montreal. Pierre LeBrun reported on the insider trading of TSN on Tuesday that Darche’s name is on the shortlist for the vacant general manager position with the Anaheim Ducks, which could be a more attractive opportunity for him.

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That’s why Brière, who for the past four years has been vice president of operations for the ECHL Mariners of Maine, is beginning to look like a prominent candidate. Making the leap from ECHL to GM of Canadiens is huge and Brière would be in a better position to accept being a French spokesperson for Gorton while he learns on the job than some of the other candidates.

“For me Canadiens, what is needed is more of a restart,” Roy said. “It is not a reconstruction.”

I’m sorry, Patrick, but Gorton will be the man to make that decision.

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