Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Not even sending a message works for the Canadiens

Montreal Canadiens v Anaheim Ducks

ANAHEIM, CA - NOVEMBER 30: P.K. Subban #76 of the Montreal Canadiens skates prior to the start of the game against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on November 30, 2011 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Getty Images

P.K. Subban knows what it’s like to be the focus of a message being sent. After all, he was benched during Montreal’s listless 4-0 loss to Winnipeg and just like that, all the problems the Canadiens are having are summed up. Whether it’s benching Subban or Lars Eller, like they were in last night’s game, the problems are a lot bigger in Montreal.

Subban and Eller were both benched to teach them and the rest of the team a lesson in what happens when you screw things up. If that sort of accountability was applied throughout the organization everyone from owner Geoff Molson down to GM Pierre Gauthier and on down to Randy Cunneyworth would have to sit one out for a bit.

As CBC’s Elliotte Friedman says, the problems in Montreal of late with how they’ve handled firing coaches, making big trades, and allowing a language dispute to become the biggest issue all start and end now with Molson.

Montreal isn’t in bad shape in the standings being just four points out of a playoff spot, but things look horrendous on the ice. It’s time for everyone to put the soap opera stuff aside and work on fixing the hockey side of things. Whether that means potentially getting Bob Gainey involved running the team again, as Friedman says is being discussed, so be it.

Seeing things spiral more out of control in Quebec only means bad news for everyone there.