Is CJ getting the boot?

flowerpower · Veteran Member

Is CJ getting the boot?

davidb · Guru

that would be the biggest mistake made by bg if it was to happen. cj is knowlegable, not over reactive, and he damn knows what he is doing in fact let me be the first to say, just as a team matures so does a coach i would say he is one of the better nhl coaches and in fact i would rank him right up there with scotty bowman

Kendich · Veteran Member

Anyone who thinks CJ should be on his way out just because of the team's performance these past few games is an idiot. We're off to our best start in quite some time and I think our team will fare much better this year than a 7th or 8th spot. We've just hit a little bump in the road and we'll be back in no time. Let's hope these losses knocked some sense into some of those lazy players.

barry33 · Guru

flowerpower wrote:

I have been reading a lot of posts lately and there seems to be some rumour that CJ will be moving out of Montreal. I like what he has done with this team and I hope this does not become a reality. The team has gone through a rough stretch over the last 4 games but they just have to get back to basics. We are an average team we are not meant to win the cup this year. We are off to a good start which will help us at the end of the year when we are scrambling for the 7th or 8th playoff spot. You can't blame CJ for the teams losing skid - the players are not playing to their potential. By the way we have traditionally had a bad November all the time. Doesn't get any easier these next few games 3 against our own division - Buffalo, T.O, Ottawa.

No he is not getting the boot..at least yet lol. Some on this board have questioned his ability as an NHL coach because of some of the "questionable" decisions and "rookie mistakes". Personal bias' aside, I feel he is one of the top coaches in the whole league right now and a 2004 poll of his peers verified that (75% of NHL coaches polled in a Toronto Star poll named Julien as the coach with the brightest future in the league). He has a very young team right now, one of the youngest in the league. There will be ups and downs. For anyone on this board to think realistically that we can hover near the top of the standings all year needs to have a reality check. We will make the playoffs and make a bit of noise before bowing out. We are a work in progress.

Johnny USA · Veteran Member

Barry -

Much like a Boston Red Sox manager, the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens must deal with so much more than just what happens on the ice, and he has to manage more than just the 20/25 players he has in his locker room. The media (in Montreal both French and English competing with each other for the latest scoop); the rabid fans, all of whom are better equipped to coach than he is - just ask any one of 'em; the in-your-grille management; etc.

How does CJ like (maybe "like" is not the proper word) dealing with all of the superfluous bullsh&t that is part of being the HC in Montreal? Does it ever get to him? Does it ever impact his decision making process, or can he block it out and go with what he - and he alone - thinks is best for the team? From the outside it looks like he has his head on straight. I like the guy, and hope he's here for a long time.

barry33 · Guru

Johnny- he tries his best to shut all the bs out. But I can honestly tell you that when there are many of us here hollering at Claude because Ribero should be on the 4th line..or Theo should be benched, it is not totally the coach's decision. In Montreal, more than any other city in the NHL, the media and fans have as much to say about the lineup as the coaching staff does. He has told me it is much like having a unionized workforce in a factory. As a manager you identify guys that should be fired or repremanded yet you cannot do anything about it because the union will file a grievance. In this case the "union" is the Habs media. I can tell you that if Ribiero's last name was Smith, he would be sitting. Having said all of that, CJ i senjoying his time in Montreal. He is one of the most prepared guys I have ever seen in my days in hockey. He spends hours and hours preparing for practices and games. He loves the pressure yet he is not so naive as to think he will be in Montreal forever.

brooklynhabfan · Guru

I can't even believe this is a live topic. Why on earth would they get rid of CJ? God knows they won't get rid of parts of the puzzle that don't fit. Don't see it happening anytime soon.

heet_150 · Guru

What's next? Maybe trading a hall of fame goalie after throwing a tantrum on the bench having been mercifully pulled?

I am of course kidding. I do not want CJ fired, but crazier things have happened. Remeber Ted Nolan?

plouf · Guru

heet_150 wrote:

What's next? Maybe trading a hall of fame goalie after throwing a tantrum on the bench having been mercifully pulled? I am of course kidding. I do not want CJ fired, but crazier things have happened. Remeber Ted Nolan?

If I recall correctly, Roy was upset because he wasn't mercifully pulled early enough.

Hey, what did happen to Ted Nolan? I mean, why hasn't he come back?

barry33 · Guru

Plouf Nolan has surfaced as head coach of the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL. They are hosting this years Memorial Cup

kitchenerhab · Newbie

If management is stupid enough to give CJ the boot after a couple of poor outings, and I don't think they are, then they would deserve the tailspin the team would go in as a result!

But frankly, I just can't see it happening. BG is too smart a hockey man. He's been through the wars as player, coach and GM. He knows slumps, injuries etc...are just a normal part of the season-long grind.

He also knows he has one of the best coaches in the league. CJ's job is safe.

Desi · Senior Member

Would the Habs be where they are now without CJ behind the bench? I don't think anyone in his right mind would say yes. He's as good as there is in the league, has done a lot with a little, and will continue to show his mettle as the season goes on. Anybody who's down on CJ should take a moment to reflect on the Mario Tremblay days... Enough said.

Les Canadiens Sont La

superhab · Guru

I would hate to see CJ go, once he's gone i expect a real downfall because i don't think Jarvis is a very good coach. i saw him in the AHL last year and i didn't like some of the stuff he did. Ie lines and such.

AWOL · Veteran Member

The only place I have seen anyone even mention the possibility of a CJ firing is.... gohabs.com!

I don't read the french press, but then I don't read the enquirer either.

beakermania · Senior Member

heet_150 wrote:

What's next? Maybe trading a hall of fame goalie after throwing a tantrum on the bench having been mercifully pulled? I am of course kidding. I do not want CJ fired, but crazier things have happened. Remeber Ted Nolan?

Rumour has it, and this is just a rumour, but Nolan was blackballed for messing around with his hall of fame goalie's wife.

I don't know if this is true, but it makes you wonder why a coach of the year was fired that summer and hasn't gotten another NHL job since then.

heet_150 · Guru

beakermania wrote:

Rumour has it, and this is just a rumour, but Nolan was blackballed for messing around with his hall of fame goalie's wife. I don't know if this is true, but it makes you wonder why a coach of the year was fired that summer and hasn't gotten another NHL job since then.

I believe it had more to do with his constant bickering with his GM (was it Muckler?). Nolan wouldn't play some high priced talent, or gave too much time to low priced talent. He apparently got a reputation as someone who's motto was "My way or the highway."

However, I am glad to see he is coaching a high caliber team. The last I had heard, he was WAY up north coaching disadvantaged inuit school kids.