I totally agree with you. That is why I hope that And-O and John M's wishes come true and CJ gets canned. I want him to be able to coach where not every move he makes is questioned and he does not have to justify every lineup move with the media. I wish that most people on here had some idea of just HOW the lineup is put together from game to game. You would be totally shocked as to how little input the coach has. You want to know why Ribs and Dagenais get as much ice time as they do and Perezhogin gets so little...give it some thought. I am sure it will come to you.

davidb wrote:

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Maybe we will see our shadow and pick up a few more wins. So tell me, I have been a fan for 35 years. South of the border we are not privy to the goings on. barry where does the pressure come from  Gainey, The Press or the fans  I really do not know and I am not being sarcastic

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David- all 3. Gainey puts pressure on to play certain players. Maybe he is trying to make a trade and they need to showcase him. Maybe he feels certain players need to be played alot because he is paying them too much (see Ribiero). The media is the media. I laugh when I read some of the comments here because they are based on what we read in the media. Yesterday all were happy because we read what a tough practice CJ ran. He has those all the time. However we only hear what the media in Montreal chooses to report. Yes he gives them a day off sometime. But I remember reading in the hockey news earlier this year that Souray said "Claude runs the toughest practices I have ever seen. You are worn out". Instead of reporting that, the Montreal media prefers to portray a "country club atmosphere".

The media in Montreal tends to try to create stories that are not there. Same as the little tiff between Higgins and Komo in practice. That is a joke. I get that in Bantam hockey for Gods sake. You travel together and spend so much time together even the best of buddies get on each other's nerves. You scrap and kiss an make up. Of course when you are losing this is magnified 1000 times. The Montreal media tends to be more like the National Enquirer than sports reporters when covering their beloved habs. All I will say is reader beware and do not believe everything you read.

And the fans...well all you need to do is read the posts here to feel the passion they have. Montreal fans are knolwedgeable but fickle. For instance, can anyone here explain tome why Brisebeois was booed mercilessly yet Ribs is viewed as a God? As bad as Ribs has played at times have you heard him booed in Montreal yet? No. If you think that Julien gets alot of heat now, can you imagine the uproar from the fans and media if he starts benching Ribs? That is why you seldom see an English coach in Montreal. At least if Julien benches the revered God Ribiero, he will not be accused of being anti-french. Maybe he is anti-USA for not playing Komisarek? Anti-Russian for not playing Perzhogan more?