French press put heat on Kovalev ......

Forum Fan · Veteran Member

French press put heat on Kovalev ......

barry33 · Guru

Forum Fan wrote:

...........apparently his stellar comeback game against the Sens has been forgotten and press is saying he hasn't done anything since ....Jacque Demers has stated that his dust-up with Begin is unacceptable ...and his performances during the last road trip were weak ....particularly against Pittsburgh where he allowed the Pens to get him off his game ..... ...Kovalev in response says his play is typical of someone coming of a knee injury .....from a personal perspective ..there's no denying Kovalev's skill level however he is inconsistent to say the least ...and now to inflame the situation ...this seems to be a problem with a lot of Russian players

I now rest my case on what I have said about the French Media having WAY TOO MUCH SAY IN HOW THE TEAM IS RUN!!! Here guys like Ribiero and Dagenais are allowed to play and just go through the motions without a negative word from anyone!! Now they have the gall to come out and give a world class player like Kovalev, who came back from knee surgery early because he WANTED to help the team, a hard time????!??? Give me a freaking break. Don't you find it just a bit strange that Demers would choose Begin's side over Kovalev's in that little dustup?

I have no problem with the media or fans questioning a guy's effort or performance. But to sit around and not say a thing about Theodore or Ribiero and critisize Kovalev is so blatanly biggoted and biased it is pathetic. I can guarantee you if Ribiero's last name was Ribieorkov he would not be afforded the free ride.

-- Edited by barry33 at 10:13, 2006-01-09

brooklynhabfan · Guru

barry33 wrote:

I now rest my case on what I have said about the French Media having WAY TOO MUCH SAY IN HOW THE TEAM IS RUN!!! Here guys like Ribiero and Dagenais are allowed to play and just go through the motions without a negative word from anyone!! Now they have the gall to come out and give a world class player like Kovalev, who came back from knee surgery early because he WANTED to help the team, a hard time????!??? Give me a freaking break. Don't you find it just a bit strange that Demers would choose Begin's side over Kovalev's in that little dustup?
I have no problem with the media or fans questioning a guy's effort or performance. But to sit around and not say a thing about Theodore or Ribiero and critisize Kovalev is so blatanly biggoted and biased it is pathetic. I can guarantee you if Ribiero's last name was Ribieorkov he would not be afforded the free ride.-- Edited by barry33 at 10:13, 2006-01-09

So sad to see this sort of thing. Same idiot logic that's behind the policy of no English on emergency signs on the main highway to Ontario. Taking an important issue like the identity of Francophone-Canadians and twisting it for the lowest common denominator to devour like a fatty sausage at a truck stop.

What do they hope to gain? As a kid, I never thought too much about what language Ken Dryden and Lapointe were speaking to each other on or off the ice.

Muller93 · Guru

Yep, this whole French-English thing is a real problem. Never did quite understand this whole "identity" thing that Quebec has. Anyone care to explain?

From the habs perspective, I think the negative influence has never been worse. Jacques Demers is a bit of a jack@#@ anyhow so who cares about his take on the Kovalev-Begin thing. Heck, he would side with Ribero even if Bobby Orr was the captain of the habs !!

Ando · Guru

Hey Muller93...get to the library and read Michel Gratton's "French Canadians - An Outsider's Inside Look at Quebec"...then try and tell me that Quebec is NOT a distinct society with it's own unique identity!

...as for the media interfering, what do you all think that WE are doing here!??? This IS media...and to a certain degree, this DOES impact the Montreal Canadiens! Not many pro franchises have these types of "fans" (as in, the word "Fanatic"). Honestly...there are posts here on this board in July...on Christmas Day...365 days per year. We have all bickered and bitched at each other.....but it is all one little part of Habdom!!!

The french media keeps the team honest in my opinion...all part of being a Hab lover...get used to it!

brooklynhabfan · Guru

Ando wrote:

Hey Muller93...get to the library and read Michel Gratton's "French Canadians - An Outsider's Inside Look at Quebec"...then try and tell me that Quebec is NOT a distinct society with it's own unique identity!

I think the issue is the extreme usage of rights, not the right to an individual identity - you don't need a book to see Quebec's got one!

Muller93 · Guru

Ando wrote:

Hey Muller93...get to the library and read Michel Gratton's "French Canadians - An Outsider's Inside Look at Quebec"...then try and tell me that Quebec is NOT a distinct society with it's own unique identity!

Read my post, I never said it wasn't. In any case, I am sure Newfoundlander's would argue they have their own unique identity. Same goes for Nova Scota etc etc. I will go grab the book you mentioned in hopes to better understand this bizzare division we have in Canada...thank you.

As for this board being media. Hmmmm. How many reader's do you suppose we have? Looking at the number of reads we seem to get, it can hardly be considered "media". Maybe by pure definition, but I mean come on now.

-- Edited by Muller93 at 18:58, 2006-01-09

brooklynhabfan · Guru

Muller93 wrote:

Ando wrote:

As for this board being media. Hmmmm. How many reader's do you suppose we have? Looking at the number of reads we seem to get, it can hardly be considered "media". Maybe by pure definition, but I mean come on now. -- Edited by Muller93 at 18:58, 2006-01-09

maybe media-ocre?

barry33 · Guru

Ando wrote:

Hey Muller93...get to the library and read Michel Gratton's "French Canadians - An Outsider's Inside Look at Quebec"...then try and tell me that Quebec is NOT a distinct society with it's own unique identity! ...as for the media interfering, what do you all think that WE are doing here!??? This IS media...and to a certain degree, this DOES impact the Montreal Canadiens! Not many pro franchises have these types of "fans" (as in, the word "Fanatic"). Honestly...there are posts here on this board in July...on Christmas Day...365 days per year. We have all bickered and bitched at each other.....but it is all one little part of Habdom!!! The french media keeps the team honest in my opinion...all part of being a Hab lover...get used to it!

Gotta disagree with ya there And-O. Gainey or julien do not even know this board exists let alone read it. However, they cannot escape the microphones shoved in their face after every practice, game, or when a player has a bowel movement. I said it before. I have no problem with the media, this board, or the Pope having an opinion on the Habs. That is what freedom is about. However, when I read pathetic and ludicrous statements that are clearly based on race or ethnic origin, rather than any semblance of FACT, I need to call the person on it. For Demers to diss Kovalev a seasoned future Hall of Famer, out because he had the gall to call out Begin..(what a 12 goal a season journeyman free agent?!??) simply to me smells of french biased. Ask yourself And-O why Ribiero continues to get played and why he has not been unmercifully booed everytime he touches the puck in Montreal. If Kovalev was playing like Ribiero has been all season what do you think the reaction would be? And puhlllllllleeaaaaaaase do not give me the "well Ribs does not make what Kovy makes so they should cut him more slack". Not relevant. What bugs me is this. Ask yourself if guys like Bertuzzi REALLY want to come play in Montreal knowing, that as non francophones, they are behind the 8 ball before they even lace on the skates. Trevor Lindon went on record after he got out that he was happy because he was never accepted in Montreal.

And before I get any of the "barry you are bigoted" remarks, I work for a french company and love my co-workers. And julien just happens to be a bit french.

Jay1982 · Guru

I just wish the french didn't put some much emphasis on language

Nil d · Guru

barry33 wrote:

Ask yourself And-O why Ribiero continues to get played and why he has not been unmercifully booed everytime he touches the puck in Montreal.

But Brisebois was booed unmercifully, and he's a francophone, so there's more to it than language or being a Quebecois. Also, the Habs' captain is a Finn, when there are several francophones on the team. So it may not be as black-and-white as you claim...........

barry33 · Guru

Nil d wrote:

barry33 wrote: Ask yourself And-O why Ribiero continues to get played and why he has not been unmercifully booed everytime he touches the puck in Montreal. But Brisebois was booed unmercifully, and he's a francophone, so there's more to it than language or being a Quebecois. Also, the Habs' captain is a Finn, when there are several francophones on the team. So it may not be as black-and-white as you claim...........

My point Nilsey is that the francophone players are given a longer leash. Had Brisebois been Russian, it would have taken much less time for the boo birds to come out than it did. Same as Ribiero (they have not started with him yet but will in time...it is just that he will be afforded more time than a Kovalev or a Rivet would). As for Koivu being captain, yes that is true. Although I do recall a mini uproar when he was appointed captain as the media felt that there were more "legitimate" choices. But I do not think this is a bigotry issue and I do not want it to become that. It is just a cultural issue built from so many years of "Les Habitants" being primarily francophone and the pride (and rightly so I may add) that radiates from that. I think it is not as bad as it once was because the media is getting used to the influx of Europeans etc.

Nil d · Guru

barry33 wrote:

I do not think this is a bigotry issue and I do not want it to become that. It is just a cultural issue built from so many years of "Les Habitants" being primarily francophone and the pride (and rightly so I may add) that radiates from that. I think it is not as bad as it once was because the media is getting used to the influx of Europeans etc.

OK; I'll buy that. We're wading in deep and sensitive issues here, and could spend the rest of the year debating this stuff...........

plouf · Guru

brooklynhabfan wrote:

Ando wrote: Hey Muller93...get to the library and read Michel Gratton's "French Canadians - An Outsider's Inside Look at Quebec"...then try and tell me that Quebec is NOT a distinct society with it's own unique identity! I think the issue is the extreme usage of rights, not the right to an individual identity - you don't need a book to see Quebec's got one!

Never seen it put so dead-on.

Truth is, whether we are francophone or not (and most of us on this board aren't), we decided to be fans of a francophone-identified team. This will always be part of what makes the Habs a "distinct franchise".

barry33 · Guru

plouf wrote:

brooklynhabfan wrote: Ando wrote: Hey Muller93...get to the library and read Michel Gratton's "French Canadians - An Outsider's Inside Look at Quebec"...then try and tell me that Quebec is NOT a distinct society with it's own unique identity! I think the issue is the extreme usage of rights, not the right to an individual identity - you don't need a book to see Quebec's got one! Never seen it put so dead-on. Truth is, whether we are francophone or not (and most of us on this board aren't), we decided to be fans of a francophone-identified team. This will always be part of what makes the Habs a "distinct franchise".

maybe we can get the government to spend some more sponsorship money on the habs hehe

Jonny G · Senior Member

barry33 wrote:

maybe we can get the government to spend some more sponsorship money on the habs hehe

I wish. The Province won't even consent to reducing the $7,8, or 9 million in annual property taxes on the Phone Booth.