Ribs recent comments on Saku's leadership

Kendich · Veteran Member

Ribs recent comments on Saku's leadership

Muller93 · Guru

Kendich wrote:

From a recent interview, here's what was asked, and below is Ribs response. Que pensez-vous de votre capitaine, Saku Koivu?Dommage de voir qu’il apporte plus de leadership à l’équipe finlandaise qu’à celle du Canadien… Faites-vous à l’idée que je ne peux en dire plus. Donc à vous de juger… Translation: What do you think of your captain, Saku Koivu? and Ribs responds with "It's a shame to see that he brings more leadership to team Finland than to the Canadiens. Understand that I can't say more. So I leave you to judge. What a terrible thing to say and couldn't have been said at a worse time. Ribs is an idiot! http://www.planetehockey.com/?p=reportage&id=2296

Is this a true comment? If so, look for Ribby to be in Hamilton or Peoria very soon. NO team, and I maen NO team would want him. And if it is true...I wish him well in some god forsaken town wearinh his gangsta suit...I hope he meets up with Snoop dog...love to see what old Snoop would do to his punk a#$.

JohnM · Guru

I saw this on another board already... I can't believe that this comment is true. No athlete would say something like this in public about their teammate.

Key Lime · Guru

I wouldn't be surprised if the did say that about Saks. Here's what he said this weekend being interviewed by a French journalist about Kovalev:

"On sent que ça lui tente de jouer depuis cinq ou six parties"

Translated - We feel that he's had the will to play during the last 5 - 6 games. What an idiot!

wright · Veteran Member

Typical comment from the little puke. For me Riberio's character was defined when he faked an injury and rolled around like a european football player during the playoffs with the Bruins two years ago. After looking like he was mortally wounded he gets up laughing. Here is a guy who is minus 12 on the year has a pathetic 34 pionts in 58 games. Look in the mirror, you are a second line center expected to produce more and have failed miserably. instead of attacking Koviu do something productive on the ice!

AB Habman · Guru

It's obvious to many that Saks has slept throught the season in comparison to now! You'd have to be blind or in denial to not notice this!

Is Ribs frustrated by this? Is he speaking for many on the team? He obviously doesn't buy Saks so called leadership role and the new contract must be a slap in the face to himself because the team isn't on the same page as Saks!

Whatever the reasoning is, I don't agree speaking your mind to the public! This will only create more animosity! He either needs to keep his thoughts to himself or go clear his mind or frustrations to management behind closed doors!

Not only that, but he's being hypocritical because he hasn't played well himself until the last few games!

This has to be him saying, the team's Captain and priorities are a complete joke so I want to be traded!

wright · Veteran Member

Riberio is a prime time flake, who in the dressing room would listen to this guy? He plays an incredibly soft game, is a poor face off man, does not know the concept of back checking, and when has he ever sacraficed himself for the team? Has this guy ever blocked a shot. As I said in my last post he is a minus 12 and has what 34 points. For this over rated stiff to even go public with comments of Koviu's leadership is a complete and utter joke. If Riberio has any credibility in the dressing room then this team has even more significant problems than any of us realize.

Muller93 · Guru

AB Habman wrote:

It's obvious to many that Saks has slept throught the season in comparison to now! You'd have to be blind or in denial to not notice this! Is Ribs frustrated by this? Is he speaking for many on the team? He obviously doesn't buy Saks so called leadership role and the new contract must be a slap in the face to himself because the team isn't on the same page as Saks!

Oh AB. Give it up man. Your hero is a loser...just accept and move on.

JohnM · Guru

I was going to say something Muller but I think AB might have been dropped on his head as a kid. Take it easy on the guy, he doesn't know what he says makes him sound like... well you know.

MrsHab · Veteran Member

and Ribs responds with "It's a shame to see that he brings more leadership to team Finland than to the Canadiens. Understand that I can't say more. So I leave you to judge.

If this comment is true and not misconstrued by the media, then as far as I am concerned, Ribeiro is toast in my estimation. Even if this is the way he feels, it is totally tasteless to verbally trash another team player to the media or anyone else. What an idiot. Problems in the dressing room? Gee, I wonder why.

Hopefully, the comment was taken out of context, but I doubt it somehow.

AB Habman · Guru

This comment like MrsHab stated if true than could turn into two positives!

#1 It should be a wake up call to Saks that his priorities should lie with his team and hopefully motivate him to play like he did for Finns!

#2 A wake-up call for Gainey to trade Ribs!

These two things can only benefit the Habs!

MrsHab · Veteran Member

My comment was not intended to knock Koivu and I am not questionning his priorities. Playing on an Olympic team is far different than playing in the NHL. Please don't include me in your opinion of Koivu. My comment was directed at Ribeiro only.

plouf · Guru

Curious how Gainey will deal with this one. I'm a fan of Gainey, but I hope he takes a hard line here.
Here's a post from another board on the topic:

Gainey's Biggest Mistake Looking back at it, it had nothing to do with coaches,trades or contracts. Gainey's biggest mistake was in not taking a side in the whole Ribeiro-Koivu incident. He needed to choose between the two and set the tone for the team. Either you back your captain and don't give any legitimacy to a player in his first full year as an NHLer,or you dump the captain to show what character you are looking for and what is expected of a veteran on the team with regards the younger players.
By not doing either,all he did was castrate the captain,by undermining his status, and removing any belief, in the players mind, that Koivu was his man in the dressing room and on the ice. He allowed guys like Ribeiro, to buy into the idea that they are untouchables and nobody could reproach them about anything, and we have seen the results in their effort and performance.
The media and fans can scream all they want that the team lacks leadership, but as soon as you take away the captain's status as field general,all he can do is be a lameduck leader, and to Koivu's credit,he at least continued to put out an individual effort on the ice. The rest of the veterans just took a live and let live attitude as they saw that by Gainey's lack of action, that stirring up things or calling out the team was not desired as part of their roles. The only one who tried that this year was Kovalev who wasn't around at the time and he met with the same condemnation in the media that Koivu did, and again Gainey said nothing. All it would have taken was a simple quote from Gainey saying that "I look to the veterans to help instill a winning spirit in the team,and maybe it would be beneficial if the team listened when they spoke", to drive the point home to the team. Kovalev has been non entity since that incident.
In my opinion the lack of effort we are seeing now, is clearly a result of Gainey allowing the veteran leadership to be undercut by not having their back when they needed him to. He lost the team as GM,and that is the reason they have not reponded under his coaching. Nobody respects him, not the veterans, and not the younger players that saw him play impotent as GM when dealing with them.

Quote:“I want to be here as long as possible and even though I know they have won a lot of Stanley Cups here, I plan to bring another one to Montreal.” - Forward Alex Kovalev, who signed a four-year deal with the Habs

plouf · Guru

Just a caveat or two:

That post does not necessarily reflect my opinion, and I think there are some inaccuracies in it. For one thing, Kovalev did not totally disappear after the Koivu-Ribeiro fight...

Thought it might be interesting to read though, as a theory. It's from a few weeks ago.

Chris68 · Veteran Member

There is only one action possible for Gainey: Send Ribeiro IMMEDIATELY to Hamilton or trade him away for whatever you gonna get!!!!!! This guy is not acceptable anymore in the team. I already lost my respect when he played the clown during the playoffs vs. the Bruins.

AB Habman · Guru

We'll soon find out where Gainey sits in this grade school juvenile mess that has been there for a long time!

He is no counselor but you'd have to think that the heavy contract he gave to Saks speaks volumes of who he sides with! On the flip side if he stands by and says or does nothing that he may agree with Ribs sentiment to a point that he hopes will motivate Saks to play better! If it means a better chance of making the playoffs then, no harm done to the pocket book!

The sad thing is though, these guys are men that obviously hate each other! Maybe Gainey is hoping that his Captain finally drops his gloves and trys to settle this on his own behind closed doors! They're both in the same weight class so there shouldn't be any harm in Saks protecting himself! That may win Saks more respect from his peers if he can lay a good old fashion beating on Ribs!

I think to blame Gainey for this whole mess is a stretch! Gainey can't hold his Captain's hand on this one because it may send a message to the whole roster that he's too feeble to fulfill his role as Captain. This could backfire and Saks may then lose the respect of the whole roster except maybe Rivet who wears the A on his heart!

We will soon see where this ends up by the reaction of Saks or Gainey! But if Gainey still doesn't react, I wouldn't lay blame as I see it, he could be turning it into a positive by not reacting and hoping his Captain finally steps up to the plate on and off the ice!

Remember, he has yet to make a trade so he may have to approach this from a different angle! A trade is easier said than done!

JohnM · Guru

AB are you really Ribs... You seem to be posting alot during the past two weeks and Ribs is not at the Olympics.... Coincidence, I think not.

barry33 · Guru

MrsHab wrote:

My comment was not intended to knock Koivu and I am not questionning his priorities. Playing on an Olympic team is far different than playing in the NHL. Please don't include me in your opinion of Koivu. My comment was directed at Ribeiro only.

This is the point this board has come to. EVen Mrs Hab, who never has a bad thing to say about anyone..is afraid to make a comment that even remotely questions Saks' effort or performance. She had to come back with a disclaimer in her next post fearing that the vultures would swoop down on her. Thats ok Mrs Hab. I AM questioning his priorities.

Jay1982 · Guru

barry33 wrote:

Thats ok Mrs Hab. I AM questioning his priorities.

Barry to the rescue

JohnM · Guru

Don't think Mrs. Hab was taking anything back, AB just likes to take posts out of context and turn them on Sak.

Ando · Guru

Kendich wrote:

"It's a shame to see that he brings more leadership to team Finland than to the Canadiens.

I seriously doubt Ribeiro said it in public (although it pretty much summarizes what many are thinking).

Anyway.....Saku had better bring back his enthusiasm and spark for the game however...or else the above quote will pretty much sum up the sentiments of the 21,273 attendees following the 6 game roadtrip.

...ditto for Alexei!

JohnM · Guru

Theo did himself a favor by breaking his whatever.... He's hoping the fans forget the season he's had...

barry33 · Guru

JohnM wrote:

Theo did himself a favor by breaking his whatever.... He's hoping the fans forget the season he's had...

MrsHab · Veteran Member

JohnM wrote:

Don't think Mrs. Hab was taking anything back, AB just likes to take posts out of context and turn them on Sak.

Thank you John...that is exactly what happened. I was annoyed that I was posting about Ribeiro only. Seems to me the topic was about the impropriety of Ribeiro's comment. It was entirely inapropriate, no matter who he was talking about which was the point I was trying to make. The situation between Ribeiro and Saks is another matter.

Barrie, thanks for the rescue...It's true I try to be fair but on the other hand I am not afraid to say what I think. We all have the right to opinions about individual players and the team as a whole but I hate "player bashing" which is a totally different thing, no matter which player it is.

plouf · Guru

barry33 wrote:

MrsHab wrote:
My comment was not intended to knock Koivu and I am not questionning his priorities. Playing on an Olympic team is far different than playing in the NHL. Please don't include me in your opinion of Koivu. My comment was directed at Ribeiro only.
This is the point this board has come to. EVen Mrs Hab, who never has a bad thing to say about anyone..is afraid to make a comment that even remotely questions Saks' effort or performance. She had to come back with a disclaimer in her next post fearing that the vultures would swoop down on her. Thats ok Mrs Hab. I AM questioning his priorities.

Barry, do you really think Mrs.Hab is afraid that the pro-Saku folks will attack her?
Who are you referring to? Give us a little credit here.

barry33 · Guru

plouf wrote:

barry33 wrote: MrsHab wrote: My comment was not intended to knock Koivu and I am not questionning his priorities. Playing on an Olympic team is far different than playing in the NHL. Please don't include me in your opinion of Koivu. My comment was directed at Ribeiro only. This is the point this board has come to. EVen Mrs Hab, who never has a bad thing to say about anyone..is afraid to make a comment that even remotely questions Saks' effort or performance. She had to come back with a disclaimer in her next post fearing that the vultures would swoop down on her. Thats ok Mrs Hab. I AM questioning his priorities. Barry, do you really think Mrs.Hab is afraid that the pro-Saku folks will attack her? Who are you referring to? Give us a little credit here.

My point is that everytime anyone on this board says anything that is not totally glowing about our Captain you need to endure about 20 posts with the tone of "how dare you" and "you have no idea what you are talking about". The fact is that I am the first one to praise Koivu, Kovalev, or Ribiero for that matter when they are doing well or trying. But the fact that Koivu or Kovalev have done great things in the past does not make them immune to criticism. The fact is that Koivu has not had a good couple of months with the Habs has not been good. He is close to being a minus player now and has taken numerous lazy and stupid penalties, which Gainey has pointed out publicly.

Kovalev and Koivu need to step up if we are to make the playoffs. Saks now does not have the contract issue to worry about so that should keep his mind solely on hockey. As far a sthe underachievers on the team like Ribs and Souray, well they need to step it up as well. But this will happen if our 2 big guns start putting it together.

JohnM · Guru

The team needs to step up Barry. This is a team sport and yes it will need Koivu and Kovy to bring it but it will also need the rest of the players to step it up...

Nil d · Guru

plouf wrote:

Barry, do you really think Mrs.Hab is afraid that the pro-Saku folks will attack her? Who are you referring to? Give us a little credit here.

God knows I won't attack her! To trash Mrs. Hab is even worse in my book than trashing Saku!

wright · Veteran Member

The Canadiens are struggling to make the playoffs, and seemingly have underacheived this season. Does Koviu need to take responsibility as captain of this team for the Habs current position, in part yes. Perhaps he has "lost" part of the team and Riberio's comments are accurate, somehow though I think Riberio speaks for only a tiny fraction of the team. Riberio's pathetic play this season along side his good friend Theodore are two of the most significant reasons why the Canadiens are where they are. Riberio has proven time and again that he has no character, guts or integrity with his poor play on ice this season. Perhaps while shifting the blame away from himself he could have called out Theodore for his poor play on ice and his poor behaviour and work ethic off the ice as well. On a bad night Koviu will at least have a few shifts that positively impact the team, Riberio goes weeks on end doing absolutely nothing productive on the ice. Riberio is supposed to be a second line center, taking some of the pressure off of Koviu, of course he has not done that at all.

Koviu's play has been inconsistent this season, and I worry about a downturn after giving so much on ice during the olympics. If over the next two weeks Koviu's play slumps he will be roasted. Of course chances are Riberio will have contributed nothing to the cause, and of course will not be held accountable for his lackluster production.

AB Habman · Guru

Mrs Hab, I didn't quote you, I was merely refering to your comment of Rib's comment about it being potentially misconstrued when I stated "this comment like MrsHab stated if true than could turn into two positives".

I was agreeing with that part of your post and that is why I didn't quote your whole post! If I somehow offended you, I'm sorry!