Is the weight of a city and a franchise proving too heavy for Brian Gionta?

by Willey

When any team starts a new NHL campaign with a record of seven wins, four losses and a tie in their first 12 games, there is really not a lot to complain about. The Montreal Canadiens currently sit atop the North East Division while the opposition struggles to put points on the board.

Despite this overall team success, many of the individual players continue to struggle to put the puck in the net, namely Michael Cammalleri and Brian Gionta.

In the 2009-10 campaign the above mentioned All-Stars produced 26 and 28 goals respectively, despite both missing considerable time with injuries.

This season however, despite both players being healthy, finding the back of the net is proving a lot more difficult than expected.

12 games into the season and Cammalleri has scored in 27% of the games he has played and Gionta in just 8%. By those standards, if this current pace continues we will see a conclusion of the 2010-11 campaign with Cammalleri having netted 22 goals and Gionta a meager seven.


Is a lacking of scoring something to worry about 12 games into a season?

The likely answer to the above question is no. 12 games do not a season make.

The fact is that with such a limited amount of games having been played, chemistry with one another is always an issue. Simply put it takes time to learn your teammate’s nuances in order to succeed even if you have played together in previous seasons.

The problem is even further compounded with the fact that, generally speaking, veterans take slightly longer to get things in gear than do the rookies, who have something to prove. A quick look at the leader board tells the tale as four of the top five scorers in the league right now are under the age of 23.

The biggest explanation however can be directed towards the loss of Andrei Markov. Markov is the offensive catalyst for a team who has finished among the top five power plays (PP) in four of the past five seasons.

Without Markov's presence, the PP is weak and ineffective. However as he regains his form of seasons past, the highly touted power play will once again start to produce and statistics will be padded throughout the entire roster.

The person who will benefit the most from this resurgence will be our captain.

With a 5'7 frame Gionta is the type of player who excels with the man advantage. This is evident by looking at his production on the PP in 2009-10, where Gio led his team with 10 goals in just 61 games.

In all likelihood given the work ethic and determination of Gionta, it should be just a matter of time before the mental hurdle is overcome and the back of the net is once again filled.

Despite this optimism there is still that little bit of doubt which creeps into the back of my mind. A doubt which plagues my thoughts and continues to poke its finger deep into my sciatic nerve.


Is being captain too much for Gionta to handle?

Unfortunately, I still think the answer to this question is yes.

When I was first asked who I wanted to be named captain of my beloved Habs my initial response was Brian Gionta. The guy outright plays with his heart on his chest and gives his omnipresent sports cliche of 110%. In essence, he was a younger version of one of my favorite all-time Habs, Saku Koivu.

There is, however, an enormous difference between wanting someone to be named captain and ultimately thinking that they should be named captain.

The one argument which prevented me from thinking No. 21 should wear the “C” was the fact that his experience with wearing the letter on his chest as the main spokesman for a team was limited.

Apart from a season in Boston College having led his team to the NCAA championships, Gionta has never been given the designation at any other level. Realistically his experience as a leader was to carry his team on his back in front of 4,000-5,000 fans a game two nights per week.

I am by no means knocking Gio for never being given the opportunity at the NHL level. In my opinion if he was playing for 28 other teams in this league he would likely be the hands down selection.

Playing hockey in the cities of Montreal and Toronto, however, takes a player with a track record of "been there, done that" and a pedigree of leadership for which, right now, I still fear he is lacking.

In Montreal particularly, being named captain means being the hero of a province and culture. It means advertisements, and constant interviews. It means dealing with the scrutiny of a fan base who demands success and who often judges a player not only with their performance on the ice, but by what language they speak off of it.

Whether this treatment is fair for a player is not my place to decide, however the fact remains that this is a constant issue for our hockey team and a specific breed of player is needed to succeed in it. Unfortunately not all can.

Koivu despite being considered one of the greatest leaders in the game, an inspiration for his nation of Finland and one of the longest serving captains in Montreal Canadiens history—next to only the great Jean Beliveau—could never meet the expectations of the people.

Koivu, under constant scrutiny, was chastised by the media on a near daily basis. Despite the fact he generated millions of dollars for cancer research. Whether the team was winning or losing the same question prevailed, “How come you do not speak French?”

When push comes to shove, millions of dollars in donations, living in Montreal year round, leading your team to multiple playoffs performances and battling one of the worst diseases known to man always takes a back seat to being able to speak French.

My hope was for the Canadiens to appoint a player who could live through this kind of scrutiny and who would still be able to elevate his game and lead the team to success.

I am still not certain whether that man has emerged and I still doubt whether Gionta is, or can be that man.


Will Gionta be different?

Truthfully I hope he will be, however I have my doubts.

On one hand I ask myself what sets him apart from other captains in the league like Vincent Lecavalier or Roberto Luongo. Players who despite their elite level abilities and work ethic, seemed to have difficulties carrying the load of the “C” while trying to maintain a consistent effort on the ice.

On the other hand, given Gionta' character, I cannot help but feel like he will succeed.

Unlike Koivu, No. 21 has already enrolled himself in French lessons and in a little over one season, has already publicly spoken in French more often that Saku ever did.

This is without a doubt a public relations move by the Montreal Canadiens as a whole. Regardless of the intentions of the team, the player must still commit himself to learning the language and right now Gio is taking steps to ensure that he is loved in Montreal.

What this tells me is that Gionta is committed to this city and to this team, and will do everything in his power to succeed.

Every step he has made, every word he has spoken has been convincing. I just fear that the weight of an entire city, province and culture will be too heavy for the frame of our 5’7 right winger.

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Willey was the shinning light among the wicked growing up as the lone Habs fan in Toronto. Pray to Holy Ghosts of the old forum and all shall be answered I was told, and just like that my family was transferred back to Montreal and away from the damned. Olé Olé Olé.

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