Have the Montreal Canadiens Lost Touch with the Fans? - Part IV

by Willey

When I originally set out with this little rant I asked myself a simple question: Have the Montreal Canadiens lost touch with the fan base?

Although the answer to this question certainly differs from one person to the next, I stand firm with my feelings that they have.

In the past week and a half I have tried to examine or at least protest against some of the things that really bother me about the Montreal Canadiens; the disconnect between the general manager and coaching staff, the lack of pro development with many of our younger players and a pro scouting department which, in my opinion, is seriously lacking.

So, have I answered the very question that I originally set out to answer?

On the surface it may not look like I have but the reason I mentioned these various aspects is simple. The Montreal Canadiens were once a representation of a city, a province and a culture, but what they have become is just a business.


The day things started to change

In recent years I have heard much ill will towards our current President, Pierre Boivin. Whether the discussion originated from Twitter, Facebook, HockeyBuzz or here at HabsAddict.com, the chatter was constant; Pierre Gauthier is not the right man for the job.

Fans argued that the team lacked a French-Canadian superstar or any superstar for that matter, which ultimately hurt this club. I have heard discussions calling for Boivin's resignation after publicly saying that the coach of the Montreal Canadiens had to be French. Moreover, there are those who look at the revolving coaching carousel as a sign of a man who has lost control of his GM and ultimately his team.

Are any of these actions a means to fire the President and CEO of the Club de hockey Canadien, evenko and l'Aréna des Canadiens inc.?

Not a chance.

The Montreal Canadiens have the absolute best president in hockey!

I am sure there are those of you out there who are laughing at the notion, but you have to look beyond the day-to-day operations of this team to see why.

When George Gillett took an 80% majority share in the Montreal Canadiens in January of 2001 at a cost of $180 million US, he took on a team in despair.

The building was partially empty, tickets could be had at the drop of a coin, the team struggled on the ice and the people as a whole seemed to have, well, almost lost interest in the Bleu Blanc Rouge.

On a personal level, I remember calling the ticket office when I had a break in class at Dawson College and inquired into season tickets. A simple question was asked from the other end; where do you want to sit? Well my friends try that now and you like many of us will be told that a $200 and a $35 administration fee per year is now required to have your name maintained on what is now a 7-8 year waiting list for season tickets.

Under the guidance and direction of Boivin however, the team has seen a complete 180 degree change in fate, regardless of the lack of a Stanley Cup since 1993.


What has Boivin done?

Pierre Boivin decided that the Montreal Canadiens could no longer be viewed as a passion or a cultured symbol but rather a business; a business which needed to be redefined and ultimately re-branded.

As such, Boivin’s primary focus was brand recognition.

Surely the Habs logo has been around long before you are I, but Boivin saw an opportunity of re-building it through the community.

Billboards scattered across the city, public speaking events at various schools, ball hockey tournaments, the creation of the Montreal Canadiens Hockey School, the building of community based hockey rinks in under-privileged areas and ultimately, city wide campaigns which focused on player familiarity with a sense of belonging.

Boivin essentially brought the Montreal Canadiens back to the people with a cunning business model focused on mass awareness, which ultimately resulted in sky rocketing profits.

His brilliance however did not stop with the Canadiens.

Pierre Boivin helped with the creation Gillett Entertainment Group (GEG)—now Evenko—a company which redefined the Montreal arts scene and focused on bringing in some of the biggest acts in the world at a time when Montreal more often than not was being passed over.

This change of philosophy re-positioned the Bell Centre from a rarely used facility to now the second busiest arena/stadium in the world behind only Wembley Stadium in London, England.

Under the guidance of Pierre Boivin, which saw the team sold on two separate occasions—to George Gillett in January of 2001 and to Geoff Molson on June 20th, 2009 (the day the NHL Board of Directors approved the sale)—the value of the brand grew by more than 240%, eventually selling for $575 million.

This while giving the perception that “Les Glorieux” remained nothing more than a team and passion.


What about the Fans?

It is perhaps unfortunate but the opinions of the fans do not matter.

As a simple task try to reel off some of the fan favorite players that have laced up the skates since the lockout in 2005. I would say Jaroslav Halak, Alexei Kovalev, Mike Komisarek, Cristobal Huet, Sheldon Souray, Guillaume Latendresse, José Theodore, Saku Koivu and I would argue now Carey Price and P.K. Subban.

With the exception of Price and Subban, none of those people are playing in Montreal. Do you see a theme here?

Yet people continue to buy jerseys and T-shirts of their favorite players, they continue to buy game tickets and spend $11 on a freaking beer or $4 on a hot dog.

Yet despite these considerable dollars being spent, the fans collective voice does not have a say.

Is it fair for an individual making $40,000 a year to spend $200 on a jersey and another $300-500 for a game to simply have management let that favorite player walk away at the end of the season?

Should we expect management to listen to us when there is a public outcry because PK Subban is forced to sit in the press box for three consecutive games?

Why is it that since the departure of Patrick Roy we have been starved for the acquisition of a French Superstar, a sentiment even further echoed by the president, yet to this day the closest thing to filling that void is Benoit Pouliot or Mathieu Darche?

We have to start facing the facts here folks. It is not that management does not care about the people, it’s that they can’t.

There is a disconnect between the organization and the fans but nothing else can be expected because hockey is a business.


Conclusion

The world has changed.

In the Golden years of the NHL, superstars like Maurice Richard lived normal lives. During the day they paid bills by working at industrial factories and at night they practiced with the team and played a game in front of a 15,000 people.

There were no systems for players to follow, no player development or regimes to follow. Hockey was a game. It was a game played by normal everyday people for normal everyday people.

The players had very little rights, made very little money and ultimately played a game because they had an undying passion for it.

What once started as a pastime however has since evolved to the point where a fourth line player, like a Georges Laraque, makes $1.5 million per season. Is it fair that such a player, with limited abilities, makes more than 3000% what the national average salary is in Canada?

Likely not, but we are in no position to complain.

Fans continue to flock to the arena and spend millions of dollars annually on memorabilia and merchandise. In Canada, whether a team is a basement dweller or a contender for the Stanley Cup generally has no impact on tickets sales or revenues.

If we are displeased with the moves management makes, or the roster that we ice on a nightly basis, ultimately we still come to the arena.

Is there a disconnect between management and the fans?

Yes, without a doubt. But this is not in the hands of management but rather the fans as a whole. The game of hockey has evolved and with it so have the players, management and ownership.

The fans however have not.

Sure we know there is a business angle to the game but most of us still see the Habs as our team.

When you are management you must take the emotion away from your decision making.

But for the rest of us, the Habs are so deeply rooted in our culture and our spirit that it is hard to come to terms with the fact that they are no longer just a means of enjoyment.

Make sure to check out Parts 1-3:
Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV

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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.

Posted in: habs,montreal canadiens,pierre boivin