Montreal Canadiens appoint Marc Bergevin as new General Manager of team -NHL Update
The search for the Canadiens new general manager finally came to an end on Wednesday, May 2, 2012, as Montreal announced the appointment of Chicago Blackhawks assistant GM and former National Hockey League (NHL) defenseman.
As the team struggled to get into the playoffs during the 2011-2012 NHL regular season and at one point being in the race and then falling to the lowest spot in the Eastern Conference, Montreal Canadiens knew that changes were needed to be made.
Firing head coach, Jacques Martin, earlier in the season did not seem to make any effect on the team and bringing in assistant coach, Randy Cunneyworth, as the interim head just made matters worse. Not only did the interim coach not know how to speak French,
which brought him under intense heat from fans, but also his coaching abilities proved to be weak.
In a move to change all that, Bergevin was reported to have told Cunneyworth that he would not remain as the head for the upcoming season and would be demoted to his former position, meaning that Montreal is now looking for a new head coach as well.
Team president, Geoff Molson, made the announcement about appointing the Montreal born Marc Bergevin.
"We feel we have selected an individual with the potential to lead our organization in the future," Molson said at the news conference. "We were looking for a candidate with very strong leadership capability, great communication skills at all levels and
someone with a clear determination and commitment to winning."
"I believe the pieces are really good," Bergevin added after Molson. "Obviously finishing 15th in the conference, it's a lot of work that needs to be done, but you have a good base."
"I'm proud of it and I'm going to enjoy it," Bergevin stated.
Former Montreal general manager, Pierre Gauthier, was also relieved of his duties nearly a month ago, a move which had brought much speculation to who would be hired as the new GM. Bergevin’s name had always been on the list due to his French heritage and
ability to lead teams towards championships.
Marc Bergevin spent 20 seasons in the NHL before becoming a scouting director, assistant coach, assistant GM and now GM.
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