'This organization needs a fresh start': Montreal Canadiens owner Geoff Molson on firing GM Marc Bergevin
Calling it a "fresh start," Montreal Canadiens owner, president and CEO Geoff Molson said Monday he will hire two people to replace the general manager he fired Sunday with a focus on diversity.
Molson addressed the media after "relieving" Marc Bergevin of his GM duties along with assistant GM Trevor Timmins and senior VP of public affairs and communications Paul Wilson.
"I strongly believe that this organization needs a fresh start," said Molson, adding that the organization has made 45 draft picks in the past five years and 11 more are coming.
"It is essential that we structure our organization around properly developing this group of talent," he said.
The quest for a new GM begins now, Molson said, adding that the new GM will need to be bilingual and part of the team's diversity plan.
"From the hockey side, there is quite a big opportunity to intruduce different perspectives into the organization, and that will just make us stronger," said Molson.
In fact, there will be two positions replacing Bergevin's post.
Former New York Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton will serve as executive vice president of hockey operations as the team searches for a new general manager to work alongside him.
"It's a lot for one person, and if I could back up a few years and know what I know today, I would have complimented him (Bergevin) with another person," said Molson. "It's that big a job in this market."
Molson said Gorton has signed a long-term contract, and that Molson's role as Canadiens president will not change.
Bergevin was fired the day after assistant GM Scott Mellanby resigned in the middle of the Canadiens' game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Bergevin served for a decade as Habs GM, highlighted by a trip to the Stanley Cup finals last season.
In 10 seasons, the Habs went 344-265-81 (18th best in the NHL). The Canadiens won three division titles, and made the playoffs six times.
This year, however, Montreal has just 14 points after 23 games, the fewest in franchise history. The team also has a minus-29 goal difference, better than only the Arizona Coyotes.
Molson said Monday that the start to the season has been "unacceptable."
The team is fourth from the bottom of the league tied with fellow struggling Canadian franchise from the west coast - the Vancouver Canucks. Both teams have won just six games in regulation this season.
The two teams face each other Monday night at the Bell Centre in a battle of the basement dwellers.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.