Randy Tieman and Montreal Canadien Fans-Pathologically Optimistic

THE MYTH

Randy Tieman,sportscaster on CTV Television in Montreal and talk show host on The Team 990 all-sports radio station is a "glass half full" kind of guy. I respect that he can take a nothing day and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile...Mary Tyler Moore would be proud! Unfortunately, Tieman's philosophy on life extends itself to Montreal's "provincial treasure"...The Montreal Canadiens...To the point where he is pathologically optimistic about this team. "I want to see what this team can do once everyone is healthy!", "Wait until Andrei Markov comes back", "We're early in the season", "We're only 10 games,20 games,40games into the season","The team will be well rested after the Olympic break...And should get better" were just a few of the optimistic chants often used by Tieman since the first game of the 2009-2010 season when Andrei Markov went down with a serious injury. Injuries befell the rest of the team all season long...And we never did see how this team could "perform and dazzle" if everyone was healthy. Now that the Canadiens have made the playoffs, the new mantra for Tieman is "Anything can happen in the playoffs...You never know who can get hot!". Tieman's battle cry is shared by another hopeful individual...THE MONTREAL CANADIEN FAN(ATIC)!

Montreal Canadien fans have the same positive outlook as Tieman, only their blind optimism is focused on one thing and one thing ONLY...The hockey team. A Montreal Canadien fan can be best descibed as schizophrenic...Showing a love for this team and its players(see:Alex Kovalev,Ottawa Senators) so powerful it can manifest itself into rage...And hate (see: Saku Koivu,Anaheim Ducks). With Canadien fans, the team comes first, before any individual player or coach. If that player or coach becomes the unfortunate target of their frustrations, not even the mighty Bob Gainey can save them from the boo birds "hiding in the shadows" ...And it is most certain that their days in Montreal are numbered. Through the years, players come and go but the team's past(see:1943-1979 seasons) glories and success live on, as if Montreal fans believe a winning season, a playoff run and Stanley Cup win is preordained and part of the fans birth right!


THE TRUTH

RANDY TIEMAN,
-Healthy or not,I think it's self evident that the Canadiens are what they are...MEDIOCRE.
-No team is ever completely healthy...So don't hold you breath.
-This is a team assembled to play just well enough to make the playoffs and appease the fan base.
-It seems that very little was planned for the FUTURE(see:Scott Gomez)of the team(see:Capologist)
-The forwards are too small(see:The Lollypop Guild in The Wizard Of Oz)and cannot compete five on five.
-The defense(Spacek,Gill,Mara,O'Byrne,Bergeron,Hamrlik)is weak and non imposing.
-Andrei Markov is not as great as advertised.
-Halak and Price are future stars;unfortunately,the "goaltender controversy" has done little for either ones confidence.
-Is making the playoffs really good for the city of Montreal?(see:Montreal Canadien Fans Riot,2008,1993,1986).
-Let's hope the Canadiens win at least one game against the Washington Capitals so Nos Glorieux can lose the series on THE ROAD.
-There's nothing wrong with OPTIMISM for, the moment...But over a prolonged period, with all we've seen of this team; all that we hold as self evident...Who's fooling who?

THE MONTREAL CANADIEN FAN(ATIC),
-Singing the "Na,na,na,goodbye" song in the first period of any game is bad timing,bad taste...And embarrassing.
-Singing the "Na,na,na,goodbye" song on April the 10th, 2010 with 2 minutes remaining in a tie game against the Leafs is embarrassing.
-Squeeking into the playoffs with 1 point and giving Nos Glorieux a standing ovation for their "achievement" is embarrassing.
-Booing Carey Price in a Canadiens loss,regadless of his strong performance is embarrassing.
-Booing the American anthem is tasteless, ignorant and...embarrassing.
-Believing that the ghosts of the Montreal Forum exist is...silly.
-And embarrassing!
-Believing that wearing the CH gives the players "secret powers" to the past is...silly.
-Rioting in the streets of Montreal after a win or a loss in the playoffs takes away from the thrill or agony of the moment...It just cheapens our belief system...And it's damn embarrassing!
-French Canadian stars Maurice Richard, Jean Beliveau and Guy Lafleur have long retired, so stop searching for the next "chosen one".
-As long as management keeps searching for a French Canadian star, the future of this team will always be compromised.
-Thinking back at how proud and efficient and victorious this storied franchise once was makes us all think...Man were Canadien fans spoiled.
-Today, fans grasp at anything that gives them a tiny, minute taste of past glories; an 8th place finish in their conference; a mediocre French Canadian player; Alex Kovalev and his resemblance in style(and hair) to The Flower...HOW FAR THE MIGHTY (FANS) HAVE FALLEN.

The Team 990 - Radio Chaos!

Montreal is rich with french and (some) english radio stations that specialize in formats such as talk shows, news and a vast variety of music. There is only one station whose format is all sports, all day long - The Team 990. Since its incarnation on May the 7th, 2001, "The Team" has strived to give Montrealers quality sports talk radio, be it hockey, baseball, football etc. Through the years, "The Team's" radio schedule has gradually shifted from ESPN shows such as Dan Patrick and Colin Cowherd, intermingled with a few local shows...to a full daily lineup of all local talent and programming. By design, the vision and goals of "The Team" were probably well thought out with this natural progression of a Montreal themed sports station. The powers that be, through unfortunate circumstance and complacency, have lost focus in their radio station. Check no further than their web page...the style and format has remained unchanged for years. Some of the shows promoted on the site, like P On Sports and Totally Broad, have been off the air for years;The Race Line Radio e-mail does not exist;Blogs are so old that dust is collecting on the last updated heading (2007). The web page is not my primary concern but it is a sign...a sign of an operation in CHAOS! After nine years, The Team 990 seems to be slipping into a state a mediocrity ...and here is why.

INABILITY TO GAIN BROADCAST RIGHTS OF THE CANADIENS AND ALOUETTES
Unfortunately, to have a true Montreal stamp on all things sports, you must have the exclusivity to what is synonymous with Montreal...and life...The Montreal Canadiens and their radio broadcast rights. How can you be a true all sports station and, after nine years, not have the play by play broadcast of the Canadiens? Does CJAD, (the rights holder)a talk radio station, have such a stranglehold on the rights? This should have been priority number one at CKGM, from day one. The other major sports team in Montreal, the CFL's Montreal Alouettes, are also broadcast on...CJAD. The Team has the broadcast rights to...The Quebec Major Junior Leagues Juniors de Montreal and the MLS's Montreal Impact...the consolation prizes.
What is sad in a pathetic sort of way is there are nights when 990 will have their Canadiens pre-game show...then start broadcasting a Juniors game. Meanwhile, the listeners have switched stations (CJAD) for the Canadiens game. How long can a radio station survive covering a major sports team, all the while remaining on the fringe?
The broadcast rights of the Canadiens and Alouettes notwithstanding,what gets lost in the mix is the exclusive interviews that CJAD inherits with their broadcast rights. The Team ends up with generic media scrum interviews and tidbits of gossip.
To be fair, 990 did have the broadcast rights of the Montreal Expos and did a phenominal job of covering the team. We all know what happened to the Expos in '04 and in many ways, 990 has never recovered from the huge gap that their exodus created...not to mention the hole in the summer schedule.
If The Team fails to get these rights within a year or two, 990 on the a.m. dial may be playing the tunes of Slim Whitman and Conway Twitty...country music being the prerequisite in all format changes.
MEDIOCRE BROADCASTERS AND TALENT
Yes, The Team has some talented and unique broadcasters - Mitch Melnick, Elliott Price, Denis Casavant and Rod Francis - all capable of finding work in any market. They all have one thing in common...radio expertise and savvy. At The Team, this is the exception rather than the rule. Many of the on-air talent is not "ready for prime time" or, in the case of one broadcaster, just plain obnoxious. Let's rate the "other" main players:
- Sean Starr: Talks a good game, if you can understand him. For some reason, Starr feels that talking faster means you are more interesting. Talking fast usually leads to tripping over words and mispronounciations. Maybe it's those darn vowels that give him the fits. Whatever it is, I get frustrated just hearing his voice...and lose focus as a listener. Starr has some interesting tidbits on statistics but he should lose the overused cliches like, "the sexy pick is"...pleeease!
Grade: C-
- Tony Marinaro:
Ted Tevan want to be, minus a personality. A Monday Morning Quarterback if there ever was one. "I predicted that last week" is a common line used by Tony, as if his career is going to explode because he was right about a win or loss prediction. Fine...bravo Tony! You're a genius. A prediction gone wrong? Suddenly he turns into The Fonz (I was wwwrrron...no, can't say it). Canadiens win, get ready for the Stanley Cup; they lose, it becomes personal with Marinaro. He picks on players with a cruelty that borders on immature. At the beginning of the Canadiens' season, Scott Gomez was struggling with his play. For weeks, Marinaro had a schtick where he'd call out: Scoott! Gomez! Come here boy! Where are you!? There's the goal! (Like calling for a dog) The routine was borderline racist and halted suddenly (mamagement?). There is nothing wrong with being controversial and edgy but when the motives of the person are so mean spirited and loathsome; selfish and egotistical;interrupting and talking over people...you know Tony Marinaro cares only about Tony Marinaro...everyone else is a threat to his career. Why so insecure, Tony?
Grade:D-
Sean Campbell: Campbell knows his sports and can talk...and talk...and talk. Man, can he talk. With Campbell, a sentence can turn into a chapter very quickly. When a person over informs, it puts the listener into a sort of trance and the zone out occurs. You're listening but...not really. All you can think of is "Man, when is he going to end his 'sentence'"? Advise? Condense, shorten...stop talking. Hope he changes because Campbell is actually an amazing talent...But sometimes less (talk) is more.
Grade:C+
Andie Bennett: Seems like a sweet person but maybe her talents are best served in another medium. Mainstream sport is not her forte. Bennett covers the Canadiens practices and does the sports updates on Melnick's afternoon drive show. She asks a lot of questions about sports but doesn't have much of an opinion or interesting thoughts. After seven years on the job, I don't get the impression that she has improved on her sports knowledge. Research some sports history or watch the DVD on the Canada/Russia '72 series...or something. Give the listener something interesting. But please, don't tell me that Andie Bennett is your most qualified person to cover THE MONTREAL CANADIENS. Once again, the listeners are being cheated of quality sports coverage.
Grade:D-
Personality:A
LEGITIMATE BUSINESS OR TAX RIGHT OFF?
Does CTV GlobeMedia see this radio station as a viable money generator or just a tax exemption? CTV has owned The Team 990 since June of '07 and in that time, there is no evidence of taking 990 to the next level as a broadcaster. Commercials for events and shows are aired weeks after the fact; sound clips and computer noises spontaneously come on in the middle of broadcasts; the crappy web site; on air talent showing no signs of broadcast improvement or correcting bad habits, such as using "words" like ie.: "Uh", "ummm", "like" and "I mean" between real words. Is anyone coaching these people or is 990 happy with the status quo? The record shows yes...yes indeed.

Gainey QUITS As Canadiens G.M.? I Think Not!

The Canadiens press conference on February 8th was nothing but corporate
spin...Bob Gainey claimed he was tired of doing the job and had decided in December that he was not continuing as general manager of the Montreal Canadiens...With 3 months left in the season!In July,2009,Gainey changed the face of this team with ELEVEN new player signings.He seemed optimistic with the teams future.Of course the signings proved to be average at best and questionable...Why so many huge contracts,for so many years,for so many average players?Gainey panicked at the thought of not being able to sign anyone...And this mediocre team,with NO cap room,is the end result.Why would Gainey leave his post when his work was clearly never finished.Bob Gainey never quit anything in his life.
...Gainey read from his notes because nothing he said was from
the HEART...He was forced out as G.M. and the most delicate transition
the Canadiens' brass could invent to save face for the Canadiens' and
Gainey was for Bob to stay on as an assistant to Pierre Gauthier for the
remainder of the season...Yet he claimed in the ensuing weeks that he will be watching the Olympics and relaxing...If Gainey's heart is truly not into his
work,then why is he still being entrusted to make vital decisions for
the organization...The truth is that Gainey no longer works for the Canadiens and will be as visible as Howard Hughes was.

Lafleur and Richard-Two Players That Made The Montreal Canadiens Legendary

I was born in Montreal,Quebec. Growing up in Quebec, you experience all four of the seasons in all their wonderful, unpredictable ways. Winter (quite synonymous with Quebec) seems like the longest of all seasons. Winter in Canada can start in October and end well into April. As a result, kids need something to do to fill those months with healthy activity. Learning to ice skate, for most, is automatic...right after taking your first steps. I learned to skate at four years old and in my neighbourhood, it was like that for most of the kids. As we became older (one year later), most of the boys started to play hockey in the Mites league. Soon we were old enough to understand how to play the game...and, thanks to our Dads, WATCH the game and the Canadiens on Hockey Night In Canada!

As a child, my first memories of the Canadiens and watching games on T.V. was the blonde haired (in the 70's and 80's you new the colour of hockey players hair- helmets were optional), graceful and smooth skating Hab (nickname for the Canadiens, "Les Habitants", meaning French settlers), Guy Lafleur. To me, he was the MICKEY MANTLE of hockey. Larger than life, exciting and French Canadian, Guy Lafleur was the pride of Quebec in a province that needed a hero of their own in a time of political and social turmoil in Canada and Quebec. Guy Lafleur, hockey player, gave Montreal and Quebec a sense of pride. If you were French or English speaking in Montreal, you had something in common; you loved Guy Lafleur and the Montreal Canadiens. It brought a lot of us together, regardless of differences. Guy Laleur finished his career with his Montreal Canadien career with 1246 points and 518 goals including six 50 goal seasons between 1974-1980.

Unfortunately,Lafleur "retired" from the Canadiens at age 33 after his production tailed off in the '80's and it was assumed he was too old to play and retired a young man after much criticism and high expectations from Canadiens management and fans. "The Flower" would come out of retirement in 1988 and retire for good in 1991.
By then,his skills had diminished (along with his hair) but fans were still witness to his past greatness, but just periodically.In my mind,what sends Lafleur into mythical status is not what he accomplished, but what could have been achieved. Lafleur partied and drank as hard as he played, smoked (by some accounts, two packs of cigarettes a day) and was involved in a well known drunken car accident that nearly took his life. While I don't admire an athlete, blessed with gifts that you and I could only dream of having, not taking care of himself, there's a certain amazement and wonder in what could have been achieved if this gifted athlete had taken care of himself off the ice.

When you're young, you think history started in your era. As we get older, we learn that there were past events and people that existed before us. In my small world, at an age to realize and be aware that there were those who made their mark before us, I discovered that "The Rocket", Maurice Richard played for the Canadiens from 1942 to 1960. He finished his NHL career with 965 points and 544 goals. Richard was the first player to score 50 goals AND do so in 50 games. In an era when 20 goals was a HUGE total of goals, "The Rocket" was a pioneer in goal scoring just as Babe Ruth was to home runs in baseball. When parents would speak of his accomplishments and achievements and how he was larger than life in the hockey world and in Quebec...I said "ya, right, bigger than "The Flower" and all his popularity, "Bigger, much bigger than Lafleur, he was the original superstar. The BABE RUTH of hockey". What!? Yes...adored by Quebecers and Canadiens fans alike, Richard played hockey in an era that bridged the radio and television era.
For the first time, hockey fans were able to see their heroes on T.V. and not have to shell out money for a ticket at the Montreal Forum. This exposure on television, combined with the Canadiens Stanley Cup success and "The Rocket" being the heart and soul of the team, turned players, until then, only heard on radio or read about in newspapers, into someone a fan could identify with. Maurice Richard, with his explosive speed, his grit, his toughness and his heart, became a role model and a symbol of hope to many Quebecers. Richard, during his NHL career, was a victim of much prejudice and stereotyping. French Canadians were seen a "second citizens" in this era of the Anglophone run NHL and Richard fought for equal rights and earned respect with his class, on and off the ice, in a time when French Canadians earned less money and were subject to unspeakable name calling from opposing players and fans alike. Richard, his hockey accomplishment notwithstanding, broke down the barriers between French and English, East and West Canada and the NHL "elite" that were ignorant to diversity and unaware that cultural and language variety is something to celebrate and not repress.

When the Montreal Forum closed in 1996 and the Canadiens moved to the present Bell Centre, during the opening ceremonies when the Habs legends were brought out to christen the new home, it was Richard that received the longest ovation, 16 minutes. The unflappable legend with eyes of coal cried. Fans cried. I think most who watched on television cried. Of all the memories that Richard left people with from the '40's to the day he retired in 1960, that ovation in 1996, 36 years after his playing days, allowed people to feel and show Richard what we felt all along...We never forgot you..We never stopped loving you...You gave us hope...We'll never forget!