Carrière Adds a Wealth of Experience to Habs Management
As I shared with my followers on twitter earlier this afternoon, the Montreal Canadiens have appointed Larry Carrière as their new Assistant General Manager.
In stark contrast to the disheartening news that the Canadiens were losing another valuable member of their management team to the group being put together by Steve Yzerman in Tampa Bay, as Julien Brisebois bolted to become Yzerman's assistant GM earlier today, news of the Canadiens adding Mr. Carrière could not have come at a better time.
Normally, as many like to point out, Friday's are typically reserved for bad news, as was the case with the announcement of Brisebois departure, but following the compounding losses to management over the course of the summer, there was certainly no way that Montreal was going to wait until Monday to announce his replacement.
By announcing the addition of Larry Carrière to the Canadiens management core, not only does the PR department avoid another glut of negative press regarding the loss of another young and talented member, but rather the focus will be on how smart they were to add a veteran NHL manager with over two decades of experience who specializes in player evaluation(at the NHL level), something the franchise has been sorely lacking over the last few seasons.
To go along with his duties as Pierre Gauthier's assistant, Mr. Carrière will also replace Julien Brisebois as the general manager of the Hamilton Bulldogs. So, for all of you waiting to hear who the next coach of the Bulldogs will be, you won't have to wait much longer as I'm sure that will be one of Mr. Carrière's top priorities.
(For those of you wondering my opinion on the Bulldogs vacancy, I fully believe that the job will go to Martin Raymond. I was originally led to believe that Mr. Raymond had departed for Tampa Bay along with Guy Boucher, but it seems that Marty is still with the Canadiens organization and, as the only remaining member of the 'Dogs staff who is familiar with the team, I expect him to be retained and for the Canadiens to avoid losing another young, strong coaching talent.)
Edit/Update: - Although earlier reports had suggested that Mr. Carrière would also be taking over the duties as GM of the Hamilton Bulldogs, that much has not been confirmed yet. I am working on finding out whether or not he will take over for Brisebois as Hamilton's GM or not, until then, consider the above as a possible scenario.
A key element to Carrière being brought in is that he brings an immense wealth of scouting and management knowledge, something that neither Guy Boucher or Julien Brisebois ever possessed. As a native Quebecer who spent much of his early years in NHL management doing scouting, this move also gives the Canadiens a former scout who is very familiar with Quebec players.
Time will tell how this move plays out, but in my opinion this is a great addition to the Canadiens.
Unfortunately for Washington Capitals fans this does come at their expense as Larry had played a vital role in the team's scouting since 2004, but, as Montreal Canadiens fans are well aware, when a member of management becomes valuable enough, he is likely to be offered greater jobs elsewhere. As this is a situation whereby the Habs have benefitted, they shouldn't be so disappointed about the departure of Julien Brisebois.
Here is the press release from the Montreal Canadiens.
Canadiens announce the appointement of Larry Carrière as assistant general manager/player personnel
MONTREAL -- Montreal Canadiens General Manager Pierre Gauthier announced Friday the appointment of Larry Carrière as Assistant General Manager/Player Personnel. His nomination is effective immediately.
“We are extremely happy to announce the appointment of Larry Carrière as Assistant General Manager/Player Personnel. Larry brings with him an important background in the NHL in several key areas such as recruitment, player evaluation and player development. He will be a key contributor to our hockey management team”, said Canadiens general manager Pierre Gauthier.
Larry Carrière was a member of the Washington Capitals organization since 2004 as pro scout. He spent the previous two decades with the Buffalo Sabres, handling the duties of Assistant General Manager from 1995 to 2004 (including a brief stint as General Manager in 1997). With the Sabres, he also worked as Director of Player Evaluation (1993 to 1995), as well as amateur scout (1983 to 1993).
“I am very pleased to join the Montreal Canadiens organization. Having grown up in the Montreal boroughs of Parc-Extension and Ville St-Laurent, I am grateful for this opportunity to bring my experience to the Canadiens. I have a great deal of respect for the tradition of the organization, and the passion of its fan base. I look forward to this new challenge, and will do my best to contribute to the success of the Canadiens for many years to come », said Larry Carrière.
During his tenure with the Capitals, the team won the President’s Cup in 2010, and the AHL affiliate team, the Hershey Bears, captured the Calder Cup on three separate occasions (2010, 2009 and 2006). While with the Sabres organization in the position of Assistant General Manager, the Rochester Americans also won the Calder Cup in 1996.
A native of Montreal, Larry Carrière played seven seasons in the NHL between 1972 and 1980. Selected in the second round, 25th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in 1972, he played 367 career regular season games with Buffalo, Atlanta, Vancouver, Los Angeles and Toronto. He registered 90 points (16 goals, 74 assists) and totaled 462 penalty minutes. He reached the Stanley Cup Finals with the Sabres in 1975.
Larry Carrière, 58, holds a Bachelor of Commerce and earned a Major in Business Administration from Loyola College in Montreal (1972). He also attended the University of Michigan in Business Management (1981).
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