Gauthier's gaffe.

Once again, we find ourselves in the midst of a language debate. And once again the two solitudes are deeply divided along their traditional lines. On the one hand, anglophones seem to be saying, «here we go again, Quebec is never happy», on the other hand, francophones seem to be saying «here we go again, our language is not respected». We all know the tune. It hasn't really changed over the last few centuries. 

Except that this newest episode of our continuing language soap opera could have been avoided altogether, if only Pierre Gauthier, Montreal Canadiens general manager (for now) had shown a little cultural awareness and a little plain common sense.

A quick recap of events...

Last Saturday morning Gauthier fired Jacques Martin as head coach and replaced him with Randy Cunneyworth. At the best of times, any firing/hiring of Habs bench boss sets off a firestorm of controversy. 

But this time things are different. Almost no discussion about whether or not placing Cunneyworth behind the bench improves the Habs' chances of winning. What has all the analysts talking is the fact that the new bench boss doesn't speak French. And the fact that Gauthier was not able to see this coming, or foresaw it and chose to ignore it, shows that he may not be the man to manage the Montreal Canadiens.

Very few, if any, institutions enjoy the universal appeal and approval that the Montreal Canadiens do in Quebec. From Rouyn to Rimouski, from Gatineau to Gaspé, the Habs rule. They are at the center of most of our discussions, and the public mood can be measured in their winning and losing. As a brand, it is among the most valuable commodities in this province.This is what makes the appoinment of a unilingual anglophone figurehead all the more perplexing.

For an organization such as the Montreal Canadiens, and by extension Molson's, to be so out of tune with their market is quite simply baffling. It seems a question of simple logic that in a region where the vast majority of fans speak French, you'd want the person whom you choose to lead your team to be able to communicate with the people who ultimately pay the bills. One does not need to be a marketing genius to know that you must cater to your clientele. If they want a French speaking coach, give them a French speaking coach.

To make matters worse, Gauthier hasn't exactly helped ingratiate himself with the Habs faithful on a couple of fronts since deciding to go ahead with the Cunneyworth nomination. When pressed on his coach's lack of ability to speak French, Gauthier blurted; «A language can be learned». Ah yes, nothing like a smart-ass answer to make friends with the media mob. 

Even if Cunneyworth did find the time to take language courses amidst his hours spent trying to make a winner out of this hockey club, we all know that he is years away from being able to field questions from the likes of Réjean Tremblay and Bertrand Raymond in French. Plus it's not as if the English speaking Habs have a long history of learning French...

That it appears as though Gauthier didn't contact Patrick Roy about the position also irks many. Strictly from a coaching point of view, Cunneyworth's resume, is at least as impressive as Roy's. He has a winning record as a head coach in the American Hockey League, where he worked for 8 seasons, and was an assistant coach in the NHL with both Atlanta and Montreal.

But Patrick Roy is Patrick Roy, and love him or hate him, he holds a special place in the hearts of Habs fans. None of the last two Montreal Stanley Cups would have been possible without him, and as part-owner and coach of the QMJHL's Quebec Remparts, he is omnipresent in the media. 

The fact that it appears as though fences between the Hall-of-Famer and the Habs have been mended since it was decided to retire Roy's number 33 to its rightful place high up in the Bell Center's rafters, has also given cause for his admirers to hope that he will one day return as the team's coach.

But be it Patrick Roy, or whomever else, you can bet your bottom dollar that the next Montreal Canadiens coach will be able to communicate in French. What isn't so sure is whether Pierre Gauthier will still be around to hire him.