Perry Pearn was the fall guy earlier this week as the Montreal Canadiens made a change behind the bench following a slow start. (Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images)
There will be no shortage of theories regarding the dismissal of Montreal assistant coach Perry Pearn 90 minutes prior to their game vs Philadelphia. Was it GM Pierre Gauthier's media deflection to rid his team of some serious negativity or possibly philosophical differences or maybe, simply, a sucker punch, a cheap shot, shocking a hockey team to their senses.
Here's my theory, well it's not exactly my theory at all, but rather that of a 65-year-old woman, who sat beside me on a train ride to Montreal.
A half hour into the ride she observed my NHL press notes for an upcoming game and asked what I did for a living. Once explained, I asked if she was heading home or visiting family in Montreal. She politely replied that she was traveling to Montreal on business.
I felt a bit silly for stereotyping her as a Grandma, but thought OK, maybe she owned a flower shop or craft store. Wrong again! This savvy lady was hired by a very large corporation to come in and observe the people at the top, the presidents, CEOs and company heads. Then this nice elderly lady removes them.
This isn't exactly what happened in Montreal, but may be related to her theory. It goes like this: People in the lower ranks of a company need room to breathe and evolve. It doesn't work if there is no room for them to express ideas.
Jacques Martin and Perry Pearn are as close as it gets. Maybe Pierre Gauthier felt that the newly hired Randy Cunneyworth and Randy Ladouceur would not get to bring their creativity and knowledge to the table out of sheer respect for Pearn.
Jacques Martin, out of habit, may simply have gone to his trusted adviser Pearn because he's done it many times in the past. It's easy, comfortable and it has worked in the past. Why change it?
Under this scenario Martin would not have gone to his new assistants for their opinions and ideas. Is it possible Kirk Muller figured this out on his own? Is this what Gauthier meant by thinking outside the box?
It may be that Gauthier wants some new voices and some new ideas to aid in steering his team through this mine field they are standing in. I agree the timing was so not Montreal's style, but is there ever a good time to be fired.
Garry Galley
Garry spent 16 seasons in the NHL playing in over 1,000 games, signing initially as a fifth-round pick with the L.A. Kings in 1983. He would go on to play defence with the Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, Buffalo Sabres and the New York Islanders. During his 1,149-game career, he scored 125 goals and 474 assists for a total of 599 points, and appeared in two NHL All-Star games (1991 and 1994).
Galley’s previous work as a broadcaster includes a radio show on Ottawa’s Team 1200 and serving as an analyst on Rogers Sportsnet for Ottawa Senators games.
Training the defencemen and goaltenders of the future is the focus of position-specific hockey camps Galley runs through his company, 3-G Hockey Consulting Inc. He lives in Ottawa with his wife Terry-Lynn and three children, Shaylnn, Wyatt and Blake.
