NHL/LNH : the good, the bad and Mathias.

Thanks God. Good old Mathias Brunet stuck to his gun, and therefore to his boss, Bob Gainey.

The Canadien ousting at the hands of the Flyers has not changed his mind about his "coup de coeur de la saison" : making Carey Price the number 1 netminder by trading Huet to Washington.

Mathias, to his journalistic honour, does not want to be "de ceux qui changent leur fusil d'épaule une fois les faits accomplis".

"Rondelle libre" (or is it "Master's voice"?) Mathias is nevertheless quick to point out that "si Don Waddel, le DG des Trashers, n'avait pas trahi sa parole" a few hours before the trading deadline, "alors qu'une entente de principe était intervenue entre lui et Gainey", not only Mation Hossa, but also goalkeeper Johan Hedberg would have come to Montreal to back "le jeune Price" up.

To less enlightened journalists, Waddel merely exercised his right to choose the Penguins' proposal over the Habs, but Mathias knows better.

If the Habs do not win the Stanley Cup thes coming June, blame it on bad guy Waddel, not on good -and bright- guy Gainey.

(PM)