Breaking News: Markov Allegedly Confronts Price; Locker Room Split?
George Prax | Jan 27, 2010 | Comments 9
I wasn’t going to post a blog today but this needs some attention… according to Tony Marinaro on the Team 990, Andrei Markov confronted Carey Price after the 4-3 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night.
Allegedly, Markov told Price “Play with more heart, or stay home.. we don’t need you.” (source).
Following this comment, Tony claims that half the locker room backed Price, the other half, Markov. Marinaro then implied that this confrontation could have been one of the deciding factors behind the demotions of Pacioretty and D’Agostini to Hamilton, and that there might also be friction between Markov and his defense partner (also Price’s best friend), Josh Gorges. He then went on to say that the only thing he wasn’t able to confirm was which side Jaroslav Halak took.
Everyone needs to listen to this on the Team990’s website.
I will update my blog a little later, but it seems to me that Tony is making a bigger deal out of this (if it’s even true) than it is. Even Dave Stubbs on Twitter is quietly implying that he doesn’t believe the report, or at the very least that he is also skeptical.
Tony has spent the last half hour defending himself against callers who are upset that Tony would even report something like this. Whether it’s true or not, and whether it’s as big of a deal as Tony claims it is remains to be seen, but it’s just another example why this team will never succeed the way it’s structured. Whether it’s a case of an internal fight that really is that big of a deal, or the media making a bigger deal of things than they need to, it’s just another day in the Montreal Canadiens Circus.
More to come.
For now, check out my twitter for all the breaking updates as they are made available
Prax
www.thecheckingline.com
www.twitter.com/thecheckingline
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Filed Under: Eastern Conference • Featured • Featured Rumors • Montreal Canadiens • NHL • Team Blogs
Im a BLues fan.. i dont get it why would he say play with more heart. the whole habs team looked like crap to me. dont bash the goalie. what was it because he stuck for himself on a cam janssen(clean) hit. I dont get Markov or any other russians in this league..
Slow info pipeline in Montreal or a was there a hush up?
To be honest Al, all the people who reported what was said sourced Tony Marinaro. RDS, which usually has all the Habs scoops, sourced what Tony said on the air and didn’t have much else to say. Dave Stubbs didn’t even bother posting it on his site, which gets around 1.5 million hits a month, and Eric Engels from Hockeybuzz, who actually works with Tony on the radio, didn’t even corroborate the story.
Even PJ Stock, Tony’s long time broadcast partner, was hesitant to take a side. Tony spent most of the time after he broke the story defending himself against callers and reading all the sites that posted his ”news”.
My take: it’s very possible that Markov confronted Price and told him to up his game, but the story sounds like a ratings grab from Tony. It doesn’t sound like something that needed to be reported, it happens in every team in all professional sports. Could the locker room be divided? Maybe? But it sounds more like Markov stepping up just to tell Price to up his game after a loss.
It’s convenient that this was reported in the middle of a road trip, while they’re in a city with limited media coverage, and even on a day that Price is getting the start.
And to tell you the truth, the only reason I even bothered mentioning this was because sometimes, the media in this city needs to be held accountable for the non-scandals they create. Dave Stubbs said it so well:
”It’s not a scandal, it’s not even news. It’s the human dynamic of team sport. But some “journalists” have to be the news”
I think everyone was just kind of frustrated after a loss. Price COULD be playing better, and I think Markov was just trying to push him. But you’re right, the entire team just sucks right now, and they all deserve a portion of the blame.
(In response to Tyler)
The bigger story would be …why it didn’t come out earlier if it did happen.
Because it’s not a big deal. Only Marinaro reported it, on a day where it would get a lot of coverage but then would be forgotten after a game on the road in a southern hockey market. Marinaro is clearly trying to put his name out there and increase his ratings through this. Hell, it worked, so more power to him, but the fact that no one is corroborating the story is very telling.
Something else to ponder over all of this: Markov almost won the habs the game in OT and was probably frustrated he didn’t score.
Thse kind of things happen all the time, why making a big deal out of it?
Ratings.
Or in my case, hits ;)