Bob Gainey Press Conference

Bob Gainey held a press conference today to announce that Kovalev is back with the team. Kovalev is now rested mentally and physically. Kovalev wasn't able to disengage from hockey as most players did during the All-Star break. He is now ready to play and help the team again. According to Gainey, the problem with Kovalev was that he was trying to do too much. He put a lot of pressure on himself and tries to find the solution alone instead of finding the solution as a team. He had to carry the team by himself when key players like Tanguay, Koivu and Robert Lang got injured. The weight is now too heavy on him. At some point, he was distant with the team and didn't communicate much with his teammates or with the coaching staff. Bob Gainey also added that he cannot guarantee if Kovalev would stay with the team for the rest of the season. He says that there is four more games before the trade deadline and that anything is possible not only for Kovalev, but also for the other players.

The presse conference was not only about Kovalev. Bob Gainey also had to face questions about the article in La Presse today. He says that he is very concerned. He has conducted a meeting with the whole team this morning about the whole situation. He had made them aware of the importance to avoid these kind of situation and be careful of the people they meet. Bob Gainey says that it isn't the first time that a person tries to get inside of the inner circle of the NHL or of the Habs organization. These people usually want to have trophy friends or know someone that earns millions of dollars a year.


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