Managing Without a Net in Montreal

The general manager of the Montreal Canadiens didn't make the biggest splash at the NHL trade deadline. But he might have shown the most nerve.

Bob Gainey dumped his only veteran goaltender, dealing Cristobal Huet to the Washington Capitals.

Gainey is staking the franchise on a 20-year-old goalie with 12 NHL wins. Carey Price, who was in the minors this time last month, just graduated from gold-plated prospect to The Man in Montreal. (The back-up is Jaroslav Halak, aged 22.)

There was little to gain by trading Huet (a 2nd-round draft pick, to be exact). So why not keep him around to finish the season, as playoff insurance if nothing else?

"This is a risk-reward that we, I, have decided to take," said the GM, offering his usual poker face to the press.

By handing the team to Price, Gainey is managing without a net in the world's toughest hockey town. It's the kind of move you see only from a man fully confident in his instincts, his eye for talent, and his reading of how far Price has come since October.

Last Saturday, the Canadiens honored Bob Gainey, the player, by retiring his number and raising it to the rafters. Columnists recalled him as the "silent, inscrutable captain" of the last Montreal dynasty.

He's not the captain anymore, and no more silent than any other tight-lipped NHL exec. But some things never change.

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Photo: Bob Gainey and Carey Price at the 2005 NHL Entry Draft (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)