Gallo: Bringing in Gainey is a no-brainer

Word got out that Hall of Famer Bob Gainey will be part of a committee that will help Vice President of Hockey Operations Jeff Gorton select a new general manager.

And social media lost its collective mind.

His resume speaks for itself. Five Stanley Cups as a player and one as a GM. Gainey served as GM of the Montreal Canadiens from 2003-2010.

Judging by fan reaction to the news, fans are being as irrational as ever and don’t deserve someone with the wealth of knowledge and experience that Gainey has.

It’s time to get over the bad trade made in June of 2009 that sent Ryan McDonagh, Chris Higgins, Doug Janik and Pavel Valentenko to the New York Rangers for Tom Pyatt, Michael Busto and Scott Gomez.

There’s no argument, it was one of the worst trades in franchise history. Over a decade has gone by and McDonagh is still haunting the Canadiens.

Move on.

What relevance does one bad trade have on Gainey’s ability to spot what would make a good future manager of the Habs?

Montreal has had three general managers in the salary cap era. Gainey, Pierre Gauthier and Marc Bergevin. The three are the only people who know what it’s like to manage this hockey team, in this era.

The market is unique and a smart hockey man like Jeff Gorton is aware. When Bergevin first became GM, he believed that he knew everything about being a manager in this city. He certainly knows more today than he did on day one.

This is something that owner Geoff Molson has done in the past. Hall of Famer Serge Savard was brought in to help the decision to find a new gm when the team was looking to replace Pierre Gauthier in 2012. They ended up picking Bergevin.

Let’s not forget the key word in this whole thing, committee. Gainey isn’t being brought in to dictate who the next GM will be. He is helping the hockey team that he played for, coached and managed.

Fans are quick to point out his worst move, but how about thanking him for his best one? He selected Carey Price in the first round of the 2005 NHL draft. Gainey could have drafted by position and went with Gilbert Brule but instead picked one of the best goaltenders in NHL history.

Gainey will be turning 68-years-old next week and there’s few out there who have his experience. Molson is doing what’s right by leaning on people who know what this city is all about.

To anyone dragging his name through the mud, take a page out of Price’s playbook…

“Chill.”