Bob Gainey’s time in Montreal is over. He stepped down as general manager of the Montreal Canadiens on Monday, which is just the latest in a series of blows to the Canadiens organization as they celebrate their centennial year. This was a move that many say was planned well in advance by Gainey, and that if he wanted to, he could have stayed with the club as GM for years to come. But for Gainey, a Canadien for life, that wasn’t in the cards.

Gainey was a defensive winger and played with the Canadiens from 1973 to 1989, and was captain from 1981 onwards. He scored 239 goals and 502 points in 1,160 games, but was primarily known for his all-around skills; considered to be one of the best hockey players of all-time. After his playing days, he became manager of Minnesota/Dallas from 1990 to 2001, and then rejoined the Canadiens from 2003. During that time, his teams failed to make the playoffs just three times.

The Canadiens are in a world of hurt right now. They’ve had a turnaround of half of their team last summer, an ownership change in December, and Gainey leaving the team on Monday. That’s quite a bit of negative press. Going forward, they’re struggling to hold on to a playoff spot, and when the season’s over, they’ll have to fill almost 10 roster spots, including both goaltenders; on a team that’s already close to the salary cap.

Montreal is the NHL-equivalent of New York. Along with being at the epicenter of modern life in Montreal, the long, long history of the Canadiens has had its moments of excellence. Right now, the Canadiens are at a low-point. With all of their problems, they now have to find a new general manager, which is a much tougher task than any other city has, simply due to the fact that any candidate who can speak both English and French. That seriously limits the playing field. Not only could Bob Gainey do that, but he was also an excellent face of the falling franchise, and now the Montreal Canadiens are not much more than skin and bones.