Gainey steps down as Canadiens GM, Gauthier takes over

Hockey Betting Lines

02/08/2010 - Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Montreal Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey has decided to step down from his post and hand the reins over to Pierre Gauthier, the club announced on Monday.

"After a long and difficult period of reflection, I have decided to step down as general manager of the Montreal Canadiens," Gainey said an afternoon press conference. "Effective today, those responsibilities fall to my friend, Pierre Gauthier. I've done my best, and now it's time for me to pass the torch."

Gauthier, who served as the Canadiens' assistant GM since July 2006, will take over as both general manager and executive vice president.

The 56-year-old Montreal native came to the Habs in 2003 after serving with the Anaheim and Ottawa organizations, beginning his career with the Quebec Nordiques from 1981-93 in the scouting department.

Gainey had served as the team's general manager since June 2003, and the Habs have posted a 241-176-46-7 record with four playoff appearances since his hiring.

In 2007-08, the Canadiens went 47-25-10 and finished first in the Eastern Conference with 104 points. Montreal was then upended by the Philadelphia Flyers in a five-game conference semifinal series. Montreal also suffered the indignity of a first-round four-game defeat to bitter rival Boston in last season's playoffs during the franchise's 100th anniversary celebrations.

During his tenure with the club, Gainey also served as head coach for the second half of 2005-06 before handing the job to Guy Carbonneau following the season.

As a player, Gainey spent all 16 years of his NHL career with the team, winning five Stanley Cups in six tries.

Following his time in the NHL, the 56-year-old became the head coach of the Minnesota North Stars in 1990-91, helping the team get to the Stanley Cup Finals. Serving as the head coach until 1996, when the team was located in Dallas, he was also the franchise's general manager from 1992-2002 and guided the Stars to a 1999 Stanley Cup championship.

"The support that we've had from our new generation of fans, along with the old tradition and that the bridge between our old and new fans is complete," Gainey said when asked what he'll remember most about his tenure in the front office. "We've been in the playoffs steadily the whole time and that's been a good thing."

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Football Betting

NFL Football Betting Online

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

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