Rumors of Montreal Canadiens Scandal

Hockey fans all over the world last night were glued to their computers as rumors began to spread around various sports websites and message boards that a scandal was about to break in Montreal. Eagerly the fans awaited news, meanwhile feeding the rumor mill with endless speculation.

Canadiens Partying Too Hard, Using Drugs?

With bits and pieces coming in from all over the Web, even from mainstream sports sites, the pieces began to fall together. As the night went on the story evolved. Initially, the rumor was that a few of the players were partying a little harder than they should have been. Then the rumor was that drugs were involved. Considering the hype surrounding this brewing scandal, this was dismissed. Frankly, in the world of modern sports, drug use just isn't the scandal it used to be.

Former Canadiens coach Jacques Demers claimed that he knew some things. "I hope I'm dreaming but I don't think I am."¹

The Plot Thickens: Price, Markov, and Kostitsyn?

Then the French reported that police were waiting for the Canadiens plane in Montreal. Obviously this stoked huge responses from the fans and the rumor mill really got going.

Then SportsRage satellite radio reported that goalie Carey Price was accused of having underage sex, defenseman Andrei Markov was accused of a connection to a prostitution ring, and one of the Kostitsyn brothers involved in criminal activity.

Clearly that would shake the foundations of the storied Montreal hockey club. A sense of doom was beginning to settle among the Internet and hockey fan community. Clearly something serious was happening that would rival some of the worst scandals in any sport. The Montreal media was having a field day with these rumors.

False Alarm and Conclusion

But then, around 2 in the morning, it unfolded that the scandal was anything but. No Montreal player was accused of any wrongdoing or crime. In fact, two of those players the rumors swirled around were not even involved. It turns out that Canadian police had conducted some anti-gang raids and discovered documents linking the brothers Kostitsyn and teammate Hamrlik to Mangiola Pasquale, a member of organized crime.²

Disappointment was the theme in the hockey world today, as the Montreal media had blasted a fairly minor reputation issue out of proportion that had Montreal fans fearing for their franchise. Perhaps more will develop later involving what sorts of services were provided to the Kostitsyn brothers and whether or not they were illegal. At any rate, the National Hockey League is lucky to have its own reputation as the cleanest of the major sports intact.

Happy 100th, Montreal Canadiens.

Sources:

www.fromtherink.com/2009/2/19/765091/canadiens-scandal-rumours

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2009/02/20/report_habs/