Mark Spector

Mark Spector is a columnist for sportsnet.ca

An education: Stevie Y learned the managerial ropes under one of the NHL's best.

We're not sure what makes Steve Yzerman most compelling as a general manager: His pedigree as a player, his work with the Olympic team, or the fact he learned it all in likely the most well-managed organizations of them all, the Detroit Red Wings.

I think it is the latter.

Whenever we've had the chance to just sit and talk hockey philosophies with Detroit GM Ken Holland, or his right-hand man Jim Nill, it's been one of those conversations where you definitely come away wiser than when you sat down. Now think of the hours upon hours Yzerman spent on the inside -- at drafts, during trade deadlines, evaluating and re-evaluating Detroit teams that contend annually for the Stanley Cup.

What we love about Holland is he never comes across like he knows everything about the game, despite the fact he probably does. Yzerman has inherited that humble side, and we're betting he has soaked up a lot of Holland's instincts as well.

His hiring as GM, to be announced Tuesday afternoon, is the first and smartest managerial move this Tampa franchise has made in a long while.

Now, if he can find a Nill and a Swedish super scout like Hakan Andersson, the Bolts might one day be an Eastern power.

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Questions we want to be the first to ask ...

Do the Philadelphia Flyers have the speed to handle the Chicago Blackhawks? Sure, they're big, but Chicago is big AND fast.

Put it this way: Would Philly have beaten San Jose at all, let alone swept the Sharks in four? We seriously doubt it.

Will we still be telling the Mike Leighton story after the Hawks shooters are done with him? Or is the likeable journeyman's 15 minutes of fame about to be drowned out by a series of red goal-lights and a close-up view of big Dustin Byfuglien's hockey pants?

We'll say this: the one guy in hockey who will give Byfuglien a run for his money in front of the opposing net is Chris Pronger. Those two will be so close over these next two weeks, they could win Dancing With The Stars by the time it's over.

One more question: Is anyone questioning the leadership of Mike Richards now?

We've no doubt there were some issues with the young Flyers. Hey -- we'd party a bit too if we were them. But whatever happened in the past is simply part of the learning curve.

Today, Richards is the identity of the Flyers. They'll need every ounce of his spirit to stay with Chicago, but if any captain can will such an effort, we're betting Richards is one.

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Good, but not glorieux.

As the dream died for the Montreal Canadiens, and we came to grips with the fact another year will pass without a Stanley Cup summering in Canada, you had to wonder how much of Montreal's success was real and how much was magic.

It was a helluva run, to be sure. But how much of it was because the Canadiens were a truly elite team, and how much was simply a hot goalie and some pixie dust?

"In a few days time when it all soaks in and we settle in, we'll realize the steps and the progress we made as a team and an organization," said defenceman Josh Gorges, a player who took a huge step this spring. "This is a bitter taste. It sucks. It's going to eat all of us up this summer, but it will be motivation to come back with a strong mindset and the knowledge of what it takes to go all the way."

Montreal was outshot almost every night, giving up more shots per game than anyone who made it out of Round 1. Of the 16 playoff teams, they ranked 14th in goals scored. Their powerplay -- we know, without Andrei Markov -- was a fairly sad 16.4 percent.

In the end, the Habs' playoff record was 9-10, and Jaroslav Halak had to work miracles on a nightly basis. Basically, this was a .500 team in the end.

The mistake the Edmonton Oilers made in '06 -- and to a lesser extent, the Flames in '04 -- was that they misdiagnosed a trip to the finals as something other than a magical two months. They thought they were an elite team and they were not, and the Oilers are still paying for it. Calgary hasn't won a playoff round since.

Montreal needs to take a hard, dispassionate look at what happened. They learned a lot about players like Mike Cammalleri, P.K. Subban, Maxim Lapierre, Halak and Gorges. But did they learn just as much about Scott Gomez, Andrei Kostitsyn and Tomas Plekanec, who all went cold as the playoffs went on?

It's a good roster in Montreal, but not a great one. Let's hope Pierre Gauthier doesn't get caught up in some fleeting success, like so many others have.