He said, She said…

Wow.

So can anyone else tell that The Habs had a 4-day break between games?

I can sincerely say this has been one of the most bizarre weeks in all my time as a blogger.

It all started Monday, with Montreal newspaper La Presse reporting on a Russian interview in which enigmatic forward Alex Kovalev allegedly made some controversial comments about his teammates, his coach, the city of Montreal, and the media.

Kovalev and The Canadiens immediately denied the interview ever took place, insisting that the newspaper was taken in by a hoax. Kovalev explained that this sort of reporting is common in Russia.

However, La Presse has not backed down. Despite a lack of concrete evidence, La Presse has maintained that the interview is in fact legitimate and that Kovalev is nothing but a liar for his denial.

Writer François Gagnon was on english radio-station the Team 990 Monday morning, arguing that he was in possession of a taped version of the Kovalev interview. This tape has mysteriously disappeared as of Tuesday.

The story takes a twist from controversial to bizarre when La Presse publishes an article implicating Kovalev in a mob conspiracy as some sort of Godfather figure.

On the other side of the fence, Kovalev’s story has not been entirely consistent either. While initially claiming to have never spoken to the alleged Russian interviewer, he later admitted to having spoken to her on his birthday. He further claimed to have contacted her Sunday, while she issued a statement stating she had not spoken to Kovalev in months and doubted he even had her phone number.

Unfortunately, the fans are torn between siding with their team, or with the journalists they respect. A convenient distraction, to create a split in the fanbase and divert attention from the team’s struggles to make the playoffs.

In the end, the truth likely lies somewhere in between. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and the likelihood of the entire interview being fabricated is low.

However, one must think that a respected media source like La Presse would have ensured to have solid proof before publishing such an accusatory claim. Some sort of tape or audio version of the interview would have been sufficient.

Instead, Kovalev’s character is called into question, and he is called a liar, all based on the contents of an alleged interview from the internet.

La Presse has yet to present any sort of substantiation to validate their claims. Aside from the mysterious disappearing tape, of course.

But the damage is already done. Kovalev’s reputation has already been damaged, regardless of how this ends up. Do not expect him to be in Montreal next season.

Can you blame him? Regardless of your personal feelings for the man, nobody deserves this type of punishment. He’s a professional hockey player, after all. Why would he want to stay here after all he has endured?

In fact, why would anyone want to play here?

The funny thing is, when Gainey is unable to sign any big-name free agents this summer, the same media outlets that drive players away will be the ones questioning his ability as manager of this club.

But of course, they’ll never admit it.

Ah, Montréal…