No individual in a pro sports front office wants to talk to the media. They poke and prod and always try to get information out of you.
Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin has faced his fair share of scorn with the media in his town. Most notably, he faced plenty of backlash after his trade of P.K. Subban to Nashville for Shea Weber.
This week down in Boca Raton, Florida, NHL general managers are having their annual meetings to discuss rule changes and other relevant matters. The GMs have breakout sessions and discuss their collective thoughts amongst themselves.
As Bergevin was walking to grab some food, he decided that he didn’t want to talk to any of the media. So he grabbed a potted plant and walked with it in front of his face until he got to the next building.
#Habs GM Marc Bergevin goes into stealth mode as he disguises himself with a tree to avoid the media at the GM meetings in Boca Raton, FL. pic.twitter.com/6JXGIHREUv
— Grady Sas (@GradySas) March 6, 2017
You’ll even catch the reporters like Pierre LeBrun and Darren Dreger not giving a hoot. They are just smiling and carrying on. Bergevin may have found the key to avoid the media: just make them laugh.
Multiple other GMs acknowledge the ridiculousness of the situation as well, as you can see Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen laugh how absurd Bergevin looks.
If you thought Bergevin was done, you’d be mistaken. He actually decided to speak with the media, even letting them know it wasn’t entirely his idea.
This is what he had to say to Yahoo’s Puck Daddy:
“It was a last second decision. I saw you guys lined up outside and decide to try something… The real reason actually is that Peter (Chiarelli) asked me to bring the plant in the large room.”
General manager meetings in all sports would be better if they amped up the tomfoolery tenfold. Step up your game, other leagues.
