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Greg Wyshynski wrapped up what was one of the biggest news stories of the season last week when he talked about how the Pasquale Mangiola situation has finally played out after splashing onto front pages in Montreal back in February.

His conclusion:

The lifespan of this story was a fascinating glimpse into how intensely scrutinized the Canadiens are. The night before the news broke, we received no less than a dozen emails about "Habs drug bust scandal tomorrow" or "Huge story is going to drop about the Habs and it's going to be ugly." The next day, it because a salacious guilt by association story. Now, it appears police are saying what we figured would be the most non-toxic result for Montreal: That the Kostitsyn Bros. basically have their own Tony Rezko; having dealt with a nefarious criminal, learned their lessons and severed ties.

That's all fair comment, but I disagree with Wyshynski when he says "there wasn't any 'there' there." The story obviously shouldn't have been turned into some sort of a major scandal in the hours leading up to the news coming out, but that doesn't mean that the Kostitsyns' friendship or association (or however you want to characterize it) wasn't newsworthy.

Greg's right in that this whole mess offered a good indication of the level of scrutiny there is on the Habs in Montreal, but by extension, it also gives us a little insight into a world where hangers on and pseudo-friends are prevalent – and potentially dangerous. Former Habs I talked to said that while they didn't know Mangiola from their time in the city, they could easily imagine how, in that atmosphere, some bad apples could get close to naive players like the Kostitsyns.

One player said he had found it difficult to stay focused while playing in Montreal due to the fact Canadiens were treated "like Gods" off the ice and that it takes a strong person to avoid some of the city's wild nightlife aspects and focus on hockey. Being young and well-moneyed while wanting to have a good time can put you in some pretty interesting company – especially in a city with so many unsavory types around.

I covered one small angle of this story back in April when I learnt that Leafs forward Mikhail Grabovski had also had a similar relationship with Mangiola, and after digging around a little, ultimately came to two conclusions. One, the Mangiola situation created at least some fallout in the Habs dressing room and made life very difficult for the Kostitsyns down the stretch. And, two, there was a lot of genuine concern from the league and the NHLPA over what had happened and the fact this fellow was so close to several players over a long period of time.

I also think it's fairly clear that Mangiola was more than a brief acquaintance given the incredible amount of phone contact involved, and it's clear that others – like Alex Kovalev – were aware he was friends with their young teammates. It's difficult to think of any sane reason the Kostitsyn brothers would have called Mangiola 2,000 times in a two-year span, but that's the information the police have now released and we're left to speculate on just what that means.

After the "scandal" broke in February, Sergei Kostitsyn was quickly dispatched to the minors and played only four more NHL games the rest of the season. Andrei Kostitsyn, meanwhile, had only one goal and three points in the 19 games he played from that point on. Both are under contract next season, but it'll be interesting to see if they're kept in the fold going forward as I believe there could be some lingering issues.

On the union side of things, spokesman Jonathan Weatherdon said in April that the Mangiola situation would probably be discussed when they briefed players in the off-season.

"In light of that situation, it’s something that, coming next fall, will likely be on everyone’s [agenda] to make sure it’s an important part of the security training sessions," Weatherdon said. "It’s a reminder for guys that they’ve got to be careful with who they’re hanging out with."

Maybe that's the best coda to all of this, to think of it as a cautionary tale for players who may not have thought hard enough about who their friends are. It's good news that the Kostitsyns (and others) weren't wrapped up in anything nefarious, but it's disturbing to know how easy it can be for some to gain access to players when they might not have the best intentions.

There's real danger there, and that's a story worth telling.

At the risk of turning this entry into a gossip column, one little tidbit that did come up in relation to this story was about the on-ice battles this season between Sergei Kostitsyn and Grabovski. Did they have anything to do with this other connection?

No, I was told. It was over a woman.

Figures.