The media feeding frenzy that arrived with accusations that Sergei and Andre Kostitsyn were mobbed up made this "Jon and Kate Plus 8" infidelity stuff seem passive by comparison.

It was the tipping point for many Montreal Canadiens fans, who had seen the media amplify stories like Alexei Kovalev's mini-vacation and the Kostitsyns' plight to the point of ferocious scandal ... even when there wasn't any "there" there.

The Kostitsyns and defenseman Roman Hamrlik(notes) had an association with Pasquale Mangiola, who faces drug-trafficking and illegal weapon charges, and it became front page news in the media. Which looks like the height of hyperbole now that police have thoroughly investigated their relationship and determined that the players were involved in no wrongdoing.

From TSN:

A police spokesman told Le Journal de Montreal that 5,000 phone calls made by Pasquale Mangiola were replayed to see if he had any incriminating conversations with the brothers.

According to Le Journal, roughly 2,000 of those calls involved the Kostitsyns, but there was no evidence of criminal activity or sports betting. There was also no evidence of any wrongdoing with Canadiens defenceman Roman Hamrlik, who was also associated with Mangiola.

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.

Case closed. Back to trying to figure out who will own, coach, lead and tend goal for this franchise, going forward ...