Montreal Canadiens Legends

Ching Dheere

2011-12-18T15:49:00.000-08:00

This is Marcel Albert "Ching" Dheere. He was a war-time fill in for the Montreal Canadiens in the 1942-43 season, playing a total of 11 games (scoring 1 goal and 3 points). Interestingly, in those 11 games he wore 4 different jersey numbers - 8, 18, 19 and 21.

Dheere himself would lose his NHL job to the war service. In 1944 and 1945 he served in World War II. He would never play again the NHL, though he would play professionally for six more seasons.

Ching Dheere hung up the skates in 1953. He would work with the Canadian National Railway as a switchman for 30 years.

Dheere passed away in 2002 at the age of 83. He had a short fight with cancer.

Smiley Meronek

2011-12-18T15:35:00.000-08:00

This is William "Smiley" Meronek. He was a sensational hockey star in his native Manitoba. He moved to Verdun in 1937 and continued to star with the Maple Leafs of the QSHL, capturing the attention of the Montreal Canadiens.

Meronek agreed to a contract in both the 1939-40 and 1942-43 seasons. However in that 1943 season he would only play home games. He refused to travel with the Canadiens for road games due to his day job at a war plant in the city. Alex Smart was signed under the same circumstances at the same time.

All told, Smiley Meronek played parts of two NHL seasons, totalling 19 games. He scored 5 goals and 13 points.

Ray Getliffe

2011-12-18T15:09:00.000-08:00

This is Ray Getliffe, pride of Galt, Ontario. He was a NHL regular from 1936 through 1939 with Boston and from 1939 through 1945 with Montreal. He was originally scouted by the New York Rangers, but never played for the Blue Shirts.

Getliffe was lucky to play at all. In 1933 he was in critical condition in hospital with a serious case of pneumonia.

Ray Getliffe made a brief appearance with Boston in 1935-36 and then became a regular on a line with Bill Cowley and Charlie Sands, and was second to Cowley as leading scorer for the Bruins in 1936-37. He combined with Dit Clapper and Cooney Weiland when Boston finished first and won the Stanley Cup in 1938-39.

Getliffe was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in 1939-40 where he played for six years, being on two first place teams and another Cup winner. In his first two years with the Habs he played with Sands and Toe Blake. Playing with Elmer Lach and Joe Benoit in 1942-43, he scored 5 goals in a game against Boston.

Ray suffered a bad face cut in 1943-44 and missed several games. However, back in action again, he made this his best scoring year working on a line with Phil Watson and Murph Chamberlain, scoring 28 goals in the 50 game schedule and the Canadiens coasted to first place and won the Stanley Cup.

He played one more year on another first place team before retiring. He was actually traded by Montreal to Detroit in September 1945, but he decided to retire rather than move southward. He put on the stripes for the next two seasons, refereeing NHL games.

Getliffe, a left-winger, played in 393 regular-season games during his career, scoring 136 goals and adding 137 assists to go along with 250 penalty minutes.

It should also be noted that it was Getliffe who is responsible for Maurice Richard's moniker "the Rocket." Getliffe was in awe of Richard in practice, and was prompted to say "That kid can take off like a rocket!" The other players picked up on his comment right away, and the nickname stuck. Prior to that, Maurice's early nickname was "The Comet."

Getliffe would go on to become a legendary senior golfer in Canada. Getliffe had a keen eye for talent on the links as well as at the rinks. In 1960 he was quoted as saying "I've just seen a kid who is going to become the greatest golfer in the world." Getliffe had just finished watching a young Jack Nicklaus.

Polly Drouin

2011-12-16T11:16:00.000-08:00

This is Polly Drouin. You can tell just by looking at this Beehive photo that he was a tiny hockey player. The native of Verdun stood just 5'7" and 160lbs.

From 1935 through 1941 Paul-Emile Drouin skated with the Montreal Canadiens. He was actually originally property of the St. Louis Eagles (who, one season after transferring from Ottawa, folded). The Habs grabbed the 19 year old in the subsequent dispersal draft.

Over the next season Drouin struggled for ice time. He was bouncing around between the Habs and the minor leagues. When with the Habs he was strictly a support player, never scoring more than 7 goals in a single season. He was seemingly on the sidelines a lot, often nursing an injury. In a total of 156 career NHL regular season games he scored 23 goals and 73 points.

Drouin's professional hockey career came to an end due to two years of military service in World War II. During that time he played with Ottawa based military teams, helping lead the Ottawa Commandos to the 1943 Allan Cup championship. Upon his release from the military Drouin remained in amateur hockey for several years where he was known as an offensive dynamo.

Drouin was also a heck of a pitcher, playing in many baseball leagues in the summer time. He remained in Ottawa the rest of his life, passing away in 1968.

Bill Taugher

2011-12-11T21:55:00.000-08:00

Kingston, Ontario's Bill Taugher was a long time goaltending hero with the Buffalo Bisons of the IHL in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Though details are very sketchy, it appears he also played a single NHL game really early in his game. I say appear because not every source credits him for 60 minutes played with the Montreal Canadiens in the 1925-26 season. Those that do agree he surrendered three goals in a loss.

Which game that would have been remains a mystery though. My search suggests Herb Rheaume and Alphonse Lacroix played in the Habs net in the season following the loss of Georges Vezina.

Taugher may have been an emergency replacement. In the 1925-26 season Taugher was playing junior with the Kingston Frontenacs. In fact, Taugher helped Kingston reach the Memorial Cup finals that year.

He signed pro with Hamilton Tigers of the Can-Pro league. Two years later he signed on with the Buffalo Bisons where he starred for 7 seasons. He wound up his career with a season split between Rochester and Cleveland, both of the IHL as well.

Life was not all fun and games for Taugher. He suffered a back injury vs London (IHL) on March 20, 1936 that left him paralyzed. He actually resumed walking in 1942, but his health failed him again in the fall. He required brain surgery. The Society for International Hockey Research suggests the brain injury may have been from an old hockey injury. The Windsor Daily Star newspaper archives suggest it was from a puck to the head some fourteen years earlier.

Whether it was or not remains a mystery to me at this time, but I do know a few months later, on February 25, 1943, Bill Taugher passed away from complications of a brain tumor. Whether the two brain injuries were related or actually one also remains a mystery to me.

Gerald "Stub" Carson

2011-12-09T20:04:00.000-08:00

This is Gerald "Stub" Carson, brother of fellow NHLers Frank and Bill.

Born in Parry Sound, Ontario, "Stub" was a sensational amateur player with the Grimsby Peach Kings. He turned pro in 1927-28 with the Philadelphia Arrows of the Can- Am League. The following year this swift skating defenseman known to enjoy the physical game was in the National Hockey League.

Carson joined the Montreal Canadiens that season, although he also spent part of the season as loaned player to the New York Rangers. He returned to Montreal for the 1929-30 season.

That second season was one to remember for the man they called "Stub." He was a significant contributor to the Habs blue line, earning lots of playing time. He helped Les Canadiens win their second Stanley Cup championship (in the NHL) that season.

For whatever reason that was not enough to keep Carson in the NHL. For the next three seasons he was dispatched to the Providence Reds of the CAHL (forerunner of the NHL).

Carson returned to Montreal in 1932 and remained with the Habs through the next four seasons. He suffered a serious off-season knee injury in the summer of 1935, causing him to miss the entire 1935-36 season.

Carson successfully returned for one more NHL season in 1936-37, though the Canadiens had traded him. Fortunately for Carson he did not have to move very far, as they traded him across town to the arch rival Montreal Maroons.

Gerry "Stub" Carson played a total of 261 NHL games scoring 12 goals and 11 assists. He played 22 playoff games with no points.

When Carson retired he returned and worked as a salesman for the Don Brewing Company, just as he did each summer break during the hockey season. He died prematurely in 1956. He was just 53 years old.

The Bobby Orr Hall of Fame is a hockey museum in Orr's home town of Parry Sound. The museum has also taken to inducting other area legends, and in 2005 they included Gerald Carson, saying "he was a tower of strength on the ice and if necessary would hit his opponents hard, but cleanly. He acquired only 205 penalty minutes in his NHL career. He never cared who scored the goals. Preventing the opposition from scoring and feeding the puck to the slick, stick handling forwards was his job on defense. Just as long as they scored, he was satisfied. He would, on occasion, zoom down the ice, leaving everyone on the opposing team behind him and if a goal wasn't scored, would return to his own end just as quickly."

Guy Lafleur

2011-11-21T22:52:00.001-08:00

The man known as "The Flower" entered the National Hockey League in 1971 under perhaps the most intense pressure of any projected- superstar.

By 1971 the Montreal Canadiens had a long established history of French Canadian superstars. Names like Morenz, Richard and Beliveau had all set the standards, and with Beliveau retiring in 1971 Montreal was looking for a new hero to take the proverbial torch.

Enter Guy Lafleur.

After two outstanding seasons with the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL, one of which saw him score 130 goals and add 79 assists for a then-record total of 209 points, Montreal fans expected Lafleur to score at will in the NHL right from the get-go.

However it did not happen.

Lafleur had respectable totals in his rookie year, but respectable was not what management and fans had hoped for. With 29 goals and 64 points in his rookie season, people said "just wait for next year." Next year his totals slipped to 28 goals and 55 points, and the year after that 21 goals and 56 points. Meanwhile Marcel Dionne, another French Canadian player drafted 2nd behind Lafleur, was tearing up the league with Detroit.

In his fourth season " The Flower" blossomed into the scoring machine everyone knew he was capable of. Lafleur, who wore a helmet his first three years but removed it at the beginning of year four, erupted 53 goals and 119 points.

That was just the beginning of an era where the Canadiens were the dominant team in pro hockey, and Lafleur eclipsed Bobby Orr as the game's dominant player. He would go onto lead the league in scoring the next three years in a row, and recorded an amazing 6 consecutive years with at least 50 goals. Twice he was named as the NHL MVP and three times he was awarded the Pearson Trophy. He was the most exciting player in the second half on the 1970's, and helped lead the Habs to five Stanley Cup Championships, including four straight to end the decade.

His blazing speed and long flowing hair combined with his puck wizardry placed him first in Montreal Canadiens all time scoring and second on Montreal fan's all time favorite list, behind the immovable Rocket Richard, of course. He was one of the rare players that got you out of your seat almost every time he touched the puck. And to witness him score a goal was more often than not an event onto itself.

The Canadiens went through a transitionary period immediately following their dynasty at the end of the 1970s. The team became extremely focused on defensive hockey, and Lafleur's style did not fit in well. Injuries also slowed Lafleur.

After being at odds with the coaching staff, Guy decided to retire after 19 games in 1984-85.

Following the mandatory waiting period of three years, Guy was an obvious election into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988.

After taking his place as a legend of hockey in hockey's famous shrine, Lafleur made a surprising return to hockey in 1988, first with the New York Rangers and later in the city where his hockey career started so many years ago with Quebec. Perhaps one of his finest moments in his comeback was his first game back at the Montreal Forum, where he played so brilliantly for 13 and a half seasons. After a boisterous reception, Lafleur had the best game of his second career, notching 2 goals.

Guy retired permanently at the end of the 1990-91 season after 1 year in New York and 2 years in Quebec City. In total he brought his numbers to 1126 games, 560 goals, 793 assists and 1353 points.

Almost all of those points were scored with a flare of excitement that few other men in National Hockey League history have ever delivered better than Guy "The Flower" Lafleur.

Rocket Richard

2011-11-21T22:52:00.000-08:00

The Stare.

The stare was Rocket Richard's trademark. When he came at a goalie with his eyes lit up, the opposition was terrified. Glenn Hall once was quoted sharing his memories of Rocket Richard - "What I remember most about the Rocket were his eyes. When he came flying toward you with the puck on his stick, his eyes were all lit up, flashing and gleaming like a pinball machine. It was terrifying."

One of the games greatest goal scorers, he recorded a then-NHL record with 544 regular season goals. That record stood until 1963 when it was surpassed by Gordie Howe. He was also the first to score 50 goals in one season, and the only player to have reached that figure in a 50 game season.

Rocket Richard did everything by instinct and brute strength. He would run, not glide, down the ice and cut fearlessly to the slot. Some describe him as the greatest opportunist the game has ever known. He was probably the greatest goal scorer from the blue line in.

Richard's fierce temper and dedication were also hallmarks of his. He got into frequent scraps with players and officials. His suspension by NHL president Clarence Campbell in 1955 for attacking a Boston player with his stick and punching a linesman precipitated the now famous riot in the Montreal Forum.

Winning at all costs best sums up Richard's approach to hockey.

In a playoff game, the Bruins Leo Labine knocked Richard unconscious and doctors said he was done for the series. Richard refused to be hospitalized and returned to the game as the teams battled. Rocket Richard scored the game winning goal.

But the legend of Rocket Richard almost never came into fruition. Early in his career he missed a lot of time with various ailments such as a broken wrist and badly sprained ankle. Too injury prone they said. The Canadiens supposedly came close to trading the young firecracker, reportedly to the New York Rangers. Thankfully they didn't!

In addition Maurice initially started on the left wing, where he struggled in comparison to what he would do on the right wing. Once he changed sides, he began achieving great success. However his early accomplishments came during the second World War.

"He was a wartime hockey player," onetime Canadiens general manager Frank Selke once told a reporter. "When the boys come back, they said, they'll look after Maurice. Nobody looked after Maurice. He looked after himself. When the boys come back, they said, they'll catch up with him. The only thing that caught up with Maurice is time."

Even in these tough early days, you could tell Maurice was special. The local media had dubbed him The Comet. Later teammate Ray Getliffe, in an intra-squad match during a practice, was wowed by Richard and compared him to a rocket. The name stuck.

Things really turned around in 1943-44. Perhaps it was the switch to the right wing, or perhaps a superstitious switch in number. Richard asked coach Dick Irvin Sr. if he could change his number from 15 to nine to mark the occasion of the birth of his first daughter - 9lb Huguette. Richard scored 32 goals -- the fourth-highest total in Canadiens history at that time -- in his first full season. Combined with rookie Bill Durnan in goal, the Canadiens re-emerged as a top team. Richard added 12 more goals in the playoffs and the Canadiens took their first Stanley Cup since 1931. In one game in the final series against Toronto, Richard scored all Montreal's goals in a 5-1 victory

50 Goals in 50 Games

1944-45 was the Rocket's greatest season. Richard raced through the 50 game schedule at an incredible goal-per-game pace, becoming the first player to score the magical 50 goal total. He is the only player to do it in a 50 game schedule.

Rocket's amazing drive for 50 goals in 50 games is considered to be perhaps the greatest achievement in the history of hockey. Critics argue that the League at that point was watered down by the World War, but it remains among the greatest achievements in professional sports.

The eyes of the world were focused in on Rocket as he chased down what once seemed unthinkable. In game number 48 he scored goal number 49. In the 49th game Montreal easily defeated the Chicago Blackhawks, yet somehow Rocket was blanked. That left him only one last chance to make 50 in 50. The final game of the season was in Boston at the dreaded Boston Garden. Montreal won 4-2 and Rocket managed to hit the twine behind Bruin goalie Harvey Bennett for his 50th goal that season! That amazing feat would not be equaled until 1980 when Mike Bossy would score 50 goals in the first 50 games of an 80 game schedule.

Richard and the Canadiens didn't sip from the Stanley Cup that season, but they did the following year. Richard "slumped" down to 27 goals but erupted for a league high 7 playoff goals in 9 games as the Habs won their second Cup under Richard's firepower.

Despite twice leading the NHL in goal scoring in the regular season and some fine playoff performances, the Habs failed to win another Cup until 1952-53. By this time the Habs were just establishing themselves as the most dominant team in NHL history, and were just a couple years way from a 5 year reign as Cup champions.

The Infamous Richard Riot

Perhaps the Canadiens could have won a Cup in 1954-55 that would have been the first of 6 in a row, but they suffered a daunting blow when the NHL unthinkably suspended their most dynamic superstar for the rest of the regular season and playoffs. Years later, the infamous 'Richard Riots' are stuff of legend in hockey history.

A common tactic that teams used to keep him off the score sheet was to simply sucker him into a fight. Richard was not one to back down to anyone, and sometimes he let his anger get the best of him. He was suspended numerous times by NHL President Clarence Campbell for violent slashing penalties and abusive behavior towards referees.

His most memorable suspension, and one of the most traumatic incidents in NHL history occurred in Montreal in 1955. The "Richard Riot" came about after an incident on March 13, in a game between Richard's Canadiens and the Boston Bruins. Boston defenseman Hal Laycoe cut Richard over the eye with a high stick and drew a delayed penalty. Once the play was stopped, Richard showed the referee that he was cut and promptly went after Laycoe, hitting him with his stick. Richard was pulled off of the Bruins defenseman twice, but he broke free, picked up another stick off the ice and started attacking Laycoe again. Linesman Cliff Thompson finally was able to pin Richard down on the ice. When they let Richard back on his feet, he was still mad as hell and wanted a piece of anyone he could find. Unfortunately, Thompson was the closest one around. Richard struck him twice before anyone could intervene.

President Clarence Campbell had given Richard many suspensions and fines in the past for actions such as this, but this time it seemed as if he said enough was enough. Campbell suspended the Rocket for the remainder of the regular season and all of the playoffs.

Fans in Montreal were shocked by Campbell's decision. The suspension was thought of as an extreme blow to the team's chances of taking the Stanley Cup away from the Detroit Red Wings. Canadiens supporters threatened both the league offices and Campbell himself. However, Campbell was a stubborn man who was not intimidated easily. Despite pleas by both the mayor and police not to attend, Campbell showed up at his usual seat for the next Montreal home game. He was bombarded with rotten fruit and vegetables throughout the early portion of the game, and by the time Detroit took a 4-1 lead, the crowd had enough. A group of fans started to make their way towards Campbell's section. The police had to step in and try to keep the peace. All of a sudden, someone threw tear gas right next to the president's seat and all hell broke loose. The fire marshal announced that the game must be stopped for fear of a disastrous fire, and Campbell announced that the game was to be forfeited to the Red Wings. A mob of angry fans took off down St. Catherine Street, throwing stones, breaking store windows and looting shops. Over 60 people were arrested during the melee, and Richard had to plead for calm on Montreal radio stations in order for people to settle down.

This was one of the most severe penalties ever handed out in the NHL, and it was especially painful for Richard. At the time he was leading the league in points and was a shoo-in to win the Art Ross Trophy. The Art Ross was the one trophy that Richard desperately wanted in his career, but, because of his suspension, he lost probably his best chance to win it. Finally, on the last day of the regular season, Richard's teammate Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion moved ahead of him in the scoring race, taking the Art Ross from the Rocket by a single point. The fans actually booed Geoffrion for surpassing the Rocket.

The next year, the Canadiens began their record string of five consecutive Stanley Cups, but the torch was already being passed from Richard to the next great Canadiens star -- Jean Beliveau.

Richard was injured for most of his last three seasons. The injuries slowed the Rocket so that he was no longer able to accelerate on skates as he once did.
Perhaps sensing that the Habs dynastic reign would be coming to an end, Richard made the tough decision to retire following the 1960 Cup victory. By this point he wasn't the warrior he once was, but was still number one in the hearts of the fans.

Richard ended his career of 18 years playing 978 games, scoring 544 goals, assisting on 421 more for 965 points. He also accumulated 1285 penalty minutes and 8 Stanley Cup rings. He had a then-record 82 playoff goals in 133 games, plus 126 points and another 188 PIM. The 14 time all star also won one Hart Trophy.

He was only a hockey player often preached Richard. However he was for more than that as the Riot attests. He was an absolute hero to French Canadiens in particular. Some suggest it is more than just coincidence that tension between French and English in Quebec coincided with Richard's presence. Not that he ever did anything to promote or deny any Quebecois movement - he was very careful not to get involved - but he remained the hero. And many Quebecois would employ a similar fierce pride and win at all costs attitude in their political endeavors/

"He carried the flag for an entire population -- and that's pretty heavy," the Gazette's Red Fisher said. "He felt he had to live up to that responsibility and he did it the way he knew how -- by scoring goals and responding to every challenge on the ice."

Richard always remained number one with the fans, and likely always will be. In 1995, some 35 years after he last played and in front of a sold-out stadium of fans - many of whom too young to have ever seen Richard play - gave Richard the longest standing ovation in hockey history. It was a sad day as the Canadiens were closing the Cathedral of Hockey - The Montreal Forum. In typical Habs class, they brought out all the old legends in a torch passing ceremony - to symbolize the passing of greatness from the old building to the new one. A tearful Richard stole the show.

A couple of years later Richard came down with an inoperable form of cancer of the abdomen.

The scare moved the Canadiens outgoing president Ronald Corey, who grew up idolizing the Rocket, to push for the creation of the Maurice Richard Trophy for the league's top goal-scorer. The trophy was granted, forever immortalizing Richard.

On May 27th, 2000, Rocket Richard lost his battle with cancer. The celebration of his life that shortly followed was unmatched in Canada, and in very few places around the world. A state funeral was held for a hockey player. Tens of thousands of people - one estimate had over 50000 a day - lined up to pay their respects to Richard at center ice of the Montreal Molson Center - the new Forum. The actual funeral was broadcast nationwide and throughout the world. It was eerily similar to the passing of Princess Diana just a short time earlier.

He was just a hockey player, but no one hockey player meant so much to so many people on such a personal level.

Jean Beliveau

2011-11-21T22:51:00.000-08:00

Mention the name Jean Beliveau, and so many images come to mind. His size, his skills, his class - he was the perfect hockey player and an even better person. He's one of the few players that seems to have transcended the game itself, particularly in his native Quebec.

"Le Gros Bill" (Jean was nicknamed after a French folk hero) was the centerpiece of the mighty Montreal Canadiens dynasty that accumulated 10 Stanley Cups during his extraordinary reign. Five of those championships came with him serving as captain - no other man has captained his team to more Stanley Cups. Twice voted the NHL's MVP, he was a First All Star in 1955, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960 and 1961. He was the scoring champ in 1956 and was the first recipient of the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs in 1965. He accumulated 507 goals, 712 assists for a point total of 1219 in 1125 games, all with Les Habitants. He racked up 176 more points in 162 playoff games.

Most "experts" agree that Beliveau is one of the top ten players in hockey history. He is also almost universally regarded as one of the top three centers in NHL history - along with Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.

Mario Lemieux is most often compared to Jean, and it is a very accurate assessment. That statement alone gives younger fans an idea of just how Le Gros Bill was. Like Mario, Big Jean was an almost unseen blend of grace and power. He had the body of a giant, yet was such a gentleman. He could use his physical gifts to dominate a game, but more often than not relied on his skill and smarts.

Wild Bill Eznicki, one of the most physical players of his era, recalled what it was like to attempt to knock down Beliveau: "It was like running into the side of a big oak tree. I bounced right off the guy and landed on the seat of my pants."

His uncanny physical gifts weren't his only blessing on the ice. He was a great skater - deceptively fast due to his long stride. He was a puckhandling wizard with a great knack for goal scoring. He was a majestic player known for his crisp passes and laser like shot.

Beliveau's journey to Montreal was one of the most interesting in pro sports history. The Canadiens purchased an entire hockey league in order to get him. The Habs held Jean's negotiating rights, but he refused to sign with them, preferring to stay in his hometown of Quebec City where he already was a legend with the junior team and was being paid big money to play as a supposed amateur in the Quebec Senior League. In fact many reports suggest he was being paid more money than any professional of the day, including Gordie Howe and Rocket RIchard! But moreover, Jean felt a great deal of loyalty to the Quebec Aces and the people of Quebec City, and just wasn't quite ready to leave yet. He was treated like royalty, and he wanted to stay to repay his debt of gratitude.

However the Canadiens had just won their first Stanley Cup since 1946 in 1953 and they wanted to inject some of their top junior prospects in order to get them over the hump known as the dynastic Detroit Red Wings of the 1950s. Dickie Moore and Boom Boom Geoffrion were two key additions, but the graceful giant Beliveau was a must have as far as Frank Selke was concerned. He went to great lengths to ensure he could get Beliveau in a Habs jersey. The Canadiens purchased the whole league and turned the league professional just to get Beliveau in a Habs jersey! Beliveau could have played in the amateurs forever but once he became a professional he had to play with Montreal. By turning the whole league professional, Beliveau had to travel down the highway and lace up for Montreal.

It was money well spent for the Montreal Canadiens, and hockey fans everywhere. Success wasn't immediate though. He struggled through injuries in his rookie season and the Habs fell in the Stanley Cup finals in each of Beliveau's first two years.

But by 1955-56, Beliveau and the Habs arrived. Beliveau seemingly took the torch from Rocket Richard's hands and led the Habs to their first of 5 consecutive Stanley Cups. En route, Beliveau scored a league high 47 goals and 88 points in the regular season, plus 12 goals and 19 points in 10 post season games. It was one of the greatest seasons by any individual in hockey history.

The Canadiens owned the remainder of the decade. Beliveau was of course a huge part of what many consider to be the greatest team in NHL history. He never quite duplicated his great 55-56 season, though came close in 1958-59 when he again lead the league with 45 goals in just 64 games, plus 91 points. While the Habs of course won the Cup that year too, Jean was only able to play in 3 games (accumulating 5 points) due to injuries.

The 1960s have been termed The Forgotten Decade by Montreal Canadiens decades. Rocket Richard had retired at the beginning of the decade, and the Canadiens got off to a slow start in terms of championships. But by the end of the decade Jean led the Habs to 5 Stanley Cups in 7 years (including 1971).

5 championships in 7 seasons has earned the Toronto Maple Leafs of the 1940s and the Edmonton Oilers of the 1980s dynastic status, but that has eluded the Habs of the 60s. Perhaps that was because Canada's other team - the Toronto Maple Leafs - did so well and it is remembered their decade. And despite great peformances from Jean, Geoffrion, Henri Richard and many Canadiens, that team seemed to lack that one iconic attraction that captured the Quebec fans - like Rocket Richard of the 1950s and Guy Lafleur of the 1970s.

That 1971 Stanley Cup was special. The Chicago Blackhawks were favored to win, yet somehow a combination of the old guard and some of the young guns of the 1970s dynasty teamed together to win a surprise Cup. It was a perfect moment for Jean to ride out into the sunset. He retired at the end of the playoffs.

Beliveau achieved all of this despite some major obstacles. He had to play under the shadow of Rocket Richard, something which became even more difficult once Richard slowed and retired and Jean became the man known as Richard's "replacement." He faced constant criticisms because of the comparisons to Richard. No matter how many Cups Beliveau could deliver, there was no replacing the Rocket of course. Plus he was criticized because of his status as the most talked about junior player in history at the time, plus his battles with injuries over the years.

One of the biggest obstacles he had was his heart. No one ever questioned his desire, but his heart was diagnosed as being too small for his gigantic body. Doctors proclaimed that it was amazing that Beliveau could perform as an athlete. But perform he did, and at a level few others have attained. His body obviously learned how to cope under such athletic stress. Basketball players Hank Gathers and Reggie Lewis died on the court with a very similar ailment. Other than some occasional fatigue, Beliveau was unaffected. Actuality

Beliveau had a sometimes rocky relationship with the fans and media over his playing days, but in retirement he has become even more legendary. For many years he continued to work as an executive for the Habs and for Molsons. He has this uncanny charisma that not even Wayne Gretzky has - he just has this way of making whoever he is talking to - no matter if it is the Prime Minister or his garbage man - feel like he is the most important person at that particular time. He genuinely cares.

He was a master of public relations, always knowing how to give the public exactly what they wanted.. Beliveau would serve with 8 major corporations, and reluctantly had to turn down opportunities to become a senator and governor general of Canada. He opted not to go to Ottawa as he felt he had to stay home and help raise his daughter's children, who lost their father, a Quebec police constable, to suicide.

Former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau perhaps said it best about Jean Beliveau:

"Rarely has the career of an athlete been so exemplary. By his courage, his sense of discipline and honour, his lively intelligence and finesse, his magnificent team spirit, Beliveau has given new prestige to hockey."

Art Gagne

2011-11-03T21:30:00.000-07:00

Art Gagne was a well travelled, 5-foot-7, 160-pound right winger. Described as a scrappy forward, Gagne was best known for playing in Montreal in the late 1920s alongside linemates Howie Morenz and Aurele Joliat. He also played in Ottawa and had brief stops in Boston and Detroit.

The Ottawa born hockey star headed west to start and finish his hockey career. In 1920-21 Gagne joined the Edmonton Eskimos, of the WCHL not the CFL. By 1923 he was traded to the Regina Capitals for Spunk Sparrow. He was soon traded back to Edmonton with none other than Eddie Shore for a couple of guys named Joe McCormick and Bob Trapp.

By 1926 the 29 year old joined the Montreal Canadiens. He was one of nine new faces brought in to help out the Habs. He was described as a sensational star from Western Canada, and the best of the nine newbies which also included Gizzy Hart, Ambrose Moran, Athur Gauthier, Peter Palangio, Carson Cooper, and Léo Lafrance.

Gagne found a home on the greatest line in hockey, helping him fulfill his advanced billing. In the 1927-28 season he scored 20 goals and 30 points in 44 games. He ranked 6th in the entire league in both goals and points that season.

Gagne lasted three seasons in Montreal and another couple in Ottawa, plus the two brief spots in Boston and Detroit.

All told the shifty but temperamental winger scored 67 goals and 100 points in his 228 game NHL career. The pepperpot accumulated 257 career penalty minutes.

In 1932 Gagne returned to west to where it all started, re-joining Edmonton Eskimos where he teamed well with the great Duke Keats. He later coached in Edmonton and with the Seattle Seahawks of the NWHL, not the NFL.

Johnny Matz

2011-10-15T20:31:00.000-07:00

Most sources say Johnny Matz was born in Omaha, Nebraska way back in 1891. The Society for International Hockey Research suggests he was actually born in Casper, Wyoming. Either way Johnny Matz was one of the earliest American born players in the National Hockey League.

Matz, who was raised and learned the game in Alberta, played one season with the Montreal Canadiens in 1924-25. He scored just two goals and 5 points in 30 games. Hints as to what type of player he was are very few and far between. Two sources refer to him as a colourful play.

At the age of 33 years he was hardly a rookie that season with the Habs. He had long played in Western Canada with several teams in Edmonton, most notably the WCHL Eskimos. He also played with the Saskatoon Shieks and Moose Jaw Maroons as well as stops in the British Columbia towns of Grand Forks and Rossland. He was always one of the top players on every Western team he played on.

Statistics are sketchy at times, leaving question marks as to whether Matz was even playing, especially pre-1920. We do know he enlisted with the Canadian military in 1918 to help in Canada's efforts in World War I.

Mike McMahon, Sr.

2011-07-17T18:13:00.000-07:00

Mike McMahon Sr. played just 57 games in his NHL career. The vast bulk of that came in his only full campaign, 1943-44, when he was essentially a war fill-in, as many NHLers enlisted for service in World War II.. Listed at 5'9" and 218lbs, McMahon played in 42 games that season, scoring 7 goals and 24 points. He added another goal and three points in 8 playoff games, helping the Canadiens win the Stanley Cup.

McMahon, a Quebec Senior League stalwart, was an adventurous sort. He made the opposition feel quite uncomfortable, as his career 132 penalty minutes suggested. But he also made his own goaltender uncomfortable. Bill Durnan shared this memory of McMahon in Stan and Shirley Fischler's book Heroes and History:

"Mike McMahon, a rolypoly who would scare the hell out of me whenever he played the point; I always expected the other team to jab the puck away from him and come in on me all alone."

Once the war was over and NHL rosters were at full power once again, McMahon found himself mostly playing in the American Hockey League until his retirement in 1949. He became a self-employed welder after leaving the ice.

Mike McMahon Sr. died on December 3rd, 1974. Mike's son Mike Jr. also played in the National Hockey League, playing in 224 games in the 1970s.

Leo Lamoureux

2011-07-17T17:30:00.000-07:00

Leo Lamoureux was a defenseman with the Montreal Canadiens from 1942 through 1947. Born in Espanala, Ontario but raised in Windsor, Leo was part of Montreal's Stanley Cup championship teams in 1944 and 1946.

In the book Heroes and History by Stan and Shirley Fischler, Habs goaltending great Bill Durnan reflected back on Leo, describing him as "a real character."

"Leo was a worry wart; if something was going to happen, it would be to him. He was also always in and out of mischief along with his pal Murph Chamberlain. They gave (coach Dick) Irvin so many headaches between them that Dick actually missed them once they were gone. Irvin used to say, 'Geez, if we could only get some guys on this team who could get in trouble like those two we'd be alright."

Lamoureux was certainly a well travelled hockey player, bouncing around various Ontario senior teams, down to Washington in the AHL and even in Great Britain for a season before joining the Habs full time in 1942. A converted center, Lamoureux was described as a crafty defenseman, adding some offensive spark. He was also played the game tough while defending his own zone, making life unpleasant for oncoming attackers.

Though his NHL days were over by 1947, Lamoureux enjoyed a lengthy minor league and senior league career through to 1957.

He turned to coaching after that, but he passed away mid-season while coaching the Indianapolis Chiefs of the International Hockey League. He had to leave the bench in November as a case of acute hepatitis hospitalized him. He died on January 11th, 1961. He was just 45 years old.

In memoriam, the IHL created the Leo Lamoureux Trophy to be handed out to that league's leading scorer.

Lyle Odelein

2011-05-08T18:15:00.000-07:00

Lyle Odelein was not a flashy player, adding very little offense or finesse. But the native of Quill Lake, Saskatchewan was a player every fan and especially every player and coach could not help but appreciate.

"Lyle was a great team player," said Rejean Houle, president of the Canadiens' Alumni Association. "Guys always knew he had their back if there was a tough situation. It's a nice feeling for guys to know there is always someone there and ready to help."

This defensive defenseman showed up to compete every shift, every night. He started out more as a rugged presence, dropping the gloves often (though he was not a great fighter by any means) and throwing hard hits. But he worked hard at his game and became a valuable depth defender and, as one reporter put it, "a classic overachiever."

Odelein matured into a solid rearguard. For all his raucous physical play, he was very calm with the puck on his stick and made strong outs. He knew how to play within his limitations. He as an average skater at best, so he played a very conservative game. That made him reliable in the defensive zone, and, outside of an average shot from the point, a non-factor in the offensive zone. That being said, Odelein did have magical night in Montreal. On February 20th, 1994 Odelein matched Doug Harvey's team record for defensemen with 5 assists in the same game. A couple of weeks later he somehow recorded a hat trick against St. Louis.
The Montreal Canadiens drafted Lyle Odelein from the Moose-Jaw Warriors in the seventh round (141st overall) of the 1986 Entry Draft. He scored his first NHL goal on December 19, 1991 at Chicago.
Odelein, who was most often paired with Mathieu Schneider in Montreal,, not only was an essential component for the Canadien's Stanley Cup winning team in 1992-93, he also played in 83 games and led the Canadiens with a plus 35 rating. The next season, he posted career highs in goals - 11, assists - 29, points - 40, power play goals - 6 and . He also had a career high 276 penalty minutes, leading the Habs. That was not unusual. He did that 6 seasons in a row from from 1990-91 to 1995-96.

His penchant for fighting and physical play was definitely brought about by his rural Saskatchewan upbringing. They make hockey players tough in places like Quill Lake.

"Well, when we played minor hockey as kids, there would nearly always be some kind of a fight, either during the game or right afterwards," Odelein once said. "I can tell you names of guys who played their age-group hockey in that area and you won't ask me if they could fight. Guys like (future NHL tough guys) Wendel Clark, Joe Kocur, Kelly Chase, Kevin Kaminski.
On Aug. 22, 1996, Montreal traded Odelein to the New Jersey Devils for Stephane Richer. He led the Devils in penalty minutes in 1996-97 with 110 PIMs. He would often be paired with Scott Stevens as the Devils' top shutdown pair. In fact, Odelein was so highly thought of around this time that he was included on Team Canada at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey.

On March 7, 2000 he was traded by the Devils to the Phoenix Coyotes for Deron Quint and a conditional pick in the 2001 draft. He was then selected by Columbus Blue Jackets in NHL expansion draft on June 23, 2000, where he was named Columbus Blue Jackets first ever team captain.

Like most players, Odelein was a bit of a vagabond late in his career as teams looked to him for his experience. He rounded out his career with short stints in Chicago, Dallas, Florida and Pittsburgh.

All in all, Lyle Odelein played in 1056 hard fought NHL contests. He scored 50 goals, 252 points and 2316 career penalty minutes.

After retirement Odelein split his time working on the family 6400 acre ranch back in Quill Lake, and with North Shore Saloon in Pittsburgh.

Special thanks to Jennifer Conway for the quotes.

Les Kuntar

2011-04-01T17:00:00.000-07:00

Les Kuntar was born in Elma, New York on July, 28th 1969. He was still playing high school hockey when the Canadiens made him their 8th pick, 122nd over all in the 1987 Entry Draft. Kuntarwent on to play at St. Lawrence University prior to playing with the United States National team in 1991-92.

In 1993-94 Kuntar played 6 games as Patrick Roy's backup, but was demoted to the minors when the Habs acquired Ron Tugnutt from the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Kuntar would leave the Montreal organization to sign with the Philadelphia Flyers but toiled with 8 minor league teams in 4 years before hanging up the skates in 1997.

Kuntar's record in his 6 NHL games was 2-2-0 with a 3.18 GAA. His biggest moment came on New Year's Eve, 1993 when he won the traditional holiday game between Montreal and Calgary. Theoren Fleury remembers it well. When asked which New Year's showdown against Montreal that he thought was most memorable, Fleury responded by saying

"Gotta be The Les Kuntar Game. Gotta be."

The uh, what ...?

"The Les Kuntar Game. Kinger (Dave King) was still coaching then. And we play the big New Year's Eve Game against Montreal and they put somebody named Les Kuntar in the nets ... and he beats us! I think we had, oh, 10 shots the whole game. I mean, afterwards the guy coulda stuck his underwear up on the pin and not even had to wash it! Anyway, Kinger storms into the room after we lose, livid, his eyes are bugging out of his head and he starts yelling 'Les Kuntar! We just got beat by Les (bleep)ing Kuntar! Who the hell is Les (bleep)ing Kuntar anyway!?' "

Paul-Marcel Raymond

2011-03-19T19:17:00.000-07:00

This is Paul-Marcel Raymond. He is one of the least known Habs in Montreal Canadiens history, but he was always a fixture in the Montreal hockey scene.

Raymond was the son of Jack Raymond, who served as the Habs telegrapher. In fact, it was pretty rare that he would get to see his son play with the Habs, as he was buried in some room transcribing notes from the game.

Raymond was a right winger for the Montreal Canadiens over parts of four seasons. He broke into the NHL in the 1932-33 season, playing in 16 contests, although he barely played. A bad flu cost him a lot of weight off of his already slender frame. He never registered a point or even a penalty minute. The following year was very similar, although he got into 29 contests and even bulged the net once.

In1934-35 Raymond returned for 20 more games and contributed his only other career goal. He was destined for a long career in the minor leagues, although he did return for 11 games in 1938-39.

Though his NHL career may not have amounted to a whole lot. As a teenager he was a notable amateur hockey and lacrosse star in Montreal, known for his speed. He was a brilliant stickhandler and playmaker, though his stats suggest he become a more rounded shooter as his pro career advanced.

For much of the 1940s he played senior hockey with the famed Montreal Royals. He also served in the military. It seems he later worked the administration offices of the Montreal Forum and then worked for French CBC television/radio as director of sports services.

Born on February 27th, 1913, Paul-Marcel Raymond, a noted lover of grand opera, passed away on April 4th, 1995.

Tony Demers

2011-03-19T18:26:00.000-07:00

Tony Demers made some big headlines over his lifetime. Unfortunately the biggest were for all the wrong reasons.

Born in Chambly Basin Quebec, Tony's professional career actually began in Britain of all places. He played with the Southampton Kings in the top British league in 1937-38 after playing very little junior hockey in the Montreal area.

The following year Tony returned to Quebec, playing in the QPHL as well as 6 games with the Montreal Canadiens. It wasn't until 1940-41 that Tony made the Habs full time. He scored 13 goals and 23 points in 46 games in his only full NHL season.

Tony's NHL career was interrupted by World War II as he enlisted in 1942. Based in Quebec, Tony was able to get short leaves to play a total of 15 games in the NHL with the Habs during his 2 full seasons lost to the War.

Upon Tony's discharge from the army, Tony found himself in a New York Ranger jersey, as he was sent to the Big Apple in exchange for Phil Watson. Tony's stay in New York was brief, just one game, as he spent most of the 1943-44 season in the minors with the Providence Reds (AHL)

Tony returned to Quebec the following year to play in the QPHL. He dominated the "Q" over the next 5 seasons, scoring a league leading 50 goals and 62 goals in 1945-46 and 1947-48 respectively. He also was a standout in the playoffs, and the 1949 Most Valuable Player.

However that great 1949 season was his last. Late in 1949 he was convicted of beating his girlfriend to death. Tony served 8 years of his 15 year sentence at St. Vincent de Paul Penitentiary before being granted parole in 1959.

Garry Blaine

2011-03-15T15:32:00.000-07:00

Gerry Blaine was a nice junior hockey player. He played in the Manitoba Junior League with St. Boniface, a junior team sponsored by the Montreal Canadiens. That junior team almost captured junior hockey's most cherished prize, the Memorial Cup, in 1953, but fell short to the Barrie Flyers. The Flyers boasted the likes of Don McKenney, Doug Mohns, and a young Don Cherry!

A very interesting incident occurred between Blaine and Cherry. Cherry of course went onto a career as minor league tough guy and later coach and broadcaster who controversially promoted fighting and rough hockey.

Well, in game 5 of the Memorial Cup final in 1953, Blaine became very angry at one of the Barrie players, and began chasing him around the ice in order to fight him, but the player ran away scared and unwilling to drop the gloves.

Hal Sigurdson of the Winnipeg Free Press remembered the story in a 1996 article, and claimed it was Cherry who had cowardly hid.

"Blaine's teammate, Ab McDonald....says it was Cherry. So does former provinicial cabinet minister Larry Desjardins, who was general manager of Blaine's St. Boniface Canadiens at the time."

Gerry Blaine himself isn't sure.

"To be honest, I'm not sure," he said. "Orval Tessier had just slashed our goaltender, Hal Dalkie and I drilled him. When he went down I tried to pick him up, but he turtled. I'd never seen a guy do that before. Anyways, I heard another of their players chirping so I went after him. he took off and I chased him. When I asked our guys who it was they told me his name was Don Cherry."

Like Cherry, Blaine would only go on to play one game in the National Hockey League. Total Hockey suggests the once promising winger fell victim to the "Demon Rum"..

John Kordic

2011-03-13T20:13:00.000-07:00

John Kordic was, for a short while, hockey's most feared enforcer with a bright future ahead of him. However numerous personal tragedies not only cost him his fame and fortune, but also his life.

John was a wild fighter who had the rare ability to throw punches with either hand. Many opponents would tie up Kordic's right hand only to have John surprise them by pummeling them with his equally lethal left hand.

People enjoyed watching John fight. He always made a big production of every fisticuff by taking off his sweater and elbow pads before punishing his opponent.

Kordic began his career by playing junior hockey in the WHL. In 1983, he won a Memorial Cup with the Portland Hawks. Although primarily a left winger in the pros, Kordic was a stand out defenseman with the Winter Hawks for 2 1/2 seasons. Half way during his last year of junior he was traded to Seattle where he finished the season incredibly (23-58-81 with 227 PIM). He was named to the WHL All Star Team.

He was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 1983 and spent some time in the minors before being called up to the Habs in April, 1986. A couple of other youngsters were called up late that season. Patrick Roy provided goaltending not seen in Montreal since the days of Ken Dryden. Claude Lemieux came out of nowhere to timely score significant goals. And Kordic supplied the Habs with that genuine enforcer to protect their smaller players. The pieces to the championship puzzle were set and Montreal won a surprise Cup in 1986.

Kordic became a fan favorite in Montreal rather quickly. He signed a huge 2 year contract and seemed to be on top of the world. However soon after Kordic begain experimenting with cocaine and steroids. He also was a very heavy drinker who would stay out all night in Montreal bars.

By 1988 his drinking and substance abuce wore thin with the Montreal management, and they succeeded in trading him in on of the sweetest deals in NHL history. The Habs sent Kordic and a 6th round pick to Toronto in exchange for Russ Courtnall - a speedy, skilled playmaking center/right winger.

Kordic had trouble adjusting to his new surroundings in Toronto and he was the object of media and fan criticism because he had been traded for a skillful player like Courtnall who was excelling in Montreal. By December, Kordic had created much chaos by breaking his stick over Keith Acton's head. The unsuspecting Acton ended up with a broken nose. Kordic was suspended for ten games.

Kordic's troubles really began to escalate once his father died. His drinking, drug use and steroid experimentation all increased and Kordic spent most of his time in the pressbox and minors before being traded to Washington in January of 1991.

It was in Washington when Kordic finally received some help. The Capitals put him up in Alcoholics Anonymous but he failed to make any progress. The Caps released him at the end of the season.

Kordic was signed by the Quebec Nordiques for the 1991-92 season but it was a similar story there too. The Nords brought in Kordic to help out their own problem-child in Bryan Fogarty. The thought was the two were serious about recovery and the two could help each other fight the battle. But the idea (not exactly the greatest one to start with) failed miserably.

On August 8, 1992, John Kordic died from a cardiac arrest. High on cocaine, Kordic had been fighting with a number of police officers in the Quebec hotel. The officers were trying to remove the already agitated Kordic. The excitement of the scuffle combined with prolonged drug use caused Kordic's heart to stop.

Many questions were raised after Kordic's death, specifically how the NHL and the teams could have better prevented this tragic story.

Don Smith

2011-03-11T16:40:00.000-08:00

Donald Smith was a steady all-around hockey player. He started with Cornwall in 1905 and played with them for three years. Don spent a year in the MHL and one in the OPHL before joining the Shamrocks in the NHA.

Smith skated with Renfrew only for the 1911-12 season, centering a line with Odie Cleghorn and Bobby Rowe. Don was noted for being a clean player, leaving the rough stuff to his teammates. He preferred to concentrate on scoring the goals.

1911-12 was Smith's best season. He finished third on the scoring list with 28 goals in 16 games. At the end of the season Renfrew dropped from the league and Don headed for the west coast, suiting up with Victoria.

Don returned to the NHA and the Montreal Canadiens in 1913. There he remained except for one season with the Wanderers. After returning from duty in WWI, Smith rejoined the Habs, this time in the National Hockey League, and played in 12 games, scoring 1 goal.

Smith retired after that one NHL season in 1921. Well liked by the fans for his hockey skill, Don was never fortunate enough to play on a Stanley Cup winner.

Alex Singbush

2011-03-10T19:23:00.000-08:00

This is Alex Singbush, one of the least known Montreal Canadiens of all time.

Mr. Singbush hailed from Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. He played his junior hockey in Winnipeg before heading to Ontario's Nickel Belt region to find work and play senior hockey with the Sudbury Refinery ORC. In three seasons there he made quite a name for himself as a rugged bruiser of the blue line. He was always a penalty minute leader, leading the entire Nickel Belt Hockey League with 64 PIMs in just 17 games in 1938-39.

There is always a need for physical defenders, and the 5'11" 180lb Singbush cashed in when he had a pro offer from the New Haven Eagles of the IAHL. He would play the better part of 4 seasons in New Haven (and part of a season with the Philadelphia Ramblers).

Meanwhile NHL rosters were being depleted due to World War II. Many of the players joined the Canadian military. That opened up jobs for players in the minor leagues. Players like Alex Singbush. The Montreal Canadiens purchased his contract and employed him on their blue line alongside the likes of Ken Reardon.

Singbush played in 32 games that season, collecting 5 assists but no goals. He was relatively well behaved, by his standards, collecting just 15 penalty minutes. He added another 4 PIMs in 3 playoff games, but no points.

In fact, the most interesting numbers of Alex Singbush's NHL career may be his jersey numbers. For some reason he used three different numbers in his only NHL campaign - 10, 18 and 21.

After that season Montreal sold his rights off to the Washington Lions of the AHL. He also spent some time with the Providence Reds before returning to Sudbury to play senior hockey. He also briefly played with Hull in the Quebec Senior Hockey League.

Alex Singbush retired from hockey in 1946. He passed away on March 8th, 1969.

Bill Nyrop

2011-03-08T16:21:00.000-08:00

Ken Dryden wasn't the only scholar on the Montreal Canadiens in the 1970s. Defenseman Bill Nyrop was equally as cerebral off the ice.

Bill always went his own way. He won the Stanley Cup in each of his first three NHL seasons and then suddenly retired. Despite teammates and coaches efforts to try changing his mind he decided not to play anymore. Bill eventually returned to the NHL for one season in 1981-82 after a three season absence from the hockey scene.

Bill had a very solid four year career at the University of Notre Dame between 1970-74. In 1972-73 he was named to the WCHA 2nd All-Star team and to the 1st NCAA West All-American team. Prior to that All-Star season he had been picked by Montreal in the 1972 Amateur Draft. (66th overall). Bill wasn't the fastest player around but he was a very smart player who was very efficient in front of his own net where he used his great size very well.

After spending almost two seasons in the AHL with the Nova Scotia Voyageurs, he got his chance to play for the Canadiens late during the q975-76 season. In the 19 games for Montreal Bill was a solid +21 and won himself a regular spot on the Canadiens blueline, winning the Stanley Cup immediately.

In September 1976 Bill had the honor to represent USA in the Canada Cup tournament where he was one of the steadiest players on the squad.

In 1976-77 Bill once again won the Stanley Cup with Montreal. He had a rock solid +42 rating (14th best overall) and scored 22 points during the regular season. In his third season Montreal once again won the Stanley Cup. Three seasons and three Cup titles was more than most players could ever dream of. This was Bill's best season, as he achieved a career high of 26 points and a +56 rating (7th best overall).

Then Bill suddenly decided to walk away from it all despite being offered a very lucrative contract. Bill stunned a lot of people by his decision but he was an independent thinker and very confident of what he was doing. He opted to return to school to pursue a law degree.

Late in 1980 Montreal traded his rights to Minnesota. Minnesota's GM Lou Nanne began to persuade Bill on returning back to hockey. Bill finally agreed on trying out with the North Stars. He was tested during a tournament in Stockholm (Sweden) in September 1980, named the Dagens Nyheter Cup (DN-Cup). There he impressed the North Stars staff enough to earn himself a spot on the team.

But it wasn't until the following season that Stars convinced Bill to come out of retirement for good. Bill played very well for Minnesota during that 1981-82 season. He had the third best +/- figure (+14) in only 42 games. Bill had however indicated to Nanne that he would probably only play one season, so Nanne traded Bill to Calgary so he could get something in return.

Bill never reported to Calgary, instead he went over to Europe briefly where he played for the German team Kolner Haie in 1982-83. After that he quit hockey for good to finish his law degree.

After nine years out of the hockey scene Bill returned in 1992 as the coach and owner of the West Palm Beach Blaze. He led the Blaze to three Sunshine League titles before selling the team in 1995. He was going to remain in the league as a coach for the West Palm Beach Barracudas of the Southern League.

But in September 1995 Bill was diagnosed with inoperable cancer. Tests showed that an aggressive form of cancer had started in his colon and then had spread to his liver and lungs within two months. Bill underwent chemotherapy treatments to keep the illness in remission as long as possible.

Goalie Kelly Dyer, who played for Bill with the Blaze was one of the last of his players to talk to him:
" We talked on Christmas (1995)," Dyer said, "and he said, ' Kelly, what I wouldn't do for a pair of skates and a sheet of ice ' "

Bill's former roommate from the Montreal days Doug Jarvis said: " There was always more to Bill than being a player. He was always reading books so he could expand his thinking. "

Only two months before Bill passed away he said that he never became bitter: " I've been lucky to do a lot of interesting things and to meet a lot of interesting people. There's nothing to be bitter about. "

It was hard to believe that this 43-year old who only months before he passed away had biked 1,000 miles from the Pacific Ocean to Yellowstone Park looking and feeling better than anytime before, would soon be gone. Only a couple of hours into the new year (1996) Bill died in his fathers home in Minneapolis.

Billy Coutu

2011-03-02T10:27:00.000-08:00

Billy Coutu is chiefly remembered as the first player ever to be expelled from the NHL for life for his conduct.

Coutu broke in the NHA in 1916-17 and was an NHL original when the new league was formed in 1917-18. He was an aggressive defenseman, and when Sprague Cleghorn became his defense partner, they terrorized the rest of the league.

In the 1923 NHL playoffs, Cleghorn and Coutu played so viciously in the opener against Ottawa injuring several Senators with their sticks and elbows, that their own manager-coach Leo Dandurand suspended them for the second and deciding game without waiting for the league to act.

When Sprague Cleghorn was sold to Boston after the 1924-25 season, Coutu was named captain of the Canadiens for a short time. When the Canadiens finished last, they traded Coutu to Boston for Amby Moran. The trade reunited him with Cleghorn, but the big prize was the Bruins getting Eddie Shore in 1926-27. Mind you, Shore may not have been too fond of Coutu. In their first practice together Coutu reportedly "body slammed" Shore and the two banged heads so badly that Shore's ear was severed. Shore supposedly visited several doctors trying to find someone who would reattach the ear. Shore, refusing anesthetics, used a mirror to carefully watch doctors reattach the ear to his satisfaction.

With Shore and Lionel Hitchman as the main defense and Cleghorn and Coutu as substitutes, the Bruins had a formidable defense that took them to the Stanley Cup finals in 1927, losing to Ottawa.

In the final game, the series was spoiled by the disgraceful brawl near the end of the game when tempers frayed. Hooley Smith viciously cross-checked Harry Oliver in the face, knocking him unconscious. Eddie Shore came to Oliver's rescue and pounded Smith to a bloody pulp. Then Hitchman and Buck Boucher got into a classic hammer and tongs fist fight, and then it was Coutu's turn to get into the act. He punched referee Jerry LaFlamme, knocking him down, and tackled Billy Bell, the other referee, as he was coming to
LaFlamme's aid. For this, Coutu was expelled from the National Hockey League for life by NHL president Frank Calder, and fined $100, a big sum in those days. Smith was suspended for one month the following season and fined $100. Hitchman and Boucher were fined $50 and given match penalties. Jimmy Herberts, a scorer on the Bruins, was fined $50 for intimidating the two referees.
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Coutu, as the result of his expulsion, was sold to New Haven of the Canadian-American league. He played well in his first season there, and led the league in penalty minutes. However, he was again in trouble that year, 1927-28, when he hit George Redding of the Boston Tigers over the head with his stick, cutting him badly.

Coutu move on to play for Newark and then the Minneapolis Millers of the AHA before retiring after the 1930-31 season. Sprague Cleghorn was a successful coach with the Providence Reds, so the Montreal Maroons hired him and the Reds needed a coach. On Cleghorn's advice, they hired Coutu, and he coached the Reds to first place and the league championship.

Leo Dandurand had been trying for years to get Coutu reinstated to the NHL, and finally in 1932-33, he succeeded. For whatever reason, however, Coutu never did return to the NHL.

Coutu's name was always a source of confusion. Hockey history has somehow commonly referred to him as Billy Couture. It is possible this is due to the way the family pronounced Coutu - "Coo-chee."

Born in 1891, Billy Coutu died February 25th,1977. Interestingly, he is related to Howie Morenz and the three generations of NHL Geoffrions - Boom Boom, Dan and Blake. The mother of Howie Morenz's wife was the sister-in-law of Coutu. Boom Boom married Morenz's sister, and their son Dan was a 1st round draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens. Blake became the first 4th generation player in NHL history when he debuted in the NHL in 2011.

Brent Gilchrist

2011-02-23T17:04:00.000-08:00

Brent Gilchrist was a wonderfully versatile forward. He could play comfortably in all three forward spots. He was best utilized on a third unit checking line but he could easily be moved up to a scoring line in a pinch.

A prolific scorer in junior, Gilchrist was not much of a scorer in the big leagues. He did top 20 goals twice in his 15 NHL seasons. Otherwise he could be counted on to twist the twine 10 or so times a year. For a smaller player he had good balance and willingness to dart in and out of the dirty areas, but he simply was not a finisher.

Like so many graduates of the Montreal Canadiens development system of the 1980s and 1990s, Number 41 found a home in the NHL as a diligent defensive forward. A good skater, Gilchrist combined speed and agility with strong anticipation skills to become an effective penalty killer and shutdown winger.

Best known for his years in Montreal and Dallas, Gilchrist also played in Edmonton, Minnesota, Nashville, and Detroit. He won Stanley Cups in Montreal (1993) and Detroit (1998) but all but disappeared from the NHL in 1999 due to a groin injury that plagued him until he finally retired in 2003.

Ian Cushenan

2011-02-21T18:05:00.000-08:00

This is Ian "Crash" Cushenan, a tough as nails defenseman in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He was generally a 5th or 6th defenseman, sometimes only playing the enforcer role when needed.

Cushenan played in a total of 129 NHL games, spread over 5 seasons. He never stayed in one place too long. He played with Chicago, Montreal, New York and Detroit in that time. He was part of Montreal's Stanley Cup championship team in 1959.

He scored just 3 goals and 11 assists in his career, and much to my surprise barely averaged a penalty minute a game - 134 in his career. I was surprised his PIMs were so low based on the following story written by Stan Fischler, the basis of my first impression of him:

"Montreal, February 28th, 1959. Rangers vs. Canadiens. John Hanna got a notion that Ralph Backstrom of Montreal kicked his skates from under him. When John landed atop Ralphie he thought it was as good a time as any to punish the Hab. Which he did, with assorted rights and lefts. But John didn't bargain for Jean Guy Talbot or, for that matter, the rest of the Canadiens who came tohis rescue. Once the Pier Sixer really started only Jacques Plante and Gump Worsley remained spectator players.

"As soon as the fighting really got hot, individual feuds were settled (or at least were tried to be settled.) "It seemed that all the Canadiens wanted to get a piece of Jim Bartlett," wrote Dink Carroll in the Montreal Gazette. "He was decked by Dickie Moore, Marcel Bonin and Ian Cushenan."

"After disposing of Bartlett, Cushanen challenged several Rangers and was particularly successful against Hanna. "If we had to pick a champion in this Battle Royal," Carroll continued, "it would have to be Cushanen who won several decisions once he got warmed up."

The fights never officially ended - they just petered out. "What probably stopped it," said Dink, "was that the "players were tired from throwing punches."

Cushenen stopped throwing punches for good in 1966, retiring as a minor leaguer. He later went on to teach graphic arts at Mohawk College in Brantford, Ontario.

John MacDonald

2011-02-16T20:40:00.000-08:00

Jack MacDonald was a star hockey player for years before the National Hockey League even existed. By the time the NHL officially formed, Jack was in the twilight of his career, and served primarily as a substitute with the Wanderers, Canadiens, Bulldogs and St. Pats.

Prior to the birth of the NHL, there was the NHA. The National Hockey Association was essential the forerunner to the NHL. Jack was a star in the NHA, scoring 146 goals in 168 NHA games. Jack was a powerful, high scoring left winger who held his own with such superstars as Joe Malone and Newsy Lalonde.

Had Jack had more success in the NHL, he would have been considered one of hockey's early greats. However, because he didn't, he has become more or less forgotten about.

Same goes for several NHA stars who peaked too early to have success once the NHL came along. But the NHA was essentially the NHL throughout the 1910s.. Therefore Jack and other NHA stars should be remembered for what they truly were - great hockey players.

Brian Hayward

2011-02-06T10:01:00.000-08:00

Before Brian Hayward embarked on his 11 year NHL career he played goal at Cornell University, the same school that Ken Dryden played at.

In his final year of college, 1981-82, he was selected to the ECAC First All-Star Team and the NCAA All-American squad. He graduated from Cornell with a degree in business management. He was however overlooked by NHL scouts and was never drafted. Immediately after leaving school he signed with the Winnipeg Jets as a free agent. The Jets realized that Hayward was something special.

Brian played in parts of 4 seasons with the Jets, the first two of which were split between the NHL and AHL. But by his third professional season, Brian posted a career-best 33 victories in 1984-85, a Winnipeg Jets record he still shares with Bob Essensa. Hayward also remains third in career games played (165) with the Jets and third in career wins (63) with Winnipeg.

Prior to the 1986-87 season, Brian was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for former playoff hero Steve Penney and Jan Ingman. In Montreal he formed an effective partnership with Patrick Roy. They shared the William M. Jennings Trophy (awarded to the team allowing the fewest goals during the regular season) for three consecutive seasons (1986-87 through 1988-89) and Brian led the NHL in goals-against average (2.81) in 1986-87. On two occasions Hayward won 20 or more games with Montreal, although Hayward was generally considered to be Roy's back up.

Early in the 1990-91 campaign, Brian was traded to Minnesota where he played one season with the North Stars before he was acquired by San Jose in the 1991 Dispersal Draft. Brian picked up the Sharks' first-ever victory in 1991-92 before missing 59 games with a back injury that year. While he was unable to play, Brian filled in as an analyst on Sharks TV and radio broadcasts. He played one more season with the Sharks before retiring due to his ailing back.

In San Jose Hayward had one of the NHL's most popular goalie masks. His mask featured shark teeth all around the cage so that it looked like his head was being eaten by the big beast.

In 357 regular season games, Brian has a career record of 143-156-37 with a 3.72 goals-against average and eight shutouts. In 37 playoff contests, he posted a record of 11-18-0 with a 3.46 goals-against average.

Bunny Dame

2011-02-02T23:29:00.000-08:00

Aurelia Napolean "Bunny" Dame has a very interesting name, albeit a name that time has forgotten. Let's see what we can find out about this former Montreal Canadiens forward.

The 5'9" 160lb winger played 34 games with the Habs in 1941-42, scoring 2 goals and 5 assists. He was signed as a war replacement before he too left hockey to join the military following his one season in Montreal. Hockey statistics can not place Dame anywhere in the 1942-43 or 1943-44 seasons, although he did get his amateur status reinstated in 1943. He definitely returned to Trail, BC, where he had previously played his amateur hockey. He resumed his job at the local smelter as his war placement, but his hockey career at this time is curious. The news archives suggest he was playing with the famed Smokies again in 1943 but there is no statistical proof. He only resurfaces in 1944-45 with a senior league team in Alberta called the Calgary Currie Army. Trail and this particular Calgary team were on-ice rivals and locals fondly remember their many battles.

Born and raised in Edmonton, Dame was a multi-sport star. His favorite sports were baseball and hockey, both of which he eagerly pursued when he relocated to the British Columbia Kootenay region in 1933. He would become a well known name in the competitive Kootenay fastball and senior hockey circuits. In hockey he starred with the the Rossland Miners and the famed Trail Smoke Eaters, winning the World Hockey Championship in 1939.

Following his placement in Calgary Dame never left the city. He played senior hockey with the Calgary Stampeders until 1950. Nicknamed for his speed, Bunny helped the Stamps challenge for the Allan Cup (Canada's amateur championship) three times, becoming the first Albertan team to win the title in 1946.

After leaving the ice in 1950 Dame earned a comfortable living working with Calgary Power. He retired from that job in 1977 following 32 years of service.

Bunny Dame died on April 14th, 2006. He was 92 years old.

An Interview With Ed Ronan

2011-01-13T10:31:00.000-08:00

I am not entirely sure why, but I always had a certain fascination with watching Ed Ronan when he played for the Montreal Canadiens. Maybe it was because he was the 4th line underdog, and I always have a soft spot for such players. Maybe it was because he played with physicality and tenacity that should have warranted more ice time. Or maybe it was just because he wore #31 - what an odd sight to see a skater crashing and banging around in jersey usually reserved for goaltenders.

Guest writer Ange Frederick Lavallée recently interviewed Ed Ronan. They talked about his growing up in a hockey family in Massachusetts, his surprise NHL draft, his time in the NHL and what he and his family are up to nowadays.

An Interview With Ed Ronan
By guest writer Ange Frederick Lavallée

I woke up around 7 Am that morning. I was a little nervous and didn’t sleep too well the night before. What did I throw myself into? I, Ange Frederick Lavallée, a hockey historian to be, was about to have an interview with a former Stanley Cup champion? I was ready, I was prepared, I was so nervous! Before going to work, my girlfriend reminded me of how gutsy she thought I was for succeeding to get the interview and she left with these words : ‘’ It’s gonna be fine! ‘’

So I get these words in my head….it’s gonna be fine….it’s gonna be fine…yeah ok, but I’m no professional! I’m scared I will sound like some trashy Québécois whose English is deficient, even though I’m almost completely bilingual...

I drank a cup of coffee, read some news, and before I knew it, I was on the phone with Ed Ronan!

“Hello!”

“Hello, Mr. Ronan?”

I couldn’t believe my ears! I was on the phone with a Stanley Cup Champion! Ronan did his fair share in the Canadiens 1993 Stanley Cup run, scoring two goals and registering five points. He was kind enough to spare some of his busy time for an interview on his life and his hockey career.

Ed Ronan was born on March 21st, 1968 in Quincy, Massachusetts. He grew up in North Andover, where he learned to skate on the pond near the family house.

“I come from what we could call a hockey house. My older brother played hockey, as well as my father’s brother, who played college hockey,” said Ronan who, like lots of other young kids, would spend hours skating on the pond.

A good majority of young hockey players are also huge NHL fans, but the love of young Edward for hockey grew almost exclusively from skating on the little homemade rink.

“I was playing hockey recreationally. My brother and I spent hours on the ice...even before going to school! I knew very young that I wanted to play in the NHL. You see the adults…you admire them, you want to emulate them,” said the former Boston Terriers winger.

And he adds, “When I grew a little older, just before high school, I wanted to concentrate on getting to play at the college level.”

Ronan spent ten years playing in Massachusetts Youth Hockey Program. He grew up with Steve Heinze, a former Boston Bruins player, and they played hockey together.

“I was at the right place at the right time, because the Youth Hockey Program developed at the same time I came into the system.”

The right winger was playing at the highest levels, but he was not amongst the most talented. People often laughed at him and tried to crush his dreams. “Fat chance!” said his brother about him making the NHL, and many others who thought the gritty player wouldn’t make it very far in hockey.

Did he ever think of quitting ?

“Not at all. It’s just a person’s opinion. I certainly had my weaknesses and I knew I had to improve a lot.”

Ronan was drafted as a high schooler by the Montreal Canadiens, in the 1987 entry draft. He wanted to be a professional hockey player, but he didn’t even expect to be drafted at that time. He was stunned to find out from a classmate in his High School that he had been drafted by the Canadiens…it was several days after the draft.

“I couldn’t believe it!” I studied one extra year in High School (called a Post-Graduate year) at Phillips Academy (PA) in Andover , Massachusetts only for academic reasons, because I was hoping to attend Princeton University. My plans changed a bit when André Boudrias, a scout for the Canadiens, saw me play at PA and I was drafted.”

Holding that Montreal jersey must’ve been quite the moment.

“As far as I knew back then, that could’ve been the highlight of my career! I knew I was far from the NHL and I just wanted to concentrate on my scholarship at Boston University for the next four years and improve my game.”

The Massachusetts native played four years with the Boston University Terriers. He had teammates like Shawn McEachern, Tony Amonte and Keith Tkachuk. The Terriers won the Hockey East League Championship in 1991, before losing in the NCAA championship game to Northern Michigan.

“That game went to triple overtime and even though we lost, that was definitely my best memory during my time there!”

In 1991 the 23 year-old Ronan signed a contract with the Montreal Canadiens organization after his time in B.U. , and played his first three NHL games that year, as he was called up along with Paul DiPietro and Jesse Belanger to fill in for injuries.

“My first game was at the Boston Garden against the Bruins. It was a great experience, playing in front of my family at the Garden...against Raymond Bourque, which I idolized when I was a kid. I actually remember going one on one against him...I tried to put the puck between his legs, but he stopped me easily. Great memories.”

1992-93 would have to be described as Ronan’s highlight season, as the right winger played 53 games with the big club, amassing 12 points, including five goals. He also scored 2 goals in the playoffs, helping the Canadiens capture their 24th Stanley Cup.

“Having a streak of ten overtimes without losing is definitely my best memory from the Cup run. It really shows the character that the team had back then. We a close team and got along with each other very well…and we had good nerves!”

Following the Cup, the robust Ronan would play two full seasons in the NHL with the Habs. Unfortunately, that would change during the 1995-1996 season. The Winnipeg Jets claimed him off waivers on October 13th, 1995. Only 17 games ( and not a lot of ice time ) later, Ronan was sent down to the AHL Springfield Falcons, where he would finish the season nicely and play solid hockey in the playoffs.

That hard work paid off, as the Buffalo Sabres organization signed Ronan to a two-way deal for the 1996-97 season. The Boston University graduate kept on playing good hockey in the AHL ( Rochester Americans ), and the Sabres gave him the call to finish the season and help in the playoffs.

“I got called up midway through the season. I played with Mike Peca and Jason Dawe, which was their first line. They were a blue-collar team and that was more my style of play. I had a really good time there.”

After the season, Ronan was at crossroads. He had a young family and a new baby on the way so he took the beginning of next season off. He was signed by the Providence Bruins, where he actually ended his hockey career. He was pretty young at 30 years old, was Europe an option?

“No. I was always about getting to the next level. Playing in the NHL and then going backwards...I would’ve continued if I could’ve stayed in the NHL, just to see how good I could get...but it was time to go on with my working career. It was more stability for my family.”

Ronan has been working in the financial industry for 12 years now.

“My job is similar to hockey in some ways because it’s a competitive field, you’re working with very disciplined people. They’re a lot like your typical athlete, driven for achievement and success. I get a lot of satisfaction out of working with people that are like that, because that’s me.”

Larry Robinson

2011-01-09T19:37:00.000-08:00

If you had to build your team's blue line around your choice of one defenseman in NHL history, you certainly couldn't go wrong selecting Larry Robinson.

Larry Robinson's first impression was as a policeman obtained to protect the Habs smaller, more gifted skaters. His last impression was as one of the greatest defenseman of all time.

Robinson, at 6'4" and well over 200lbs, was exactly what the Canadiens needed to create the dynasty of the 1970s that many consider the greatest team of all time. The team was loaded with smaller and extremely talented skaters, but what they needed was a tough, no-nonsense blueliner who would force the opposition to think twice before taking any liberties on the Habs skilled stars, as well as to the keep the crease clear of giants, thus making Ken Dryden's job much easier. Robinson established himself in this position early in his career when he defeated infamous pugilist Dave "The Hammer" Schultz in front of a national TV audience. His reputation was quickly established, and he rarely had to drop the gloves again to prove it. Instead he played an intimidating and physical but clean game that was his natural style.

Big Bird, as he became known as, was always more than just a goon though. When he was drafted he was a bit of a diamond in the rough with great potential. I think even the biggest Robinson supporters were surprised that all of that potential was reached and then some.

Robinson became an almost flawless defender. Blessed with a near perfect understanding of positioning, an amazingly long reach, and physical prowess combined with a frequent mean streak, Robinson became the pre-eminent defenseman in the modern era. Every team covets a monster on the blue line who can control the games power forward by installing fear in the minds before the game even starts, yet add an offensive level that is well above average. Modern day warriors like Rob Blake, Chris Pronger, Scott Stevens and Derian Hatcher do their best to imitate Robinson, an intimidating devastator who almost never made a defensive mistake.

Robinson developed into an offensive threat as well. He was a catalyst on the power plays as he was a strong puck carrier and brilliant passer. In his younger days he was a frequent puck rusher. He finished his career with 208 goals, 750 assists for 958 points in 1384 games. He accumulated 793 minutes in penalties in 20 years, 17 with Montreal, the final three with Los Angeles.

Robinson was a major part of 6 Stanley Cup Championships. A six time All-Star, he also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP in the playoffs in 1978, as well as 2 Norris Trophies as the top defenseman in the NHL. He once held the record for most playoff games participated in in NHL history.

There is little doubt that Robinson played on one of the greatest teams ever assembled. It should not be underestimated that he was a big a part of those teams as anyone.

"He's taken quite a few games I've seen and broken them open with an end-to-end rush" admired long time Boston Bruins defenseman Mike Milbury. "As far as I'm concerned, Larry's far and away the Canadiens' MVP."

And Robinson thrived in the Montreal pressure cooker.

"I honestly believe that if I'd played somewhere else, I might not have had the career I had. It wasn't just a game in Montreal," Robinson told interviewer Adam Proteau. "Every day you had to be at your best. You needed that drive. You needed to be pushed."

Danny Gallivan

2011-01-09T19:36:00.000-08:00

He never played the game. Yet in Montreal he is beloved almost as much as Rocket Richard and Guy Lafleur.

He is Danny Gallivan, the English voice of hockey in Montreal for three decades. In that time he broadcasted close to 2000 games including 16 Montreal Stanley Cup championships. Known nationally for his creative additions to the hockey lexicon (heck, to the English language) such as cannonading shot and spinnerama, Gallivan became a national treasure on par with Foster Hewitt.

Baseball Was First Love

Gallivan, the son of a coal shipper, was a star baseball player as Sydney, NS, as a youth. He was even invited to the New York Giants training camp, but an arm injury would rob him of his Major League Baseball career.

Gallivan turned the world of broadcasting, but all but lucked into the Montreal job. Regular announcer Doug Smith fell ill one night. Gallivan stepped in, not knowing any of the opposing players. In fact, this was the first NHL game Gallivan had ever seen.

Two years later Smith moved permanently to cover football, Gallivan would see a lot more NHL games. He became Montreal's announcer from 1952 to 1984.

The Dead Mike

No profile of Gallivan is complete without mentioning the story of the dead mike.

Gallivan was set in his ways and did not warm to new technology. When headsets complete with microphones arrived Gallivan refused to use it as he favoured his trusty old friend, the microphone. Eventually Gallivan agreed to use the headset (although he often just turned down the volume so he didn't have to hear the producers talking to him) but he would hold a dead mike in his hand. On one night he was interviewing a guest with this unplugged microphone. No one ever heard what the guest had to say.

Hockey Night In Canada

Montreal was once the center of everything NHL, but headquarters were moved to New York while Toronto took over as the media capital. The powers that be at Hockey Night in Canada did not want Gallivan beyond Montreal games. English Canada wanted someone else, Hockey Night in Canada reasoned. This began a phasing out of sorts.

How wrong HNIC was. That was never more evident than in February 1993 when, at the age of 75, he passed away. The outpouring of affection from across the country was inspiring.

For many, including many of today's broadcasters, Danny Gallivan was the standard of excellence in sports broadcasting. We could not have been any luckier to have Gallivan as the example.

Claude Cyr

2011-01-07T15:50:00.000-08:00

In 1959, Montreal's starting goalie Jacques Plante pulled a muscle and was unable to play for a couple of games. The Canadiens replaced Plante with a goalie named Claude Pronovost in the middle of the third period. Pronovost got the start the following game (March 19, 1959) but gave up 5 goals in the first two periods.

Earlier that day Montreal made an agreement with the Hull-Ottawa Canadiens of Eastern Ontario Hockey League. Hull-Ottawa loaned goalie Claude Cyr to Montreal until Jacques Plante was healthy again. At the beginning of the third period Claude Pronovost was pulled in favor of Cyr, who surrendered only one goal. The Canadiens lost the game to the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-3, with Pronovost getting the loss. For Cyr it was his only 20 minutes of NHL action.

Cyr, a Memorial Cup champion in 1958, also appeared in games for the Montreal Royals (EPHL), Cleveland Barons (AHL), Calgary Stampeders (WHL), Knoxville Knights (EHL) and Verdun, Sherbrooke, Victoriaville and Drummondville (QSHL).

Besides his 20 minutes of NHL fame, Cyr was a late addition to the 1961 Trail Smoke Eaters. He was a backup goaltender to starter Seth Martin. The Smoke Eaters won the World Championship that year, defeating the Soviet Union. Cyr participated in 3 games, winning 2 with a goals-against-average of 2.24.

Claude Bourque

2010-11-26T17:50:00.000-08:00

Claude Bourque was a junior, senior and minor league hockey star who never enjoyed the same level of success in the NHL.

Bourque was first given a chance to play with the Montreal Canadiens in 1938-39, thanks to a trade from the cross-town rivals, the Montreal Maroons. But unlike much of their glorious history, the Montreal Canadiens of the late 1930s were not a very good team.

That first season Bourque played in 25 games, where he posted a 7-13-5 record. Interestingly, Bourque apparently wore jersey #19.

Bourque's second season with the Habs was not a whole lot better. He was in the nets for 36 games, going 9-24-3. He was even loaned to the Detroit Red Wings for one game that same year, replacing the injured Tiny Thompson for a game on February 15th. Bourque was tagged with another loss there, falling by a 3-1 score against the New York Rangers.

In April 1940 the Canadiens trade Bourque to the New York Rangers, although he would never play in the National Hockey League again. He would star in the AHL for a couple of seasons before serving with the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1942. After his discharge from the war, he did not return to the nets.

Claude Bourque died in Ottawa, Ontario on May 13th, 1982. He was 67 years old.

Paul Gauthier

2010-11-26T17:31:00.000-08:00

Paul Gauthier was a tiny goalie, just 5'5" tall and only 125lbs! Despite his diminutive size, Paul played hockey for 14 seasons.

Born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Paul played his junior hockey with the MJHL's Winnipeg Monarchs. Once his junior career ended he went on a 14 year career with 16 different pro teams (he played for several teams twice, too) in 8 leagues!! His journeys stints in places like Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, New Haven, Spokane, Seattle, Kansas City, Washington, Buffalo, Ottawa, Houston, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Omaha!

Despite his lengthy career, he only saw one game in the National Hockey League. Playing for the AHL New Haven Eagles at the time, Gauthier was loaned to the Montreal Canadiens for the night of January 13, 1938. Habs starting goaltender Wilf Cude was sidelined for the night with an injury, and Gauthier was brought in on an emergency basis as backup goaltenders were not in practice back then. Gauthier, apparently wearing jersey #17, played well in a 2-2 overtime tie against the Chicago Blackhawks.

You'll notice that Gauthier played 70 minutes in his only NHL game. That's because overtime games that season were 10 minutes long, and not sudden death. It was possible for a team to score more than 1 goal in the extra period.

Whatever happened to Paul Gauthier after hockey I am not sure. I do know he died on March 10th, 1984 in Riverside, California. He was 68 years old.

Abbie Cox

2010-11-26T17:25:00.000-08:00

Goaltender Abbie Cox was a journeyman minor leaguer who played five NHL games in his career, all as an injury replacement for a fallen starter. Cox, born on July 19th, 1904 in London, Ontario actually played his 5 NHL games came with 4 different NHL teams!

Abbie Cox's NHL debut came on February 1, 1930, when Montreal Maroons goaltenders Benedict and Flat Walsh were both unable to play. The Windsor Bulldogs of the IHL loaned Abbie to the Maroons, who defeated the New York Americans by a 7-2 count.

Nearly four years later, while playing for the Detroit Olympics of the International-American Hockey League in 1933-34 he was loaned to the New York Americans to sub for "Shrimp" Worters. The Ameriks lost to Detroit, 5-2.

Later that season he made two appearances for those same Detroit Red Wings, replacing John Ross Roach who was unable to play. He helped the Wings knock off the Maroons 4-1 on December 10, 1933 and later tie the Amerks 4-4 seven days later.

Finally, on February 16, 1936, Abbie was loaned to the Montreal Canadiens as a replacement for Wilf Cude. Cox helped Les Habitants earn a 1-1 tie against the New York Rangers.

Claude Evans

2010-11-26T17:10:00.000-08:00

You know those table top hockey goaltenders? The just stand there, never able to go down on the ice, use their arms or flop like a fish out of water? That best describes the way Claude Evans played.

Evans was the ultimate stand up goalie. In fact he very rarely actually did anything other than challenge the shooter. The shooter would either hit him, miss the net, or score

Evans, however, never really perfected the stand up goaltending routine. The native of Longueuil Quebec played in 4 NHL games with Montreal in 1954-55, allowing 12 goals while going 2-2. He was called up to replace the injured Jacques Plante, but looked particularly shakey in his 4th game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. As a result the Habs called up Charlie Hodge from the minor leagues.

He later played in a game with the Boston Bruins in 1957-58, allowing 4 goals in a late season tie

Evans was a well traveled career minor leaguer who's style was good enough at the level, but not talented enough to stick in the NHL days of the Original Six

Hal Murphy

2010-11-26T17:02:00.000-08:00

Hal Murphy played only one game in the NHL. That one game was surrounded by a strange set of circumstances.

On October 27th, 1952 Canadiens goaltender Gerry McNeil suffered a badly broken cheekbone when he took a puck in the face. A young unproven kid named Jacques Plante was called up and played in 3 games. However in order to protect Plante's amateur status, the Canadiens weren't allowed to use Plante for a 4th game that season. So the Habs asked Hal to step in for the November 8th, 1952 game against Chicago.

Hal had played 3 games that season with the Montreal Royals of the QSHL. Murphy made the most of his only NHL experience. He won the game for the Habs 6-4 over the Chicago Black Hawks. He made 20 saves on 24 shots.

Murphy returned to senior hockey the next day, never to get another chance in the NHL again.

Lorne Davis

2010-11-21T12:27:00.000-08:00

Lorne Davis may have only played in a handful of games in the days of the Original Six. But he dedicated his life to the great game of hockey and was rewarded with 6 Stanley Cups!

Davis is probably best known as a long time scout. He started scouting for the expansion St. Louis Blues in 1966. He later worked for the New York Rangers and World Hockey Association's Houston Aeros, but he is best known for bird-dogging for the Edmonton Oilers during their dynasty years in the 1980s.

According Lorne's son Darrell, Lorne was directly responsible for two of the most quintessential Oilers draft picks of all time.

"(Grant) Fuhr was one of his draft picks, so was long-time Oilers forward Ryan Smyth. According to Dad, those were the two players he told the Oilers brass they had better select or he would no longer be working for the team. Pretty good choices to put your career on the line."

Davis was a part of the Oilers five Stanley Cups back then, but he also won two as a player. Not a lot people realized he enjoyed a long professional career as a player himself.

Davis had a 14 year professional career back in the 1950s and 1960s, but only 95 games were spent in the NHL. He only scored 11 goals - "They were all big goals" he would joke. Still, he won a Stanley Cup with Montreal in 1953.

Davis never got Stanley Cup rings in his playing days. Instead Montreal issued him a commemorative tie tack (which the family turned into a ring). Many years later the Habs issued Davis a proper Stanley Cup ring. In 1955 Detroit gave him a clock as a thank you. He played that season with the Wings, only to be traded late in the campaign to Chicago. The Wings went on to win the Stanley Cup that spring.

Davis was very proud of his Montreal ring, as well as his collection of rings with the Oilers. When he fell ill with cancer in 1997 and hospital staff removed the jewellery from him, he was said to be greatly disheartened. What pained him the most was that for the first time in years he would not be attending a hockey game.

Davis, who also briefly played with Chicago and Boston, spent a month in the hospital before dying officially from a cancer-induced heart attack. He was 77 years old.

- stick tap to Jennifer Conway

Dr. Jerry Wilson

2010-10-12T17:10:00.000-07:00

Dr. Jerry Wilson is the father of long time NHL player and Canadian Olympian Carey Wilson. He is also the grandfather of current NHL star Colin Wilson.

His impact on the hockey world is far greater than his offspring. He also happens to be a former Montreal Canadien himself; the Winnipeg Jets team doctor (he also worked for the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet); and influential in convincing early European stars like Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson to come to North America.

Jerry, a center like his son and grandson, played only three games in the National Hockey League, all with Montreal in the 1956-57 season. Injuries really sidelined a promising career. He was a junior star with the St. Boniface (Manitoba) Canadiens and later a senior star with the Hull-Ottawa Canadiens.

A huge player in his day at 6'2" and 210lbs, Wilson had terrible knees. In fact, he had eight knee operations by the time he was just 18 years old. But he refused to give up his hockey dream, no matter how agonizing the pain would grow to be.

Jerry, also known as Gerry, finally faced reality after his short stint in Montreal, realizing his knees would not allow him to fulfill his dreams. Soon after he returned to Winnipeg and enrolled in University, studying to become a orthopaedic doctor. He was already an expert on knee injuries, now he wanted to help others who suffered like him.

Wilson was said tohave studied science for four years, medicine for another four years and orthopaedics for five years before heading to Sweden to study sports medicine abroad. That is where he learned of several talented European hockey stars.

Wilson never forgot the names of stars like Anders Hedberg, Ulf Nilsson and Lars-Erik Sjoberg. The Winnipeg Jets of the WHA hired Wilson to become the team doctor, although his biggest contribution may have been his role in helping to convince these three aforementioned stars to pioneer European hockey in North America.

Montreal Canadiens Greatest Players

2010-09-27T20:32:00.000-07:00

Reg Abbott
Gene Achtymichuk
John Adams
John Aiken
Butch Arbour
Ralph Backstrom
Jean Beliveau
Andre Binette
Toe Blake
Marcel Bonin
Butch Bouchard
Pierre Bouchard
Benoit Brunet
Guy Carbonneau
Gerry Carson
Rick Chartraw
Odie Cleghorn
Sprague Cleghorn
Bert Corbeau
Yvan Cournoyer
Russ Courtnall
Nels Crutchfield
Wilf Cude
Floyd "Busher" Curry
Kjell Dahlin
Vincent Damphousse
Eric Desjardins
Ken Dryden
Bill Durnan
Brian Engblom
Randy Exelby
John Ferguson
Johnny "Black Cat" Gagnon
Bob Gainey
Jimmy Gardner
Boom Boom Geoffrion
Gaston Gingras
Phil Goyette
Leo Gravelle
George Hainsworth
Bad Joe Hall
Kevin Haller
Terry Harper
Ted Harris
Doug Harvey
Paul Haynes
Denis Herron
Bill Hicke
Charlie Hodge
Rejean Houle
Doug Jarvis
Tom Johnson
Aurel Joliat
Vern Kaiser
Elmer Lach
Mike Keane
Guy Lafleur
Newsy Lalonde
Yvon Lambert
Junior Langlois
Jacques Laperriere
Guy Lapointe
Bunny Larocque
Jack Laviolette
Battleship Leduc

Jacques Lemaire
Claude Lemieux
Pit Lepine
Craig Ludwig
Gilles Lupien
Frank Mahovlich
Pete Mahovlich
Phantom Joe Malone
Sylvio Mantha
Don Marshall
John McCormack
Mike McPhee
Garry Monahan
Eddie Mazur
Dickie Moore
Howie Morenz
Pete Morin
Ken Mosdell
Kirk Muller
Mats Naslund
Chris Nilan
Buddy O'Connor
Bert Olmstead
Steve Penney
Didier Pitre
Jacques Plante
Skinner Poulin
Andre Pronovost
Claude Provost
Jean Pusie
Johnny Quilty
Stephane Quintal
Ken Reardon
Henri Richard
Maurice "Rocket" Richard
Stephane Richer
Doug Risebrough
Larry Robinson
Steve Rooney
Bobby Rousseau
Patrick Roy
Martin Rucinsky
Brian Savage
Denis Savard
Serge Savard
Richard Sevigny
Steve Shutt
Babe Siebert
Bobby Smith
Petr Svoboda
Jean Guy Talbot
Gilles Tremblay
J.C. Tremblay
Mario Tremblay
Pierre Turgeon
Bob Turner
Georges Vezina
Ryan Walter
Gump Worsley

Gaston Gingras

2010-09-03T19:01:00.000-07:00

The thing that we will always will remember about Gaston Gingras was his skating. He wasn't necessarily the fastest guy out there, but he was truly something to behold! He could turn on a dime. He was very clever in his ways of using extremely sharp turns to avoid being checked. Even for a couple of decades after he retired he continued to awe crowds with his abilities at oldtimers games - even attaching sparklers as if they were rocket skates. He is probably still better than many current NHL defensemen in terms of skating ability.

Gaston Gingras was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens 27th overall in 1979 after a successful three year junior career with the OHA's Kitchener Rangers. Gaston however jumped to the WHA's Birmingham Bulls for the 1978-79 season before joining the Habs in 1979-80.

Gaston had a tough time in his early years in Montreal. Much was expected of the Quebec native. The Habs fans had just tasted 4 consecutive Stanley Cups and wanted more, and Gingras came in as a much hyped offensive defenseman who never really got untracked in three and 1/2 seasons in Montreal. Media and fan pressure resulted in poor Gaston completely losing his confidence. He would make many errors that rookie d-men make that received a round of boos from the fans. The fans eventually booed out of town.

"I went there as an underage player and much was expected of me, but I was young and my confidence was fragile. Fans had just won four Stanley Cups and every mistake they booed; every time I touched the puck. My only consolation was that they did the same to Lafleur, Robinson and Savard. It was a devastating time" Gingras remembers.

Gingras was moved to Toronto during the 1982-83 season, relieving the tremendous pressure on the youngster. Gingras' play improved as well too. he scored 10 goals and 28 points in 45 games with the Leafs in the remainder of that season. Gingras played often with the great Borje Salming, who Gingras compared to Larry Robinson.

"Salming might have been better, he could control the puck better and had a better shot but they were both great."

However the Leafs were the laughing-stock of the league in the 80s, and Gingras' soon found himself out of the loop in T.O. too. He wasn't very strong defensively and was considered by some to be too soft to play in the NHL. He also seemed to make a lot of high risk plays as opposed to making the safe but less spectacular play.

Gaston spent most of the 1984-85 season playing for Toronto's AHL farm team before he was traded back to Montreal part way through the season. Gingras joined the Habs' farm team in Sherbrooke and helped lead a young team to the Calder Cup (AHL) Championship. For Gaston, it was a huge highlite of his career.

"Winning the Calder Cup with the Habs farm team at Sherbrooke was a great moment. When we won the American League Title, I played with (Brian) Skrudland, Pat Roy, Mike Lalor and Claude Lemieux and we were all moved up to Montreal. If I hadn't been on that championship team, I might not have made it back to the N.H.L.," Gingras said in an interview with the Oldtimers Hockey Challenge.

Gaston split the next season between Montreal and Sherbrooke, but was part of Montreal's surprise run to the 1986 Stanley Cup championship. Gaston played with Larry Robinson during those playoffs, another highlight.

"Robinson had such great confidence, on a three on two breakout he would take the two and I would take the other one. Robinson controlled the puck a lot like Borje Salming who I played with in Toronto."

Gingras' play in the '86 playoffs probably lengthened his NHL career. He spent the next three seasons solely in the NHL, splitting the seasons between Montreal and St. Louis.

After the 1988-89 season Gingras moved to Europe where he served as a playing coach. He spent 5 years in Europe, 3 in Switzerland and 2 in Italy. Gingras returned to North America in 1994 when he played a similar role in with the Habs farm team as a player/assistant coach.

Gingras definitely enjoyed his time as a hockey player.

"I played in the NHL and won a Stanley Cup. I played in the American League and won a Calder Cup, I played and coached in Europe. All in all, I played 18 years of pro hockey and met a lot of wonderful people. I have no regrets."

Mike Keane

2010-08-02T19:33:00.000-07:00

For a player who was never even drafted, Mike Keane's accomplishments are truly impressive. He played in over 2,000 pro games over 23 seasons, winning three Stanley Cups with three different teams.

But, as always was the case with Keane, numbers do not always offer a player's legacy proper justice.

The most goals he ever scored in one season was just 16, and aside from celestial season of 60 points, he could be counted on for about 35 points a year.

But Keane was a throwback to old time hockey. Like Bob Gainey, Keane was a selfless player who was only concerned with the team's success. He was part grinder and part defensive specialist, but most importantly, he understood the various tempos and moods of the game, and how he could change that to his team's favour.

Pat Burns described Keane as "one of my favourite players to coach, the ultimate competitor." I am sure his peers would proudly label him "a hockey player's hockey player."

The plucky Winnipeg native was undoubtedly also known as a winner, considered to be a very important contributor to Stanley Cup championships in Montreal, Dallas and Colorado.

He just loved the game. Rather than retire after the locked-out season of 2004-05, he stayed on the ice by returning home to Winnipeg. He played 5 more seasons in the minor leagues with the Manitoba Moose, not for the paltry paycheck but for the love of the game and so that his children could watch him play.

Keane finally had to give up hockey in the summer of 2010 after the Moose decided to go with a youth movement. Unwilling to move his family, he hung up his skates.

History will likely forget just how good Mike Keane really was. But there isn't a team in history that would not want Mike Keane on it, either.

Brian Engblom

2010-07-09T15:02:00.000-07:00

Brian Engblom was a wonderfully classic defenseman. He dominated by using skillful defense in an era of high scoring offensive rearguards.

Brian, a native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, starred in just two seasons at the University of Wisconsin in the mid 1970s. The Montreal Canadiens, known for their great collection of blue liners, thought enough of Brian to use their 3rd draft selection, 22nd overall in the 1975 entry draft.

Brian turned professional immediately, but was used at the minor league level in his first two pro seasons because of the great depth the Habs possessed in the NHL with the likes of Larry Robinson, Guy Lapointe and Serge Savard.

It wouldn't be long before Brian would prove he was too good for the American Hockey League. While playing in Nova Scotia in 1976-77 Brian dominated the entire league. He scored 8 goals and 50 points, but his brainy play without the puck really set him apart. He was named as the AHL's best defenseman.

Engblom actually finished that season in Montreal. After Nova Scotia was knocked out of their playoffs, a few of the key prospects were brought up to Montreal to experience the playoff run towards their 1977 championship. Engblom was the luckiest of prospects, earning the right to play in 2 playoff games - his first two games of his soon to be brilliant NHL career.

Engblom would sip champagne from the Stanley Cup in his first three seasons in Montreal. He would learn a lot from the stars of the dynasty era like Robinson and Lapointe.

"I think coming up to the Canadiens when I did was excellent preparation," said Brian. "That was in 1978 and they had guys who were terrific at carrying the puck. I learned to stay at home and protect our zone and that was tremendous discipline, which is paying off now."

Brian said that in 1981, and while the Canadiens were beginning a rebuilding phase after their 4 consecutive Stanley Cups to finish off the 1970s, he was definitely benefiting from his upbringing in the end of that dynasty. Brian emerged as Montreal's best defenseman in 1980 through 1982. Not only was he Montreal's best defenseman, but he emerged as one of the league's elite defenders. He was named to Team Canada 1981 for the Canada Cup tournament. And in 1982 Brian led all NHLers with a plus-78, good enough to earn a spot on the post season Second All Star Team.

The 1982 post season started much too early for Brian and the Canadiens in 1982. In 1981 upstart Edmonton Oilers, led by a young kid named Wayne Gretzky, upset the heavily favoured Canadiens in 3 straight games. The same thing happened to the Habs in 1982, this time at the hands of their new hated rivals - the Quebec Nordiques. Despite posting the league's 3rd best regular season record and the league's best defense, there was a strong sense that Montreal had to shake up their team to avenge such losses to these new upstarts, and to regain the Stanley Cup.

The Canadiens would go about a massive changeover to attempt to accomplish that. The biggest trade saw Montreal trade away Brian, along with future superstar Rod Langway and solid players Craig Laughlin and Doug Jarvis, head to Washington in exchange for solid rearguard Rick Green and the much-coveted Ryan Walter.

Walter, one of the most complete and underrated players in NHL history, would return the Habs to Stanley Cup glory in 1986, but the trade is considered to be victory for the Capitals. Laughlin would go on to become a 30 goal scorer, while Jarvis cemented his reputation as a great defensive center. Rod Langway would inspire a passion in his play that would turn the struggling Caps franchise around into one of the strongest of the 1980s.

Brian would continue to play incredible hockey, but in a city with not much of a hockey spotlight he found it hard to get recognition playing in the immense shadow of Langway. Brian never cared about personal success however. Langway would win two Norris trophies, a regular all star and nearly usurped Wayne Gretzky from the Hart trophy mantle, but the Capitals great turn around was also in great part due to the similarly effective Engblom's play.

Engblom actually only played parts of two seasons in Washington. He was then moved to Los Angeles in exchange for another young defenseman named Larry Murphy. Murphy, already a proven scoring star in LA, would go onto a spectacular career, highlighted by his years in Washington. Brian would perform valiantly with a weak team in Los Angeles.

On January 30, 1986, Brian became a member of the Buffalo Sabres. Again Brian was involved in a big trade, as Brian and Doug Smith were sent to New York state in exchange for Larry Playfair, Sean McKenna and Ken Baumgartner.

Brian only had the opportunity to apply his trade for 30 games in Buffalo before he was traded in the summer of '86. He was sent to Calgary in exchange for a bruiser named Jim Korn. Brian's stay in Calgary was also brief. He got into only 32 games before he was forced to retired due to a severe neck injury. He retired with 659 games on his resume. He scored just 29 goals to go along with 177 assists for 206 points in his stellar career.

Brian was quickly emerging as a star defenseman when he broke into the league, but he left rather quietly after non-descript stops in places like L.A., Buffalo and Calgary. It is truly a shame, as he could have been remembered as a star defenseman that he seemed destined to be.

A whole new generation of fans know Brian as a different kind of star - broadcasting star. He began his career as a color analyst on Los Angeles Kings telecasts, but by 1995 moved onto become the much respected hockey reporter for ESPN.

Stephane Quintal

2010-07-03T14:22:00.000-07:00

Stephane Quintal was a very serviceable defenseman. He survived over 1000 NHL contests (plus 52 more in the playoffs) by playing within his limitations and imposing his physical advantages without taking a lot of penalties.

At 6'3" 225lbs the Boucherville, Quebec born Quintal was big and strong. He was blessed with the proper temperament necessary to succeed as a pounding blue liner. He hit hard and often, and had great strength to clear the slot and win battles in the corner. He was also a willing fighter.

Quintal, like so many young defensemen, struggled early in his career with Boston and even Winnipeg, before settling down in Montreal. By then he had learned to play within his limits, which meant playing a smart positional game that did not expose his lumbering skating. He took up space and waited for the attacking player to commit first.

He rarely attempted low percentage plays and rarely got involved in the neutral zone or on the transition offense. His game plan was simple - puck off the wall and out of the zone, and remain back as the defensive rock. Offensively he had little more than a decent point shot to operate with.

In an ideal world Quintal would be probably a third-pairing defender, but too often in his career he was asked to play top-four minutes too often. When he was paired with a mobile partner, he was fine.

Quintal began his career with the Boston Bruins, who chose him in the first round, 14th overall, during the 1987 draft.

He spent parts of four seasons in Boston - scoring his first NHL goal Oct. 15, 1989, at Vancouver - before he was traded to St. Louis with Craig Janney for Adam Oates on Feb. 7, 1992.

He only spent a year and a half with Blues, getting dealt to Winnipeg with Nelson Emerson for Phil Housley on Sept. 24, 1993.

After two seasons with the Jets, he was traded to the Canadiens for a second-round pick in the 1995 draft (Jason Doig) and was with the Canadiens through the 1998-99 season.

That summer, he signed as a free agent with the New York Rangers, spent the season with them and was claimed off waivers by Chicago on Oct. 5, 2000.

After one year with the Blackhawks, he returned to the Habs four a fourth-round pick in 2001.

On Jan. 6, 2004, he appeared in his 1,000th game, becoming the 193rd player in NHL to reach the milestone. He finished his career with 63 goals, 180 assists and 1,320 penalty minutes in 1,037 games.

"I am extremely proud of my NHL career and what I have been able to accomplish," he said. "I am leaving the game of hockey with a lot of pride and personal satisfaction. I have no regrets, and besides, I was fortunate enough to fulfill the dream I had of playing for the Montreal Canadiens."

Johnny Quilty

2010-07-02T13:51:00.000-07:00

Johnny Quilty, an Ottawa native, is this son of famed Ottawa Rough Riders football player and coach Sylvester "Silver" Quilty. A Grey Cup champion and multi-sport star, Quilty Sr. "was the Lionel Conacher of his time."

Son John also was quite the talented athlete, particularly on the ice. Quilty was invited to the Montreal Canadiens training camp as a 19-year old in 1940 and immediately impressed the Canadiens staff. They signed him as a free agent on October 29, 1940.

Quilty didn't disappoint them and was voted the rookie of the year winning the Calder Trophy, after having posted 18 goals and 34 points in 48 games as a 19 year old. He followed that up with a strong sophomore campaign was well, but World War II would interrupt his promising career. Based in Canada during the war, Quilty continued playing hockey for Toronto RCAF and Vancouver RCAF while with the Royal Canadian Air Force. He achieved the rank of sergeant.

He never played full time in the NHL again and only appeared briefly for Montreal and Boston between 1946-48. On December 16, 1947 he was traded to Boston from Montreal along with Jimmy Peters Jr. for Joe Carveth. Shortly after arriving in Boston he broke his leg badly, courtesy of a Bob Goldham body check, effectively ending his NHL career.

He finished his active career in the Cape Breton Senior Hockey League, Eastern Canada Senior Hockey League and Quebec Senior Hockey League. His hockey career was over at only. He would return to Ottawa where he played senior hockey for several years after leaving the NHL. In 1991 he was posthumously inducted into the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame.

Unfortunately Johnny got into the booze which ruined a very promising hockey career. He eventually worked for Alcoholics Anonymous and helped bring back a lot of people to sobriety. He was a warmhearted person who passed away, way to early, only 48 years old.

Johnny Quilty's totals in the NHL were just 70 points (36 goals + 34 assists) in 125 regular season games and 8 points (3 goals + 5 assists) in 13 playoff contests.

Vern Kaiser

2010-04-11T20:22:00.001-07:00

Vern Kaiser sure knew how to make a first impression.

The Preston, Ontario native made the Montreal Canadiens roster for most of the 1950-51 season, playing along side greats like Rocket Richard, Doug Harvey and Elmer Lach. He started the year with AHL Buffalo, but after 15 games where he scored 7 goals and 20 points he was brought up to the big club.

Kaiser scored his first NHL goal in his second game. In his first game he actually had a penalty
shot opportunity, though missed. For his strong efforts he was named as the NHL's player of the week.

Despite the great start, Kaiser would not play the whole season in the NHL, and would be destined for a career in the minor leagues. For whatever reason the Canadiens dropped him from their long range plans. A mid-season incident in practice probably didn't help impress his coach. He took a high practice shot on goalie Gerry McNiel, loosening a few teeth.

The 6'0" 180lb blond Kaiser scored 7 goals and 5 assists for 12 points in his 50 game stay with the Canadiens. The left winger played on the third line with center Paul Masnick and right winger Normie Dussault. Early in the season he was playing with Lach and fellow freshman Bert Olmstead.

Kaiser, who was also a notable baseball player in the summer time, interestingly was in the Navy during World War II. Somehow he spent at least some of his service time in Winnipeg, Manitoba. There's an awful lot of land between Winnipeg and either the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans.

Battleship Leduc

2010-03-31T19:27:00.000-07:00

Bob Kelly of 1970s Philadelphia Flyers fame wasn't the first player to be nicknamed "Battleship." "Battleship" Leduc of the Montreal Canadiens was so synonymously known by his nickname many people did not know his actual first name was Albert.

Leduc joined the Montreal Canadiens in 1925-26, but he was strictly a substitute defenseman. Back in those days the top players played most of the game, only spotted by the substitutes for short rests or for penalties. Leduc was said to be "far from a polished skater and his crude style did not suggest he was qualified to be a regular."

Despite his reserve status, he was a fan favorite. "His aggressive scrambling play made him very popular with the fans and his appearance on the ice drew lots of applause," wrote Charles Coleman in Trail of the Stanley Cup. "When he got up a full head of steam it seemed uncertain if he could be stopped or stop himself. This is how he earned the sobriquet of Battleship."

Leduc played most of his 10 year NHL career with Les Canadiens, scoring 56 goals and earning 552 penalty minutes in 383 games. He was a big part of Montreal's back to back Stanley Cup championships in 1930 and 1931.

After retiring in 1935 he became a coach in Quebec and Providence before returning to his hometown of Valleyfield he financed his own team and helped the town build a new arena. He would give Toe Blake his first coaching job.

Leduc reportedly became a rather wealthy man, making a good part of his fortune in the distillery business. He was not afraid to share his wealth as he helped out down-on-their-luck former Montreal players like hooley Smith and Dunc Munro.

He retired to Miami late in life, dying in Montreal on July 31st, 1990.

Randy Exelby

2010-03-29T19:38:00.000-07:00

Backup goaltenders make a lot of relief appearances, but none quite like Randy Exelby.

Exelby was a 5'9" 170lb goaltender from Toronto. A late bloomer, Exelby starred at Lake Superior State. Never drafted, the Montreal Canadiens acquired him in the now-defunct supplemental draft in 1986.

Assigned to the Canadiens AHL team in Sherbrooke in 1987, Exelby soon took the league by storm. By his second year as a pro he was named the AHL's top goaltender, winning the "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award, thanks for 31 wins and 2.98 GAA. He also shared the Hap Holmes trophy for fewest goals against, along with teammate Francois Gravel.

But the highlight of Exelby's dream 1988-89 season was his first call up to the National Hockey League. That being said, Exelby never would have guessed how he would see his first NHL game action.

Exelby was called up for a few games as Patrick Roy was out with tonsillitis. Exelby backed up Brian Hayward until Hayward came down with his own flu. Roy came back to action early, allowing Exelby to back up Roy for a game in Buffalo. Exelby sat on the bench for the game, except for 3 minutes in the second period.

Roy was medicated and frequently hydrating, so much so that he needed to go to the bathroom. Exelby had to go into the game.

"He told the referee, who relayed the message to the coach (Pat Burns)," Exelby explained to Dick Chubey of The Hockey News at the time. "Burns started laughing and told me to get in there."

Exelby's stint lasted all of three minutes.

He even faced one shot.

"One from Rick Vaive that hit me on the pad, and a defenseman (Rick Green) took it up the ice."

As for being nervous, Exelby said "I didn't have time to be."

Despite his excellent season in the AHL, the Canadiens traded Exelby to Edmonton prior to the 1989-90 season. Talk about bad luck. Exelby was going from a team with Patrick Roy to a team with two excellent goalies in Grant Fuhr and Bill Ranford.

When Exelby was demoted to the Oiler's AHL affiliate in Cape Breton, Exelby actually chose to retire. He had a change of heart and was dispatched to Phoenix of the IHL for the season. It was a wise decision, as his patience allowed him to get his first NHL start.

With Fuhr injured and Ranford in need of a rest, the Oilers started Exelby in Pittsburgh on February 2nd. Unfortunately for Exelby, Mario Lemieux was red hot, despite his ailing back.

Lemieux scored three goals and four points, extending his point-scoring streak to 41 games. The Pens beat the Oilers 6-3.

Despite the loss, Exelby enjoyed his opportunity.

"It was okay, certainly a thrill to get in there and play against the caliber of guys like Lemieux and Paul Coffey," he said.

On Lemieux's two second-period power play goals, Exelby said "he's got a quick release, but I did come close to both of them. He doesn't hesitate. The puck can be four feet of either side of him and he snaps it right away with great accuracy.

Exelby returned to the minor leagues, bouncing around in 1990-91. That would prove to be his final season in professional hockey.

Beginning in 1994 Exelby opened his own chain of hockey equipment stores in Phoenix, Arizona.

Gerry Carson

2010-03-05T11:32:00.000-08:00

The Carson family remains legendary in Parry Sound, Ontario. Patriarch D. M. Carson was a lumber baron in the area, moving from Bracebridge in 1905. He built a beautiful Victorian home on 33 Church Street and raised four sons, three of whom went on to play in the National Hockey League in the 1920s and 1930s. The family home still stands in Parry Sound. It is now a bed and breakfast simply known as The Carson House.

"Doc" Bill Carson was perhaps the most famous of the three NHL brothers. He was the first player in Toronto Maple Leafs history to score 20 goals and later returned home to become long time dentist.

Frank Carson played seven season in the NHL. He was noted for his defensive play as well as his premature grey hair.

Gerald "Stub" Carson played in 261 NHL games, mostly with the Montreal Canadiens, but the defenseman scored just 12 goals. He was part of Montreal's Stanley Cup championship team in 1930.

He was known as both Gerry and Jerry, although I am uncertain as to the origins of his nickname "Stub." He was really hampered by injuries, most notably a serious knee injury that required an operation which caused him to miss the entire 1935-36 season. Ultimately it would end his career after a brief come back attempt with the Montreal Maroons in 1936-37.

Gerry settled in Grimsby, Ontario and worked as a salesman for a brewery company. He died in 1956, having just turned 51 years old.

Paul Haynes

2010-02-25T12:58:00.001-08:00

The name Paul Haynes does not really resonate in Montreal sporting history quite like Rocket Richard or Jean Beliveau or Guy Lafleur. But Paul Haynes, too, was a great Montreal athlete. He was a junior boxing champion and star quarterback at Loyola College.

But to make it in Montreal you need to make it in hockey. Paul Haynes was very good at hockey too, although his longest lasting impact came off of the ice.

Paul Haynes was originally signed by the Montreal Maroons in 1930-31 after he helped the Montreal AAA win the Allan Cup in 1929-30. Indeed, practically the entire team was signed by the Maroons, including the great Dave Kerr, defenseman Al Huggins, the Roche brothers, and Haynes.

Haynes would play in parts of the next five seasons with the Maroons, "English Montreal's team" as they said. He took a couple of years to find his form, but his best year came in 1932-33 when he finished fifth in NHL scoring with 16 goals and 41 points centering Baldy Northcott and Hooley Smith or Earl Robinson.

Haynes never really experienced success like that again, and mid-way into the 1934-35 season he was traded to Boston. Believe it or not, a Canadian Press article on Dec. 29, 1934 suggested the very slight Haynes suffered from many colds, and doctors suggested Haynes should move to a milder climate.

Hayne's exile from Montreal was short lived. He returned for the 1935-36 season, this time with Les Canadiens. The playmaking center scored 5 goals and 24 points in his first full season with the Habs.

He was as good in 1936-37,though taking over for the late Howie Morenz was quite a chore. He seemed capable of it, as in 1937-38 he had 13 goals and 35 points playing on a line with Toe Blake and Johnny Gagnon. He even managed to finish ninth in scoring in 1938-39 with a measly 5 goals, but 33 assists for 38 points.

That would be Paul Haynes last good season in Montreal. He would play parts of two more seasons before being farmed out to New Haven in 1941. Apparently he fell out of favor in Montreal because he ditched a team meal in New York to attend an opera. He retired at the end of that season, only to return to Montreal.

Haynes was an interesting player. In 390 games his 195 career points are not eye catching, especially his low 61 goas, even by 1930s standards. But at his peak he was interesting. Twice he finished top 10 in NHL scoring, both times as the set up centerman.

Just judging by his peaks and valleys, I suspect at his peak he was sort of like a Henrik Sedin or Andrew Cassels type centerman. When he was in one of his valleys he was probably a lot more like a Murray Craven or Anatoli Semenov type centerman - under-appreciated, under-utilized, but excelling in his own quiet way. I found one report saying Haynes was a good defensive center who possessed a "devastating hook check."

Marc T. McNeil of the Montreal Gazette confirms this in a December 28th, 1934 article about Haynes and Russ Blinco. He says of Haynes: "Haynes combines the defensive skill of Pete lepine and the playmaking prowess of Joe Primeau, and is rated as one of the headiest players in the league."

McNeil also revelead Haynes almost loss his life before he even made it to the NHL.

"That Haynes is playing hockey at all today is something of a miracle, for he nearly lost his life while working in the mines at Copper Cliff in the summer of 1929. He was cleaning one of the furnaces at the top, moving the red-hot bricks, when the plank he was working on slipped and he started to topple over into the furnace in which there was still fire. To save himself he grabbed hold of a hot steam pipe and somehow hung on."

Hayne was pulled to safety by co-workers, but not before the steaming bricks fell into some water, creating scalding steam that scarred Haynes for life. He was told he would never compete in sports again, but it turned out he would soon enjoy his greatest moments on the ice and on the football field.

Haynes remained close to the Habs in retirement, working for them as a coach, scout and even radio play-by-play man. For a period of time he coached the Montreal Amateurs junior team where he had a young Maurice Richard. It was Haynes who thought of converting fiery Richard from left wing to right wing to make better use of his shot.

Haynes, who owned his own sporting goods store in Montreal while he played, also started his own surveying company and earned a master's degree from New York University in cinema studies. One of his favorite movies he worked on was a documentary about his home town - Montreal.

Butch Arbour

2010-02-04T20:02:00.001-08:00

Amos Arbour came by his nickname obviously enough. "Butch" was a butcher by trade. He woud enjoy a career as meat man before and long after playing in the National Hockey League.

Born in Victoria Harbour, Ontario way back in 1895, Arbour first arrived on the big league hockey scene back in 1915 when he joined the Montreal Canadiens. This was back when there was no such thing as the NHL. Instead, the Canadiens were part of the NHA - National Hockey Association - the forerunner to the NHL.

Butch, a 5'8" 160lb left winger, played 20 games with the Habs that season, scoring 5 goals. He seemed to be hitting his stride with linemates Goldie Prodgers and Louis Berlinquette when World War I interrupted his career. Even though his commitments to the Canadian military prevented him from playing with the Habs, he continued playing in the NHA while stationed in southern Ontario. Arbour scored an impressive 13 goals in 10 games with the Toronto 228th Battalion entry in the league.

There is no statistical evidence to suggest Arbour played at all during the 1917-18 season, possibly because he was in Europe fighting in the war. He eventually resurfaced, playing a single game of the 1918-19 season back with the Habs now of the NHL.

Arbour's best big league season came in 1919-20 when he scored 21 goals in 22 games with the Habs. He would play another season in Montreal before being traded with Cully Wilson and Harry Mummery to Hamilton for the infamous Sprague Cleghorn. Arbour played two seasons in Hamilton and a final season with the Toronto St. Pats in 1923-24 before retiring and returning to his meat counter.

John Aiken

2010-02-01T20:38:00.000-08:00

John Aiken was a mathematician who beat the odds.

A United States Air Force mathematician, Aiken also served as the Boston Bruins practice goalie. In these days it was common to carry a practice goalie as teams usually only carried one goalie for games. Born in Arlington, Massachusetts on January 1st, 1932, Aiken tended the nets for the 4 seasons with Boston University of the NCAA.

On March 13, 1958, the powerful Montreal Canadiens were in Boston for a showdown. However half way through the second period Jacques Plante got injured and was unable to finish the game. Without another goaltender, the Habs asked for Boston's permission to use their practice goalie, John Aiken. The Bruins obliged.

The Bruins had only scored 1 goal against Plante, but lit up Aiken as though it were a practice, not an NHL regular season contest. In 34 minutes of play Aiken gave up 6 goals. His goals-against-averaged was a bloated 10.59.

Aiken never played hockey at high level after that stint. Instead he carved out at a career using his skills as a mathematician.

John Adams

2010-02-01T20:37:00.000-08:00

John Adams often went by the nickname Jack, but is not to be confused with the legendary Jack Adams. The real Jack Adams is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame after a brilliant career as both a player and coach. John Adams, a proud western Canadian born in Calgary, Alberta, only played one season in the NHL.

Adams played junior and senior hockey in Calgary until 1938 when he headed to the bright lights of Vancouver to play with the PCHL Lions. The 5'10" left winger played there for two years before the NHL was interested in his services. Because NHL teams were being depleted by the call to serve for the Canadian military in World War II, Adams was acquired by the Montreal Canadiens on May 13, 1940 in exchange for a lump sum of cash. Adams played in 42 games without making much noise. He scored 6 times and set up 12 others for 18 points.

Military service was on Adams' own plate the following season, thus interrupting his NHL career. It did not interrupt his hockey career though. While serving with the Royal Canadian Air Force, Adams spent three years playing in various National Defense hockey leagues.

In 1944-45 he missed the entire year as a result of a horrific knee injury in a NNDHL preseason game. The injury got him out of his military commitments, though the war was near over already.

Adams was never the same player on the ice following the injury. Once the war was over the Montreal Canadiens farmed out the gimpy Adams first to Montreal Royals of the QSHL, then the Buffalo Bisons of the AHL and later the Houston Huskies of the USHL. However in two years of minor league play, Adams was only healthy enough to play in 43 games, and aside from a strong 1946 playoffs with the Bisons, was ineffective.

Adams headed back west in 1947 to play with in the PCHL once again, this time with the Vancouver suburb based New Westminster Royals. He played two years with the Royals, but by 1949 he decided his leg had had enough and he hung up the blades.

Gene Achtymichuk

2010-02-01T20:33:00.000-08:00

Gene Achtymichuk's tongue-twister last name left everyone to call him by his obvious moniker - "Acky."

Acky, a 5'11" 170lbs center from Lamont Alberta was a well travelled minor league star, posting some Gretzky-like assist totals late in his career with the EHL's Knoxville Knights and Long Island Ducks.

But at one time he was a prized prospect in Montreal's farm system. In fact, he was called up in the 1957-58 season to replace the injured Jean Beliveau. Talk about big skates to fill! Acky scored 3 goals and 8 points in 16 games with Beliveau's linemates, Boom Boom Geoffrion and Bert Olmstead.

Life is funny sometimes. When Beliveau returned from injury Acky was to be returned to the minor leagues, but his replacement during his absence, a young center named Ralph Backstrom, had played so well that Acky had lost his spot on the team. Montreal would solve the problem by selling Acky and two other minor league players to Detroit for the 1958-59 season.

Acky had a 12 game audition with the Wings, playing with a couple of guys you may have heard of - Alex Delvecchio and Gordie Howe. But Acky failed to pick up a point and was sent to the minor leagues.

Acky may not have minded his minor league assignment too much as he was able to return home to Alberta and play with the Edmonton Flyers for parts of three seasons before becoming a minor league vagabond for most the 1960s. For a time he would even be a playing coach for the Long Island Ducks, replacing coach John Muckler.

Reg Abbott

2010-02-01T20:21:00.000-08:00

Reg Abbott was a fine athlete growing up in Manitoba. Born in Winnipeg, Abbott would finish his athletic career with induction into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.

Abbott was a fine second baseman for the provincial baseball champions, nearly a scratch golfer and a star lacrosse player. But like most youth in Canada his love was hockey.

In junior Abbott would star with the Brandon Wheat Kings on a line with Gus Juckes and Brian Roche. In his final year in Brandon, 1949-50, he would league in goals and points, leading the Kings to the Memorial Cup tournament. In addition to his scoring exploits he was described as an excellent stickhandler and forechecker.

Abbott would turn professional, finding himself on Canada's left coast with the PCHL/WHL Victoria Cougars for four years. His only shot at the National Hockey League cam in his third year with the Cougars. The Montreal Canadiens offered him his big league chance when Elmer Lach got injured. Coach Dick Irvin gave Abbott a three game look, playing him on a line with Boom Boom Geoffrion and Paul Meger. The trio had impressed Irvin in training camp, but ultimately would do nothing together in season play. Abbott failed to pick up a point.

Although he probably never would have guessed it then, Abbott would never get another chance to play in a National Hockey League game. He would go on to play highly competitive senior hockey in Windsor, Ontario before returning home to play with the Winnipeg Maroons.

The Maroons were a powerhouse of Canadian senior hockey, going to the Allan Cup finals three straight times in the 1960s, winning the championship in 1964. In those days the Allan Cup champions were picked to represent Canada at the World Championships. The Maroons finished in fourth place, with Abbott scoring 2 goals and 4 points in 7 international games.

That would mark the end of Abbott's competitive hockey career.

Jimmy Gardner

2009-11-17T21:34:00.000-08:00

Jimmy Gardner truly was very much like the team he is best remembered for playing with - a Wanderer. He skated with no less than seven hockey teams in a career that spanned almost a decade.

Born on May 21, 1881, Gardner started out with the Montreal Hockey Club, whose "Little Men of Iron" won the Stanley Cup in 1902. He then joined the Wanderers for one season and went on to Calumet, Michigan in the American League for two seasons. Then it was off to Pittsburgh for another, returning to Montreal and the Shamrocks, before re-joining the Wanderers for their Stanley Cup winning season of 1910-11! Jimmy jumped leagues again the following year by joining New Westminster of the PCHA but returned to Montreal to finish his playing career with Les Canadiens in 1915.

Hockey was in Gardner's blood as he stayed with the Habs as a coach until 1917 and then changed to officiating. He refereed in the minor leagues and the Western Canadian Hockey League until 1924. Another coaching job with the Hamilton Tigers took Gardner to retirement in 1925. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1962.

Gardner died on November 7, 1940

John "Goose" McCormack

2009-06-24T14:48:00.000-07:00

Though long-necked Johnny "Goose" McCormack was a scoring sensation with the junior leagues with the St Michaels Majors and in the Ontario senior leagues with the Toronto Marlies, he was known as a defensive player extraordinaire at the NHL level.

McCormack had trouble breaking into a regular role with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was with the Leafs for 4 seasons, but only played regularly in two of those, and then he only played enough to score no more than 6 goals in a season.

In 1951, after earning a Stanley Cup with the Leafs, Toronto sold McCormack's hockey rights to Montreal. The story behind his departure from Toronto is interesting. He had schedule a marriage during the hockey season. He apparently got his girlfriend pregnant, thus making an off-season marriage impossible due to a lack of time. Leafs boss Conn Smythe was so enraged when he found out that he demoted McCormack to the minor leagues before eventually trading him to the Canadiens, never to play for the Leafs again.

He would go onto be a key defensive specialist in Montreal. In his first year he scored only twice, while in 1952-53 he only had one goal in 59 games. But he was a key player in the Stanley Cup finals as the Habs defeated the Red Wings. Habs coach Dick Irvin had Goose and Bert Olmstead on the ice any time the great Gordie Howe was out there. Their job was to shadow Howe, and never leave him unattended, even if the play was in deep in the opposite end from where Howe was. Goose and Olmstead did a great job as the Habs won the Cup.

Ironically, Goose was sent to the minors during the 1953-54 season. It was ironic because Goose had 5 goals for Montreal that season, 3 more than he scored in the previous two years with Montreal. He also had a career high 15 points in one season.

The Habs felt McCormack was replaceable in the summer of 1954, and exposed him in the Intra League draft. John was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks. He played one season with Chicago, scoring 5 goals and 12 points.

After just one season with Chicago, McCormack was included in a huge trade which saw himself, Dave Creighton, Gord Hollingworth and Jerry Toppazzini go to Detroit for Tony Leswick, Glen Skov, Johnny Wilson and Benny Woit. However McCormack never played with the Wings. He spent the 1955-56 season, his last in pro hockey, with the WHL's Edmonton Flyers.

Eddie Mazur

2009-05-19T19:10:00.001-07:00

This is Eddie Mazur's 1954-55 Parkhurst rookie card.

Nicknamed Spider, the gangling Mazur was a useful utility player, able to play both wings and on defense. In parts of six NHL seasons he mostly played on left wing, using his slick stick handling to keep a 3rd or 4th line role with the Montreal Canadiens and briefly with the Chicago Blackhawks late in his career.

Mazur's first NHL season was in 1953-54, but he was already a test NHL veteran even before playing in his first regular season game.

While playing with Victoria (PCHL/WHL) and Buffalo (AHL) in the minor leagues Mazur was called up by the Canadiens were called up for the Stanley Cup finals. In fact, he had scored four goals and six points in 14 playoff games, had played in three consecutive Stanley Cup winning games, won the 1953 Stanley Cup and therefore was included in the 1953 NHL All Star game, before playing in the regular season.

His favorite memory will always be the Stanley Cup win in 1953, where he set up the winning goal while playing with goal scorer Elmer Lach and the great Rocket Richard.

"I remember the play because I carried the puck down the left wing and backhanded it on the net. It went in behind and then Milt Schmidt tried to shoot it out and it went to Elmer and he scored. I didn't get an assist on it but I remember Dick (Coach Dick Irvin) thought I should have. That's when Rocket jumped on Elmer and broke his nose. I was standing right there."

That moment was definitely Mazur's dream come true.

"When I was in junior high school I was the sports editor of our school paper. I was a Canadiens fan and I wrote once how great it would be to play on a line with Elmer Lach and Maurice Richard. And four or five years later, I did. And I was on the ice with the two of them when we scored a Stanley Cup winning goal. Imagine that. Incredible."

Needless to say, it made for one of the more curious careers in NHL history. But the Winnipeg native finally stuck with the Habs in 1953-54. It would be his only full NHL season. He scored just 7 goals and 21 points, adding just three assists in 11 playoff games.

Mazur returned the next season, but an early season knee injury ended his season. He reappeared with Chicago for 15 games in 1956-57, but essentially became a minor league star for the remaining 9 years in his long hockey career.

Steve Rooney

2009-04-01T21:16:00.000-07:00

What would you do if you were a NHL rookie and had to play in a Stanley Cup playoff game or get married.

That was the exact situation Steve Rooney faced, making his wedding day is one day he'll never forget.

You see, a year earlier while still in school Rooney and his fiancee planned a wedding for April 1985. Obviously neither figured that Steve would be competing for the Stanley Cup after graduating from Providence College with his Business Management degree.

But that's exactly what he was doing. He joined the Canadiens upon the completion of the NCAA season, and impressed with 1 goal and some big hits in 3 regular season games.

Unexpectedly Rooney became a regular on the Habs playoffs roster, playing in 11 of 12 Montreal post-season games.

All of which was great, until the wedding coincided with a Montreal-Boston playoff tilt. Needless to say, the Rooneys had a difficult decision to make. Fortunately for Rooney the game just happened to be played in Boston.

The wedding was moved to the morning, and Rooney left the chapel almost immediately in order to help Montreal win the game and eliminate the Bruins. Rooney celebrated his big day by scoring a goal!

The 88th overall draft pick in 1981 was a quite the athlete growing up. He played high school football and baseball was a passion, not surprisingly since his father owned a bar near Fenway Park. But hockey and the Boston Bruins were his true love.

Rooney became a hockey legend at his Canton, Mass. high school. So much so that the school actually retired his jersey #16.

Rooney earned a full scholarship to Providence, where he played hockey and also majored in business management, fulfilling his scholastic commitments before turning pro. In doing so he led Providence to the championship game in 1985, bowing out to RPI.

Rooney immediately turned pro at the completion of the college season, joining the Montreal for the balance of the 1984-85 regular season, joining them for the playoff run.

Despite a good showing, Steve Rooney never really caught on in the NHL. He did play in part of five NHL seasons, joining Winnipeg in 1987 and New Jersey in 1989. He played in a total of 154 games. He scored 15 goals, 28 points and 496 penalty minutes.

In retirement he returned to the Boston area and became a sales executive for a Massachusetts broadband company.

Bert Corbeau

2009-02-15T20:07:00.000-08:00

As a hockey history geek I was beyond excited to learn a lot of new information about a really old hockey player last week.

Andrew Hind of the Midland Mirror wrote an article about Big Bert Corbeau. Most people do not know of him. He last played in the NHL in 1927, and his best days predated the NHL itself.

Corbeau was a big man in his day, noted for his physical presence and goal scoring ability from the blue line. I liken him to a bit of a cross between the modern day Hatcher brothers. Corbeau had big Kevin's penchant for offense, but was more of Derian's mentality - mean and aggressive.

Hind's article is about Corbeau's tragic death. During World War II Corbeau found work at a foundary and machine factory in his hometown of Penetanguishene, building supplies for the allied forces. It was a stressful job, and Corbeau, forever the team player, decided to relieve the stresses of his work mates by treating several of them to a day of fishing out on the Georgian Bay. Corbeau, an avid boater and fisherman, owned his own 79-foot yacht, but it was ill equiped to handle the number of people who boarded on the fateful day of September 21, 1942. A severe storm hit, and the dangerously overloaded boat was not able to speed back to the docks. The boat would capsize in the violent waves, killing Corbeau and most of his 41 guests.

I had not known anything of Corbeau's demise before this. Previously I had always associated Corbeau with his exorbitant hockey card price. The 1923-24 Paterson Hockey Bar card set was produced with Corbeau's card in very limited quantities, simply due to oversight. Because of the scarcity of Corbeau's card #25, a complete set of this collection is extremely rare, and extremely valuable. An online auction saw a set come in at nearly $10,000 US.

Kevin Haller

2009-02-01T17:39:00.000-08:00

The native of Trochu, Alberta, Kevin Haller grew up watching the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames in the Battle of Alberta. One day he dreamed of making the NHL himself.

That path began in 1987-88 when he graduated to the WHL Regina Pats. He would go onto become a dominant player in the Western League and World Junior Hockey Championships, and in 1989 was drafted 14th overall by the Buffalo Sabres.

Haller turned pro in 1990, and apprenticed most of his first two seasons with the AHL's Rochester Americans. On the ice his play progressed steadily and impressively. Off the ice he had a tough time being accepted at first. A devout Christian, Haller made the choice to not be a part of the hockey culture of parties and alcohol. Though his teammates were slow to accept him, he eventually became one of the boys while continuing to stay true to his beliefs.

By the end of the 1990-91 season the young blueliner graduated to the NHL and played the last 21 games with Buffalo. He was one of the Sabres' best players during a first round loss to the Montreal Canadiens in the 1991 playoffs.

He obviously impressed Les Canadiens in that series. After establishing himself as a regular on the Buffalo defence, Haller was traded to the Habs in March, 1992 for veteran rearguard Petr Svoboda. 1992-93 was a season to remember for Haller. He scored a personal high 11 goals and was a member of Montreal's Stanley Cup championship that defeated Wayne Gretzky's Los Angeles Kings. Gretzky was full of compliments for the young Haller, saying that he was "one of the toughest defensemen to play against for me personally," and that he respected Haller's clean yet tough style.

The Habs underwent a rebuilding stage in 1994, and traded Haller to the Philadelphia Flyers. During his 2 1/2 years with Philly, Haller helped improve the club's fortunes in the NHL standings. The high point was the 1995 playoffs when the Flyers reached the Eastern Conference final.

In December, 1996, Haller was sent to the Hartford Whalers as part of the package for star defenseman Paul Coffey. He remained with the franchise when it relocated to Carolina in 1997 then played two years with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. After signing as a free agent with the New York Islanders in July, 2000, Haller only played 31 games over the next two seasons before retiring due to career ending abdominal injuries.

In 642 NHL games Kevin Haller scored 41 goals, 96 assists and 137 points.

Wilf Cude

2009-01-12T16:52:00.000-08:00

I had a great chuckle in reading this passage from Dick Irvin's book Now Back to You Dick: Two Lifetimes in Hockey. He was talking about a surprise his dad, famous coach Dick Irvin Sr., had one night behind the bench of the Montreal Canadiens.

"His goalie that game was Wilf Cude, a bouncy little guy who had been in and out of Canadiens' net for a few years. The game in Chicago was a wide open affair. With less than a minute to play, Elmer Lach scored to give Montreal a 6-5 lead. As the referee was dropping the puck to resume play following the goal, Dad glanced toward the Canadiens' net. It was empty...

"'Where the hell is Cude?' he bellowed. Then he saw him. Cude, an excitable type, had skated to the end of the Canadiens' bench and was hugging Lach and congratulating him for scoring the goal.

"'The game's on!" Dad hollered, and everyone else on the bench picked up the refrain. Cude, realizing the error of his ways, frantically raced ack to his goal crease, arriving just in time to stop a shot that would have tied the game."

Oh that crazy Cude. The Welsh-born, Winnipeg raised Cude was one of the smallest players in NHL history. He stood at 5'9" and has been listed as little as 130lbs. He was a utility goalie if there ever was one, always filling in for which ever team needed a goalie due to injury.

Cude had brushes with brilliance in his 10 year career. In 282 contests played with 5 different teams, he posted 100 wins, 132 losses and 49 ties, with 24 shutouts and a career 2.72 GAA.

He got his start in the NHL with the lowly and long extinct Philadelphia Quakers, one of the worst teams in league history. His rookie season was far more reflective on his team than him, as he posted a 2-25-3 record.

Cude bounced around after that, finally landing as Montreal's goalie for 4 seasons beginning in 1934. He even twice was named to the NHL second all star team.

Cude began losing his position as Montreal's starting goalie in 1938. He would hang around until 1940, when he finally had had enough.

The story of how Cude decided to retire is rather quirky in itself.

Cude was said to be sitting at a post-game dinner with his wife, "his nerves more raw than his steak." He picked up the meat and flung it across the room, plastering it to a wall.

Legend has it that the goalie said, "If the steak comes down, I’m through."

Cude was an ex-goalie an instant later when a slab of sirloin hit the floor.

Denis Herron

2008-12-11T22:13:00.001-08:00

Did you know that Denis Herron was first goaltender in NHL history to make team's roster out of training camp right after he was drafted? I know I certainly did not know that. That's pretty amazing for any goalie in any era, the list of goalies who have done that must be pretty small.

The Pittsburgh Penguins made the Chambly, Quebec born Herron a 3rd round pick, 40th overall, back in the summer of 1972. Only Bunny Laraque (6th) was drafted higher, with Mike Veisor, Gilles Gratton and Richard Brodeur also as goalies of note from that draft.

By October of '72 Herron was the starting goalie for the Penguins. Veteran Jim Rutherford temporarily had to make room for the hotshot who had an amazing training camp. Herron won his first two road starts of the season with shutouts against the New York Islanders and Vancouver Canucks.

Herron played in 18 games that season, posting a 6-7-2 record with 2 shutouts and a 3.41 GAA. Rutherford wrestled away the starting job, and the Pens sent Herron down to the farm team to finish the year. The maskless Andy Brown came in later in the season.

Despite the great start, Herron looked as though he would never fulfill his promise in Pittsburgh. He spent the next two seasons in the minor leagues, appearing in the NHL for only 8 games. By January of 1975 he was traded to the Kansas City Scouts for another goalie, Michel Plasse.

Herron headed to KC and got the ice time he needed to develop, albeit behind one of the worst NHL teams of all time. Herron played in 86 games over the next season and a half, sporting an unenviable record of 15-52-15 with a GAA near 4.00. Despite the less than flattering statistics, Herron won over some praise for his valiant efforts. Yet his reputation for a wandering level of concentration was beginning to spread.

Watching closely was his old team, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Realizing they may have been too impatient in dealing the young goalie away, the Pens reacquired Herron by signing him as a free agent in August 1976.

Despite a broken arm interrupting his season, Herron had a terrific 1976-77 season. He went 15-11-5 record with a 2.94 GAA, leading the Penguins into the NHL post-season.

Herron played two more full seasons in Pittsburgh, recording back to back 20 win seasons, returning the Pens to the playoffs each season.

For his at-times spectacular play, Herron was never blessed with the opportunity to play for a team that was not labelled as mediocre at best. That changed in 1979-80 when he had the amazing chance to go to Montreal in a trade for utility forward Pat Hughes.

Montreal was looking to shore up it's goaltending situation with the early retirement of superstar goalie Ken Dryden. Everyone knows that playing goal in Montreal is one of the most pressure filled situations in all of hockey. Try doing it as a) a Quebecois goalie and b) as Ken Dryden's replacement.

That was the situation facing Herron and Richard Sevigny, the two goalies brought in to do the job. By Montreal standards they put up adequate efforts, sharing the Vezina trophy in 1980-81 (also with Bunny Laraque), back when the trophy still went to the goaltender(s) of the team that allowed the fewest goals. The trophy was rechristened the next year for the goalie determined to be the best in the league, with the William Jennings trophy created for the fewest goals. Herron and Rick Wamsley topped that list in 1981-82.

Despite the strong defensive record, fans, media and management in Montreal expected more. None of the above four mentioned goalies could emerge as the Habs top goalie, with neither bringing any playoff success to their resumes.

Still playing in Montreal was a nice reprieve for Herron. His first year he went 25-3-3, and over three years he was 43-18-17. And he did not have to face Guy Lafleur. In three of Lafleur's 6 seasons where he scored 50 goals he notched the magical 50 goal mark against Herron.

Herron's legacy be the failed 1980 playoff series against Minnesota. The North Stars upset Montreal in seven games that year, ending Montreal's four consecutive years reign as Stanley Cup champions.

Prior to the start of the 1982-83 season Montreal traded Herron to, surprise, surprise, the Pittsburgh Penguins, gaining a 3rd round draft pick in 1985 in return. Herron would play three more seasons in the NHL, sharing the Penguins nets with the likes of Michel Dion and Roberto Romano.

Herron retired after the disastrous 1985-86 season. That year he was set back by a hand injury and played almost exclusively in the minor leagues trying to get his game back though it was clear his best days were behind him.

In 462 NHL games Denis Herron faced a lot of rubber. He posted a career record 146-203-76 with 10 shutouts and a high GAA of 3.70. He only got into 15 NHL playoff games, going 5-10 with a more respectable 3.33 GAA.

But do not judge Denis Herron by his statistics. They made be bad, but the teams he played on were usually worse.

After retiring Herron became involved in hotel management in Florida and the Caribbean.

Richard Sevigny

2008-11-29T17:55:00.001-08:00

The Montreal Canadiens must have known Ken Dryden was never planning to stick around a long time.

The goaltending great retired in 1979 after just 7 full seasons in the NHL. In that short time frame he guaranteed his place in the hockey hall of fame, posting a 258-57-74 career record with 6 Stanley Cups and 5 Vezina trophies.

Replacing Dryden was going to be a monumentally impossible task. But the Habs started preparing in 1977, drafting a total of 7 goaltenders in that summer's entry draft.

Nothing much ever came from Robert Holland (64th overall pick), Barry Borrett (152nd), Mark Holden (160th), Carey Walker (174th), Jean Belisle (179th and Bob Daly (180th). But with the 124th overall pick the Canadiens landed a goalie who one day would be summoned to replace the great Dryden.

Richard Sevigny was drafted out of Sherbrooke, where he led the Castors to the Memorial Cup finals. He was also part of Canada's entry at the World Junior Championships. He would apprentice in the minor leagues for two years before he was handed jersey #33 in Montreal.

After a strong showing in training camp, Sevigny joined Dryden's perennial back up Bunny Laracque after Dryden's departure. But crowding the crease was Denis Herron, who the Habs brought in from Pittsburgh late in the summer. Montreal would go with three goaltenders in 1979-80, never an enviable situation.

Ultimately none of the three would emerge as a true star netminder like the Habs had hoped. Herron played the best, getting the playoff assignments, with Laraque once again assigned the back up role. The rookie Sevigny would only get into 11 games, and would finish the year in the minor leagues where at least he could get some playing time.

Before he was sent down Sevigny had a chance to show his stuff. On Dec. 31st, 1970 the Montreal Canadiens played an exhibition game against the Soviet Red Army squad, three years to the day of their epic New Year's Eve battle. Montreal won the 1979 showdown 4-2, making Sevigny the first Montreal goalie to defeat the Soviets.

The three goalie rotation returned in 1980-81, with better success. The three goalies captured the Vezina Trophy. 1981 was the last year the trophy was awarded to the goalies (who played 25 games or more) of the team that allowed the fewest goals against. Sevigny probably emerged as the top goalie, with a 20-4-3 record with 2 shutouts. He was chosen as the Habs goalie for the playoffs, but was 0-3 with a bloated 4.33 GAA as the Habs were ousted uncerimoniously.

The Canadiens continued in their three goalie rotation in 1981-82, returning with failed playoff goalies Herron and Sevigny, and replacing Laraque with minor league call-up Rick Wamsley. The Canadiens all but handed the number one role to Wamsley, perhaps a little too early. Despite posting some strong numbers behind a good defense (23-7-7, 2.75 GAA), Wamsley could not get the job done in the playoffs either. The Canadiens were out in the first round yet again.

The Canadiens ended their three year infatuation with using three goalies by the 1982-83 season, keeping Wamsley and Sevigny. The two were share the workload in the regular season, but neither could get the job done when it mattered most, in the playoffs. In fact, in 1984 a surprise call up from the minor leagues delivered Montreal's first lengthy playoff run since the 1970s. Steve Penney, who played just 4 NHL regular season games in his career to that point, provided Montreal with the strongest playoff goaltending since the days of Ken Dryden.

Penney's arrival marked the end of Sevigny's bittersweet road in Montreal. He was born and raised in the city, and it was always his childhood dream to play for the Habs. He tried his best, but he could not carry on the Canadiens long tradition of playoff excellence.

Sevigny was not offered a contract and was declared a free agent. He had interest from several teams, but ultimately he chose to sign, not without some controversy, with the Habs' fiercest rival, the Quebec Nordiques!

A funny thing happened to Sevigny in Quebec City though. Once again he found himself in a three goalie rotation. In his three seasons in Quebec he was the least-used goalie, battling for time with Mario Gosselin and, firstly, Dan Bouchard, and, secondly, Clint Malarchuk.

Sevigny's career in Quebec was derailed by injuries. But he never lost his love for goaltending. After retiring in 1988, he turned to coaching in France. He would later return to Montreal, coaching a RHI roller hockey team while working as a special education teacher. He also finally found his starting goalie gig, becoming the regular goalie for the Oldtimers Hockey Challenge, a group of former NHL stars who barnstorm for local charities.

Andre Binette

2008-10-11T12:45:00.001-07:00

Andre Binette can thank Bert Olmstead for his only NHL appearance. "Dirty Bertie" Olmstead fired the puck a little too high (a definite no-no) during the pre-game warm up, striking starting goalie Jacques Plante in the head. This happened in 1954, well before Plante would begin using his famous goalie mask. Plante was unable to play that night so the Habs brought junior goalie Binette out of the crowd to suit up for them! Binette performed well, allowing 4 goals in a 7-4 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.

Binette, obviously encouraged by his one NHL game, turned pro the following year but bounced around with 5 minor league teams in 3 years before he decided to pack it in for good.

Steve Shutt

2008-10-09T10:13:00.000-07:00

I must admit, I have always been guilty of believing Steve Shutt's success was largely due to the fact that he played on such a strong line with such a strong team.

Shutt grew up in the Toronto suburb of Willowdale, dreaming of Dave Keon and the Toronto Maple Leafs while playing on the backyard rink his father built for him.

He progressed rapidly through the ranks, and began playing junior hockey with the Toronto Marlboros in 1969. Before long he was playing on the hottest line in all of junior hockey. Shutt was the left winger for Billy Harris and Dave Gardner. Shutt had seasons of 70 and 63 goals and 123 and 112 points.

Harris would go first overall in the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft, while Shutt would go to Montreal with the 4th overall draft pick. It would not be long before Shutt found himself on another great line - The Dynasty Line in Montreal with Guy Lafleur on right wing and either Jacques Lemaire or Peter Mahovlich at center. Shutt once referred to the line as The Donut Line, because of the centers coming and going.

While Lafleur was the superstar and Lemaire or Mahovlich were the set up men, Shutt was a goal scorer, with a knack for finding loose pucks and for getting open. He would post 9 consecutive seasons of at least 30 goals, including 45, 49 and, in 1976-77, 60 to lead the entire National Hockey League.

That 60 goal season also set a long standing NHL record for most goals by a left winger in one NHL season. Luc Robitaille broke the record in 1993 with 63 goals, while Alexander Ovechkin notched 65 in 2007-08.

In junior hockey he may have been a one trick pony, but the Montreal Canadiens were sure to develop him into a complete player. After all, there was no way he could play on the top line with Guy Lafleur all those years had he not been able to contribute in every zone on the ice.

"Steve has a lovely touch in the goal area," said coach Scotty Bowman back in the 1970s. "He always did. That's why we drafted him from Toront juniors in 1972. He's a natural scorer."

"What he has done, in the years he's been with us, is develop the other parts of his game like checking, skating and passing, so that he's made himself into a well rounded player," Bowman proudly continued.

Shutt also proved to be a big game player, scoring 28 playoff goals during the Canadians 4 consecutive Stanley Cup victories to close out the 1970s.

In total Shutt was part of five Stanley Cup championship teams in Montreal. Three times he was named as an All Star on left wing, including a First Team nod in 1977. In his 12 year career, which ended with a stint in Los Angeles, he scored 424 goals and 817 points in 930 games. He added another 50 goals and 98 points in 99 Stanley Cup playoff games. His impressive resume landed him in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993.

Still, I've always been guilty of assuming much of Shutt's success came from being on the big line with Lafleur. Perhaps he would have been just another pop-gun one-dimensional triggerman notching 30-35 goals a year had he played in Pittsburgh or Vancouver.

In an interview with the Hockey Hall of Fame, Shutt concedes timing played a big role in his career success.

"No doubt about it, you have to learn to be a winner. And Scotty Bowman really pushed players to be better than they ever thought they would be. It was the right combination at the right time. Not only did Scotty push us but our own teammates pushed us. Our practices were probably a lot harder than some of the games we played."

Steve Shutt was an integral part of the Montreal Canadiens 1970s dynasties.

Brian Savage

2008-08-02T14:41:00.000-07:00

Reggie Jackson, meet Brian Savage

When you are known as Mr. October in baseball it is a very good thing. In hockey, not so much.

October is when baseball playoffs are on and World Series glory is up for grabs. Clutch players, the absolute best of the best, rise to the top, no one more famously than the Yankees' Reggie Jackson.

In hockey, October marks the beginning of the season. Hockey's Mr. October award goes to players who tend to start the season really strong, but then fade as the season progresses and all but have disappeared by the time the playoffs start.

In recent memory, no one has done that more famously than Brian Savage.

Savage was a notoriously quick starter, often flirting with the league goal scoring leaders by Halloween. Yet he would fade quickly, never once scoring more than 26 goals by season's end, and vanishing in the playoffs where he only scored 3 times in 39 career games.

Here's the statistical evidence:

As you can see, the bulk of his offensive contributions came early, in October and November. He would then fade noticeably.

And he did this seemingly annually. I'm not sure who it must have been more frustrating for - his coaches or hockey poolers. Either way, to see him flirt with early greatness yet never breakthrough was disappointing.

It is too bad that this is how Brian Savage will be remembered. Because he was actually a great guy and a good hockey player, despite what Jes Golbez thinks.

Savage had tremendous outside speed and a very good shot and quick hands. He was good on faceoffs but he lacked vision and creativity to be a NHL center, so he was often shifted to left wing. He was a shooter rather than a play maker, and therefore needed a playmaking center to be effective.

There are two reasons why Savage never emerged as 40 goal scorer that he could have been.

One was injuries. Only twice did he come close to playing a complete NHL schedule. He was tall and lanky, without a lot of muscle build. That prompted teammate Mike Keane to quip “The guy has the worst body I’ve ever seen. He has that weird shape, no shoulders and long arms. Great body for a 60-year-old, but this guy is in his mid-20s.”

Savage never learned to use his body well, and combined with his tunnel vision he was an easy mark for heavy hitters. As a result he suffered several serious injuries, though none more so than in November 199 when he was crunched awkwardly against the Los Angeles Kings. Carried off on a stretcher, his neck vertebrae was cracked in several places. Not many people ever expected to see Brian Savage play hockey again, but to his credit he paid the price and returned triumphantly.

The other reason Savage never broke through as a star scorer was his lack of confidence. Savage was a very streaky scorer. When things were going his way he would score goals in bunches. But it also did not take much to lose his confidence and go through long dry spells. And because he was an inconsistent defensive player, coaches would rarely afford him the necessary ice time to get back on track.

The mental side of the game may have bothered Savage, but he was very much a natural athlete.

A nephew of former NHLer Larry Hillman, Savage grew up in Sudbury and played many sports. In fact, he even gave up hockey between the normally important development years of ages 15 through 17 in order concentrate on golf full time. He won three consecutive Northern Ontario junior golf championships and once capture the longest drive competition at the Canadian junior golf championship.

Savage, who along with his brother Dave are legendary high school track and field stars in Sudbury, actually attend Miami (Ohio) University on a golf scholarship. He just so happened to make the hockey team as well.

Savage had decided to return to hockey after attending a Sudbury Wolves junior game. He was inspired to play again because he saw childhood friends excelling at this level and he wanted to return to the ice.

It was a good decision for Savage. By 1994 he was playing with the Canadian Olympic Team, capturing a silver medal in Lillehammer. In his career he would also compete in two world championships for Team Canada.

Savage was a class act who embraced charities with open arms. Through his annual golf tournament he raised nearly $500,000 for organizations such as the Ten Rainbows Children's Foundation.

Benoit Brunet

2008-08-02T13:37:00.001-07:00

Following their Stanley Cup victory in 1993, the Montreal Canadiens fell on hard times for a good decade. Fans were unaccustomed to such poor results and the missing of playoffs.

To make matters worse, there seemed to be a mass exodus of Francophone players from Montreal. After Patrick Roy's departure, was there a top player in Montreal who also happened to be from Quebec?

He may not have been a front line player, but I always had great respect for one Quebecois player who was always proud to pull on the famous red, white and blue sweater: Benoit Brunet.

Brunet's career closely mirrored that of Guy Carbonneau's, Brunet's one time linemate. Both were explosive scorers in junior and in the minor leagues but both were turned into defensive specialists in the NHL.

Brunet possessed a strong work ethic and came to play each and every night, thus making him a dressing room leader. He was probably one of the NHL's best kept secrets in the 1990s, even quite anonymous in Montreal. He was one of the top defensive forwards in the league, quiet and efficient in his role, all too often unappreciated, too.

Brunet retired in 2002 and later became an analyst on French broadcasts of Montreal games.

Brunet was strong on his skates with a nice burst of speed. He forechecked tenaciously. At 5'11" and 195lbs and not the strongest athlete on the ice he was overmatched at times. But through a strong understanding of positioning he was able to smother opponents and dart in and out of high traffic areas. He tried to play bigger than he was, but he would end up spending a lot of time in the infirmary nursing his wounds. Only once did he play over 70 games in a NHL season.

Offensively Brunet had some ability. He did not have the greatest set of hands by any stretch, but with his speed he often would cut to the net with a great deal of confidence. He would only score 101 goals in his career, never more than 14 in a single season, yet it seemed as though every time he did score it was an important goal.

Brunet was a great utility player. Ideally he was on the checking line playing his low risk, all hustle game plan. When injuries occurred or when indifferent team play warranted it, the coach was quick to upgrade Brunet to one of the top lines to infuse some life. He was able to play on top lines, at least for short periods of time, and provide hustle, defense and some offense.

Brunet, who ended his career with quick stops in Dallas and Ottawa, played 539 games in the NHL, scoring 101 goals and 262 points. He added 5 goals and 25 points in 54 career playoff games. 10 of those playoff points came in 1993 when he helped the Canadiens win the Stanley Cup.

Eric Desjardins

2008-07-31T22:15:00.000-07:00

I will never forget my introduction to Eric Desjardins.

It's September 1991. I was barely a 17 years old, and, in my own not-so-humble teenage estimation, a hockey expert.

I was anxiously awaiting news about Team Canada's roster for my favorite international tournament of all time, the Canada Cup. Boy was I ever excited about this Canada Cup. Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier and company were going to go back to war against the Soviets, just like 4 years prior in 1987.

Most of the training camp the media was fixating on Eric Lindros, the junior superstar who would be making his debut against the best of the NHL. I know I eagerly awaited the phenom's debut.

But when the final Team Canada roster was announced and the whole hockey world was talking about Lindros, I was scurrying to find out about another Eric - Eric Desjardins.

Who the heck was he? How could I not know anything about him? What kind of a hockey expert was I, anyways?

I quickly found out as much as I could, back in those pre-internet days. Which is to say not a whole lot. He was a young Quebecker out of Rouyn-Noranda. He had played just 153 games in the previous three seasons with Montreal, scoring but 12 goals.

I quickly figured Desjardin's inclusion was some sort of cronyism. After all, Montreal's Serge Savard was a manager with this team, and Jean Perron was an assistant coach.

But it turned out Desjardins was very much there based on merit, although I recall hearing that Canada's lack of right-handed shooters on the blue line played a role in his inclusion as well. He impressed me thoroughly in that tournament.

After that I was able to keep an eye on him pretty closely. He would star in Montreal, helping the Canadiens capture the 1993 Stanley Cup, thanks in large part to his hat trick performance against Los Angeles in game 2 of the finals.

He was quietly the anchor of Montreal's defense, and later Philadelphia's. He was never really equated with the elite defensemen of the game, yet he was not far off, either, providing a lot of steady minutes. His brilliance was not necessarily obvious, rather subtle and understated, much like himself.

Desjardins had good size at 6'1" and 205lbs, but he never played an overly physical game, perhaps making him less noticeable to the casual observer and easy to under-appreciate. Instead he relied on near perfect positioning and an active stick to check effectively. He was not thunderously noticeable, but he was efficient. He was clean and controlled, never panicked and rarely took a bad penalty.

He was as cool as a cucumber while under pressure in his own zone. He was excellent at head-manning the puck out of the zone and capable of handling (not necessarily rushing) the puck out himself.

On offense he was a power play quarter back, a rare right-handed one at that. Like Raymond Bourque he had a low, heavy slap shot that somehow always found it's way from the point on to the net, creating countless opportunities for rebounds and deflections.

By the mid 1990s the Canadiens needed offense and sacrificed their stud defenseman and a young John Leclair in exchange for veteran winger Mark Recchi. Recchi did well in Montreal, but somehow the team was never quite the same and headed into a tailspin.

Meanwhile in Philadelphia Leclair erupted into perhaps the game's best power forward, while Desjardins earned more recognition and became an all star defender, twice making the year end honorary team.

Desjardins played 11 seasons in Philadelphia. Perhaps he was relied on a bit too heavily by the Flyers. As he got older his body was starting to break down a bit and he was becoming noticeably tired in the post seasons. As good as he was, the Flyers failed to bring in a true number one defenseman to spell off their captain.

Doug Jarvis

2008-07-31T21:38:00.001-07:00

Montreal coach Scotty Bowman kept pestering management for a particular player in the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft.

He was not the biggest name available, not by a long shot. He was not even a projected first round pick. He was not even that well liked by Montreal's own scouts.

He was Doug Jarvis.

Jarvis would go on to become the NHL's ultimate iron man, a defensive center extraordinaire and a key member of 4 Stanley Cup championships. But scouts thought he was too small and had little offensive upside. He was a long shot to make the NHL.

Scotty Bowman knew better. He trusted his instincts, and his source. It was Peterborough Petes junior coach Roger Nielson who tipped Scotty off about Jarvis, claiming he was hockey's best faceoff man. Not the best in junior hockey, but the best in all of the world.

While Bowman kept pestering the Habs to draft Jarvis, Montreal GM Sam Pollock never did. He passed on him to select Robin Sadler, Pierre Mondou and Brian Engblom. Toronto would claim him in the second round with the 24th pick.

Bowman's pestering did pay off in the long run though. 23 days later Pollock and the Leafs agreed to a trade whereby prospect defenseman Greg Hubick would join the Leafs in exchange for Jarvis.

No one could have expected what would happen next. In September Jarvis wowed everyone in his first NHL training camp. He was going to be one of the last cuts of camp as the Canadiens had every intention of letting him develop in the minor leagues as per norm in Montreal those days. But a late training camp injury to star center Jacques Lemaire allowed Jarvis to start the season with the big team.

It turned out to be the first of 560 consecutive games Jarvis would play in a Habs jersey.

With his incredible faceoff ability and mature defensive game, Jarvis quickly found a home centering fellow defensive standout Bob Gainey and veteran Jim Roberts. They would be a top checking line and ace penalty killers. They were key contributors to Montreal's 4 consecutive Stanley Cup championships to close out the 1970s.

Jarvis was moved to Washington in 1982 as part of the big Rod Langway blockbuster trade. He would play through to 1987, finishing his career in Hartford.

Now a very successful assistant coach, Jarvis was perhaps better known as hockey's iron man more than even his defensive game and faceoff abilities. Jarvis set the NHL Iron Man standard by playing in 964 consecutive regular-season games from Oct. 8, 1975, to Oct. 10, 1987. He played in every game for 12 straight seasons, plus two games to start the 1987-88 season. The streak ended on Oct. 11, 1987, when Hartford coach Jack Evans chose to scratch Jarvis for a game in Boston.

Oddly, Jarvis would never play in the NHL again. He became a permanent scratch and just before Christmas he was demoted to the minor leagues. He finished his career playing 24 games with Binghamton of the AHL.

Rejean Houle

2008-07-31T19:18:00.000-07:00

Some people would accuse the very first first overall draft pick in the modern history of the NHL draft to be a bit of a draft bust, but that would not be a fair assessment of the career of Rejean Houle.

Prior to 1969, the NHL allowed for fair access to junior players. No longer could NHL teams sign players in their teenage years and develop them through their own junior programs. Instead a draft was created and once the player turned 20 (now 18) he was eligible to join the league, with the worst club getting first option to pick him up. The draft was phased in with 1969 being the first year of complete universal access. The modern NHL draft was created.

The very first player chosen was Rouyn, Quebec's Rejean Houle, who dreamed of one day playing with the Canadiens like his idol Boom Boom Geoffrion.

In junior Houle was a great scorer, tallying 53 goals and 108 points in 54 games. He played on a line with Gilbert Perreault and the dynamic duo led the Jr. Canadiens to the Memorial Cup title. Houle was hailed as the next great Quebecois scoring star.

But he would never get the chance to fulfill his destiny.

The Canadiens of course were a deeply talented team, which forced Houle to adopt a role of a checker in order to get ice time as a youngster. In the 1971 Stanley Cup finals he forever cast himself with a masterful defensive job on Chicago's great scorer Bobby Hull.

Houle never complained about his role as a checker. But he also knew he would never be anything more in Montreal. Seeking financial security for his family, Houle jumped to the WHA where the Quebec Nordiques offered him a sizable wage increase and a better chance to be a star player. He would score 118 goals in 214 games for the Nords.

Houle found increasing success in his three years in the WHA, including becoming a 50 goal scorer and 100 point man. Yet he missed his days in the NHL and in particular in Montreal. He would return to Montreal in 1976 and for the next 6-plus years happily resumed his role as a determined forechecker and ace penalty killer.

Mario Tremblay

2008-07-31T18:58:00.000-07:00

Mario Tremblay was a real solid contributor to perhaps the strongest team in all of hockey history. But he is better remembered as a controversial broadcaster and for his coaching role in Patrick Roy's departure from Montreal.

Tremblay was one of five first round draft picks of the Canadiens back in 1974, joining Cam Connor, Doug Risebrough, Rick Chartraw, and Gord McTavish in a mixed bag of hockey talent.

Tremblay and Risebrough found instant chemistry, and were on a line with Yvon Lambert for much of the 1970s. Together the line helped Montreal capture 5 Stanley Cups in that decade.

Tremblay and Risebrough were in many ways identical, providing Montreal with a relentless one-two punch whenver they were on the ice.

Tremblay was a physical player, unafraid of bigger foes and reckless in throwing his body around. The fiery and short tempered Tremblay was a great competitor who burned to win, although sometimes he took a few too many liberties with his stick.

Regardless, his attitude definitely was infectious on the Montreal bench. Whenever coach Scotty Bowman wanted to give his bench a jolt of energy, he was sure to call on #14 for a shift.

Tremblay was strong in the corners, but the best part of his game was his ability to make plays with the puck once he retrieved it. Hockey has a lot of hard working pluggers who are willing to fight for loose pucks in high traffic zones, but the best are separated by the ability to do something with the puck once they get it.

Tremblay was fast on his skates and able to throttle by most defenseman. He would dart in and out of traffic, often stealing the puck. He was definitely more of a shoot-first, pass-second type player. he boasted a howitzer of a shot and was also good at finding loose pucks and rebounds in scrums in front of the goalie.

The native of Alma, Quebec spent his entire playing career with the Canadiens. In 852 games he scored 258 goals and 584 points. He added another 20 goals and 49 points in 101 post season affairs.

After retiring as a player Tremblay was a natural broadcaster. Very outspoken and opinionated, the "French Don Cherry" was a regular on French radio and television broadcasts and an array of sports talk shows.

In 1995 Tremblay walked away from his comfortable life as a broadcaster and became, surprisingly, the head coach of the Canadiens despite having never coached at any level of hockey before that.

Tremblay's coaching days were short, as he was dismissed in 1997. Yet his record was respectable at 77-63-25, and he set a NHL record by winning his first 6 NHL games.

Yet Tremblay will always be remembered for his role in goaltender Patrick Roy's departure from Montreal.

On Dec. 2, 1995, during Montreal's 11-1 home loss to Detroit, Tremblay wouldn't allow Roy to come out of the game, and forced him to give up nine goals on 26 shots before finally removing him at 11:57 of the second period.

Roy was infuriated and later told the Montreal press that Tremblay had "humiliated" him and demanded to be the traded.

The tension between the two had been building. As a broadcaster Tremblay was one of Roy's few critics. And the two had been involved in several arguments at practice in the days before the Detroit game.

Martin Rucinsky

2008-07-30T19:05:00.000-07:00

I remember Martin Rucinsky's debut to North American audiences well. So, too, does Eric Lindros.

It was the 1991 Canada Cup. Rucinsky was this lanky 20 year old kid who the Edmonton Oilers just made a first round selection (20th overall) just weeks before. He was slated to come to North America immediately. I made sure to take note of him in the Czech game against Canada.

Most eyes of course were on another junior player, Eric Lindros. Lindros was easily the best junior player in the world, but this was his first chance to make an impression against the professionals, too.

He certainly left an impression on poor Rucinsky. With a clean hit Lindros sent the skilled winger to the hospital with a broken collarbone and a concussion!

Fortunately we would get to see a lot more of Rucinsky. He had limitations that prevented him from becoming an elite NHL player, but nonetheless he enjoyed a NHL career that nearly spanned 1000 games.

While he worked hard, we were always left wanting a bit more from Rucinsky. Perhaps it was the high draft standing, selected with a pick acquired in the Wayne Gretzky trade, that elevated our expectations. Or perhaps it was because of his impressive skill set that oozed potential. But somehow he was one of those guys who you kept expecting to breakthrough and become a top line player

Instead he became a very solid second line left winger, though inconsistency plague him.. He was blessed with blinding speed and had the hands to handle the puck and make plays while in top gear. He had a laser of a shot and unlike so many Europeans of his time he would shoot often.

Though he had decent size at 6'0" and 200lbs, he was a wiry player who never initiated contact and rarely paid the price of driving to the net through traffic. He was an exciting player on the rush, but in a tight playoff grudge match he could be rendered ineffective.

Rucinsky will best be remembered in the province of Quebec. The Nordiques acquired him from the Oilers after just 2 game played in Edmonton.

He enjoyed his best spell in 1995-96, when he career of 29 and 75 points in a combined 78 with the Avalanche and Canadiens. He struggled in Quebec/Colorado but erupted once he arrived in Montreal.

Acquired as part of the Patrick Roy trade, Rucinsky showed immediate promise by scoring 25 goals and 60 points in 56 games after the early season trade. But he would never materialize into the scoring hero Montreal needed so badly, settling in as a 20 goal, 50 point forward in his 6 years in Montreal.

Though he spent the longest stretch of his career in Montreal, I may always remember him best in New York. Although he only played a couple of seasons in Manhattan, it is with the Rangers that I will perhaps best remember Martin Rucinsky. He was a hit with several countrymen by his side - namely Jaromir Jagr, Martin Straka, Jan Hlavac and Petr Nedved. He was perhaps the least heralded of the group, but he chipped in nicely with totals of 32-78-110 in 136 games.

He also briefly played with Dallas, Vancouver before joining St. Louis to end his NHL career. In the summer of 2008 he ended his career in the NHL by returning home to conclude his playing career with Sparta Prague in the Extraliga.

It is a fitting place for the proud Czech to end his career. Born in Most, Rucinsky always participated with the Czech national team whenever he had the chance. He participated in three Olympics, including in 1998 when he helped the nation win gold. He also helped out in 5 World Championships and in the 1996 World Cup.

In 961 NHL games he scored 241 goals, 371 assists and 612 points. He added 9 goals and 14 points in 37 playoff games, never once coming close to winning the Stanley Cup.

Kirk Muller

2008-07-27T22:57:00.000-07:00

When Mario Lemieux was drafted 1st overall in 1984, it was pretty much unanimous that he was the obvious first choice. He was to be the next great franchise player. The only player who anyone thought had a chance at knocking off big Mario for that top pick was Kirk Muller, who went 2nd to New Jersey.

"To me, Kirk Muller is the best player in the draft. The Devils really did it right," said a young Detroit Red Wings scout Neil Smith, years before he became a NHL general manager.

Many scouts might have agreed that Muller was in many ways better than Lemieux in some respects at that stage of their careers. NHL drafts are crap shoots at the best of times. While most accurately called Lemieux a can't miss prospect, history is full of stories of scoring superstars either being boom or bust. Obviously he was boom - a very loud boom!

Muller on the other hand was considered a safe pick. He had some good offensive tools, but nowhere near the upside of Mario. He was a tireless worker, and physical forward, a versatile leader who would and did do anything to win. It was thought that he may not score 50 goals or 100 points, but he'd give his all, give his heart and soul.

Though he was no Mario, Muller certainly did not disappoint. Desire and determination became his NHL trademarks, and made him an outstanding leader. He would hustle right until the final buzzer no matter what the score was. He was at times perhaps too intense and put undue pressure on himself to do better when his team was going through a slump.

Muller excelled at the physical game, especially along the boards and in traffic. He'd bang and crash - hell he'd bust down a door without bothering to check if it was even locked. He was absolute tiger in the corners, and the best part was he had the hand skills to do something with the pucks he retrieved.

Though not a natural talent in terms of finesse abilities, Kirk got good mileage from his somewhat limited arsenal. He had a quick shot and good hand/eye coordination - which made him good on faceoffs - but was not a great on-the-rush player. He excelled in a heavy forechecking/heavy puck cycling attack and at crashing the front of the net.

Kirk finished his amateur career by representing Canada in the 1984 Olympics. A junior star with the OHL's Guelph Platers, Muller joined the National team late in the year and had a strong Olympic tournament, scoring twice in 7 games.

Starting with his rookie season in 1984-85, Kirk gave his heart and soul to the Devils (pardon the pun) for 7 strong seasons. Within time his on-ice leadership helped turn around one of the league's weakest franchises.

Kirk scored 17 goals and 37 assists as a rookie and was the Devil's All-Star Game representative, something he'd do 6 times before his career was over. In 1985-86, Muller tallied 25 goals and 41 assists during the season.

Kirk became "Captain Kirk" after being named team captain in 1987-88 and he responded by setting a team record and career-best with 94 points. More importantly, for the first time since the franchise was transferred to Jersey, he led the Devil's into the playoffs. Also backed by Sean Burke's strong goaltending and John MacLean's dramatic game winning goal in game 80 of the regular season, the Devils squeaked into the playoffs. Once in the "big dance," the Devils went on a Cinderella run before running into Boston in the Final Four. Muller scored 4 goals and 12 points in 20 post season contests.

The Devils missed the playoffs in 1989 unfortunately, but Kirk had another strong year, scoring 31 goals and 74 points. He then led the Devils with 56 assists and 86 points in 1989-90.

Kirk showed some signs of slowing down just a bit in 1990-91. He dipped to 19 goals but still added his annual 51 assists for 70 respectable points. He had a poor offensive playoff however, scoring just 2 assists in 7 games. By this time the Devils were becoming a very respectable team, but lacked a true offensive game breaker. In order to get one, they traded their team captain, who they were having trouble re-signing, along with backup goalie Rollie "The Goalie" Melanson to Montreal in exchange for streaky scorer Stephane Richer and checker Tom Chorske.

The trade was good for both teams, but especially Montreal. In 1991-92, Kirk led the Canadiens with 36 goals, 77 points, 15 power play goals, and seven game-winning goals, earning him his fifth NHL All-Star Game selection.

In 1992-93 He tied his career-bests with 37 goals, assists with 57 and points with 94. He also was part of a splendid Habs Cup run in 1993. It was the Habs 24th Stanley Cup championship of the century, and Kirk's first and only.

By 1994-95, Kirk was named captain of the Canadiens. However after just 33 games and 19 points, he was traded with Mathieu Schneider and Craig Darby to the Islanders in exchange for Pierre Turgeon and Vladimir Malakhov, on April 5, 1995.

Kirk made it very clear that he didn't want to play for the New York Islanders. After 15 games in 1995-96, walked out on the team to force a trade. On Jan. 23, 1996, Kirk was involved in a three-team trade that resulted in him becoming a Toronto Maple Leaf, and reuniting him with former Habs coach Pat Burns.

Perhaps showing his age a bit, Muller wasn't able to produce like the Leafs had hoped. He scored 20 goals in 1996-97, but was slowing as his the miles added up on his weary legs.. On March 18, 1997, the Leafs traded him to the Florida Panthers for youngster Jason Podollan.

Kirk became a leader in the Florida dressing room, but unlike his previous stops, it was not so much on the ice where he contributed. He played a minor role as his offensive contributions completely dried up. Although he still battled in the corners like a hungry animal, he wasn't as effective. His battle weary body didn't measure up with the new age of bigger, stronger defensemen.

By the summer of 1999, Muller was released by the Panthers. He found a home in Dallas for the next 4 years, extending his career to a total of 19 seasons.

In that time Muller played in 1349 games, scoring 357 goals and 959 points. He was a greatly respected hockey warrior in every city he played in, and will be best remembered for his years in New Jersey and Montreal.

Ted Harris

2008-07-27T21:59:00.000-07:00

Ted Harris spent 8 seasons in the minor leagues before finally becoming an NHLer in 1964. Much of his time was spent with the AHL's Springfield Indians. The Indians were owned and managed by the legendary Eddie Shore. It was Shore who made Harris into an NHL backliner.

Harris was an imposing defenseman at 6'2" and 183lbs, and he liked to use his size. He accumulated over 100 PIMs in 5 of his 8 minor league seasons. His feistiness resembled Shore's, but Eddie showed Harris how to become a stalwart defensive blue liner through perfect positioning.

"He (Shore) taught me how to play the man and the puck. I figure he made me more versatile," said Harris of his mentor.

In June of 1963 Harris was acquired from the Indians by the NHL's Montreal Canadiens. Harris would spend the year in the AHL once again with the exception of a 4 game stint with the Habs. Harris would excel and would be named an AHL First Team All Star and winner of the Eddie Shore Trophy as the AHL's best defenseman.

Harris would make the NHL to stay in 1964-65. He scored 1 goal and 14 assists in his first season while accumulating 107 PIMs. For Harris it was the first year of a 6 year stay in Montreal where through his physical play and defensive commitment he was part of 4 Stanley Cup Championships. Harris' excellent play was not overlooked either. He was named an NHL Second Team All Star in 1969.

Though he was generally a role player who was happy to be in the shadows of more talented teammates, once in a while Harris took the center stage spotlight, almost always in terms of a fight. He quickly established a reputation as one of the top rumblers in the league, thanks to a heavyweight battle against Orland Kurtenbach of the Rangers early in the 1966-67 season.

Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1936, Harris was claimed by Minnesota from Montreal in the 1970 Intra-League Draft. He played 3 full seasons with Minny where he was a stabilizing influence in the early years of the North Stars existence.

Early in the 1973-74 season the North Stars got off to a bad start. Harris was moved to Detroit in exchange for defenseman Gary Bergman. Harris would play 41 games for the Wings but wouldn't finish the season in Detroit. He was moved to St. Louis late in the season.

The defending Stanley Cup champion Philadelphia Flyers became interested in the services of the veteran Harris in 1974. They bought his contract from the Blues in the off season. Harris' experience and savvy would prove to be a big part of the Flyers repeat as Stanley Cup champs. For Harris it was his fifth Cup victory.

Harris would retire after his Philly Cup victory. After hopping around with 4 teams in a year and at the age of nearly 40 years old, Harris decided it was time to settle down and hang up the skates in the summer of 1975. Harris 11 seasons in the NHL in addition to his 8 in the minors. In total Harris played in 788 NHL games.

He scored 30 goals and 198 points in those game, while accumulating exactly 1000 penalty minutes. He also participated in 100 NHL playoff contests, scoring 1 goal and 22 assists to go along with 230 hard fought penalty minutes.

Terry Harper

2008-07-27T21:58:00.001-07:00

Terry Harper enjoyed a lengthy NHL career as an aggressive, stay-at-home defenseman. A willing though not always successful fighter, Harper played for 19 seasons with Montreal, Detroit, Colorado, and St. Louis before retiring in 1981.

Those who knew Terry from a young age were not surprised by his toughness. As a youngster he suffered serious third degree burns to his arms, chest, stomach and legs in a fire. The damage required 7 years of skin grafting. Terry used hockey as a motivating force to get through the pain. His doctors agreed to let him play hockey, thinking that the skating would help rebuild his leg muscles.

By 1957 Harper had joined the Regina Pats, a Montreal junior team, narrowly missing out on the Memorial Cup. Harper would turn pro in 1960.

Harper's got his first taste of NHL action in 1962-63. In his 3rd season of minor league hockey, Harper got the call when stalwart d-man Tom Johnson became injured. Harper filled in admirably in his 14 game appearance, supplying the same physical presence and defensive positioning that Johnson normally provided. Harper ended up finishing the year in Montreal. He participated in 5 playoff games and even scored a goal.

In 1963-64 Harper made the Habs on a full time basis, joining J.C. Tremblay, Jacques Laperriere and later Ted Harris on a revamped Habs' blue line.

The 6'1" 200lb defenseman quickly made a name for himself as a tough customer. Though he never was consider a true NHL heavyweight, there wasn't a thing he wouldn't do to help his team win. The defensive changing of the guard worked, even if it was more of a lunch-bucket crew than many great D-men groups in Montreal history. Montreal would quietly win 4 Stanley Cups by the end of the decade.

One of the interesting facts of Harper's career occured early in the season in 1963. Until that point, Maple Leaf Gardens had both teams share the penalty box. However Harper and Toronto forward Bob Pulford, who were sent to the box for an on-ice altercation, continued to mix it up in the sin-bin. The event led to the creation of two seperate penalty boxes at MLG within a week of the incident.

Harper, who wore #19, spent 10 seasons in Montreal. In that time he played in 4 NHL All Star games and won 5 Stanley Cups.

However in 1972 the Habs moved Harper to Los Angeles in exchange for a barrage of draft picks. Harper played 3 seasons on the west coast. In his final season with the Kings he was +38.

Despite his best statistical season to that point, Harper was moved to Detroit as part of the big trade that saw superstar Marcel Dionne land in Los Angeles. Harper would play 4 seasons for the Wings. His first season in the Motor City (1975-76) he set career highs with 8 goals and 33 points. However by the end of his 4 year tour with the Wings, Harper had clearly lost a step. He was 39 years old at the time and played 22 games of the season with the Wings farm team.

Harper appeared in two more seasons in the NHL (11 games in 1979-80 with St. Louis and 18 games in 1980-81 with Colorado) before retiring at the age of 41.

In his career, Harper played in 1066 games. He scored 35 goals and 221 assists in that time span for 256 points. He also added 1362 penalty minutes. The 5-time Cup champion battled in 112 playoff contests, scoring 4 goals and 17 points to go with his 140 PIMs.

Jacques Laperriere

2008-07-27T21:51:00.000-07:00

Jacques Laperriere grew up idolizing Doug Harvey. He ended up filling the legends' shoes, not to mention the same sweater #2.

Laperriere started with Montreal in 1962, the year after Harvey was sent packing to New York. Laperriere won the Calder Trophy as the league's best rookie, and also was named to the 2nd All Star Team. In his sophomore campaign, Laperriere was named to the 1st All Star Team and won the Norris Trophy as best blue liner, despite missing some regular season games and the entire playoffs due to injury.

It was obvious right from the start of his career with Les Habitants that he would be a key part of some great Habs teams. He was the classic pre-Bobby Orr offensive defenseman, anchoring the offense like a football quarterback, preferring to make incredible passes than rushing it himself.

Laperriere was not a noted physical combatant, though he did use his body effectively to defend against opposing forwards. He also had a reputation as a top shot blocker. He had a long fuse, but he would drop the gloves once in a while too. Once he picked up 30 minutes in penalty for one altercation with Chicago's Stan Mikita.

No doubt Laperriere was tough. He had some terrible injuries he had to overcome during his playing days, for some reason usually in the playoffs. He suffered a broken leg in the 1965 semi finals, the year he won his only Norris trophy as the league's best defensemen. He played with a broken wrist while winning the 1971 Stanley Cup. In 1973, another Cup-winning year, he played 10 post season games with an odd helmet-face mask contraption to protect a broken nose.

Laperriere would be part of six Stanley Cup championships during his playing days, most of which featured him as the backbone of a very underrated Habs defense group. By Montreal standards the Laperriere era, which also featured the likes of J. C. Tremblay, Terry Harper and Ted Harris, was very much unheralded by history. Though he was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987, he remains one of the more anonymous of the Montreal greats.

Upon retirement he turned to coaching, preferring the assistant role more so than that of head bench boss. He was a long time assistant coach in Montreal, helping to bring along such star defensemen as Eric Desjardins, Mathieu Schneider, Chris Chelios, Larry Robinson and Petr Svoboda.

Jacques Lemaire

2008-07-27T21:46:00.000-07:00

Jacques Lemaire played 12 incredible seasons with the Montreal Canadiens. In that time Lemaire was definitely one of the most underrated superstars in NHL history. A tremendously gifted two way center, Lemaire was never named as a NHL all star due to a glut of superstar centers during the 1970s - players such as Bobby Clarke, Phil Esposito, Gilbert Perreault and Bryan Trottier. He never won a major NHL award and he never was invited to play for Team Canada. While he never quite achieved superstar status he did help the Habs win 8 Stanley Cup championships in his 12 years!

In typical Montreal Canadiens style during that era, Lemaire was eased into the NHL. Despite a spectacular junior career with the Jr. Canadiens, Lemaire was sent to the minors for some seasoning. He would score 19 goals and 49 points but more importantly he polished off his defensive game.

Lemaire joined the Habs in the 1967-68 season. Centering a line with Bobby Rousseau and Dick Duff, Lemaire was edged out for the Calder Trophy as best rookie by Boston's Derek Sanderson. Lemaire scored 22 goals and 20 assists.

Lemaire, who would spend part of his career centering the great Guy Lafleur and Steve Shutt, was consistent offensively. He never scored less than 20 goals in any season of his career. He scored a career high 44 goals in the 1972-73 season. His best offensive season however came in 1977-78 when he scored a career high 61 assists and 97 points. In 853 games Lemaire scored 835 points (366 goals - 469 assists). He had a lazer of a shot, thanks to his practicing with a heavy steel puck.

Lemaire was an extremely clean player. He only racked up 217 PIMs in over 800 games. A tremendous skater with great anticipation skills, of all the greats who played with the Montreal dynasty of the 1970s perhaps Lemaire understood the game of hockey better than anyone.

Lemaire was also a clutch performer come playoff time. In 145 post-season games, Lemaire scored 61 goals and 78 assists for 139 points. Two of his goals were Stanley Cup clinchers (1977 and 1979).

After the 1979 Cup win, Lemaire retired from the NHL. He went over to Switzerland for a couple of years where he became a coach. He would return to the Montreal organization part way through the 1984 season as head coach, but stepped down at the end of the season.

Lemaire left the Habs to become head coach of the New Jersey Devils in 1993. Lemaire quickly built the lowly Devils into a Cup contender. In 1994 he was named Coach of the Year. The following year he guided the Devils to the Stanley Cup. For Lemaire, it was his ninth Stanley Cup championship, his first as a coach.

By this time Lemaire was heralded as a top defensive coach in all of hockey, perfecting the stifling neutral zone trap that defined New Jersey and later the Minnesota Wild where he coached for many years, too.

Gilles Tremblay

2008-07-27T21:39:00.000-07:00

For nine seasons Gilles Tremblay was quietly one of the top players on the Montreal Canadiens. From 1960 to 1969 the small left winger put up decent offensive totals but was best known for concentrating on defensive duties.

After apprenticing with the EPHL's Hull-Ottawa Canadiens, GIlles got his big break during the 1960-61 season when he was called up after 14 games in the minors. Gilles played really well, particularly defensively. He scored 7 goals in 45 games, including his first on November 13, 1960 in New York where he slipped a shot past Gump Worsley. The assists on his first NHL goal were from Bernie Geoffrion and Jean Beliveau - imagine being able to tell your grandchildren that!

The Canadiens told Tremblay that they were pleased with his play in his rookie season but if he wanted to stay in the NHL he would have to develop more of an offensive flare. Gilles went home that summer and prepared for the following season. His preparations obviously paid off as he came back and scored a career high 32 goals and 54 points, all while continuing his strong defensive play. The 32 goals was the 5th highest in the whole league! There was no doubt - Gilles Tremblay planned on sticking around the NHL for years to come.

Tremblay never quite equaled that output again, but he remained a steady though quiet 25 goal man for most of his career. He followed it up with 25 and 22 markers in the next two seasons. A broken leg cut short his 1964-65 season but he rebounded strongly in 1965-66 when he scored 27 goals. 1965-66 was particularly special for Gilles as he added 9 points in 10 playoff games to lead the Habs to the Stanley Cup championship.

Tremblay played until the 1968-69 season when injuries forced him to retire. In all he scored 168 goals and 330 points in 509 NHL games. He added 9 goals and 23 points in 48 playoff contests, earning three Stanley Cup rings.

Tremblay was involved in an ugly incident with the Blackhawks Reggie Fleming on October 24, 1962. The two were quite upset at each other and began to swing sticks at each other. The combatants took approximately 8 baseball style swings at each other though neither player was injured. Both were suspended by league president Clarence Campbell for 3 games and they were fined $850 each.

Forced to retire due to injuries and asthma, Tremblay went onto become a legendary broadcaster on CBC French broadcasts of Le Soiree du Hockey. He was recognized for his excellent work in 2002 when he was honored with the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award and his inclusion in the broadcaster's section of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

John Leclair

2008-07-25T23:08:00.000-07:00

It is not often a hockey superstar comes from the mountains of Vermont, but that is exactly where the Montreal Canadiens found John LeClair. The future NHL power forward was born in St. Albans, attended prestigious Bellows Free Academy high school and studied at the University of Vermont.

LeClair would turn professional following graduation in 1991, and played three seasons with Montreal. He was nicknamed Mountain Man, partly because of his Vermont upbringing and partly because he was a mountain of a man. At 6'3" and 225lbs, his job was to park himself in front of the opposition's net and score goals.

LeClair showed glimpses of promise in Montreal, particularly during the team's 1993 Stanley Cup championship run. LeClair was a physical force through the playoffs, and then became a goal scoring hero in the finals. In games 3 and 4 LeClair scored back to back overtime game winning goals to help Montreal knock off Wayne Gretzky's Los Angles Kings.

Despite the promise shown, after three seasons Montreal grew impatient with their young phenom. The team needed an immediate scoring infusion and traded young LeClair and defenseman Eric Desjardins to Philadelphia in exchange for Mark Recchi.

Not unlike Cam Neely when he left Vancouver for Boston, John LeClair almost immediately transformed into one of the NHL's top players. Playing alongside Eric Lindros, LeClair finished the lock-out shortened season with 25 goals in 37 games. He followed that up with three consecutive 50+ goal seasons. He also had 43 and 40 goal seasons to round out the decade.

To add salt to the wound, is favorite goal scoring target seemed to be Montreal. It was a constant reminder of Montreal's impatience, as LeClair quite arguably became the best power forward in the game. He wasn't just a product of Eric Lindros either. LeClair was dominant in international play with Team USA, always proving to be a thorn in the side of the Lindros-led Team Canada. The best example of this had to be the 1996 World Cup of Hockey which went to the Americans. Also, while Lindros spent a lot of time on the injured reserve list, LeClair, who only missed 4 games in the 6 prime years of his career, continued to score goals.

Not surprisingly, LeClair became a favorite of Philly fans. Those faithful must have thought LeClair was a reincarnation of Tim Kerr, the 1980s sniper built in the same mould. Both players would park themselves in front of the net, tip incoming shots and fight for rebounds and loose pucks with great effectiveness.

Though that is how LeClair scored most of his goals, he had more tricks up his sleeve than Kerr. LeClair was a better skater, with enough speed and power to drive to the net with the puck. LeClair had enough speed to get him into battles on the wall and his status as perhaps the strongest man in the league would more often than not let him leave the corner with the puck. He was a punishing hitter and great digger. His one short coming was that he never had a lot of vision or creativity to set up plays once he gained control of the puck. His best play was to put the puck back to the point and then drive his body back to the front of the net.

Though he showed great durability during the 1990s, injuries were bound to catch up with such a physical player. A debilitating back injury cost him most of the 2000-01 season and a shoulder injury cost him the 2002-03 season. Neither injury, particularly the back injury, fully healed. LeClair changed his game some in order to absorb less punishment on his back, and became a 20 goal scorer for the rest of his career.

The NHL's new salary cap forced the Flyers to move John LeClair in 2005. He joined the Pittsburgh Penguins where his experience and leadership were a nice addition to a young team featuring a young Sidney Crosby.

John LeClair ended his career with 406 goals, 413 assists and 819 points in 967 games. For 6 seasons he was one of the top players in the league. It will be interesting to see if that is enough to get him into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Ken Mosdell

2008-07-02T15:36:00.000-07:00

One of the NHL's top defensive specialists in the 1940s and 1950s was Montreal born Ken Mosdell.

Kenny Mosdell, a four time Stanley Cup champion with the Canadiens, saw big ice time as the Habs #1 shutdown guy. Mosdell would get the call every time the opposing team sent its No. 1 line into action. If it was Boston, he'd be out there against Milt Schmidt; if it was Detroit, he'd be checking Sid Abel of the Production Line, which had Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay as the wingers; if it was Toronto, No. 18 Mosdell would be all over the Leafs' Syl Apps.

And he'd be on every penalty kill, which back in those days did not end when the opposition scored a goal. On a two-minute penalty, the specialty team units were out there for the duration and the opposition could score as many times as possible before the penalty ended.

Though he was a scorer in the junior ranks, Mosdell's tireless skating, along with his poke- checking and stick-handling abilities, convinced coach Dick Irvin he was more valuable as a puck-control defender.

He joined the junior Montreal Royals as a 17-year-old in 1939 and was the team's leading scorer for the next two seasons. In the 1941 Memorial Cup playoffs, he scored 10 goals in 10 games as the Royals became the first Montreal team to reach the final before losing to a Winnipeg team that had Glen Harmon, another future Canadiens star, on its roster.

Mosdell caught the eye of Hall of Famer Eddie Shore and was drafted by the Brooklyn Americans, the only season the former New York Americans operated under that banner.

His time in New York city was brief thanks to World War II. For the next two seasons, Mosdell played with Royal Canadian Air Force teams in the Quebec Senior Hockey League before playing half a season with Canadiens in 1945.

For the next 10 years, Mosdell was a standout with the Canadiens, playing on Cup winners in 1953 and '56. He did more than play solid defence. In an era when 20 goals was a solid contribution, he had back-to-back 22-goal seasons in 1953-54 and 1954-55. He really benefit from Elmer Lach's chronic injuries. When Lach was hurt, Mosdell assumed the top center spot playing with Rocket Richard and Bert Olmstead. When Lach was back on the ice, Mosdell returned to his defensive concentrations, never once complaining.

Mosdell, an English speaking Quebecois, became great friends with Rocket Richard, the iconic symbol of French Quebec. They're families became close, which was no small feat as the Richards did not tend to socialize much. The Mosdells taught the Rocket to speak English.

After 12 years with the Canadiens, Mosdell - along with Eddie Mazur and Bud MacPherson - was sold to Chicago for $55,000 on May 17, 1956. After 25 games, Mosdell quit and came back to Montreal to be with his wife Lorraine and their three children.

The Canadiens had a right to recall after the trade. Mosdell played with the senior Royals in 1958-59 and was called up for the Stanley Cup final that season, when he would win his fourth Cup.

Floyd "Busher" Curry

2008-07-02T12:44:00.000-07:00

Floyd Curry was known to most as "Busher," a hard working teammate and the best friend you could ever hope for. But Queen Elizabeth associated Floyd Curry as the best hockey player in the world.

Floyd Curry was a good role player who had the good fortune to play with the Montreal Canadiens during their golden age -- he earned four Stanley Cup rings with Les Glorieux from 1947 to 1958 -- but the numbers -- 105 goals, 99 assists in 601 games -- don't exactly announce stardom.

"He was an honest, hard-working hockey player who'd wear a rut in the ice going up and down his wing," said Ken Reardon, Hall of Fame defenseman. "If you had 15 of him, you'd fall asleep watching them play but you need guys like that on your team."

Curry was a Hab for life, loyally serving with the Habs in many capacities after his retirement. He is perhaps most famous for scouting and clamoring for John Ferguson to the team in the early 1960s.

For most of his hockey life he was a modest player happy to stay in the shadows of hockey's spotlight.

Most nights, except one.

On Oct. 29, 1951 -- with then Princess Elizabeth and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh in attendance -- Curry scored three goals in a 6-1 Habs' victory over the New York Rangers. The Princess, who'd be crowned queen the following year, was in the midst of her first royal tour and left The Forum under the impression Busher Curry was the best hockey player in the world.

It was Curry's greatest moment.

"Floyd loved to talk about that night and it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy," says Reardon. "I remember he hadn't scored in a long time, then he scored three in front of The Queen. He liked that."

51 years later Queen Elizabeth returned to Canada and took in another hockey game, this time in Vancouver as the Canucks hosted the San Jose Sharks. Floyd Curry was back home in Montreal, completely unaware of the event.

Sadly, Curry was stricken with Alzheimer's disease for many of his final 81 years in life. The disease stripped away any resemblance and life of Curry. His body was still strong but his had mind failed him miserably.

He required constant care and supervision, the same care and supervision Floyd Curry spent many years giving friend and fellow Hab Toe Blake. Ironically, he too was a victim to Alzheimer's.

Curry died back in 2006. No doubt he has taken his place in hockey heaven, telling everyone about the day he impressed the princess.

Buddy O'Connor

2008-07-02T11:37:00.000-07:00

When Buddy O'Connor debuted with the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL 1941, he had a successful seven year career with the Montreal Royals of the Quebec Senior League behind him. He had racked up an impressive 210 points (78 goals and 132 assists) in 168 regular season games with the Royals and an even more impressive 98 points (42 goals and 56 assists) in only 71 playoff games.

Buddy was a soft-spoken Irishman who was one of the lightest players in NHL history, only weighing 142Ibs. He was a very skilled puck handler with great passing skills. He rarely picked up a penalty and only received 34 PIMs in 509 games.

Buddy was Canadiens property initially but was traded to the Montreal Maroons in 1936. The Maroons, badly in need of cash thanks to the relentless grip of the Great Depression, traded him back to the Canadiens in 1938.

With the Royals O'Conner centered childhood friend Pete Morin and Gerr Heffernan on the famous senior league line dubbed "The Razzle Dazzle Line" for their exciting player. The entire line was brought in to play with the Canadiens in 1941-42, as the regular roster was depleted with NHL players serving in World War II.

O'Connor was the one player on the Razzle Dazzle Line to star in the NHL. In that rookie season he scored 9 goals and 16 assists. He enjoyed a very fine career with Montreal and as a sophomore the fine playmaker managed to score 58 points, including 43 assists, in only 50 games which was good enough to make the top ten in league scoring.

He continued to play some very solid hockey with Montreal, including during the 1946 Stanley Cup championship, but was eventually sold to the NY Rangers on August 19, 1947 together with Frank Eddolls for Hal Laycoe, Joe Bell and George Robertson.

The trade to the Big Apple was great both to Buddy and his new team. In his first season with New York, 1947-48, Buddy scored a career high 60 points in 60 games and finished as the runner-up in league scoring, only one point behind his old teammate Elmer Lach. Even more impressive was the fact that Buddy won the Hart trophy as the league MVP as well as the Lady Byng trophy for the most gentlemanly play, the first player ever to do accomplish the unique double-double.

He never repeated his great first season with the Rangers but was an integral part of the Blue Shirts until 1951. Buddy finished his career by playing for the Cincinnati Mohawks in the AHL in 1951-52 where he was named to the 2nd All-Star team. He played one game for Cincinnati in 1952-53 before retiring. After his playing career was over he moved back to his hometown Montreal.

Buddy passed away in 1977, 61 years old. Eleven years later he was posthumously included in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Pit Lepine

2008-07-02T11:24:00.000-07:00

Pit Lepine was a tall and rangy player who broke in with the Montreal Canadiens 1925 and played his whole 13 year career with the Habitants. He was a good-looking man whose premature gray hair gave him a distinguished appearance and he was an idol of many fans.

Lepine was a very competent center who, in addition to his playmaking ability, was very adept with a sweeping poke-check. However, he was destined to play for many years under the shadow of the great Howie Morenz who centered the first line.

Canadiens manager Frank Selke Sr. was a big fan of Lepine's.

"Lepine brought to the game a polish seldom seen before. On any other team Pit would have been a blazing meteor, but he was doomed to play all his hockey in the shadow of the truculent Morenz, who at the time, was the fiercest competitor in all of hockey."

At the outset the native of St. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, was the center for Gizzy Hart and Wildor Larochelle but missed half the 1927-28 schedule with a broken collarbone. He returned to action fully recovered the following year with Armand Mondou and Georges Mantha as line mates.

He was very prominent when the Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup the next two years, playing with Mantha and Larochelle but frequently relieving Morenz on the first line. He had the distinction of scoring 5 goals in a game against Ottawa in 1929-30.

When Morenz was traded to Chicago, Pit became the center for Aurel Joliat and Larochelle and led the team in scoring points in 1934-35. He missed many games in 1935-36 when he broke his thumb, and with the return of Morenz in 1936-37 was dropped to second line with Mantha and Toe Blake.

In January of 1937 he suffered a ruptured leg artery and missed many games. He slowed considerably in 1937-38 and left the NHL, playing for New Haven of the AHL the next season and then retiring as a player.

Babe Siebert had been named the coach of the Canadiens for 1939-40, but then a double tragedy struck when Siebert drowned trying unsuccessfully to save his daughter who had fallen off an inner tube into Lake Huron. As a result, Lepine was named coach. He got the Canadiens off to a good start in 1939-40, but the Habs were playing on borrowed time. Their success was short term, as the forwards stopped scoring and the defense crumbled, ending up the worst in the NHL. The Canadiens finished last and Lepine was out of a job.

Pit Lepine died in 1955. He had been suffering from the after-effects of several serious strokes in the previous few years.

Bad Joe Hall

2008-07-02T11:10:00.000-07:00

Though he was just 5'10" and 175lbs, rough and tumble defenceman Joe Hall was one of the most feared players of his time. "Bad" Joe Hall was known for his hard hitting, violent outbursts and sometimes less than clean play.

Hall was born in Staffordshire, England in 1882, but came to Canada as a two year old. He learned to play hockey in Manitoba, playing for teams in Winnipeg and especially Brandon, before cutting his teeth with Portage Lake in the infamously rough International Hockey League in 1905-06. Bad Joe was the baddest of them all, leading the league with 98 penalty minutes. He was also good, very good. He was an all star who scored 33 goals in 20 games.

Portage Lake's challenge request for the Stanley Cup was denied because the team was openly professional. This was a big disappointment for Hall, who opted to return to the "amateur" ranks where he would make similar money, if only under the table.

He did exactly that, vagabonding around various Canadian Amateur Hockey Associations, most notably with the AAA's and Shamrocks, both in Montreal, and the Kenora Thistles, winning the Stanley Cup in 1907.

News of his rocking of opponents soon spread to the National Hockey Association, forerunner to the NHL. Hall joined the Quebec Bulldogs, bringing his mayhem-causing play with him, not to mention Stanley Cup championships in 1912 and 1913. He soon developed feuds with many players, none more famous (or is that infamous?) than that of the feud with Montreal Canadiens superstar Newsy Lalonde.

Oddly enough, Hall was acquired by the Canadiens in 1917, joining his arch rival Lalonde. Any worries of their personal rivalry boiling over were soon dismissed as the two of them became roommates and the best of friends.

However their new found friendship was short as the following season would be Hall's last. During the 1919 Stanley Cup final when he and several of his teammates fell ill to the Spanish Influenza, dieing days later at the age of 36. The Stanley Cup series was abandoned, the only such time that happened in NHL history.

Bad Joe Hall, one of the first English-only speaking players in Montreal Canadiens history, joined Newsy Lalonde in the Hall of Fame in 1961.

Skinner Poulin

2008-07-02T10:24:00.001-07:00

George "Skinner" Poulin scored the game winning goal in the Montreal Canadiens first ever game.

On January 5th, 1910, the Montreal Canadiens hosted the Cobalt (Ontario) Silver Kings in front of 3000 fans at Jubilee Rink in Montreal. The game, a 7-6 win for the Habs, was described "one of the most competitive and exciting hockey games ever played in Montreal."

The seven-man lineup consisted of Newsy Lalonde, Jack Laviolette, Didier Pitre, Ed Decarie, Art Bernier, goaltender Joe Cattarinich, and the star of this night, George "Skinner" Poulin. Poulin had two goals, including the game-winner for Montreal, who, as you can see in Poulin's attached picture, wore very different sweaters than they became famous for.

George Poulin was born in Smith Falls, Ontario. He first became prominent in the hockey world with Rat Portage in 1908. He jumped to Galt before joining the Habs for two years. He moved west to play in Victoria for four seasons before returning to the Canadiens in time for 1916 Stanley Cup championship.

Poulin wound down his hockey career playing for Saskatoon of the Western Canadian Hockey League.

Jack Laviolette

2008-07-01T12:56:00.000-07:00

Meet Jean-Baptiste "Jack" Laviolette, the mastermind behind the forming of the Montreal Canadiens.

Laviolette was born on July 27, 1879 in Belleville, Ontario and became one of the first francophone stars in all of hockey. He was also a star in lacrosse, in which his contributions landed him in the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.

In hockey he was best remembered as a scoring defenseman though he would later star up front on a line with Didier Pitre and Newsy Lalonde. A member of the 1916 Stanley Cup champions in Montreal, he was a great skater, dubbed The Speed Merchant. But his career came to an abrupt end after losing his foot in an automobile accident in 1919.

Despite losing his foot, he continued to contribute on the ice, serving as a referee.

For all his contributions on the ice, Jack Laviolette's lasting legacy in hockey history has less to do with his scoring prowess and more to do with his role as the true founding organizer of the Canadiens hockey club. He was their first player, coach and general manager in their inaugural 1910 season.

With the formation of the National Hockey Association (NHA) in December 1909, team/league owner Ambrose O'Brien asked Mr. Laviolette to put together a team made up of French Canadian players to play as the "Les Canadiens" franchise in Montreal. Laviolette completed the task in time for the NHA's inaugural season. Among those that would sign on to that first team would be future Hall of Famers Newsy Lalonde, Didier Pitre and the "Chicoutimi Cucumber," Georges Vezina. The team he built would go on to be the most successful franchise in professional hockey.

Jack Laviolette was enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1962.

Didier Pitre

2008-07-01T12:47:00.000-07:00

French Canadiens have a long storied history of producing great hockey talent. The long list begins with Didier Pitre.

Pitre, who Hall of Famer Cy Denneny calls "one of the fastest skaters of all time," was nicknamed "Cannonball" because of his dynamic wrist shot. His perfected shot and superior skating made Pitre a hot commodity in hockey's early days when pioneers routinely joined teams for even just one game. That was just how it was done in early frontier hockey.

Pitre joined the Montreal Canadiens as the team made its debut in the NHL. In fact, he was the very first pro player signed by Jack Laviolette in 1909. After a long legal dispute with Pitre's former team, the Ottawa Nationals, Pitre joined the Montreal Canadiens. His case went to court where, in a precedent setting decision, the judge ruled that under Quebec law no man could be forced to act against his will. Pitre, the man reported to skate as fast backwards as he could forwards, was coming to Montreal.

Pitre's classy play graced Montreal until 1923. He played 13 seasons with the Canadiens, with a single season in Vancouver with the Pacific Coast League. Pitre was a large man at over 200lbs, and he learned to use his size to his advantage, especially when shooting. When he put every pound of muscle into his shot, players tried to get out of the way. He once had a goal contested because the puck went right through the net. Despite his size advantage, however, he was never a noted physical player.

Pitre was a member of the 1915-16 Stanley Cup champion Canadiens and led the NHA in scoring that year with 39 points in 24 games. He was also a member of the Montreal squad that participated in the finals of 1919 that were cancelled because of the influenza epidemic. He played over 300 professional games in his career before retiring in 1923.

Didier Pitre was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1962.

Odie Cleghorn

2008-07-01T01:12:00.000-07:00

Ogilvie "Odie" Cleghorn was remembered as a right winger with the ability to make defensemen nervous when he was controlling the puck. Perhaps he didn't posses the same temper that helped make his Hall of Fame brother, Sprague, famous (or is that infamous), but he was able to score over 200 goals during his career, a feat that was not common back in his era. Odie also could use his stick for more than scoring goals. Perhaps he learned early on that he had to protect himself from his brother's reputation as he became a noted stick swinger and butt ender in his own right.

Both Odie and his brother started off playing on the Renfrew Millionaires in the National Hockey Association in the 1910-11 season. The following year it was off to the Montreal Wanderers for Odie where he registered an amazing 23 goals in just 17 games. Neither Odie and Sprague did not play a game in the inaugural season of the NHL. Odie had military duties that would have been nullified if he had played hockey and Sprague was out with a broken leg.

In the 1918-19 season Odie made his debut in the NHL for the Montreal Canadiens, finishing second that year behind Newsy Lalonde in league scoring with 21 goals. In the 1921-22 season the Montreal management acquired Sprague from the Hamilton Tigers, reuniting him with his brother. Hamilton later regretted the trade because when they played Montreal in January both the brothers went on a scoring rampage tallying four goals each that night. A few days later they continued the spree scoring a combined total of six goals against Ottawa. Odie's greatest thrill in the NHL came with the Canadiens winning the Stanley Cup in the 1923-24 season.

Here's a few fast facts to conclude the story of Odie Cleghorn:

Two years later Odie was sent off to the Pittsburgh Pirates where he played and coached.

In the 1925-26 season Odie had to play goalie for a game after Roy Worters contracted pneumonia. Cleghorn allowed two goals against, but got the win!

In the famous game when Lester Patrick played goalie for the Rangers in the Stanley Cup finals, it was Odie who graciously volunteered to coach the Rangers for the remainder of the game.

Odie retired from coaching in 1928-29 and went on to serve as a NHL referee in the 1930's.

He died on July 13, 1956, just two days after his brother Sprague had passed away. Sprague was hit by a car two weeks earlier. The stress of his brother passing likely contributed to Odie's own heart failure.

J. C. Tremblay

2008-05-07T21:55:00.000-07:00

Jean-Claude (J.C.) Tremblay is one of the most intelligent, two-way defenders of all time. Yet very few give him recognition as such. Tremblay's departure in 1972 to the World Hockey Association on one hand helped to establish the WHA as a true alternative to the National Hockey League, but on the other hand appears to have hurt his shot at eternal fame.

J.C. starred for years with the Montreal Canadiens. He became a regular in 1961 and played for 794 games until 1972. Tremblay was an excellent all around performer during this time, and saved his best performances for the playoffs.

He never was a true offensive force during his first 11 regular seasons. His highest offensive output was 39 points. He was tremendously responsible defensively and a great two way defenseman, often headmanning the puck to the speedy Montreal forwards, but never put up great numbers until 1970-71.

Defensively Tremblay was efficient and heady, relying on his intelligent stick to break up plays rather than bones. He never really had an obvious physical game, something that his critics pointed out regularly. But he was so smart, it did not really matter.

Tremblay established his reputation as a great in the playoffs, where he was a tremendous performer, seemingly able to turn up his game like flicking a switch. He scored 14 goals, 51 assists and 65 points in 108 games, helping the Montreal Canadiens to 5 Stanley Cup championships.

Thanks partially to injuries to Serge Savard and Jacques Laperriere, Tremblay exploded to posted career highs with 11 goals, 52 assists, and 63 points in 1970-71. The following year he scored 6 goals and 51 assists for 57 points. Tremblay had arrived as one of the best players in the league. In the eyes of the unitiated, he went from a good player to a great player.

Then in 1972-73, Tremblay, at the top of his game, jumped to the World Hockey Association. He captained the Quebec Nordiques as he led the league in assists with 75. He also added 14 goals for 89 points. Tremblay went on to be perhaps the best defenseman in the WHA's existence, as he had a career 66 goals and 358 assists for 424 points in 455 games.

Tremblay's jump to the World Hockey Association on one hand helped to establish the WHA as a true alternative to the National Hockey League and Tremblay as one of the highest skilled defenders around, but on the other hand appears to have hurt his shot at the Hockey Hall of Fame.

For years J.C. played in the NHL and didn't put up great numbers until his 11th season. Then, when he reached his prime, he left the NHL to join a league which was mostly regarded to be of lower quality than the NHL. If he had stayed in the NHL he, as it turned out, would have won 4 more Stanley Cups and be part of what many believe is the greatest team of all time (the 1976-79 Canadiens). Who knows how good the Habs defense would have been if Tremblay was added to the big three of Serge Savard, Larry Robinson, and Guy Lapointe?

So while it can be said J.C. Tremblay's jump to the WHA has hurt his chances of joining the Hockey Hall of Fame, Tremblay truly is a legend of hockey.

Gerry McNeil

2008-05-01T12:24:00.000-07:00

Though not a a Hockey Hall of Famer, Gerry McNeil played an important role in Montreal Canadiens history. He filled in in the nets between the Bill Durnan and Jacques Plante eras, winning the Stanley Cup in 1953.

Gerry McNeil was a longtime senior amateur goalkeeper with the Montreal Royals before getting his shot at the NHL. Despite playing up in Quebec, they only became interested in him after a suggestion from the long forgotten and hulking blue liner Mike McMahon.

McNeil arrived at about the same time was Bill Durnan. Obviously the Canadiens were proven correct in their choice of Durnan over McNeil. But the Canadiens were impressed enough to keep McNeil in their system. He would join the Royals and dominate the Quebec senior leagues. He would also get to know many of the Habs players, as he would often fill in in practices where an extra goaltender was needed.

By the end of his tenure Bill Durnan, one of the greatest goaltenders of all time, was not appreciated by fans in the Montreal Forum for some strange reason. The boobirds were on him much of 1949-50 despite the fact he would win his sixth Vezina Trophy in seven seasons that year. This, along with illness, caused Durnan to succumb to the goaltender's occupational disease---a nervous breakdown. He told coach Dick Irvin during the 1950 playoffs to replace him with McNeil and Durnan's playing days were over.

McNeil was sharp, but the Canadiens weren't and lost to the Rangers. McNeil played well in his first full season of 1950-51, as the Habs new goalkeeper but despite leading the Canadiens to the finals, Toronto won the Stanley Cup that year. McNeil was the goalie who surrendered Bill Barilko's now famous goal. Unfortunately a solid NHL career will always be overshadowed by that one goal.

1952-53 was McNeil's year of glory. He led the NHL in shutouts with 10 (tied with Harry Lumley) and got his goals against average down to 2.12. Despite missing 4 games with a hobbled ankle, he was sharp in the playoffs and led the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup, the Habs first since 1945-46.

Towards the end of the 1953-54 season though, McNeil lost his starting position to a young Jacques Plante. When the Canadiens were facing elimination against Detroit in the 1953-54 Stanley Cup finals, Plante was pulled by coach Dick Irvin in favour of the veteran McNeil. The Canadiens promptly won the next two games to force a seventh game. Unfortunately, Tony Leswick's overtime fluke undid the Habs, as an easy shot by the Red Wings was tipped off Canadiens defenceman Doug Harvey's glove behind McNeil.

Like Bill Durnan, McNeil then faced the Forum boo-birds and his own nerves became shaken. Coach Dick Irvin was no longer a fan of his either. A crushed McNeil retired for one season and coached junior hockey, but he would return to the nets yet again.

McNeil rejoined the Montreal Royals in 1955-56 and would even return to the Canadiens in 1956-57, getting his name on the Stanley Cup for a second time. Jacques Plante was injured during 1956-57 and McNeil was called up to the Canadiens for 9 games of unexpected play.

Gerry then played for the Rochester Americans of the AHL for two seasons, played for the Montreal Royals in 1959-60 and then finished his career with the AHL's Quebec Aces.

With his hockey days long behind him, he moved onto a long career with the Seagram's Distilleries, before retiring permanently on West Island.

Gerry Heffernan

2008-04-29T18:58:00.000-07:00

Gerry Heffernan was an undersized but speedy hockey player who helped the Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup in 1944.

But it was never really his goal to play in the National Hockey League or win the Stanley Cup. He dreamed of playing with the Montreal Royals and winning the Allan Cup, Canada's amateur championship trophy.

Born in 1916 in Montreal, Gerry played with the Montreal Royals from 1935-37 before moving to Great Britain, of all places, to play.

While he considered his London foray to be a career setback in hindsight, he held no regrets. He met his future wife, Kathleen "Kit" Duggan, in England. She followed him back to Canada at the end of the season, and would be married in 1940.

From 1938 through 1941 Heffernan returned to the Royals, helping the team reach three consecutive Allan Cup finals, though they never could win the title. In 34 Allan Cup playoff games, he scored 14 goals and 22 assists.

In 1941-42 Heffernan got his chance with the pros, though he did need a little convincing to make the jump. The Canadiens opened the season winning just one of seven games. Desperate for help, the Habs signed the Royals entire top line - Buddy O'Connor, a future Hall of Famer, Pete Morin and Heffernan. The trio of smurfs was already well known in Montreal, known as the "Razzle Dazzle Line," relying on speed and puck movement to survive the rough and tumble wars of hockey.

Gerry was with the Royals for most the 1942-43 season, but he was reunited with O'Connor and played full time with the Canadiens in 1943-44, finishing with an impressive 28 goals and 48 points in 43 games. Of the Montreal players only Rocket Richard had more goals, 32, in the regular season than Heffernan.

Heffernan's strong play continued in the playoffs, picking up three points in seven playoff games, as the Canadiens, swept the Chicaco Blackhawks to win the Stanley Cup. That championship ended a 14 year drought for the Canadiens.

Gerry returned to the Royals for two more seasons before retiring to become an insurance broker in Montreal. He and his wife moved to California in the 1970s. They played a lot of golf (Gerry was fanatical about the game) and made annual trips back to Britain.

Whether in California or in the UK, he stayed on the ice into his 80s. He passed away in 2007 at the age of 90.

Elmer Lach

2008-04-28T11:22:00.000-07:00

Every great player had a great player to play with. Together they would make each other better, even though one would almost certainly receive less of the spotlight.

Take, for example, Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri, Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr, Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito and Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay. But you rarely hear of Rocket Richard's linemates. While he is arguably the greatest player on the greatest franchise in pro sports, his stature also overshadowed the contributions of his line mate and center for many years, Elmer Lach.

Lach was, above all else, a great playmaker. His incredible hockey sense and intelligence, combined with blessed skating skills were the perfect match for the Rocket. He was able to spring perhaps the greatest goal scoring machine of all time on countless occasions. Playing most often with Toe Blake on left wing, Lach was centering the famed Punch Line.

Lach led the league in scoring to win the Art Ross Trophy in 1944-45. That year Lach was also given the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player. That was the same magical season that Rocket Richard scored his unthinkable 50 goals in 50 games. For the MVP award to go to Lach over Richard shows just how highly thought of Lach was.

In 1947-48 he would again lead the league in scoring, after recovering from a fractured skull that prevented him from winning the scoring title in 1946-47. He was named to 5 all-star teams and was a member of 3 Stanley Cup championships. He amassed 215 goals and 408 assists in 646 games, adding 19 goals and 45 assists in 76 playoff appearances. When he retired he was the NHL's all time assist leader.

While he was an excellent offensive threat himself, Lach proved to be an ultimate team leader as well. Playing with Richard and Toe Blake for much of his career, Lach was the best of the three defensively. He often sacrificed his own offensive output and personal achievements in order to help his team win. The 5'9" Lach was never afraid of the physical game either, drawing comparisons to a fire hydrant because he was small but incredibly hard to budge.

In many ways Lach, who as a junior player was originally courted by the New York Rangers, was an early day Jean Beliveau. He was a classy person and a classic center iceman. He was very humble, which perhaps explains why history remembers him only quietly. "Elegant Elmer" coach Dick Irvin would call him, though some of the fans took to calling him the Nakomis Flash, referencing his Saskatchewan hometown. He was a legend of the ice in Nakomis, population 600, even though he never played organized hockey until the age of 17.

Lach the Unlucky was another common moniker, due to his injury history. He had the fractured skull, a badly broken arm, two broken jaws which he played through, a fractured leg, the same cheekbone shattered twice, a sliced foot, 100s of stitches and 7 broken noses, the last of which came courtesy of teammate Maurice Richard in Stanley Cup victory celebrating on the ice!

Lach played through it all, mostly because in those days players feared losing their jobs to another player. You couldn't sit out too long unless it was absolutely necessary. And when you did play hurt, you still had to produce at top level.

Lach was forced to retire after the 1954 season because the fractured leg robbed him of his speed. That was a shame, as Lach would miss Montreal's magical 5 consecutive Stanley Cup championships from 1955 through 1960.

There were no regrets for Lach though. He quickly established himself in business, working in sales and public relations for Maislin Transport. Which for a celebrity like Lach meant entertaining clients on the golf course. He loved golf almost as much as he loved hockey, achieving a 4 handicap in his heyday. He would also coach the senior Montreal Canadiens and the junior Canadiens, where he taught Henri Richard, who would wear Lach's #16 upon graduation to the Canadiens.

Johnny "Black Cat" Gagnon

2008-04-24T17:58:00.000-07:00

The Montreal Canadiens Johnny "Black Cat" Gagnon is a forgotten superstar from the pre-WWII days. Gagnon was a colorful player in this colorful era.

As a child, Gagnon repeatedly told his disbelieving mother that he would one day play for the Montreal Canadiens. His father didn't want him to play hockey, as he had a tendency to break neighborhood windows. Johnny had to hide his hockey equipment in the house. If his father found his sticks, he would break them immediately.

Despite his obvious talent, the Montreal Canadiens always shied away from Gagnon because he was so small. Standing just 5'5" and 140lbs, Gagnon's big break came when Georges Vezina, the Montreal Canadiens great goalie died.

Upon his death, Vezina was brought back to Chicoutimi to be buried. The Canadiens of course came to Chicoutimi, which was also Gagnon's hometown. The Habs approached Gagnon, but none other than Leo Dandurand, the president of the Canadiens, told directly him that he was too small to play in the NHL.

Gagnon pleaded with Dandurand for an opportunity.

"Mr. Dandurand, why don't you see for yourself how heavy I am. Before you leave for Montreal, come to my house and I'll get on a scale and you can judge for yourself," he told Dandurand, who agreed. Dandurand expected him to weigh in between 135-140lbs, like all the scouting reports suggested. He was shocked to see he weighed in at 150lbs! Gagnon was offered a spot in the Habs training camp right there on the spot!

"After Leo said good bye and left I took 5 pounds of rocks out of my pocket and threw them away," confessed Gagnon.

After a good training camp, Gagnon was sent to Quebec of the Can-Am league for apprenticing. He spent the next 4 years in the minors, 3 with the Providence Reds..

He joined the Montreal Canadiens in 1930, just as the Habs were becoming a true force in hockey. Gagnon was teamed with two of hockey's first legitimate superstars - Howie Morenz and Aurel Joliat - to form one of the greatest lines in hockey history.

The trio clicked immediately. In his rookie season Gagnon scored 18 goals in 41 games, plus a league leading 6 goals in 10 playoff contests. Gagnon's heroics helped the Canadiens capture the Stanley Cup with successive 5 game series victories over Boston and Chicago. That proved to be the only Cup team Gagnon would play on.

It was a bittersweet time for Gagnon, as his father was dying at the same time. However his father insisted that he stay in Montreal, saying that he could do him no good by returning home. Gagnon continued to play, but his father passed away after game 3 of the finals. Gagnon made it home for the funeral, and then participated in the rest of the finals with a heavy heart. In the Cup winning game, Gagnon scored twice.

"Black Cat" remained in Montreal until 1934 when he was briefly traded to Boston in exchange for Joe Lamb. At the conclusion of the season, Gagnon was sold back to Montreal, which is where he played next 4 1/2 seasons. He added a half season in 1939-40 with the New York Americans before ending his NHL playing career.

With his slick-backed black hair and his piercing eyes, he was astutely nicknamed "Black Cat." A small player even in his era, Gagnon played like a cat too - already to pounce on a scoring opportunity. He was as fast as a cheetah as well. A brilliant stickhandler, Gagnon also had to play with a bit of an edge because of his lack of size.

Yvon Lambert

2008-03-23T12:47:00.000-07:00

Yvon Lambert is best remembered as two-way grinding forward with the Montreal Canadiens, but it was the Detroit Red Wings who drafted him in 1970. Believing he could not skate well enough to play in the NHL, the Wings proved to be foolish for allowing Lambert to slip through the now-extinct NHL reverse draft that saw Lambert join the Habs organization.

Lambert would apprentice in the AHL. By his second full season in Nova Scotia with the Voyageurs, he won the league scoring title and led his team to the Calder Cup championship.

Lambert's explosion couldn't have come at a better time. Jobs were opening up in the NHL because of the arrival of the WHA and subsequent player defections to the new league. Lambert was promoted to the Canadiens in 1973-74. He had a quiet rookie season but by his sophomore year he had established himself as "the French John Ferguson" - a hard-as-nails, rugged performer who excelled in the corners and in front of the net during power plays. Often playing with the effective line of Doug Risebrough and Mario Tremblay, Lambert became one of the league's most unheralded power forwards.

Lambert was not the greatest skater, likely because he did not even learn to skate until the age of 14. But he made up for this lack of finesse with good ol' hard work and desire, sacrificing his body for the good of the team on a regular basis.

"I know I cannot skate the way people expect the Canadiens to skate and I know skating is the most important part of this sport, but I know other things are important, too, and I have seen that if I do the other things - work hard defensively, take advantage of the openings offensively, and get the odd goal, I can keep a place for myself here."

Hard work was never something Lambert was afraid of. He grew up on dairy farm, but his father worked in a textile mill. That left the farming duty to Yvon, his mother and his 7 siblings.

"We did not have a lot, but were happy because we were a big family with a lot of love," he said.

Lambert worked tirelessly on his skating, especially after Detroit let him go because they didn't think he could skate well enough to play in the NHL. That was Montreal's gain.

Lambert's most famous moment came in the much heralded 1979 playoff series with the Boston Bruins. The Bruins, coached by Don Cherry, were leading late in the game when they were called for having two many men on the ice. Habs superstar and Bruins-killer Guy Lafleur tied the score to force overtime in game 7. Lambert scored the series winning goal in one of the most entertaining playoff series of all time.

Lambert spent eight seasons in Montreal, earning four Stanley Cup victories.

In 1981, the Buffalo Sabres, with former Habs boss Scotty Bowman now in charge, claimed the veteran winger for one final NHL season. Lambert played on a line with youngsters Alan Haworth and J.F. Sauve.

The following year, he jumped to the minors where he completed his career as a playing coach with the Rochester Americans in 1984. After a brief stint of coaching the Verdun Junior Canadiens, Lambert left hockey to work in the public relations department of the Canadiens' organization.

In 683 NHL games, Lambert earned 206 goals, 273 assists for 479 points. Surprisingly he picked up only 390 penalty minutes.

Sylvio Mantha

2008-03-19T15:58:00.000-07:00

Sylvio Mantha almost could have been remembered as the man who forever misplaced the Stanley Cup.

Following the 1924 Stanley Cup victory, Sylvio and his Montreal Canadiens teammates were honored by the University of Montreal. Following the reception, Mantha and some teammates headed for owner Leo Dandurand's home to continue the celebrations. However the Model T Ford that Sylvio was driving stalled on a hill. All the players got out to give it a push until the car was started once again.

When the Model T was back in commission, the players jumped back in and headed for Dandurand's house. However they forgot that they placed Lord Stanley's Mug on the curb by the roadside while they were busy trying to revive the vehicle!! It wasn't until they arrived at Dandurand's house that they realized they misplaced the silverware. The players sped back to that hill and much to their relief found the Cup in all its shining majesty sitting exactly where they had left it.

Born in Montreal in 1902, Mantha became a Canadien when he was only 21 years old. He was a fine defenseman as is reflected by his team's successes - five first place finishes and three Stanley Cup championships. A physical player, Mantha, who played forward until he turned pro with the Habs, was paired with Herb Gardiner and the two formed a fantastic defensive partnership. Mantha, one of the all time best defensive blue liners, was twice named to the Second All Star team.

Mantha was named as the player-coach of the Canadiens in 1935-36, but following a poor finish was fired as coach. Mantha moved on Boston to play one final season in the NHL.

In 542 NHL games, Mantha scored 63 goals and 135 points - impressive numbers for a defenseman in the mid 1920s and 1930s. Following his NHL career, he turned to officiating, first as an NHL lineseman and later as a referee in the American Hockey League. He would later turn to coaching amateur teams in his native Montreal.

Sylvio Mantha was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1960.

Ken Reardon

2008-03-15T20:20:00.000-07:00

"I couldn't skate, I couldn't shoot, and I wasn't very intelligent. But I was spectacular" - Ken Reardon

Sad news today. Former Montreal Canadiens defenceman and Hockey Hall of Famer Kenny Reardon has passed away after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer's disease. He was 86.

Reardon played seven seasons with the Canadiens between 1940 and 1950, scoring 122 points in 341 games. Playing with greats like Maurice Richard, Toe Blake, Elmer Lach and Emile Bouchard, Reardon helped the Canadiens win two Stanley Cups. He was also selected to the NHL's First All-Star Team twice and the Second All-Star Team three times in his career.

He is best remembered by modern fans as Don Cherry's boyhood hero. "Grapes" has mentioned that fact numerous times on "Coach's Corner," and undoubtedly he will have a tribute to him tonight.

Cherry's Boyhood Idol

The fact that Don Cherry grew up idolizing Ken Reardon should pretty much tell you what kind of a player Reardon was.

His fearless, reckless abandon accounted for his many injuries, and even more fans. He was a fan favorite during his entire NHL career. He would barge down the ice in the most direct line to either the opponent's net or his check, and he loved the body-contact game. Reardon came to the Montreal Canadiens as a rookie determined to succeed, not on skill, but on hard work. And he did.

Reardon's hard work paid off when he made the Canadiens in 1941 and played two full seasons before his career was interrupted by World War II.

Ken would play on army teams while at battle, and returned to the Canadiens for the 1945-46 season and for the next five seasons, paired with fellow Hall of Famer Butch Bouchard, he was named to NHL All-Star teams. He made the first team in 1946-47 and 1949-50, the second team in the other three seasons. He played on a Stanley Cup winner in 1945-46.

It was all in a time when hockey was extremely rough and tough, and no player was tougher than Kenny Reardon. A throw back to the Red Horner days, the game's evolution has made modern day comparisons extremely difficult. Perhaps you could say Derian Hatcher had a little Kenny Reardon in him in his prime with Dallas.

The Cal Gardner "Bond" Incident

As the bad man of pro hockey, Reardon was certainly no stranger to hot water. He had several feuds around the league, but none more intense than with Cal Gardner.

Gardner wasn't noted to be a particularly dirty player, but he inadvertently triggered their feud when he crosschecked Reardon in the mouth late in the 1947 season. A donnybrook ensued, with a New York Rangers fan even getting involved and taking a swipe at the bleeding Reardon. Mayhem erupted as the Canadiens attacked the fans as police tried to break it all up.

The vengeful Reardon promised retaliation on Gardner every time they played again, although nothing noteworthy would happen until November, 1949. Gardner, now with the Toronto Maple Leafs, had his jaw broken by Reardon in a game at the Forum. Desperately hoping to end the feud, NHL president Clarence Campbell forced Reardon while he was on the ice to post a $1,000 bond against future violence! Campbell had had enough, especially since earlier in the month Reardon and teammate Leo Gravelle were arrested and jailed for hours in Chicago after Hawks fans claimed they attacked them with their sticks. The case was dismissed by a judge.

Nothing more would happen between Gardner and Reardon, though legend has it that time failed to heal the wounds. Supposedly the two carried ill will to each other long after their careers on the ice ended.

Retires To Front Office

Reardon would never have to pay money for a violent act. He would retired at the conclusion of another all star season in 1950. He said his body could no longer withstand his violent style of game, but that his heart and mind would never let him tone down his game.

Reardon moved into Montreal front office and became the assistant to Canadiens general manager Frank Selke. Specifically he was asked to revamp the team's scouting system in Western Canada. Reardon helped find future Canadiens such as Terry Harper, Dave Balon, Bill Hicke, and Red Berenson.

Reardon was also said to be instrumental in the Canadiens decision to hire Toe Blake as coach to start the 1955-56 season. Blake of course went on to guide the Habs to 5 consecutive Stanley Cup championships.

Despite his front office success, Reardon was passed over for the Habs GM job when Selke retired in 1964. The Habs chose another bright hockey man who worked under Selke - Sam Pollock.

Reardon would remain with the Canadiens until 1966, the same year he enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Bunny Larocque

2008-03-15T19:12:00.000-07:00

The back up goaltending position may be the most unheralded job in all of hockey. The back up often rarely plays, usually has to put in extra time at practice, and always has to be a good teammate. You have to remain incredibly positive. And when you do finally get that call to play, or god forbid take over because of injury, you have to play to best of your ability even if you haven't played in a month. And you almost never get a big game or a playoff contest.

Because it is such a tough position to excel in, back up goalies rarely last long. Some graduate to starting roles, while most are easily replaceable. To find a long term back up is rare.

The Montreal Canadiens of the 1970s had one of the greatest goaltenders of all time in Ken Dryden. But unlike goalies of previous eras, Dryden could not play every game. More games on the schedule and cross-continent travel ensured that. The Canadiens were lucky to have a regular back up goalie named Michel Larocque to spot the great Dryden for 25-30 games a year.

A native of Hull, Quebec, Larocque will always be remembered for being Dryden's backup and for his nickname "Bunny." In fact most people know him only as "Bunny" Larocque. His mother gave him the nickname as an infant, and it stuck ever since.

Larocque was not supposed to be a career back up. He was a highly touted prospect out of Ottawa where he starred with the '67s. The Habs thought so highly of him they drafted him 6th overall in the 1972 amateur draft.

To be drafted by the great Canadiens was certainly a huge highlight for Larocque, yet in some ways a great penance. He was able to get his name on the Stanley Cup and Vezina trophy four times each. But it was always a shared glory, and the spotlight was always on Dryden. He would only get once chance to fulfill his own destiny as a star.

That chance came in the 1973-74 season. Dryden had led the Canadiens to 2 of the previous 3 Stanley Cups, but would hold out all year. Larocque, who spent his first pro season apprenticing in the AHL the year before, and minor league veterans Wayne Thomas and Michel Plasse each got opportunities, but no one ever made everyone forget about Dryden. Larocque acquitted himself nicely, winning 15 of his 27 games, and he played every minute of the Habs playoff games. But perhaps Larocque was a little too green that early in his career. The New York Rangers dumped the mighty Habs in 6 games in the opening round.

Larocque played well enough for the Habs to be convinced to keep him around for another five years, but he would never again see action in a post-season game. Dryden returned in 1974-75, and would establish the Canadiens as perhaps the greatest team of all time, winning 4 consecutive Stanley Cups to close the decade. For the most part, Bunny Larocque, who never once complained, could only watch from his spot on the players bench.

In his book, “The Game”, Dryden described their situation;

“After we had played together a year or two, I realized that I could stay ahead, but I could not win. Larocque and I compete with each other constantly. Our competition is undeclared, its results are known only to us, we say nothing to each other about it. But we know. We compete though we are teammates and share the same goals for the team. We are friendly, if a little guarded with each other, and personally compatible.”

Despite his status as a second stringer, Larocque posted some very impressive numbers. From 1974 through 1979 he played a total of 137 games, posting 96 wins against 18 losses with 18 ties and 13 shutouts. In that time his win percentage was .701. Dryden's, by comparison, was .659.

But the two were incomparable come playoff time. That's because Dryden played almost every minute while Larocque watched. He did get one chance of playoff glory in 1979. After a poor performance in game one of the Stanley Cup finals against the New York Rangers, Larocque finished the third period and was given the start in game two. However, in typical no-luck-if-not-for-bad-luck fashion, Larocque was knocked out cold by an errant Doug Risebrough shot during the pre-game warm up. Dryden ended up playing that game, winning it and the next three for a fourth consecutive Stanley Cup. Larocque ended up in the hospital.

Dryden would retire prematurely following that championship. Larocque would finally get his chance to be the starting goalie of the Montreal Canadiens. But his confidence seemed shot much of the season. Perhaps it was because management parachuted in Dennis Heron to split the crease duties, and it certainly didn't help when Herron outplayed him statistically in every category but shutouts. Yet neither goalie established themselves by playoff time. The Montreal Canadiens would be eliminated by the upstart Minnesota North Stars.

Things would get worse Larocque, Herron and the Canadiens. Larocque would miss six weeks after his hand was skated over by Pittsburgh's Peter Lee. Meanwhile rookie Richard Sevigny was called up and gained the coaching staff's confidence as the team's new starting goalie. Upon his return from injury, Larocque was playing on borrowed time, and was soon traded to Toronto.

The Leafs were a terrible team, a team so bad not even the great Dryden could have helped them. Larocque could only win 16 of 74 games in the blue and white jersey, although he was able to sneak Toronto in to the 1981 playoffs.

Larocque would bounce around the minor leagues and briefly appear in Philadelphia and St. Louis. He would retire in 1985, but he would stay heavily involved in Quebec hockey. He became the GM of the Victoriaville Tigers junior team before becoming vice president of the QMJHL.

Hockey was the furthest thing from Bunny Larocque's mind in May 1992 when doctor's diagnosed him with brain cancer. He would not suffer long. After three weeks of radiation, he passed away on July 29th, 1992. He was just 40 years old.