Les Kuntar

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!?' "

Read more...

Paul-Marcel Raymond

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.

Read more...

Tony Demers

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.

Read more...

Garry Blaine

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"..

Read more...

John Kordic

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.

Read more...

Don Smith

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.

Read more...

Alex Singbush

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.

Read more...

Bill Nyrop

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.

Read more...

Billy Coutu

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.
.
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.

Read more...

Brent Gilchrist

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.

Read more...

Ian Cushenan

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.

Read more...

John MacDonald

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.

Read more...

Brian Hayward

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.

Read more...

Bunny Dame

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.

Read more...

An Interview With Ed Ronan

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.”

Read more...

Larry Robinson

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."

Read more...

Danny Gallivan

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.

Read more...

Claude Cyr

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.

Read more...

Claude Bourque

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.

Read more...

Paul Gauthier

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. 

Read more...

Abbie Cox

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.

Read more...

Claude Evans

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

Read more...

Hal Murphy

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.

Read more...

Lorne Davis

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.

Read more...

Dr. Jerry Wilson

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.

Read more...

Montreal Canadiens Greatest Players

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

Read more...

Gaston Gingras

 
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."

Read more...

Mike Keane

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.

Read more...

Brian Engblom

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.

Read more...

Stephane Quintal

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."

Read more...

Johnny Quilty

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.

Read more...