My Ten Favorite Unsung Habs

Happy New Years!

Often at this site, I've looked back on the careers of many of the Canadiens greatest players to examine what it is they brought to their respectives teams and era's during the winning years.

In Habs history, there will always be the associated linkage of greats the likes of the Rocket, Beliveau, and Lafleur, or goaltenders such as Vezina, Plante, and Roy, to explain what the blood and sweat of a winner's psyche, heart and guts enabled the team to accomplish.

But teams are made of more than just superstars and leaders. Often, it is the quality of the foot soldiers that lead teams to victory in battle. Consequently, the spotlight tends to pass them by, and their accomplishments are relagated away from headline status.

There are likely dozens of examples of players in Canadiens history that fit this bill.

Beyond the great players whose jerseys should be hung from up high (Newsy Lalonde, Aurel Joliat, Toe Blake, Bill Durnan), there are several whose exempliary careers did not even warrant them Hall Of Fame attention.

Undeservedly, they are tagged unsung heroes.

There are an abundance of unsung heroes in Canadiens lore, and what you are about to read is no ranked listing of the more glaring forgotten contributors, but simply some of my favorite ones whose special skills and gifts helped the Canadiens cause during their time. They could fall into several categories that run the gamut from stay at home defenseman to shut down specialists.

All told, I basically chose them, as players that I felt represented different ideals based on who they were and what they had to give. I'm certain any reader could create their own equally interesting list of unsung Habs heroes.

Claude Provost




















Claude Provost was a career Montreal Canadien, playing for 15 seasons in the shadow of the games greatest players. From the mid 1950's, until the dawn of the 1970's, Provost was a steady and aggravating presence in the Habs lineup.

By the time he hung up the blades, he'd racked up 9 Stanley Cup rings, the most of any player not in the Hall Of Fame.

I've never seen Provost play during his time, but I've seen about a dozen replayed games from his time that testify to his worth. My father always mentioned Provost as player who brought a vital ingredient to the team and likened him as a parallel talent to that of which Bob Gainey brought to the Habs in the two decade's he played for Montreal - to much greater acclaim.

When Toe Blake took charge behind the bench of the Montreal Canadiens in 1955-56, he introduced Provost to the club's star studded roster on the basis of his aggressive and hard working approach to checking opponents. His peculiar, wide stance style of skating concealed surprising speed. One observer humorously noted that when he hit the ice, he looked like a drunken sailor walking on a ship's deck during a hurricane. However awkward Provost appeared, he used his hustle to good measure, particarly by serving as Bobby Hull's constant shadow throughout the 1960s.

In addition to superb defensive play in the company of Andre Pronovost and Phil Goyette, Provost made steady improvements to his offensive game as the years progressed. In 1964-65, he was voted to the first All Star on the strength of his team leading 33 goals.

Provost, along with Henri Richard, were two of the mainstays of both the Canadiens 1950's dynasty, and the team which won a further four Cups from 1965 to 1969. During his career, he would appear in eleven All Star games.

Toward the end of his career in 1968, Provost was awarded the first ever Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy as the player who best exemplified the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. A more worthy winner could not have been chosen.
The lack of individual accolades for Provost could likely christen him the ultimate unsung hero. He is one of only five players to have played a 1000 games with Montreal. His career starts are 1005-254-335-589.

Jean Guy Talbot




















Defenceman Jean-Guy Talbot earned a regular job on the Montreal Canadiens' blueline in 1955-56 and enjoyed Stanley Cup success in each of his first five NHL seasons. He was an excellent passer who provided physical play in his own zone. Often teamed with Tom Johnson, the pair were an invicible wall of defense.

Talbot won a total of 7 Stanley Cups with Montreal, playing in the shadows of legends. After scoring 47 points in 1961-62, Talbot was voted on to the NHL first all-star team. He also played an important veteran role on Stanley Cup winning teams of 1965 and 1966. He was an integral part of the Canadiens transition game until 1966-67. His consistent play at both ends of the ice was crucial when the Habs had to replace the likes of Rocket Richard, Doug Harvey, and Bernie Geoffrion.

When the Canadiens chose to supplant Talbot with the younger like Serge Savard, he was left unprotected in the 1967 Expansion Draft. After one season split in Minnesota and Detroit, Talbot was picked up by the St. Louis Blues where his puck handling and experience helped the club reach the Stanley Cup final three straight years beginning in 1968.


Ralph Backstrom



















Ralph Backstrom was a swift skater with a deft scoring touch whose defensive and team oriented play earned him much appreciation throughout his career. The most significant years of his pro tenure were the decade spent with the Montreal Canadiens, with whom he won the Stanley Cup six times between 1959 and 1969.

Backstrom captained the Hull Ottawa Canadiens to the Memorial Cup in 1958, when he was arguably the top junior skater in the country. The Canadiens planned to send Backstrom to the Rochester Americans of the AHL for a year of minor pro seasoning, but his performance at training camp was so impressive that the Habs brain trust decided to give him a shot at the big league right away.

Backstrom rewarded Montreal by scoring 40 points and earning the Calder Trophy. His freshman season was so laudable that he received more than double the votes of runner up Carl Brewer of Toronto.

The following year he impressed coach Toe Blake by approaching his sophomore training camp with increased dedication and enthusiasm. His production dropped to 28 points, but he solidified his place as a key defensive forward on the club.

Although he was overshadowed by Montreal's top two centers, Jean Beliveau and Henri Richard, Backstrom became an important two way forward on 6 Stanley Cup winning teams. He and teammate Claude Provost garnered reputations as two of the most dogged forwards in the game. Even though he often drew checking assignments, Backstrom produced five 20 goal seasons, including a personal high of 27 in 1961-62.

Years later, Backstrom reflected on this period, saying "There were times in my career that I felt I could have played better statistically if I would have played on another team besides the Canadiens. But there was nothing like the team successes that the Canadiens had during the time I played with them."

By 1969, Backstrom sensed that he had accomplished all that he could in a Canadiens uniform. Two prolonged scoring slumps underscored his frustration and during the 1970 off-season, it became apparent that Backstrom wanted a change of scenery, preferably on the West Coast. The thought of returning to Montreal as a role player was so discouraging to him that he notified the team that he'd likely retire.

Backstrom received his requested move when he was involved in a notorious transaction between Montreal and Los Angeles. In May 1970, shrewd Habs general manager Sam Pollock acquired the Oakland Seals' first round pick with the hope that they'd finish last overall and give him a chance to draft junior star Guy Lafleur. Halfway through the 1970-71 season, it was clear that the L.A. Kings were having a sufficiently bad season to challenge for the first pick in the draft. Consequently, Backstrom was sent west in a move that gave him a new lease on life and boosted the Kings in the NHL standings.

Rogie Vachon




















Rogatien Vachon is another NHL great sadly not recognized by the Hall Of Fame. He Canadiens tenure was shorter than what was initially projected for him, and was punctuated by two disappointments - namely the 1967 playoff final loss to Toronto and the missed playoffs of 1970.

When my own interest in hockey was sparked at age 8, I always identified with the goaltender first. I was the goalie in street hockey games and in my mind that was what I thought of being in my NHL dreams. My mother had sown Rogie's number 29 ( one of several numbers he'd wear ), cut out from a pillowcase, onto my Canadiens sweater.

I was always Rogie when I played in the street.

Coincidentally, when Ken Dryden bumped Vachon from the Habs crease hierarchy, the 29 remained as Rogie's number in my heart, even though he wore 30 from then on.

Vachon joined the Montreal Canadiens in 1966-67 to back up Gump Worsley and ended up playing the majority of their playoff games when they reached the Stanley Cup finals. Toronto won the Cup, but the diminutive Vachon earned a permanent place in the big league with his excellent play.

In 1967-68 Vachon excelled in 39 regular season contests and shared the Vezina Trophy with teammate Gump Worsley. Their goals against mark of 2.26 was the league's best since 1958-59. His play contributed significantly to Montreal's consecutive Stanley Cup championships in 1968 and 1969. After Worsley suffered a nervous breakdown and moved out of Montreal, Vachon inherited the starting job in the Montreal net. He played well in 1969-70 but the defending champions failed to make the playoffs.

The Canadiens confidence in Vachon as a goalie who could take on the majority of the season's games was invariably shook when he encountered in juryproblems in the early 1970's. His inconsistant play opened the door for Dryden's arrival and Vachon was not comfortable or able to contribute in a secondary role. In 1971-72 Vachon requested a trade after he allowing four goals in his only period of action with Montreal that season.

Vachon was given a new lease on life when the Los Angeles Kings acquired his services in November 1971. and he went on to enjoy some of his finest seasons and helped the Kings become a competitive hockey club. He recorded 32 of his 51 career shutouts in Los Angeles and he was twice selected to the NHL's second All Star team.

In Los Angeles, Vachon and Marcel Dionne became the most popular figure in franchise history and he was selected the team's most valuable player four times in five years between 1973 and 1977.

As Vachon had become so identified with the Kings, his contribution as the backstopper to two of the Canadiens Cups during what seemed transional seasons has lessened his claim as a great Habs goalie.

Nonetheless, it remains a slight that he is not in the Hockey Hall of Fame. He is the most winning goalie of the 1970's not so enshrined and was one of the final Original Six era players, along with Wayne Cashman, to still play into the mid 1980's.

Jimmy Roberts



















In the 1960's and 1970's, Jimmy Roberts was a key cog for the Habs, rarely in the limelight, but always an essential ingredient to the teams composition. He was a defensive specialist by definition, killing penalties and shutting down opposition lines to great effect. His intuition for positional poise, and his composure in the heat of the action, made him the ideal candidate to fill in as a defenseman when the Canadiens needed depth at that position. Through two tenures with the team, he became the Canadiens man for all seasons, often thriving at being an unfettered thorn in the opposition's sides.

Roberts had an enthusiam for the dirty work roles of an underdog. Hitting the ice an alert and intense competitor, part of the fun of watching Roberts irritate opponants had alot to do with watching his focused stare burst into a disbelieving grin whenever he or a linemate scored.

Roberts was never the most talented prospect, but was fortunate to come under the tutelage of a young Scotty Bowman with the Peterborough Petes in the late 1950's. He listened intently and learned the inner workings of the game within the game and the lessons inherited served him well.

Roberts gradually climbed the echelons of the Canadiens minor team structure for five seasons, getting closer to his goal in each passing year. From the Petes, he moved on to play with the Montreal Royals, the Hull Ottawa Canadiens, the Cleveland Barons, the Quebec Aces, and the Omaha Knights before getting an NHL break. Throughout his ascention, Roberts was hardly ever a team star, while perfecting his endeavor as a role player par excellence.

Roberts established himself as what Toronto Maple Leafs GM Conn Smythe once described as "a hewer of wood and a hauler of water." Roberts was once termed as being "built like a mooring post for a battleship." Roberts won 5 Stanley Cups with the Canadiens, and appeared in three consecutive finals with St. Louis from 1968 to 1970 with Bowman as his coach. He parlayed his dedication into a long career that led to coaching after his retirement.

Mario Tremblay



















Mario Tremblay was part of a tag team youth invasion to the Habs in the mid 1970's when he and Doug Risebrough were brought into the Habs machine to provide an unsettling effect to opponants with their tireless work ethic.

Tremblay in many ways, was a hotheaded yapper who could score, check, hit, and get under the skin of opponents. With Risebrough and Yvon Lambert, the trio soon became the NHL's most feared and best third line and were key ingredients in the Canadiens four straight Cups wins from 1976 to 1979. Tremblay was credited with the Cup winning goal in the tightest of their 4 Cup defenses, in game 6 of the 1978 finals against the Boston Bruins.

The feisty Tremblay continued to be a force in Montreal after the Cup dynasty ended and he recorded consecutive 30 goal seasons in the early 1980s while playing on a line with Rejean Houle and Pierre Mondou. In 1984-85, he scored 31 goals, including 14 with the extra man. Tremblay played 56 games the following year, but injuries prevented him from being apart of the 1986 Stanley Cup.

While Tremblay was always a warrior who wore the Habs crest close to his heart, it is unfortunate that his player's legacy will always be tainted by the confrontation that he had as Canadiens coach that resulted in Patrick Roy's exile from Montreal.

Craig Ludwig



















Defenceman Craig Ludwig was a solid player in his own end and a punishing hitter during his eight seasons with the Canadiens. His experience and savvy were an important factor on both the 1986 Habs Cup and 1999 Dallas Stanley Cup winning teams.

Ludwig's role with Montreal was to solidly anchor the play of more offensive types by providing positional consistency and rugged play. Teamed often with either of Larry Robinson or Chris Chelios, Ludwig made choosing his side of the Habs end a bruising one. Not only did Ludwig hit with authority, he was badass nasty when it came to sending messages to opponants with high sticks, elbows, and scratchy gloves in players faces.

Ludwig understood his role perfectly and always played within his means. He was an adept first passer, a feared pugilist seldom tested, and a shot blocker with few peers. This steady assault of workmanlike attributes were big factors when Montreal reached the semi finals in 1984, won the Stanley Cup in 1986, and reached the finals again in 1989.

Mike Keane



















I recall how, when Mike Keane made the Canadiens from training camp in 1988, that Habs coach Pat Burns was practically vilified in the media for the promotion.

Burns evidently knew something about Keane that the Montreal press did not, and it didn't take long for Keane's worth to show itself. hardly an offensive threat, Keane demonstrated leadership from the get - go with head first play and an unabashed enthusiam for mixing it up. His scrappy essentials and unselfish giving of his every pound translated itself to teammates conciences, and Keane was no stranger to speaking loudly when those around him took the easy route.

The feisty Keane was signed as a free agent by Montreal just before start of 1985-86 season and he scored 68 points in 78 games during his first pro season in Sherbrooke. Burns loved his aggresive style and brought him up to the NHL in 1988-89. He scored 16 goals as a rookie and immediatly impressed with his robust play. He added another four goals in the playoffs to help Montreal reach the final, a series they eventually lost to the Calgary Flames. Keane's best year was 1992-93 when he scored 60 points and scored 15 points in 19 post-season games as Montreal won the Stanley Cup.

He remained one of the Canadiens most consistent players and was named team captain after Kirk Muller was traded to the New York Islanders in 1995. As the first two months of the 1995-96 season were turmoil filled in Montreal, Keane was unappreciatively tossed into the Patrick Roy trade.

It equalled a giant sucking out of dressing room leadership for the Canadiens, whose brass was intent on ridding themselves of an unconventional English speaking captain.

Keane's worth was again on display when the Avalanche won the Cup following the deal. As Conn Smyther winner Joe Sakic was asked about Roy's contribution, he stated that the unequivocal dressing room leader had surprisingly been Keane.

Keane would win another Cup in Dallas, forming the "Grumpy Old Men" line with former Habs dethroned captains Muller and Carbonneau.

There's an obvious lesson for all to ponder.

Vincent Damphousse



















On August 27, 1992, when Vincent Damphousse was traded to the Montreal Canadiens, they aquired the big centreman that had lacked since Bobby Smith. Playing in his home town, Damphousse was primed and motivated, and he responded with 39 goals and 58 assists. He was even more keyed in the 1993 playoffs, and responded with 23 points in 20 games as the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup.

A large center, who was diffecult to budge from the puck, Damphousse gave the Canadiens great strength down the middle when added to the likes of Guy Carbonneau and Kirk Muller. He was a consistant point per game player for the Canadiens for five of his seven seasons there.

Named captain in 1996, his role slowly evolved with the team, and he was groomed into a savvy two way defensive specialist. As consumed as he was with fulfilling his roles and duties, the timing of the change in play philosophies could not have been worse. Saddled with a hefty contract as his production declined on a team whose woes were just beginning, Damphousse was often blamed for the team's shortcomings.

In 1999, as he was pursuing a long term deal with the team, issues came to a boil with coach Alain Vigneault. While the team felt there was not enough upside left in Damphousse's game, the player wished to prove otherwise. The Canadiens then shipped their last Quebec born captain to the Sharks for draft choices that never panned out. The move was ill advised, as Damphousse could surely have contributed another five solid seasons and retired a Montreal Canadien.

Doug Gilmour



















Doug Gilmour is one of my all time favorite players. His competitiveness and his ability to leave his all on the ice each night, made him a favorite of mine going all the way back to the days when he played in my hometown with the Cornwall Royals.

I've always felt that Gilmour had in his eyes, the same piercing glare of "go through the boards insanity" that was perhaps only surpassed by Rocket Richard and Mark Messier.

"Killer" was in Cornwall in the summer of 1999 to visit old friends when he told me of his curiosity in finishing his career in either a Habs or Senators uniform. The words rang in my ears for three seasons.

Gilmour finally arrived in Montreal towards the end of a glorious career. Many doubted that he had much fire in the tank and he was not perceived as a savior of any kind by that time.

Signed shortly after the season started for his leadership abilities, in light of Saku Koivu's season long absense from stomach cancer, Gilmour brought the team together with an inspired brew of guts and a hatred for losing.

In his first game as a Hab, Gilmour went after the Sabres Miroslav Satan, when the Buffalo player took liberties with an unsuspecting Canadiens player. It was a gesture that earned Gilmour a one game suspension, and the respect of his new teammates.

It took some time for Gilmour to find his legs and his game that year, but once he did, he rallied the team in it's goal of a playoff spot. With Koivu's return as an inspiration, and Jose Theodore imitating God in goal, Gilmour was a captain without the "C" as the team fought on bravely.

"Killer" made several references to the on ice plight the Habs were involved in being nothing compared to Koivu's fight off ice and the team responded positively. He backed up his words with the promise that if Koivu were able to return for the post season, the Canadiens would meet him there.

Led by Gilmour's fiery play, the Canadiens met their goal. Koivu's late season return, combined with the subsequent upsetting of the first place Bruins, turned what looked to be a disastrous season into a testament of the values of character, desire and belief.

Gilmour wasn't quite the same sparkplug the following season as both Theodore and the Canadiens as a whole took a step back.

My numerous Canadiens memories encompass the events and seasons that include 9 Stanley Cup victories - from 1969 to the present. In all those years I have seen many feats worthy of retelling and watching Gilmour and Koivu channel spirit from each other in 2002 will be a long cherished favorite.

Robert L Note: This being my last post of 2007, I want to wish all my readers all the best in 2008.

Unbelievably, this little hobby site of mine garnered over 120,000 hits in 2007, more than 80,000 of which came since last June. In the coming year, and I am certain of this, our Canadiens will provide us fans with even more to be cheerful for, and God willing, I will be around to blog about it for you.

I cannot put into words what you all, my readers, have meant to me during this past year. I have felt every kind word of appreciation from the lot of you for what it is I do here. Eighteen months into this project, I am still juiced when I receive a comment or e-mail that says " I love your blog", "I'm a longtime reader", and "Keep up the good work".

I take all those words straight to heart. I sincerely hope that my own appreciation of you tuning in comes through.

As this site chronicles the Habs destiny towards it's next Stanley, my New Years wish for all of you ties into the Habs successes on many fronts. May those of you who have been handed down your Habs love from a fanatic hockey parent, cherish together another Cup win. For those of you who have seen and lived through the glory days and are sickening your sons and daughters to no end with tales of how it once was, may you soon able to share in the glory of the present tense together.

I would fit into both these categories folks, and I know exactly what you would be feeling!

Beyond the daily life distractions that hockey offers us in coping with life as a whole, I wish you all the health and prosperity you can handle. I extend to you the same New Years resolution I renew within myself each passing year - Let's all be good to each other, damnit!

On another note - again directed to regular readers - a new computer will be entering this household in the first week of the new year, and it may cause some latent chronicling of the team. It's been a hellish month dealing with an outdated system and a myriad of issues too long to get into. That combined with a slew of 3 to 11 shifts at work have made this December a thin month here for posts and after game reads - my apologies.

New years equal new beginnings, and I can't wait. Thanks in advance for your patience and loyal readership.

Happy New Year!

Was Jacques Demers Voodooed?

I was recently reading on the time of Patrick Roy's run in with Mario Tremblay during the "Habs Game From Hell" back in December of 1995, and it reminded me of a very funny and totally strange anecdote involving Tremblay's predecessor at the time, Jacques Demers.

This is one little tale that I'm certain Habs fandom knows little of. It played out like an omen, completely weird when taken in the context of what occured with the Canadiens only mere weeks later.

To set it up, for starters, it occured during a historic game between the Canadiens and the Colorado Avalanche, in of all places, my hometown of Cornwall, Ontario. It was historic because it was the very first game, an exhibition, in Avalanche history.

It was being played it Cornwall, because Avs coach Marc Crawford had suggested it playing here. He had ties to the city, having played and coached junior here, also marrying a school friend from St. Lawrence High. Two seasons prior, Crawford had taken the St. Johns Maple Leafs on an extended road excursion, playing a "home game" in Cornwall, due to an arena workers strike that put the team on the road for weeks. St. Johns played the Fredericton Canadiens in town, and this Avs - Habs game was Crawford's way of saying thanks for the gate receipts and helping him rise to the NHL in record coaching time.













Those are simply events that transpired to bring the Habs to town - with Crawford and the Avalanche seemingly on the periphery of the nights excitement. I say seemingly, if one doesn't have a thing for voodoo.

The excitement was ample on many fronts. The Avs were the so called home team on this night, and there was a justifyable buzz among the four thousand strong crowd that packed the Civic Complex. A young Owen Nolan, a former Cornwall Royal still had a sizeable following in town, and was greeted with a loud ovation when introduced as a starter.

Cornwall was pretty much split down middle between Habs die hards and Leafs fans, then as today, but these were the recently skyhooked Quebec Nordiques being billed as the team to cheer for. It was a dazed look that greeted the brand spanking new Colorado jerseys - I liked them, hardly missing the fleur de lys much.

The game was a typical training camp match - no Roy, Damphousse, Sakic or Forsberg to cheer on. Rookies made up a sizeable chunk of both rosters. It was go Recchi! Go Mats Sundin!

Even the Habs coach, Jacques Demers didn't partake. Assistant Charles Thiffault ran the bench for this pre-season run through. A thought crossed - could he have been fired and I'd not heard about it? The Canadiens did miss the playoffs in 1994-95, a first in 25 years - who knows?

Nah! Everyone would be talking about it, I rationed.

The game started, and Colorado soon stormed out to a quick lead as Montreal seemed to have little cohesion. Midway in the game, it was 4-1 Avs, but the Habs came back to win it 6-5.

During the first intermission, an acquaintance walking the arena halls mentioned that he'd seen Serge Savard and Pierre Lacroix chatting on the overhead firewalk somewhere. I hadn't seen any famous faces, and was disappointed that the press box behind me was filled with unfamiliar ones.













I was sitting in the last row at the top of the stands, only able to see the heads of those sitting there. I hadn't looked behind until the second period, when that same acquaintance, who was sitting three rows below me yelled out my name and pointed over my head.

I turned back expecting to see Savard, but I was stunned to see Demers, hands and fingers cupped as if praying, literally breathing down my neck from the box.

"Bonjours, Jacques", was all this surprised fan could muster.

"Salut, mon ami", came the genteel coaches reply.

As the game was on, and the Habs were mounting a comeback, I figured I'd wait a few minutes for the second intermission and strike up a conversion.

My first question was going to be, "Jacques, can I see your Stanley Cup ring?"

Other questions running through my mind would have been, "Can I try it on, can I keep it, and can I run fast enough past security without being slammed into Complex's concrete walls?"

Demers seemed jovial, and in good spirits - the Habs had just tied the game!

Great, I thought. He'll be chatty!

As the seconds ticked down at the periods end, a scrum of autograph seekers beat me to the coach. He'd moved to the right of me a few feet, and I was in the second seat from the aisle, unable to move freely towards him.

One after the other, upraised arms were thrust towards the coach, scraps of paper in hand for autograph seekers. There were possibly a quick dozen fans sardine-canned into a slight opening awaiting this little brush with fame. One prepared fan even had a Pro Set card of Demers ready for the scribbling. As I was noticing that, came a loud bellow from Demers' chest.

He was roaring!

"Where'd you get that?", I heard him ask.

"I made it", said a man in his thirties.

"That's so funny...I don't know what to say!", he said, enlightened, "I've never seen anything like that!"

There was a little shoving to see what the commotion was, when Demers grabbed the item and hoisted it, saying "Boys, look at this!"

Then I saw it. A foot from my eyes - a woodcarved Montreal Canadiens casket with Demers resting horizontally inside. The detail, from the rimmed glasses to the moustache, was incredibly accurate. Draped with a Habs logo, and red, white, and blue trim, it was about 10 inches long and maybe four wide and high. Demers couldn't take his eyes off it!

Laughter shrouded the group, and the coach was just silly over the sight of it.

He leaned right into the casket's creator, quizzing his motives. It's not everyday one gets a glimpse of oneself, resting in peace!

The creator explained it, and as best as I could make out, the idea behind it was a friendly lark from a Leafs fan to the coach.

Demers erupted with laughter again, when the sculpter suggested...."figured a coach who misses the playoffs in Montreal is as good as dead".

The coach put everybody in stiches once more, saying, "the worst part is I want to keep it!"
"You can", said the owner, "I made it for you!"

"But I couldn't possibly, you must have put so much work into it", the coach graciously offered, looking around nervously at those laughing with him, some at him.

"But I want you to have it, I have a second one I made, but this one was the better one. It's for you!"

Demers shook his head, still disbelieving. "It's okay then?", he said, bemused.

"Yes, yes. Keep it!"

With that, the coaches arm lunged out in handshake gesture, in what I have to say what the oddest meeting I'd ever witnessed between the Habs and Leafs nations.

Just steps away from Demers, giggling as if his shoulders were in a perpetual rumbleseat on a gravel road, was one Mario Tremblay, on hand as a radio color man that night.

I managed a Demers autograph on a scrap on a program insert. Sadly, it has gone misplaced for years now. I didn't get to say more than "thanks" amidst all the commotion and hilarity going on.

I've thought quite alot about that casket moment in the decade plus since it happened. It seems so voodooish looking back on it.

Was the gift a curse? I don't believe in that stuff much, but it sure seems crazy when one considers that many partipants in that evening game were displacing in a major way before the hockey season was out.

Demers would lose his first five starts with the Canadiens that season. He would be fired along with the GM who refused to axe him a month into the year. He would be replaced, of course, by Tremblay, who was almost in tears as Demers accepted the "gift".

Inevitably, Demers moving on trickled down to the Patrick Roy trading, two months later. That debacle would seal this casket moment in infamy, for me. I often wonder what Demers did with what the thing. Does he even remember receiving it. I'd love to know!

10 Costly Mistakes Made by The Canadiens Since 1977

I've often wondered if history could be undone, what the result would be on the present.

Applying such a "Back To The Future" angle on the history of the Montreal Canadiens allows one to reconsider many events that transpired over the course of the last 30 years.

Using 20/20 hindsight is no brave musing - sports fans are well accustomed to being Monday morning quarterbacks. It is fairly easy to identify what has gone wrong in any era of a sports franchise. In terms of the Canadiens spiral from Stanley Cup dynasty of the late seventies to the average team of today, many errors in judgement have resulted in the team being a middle of the pack squad.

Often the Canadiens of recent years have been afflicted with terms such as "once proud", "hard luck", and "falling from grace or glory", so much so that one would confuse them with the Maple Leafs or the Islanders. While Montreal sat outside the playoff picture this spring, their so called decline, in perspective, is far from being as catastrophic as some would have believe.

Since 1979, and with the NHL adding 12 new franchises, every teams odds of winning the Stanley Cup have decreased proportionately. In the 27 seasons played since then, only the Islanders, Edmonton Oilers, Detroit Red Wings and New Jersey Devils won won more Cups. Colorado and Pittsburgh, as well as Montreal, are the only other teams with multiple Cups. Five other franchises have won single Cups.

If most franchises were dealt the fate of winning but one Stanley Cup per decade, they'd gladly accept that fate. Not in Montreal, where expectations are constantly high, and errors are scrutinized beyond the realm of understanding in most NHL cities.

If only one of the following errors of judgement from the past were to be undone, it would have greatly affected the teams future. Each mistake had pronouced consequences which led to the weakening of team over the years.

It is, of course, futile in a sense, to dwell on those errors - the only upside of going over them is to recognize when they are about to occur again and avoiding them the next time around.
Chronologically, here are 10 mistakes any Hab fan would wince at in hindsight.

10 - Not choosing Mike Bossy in the 1977 Entry Draft.

Who knew that Bossy would string off 9 straight 50 goal seasons in the NHL? Canadiens head scout Ron Caron had an inkling when he pronounced to GM Sam Pollack that he'd found the next Guy Lafleur. Fourteen teams passed on Bossy before the Islanders wisely chose him. Bossy was considered by many to be a soft player in a softer league and many disregarded the compass in his eye. From 1973 to 1977, Bossy rifled off seasons of 70, 84, 79, and 75 with the Laval National of the QMJHL. Still many NHL teams passed on him, including Toronto twice with back to back picks at 11 and 12. The Canadiens opted for a fairly decent player, the Toronto Marlborough's Mark Napier, who would give them a pair of 40 goal season before being packaged off to Minnesota for center Bobby Smith. It was often suggested in hindsight that Bossy would never have met the same fate in Montreal, that a sniper with defensive laxes would have taken too long to find his place in Montreal. I never bought that angle. Five years prior, the Habs drafted a similar player in Steve Shutt. While Shutt's ascent was steady, not immediate, who's to suggest it could not have been the same for Bossy.

9 - Choosing Irving Grundman over Scotty Bowman to succeed Sam Pollack as the Canadiens GM.













Grundman was not a sound hockey man in the eyes of many, often being termed a glorified bowling alley manager by most. He was chosen to succed Sam Pollack based on the fear of what Scotty Bowman, if handed the position, would do to the team, which was dismantle it piece by aging piece. He had been being groomed for the job by Pollack himself before the reigns were turned over in 1978. The Canadiens upper brass wanted Pollack to stay on for a longer term and hoped that Bowman would do so also. With Bowman having little faith in Grundman's capabilities he left after two seasons for what the coach thought were greener pastures in a dual role as coach and GM with the Buffalo Sabres. Spurning the man who would become the winningest coach in the game's history was a giant slip. Grundman would soon be taken to task for passing over local star Denis Savard in the 1980 draft. The bumbling continued as a succession of coaches, including Claude Ruel and Bernie Geoffrion passed behind the bench while the Canadiens raced toward mediocrity. Grundman's era was defined by turmoil and turnover. During his five year stint at the Habs helm, his failing to adequately replace those players that Bowman hinted at moving, dried up to teams depth of draft picks and youth. While some of the remaining vets had enough in the tank to give the Canadiens a surprise Stanley Cup in 1986, only two draft choices in the Grundman era, Chris Chelios and Guy Carbonneau, would have a profound effect on the teams future. After dealing future Norris Trophy winner Rod Langway, along with three other players, in a package to Washington in 1982, Grundman's coffin was prepared. He was fired in April of 1983. He last made headlines in January of 2005, when as a city councellor in Montreal, he admitted to taking bribes in a zoning scandal and was sentenced to 23 months of community service, oddly enough.

8 - Feable Returns on Aging Veterans.








As mentioned before, Grundman stuck to his plan and kept many of the teams aging stars as they passed their prime into their twilight years. Ken Dryden, Yvan Cournoyer, Serge Savard (who would become his successor), Guy Lafleur (under the Savard reign) and Jacques Lemaire all retired with no return. Guy Lapointe, Steve Shutt, and others were traded off for pitances of their worth as their play declined. Roughly half of the team that won four straight Cups were gone with little to nothing to show for it. That is sadly, the Grundman resume. When Serge Savard was named as the next GM of the team, the Canadiens were literally starting over from scratch.

7 - Humiliating Wickenheiser.








One of Grundman's better moves involved a trade that flip-flopped first round picks with the Colorado Rockies in 1980. The Rockies assumed the Habs 18th overall pick while Montreal cashed in with the first overall choice. The local media were all in favor of local product Denis Savard, but Grundman went with the consensus choice of Doug Wickenheiser, who'd scored 89 goals with the Regina Pats the previous year. The GM was raked over the coals for ignoring the local star but the hockey intelliagenca would back the belaboured GM as Wick was clearly called the more refined player at that point. 89 goals in the WHL doesn't lie. Hindsight would actually suggest that the best player in the draft was chosen 7th, Paul Coffey. Where the Canadiens thinkers goofed big time was in sitting out Wickenheiser against Savard's Blackhawks on the opening game of the season. Savard shone as the game's first star, and the Habs prodigy was stung and embarrassed. The local press never let up and the cumulative effect on Wickenheiser, as Savard's star rose, was complete humiliation. Further along, Wickenheiser was being groomed as a two-way center and kept away from Guy Lafleur as a linemate. Checks on his character were given failling grades each year, as the player progressed to become a 25 goal scorer in his third season as a 21 year old. It still wasn't good enough, especially compared to Savard's 100 point seasons. Wickenheiser was shipped in a multi-player deal the following year. Had Montreal only let him play his game, perhaps the 6' 5", 220 lb center could have lived up to his potential. First overall picks are a rare commodity to an organization, and montreal wated the only one it had in this timespan.

6 - Corey Forces His Vision Upon Savard










Serge Savard was doing quite well for the team as GM when the man who hired him, Ron Corey, began meddling in his business. Under the former defenseman, the Canadiens had won the Cup in 1986 and made a return trip to lose the final in '89. Corey's background with the Nordiques hid a thinly disguised love of the Canadiens saintly image, and he did not like what he saw. Fiery coach Pat Burns led a group of players with mounting off-ice reputations. With Claude Lemieux as the reigning NHL's public enemy number one, and the bar strip scandals involving Shayne Corson and Chris Chelios, Corey sought to purge the Habs of bad-boy images. In doing so, Corey underestimated the guts and blood contribution of these warriors to the teams overall complexion. His meddling began when he forced Savard to deal off Norris Trophy winner Chelios, who'd been named one of the team's co-captains along with Guy Carbonneau (who Corey would later also have expelled for similar reasons). When the opportunity arose for GM Savard to obtain the Hawks Denis Savard, correcting an old Grundman faux-pas, Corey saw a public relations coup in the making and ordered the deal done. The headlines made for a big splash accross the media, but Savard, Denis, was in total decline. GM Savard never hid his contempt for having to make the deal, and his relation with Corey began to sour. Corey's biggest fear, was in being eventually replaced as team president by ever more popular Savard. Many of Savard's next deals shared the same theme, and faltered for the exact same reason. GM Savard found Chelios to be a cornerstone of the team, and hardly wanted to part with him. Watching Chelios in 2007, one can only wonder, what if?

5 - Major Trades and the Captain Shuffle

In an attempt to breath offensive life and change the room atmosphere of the team, GM Savard parted with a string of players wearing the CH tattooed on their hearts. Guy Carbonneau, Eric Desjardins, John Leclair, Gilbert Dionne, Matthieu Schneider, and Kirk Muller were all dealt off for what seemed good returns at the moment, but the soul of the team had been ripped out. Finding a suitable character player to wear the "C" became an issue for the omnipresent media hounds to ponder. After Carbonneau's fickle finger salute earned him a ticket out of town, Muller filled the role briefly until traded. The team who hadn't traded a captain since 1962 was about to deal of a third in Mike Keane, generously thrown in as part of the Roy deal in 1995, simply because the team president felt an english captain was unsuitable. Ensuing captain Pierre Turgeon hung around long enough to transport a barely lit torch from the Forum to the Bell Centre before asking off the ship. Vincent Damphousse was fairly effective captain during the teams most dismal years. The combined multitude of trades and lack of leadership led to the team became ordinary, heartless, and dull in record time.

4 - The Housecleaning of 1995

With the Canadiens missing the 1995 playoffs in a strike shortened season, a panic mode set in. Team president Ronald Corey was aware of infighting amongst players on the team and wanted to make changes. GM Serge Savard preached patience, but when the 1995-96 edition of the Habs got off to an 0-5 start, Corey wanted coach Jacques Demers fired. During the 1995 calander year the Canadiens had traded away important team pieces, but those changes did little to avert the teams misfortune. Savard flatly refused to place the blame on coach Demers and refused to fire him. Corey couldn't understand that Savard was on the side of stability, and sent his GM packing as well as his coaching staff. What ensued was a debacle of major consequences that would send the team spiralling for the next decade.

3 - Hiring Inexperienced Puppets

In a bumbling showcase of ineptitude, Corey was left to his own devices and promptly hung himself as he scrambled to replace Demers and Savard overnight. It was a comedy worthy of the Maple Leafs worst missteps when Corey introduced the suitable replacements after less than a weeks search. The PR machine rolled out the BS promptly as the attributes of new GM Rejean Houle and coach Mario Tremblay were bantered about with great pomp and circumstances. They were both former Habs of glory, we were fed, so hence they must be proven winners. Initial reaction was somewhat tempered when Tremblay immediatly set a Habs coaching record by winning his first six games. Everything unravelled from there. Despite his faults, credit must go in some part to the coach who managed to steer this mess of a team into the playoffs two seasons straight. Had he been groomed for the job in any way, it might have prepared him to deal with the brick aimed at his face that he never saw coming. Houle was primarily a puppet of Corey's, who had no prior imput in the team and no one left to consult on matters of importance. He was also led blindly to his day of infamy.

2 - Dealing a Hall Of Fame Goalie on 72 Hours Notice

The Patrick Roy of 1995 was by no means a happy camper. He was essentially the captain of the team, while also being it's most controvercial dressing room member. After Roy lost an ally in Demers, his composure frittered away, making his play a shadow of its former self. Off ice issues were also at the heart of his unhappiness and he decried the trading away of several key team members. To put it point blank - he and Tremblay hated each others faces. Words exchanged between the two dated back a few years and the wounds were still open between he and the former broadcaster turned coach. No need to pour over the details of a certain December night in '95 - suffice to say only that it was destined to happen considering the relationship between the two. That was something that Corey never took into consideration upon hiring the inexperienced duo. No thought was given to repairing the burnt bridges - Roy was going to be dealt. Houle went back to the scene of a previous trade inquiry by Savard (Roy to the Avalanche for Fiset, Nolan, and Deadmarsh) and tangoed with the ever sly Pierre Lacroix and came out fleeced. In return for his franchise player, Houle was served three journeyman players at best. Little thought was given to upping the ante by negotiating with other teams, they just wanted the festering Roy scenario out of their hair as quickly as possible.

1 - The Alex Kovalev Hot Potato

The Andre Savard and Bob Gainey regimes were comparitively quiet as opposed to what had gone on in the years prior. With the Canadiens meadering towards a perenial middle of the pack team, there has been nowhere to go but up. A succession of halfway decent coaches came and went until hope sprung eternal with the announcement of Bob Gainey as the teams new GM. Both GM's have managed to stockpile a depleted farm system with a bevy of talented prospects. The Gainey era has been pretty much error and controversy free until the dark side of Alex Kovalev reared it's ugly head this past season. Has this enigmatic and moody player's situation been mismanaged? Does his personality clash with that of present coach Carbonneau? Could it be that Kovalev simply had a bad year? It is starting to look as thought the player is more bother than he is worth. Whether Gainey is able to ship him off before further internal damage is done remains to be seen. The issue is certain to remain a hot topic until it is dealt with in definitive fashion.