Canadiens New Goal Song

Some enterprising fan has posted a short clip of the Canadiens new goal song at You Tube.

You decide if it is an upgrade over U2's "Vertigo"!

In the short clip, in which the monstrous new Bell Centre board is shown, the final, chanting part of the song can be heard amongst the screaming multitudes.

The "Hey Ho, Let's Go" chorus towards the end of the song is played, and no it is not the Ramones "Blitzkrieg Bop"!

The song is called "Generation" by the band Simple Plan. A clearer clip of them performing the song can be seen and heard in the second clip below.



My choice, (Hey I'm freaking old school, big time here!) would have been for someone to re-record Michel Pagliaro's 1972 classic "J' Entends Frapper".

The title loosely translated into "I Hear You Knocking" and a sample lyric from the chorus says....

"J'entends frapper,
Enfin ma chance va tourner,
Je suis heureux d'apprendre,
Que tout n'est pas terminer"

....which says "Opportunity is knocking, my luck is turning, I'm happy to learn, it ain't over yet!"

Other lines in the tune make the song is rallying cry of sorts, to get one's ass moving.

It would need a modern makeover, but I think it fits. It is very celebratory in certain senses.

Here's a clip with shots of a scruffy old Pag from Beloeil, the Gumper's neck of the Laurentian woods.

Habs Memorable Games DVD Contents Announced

Robert L Note: It was a strange day for me on Saturday, as I was time warped beyond comprehension, when it comes to Habs visuals.

My Saturday Habs saturation began when I received a copy of the Hockey Hall Of Fame book "Honoured Canadiens" from a friend who received a copy at a trade show last weekend. I had just finished my 12 hour shift at Sigma Point Technologies - my real job folks - and I was anxious to get home and finish posting the Canadiens 1925-26 season in my chronology of the Habs 100 seasons. I quickly skimmed through the attractive book, which documents the careers of all Canadiens players, coaches, and team owners enshrined in the Hall Of Fame. I'll be posting a review of the book in coming days.

After working on the 1925-26 season post, I needed some nap time. I awoke mid afternoon to bring my daughter to her hockey game. "Poke Check", I call her, notched a goal and an assist in a 3-2 loss. I crashed out again after supper, while watching the Canadiens lose the 1967 Cup to the Leafs on the NHL network. I had wanted to listen to the Habs - Senators game on CKAC, but the kids needed the comp for homework purposes, so off to sleep I went. I woke up again, just after 10 P.M., to see my oldest watching "The Rocket" movie on the documentary channel, I think!

The movie was in it's final 15 minutes, and my daughter then began asking me a slew of questions about the "Richard Riot". Needless to say, I was wide awake by that time. While You Tubing for clips of 1955 and Googling the same, I tripped upon the news of the contents of the highly anticipated Canadiens DVD set, coming out in early November.

In the course of the day, I also learned of the passing of actor Paul Newman, who played Reg Dunlop in the hockey classic "Slap Shot".

So, enough about my daily dysfunctional sleeping un-routine, here's the good news / bad news you're all anxious to know about.



















When it comes to classic Canadiens games, everyone has their preferences as to what vintage of contests suits their desires.

For me, I want the games I least recall, or have never seen, which means going back to when I was ten years old or younger.

Maybe if you are my age, and you vividly recall the last four or five Stanley Cup conquers, you want to go back in time and see the Rocket and Le Gros Bill in their prime.

All opinions considered, the Canadiens DVD of Memorable Games will both please and disappoint depending on your age.



















Late last season, the Canadiens announced plans for the DVD, and fans were invited to vote the team's official website, and choose 10 classics from a group of 15 games.

Younger Habs fans will be thrilled!

Here are the 10 games that won out in chronological order:

1960, April 24 - Canadiens beat the Toronto Maple Leafs to win their fifth consecutive Stanley Cup.

1975, December 31 - The famous New Year's Eve 3-3 tie against the Central Red Army team.

1977, May 14 - Canadiens edge Boston 2-1 in overtime to claim their 20th Stanley Cup.

1979, May 10 - The 5-4 overtime, infamous "too many men on the ice game"against the Bruins.

1984, April 20 - The "Good Friday" brawl game against the Nordiques.

1986, May 24 - The clinching of the team's 23rd Cup against the Flames.

1993, June 9 - The most recent Cup against Gretzky's Kings.

1996, March 11 - The Forum's final game against the Dallas Stars.

2003, November 23 - The Heritage classic outdoor game at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton.

2008, February 16 - Habs come back from a 5 goal deficit to beat the Rangers 6-5 in overtime.

The games not making the cut, were:

1976, June 16 - Montreal defeat the champions Flyers and launch a new dynasty.

1986, April 29 - Montreal beats the Hartford Whalers in overtime on Claude Lemieux's goal.

1993, June 6 - The "McSorley Stick" game in which the Canadiens beat the Kings 3-2 in OT.

2002, April 9 - Saku Koivu defeats cancer and the Ottawa Senators 4-3.

2004, April 19 - Habs come back from 3 games to 1, and clinch series with a 2-0 win over Boston.

The selected games range from 1960 to 2008, which basically covers only half of the club's illustrious history.

The wide gap of missing content from '60 to '75 is explained by the fact that television stations employed cost saving methods in the day, and taped other programs over the expensive reel tapes of classic games.

Hey, no one ever accused the CBC of having tunnel vision in terms of archives!

The DVD is hosted by Dick Irvin, Jr., and narrated by Canadiens legends from Jean Beliveau to Guy Lafleur. They take you back through time, as they recollect some of the most glorious moments they experienced in hockey’s most glorious sweater.

Back when news of this DVD set was first announced, I posted a pair of pieces on the subject. Many fans chimed in, e-mailing me and commenting in the posts, and were extremely kind in helping to ascertain what actually happened to games from.

You can check the full contents of those posts here, and here.

















My main disappointment of the DVD is in regards to the absense of the Canadiens late 1960's triumphs, and the wins in 1971 and 1973 over the Chicago Blackhawks. Both those two early 1970's Cup wins are very dear to me, as I was 9 and 11 years old when they happened.

Two friends have since helped out, in understanding what became of those classic games.

T.C. Denault of Habs World and The Hockey News, has long been tracking Candiens video content from the so called "missing years".

In one of the links above, T.C. details why the games were lost, and what is available if one choose to pursue finding them.

At the time of posting, T.C. wrote: "The oldest known complete Habs game known to exist is game three of the 1959 Stanley Cup finals against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The cup clinching game (game number five is also around). Sadly, there are a limited amount of games from this point on until 1975 that are known to exist. This is a list of what is known to be still around from this time period. Keep in mind that this list is compiled from hockey game trading websites (obviously the sale of games is against current copyright laws). After 1975 and with the advent of VCR's many games have become available but there are some exceptions."
















Reader Phil L also wrote concerning the lost games. He has audio cassette copies of broadcasts from the Chicago series that he will be sending to me on DVD. Somehow, someway, I will upload them to the site for the enjoyment of all those with a hankering to hear Danny Gallivan's classic play by play of those classic wins.

Luckily for fans of archived Canadiens content, there will be more glimpses in to the past via two additional sources within the next year.

It was recently announced that a movie, entitled "Pour toujours, Les Canadiens" (Canadiens, Forever) was being shot on location in Montreal. The movie chronicles the special relationship between the club and it's fans. The storyline is set in the present, and involves of a young hospitalized boy in the city, who meets current Canadiens players during his recovery. The boy's father, a film maker, is busy with making a documentary on the Canadiens 100 year history, and the movie will feature clips that the father is working on.

Another project that has been mentioned of late, is in fact set to be a documetary involving this seasons celebrating of the club's 100th anniversary. Word is that it will be available on DVD as well, and will also feature clips from the past as well as the as yet to unfold season.

Should a 25th Stanley Cup by chance be scripted into the unfoldings, this DVD could really be one sweet treat for fans!

When further details emerge on the all Habs DVD front, I'll do my best to make the news available here.






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1925-26 All That Could Stop Georges Vezina

Changes on the Montreal hockey scene that were viewed as significant prior to the start of the 1924-25 NHL campaign, perhaps paled next what occured in the city in this season.

While the NHL continued to evolve at a rapid clip, the natural order of things had a dramatic effect on the Canadiens.

All matters taken all together, it would not be business as usual for the Montreal Canadiens in 1925-26.

Compared to other professional hockey franchises, the Canadiens had been quite successful in outlasting all NHA and NHL counterparts since they began in 1909. Along with the equally solid Ottawa Senators, the Canadiens and their star players were constants on the hockey scene.

BUILDING A TRADITION

Through the years, there were few elements that would remain with the team annually through good times and bad. Team owners came and went. Arena's perished and new one's were built. The league itself evolved and grew. Rules of the games were being altered.

Stars such as Newsy Lalonde and Didier Pitre, who had long tenures with the Canadiens were ably replaced by the younger legs of Aurel Joliat and Howie Morenz. There were two Stanley Cup championships to the team's credit, as well as three other appreances in the Cup final. First place finishes were followed by last place falls.

Through all these paradoxes, one constant on the team had remained in place, almost since the club's inception.

VEZINA WAS THE FRANCHISE BACKBONE

Georges Vezina may have meant more to the Canadiens than simply being one of the greatest goaltenders of his era. He was a solid as a rock team citizen, and in most seasons, even when the Canadiens formed lesser teams, Vezina's play helped the club remain competitive. When many of the Canadiens name players squabbled over contract details, the goalie known as the Chicoutimi Cucumber went about his business in a dignified manner. In 15 seasons with the Canadiens, Vezina never once missed a game.



























The game of hockey was a wide open offensive affair in Georges Vezina's time. In the first 12 seasons of his career, his goals against average never dipped below three goals per game.

Vezina seemed to improve with age. He excelled in an era in which rules were constantly implemented to increase scoring. While players scoring skills evolved and goaltenders were still not allowed to drop to make saves, Montreal's ironhorse kept posting better numbers as time passed.

As a 36 year old puckstopper, his average dropped from 3.84 to 2.46 in 1922-23. In the following years, when the Canadiens made the Stanley Cup finals, his average became a miniscule 1.97 and 1.81. He'd been named best goaltender six times in his 15 full seasons.

Known as quiet type who did not drink or smoke, his life away from the hockey rinks was turbulent, but disguised by his calm and cool demeanor. In the off season, he operated a tannery business in Chicoutimi while raising his large family. It couldn't have been easy. Tragically, because of the varying undiagnosed and incurable illnesses and deseases of the time - with infuenza being just one - only two of Vezina's 24 born children would live to see adulthood.

Not much was made of this by the private man who rarely complained. All he did was show up for work each day and stop pucks.

At 39 years of age, Vezina was highly regarded as the best goalie in professional hockey.

VEZINA DIAGNOSED WITH TUBERCULOSIS

For a few seasons running, the Canadiens had held their training camp as very welcome returning guests to Grimsby, Ontario. Situated just off the far west end of Lake Ontario, between Hamilton and Niagara Falls, the camp had it's perks for players, but in this season, Canadiens manager Dandurand decided to hold camp nearer to Montreal.

Vezina showed up for the Canadiens training camp in 1925 and seemed to be having a more difficult time than usual. After an exhibition game against the Victoria Cougars on November 18, in which Vezina felt ill, he decided he would see a doctor. Believing he had caught a viscious flu virus, the medic prescribes him several bed ridden days off to rest.

The Canadiens opened the 1925-26 season at home, and as usual Vezina was in goal this night. Through a very high fever and various aches and pains, Vezina shrugs it off during the first period. It was apparent that he was ill at ease in many ways. During the first intermission, Vezina has an arterial hemorrhage. Even though he had bled from the mouth and lost consciousness temporarily, he insists on starting the second period.

Starting the second frame, he slumps on the ice. He is carried off, unable to continue on.

Taken to hospital, he is diagnosed with a very advanced case of tuberculosis. Doctors inform the goaltender that his life is in danger due to the advanced nature of the condition, and that nothing short of a complete rest can help him. Vezina is hospitalized, but fights it off valiantly. He demands that he be taken to his home in Chicoutimi.

ONE LAST VISIT WITH MATES

In March of 1926, with his health and strength waning by the day, he calls for manager Leo Dandurand to bring him to visit his team mates, who are about to be eliminated from playoff contention. In the early evening, and at the usual time he always arrived in the team dressing room, Vezina meets with his comrades one final time. His equipement, his pads, his skates, are all laid out before him. He leaves with only the sweater he donned in the previous March's Stanley Cup final, and returns home.





















One week later, Georges Vezina passes away in his home on March 27, 1926.

Tributes, cards of sympathy and condolences pour in from fans and assorted hockey folk from everywhere. The team auctions off pieces of his equipment for the benefit of his wife and family.

In recalling the goaltending great years later, Frank Boucher said, "The first thing that pops into my mind is that Vezina always wore a toque, a small, knitted hat with no brim in Montreal colours - bleu, blanc et rouge. I also remember him as the coolest man I ever saw, absolutely imperturbable. He stood upright in the net and scarcely ever left his feet; he simply played all his shots in a standing position. Vezina was a pale, narrow featured fellow, almost frail looking, yet remarkably good with his stick. He'd pick off more shots with it than he did with his glove."

A TROPHY IN HIS NAME

Shortly after his passing, Canadiens owners Dandurand, Létourneau, and especially Cattarinich - the man who discovered and suggested he replace him back in 1910 - ask that the NHL create a trophy bearing Vezina's name, to be awarded in his honour for the season's best goaltender.






















The 1925 Montreal Canadiens, who have played in front of hockey's best puckstopper for 367 regaular season and playoff games running, are now tasked with moving forward and finding a replacement.

The team, most positively affected and distracted by his ailing, and eventual passing, will endure a miserable year without him.

NHL EXPANDS ONCE MORE

The NHL brought two more new cities into its rapidly expanding league by allowing the transfer of the Hamilton Tigers players to New York. The new team's creation was brought upon by the Tigers player's strike from the prior season. Hamilton team owners were caught in a bind, and felt that that following the player's actions, NHL hockey might be too big a gamble in Canada's steel town.

The New York franchise would be named the Americans, and the franchise was granted to an infamous bootlegger named Bill Dwyer, who then purchased the contracts of the Tigers players from the former owner for $75,000.

The league also accepted into it's fold a third U.S. franchise - the Pittsburgh Pirates. Hockey had long been popular in the state of Pennsylvania, where minor league roots had sewn a keen interest for years. The area was deemed as a good place for the NHL to set up shop, as old NHA rival Eddie Livingstone was in the midst of garnering interest there in pursuit of setting up a league of his own south of the border. The NHL granted the Pittsburgh franchise to the owners of the Yellow Jackets team that had won several titles in the area.

THE CLEGHORNS LEAVE THE SCENE

Prior to Vezina's illness and death, the Canadiens organization sought to bring changes upon the team and a big part of the makeover included bringing in younger players at the expense of older ones. Hence, the Cleghorn brothers, Sprague and Odie aged 34 and 33 respectively, were gone by the time training camp opened.

Odie, who had scored only 3 goals in 30 games for the Canadiens a season ago, was released by the Canadiens in September. He would sign on as a player and coach with the expansion Pittsburgh Pirates a month later. Sprague was traded to the Boston Bruins for $5,000 on November 8, 1925. The brothers time in Montreal had helped benchmark an era for the team, and a party was held in their honour at the Windsor Hotel following the announcement of Sprague's trading.

The captaincy of the team was thus passed on to Billy Coutu, who had spent 8 of his 9 pro seasons with the Canadiens.

The Cleghorn brothers would not play together ever again. Perhaps testament to their bond as siblings came shortly after Sprague's passing away in 1956 when Odie was found dead in his bed just hours before his brother's funeral on July 13. Odie and Sprague were very close, "like twins" according to Canadiens coach Leo Dandurand. It's often been said that the stress of the loss of Sprague may have been the main factor contributing to Odie's heart failure.

FRENCHY LACROIX IN WAITING

Probably lost to historical records are the reasons why the Canadiens sought to sign goalie Alphonse "Frenchy" Lacroix on the day of November 10, 1925. By most documented accounts, it was not yet known that Georges Vezina had taken ill, but perhaps Canadiens manager Leo Dandurand was simply exhibiting a similar cautious reflex in regards to Vezina's age as he had done in the previous year when Eugene Decosse of the Ottawa Royal Canadians was signed and almost immediately released just as the 1924-25 season was underway.

The 28 yr old Lacroix, born of french descent on October 21, 1897 in Newton, Massachusetts, had guided the U.S. Olympic team to a surprising silver medal in 1924. He'd spent five seasons with the Boston AA Unicorns of the USAHA. He may have been viewed by Dandurand as an insurance to Vezina's aging at the time.

Whatever the circumstance, Lacroix was on hand to relieve Vezina in the 1925-26 season's opening game after 20 minutes of play.

The contest in question, was the inaugural NHL game for the brand new Pittsburgh Pirates against the Canadiens in Montreal. Lacroix surrendered one goal in this game, but it was enough to give the Pirates a 1-0 win over a Canadiens team that might have had their minds distracted elsewhere.

Lacroix would win his only NHL game three nights later in Boston, as the Canadiens edged the Bruins 3-2.

SEE YOU LATER ALPHONSE

The team with the NHL's most potent offense from a season ago did not give much support to Lacroix over the next three contests. Consecutive losses to the Maroons (3-2), the New York Americans (6-2), and the St. Patricks (4-0) spelled the end of Lacroix's run in nets for the Canadiens.

On December 13, a day after the loss to Toronto, the Canadiens signed goaltender Herb Rheaume to a contract. Two nights later, he would travel with the team to New York and avenge the Canadiens earlier loss with a 3-1 win.

Rheaume was born in Mason, Quebec, and had spent three unspectacular seasons with the OHA Sr. Hamilton Tigers. He had enjoyed some Allen Cup experience while there, but had only played part time in the ECHA with the Trois-Rivieres Renards and the Quebec Sons of Ireland since.

RHEAUME DEBUTS AT MADISON SQUARE

Nevertheless, he looked to be a more viable solution at the time than Lacroix. In 31 games with the Canadiens, Rheaume would post a 10-20-1 record, with a 2.92 goals against average. He was far from being the reason why the Canadiens would have a disastrous season, as the team managed to score only 79 goals in his defense.

While Frenchy Lacroix remained contracted to the team for this season and another in which he only sat on the sidelines, Rheaume would ply his puckstopping trade in a myriad of minor pro leagues for another 11 seasons. The Canadiens solution as to Vezina's eventual replacement would have to come from another source.

Rheaume's first NHL game was also the first NHL game at Madison Square Garden in New York city for the new Americans team. The local media had made a big deal out of the game, and several papers were sent to cover the event. The owner of the Gardens, Tex Rickard, was perhaps one of the finer knows promoters in the U.S. People paid attention when he spoke.

HOCKEY BIG IN N.Y.C.

Rickard played up to the opening game for the Americans team and soon all of New York's elite came to attend the event. Here's how the New York Times saw it, in a report the following day:

"A team of bowlegged French-Canadian skaters from Montreal cut the ice in the rink of Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, into a fine powder. This way and that they swayed and slithered, passing the puck with flawless teamwork. A huge crowd of sportsmen, society dames, politicians, actors, editors, financiers, diplomats, discovered - as perhaps they had discovered before - that hockey is a pretty but not always a gentle game."

"The men on the ice, like the notables in the boxes, were celebrating the formal opening of Madison Square Garden. There have been preliminary events in the new Garden - a six day bicycle race, some amateur bouts, a championship fight - but the hockey was the fashionable start of promoter Tex Rickard's entertainment centre. Therefore, the notables in the boxes, like the men on the ice, had been led to display an interest in professional hockey, in "Les Canadiens," in the Prince of Wales Cup, which will go to the team which wins the league championship. John Ringling, Rosamond Pinchot, Frank Crowninshield, Mayor Hylan, Charles Sabin, Mayor-Elect Walker, Paul D. Cravath, Clarence Mackay, Mr. and Mrs. James N. Hill, Paul Manship, Sarah Schuyler Butler and innumerable others with printable names saw the Canadians in their scarlet shirts drub the New York team, 3 to 1."

While Rickard did not own the Americans team, he did manage to get a team for himself the following season based on the successes of the first Manhatten franchise.

TEXAS PROMOTER BAPTISES THE CLUB AS "HABS"

Popular myth has it that around this time, Rickard, of all people, was quizzed on the meaning of the "H" in the Canadiens "CH" logo. Misunderstanding the origins of the Canadiens club ownership, Rickard unassumingly tied it to the word "Habitants". The loud and brash born Texan, who had been all over every corner of North America in his promotional travels, had encountered the word whilst in the Province of Quebec at one time. Knowing that it was derived from a reference meaning something along the lines of rural farm boys as he understood it, Rickard, figuring this was where most of the Canadiens players where from, began using the term "Habitants", later shortened to simply "Habs".



















Rickard could not have known that the "H" in the club's logo was simply an initial for the word "hockey in the name "Club de Hockey Canadiens", as the team had been incorporated long before he came onto the NHL scene.

MORENZ AND JOLIAT LEAD THE WAY

Beyond the Canadiens intial troubles finding a replacement in goal for the ailing Vezina, they had to contend with a busier and longer schedule than before, and how they would go about using players within an evolving game.

Eighteen players would dress for the Canadiens this season, the most ever in one year up until this season.

The Canadiens better offensive talents, Morenz and Joliat, would contribute respectable seasons given the changing and difficult circumstances. They would finish slightly behind last season's pace in scoring, in sixth and eighth place respectively. Morenz accounted for 23 goals and 3 assists while Joliat notched 17 goals and 9 assists. Together the pair counted for just over half the team's tallies in this year.

Billy Boucher saw his goal standard drop from 17 to 8, as he was outscored in the team's ranking by a rookie defenseman named Albert Leduc, who contributed 10 markers.

THE ARRIVAL OF LEDUC, LEPINE AND LAROCHELLE

Leduc, nicknamed "Battleship" for his relentless combativity, was a 23 year old Valleyfield, Quebec prospect, and one of nine new players who would don the Canadiens colours for this season.

Among the other eight first year players, were a pair of keepers that would play large roles for the Canadiens over the next decade.

Alfred "Pit" Lepine was signed as a free agent by Montreal, November 13, 1925. A product of the local Montreal Nationale club, Pit was a goal scorer and a strong player in the rink's corners. At 24, he would be key in helping build a solid line to back up the Morenz line for years to come.

Wildor Larochelle was a stocky right winger of 19 years would be groomed to play alongside Lepine. The Sorel, Quebec born player were merely a prospect at this time, and contributed 2 goals and an assist for the Canadiens. Signed as a free agent by Montreal, November 23, 1925., his role would grow into a more pivotal one as they years went on.

Hec Lepine was Pit's 28 year old brother who was signed as a free agent by Montreal, December 29, 1925. He would only appear this one season with the Canadiens and add 5 goals.

DANDURAND FILLS OUT LINEUP

The remaining rookies and part time players were spares and injury replacements, signed up on a game by game basis by Dandurand based upon requirement at the time.
They were Bill Holmes, Roger Cormier, Rollie Paulhus, John McKinnon and Joe Matte.






















Paulhus was free agent signing by Montreal, November 16, 1925 and was in training camp to start the season. He would appear in 33 of the team's 36 games without adding a point.

McKinnon was signed in training camp as a free agent by Montreal, November 23, 1925. The Canadiens retained his rights despite him anly playing 2 games, and he was traded to Pittsburgh for cash early the following season.

Holmes was signed as a free agent after being released by NY Americans, December 25, 1925. He would take part in 9 Canadiens games.

Cormier signed as a free agent on January 15, 1926, the same day the Canadiens added Matte on waivers from Boston on January 15, 1926. Cormier would play but one game while Matte would see action in six.

Dave Ritchie was signed as a free agent, and returned to Montreal for another short two game stint beginning January 13, 1926.

INJURIES SINK HABS

A rash of mid season injuries and desperate player signings had much to do with the Canadiens free fall that took place at this time. The Canadiens brought their season record to 8-6 with a 2-1 win over the New York Americans on January 13. They would go 2-5-1 over the next month, as injuries mounted. From February 13, up until a March 13 game at the Forum versus the Maroons, the Canadiens lost a team record 12 straight games. They revived some on March 16, to beat the St. Patricks 6-1 at home to finish out a disastrous season.

WILD MID 20'S HOCKEY

There was no era in the game quite like the mid 1920's, when hockey spread like wildfire. Great stars were emerging from everywhere it seemed and the popularity of the sport took it into incharted waters. The daring times, where a buck was made fast, or just as quickly lost, was captivating for the risk takers and big money gamblers of the day.

The fate of teams in this time could change quickly. The story of the Hamilton Tigers is just one example. The Montreal Maronns were another.

The second to last place Maroons 1925, catapulted to one of the NHL's best teams in one year. Rookie Nels Stewart came seemingly out of nowhere to propel his team into the league's upper echelons, winning the scoring title, the Hart Trophy, and potting 34 goals in 36 games to boost his team. Maroons GM Eddie Girard also signed defensemen Babe Siebert and Dunc Munro, a former Olympian to contracts. The Maroons were on their way to glory.

In Ottawa, T.P. Gorman and Ted Day sold the team to Franklin Ahearn, who hired a host of good hockey people to jumpstart the Seantors. Ne coach Alex Curry was quite successful, as he took a team that had gone from fourth overall to first with an impressive record of 24–8–4.

The Pirates, with a cast that included stars Lionel Conacher and goalie Roy Worters, finished a strong third.

The second place Maroons took out the Pirates 6-4 in a two game total goals series and then went on to undo the top seeded Senators 2 goals to 1 over two games. The Maroons were awarded the Prince of Wales Trophy and won the right to play the Victoria Cougars for the Stanley Cup.

FINAL NHL TRIP WEST BRINGS ANOTHER STANLEY TO CITY OF MONTREAL

This would be the last season that saw challengers from outside of the NHL compete for the Stanley Cup, and once again, the Victoria Cougars would emerge as Western Hockey League champions. After the 1926 playoffs, the WHL, formerly the WCHL, would fold leaving the Cup entirely to the NHL, never again to be challenged for by a non NHL team.
















In the final Cup showdown, Nels Stewart was again the star, scoring six goals in the Cup final as the Maroons downed the Cougars 3 games to 1.

The Stanley Cup was returning to Montreal in 1926, only the Canadiens would have to watch their cross town rivals be toasted only two seasons into their existance.

NEWSY DOES THE HABS A FAVOR

With the collapse of western hockey league, a dozen quality players were available for the NHL's taking. Starting in the 1926-27 season, new players would be spread across the league, leading to further club expansion.

Former Canadiens great Newsy Lalonde gave the Habs some good advice, recommending team mate George Hainsworth as the solution to the team's goaltending woes. Smartly, Leo Dandurand took Lalonde up on his word, and signed the Saskatoon Crescents stopper in August. The signing turned out to be not a moment too soon, as Hainsworth was also sought out by the Toronto St. Patricks.

Soon it would be revealed that Hainsworth was in fact property of both the Canadiens and St. Pats, and a complicated decison on the matter awaited the NHL governors.

Hainsworth would help the Canadiens replace themselves among the league elite in short order, and would to be more than a worthy heir apparent to the legacy of Georges Vezina.

Habs Should Package Kids For Impact Player

The Canadiens 2008-09 training camp is at it's midway point, and other than a dismal first game showing against Boston, the team's performance has been excellent. Without once yet having iced a squad remotely reminiscent of last season's lineup, the Habs have fared well enough that one could envision them starting the season with either of the rookie laden groups they have dressed in the past three games.

I mean really, what are they to do with all of these kids coming through the woodwork?

It's a beauty of a problem to have if you happen to be Bob Gainey.

So far in exhibition games, it is clear that if this were any other season in which the Canadiens weren't so set and stacked, a good four or five rookies and prospects would be termed as NHL ready.

Matt D' Agnostini looks as though he could be a 15 to 20 goal scorer on about 15 NHL clubs starting this season.

Max Pacioretty is both physically and mentally at a big league level despite only being 19 years of age.

The performances of defensemen P.K. Subban and Yannick Weber tell of great futures so far.

The potential of center Ben Maxwell has shown itself greatly, especially when his talents are combined with those of solid NHL'ers.

And they have only been the best of the best thus far.






















There are also players with last names like Desharnais, Beauregard, Carle, Desjardins, Trotter and Stewart who have made strong impressions in a short time.

All could one day be in the NHL.

The 11 players named here, are primarily just the sharper tip of the iceberg for the Canadiens, and the reality is that they cannot all fit into the club's future plans.

The problem for a smiling Gainey is that the inner competition amongst these one day Habs is that it will bring out the best in them. Open spots on the club currently are more rare than Beatles reunion rumours.

The downside is that many of these players will walk from the team in time, returning little in terms of value. They will be flipped for draft picks down the line at best.

An interesting solution might have presented itself in the sheer numbers of these cumulative talents, as individually their worth would tend to be less than their combined value as a whole.

The Canadiens should make some decisions, perhaps premature, and roll the dice, in order to acquire a player that could not only take them to a higher level, but keep them there for a good long haul.

I bring this up because I see a pair of clubs - Pittsburgh and Detroit - screening the Canadiens Stanley Cup visions.

To ask why, is to understand that the Habs have no players in the Ovechkin, Crosby, Malkin, Zetterberg, and Datsyuk class within their ranks.

Adding a player of that high calibre, would go a long way towards ensuring that the club maintains annual Stanley Cup aspirations.

Mind you, I think this current team is capable right this season, with its current configuration, to go all the way.

But I'm a Habs fan, and I can only think in terms of dynasties. One Cup, only brings a thirst for more, hence my long term view that gaining a markee player suits that need best.

As I see it, in the short or long term, the Canadiens will need a player of absolute character, force, and value. A player that might well define the team identity, beyond the current Koivu and Kovalev regime.

















I envision the idea of such a player as being capable of producing between 85 and 100 points annually for the next decade, or close to it. Someone to measure up against the likes of Ovechkin, Crosby, Malkin, Zetterberg, and Datsyuk.

The Canadiens can only gain such a player via three methods.

1 - Drafting a prospect in the top three spots over the next two seasons.

2 - Making a trade for such a high pick.

3 - Acquiring via the trade route, an already established player who could fill this need.

For option number 1 to happen, the Canadiens would need to be the Islanders, Maple Leafs, Thrashers or Kings. File that scenario under "Not Gonna Happen".

Option two is more likely, in that the Habs could package a group of a half dozen bodies of promise, and gain a lottery pick in the draft that could turn out to be more than the sum of it's parts.

The most immediate route is obviously the most salacious. Acquire a bona fide NHL star - rising or established.

Names - you want: Kovalchuk, Gaborik, Morrow, Kopitar, or Getzlaf. (There are others, but I digress!)

Placed in the Canadiens shoes, I would not part with Pacioretty, McDonough, Yemelin or Maxwell. Other prospects are negotiable.

The bait offered- an alluring bevy of Habs prospects with a pinch of current regulars tossed in.

























Here's the card I would play if I were Gainey:

2006 first round pick, defenseman David Fischer.

Jaroslav Halak.

The rights to Alexandre Perezhogin.

A choice between center Ryan White and winger Matt D' Agnostini.

A choice between Subban and Weber.

A choice between centers Lapierre and Chipchura.

A choice between Mathieu Dandeneault and Tom Kostopoulos.

The possible flip flop of draft choices in 2009 or 2010.

Depending on the trading partner, I'd want Gainey to consider adding an alternative, in the name of a roster player or second round pick.


You might ask why I would be willing to see the club part with so many assets to gain but one player.

My answer involves calculated risk, but I always see it in the sense that the club gaining the best player in a deal is usually the winner.

Of the options available above, if I were to be another clubs GM, I'd grab the following.

White as he is a centerman, over D' Agnostini, because he is a better skater and shows more two way responsability.

Subban over Weber, for reasons incurring grit, charisma, and nationality.

Lapierre over Chipachura in regards to experience, skating skills, and attitude.

Kostopoulos, for his age over Dandy, and his willingness to go to no end for team mates.

I'd also say "NO" to the flip of choices, or at best retain the option.

In the final tally, a deal for the likes of Kovalchuk, Gaborik, Morrow, Kopitar, or Getzlaf would boil down to Fischer, Halak, Perezhogin, White, Subban, Lapierre, and Kostopoulos.

All told, seven bodies for a franchise player.

Which trigger would you pull?

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Can It Fournier! - You're Hurting Butch Bouchard's Chances

Former NHL referee and current CKAC radio personality Ron Fournier is quite an act.

Fournier has a call in radio show on CKAC that more often than not turns into a personal podium for his soliloquy's and rants.

The long time former ref is a knowledgable, intelligent, often personable and very informed breath of hot air who never fails to forget that listeners are calling in to offer their takes, and not to hear his views expounded for the umpteenth time.

The man could be great on air, but he's quickly tedious as he can't help be his own worst enemy at times. Listening to him can be an equally alluring, yet frustrating experience.

A typical Fournier set up for callers offers a provative question, balanced with his insider's insight into the subject, followed by an almost scripted interjection by the ref.

A caller will be about to either make an interesting point, or deviate from Fournier's opinion, when the old zebra's loud cacophonous machine gun like stutter of hard consonant letters wails in from left field to end what ought to have been a conversation, leaving nothing but a monlogue to ensue in it's wake.

Fournier holds no prisoners, regardless of subject on his my way or the highway show.

Many people are of the opinion that he is little more than a self promoting, aggrandizing, pompous, arrogant ass.

He isn't. He's just a passionate hockey fan, like you and I, minus every once of self-realization.

Plainly said, the man has no clue as to how others perceive him.

This past evening, a young listener phoned in to chat about P.K. Subban. He was bringing up the prospect's chances of making the team. Fournier misunderstood him as speaking of "Perezhogin" and dismissed the poor kid's feelings in a slam.





















For two seasons now, I have listened as Fournier has appointed himself the lone crusader for having Emile "Butch" Bouchard's number 3 jersey retired. Perhaps he has been at it even longer.

Fournier has been incessant and obsessed in his goal. He's had my ear every time he mentions the name of the Canadiens great defenseman, because I too, believe the octagenerian Butch is about 40 years overdue to receive the honour.

The merits of Emile "Butch" Bouchard are all there, in place, and the retirement of his number should have occured in the mid 1960's, in all rightful truth.

What saddens me, is that as badly as Fournier wants to help make this happen, he is preventing it, by his means of attack.

He's not unlike a schoolyard bully taunting you to gain your lunch money, who, upon the first notion of refusal to hand it over, goes for the kill in insulting your mother.

Fournier has taken the Canadiens organization to task - and at every possible front.

This has gone one for awhile now, and Fournier feigns being personally insulted whenever the Canadiens organization fails to grant him an answer he finds suitable.

He often offers that he finds it unfathomable, and unthinkable, that the Canadiens could have overlooked the career contributions of their first native Quebec born captain.


























Fournier truly has a righteous point.

The trouble is not so much the message, but the method belonging to the self appointed messenger.

He just never relents.

On the occasion of the Canadiens hockey club announcing a bevy of centennial celebrations, Fournier grasped the building of five outdoor hockey rinks by the team to make himself a new point.

True to his insight and acumen, the point Fournier again made, has merit.
Back in his playing days, Butch Bouchard, who was never a wealthy man in the days when hockey paychecks were an absolute ripoff, endeavored to finance and build an arena in St. Michel, Quebec.

Fournier uses this worthy note to again underline that the Canadiens organization are being disrespectful to Bouchard by not stating how Bouchard was a pioneer in this area.

The trouble I have with Fournier, is why is he making it so personal.

Again, later in last night's show, he made it a point to say he would not quit on the matter of Bouchard until he made it happen.

To Fournier's credit, he has done an excellent job of educating the general public on the sometimes forgotten Butch. Both younger, and middle aged hockey fans surely know Bouchard better, due to Fournier's twisted dilligence.

Perhaps the trouble with raising Bouchard's number, is that there is a logjam of equally worthy Habs legends whose ceremonial night may have passed them by. Goalies Bill Durnan, George Hainsworth and George Vezina could all have had their numbers retired, as well as forwards Toe Blake and Elmer Lach.

Fournier points out, almost nightly, that along with Eddie Shore, Butch Bouchard was the greatest defenseman of his era. Between 1940 and 1955, it was asumed that Bouchard and Eddie Shore were thought to be the game's greatest at the position. If Fournier's word is not to be taken, he has gone out and gotten a recording of Gordie Howe saying so.

The former ref also notes the absense of a Norris trophy for defenseman, which was only inaugurated in 1953-54, in the twilight of Bouchard's career.

Quoting former Canadiens coach Dick Irvin Sr. from newpaper articles at the time, Fournier points out that the coach felt Bouchard was his most valuable player in the 1944 and 1946 Stanley Cup championships. Of course this pre - dated the Conn Smythe trophy as well, which Fournier claims Bouchard would have won twice.

With three or four Norrises and a pair of Smythe's, who then would be overlooking Bouchard's number three in this centennial season?

Fournier surely has a compelling argument.

In addition to the unwon silverware, Fournier rightly underlines what a great captain Bouchard was for the Canadiens and their community in the day. Butch tenured as captain for eight seasons, but it wasn't merely the length that was and is impressive, it was the manner in which he assumed his duties that were remarkable.

Emile "Butch" Bouchard, as gentlemanly off the ice as he was commanding and fierce on it, was the Canadiens first Quebec born team captain. Fournier has sought both oral and written testemonials from team mates of Bouchard's era to further state his worthiness.





















By all accounts, Bouchard was the template for Jean Beliveau as Canadiens captain - a claim Le Gros Bill would never deny.

Fournier even goes the distance in garnering quotes from opponants in the day, as testemonials for Bouchard's crusade.

The Canadiens former defenseman, who turned 88 on September 11, has often said that the honour would be tremendous. He has rarely publicly mentioned Fournier's efforts, althought it is known that he has thanked him for it.

Where Fournier goes off the rails, is in atempting to humiliate the Canadiens at every turn for this oversight. He calls them into question at every opportunity, such as the outdoor rinks announcement just a few days ago. Each time the Canadiens honour another jersey, the tirades peak again.

Fournier has even been willing to get political about it by bringing the language nonsense into it, claiming that the english speaking George Gillett has no idea what Bouchard means to the province. Fournier plays that Bob Gainey, a former captain himself, is unthinkably disconnected to Bouchard's legacy as well because of language.

Simply reading about what Fournier has to say on this whole matter only paints a portion of his disgust. Listening to him and hearing the arrogant tone he brings to it, is a whole other bowl of cherries.

The feigned aralmity, the high brow superiority in remarks, sounds of imcomprehension in light of facts, and his unwillingness to consider other's opinions all play highly into the vocal charade.

The worst part is that beyond the merit of some of his claims, he's begun to be regarded as a broken record. He's like a close friend still complaining about his divorce terms seven years later.

It's likely he's gotten tuned out by those who might have once cared, because he has gotten downright cartoonish over it all.

Last evening, a caller phoned in with a question that was running through my mind at the moment he asked it. It went something like this:

"Ron, do you think that perhaps the Canadiens have chosen to ignore you personally and put this whole Bouchard jersey thing on the backburner because of how you are going about it?"

Dead silence.

Seconds later, the tone of Fournier's voice said as much, without giving notion to the heart of the question. He alluded that such would be unfortunate, while mentioning that Bouchard, currently wheel chair bound, may not live to see the day.

Clearly, Fournier has taken the wrong path, and chosen the wrong methods to seek closure in his crusade. Sadly, it is Bouchard in the end who is left waiting.

One might get the sense that others would come forth and help, but don't for fear of being co-opted by the Fournier campaign.

I, myself believe that Bouchard's number deserves it's place among the rafters.
It should happen in time, and it truly should have happened this season.

Fournier has a date all picked out in March, and pleads for it often.

Perhaps he should step back, and allow the groundswell he has created to follow through and get the work done.

Last November, I came upon a site honouring Emile "Butch" Bouchard that is truly remarkable. It has every imaginable angle of tribute to the worthy former player. It documents through photo's, video's, and other forms of remembrance and testemonials, the many merits of Butch.

All told, it makes the case.

Members of Bouchard's family have helped put it together.

Ron Fournier might even be behind it somewhere- I wouldn't be surprised!

Here's hoping that with or without Fournier's misguided assistance, or even perhaps despite it, Butch gets his day!

If you are interested in the career of Emile Butch Bouchard, the site in his honour is truly worth a bookmark.

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Debunking The Habs French Canadian Territorial Rights Myth

Robert L Note: Every once in a while, talk of the Canadiens old territorial rights rule rears it's ugly head. Once more, I got caught up in only days ago, and decided to dig up this older post and refangle it.

There is a popular myth, longstanding in fact, and more than likely perpetrated by decades of jealousy and frustration from other team's fans, that the Montreal Canadiens superiority from the early 1950's to the late 1970's was due to the simple notion that they had territorial rights to the province of Quebec's two or more of greatest hockey talents annually.

The myth has gained ground since the 1979 season, when end of the Canadiens last dynasty coincided with the passing of players signed or drafted in the 1960's.
But the myth that such Habs naysayers believe in, hockey fans and fans of truth, is complete and absolute bunk!

The small sliver of truth and fact behind the allowed Canadiens territorial rights clause, fails to back up the claims of those who have cried "No Fair" like whining children for years.

I first remember heading about this when I was all of seven years old.

Back then, I witnessed the myth being cemented into young impressionable minds around hockey rinks and in schoolyards by Maple Leafs fans needing a convenient excuse in explaining their own clubs decline.

I grew up with kids who believed it then. I know some of them as adults who still believe it today. I heard it often enough, that it made me question such a thing myself.

The twisted yarn is so maligned and full of holes, I've even heard it going so far as to include the drafting of Guy Lafleur first overall in 1971, as well as others, as part of it's myth.


























If the myth were true, the Canadiens would have also snapped up Jean Ratelle, Rod Gilbert, Gilles Gilbert, a couple of Pronovosts, and Gil Perreault among others. The possibilities are endless - they would have likely never lost a game, nevermind the Stanley Cup.

Often, when I am confronted by someone who brings up the territorial rights clause as the reason for seasons of Habs superiority, I ask the proclaimers to name a single player the Canadiens chose under this clause.
Most are wrong. All are stumped!

Looking back on it now, and on how the mistruths have spread, it becomes clearer as to why such lies would permeate logic, given the finger pointing nature of certain fans, who have consistantly avoided looking in their own teams backyard to explain their failings and consistent inferiorities.

It's almost as if an entire generation has agreed in unison that the myth would be their battlecry, their common shield of armour in the face of Canadiens standing during those three decades. One day, somewhere in time, a little light went off in someones head. I can almost see it now.

"Well no wonder the cheaters won all them damn Cups, the Kweebeckers got the two best Frenchman every year..."

I've long known the truth is othewise, and have long sought out sources that would back me up and explain it best, with insightful completeness, research and perspective.

One year ago, I stumbled upon a link to hockey historian and trivia expert Liam Maguire's site. As a Canadiens fan himself, Maguire has also been confronted with this myth numerous times, and sets the record straight. He has interviewed many on this very subject, including Sam Pollock, Scotty Bowman, Dick Irvin, Marcel Pronovost, Rod Gilbert, Yvan Cournoyer and numerous others.

It seems the origin of the rule is as old as the NHL itself, going back to wartime days when the fortunes and faith of franchises fluctuated annually.

Contrary to popular belief, the NHL did not start out as an Original Six league. Many teams came and went, existing anywhere between two or three years up to a decade, including the original Ottawa Senators.

Not unlike today's revenue sharing programs amongst sports teams, league members back in the day, found creative ways to assist in each other in the help for financial survival. Often this was done by way of player and monetary loans, but what team owners discovered back then was that locals stars filled seats to great capacity.

This fact was evident even in pre-NHL days, and especially true in Montreal, where a rivalry was built up to fullfill a demand for a french team to compete against the english Montreal teams of the day, the Wanderers and Maroons.

One year after the birth of the Montreal Canadiens, known then as Le Club Athletic Canadiens, it was decided that this would become the franchise that would cater to the desires of the french speaking clientele. Slowly but surely it filled it's roster with french names and proceeded to become semi-successful on the ice, but teetering financially off it.

Over time, the Canadiens became the only Montreal franchise remaining, outliving the Maroons and winning Stanley Cups in 1916, 1924, 1930, and 1931. It fought on through hard times and financial up and downs, and during a spell in the late 1930's, the team was on the brink of folding.

It was in 1936, that the idea came up to offer the Canadiens the exclusive rights to two players per year as a means of maintaining interest and ensuring financial success. A threat of the club moving to another city was behind the idea to help reinforce the Canadiens roster.

To quote Liam Maguire, "(It was) decided that the Montreal Canadiens could take any two players from the province of Quebec in a special draft. There was one rider however. None of these players could have already been previously signed to a C form (confirmation form) with any other club."

"At this time in the NHL and right through the late 60's amateur players were signed by NHL teams to C forms and then placed on their appropriate junior clubs or minor pro clubs depending on their age. The most extreme case of this was Bobby Orr. Orr signed a C form three weeks before his 12th birthday with the Boston Bruins. He was so young his parents signature was required. When he turned 14 he began playing for Boston's junior sponsored team, the Oshawa Generals. That's how Orr became a Bruin."

"From 1936-1943 Montreal protected 14 players (2 per season) through this special draft. Unfortunately none of them ever played a minute in the NHL. Reason being, anybody who could tie their skates and chew gum at the same time were already long signed by other NHL teams including the Canadiens who certainly wern't going to survive solely with this rule."

"The hope was that there would be a spark from signing a French Canadian kid, even better if he could play a bit. The thought was that this could help attendance and thereby help Montreal."

"It never did. What really helped Montreal at that time were two shrewd moves. One, a trade with the Montreal Maroons which brought them Toe Blake and two, the signing of Elmer Lach to a C form, who was from Saskatchewan by the way. He was signed after the Rangers passed on him. Lach attended their camp first."

The root of the myth may lie in the fact that just prior to the Habs landing Blake and Lach, the Canadiens first two stars were Edouard "Newsy" Lalonde and Aurel Joliat, both owners of French sounding names. Along with Georges Vezina and the Cleghorn brothers, these two succeeding hero's, who were at one time traded for one another, were important facets of the Canadiens success in the 1920's and 1930's.

What many may not know, is that neither Lalonde or Joliat was a home grown talent. Lalonde was billingual, and was born in my hometown of Cornwall, Ontario (a great source of pride!), and Joliat was an Ottawa born player, of Swiss descent. The Canadiens next superstar, Howie Morenz, was also an anglophone of Swiss descent, plucked from Stratford, Ontario.

In the excellent book "Lions In Winter", by Chris Goyens and Allan Turowetz, Joliat comments on his being aquired from the Saskatoon Shieks for the popular Lalonde in 1922. As Habs fans were upset at seeing a french speaking player leave, Joliat adds, "Still, it was easier for (GM Leo) Dandurand to trade for me than for a Dick Smith."

Maguire further clarifies the myth's mystique by stating that the reasons the Habs survived the 1930's doldrums had nothing to do with the territorial rule, and everything to do with Lach and Blake working out brilliantly with a player the Habs didn't have in their future plans.

"The rest of the league passed on Montreal GM Tommy Gorman's offer of a trade for what seemed to be a very brittle but explosive goal scorer named Maurice Richard. Richard had suffered injury after injury in his first three years of pro. Gorman tried to unload him but nobody wanted him."

"Needless to say Richard's coming out party in 1943-44 and the subsequent effect he had on the game in the next 17 years has been well documented but suffice to say, these were the three major reasons (Lach, Blake, Richard) for the success of the Habs over a nearly two decade span - not some bullcrap rule that, although was well intentioned, did nothing to extend Montreal's stay in the NHL at that time. In fact they were even worse in 1940 than they were in 1936."


Bolstered by the "Punch Line", the Canadiens would win the Stanley Cup in 1944 and 1946, but Maguire states that there were two other pieces to the puzzle that would ensure Canadien supremacy for the coming decades.

"It happened in 1946 and 1947, respectively. With the French Canadian rule now rescinded and Montreal rolling with two Cup victories in a three year span something else was going to be needed for the franchise to rise to the extreme greatness they would see in a few short years."

To the distress of Maple Leafs fans, they unwittingly assisted the Canadiens a second time, and in similar fashion. The first had been the firing of coach Dick Irvin Sr. years earlier, who continued to be as successful with Montreal as he'd been with Chicago and Toronto.

"Toronto owner Conn Smythe fired Frank Selke Sr. and Montreal quickly hired him. Selke had a vision about a series of teams in the minor leagues that would be stocked with players that Montreal would sign to C forms. These minor league teams and the players on them were soon to be known as a farm system."

"This was the origin of the farm system as we know it today. It took the rest of the NHL 2-3 years to catch on to this idea but they did and they've all benefited from it but Montreal had a tremendous head start and in some instances they purchased the rights to an entire league to get a certain player."

"They did this for Jean Beliveau and Bobby Rousseau. In Beliveau's case it didn't matter because he told the Habs to get stuffed anyway. He was happy in Quebec and there were only two players in the NHL making more money than Jean who was in the QSHL. That was Rocket Richard and Gordie Howe. Finally Selke was able to sign Beliveau in 1953 when as he put it, " I opened up the vault and said help yourself Jean!" Great quote"

"The move in 1947 was the hiring of Sam Pollock. Pollock came under the tutelage of Selke and finally in 1963 became his successor as GM of the Canadiens."

"In 1963 the NHL finally realized there were a glut of players, post second World War 2 births, that were coming of age to play in the NHL and even with the C form system, stones were being left unturned. For the first time a draft was implemented. There was never any thought that this would one day become the life blood of the NHL."

"In 1963 the NHL finally realized there were a glut of players, post second World War 2 births, that were coming of age to play in the NHL and even with the C form system, stones were being left unturned. For the first time a draft was implemented. There was never any thought that this would one day become the life blood of the NHL."

"At the time the six NHL teams would draft in a rotating order any player who had not signed a C form. Ken Dryden was a draft pick of the Boston Bruins. Boston traded Dryden to Montreal."



























"In 1963, the French Canadian rule was brought back for the Montreal Canadiens. It was not necessary, no question about it but Selke and Pollock worked a sweet deal and got it back on the books however the same rules applied. The player could not have signed a C form with any other team."

"From 1963-1967 none of the players Montreal selected played one minute in the NHL, ever. Finally in 1968, they drafted their first live one. A goalie named Michel Plasse."

"In 1969, it was determined that this would be the final year of the draft in this manner and the sponsorship of Junior A teams would cease to be. All players were to be 20 years of age or older and they would be eligible for a Universal Amateur Draft."

"Montreal was given one final kick at the French Canadian can and they made the most of it by selecting Rejean Houle and Marc Tardif. That was it for the French rule."

"By then Sam Pollock or Trader Sam as he was known, was working magic year in and year out on draft day and by flipping players in Montreal's farm system that had been so expertly set up years before by Selke and ran by Pollock, for draft picks. Players like Guy Lafleur, Steve Shutt, Mario Tremblay, several others, were selected with picks that Pollock acquired through trades."

This should clear up any misconception about this long believed fallacy, born primarily by frustrated anti-Montreal fans who for decades suffered through parade after Stanley Cup parade.

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