In Memoriam RIP Guy Lafleur (1951-2022)

[GordonHowe]

Lafleur underachieved his first 3 years with Montreal partly because he wore a helmet.......

“I started playing well as I decided to not wear a helmet,” he said in 1983

View attachment 534434

Somehow Montreal conned the Oakland owner to get him or Marcel Dionne in the 1971 draft

With Lafleur and fellow French-Canadian Marcel Dionne among the top prospects in the 1971 NHL Amateur Draft, the Habs' general manager, Sam Pollock, was keen to find a way to trade to obtain one of the top two picks. He persuaded California Golden Seals owner Charlie Finley to trade the Seals' 1971 first-round pick and François Lacombe in return for Montreal's 1970 first-round pick and veteran Ernie Hicke. Oakland finished last, leaving Montreal with the first overall pick. Pollock hesitated between Lafleur and Dionne, but chose Lafleur with the first draft choice.

An excellent choice.

And who got Marcel? The Dead Wings. Who watched a frustrated number #5 make repeated end to end rushes to little avail?

Moi.

Good for Dionne in seeking a trade. He too had a HOF career, with major, record breaking or close to the very top all time career numbers, toiling in LA Kings obscurity, and mediocrity, for most of his career. (Kings owner Jack Kent Cooke: "Now I know why all those Canadians moved to L.A. Because they hate hockey.")

FWIW, also ended his career, like Guy, with NYR.

I'm not a huge fan or anything, but Marcel was not a big man, and he produced, prodigiously, consistently, over many years. He never won a Cup.

That's always the stinger. The same can, and has, been said of Tuukka (by me, and I am not a Rask hater).

Enjoy them, appreciate them while you have them, and do me a favor.

Don't forget about them when they're no longer on the scene.

I believe it was Raymond who advised a teammate, fans and media forget about you. Quickly. Make sure you have your finances in order, and a plan for life post NHL.

Me, I'll never forget my favorite B's teams, favorite players, or indeed many NHL greats who did not play in Boston.

Guy and those MTL clubs were unreal.

God damn they were good.

Some would say the greatest ever dynasty, four straight Cups. Go through the rosters in those years. Multiple, jaw dropping HOF players.

I hated them, because, of course, no one could hold a candle.

And that hate screamed respect.

For so many, many years, the Bruins came up short against Montreal.

1988 and Cam Neely's dagger changed the dynamic, and things (blessedly) have not been the same since.

MTL hasn't won a Cup since 1993.

That's almost thirty years ago.

They used to be the class of the league in every way, winning Cups like it was a bodily function. No more.

Take that, arrogant, entitled Canadien fans. Take that, arrogant, narcissitic, presumptuous, insufferable, MTL media.

You really are the worst of the worst, in every posssible way. You always have been.

Canadiens have been a mess for decades. Last season's surprise SCF appearance was an abberation.

How the gilded have fallen.

But, and doubtless Guy will smile, they'll be on their way back with Jeff Gorton and chip on the shoulder Martin St. Louis (great friends with Tim Thomas,, birds of a feather).

Random notes,

 

[GordonHowe]

The thing with those 70s habs is that I think they were the pioneers of the systematic hockey we see today.

You had lemaire who changed hockey with his coaching style. He came from the bowman school. Lamiorello also made no secrets that he blueprinted the devils based on the Canadiens. Back in the 80s when teams were scoring like crazy, the habs still stuck to defense with coaches like lemaire and burns.

But as Dryden wrote in his book, lafleur would be the first guy to screw up a drill in practice. He needed to play to the beat of his own drum. Now, I never got to see guy play in his prime, but Ive heard people here mention that he was not that great on the PP either.

He just didn't sound like a systems guy whatsoever, even in a system like the PP which would be designed with offense in mind.

I guess what I'm getting at is that as heavily institutionalized the habs were, I feel like they still recognized that they are better off to give lafleur a free pass of sorts.... And I'm not sure anyone else in the league at the time would have got a similar treatment in the same shoes.

They gave LaFleur a pass. Scott Bowman gave him a pass. He earned it.

I read Dryden's The Game, too, and that's where I learned Guy wasn't much for set plays or practice. He was, apparently, an almost totally intuitive player. I rather doubt Guy would gain that trust, and that leash, today.

Much more is expected of today's players. They have to be decent skaters, possess skill, and play within a system. Even if they're fourth line or bottom pairing guys, they can't afford to be one dimensional slugs.

I would even say that a guy like Pasta, who, surprisingly (given his former, long time linemates), perhaps unsurprisingly (given his temperment), has either failed to develop a 200 ft. game, or is working on same. And he better do so. Yes, he's a natural goal scorer. But he remains limited in what he can bring to the team, because thus far his overall game has been spotty, at best.

If he doesn't understand what it takes to win, to truly be a complete NHL player at this relatively late date, given Bergeron's & Marchand's example, I don't know what to say.

He's improved in this regard. He's been a bit more responsible defensively, and has even thrown his weight around. But if he wants to be anything more than a pure goal scorer, he'd better wise up. Soon.

Not sure that's going to happen. I don't believe he understands what it takes, what it really takes, to win it all, or go for it all.

I don't think he's selfish, or interested exclusively in himself or his stats. I think he's a great, happy go lucky guy and a major snipah.

But Marshy and Bergy won't be around forever, and David needs to step up.
End rant.

Guy wasn't a student of the game, especially, though I'm sure he was curious, professional and scheming as the best NHL players are. I'm certain he asked his questions.

But, I think, at his best, LaFleur was the beauty of the game, personified, sans sandpaper to be sure.

He was the epitimome of MTL offensive DNA. Remember that MTL at their best were always much, much more than "the Flying Frenchmen." That was true, but you also had, oh my God, I can't even name them all.

I'm leaving out an entire group of lengendary, OFFENSIVE MINDED Habs, never mind Morenz, Richard, Béliveau, et. al.

IN the event,

Off the top of my head: Jaques Plante, Gump Worsely, Ken Dryden, Doug Harvey, John Ferguson, Serge Savard, Guy LaPointe, Larry Robinson, Jaques LeMaire, Bob Gainey, Henri Richard, Yvan Cournoyer, Doug Jarvis, Steve Shutt, Rejean Houle (used to love pronouncing that name), Patrick, et. al.

Damn, they were good.

 

[Lordstanley]

They gave LaFleur a pass. Scott Bowman gave him a pass. He earned it.

I read Dryden's "The Game," too, and that's where I learned Guy wasn't much for set plays or practice. He was, apparently, an almost totally intuitive player.

Which is rare, at his level. Which is also why he could never, ever be a coach. I kind of doubt Guy would gain that trust, and that leash, today.

Much more is expected of today's players. They have to be decent skaters, possess skill, and play within a system. Even if they're fourth line or bottom pairing guys, they can't afford to be one dimensional slugs.

I would even say that a guy like Pasta, who, surprisingly (given his former, long time line mates), perhap unsurprisingly (given his temperment) has either failed to develop a 200 ft. game, or is working on same. And he better do so. Yes, he's a great goal scorer. But he remains limited in what he can bring to the team, because thus far his overall game has been spotty, at best.

If he doesn't understand what it takes to win, to truly be a complete NHL player at this relatively late date, given Bergeron's & Marchand's example, I don't know what to say.

He's better in this regard. He's been a bit more responsible defensively, and has even thrown his weight around. But if he wants to be anything more than a pure, rather limited goal scorer, he'd better wise up. Soon.

Not sure that's going to happen.

He wasn't a student of the game, especially, though I'm sure he was curious, professional and scheming as the best NHL players are. I'm certain he asked his questions.

But, I think, at his best, LaFleur was the beauty of the game, sans sand paper to be sure, personified.

He was the epitimome of MTL offensive DNA. Remember that MTL at their best were always much, much more than "the Flying Frenchmen." That was true, but you also had, oh my God, I can't even name them all:

I'm leaving out an entire group of lengendary, OFFENSIVE MINDED Habs, never mind Morenz, Richard, Béliveau, et. al.

IN the event,

Off the top of my head: Jaques Plante, Gump Worsely, Ken Dryden, Doug Harvey, John Ferguson, Serge Savard, Guy LaPointe, Larry Robinson, Jaques LeMaire, Bob Gainey,

Great Post

 

[Fenway]

ABC/ESPN in their infinite stupidity did not air this tribute. I was able to salvage a record of it using my phone to shoot it off a monitor after the game.

 

[EvilDead]

Damn. That's sad.

Never got the chance to have ever seen LaFleur play. I consider that a lost opportunity given everything I have heard.

 

[Fenway]

Damn. That's sad.

Never got the chance to have ever seen LaFleur play. I consider that a lost opportunity given everything I have heard.

I will rehash 5/10/79 until the day I die.

As painful as looking at the tying goal is to this day the key is how he set it up.

The late Danny Gallivan says on CBC that Lafluer is skating gingerly and Don Marcotte takes his eyes off of him for a split second......



To our younger members, you have to look at the time frame. Too Many Men came just 220 days after Bucky Dent - it was crushing.

I honestly have no recollection of my drive home that night except remembering having breakfast at the Red Arrow in Manchester, NH around 7:30 AM. The waitress looked at us and said it looked like we had a long night. I held up the Montreal papers we had and she gasped YOU WERE THERE???? Your breakfast is on me.




Although separated by 300 miles, a border and a language, Montreal and Boston are remarkably similar. Founded 12 years apart in the first half of the 17th century, the cities are home to renowned universities, drivers who treat their turn signals as optional, and distinctive accents, such as that represented by the aigu over the ein the surname of Jean Béliveau, and the pronunciation of number foah, Bobby Oah. The two towns also have the curious ability to mingle religion and hockey.

In keeping with the French-Catholic origins of a city whose architectural landmark is the illuminated 98-foot cross atop Mount Royal, the Canadiens skate in vestments as much as jerseys, bleu, blanc et rouge sweaters often called, without a hint of irony, la Sainte-Flanelle (the Holy Flannel). The spirituality of Boston hockey is not as overt, but at times the Bruins have embodied the purse-lipped Calvinism of colonial New England. Harry Sinden, their longtime general manager, famously explored the concept of predestination when he listed his certainties of life: “Death, taxes and the first penalty in the Forum.”

Armchair theologians can debate if the defining moment of hockey’s most compelling rivalry—Boston and Montreal have played 899 games in 90 years—was quasi-sacred (“We didn’t know if the hockey gods were still with us,” Canadiens left wing Steve Shutt says) or verging on profane (“Complete screw-up,” says Montreal defenseman Brian Engblom). But it definitely was math.

Too Many Men. Three little words. Like Bucky F------ Dent, on ice.

May 10, 1979. Boston led Montreal 4–3, at the Forum no less, with 2:34 left in Game 7 of their Stanley Cup semifinal when linesman John D’Amico made, in conjunction with referee Bob Myers, a call as indisputable as it was ineluctable. In violation of Rule 18, the Bruins had too many skaters on the ice. Guy Lafleur scored on the ensuing power play to tie the game, which the Canadiens would win midway through the first overtime period on Yvon Lambert’s goal. This series was the de facto Cup finals; Montreal would roll to its fourth straight championship less than two weeks later, defeating the New York Rangers in five games.

Three Little Words: Too Many Men

An epic playoff series 35 years ago turned on a single penalty that forever altered hockey’s most enduring rivalry

www.si.com

 

[Fenway]

Dick Irvin reflects on fond memories of Canadiens' legend Guy Lafleur​

 

[Bruinswillwin77]

I will rehash 5/10/79 until the day I die.

As painful as looking at the tying goal is to this day the key is how he set it up.

The late Danny Gallivan says on CBC that Lafluer is skating gingerly and Don Marcotte takes his eyes off of him for a split second......



To our younger members, you have to look at the time frame. Too Many Men came just 220 days after Bucky Dent - it was crushing.

I honestly have no recollection of my drive home that night except remembering having breakfast at the Red Arrow in Manchester, NH around 7:30 AM. The waitress looked at us and said it looked like we had a long night. I held up the Montreal papers we had and she gasped YOU WERE THERE???? Your breakfast is on me.




Although separated by 300 miles, a border and a language, Montreal and Boston are remarkably similar. Founded 12 years apart in the first half of the 17th century, the cities are home to renowned universities, drivers who treat their turn signals as optional, and distinctive accents, such as that represented by the aigu over the ein the surname of Jean Béliveau, and the pronunciation of number foah, Bobby Oah. The two towns also have the curious ability to mingle religion and hockey.

In keeping with the French-Catholic origins of a city whose architectural landmark is the illuminated 98-foot cross atop Mount Royal, the Canadiens skate in vestments as much as jerseys, bleu, blanc et rouge sweaters often called, without a hint of irony, la Sainte-Flanelle (the Holy Flannel). The spirituality of Boston hockey is not as overt, but at times the Bruins have embodied the purse-lipped Calvinism of colonial New England. Harry Sinden, their longtime general manager, famously explored the concept of predestination when he listed his certainties of life: “Death, taxes and the first penalty in the Forum.”

Armchair theologians can debate if the defining moment of hockey’s most compelling rivalry—Boston and Montreal have played 899 games in 90 years—was quasi-sacred (“We didn’t know if the hockey gods were still with us,” Canadiens left wing Steve Shutt says) or verging on profane (“Complete screw-up,” says Montreal defenseman Brian Engblom). But it definitely was math.

Too Many Men. Three little words. Like Bucky F------ Dent, on ice.

May 10, 1979. Boston led Montreal 4–3, at the Forum no less, with 2:34 left in Game 7 of their Stanley Cup semifinal when linesman John D’Amico made, in conjunction with referee Bob Myers, a call as indisputable as it was ineluctable. In violation of Rule 18, the Bruins had too many skaters on the ice. Guy Lafleur scored on the ensuing power play to tie the game, which the Canadiens would win midway through the first overtime period on Yvon Lambert’s goal. This series was the de facto Cup finals; Montreal would roll to its fourth straight championship less than two weeks later, defeating the New York Rangers in five games.

Three Little Words: Too Many Men

An epic playoff series 35 years ago turned on a single penalty that forever altered hockey’s most enduring rivalry

www.si.com

Wow. I know obviously of the 'two many men' infamous call as my dad always brings it up but I've never saw the clip

 

[Fenway]

Wow. I know obviously of the 'two many men' infamous call as my dad always brings it up but I've never saw the clip

I was at the game as a fan sitting in the last row of the Forum. After the second period, it was 3-1 Boston and I confess I was feeling giddy.

When Montreal made it 3-2 the building was shaking and then they tie it up. Incredibly the Bruins take the lead again and then came the penalty for too many men.

Trust me young ones this was not a bogus penalty as the Bruins had 8 or 9 players on the ice for at least 10 seconds. I just remember the Forum crowd going nuts and screaming HUIT, HUIT, HUIT and you can see in the video how the fans reacted.

What is forgotten is in OT Dryden stood on his head as the Bruins had several good chances to win it.

 

[Bruinswillwin77]

Glad I wasn't born yet @Fenway

 

[Fenway]

Glad I wasn't born yet @Fenway

@Bruinswillwin77

After 1979 the Habs' hold on hockey eroded. They won a Cup in 1986 but their biggest threat was HARTFORD.

Their final Cup win in 1993 came when both the Bruins and Penguins got knocked out.

The 1993 collapse of the Bruins in the first round to Buffalo was shocking.

 

[caz16]

ABC/ESPN in their infinite stupidity did not air this tribute. I was able to salvage a record of it using my phone to shoot it off a monitor after the game.

Thank you Fenway. I was stunned that they didn't show the tribute, so disrespectful. He is a hockey legend and they choose to prattle away about nothing instead of showing it. I am disgusted and it is a prime example of how inept some networks are at broadcasting the beautiful game of hockey. They just don't get it. Give me NESN every time, Jack would have been passionate about Guy, I have no doubt.

 

[sooshii]

ABC/ESPN in their infinite stupidity did not air this tribute. I was able to salvage a record of it using my phone to shoot it off a monitor after the game.

@Whitesnake

 

[sooshii]

 

[Lordstanley]

Damn. That's sad.

Never got the chance to have ever seen LaFleur play. I consider that a lost opportunity given everything I have heard.

He would have impressed you.....The Sniper could turn the jets on at any given moment. I was scared when he got on the ice. Smooth skater with eyes behind his head with hands of a surgeon.

 

[KillerMillerTime]

I will rehash 5/10/79 until the day I die.

As painful as looking at the tying goal is to this day the key is how he set it up.

The late Danny Gallivan says on CBC that Lafluer is skating gingerly and Don Marcotte takes his eyes off of him for a split second......



To our younger members, you have to look at the time frame. Too Many Men came just 220 days after Bucky Dent - it was crushing.

I honestly have no recollection of my drive home that night except remembering having breakfast at the Red Arrow in Manchester, NH around 7:30 AM. The waitress looked at us and said it looked like we had a long night. I held up the Montreal papers we had and she gasped YOU WERE THERE???? Your breakfast is on me.




Although separated by 300 miles, a border and a language, Montreal and Boston are remarkably similar. Founded 12 years apart in the first half of the 17th century, the cities are home to renowned universities, drivers who treat their turn signals as optional, and distinctive accents, such as that represented by the aigu over the ein the surname of Jean Béliveau, and the pronunciation of number foah, Bobby Oah. The two towns also have the curious ability to mingle religion and hockey.

In keeping with the French-Catholic origins of a city whose architectural landmark is the illuminated 98-foot cross atop Mount Royal, the Canadiens skate in vestments as much as jerseys, bleu, blanc et rouge sweaters often called, without a hint of irony, la Sainte-Flanelle (the Holy Flannel). The spirituality of Boston hockey is not as overt, but at times the Bruins have embodied the purse-lipped Calvinism of colonial New England. Harry Sinden, their longtime general manager, famously explored the concept of predestination when he listed his certainties of life: “Death, taxes and the first penalty in the Forum.”

Armchair theologians can debate if the defining moment of hockey’s most compelling rivalry—Boston and Montreal have played 899 games in 90 years—was quasi-sacred (“We didn’t know if the hockey gods were still with us,” Canadiens left wing Steve Shutt says) or verging on profane (“Complete screw-up,” says Montreal defenseman Brian Engblom). But it definitely was math.

Too Many Men. Three little words. Like Bucky F------ Dent, on ice.

May 10, 1979. Boston led Montreal 4–3, at the Forum no less, with 2:34 left in Game 7 of their Stanley Cup semifinal when linesman John D’Amico made, in conjunction with referee Bob Myers, a call as indisputable as it was ineluctable. In violation of Rule 18, the Bruins had too many skaters on the ice. Guy Lafleur scored on the ensuing power play to tie the game, which the Canadiens would win midway through the first overtime period on Yvon Lambert’s goal. This series was the de facto Cup finals; Montreal would roll to its fourth straight championship less than two weeks later, defeating the New York Rangers in five games.

Three Little Words: Too Many Men

An epic playoff series 35 years ago turned on a single penalty that forever altered hockey’s most enduring rivalry

www.si.com

I don't know about you but within 9 months the Hockey Gods more
than evened things out with The Miracle On Ice.

 

[badbrewin]

ABC/ESPN in their infinite stupidity did not air this tribute. I was able to salvage a record of it using my phone to shoot it off a monitor after the game.

Thanks for having posted this. I'll be at the game tonight and if I can get some good clips of the pregame tribute (from a Bruins bench perspective), I will subsequently share as well at some point shortly.

 

[GordonHowe]

Here is the kicker....

If Montreal doesn't pull off that trade - How many Cups does Boston win in the late '70s?

De nouveau, mon dieu!

 

[GordonHowe]

When we played them in the 70’s, the Habs always looked like they had an extra guy out there they were that good. Guy was the player that always stood out. He brought his best against us and as painful as those days were, you had to respect him for that. The way he skated straight up the ice, fearless, won’t be seen again. Players today have no idea what the game was like back then. Much easier to watch than the system based mindless crap we see so often today. Guy scored a goal and didn’t jump around like a lunatic we see so often now. Today’s players are strong and are athletes for sure. Players in the 70’s like Guy, Bossy, Orr…..were true hockey players. Huge difference.

RIP Guy and God Bless your soul.

In a sense, he reminded of Bobby.

That is, with LaFleur out there, especially against the Dead Wings of the late '70s (our family still had season's tickets, but not for long), it seemed like MTL was on the power play. As you say, that's how good he was.

Mon dieu!

Why Is 'Montreal Canadiens' Spelled With an 'E'?

Short answer: Because it's French.

www.boston.com

 

[GordonHowe]

How can a person that has given me personally so much disappointment gain so much of my respect? Generally I'd hate that person.

Yet, being an old fart and cheering for the Bruins since 1970 it wasn't just Lafleur....it was Dryden, Serge Savard, Roadrunner, Shutt, Lemaire, Rejean Houle (who I had a beer with at Hotel McDonald in Edmonton at his suite when he was GM )

But with Guy Lafleur, he was the guy. You sat up in your seat, you grabbed the armrest of your chair just a bit tighter, you clenched your beer when he headed up ice.
And when he did score no jumping around like a freak.... couple glove taps and off to the bench.

Montreal loved him, we respected him.
He'll be missed.

Excellent post. Thank you.

Gee, I totally forgot about Roadrunner when blathering worship for those legendary Habs clubs of the mid to late 70s. They weren't so bad in the early 70s, either. I believe I also forgot Henri Richard, "Pocket Rocket." Bowman said if he could choose one guy to replicate across his roster, it would be Henri.

Whatever else, I absolutely love great hockey players, Boston or no.

How can you not?

The game -- aside from shockingly atrocious officiating, typically greedy owners (Hello, Mr. Burns!), the bad joke that is The Department of Player Safety, and the sad fact of Gerry Bettman -- is in decent shape.

But, those were the days.

Yvan Cournoyer - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

​

Henri Richard - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[GordonHowe]

Call me old school, but the lack of celebration is a such a boss move. It's as if to say in the most respectful way possible "that was easy.... Thats just what I do, and I'll do it again". It's actually kind of intimidating in a way when you play against guys like that.

Orr was like that too.

So was Barry Sanders.

Sick, and yes you can watch. Just hit "Watch on YouTube,"

 

[GordonHowe]

Great Post

Thank you, sir.

"Revised & Updated."

 

[Bradely]

I was at the game as a fan sitting in the last row of the Forum. After the second period, it was 3-1 Boston and I confess I was feeling giddy.

When Montreal made it 3-2 the building was shaking and then they tie it up. Incredibly the Bruins take the lead again and then came the penalty for too many men.

Trust me young ones this was not a bogus penalty as the Bruins had 8 or 9 players on the ice for at least 10 seconds. I just remember the Forum crowd going nuts and screaming HUIT, HUIT, HUIT and you can see in the video how the fans reacted.

What is forgotten is in OT Dryden stood on his head as the Bruins had several good chances to win it.

What a game that was!

 

[GordonHowe]

I will rehash 5/10/79 until the day I die.

As painful as looking at the tying goal is to this day the key is how he set it up.

The late Danny Gallivan says on CBC that Lafluer is skating gingerly and Don Marcotte takes his eyes off of him for a split second......



To our younger members, you have to look at the time frame. Too Many Men came just 220 days after Bucky Dent - it was crushing.

I honestly have no recollection of my drive home that night except remembering having breakfast at the Red Arrow in Manchester, NH around 7:30 AM. The waitress looked at us and said it looked like we had a long night. I held up the Montreal papers we had and she gasped YOU WERE THERE???? Your breakfast is on me.




Although separated by 300 miles, a border and a language, Montreal and Boston are remarkably similar. Founded 12 years apart in the first half of the 17th century, the cities are home to renowned universities, drivers who treat their turn signals as optional, and distinctive accents, such as that represented by the aigu over the ein the surname of Jean Béliveau, and the pronunciation of number foah, Bobby Oah. The two towns also have the curious ability to mingle religion and hockey.

In keeping with the French-Catholic origins of a city whose architectural landmark is the illuminated 98-foot cross atop Mount Royal, the Canadiens skate in vestments as much as jerseys, bleu, blanc et rouge sweaters often called, without a hint of irony, la Sainte-Flanelle (the Holy Flannel). The spirituality of Boston hockey is not as overt, but at times the Bruins have embodied the purse-lipped Calvinism of colonial New England. Harry Sinden, their longtime general manager, famously explored the concept of predestination when he listed his certainties of life: “Death, taxes and the first penalty in the Forum.”

Armchair theologians can debate if the defining moment of hockey’s most compelling rivalry—Boston and Montreal have played 899 games in 90 years—was quasi-sacred (“We didn’t know if the hockey gods were still with us,” Canadiens left wing Steve Shutt says) or verging on profane (“Complete screw-up,” says Montreal defenseman Brian Engblom). But it definitely was math.

Too Many Men. Three little words. Like Bucky F------ Dent, on ice.

May 10, 1979. Boston led Montreal 4–3, at the Forum no less, with 2:34 left in Game 7 of their Stanley Cup semifinal when linesman John D’Amico made, in conjunction with referee Bob Myers, a call as indisputable as it was ineluctable. In violation of Rule 18, the Bruins had too many skaters on the ice. Guy Lafleur scored on the ensuing power play to tie the game, which the Canadiens would win midway through the first overtime period on Yvon Lambert’s goal. This series was the de facto Cup finals; Montreal would roll to its fourth straight championship less than two weeks later, defeating the New York Rangers in five games.

Three Little Words: Too Many Men

An epic playoff series 35 years ago turned on a single penalty that forever altered hockey’s most enduring rivalry

www.si.com

Great stuff, however painful.

I would only rejoin,

Remember '88.

The tide turned then, and forever more.

The rivalry, fueled by repeated, decades long bitter loss at the hands of the charmed, smug, and seemingly invincible Canadien, was finally upended.

Since 1988, and certainly over the past fifteen years or so, the Boston Bruins have been the better team. les habitants have been, as noted elsewhere, rather a mess. As I also noted, this will likely change with the additions of Jeff Gorton and Martin St. Louis.


Till then (and notice how, in the first clip, Habs fans stand up. Like, through the entire game. Rising from their seats in histrionic indignation [naturally] or simply because they're rude effers who stand up to view an icing, never mind the people seated behind them. This was true in Forums one and two, and remains so at Centre Bell),

 

[pie19]

An excellent choice.

And who got Marcel? The Dead Wings. Who watched a frustrated number #5 make repeated end to end rushes to little avail?

Moi.

Good for Dionne in seeking a trade. He too had a HOF career, with major, record breaking or close to the very top all time career numbers, toiling in LA Kings obscurity, and mediocrity, for most of his career. (Kings owner Jack Kent Cooke: "Now I know why all those Canadians moved to L.A. Because they hate hockey.")

FWIW, also ended his career, like Guy, with NYR.

I'm not a huge fan or anything, but Marcel was not a big man, and he produced, prodigiously, consistently, over many years. He never won a Cup.

That's always the stinger. The same can, and has, been said of Tuukka (by me, and I am not a Rask hater).

Enjoy them, appreciate them while you have them, and do me a favor.

Don't forget about them when they're no longer on the scene.

I believe it was Raymond who advised a teammate, fans and media forget about you. Quickly. Make sure you have your finances in order, and a plan for life post NHL.

Me, I'll never forget my favorite B's teams, favorite players, or indeed many NHL greats who did not play in Boston.

Guy and those MTL clubs were unreal.

God damn they were good.

Some would say the greatest ever dynasty, four straight Cups. Go through the rosters in those years. Multiple, jaw dropping HOF players.

I hated them, because, of course, no one could hold a candle.

And that hate screamed respect.

For so many, many years, the Bruins came up short against Montreal.

1988 and Cam Neely's dagger changed the dynamic, and things (blessedly) have not been the same since.

MTL hasn't won a Cup since 1993.

That's almost thirty years ago.

They used to be the class of the league in every way, winning Cups like it was a bodily function. No more.

Take that, arrogant, entitled Canadien fans. Take that, arrogant, narcissitic, presumptuous, insufferable, MTL media.

You really are the worst of the worst, in every posssible way. You always have been.

Canadiens have been a mess for decades. Last season's surprise SCF appearance was an abberation.

How the gilded have fallen.

But, and doubtless Guy will smile, they'll be on their way back with Jeff Gorton and chip on the shoulder Martin St. Louis (great friends with Tim Thomas,, birds of a feather).

Random notes,

Sam Pollock was a genius.