Some stories are told years after an event happens. It's the case for the memorable evening where Jean Beliveau scored his 500th goal, 40 years ago today, February 11 1971, at the Montreal Forum.

That night, Big Jean reached the milestone by scoring a hat trick, his 18^th and last of his career, against rookie goaltender Gilles Gilbert of the Minnesota North Stars, guiding the Canadiens to a 6-2 win. Jean Beliveau was the fourth player to reach 500 after Maurice Richard, Gordie Howe and Bobby Hull.

At the time, he was undoubtedly the greatest centre of all-time. Some say he still is. A bit over three months later, Jean Beliveau would have a storybook ending to his career, winning a 10th Stanley Cup, fifth as captain, in a year where the Canadiens were not supposed to be champions.

From different sources, I've put together this video of Jean Beliveau's three goals against the North Stars and Gilbert, the third being the historic 500th (the TV play-by-play call is from North Stars broadcaster Hal Kelly).

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So, did you get that 3D television yet? Perhaps it’s on your Christmas wish list.

As you might have heard, this Saturday’s game between the Canadiens and the Maple Leafs in Toronto, will be the  first Hockey Night in Canada 3D broadcast. A second 3D broadcast will be the February 20^th outdoor Heritage Classic between the Habs and the Flames in Calgary. After HD, 3D might be the next great television innovation to enhance your experience, to quote a recent series of articles presented here at Habs Eyes on the Prize.

 

Personally, I don’t even have an HD television yet, but I’m planning to get one now that the prices have gone down. HD and 3D might be great, but it seems these technologies haven’t created the same excitement as the arrival of color television in the mid-sixties.

 

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It’s very fitting that the Montreal Canadiens visit the Boston Bruins on this Veterans Day in America or Remembrance Day in Canada. These two teams demonstrated solidarity in different ways towards the battle for liberty during World World War II.

One of the prime examples of this was caught on film, after a February 10^th 1942 game between these two teams in Boston Garden. It was the final game for Boston’s famous Kraut Line of Milt Schmidt, Bobby Bauer and Woody Dumart before the reported to duty for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in Ottawa.

During the war, hockey players in the 21 to 25 age group were as subject as any other young Canadian men to be called up by the army. Many enlisted voluntarily. Other hockey players had joined the armed forces before them but the simultaneous enlistment of the Kraut line members, three star players from the defending Stanley Cup champions, was big news.

 

In the Krauts’ farewell, the line went on a last scoring spree, collecting 10 points in a crushing 8-1 defeat of the Habs. But it is the scene that occurred after the final whistle in this game that is most memorable.

 

The short clip below from February 10 shows Bruins John Crawford presenting gifts to the Krauts, then you see Dumart (14) and Schmidt (15) being carried onto the shoulders of both Bruins and Canadiens players while the Boston Garden crowd gives them a standing ovation. On-ice rivalry was put aside as the Canadiens joined the Bruins in supporting these young men, who were going to serve their country. On the clip, Schmidt, now 92, mentions that he was deeply touched by the gesture.

 

"The attitude, feelings of the Montreal Canadiens had, for the Krauts that night, they were fantastic. What more could you ask for. And that’s one of the things that I can remember clearly as if it was yesterday."

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When the name of Ken Dryden comes up among hockey fans, several images and thoughts vividly comes to mind. It could be that of the lanky Dryden's infamous pose, leaning on his goalstick, visions of an octopus-like stretched frame, sprawling to make a save, or that of his meteoric rise to hero status in mere weeks in the spring of 1971, as he joined a cast of Canadiens legends in defeating the heavily favoured Boston Bruins on the way to a surprise Stanley Cup victory. 

Today, is Dryden's 63rd birthday, and the images of his first steps with the Habs thirty-nine springs ago still resonate among those who witnessed them. Who could forget, the studious 23 year old Cornell University grad seemingly coming out of the blue to help the Canadiens to a 17th Stanley Cup?

As a tribute to Dryden, I chose this day to present video highlights of 1971 Game Seven of the Habs’ tremendous upset of the Bruins in the opening round of the playoffs, a game and a series in which Dryden was quite prominent. To my great joy, I obtained this rare and precious video earlier this summer from another Habs video trader and I am happy to share it with you.

Presented on the New England Sports Network (NESN) some years ago, the highlights are actually from the CBS television broadcast with the great Dan Kelly doing the play-by-play call and Jim Gordon doing the commentary.

The video shows five of the six goals scored on the April 18 Sunday afternoon game in Boston, which was won 4-2 by Montreal. I was able to edit my footage, adding a black and white clip of the game-ending Habs player's celebration and splicing it to Dan Kelly’s call of that moment. You will also see revealing post-game interviews with Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito that shed light on what a stunner the loss was from a Bruins point of view.

In Dryden's landmark book of his career - The Game - he recalled the final moments of that '71 series.

"A burning, freezing feeling. In my back, in my arms and neck, slow at first, then surging through my body. Hearing a referee's whistle, and looking at the clock - 0.32 - then at Orr, his stick across his knees, bent double, squeezing out the breath he couldn't find; at Esposito, sweat cascading down his face, his eyes, his cheeks and mouth drooping in weary sadness; then at our bench, standing, jumping, hugging each other, and knowing, for the first time, knowing it was over. Then it happened - seven games of feelings, too busy, too afraid to feel before, were suddenly released and swept over me, and for thirty-two seconds I got a rare and precious gift: I felt victory while it was happening."

Included below is the game summary where you will see that Dryden faced 48 shots in that game, which is over the 41 shot average he faced during the course of that series.

Dryden's performance that April and May remain cemented in minds of Canadiens fans, forever drawing comparables. As recently as this past spring's derailing of the league leading Washington Capitals, goalie heroics such as those by Steve Penney in 1984, Patrick Roy in 1986 and Jaroslav Halak five months back rekindle memories of Dryden's standard.

In the goalie's own words, he had, in a short span, achieved infamy in this series against the Bruins. Here is how he put it:

"Though we would need to go on and beat Minnesota and Chicago to win the Cup, though I've played more than four hundred games in more than six seasons since, in those seven games, games 7 through 13 of my NHL career, I did the only thing I've ever done that will last more than twenty years of a sports fan's memory."

For more on Dryden from Eyes On The Price, check out the following links.

Habs Robbed Bruins of Dryden in 1964

TV Broadcast Highlights From the 1971 Final Between The Canadiens and Hawks

Blackhawks and Canadiens 1973: Game One and Six Audio From a Classic Stanley Cup Final

Canadiens and Sports Illustrated Covers Over the Years

The Top 50 Montreal Canadiens Goaltending Performances (1-10)

Relive Dryden's 1971 Heroics 

Floyd Curry Discovered Dryden

If Dryden Had Been A Bruin

Also, from Sports Illustrated magazine, from the cover at left - page top, a great article titled "Brief Reign Of The Lordly Bruins".

   

Generally speaking, fans mainly become attached to the Montreal Canadiens and their players during childhood, a time when imagination is fertile. If you played hockey as a kid, you likely pretended you were your favourite Canadiens player: a forward, a defenseman or goaltender. Personally, I was Guy Lafleur when playing hockey in the street or the outdoor rink and I wore number 10 for my years in organized hockey. Perhaps you simply dreamt of attending a Canadiens game in person, with the possible thrill of meeting your hero.

Some filmmakers have put some of these fantasies in films, the latest being Pour toujours les Canadiens which was released in theatres last December especially for the Habs centennial and is now available on dvd.

Thus, Canadiens related fiction scenes are mostly about fans emotions. The scenes presented here can be happy, humourous, sad or magical. Maybe they will bring back the kid in you. Let’s go to the movies...

Part Two - Fictional Scenes

Clip 1

Just before the closing of the Montreal Forum in 1996, Radio-Canada presented a docu-drama called Le Fantôme du Forum (The Forum Phantom). This scene presents the main character desperately wanting to be at the Forum when Maurice Richard scores his historic 500th goal on October 19th, 1957. He has a mishap along the way, and it becomes his destiny to become one of the Forum’s ghosts.

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From the moment they were established, the Montreal Canadiens were not simply a sports team, they were also ingrained into popular culture.

The team’s eventful history and its significance to so many people has been documented through an incredible amount of written material. But the art of filmmaking has also been used to portray history and emotions related to the Habs.

Since summer is the off-season for on-ice real life drama and perhaps a time where hockey fans will go and enjoy a seasonal blockbuster movie, I thought it is an opportune time to present different acted fiction and documentary scenes related to the Canadiens, in a two-part series published in the next two days.

This first post presents re-enactments scenes while the second part which will be published tomorrow, will focus on Canadiens fictional scenes.

Part One – Re-enactments

Canadiens related re-enactment scenes mostly portray events from the first fifty years of the team’s history probably because, for a large part, it was an era before they were captured on film or television.

Some of my personal favorites are presented here in a chronological order of the time the action occurs. I'm sure they are more or less accurate re-enactments and historians might want to comment on that but I hope everybody will enjoy them for their entertainment value. Take out the popcorn if you want and let's go to the movies...

Clip 1

Presented as part of Hockey: A Peoples History documentary, this first clip shows the team’s beginnings in the 1909-10 season.

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Since I’ve connected with other Habs fans through the Internet over ten years ago, I’ve seen many who wished they could see complete games or highlights of the 1971 Stanley Cup finals between the Canadiens and the Chicago Black Hawks.

In the last two years, many readers of Eyes On The Prize have been lamenting the fact that such games were not part of the great Montreal Canadiens games DVD set. Since then, it has been explained that the CBC did not preserve complete recordings of these games. As for the American CBS Network who broadcast Game 7, it is unlikely that they have preserved a recorded copy.

Still, there are highlights from TV broadcasts that exist of the 1971 final. The most precious ones I’ve found are CBC highlights of Game 7 that were presented on a 1989 video called Great Plays from Great Games produced by Molstar.

As a Habs' fan, I’m always thrilled to watch that exciting short clip which represents the culmination of a magical playoff year for the Canadiens. That 17th Stanley Cup win for the Canadiens has been discussed at length in various books, publications and on the Internet. One online resource that is always recommended is the Habs official history website, and we’ve also presented a post here months ago about the Canadiens tremendous upset of the Bruins in the opening round, that included a Game 2 comeback for the ages.

To many members of the Canadiens and to the fans who were old enough to witness it, this triumph ranks as a most special one since the team was not favoured to win that season and had to overcome much adversity and obtacles to achieve it. Broadcaster Dick Irvin, who had seen every Canadiens playoff since 1940, has called 1971 his most memorable playoffs. It was a storybook ending not only for the Canadiens but also for the great Jean Beliveau, who had announced it would be his last season. Having become the third player to reach the 500 goal plateau earlier in the year, Beliveau closed out his career by hoisting the Stanley cup, for a tenth time and fifth as captain, a Canadiens record.

For the Blackhawks and their fans, the loss in '71 is probably the most heartbreaking one in team history. And while the Blackhawks took a 2-0 lead in games at home in this year's Stanley Cup final against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Chicago media recalled the spectre of 1971 when the team had achieved the same against the Canadiens. And, after five contests in this year''s final, the pattern of game wins is coincidentally the same as the '71 finals. The Blackhawks and their fans are hoping for a better result this year.

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In terms of NHL hockey fame and pride in my Northern Ontario hometown of Hearst, there is one surname that comes to mind and that is Claude, as in Giroux, currently of the Philadelphia Flyers, and Larose, a five time Stanley Cup champion with the Montreal Canadiens. The pair are pictured above as guests of honor during a 2007 hockey tournament in Hearst.

Hearst, despite it's english name, is a community that is 96% percent francophone, and Larose and Giroux are the first and third of three local boys to make the NHL. The second was Rumun Ndur, a tough defenseman who played 69 games with the Sabres, Rangers and Thrashers between 1997 and 2000. Nigerian by birth, Ndur arrived in Hearst at a young age, the son of a local doctor. In Hearst, a small but very passionate hockey town of 6000 residents, he learned to skate and played minor hockey. Three banners hang in the local arena arena lobby honouring their NHL accomplishment.

Larose was a rugged checking right winger who enjoyed 14 NHL seasons with three teams. He has won the Stanley cup five times as a player with the Canadiens (1965, 1966, 1968, 1971 and 1973) and once as a part of the 2006 Carolina Hurricanes scouting staff. In 2002, our municipality honored the former Hab by renaming the local arena Centre récréatif Claude Larose (Claude Larose Recreation Centre).

As for current Flyer Giroux, a forward with a wealth of talent, he has been garnering rave reviews since graduating to the NHL, especially in these 2010 playoffs. Many are predicting he will be a star in the NHL. With 16 points in as many playoff games, many will say he has arrived.

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On this day, 35 years ago, Guy Lafleur took the first big step in establishing a legendary career. It was March 29 1975, towards the end of his breakout season, that Lafleur became the third Montreal Canadiens player (and eleventh NHL player) to score 50 goals in a season. Among Habs, Maurice Rocket Richard had set the standard thirty years before in 1945 with his famous 50 in 50 and Boom Boom Geoffrion equalled that total in 1961.

Lafleur’s goal came in the first period of a Saturday night game at the Forum in which the Habs defeated the expansion Kansas City Scouts 4-1. Taking a pass from his centreman Pete Mahovlich, Lafleur fired a wrist shot past goaltender Denis Herron while teammate Steve Shutt was tied up with a defenseman in front. As the puck went into the net, the fans erupted and gave Lafleur a standing ovation and threw debris on the ice which delayed the game for a few minutes. Television cameras showed a smiling Lafleur exchanging a handshake with Peter Mahovlich near the Canadiens bench while a big starry number 50 flashed on the television screen, similar to the big 500 had been shown when Jean Béliveau attained that career milestone, four years earlier. Watching the game on television, the Rocket called the Forum between periods to congratulate Lafleur and wish him well in breaking the record.

When asked by reporters after the game how he felt after scoring the goal, Lafleur expressed relief: "That's it. I said to myself. I got it. It's in," he told the media. In the papers, many people such as The Rocket, Larry Robinson and even goaltender Denis Herron said that Lafleur really deserved all the accolades for his feat because he had worked so hard in achieving it.

By this point and peak in his young career, the 23-year-old right winger finally became the spectacular superstar everybody was expecting he would become since he was drafted first overall in 1971. The 50-goal mark was an exclamation mark to a great season. Lafleur had already made team history three weeks before in a March 7 game at the Forum against the Washington Capitals by becoming the first Canadiens player to record 100 points in a season. That game had been Lafleur’s first game back after missing ten games due to a broken finger and he registered four points (2 goals, 2 assists) to reach the 100 point plateau (his linemate Mahovlich reached the mark two games later). Again, Lafleur received a thundrous ovation from the Forum crowd. A bit earlier that season, on January 26, Lafleur registered a 4 goal night in the Forum against the Pittsburgh Penguins and his former teammate, Michel Plasse.

Here is a short video montage of Lafleur’s 49th goal which he scored on a tremendous rush, one game earlier on March 26 in Pittsburgh against goalie Gary Inness (a 6-4 Penguins win), It is followed by the clip of the 50th goal against Kansas City. Unfortunately, I didn’t find the original play by play call of these goals.

Lafleur's record-breaking 51st goal came the very next evening in Boston against goalie Gilles Gilbert (see picture below). It was a third period game tying goal (the game ended 2-2). "Yvon Lambert made a terrific play on it," Lafleur told The Gazette. "He gave me the puck and I had a wide open net. I just made it fast."

Lafleur would score two more by the end of the season to raise his team records to 53 goals and 119 points in 70 games. Mahovlich finished with 117 points in 80 games and established team records for assists (82) and points by a centerman, both of which he still holds today. Lafleur and Mahovlich placed fourth and fifth in league scoring respectively.

Lafleur would go on the become the greatest and most exciting player of the latter half of the seventies, racking up six straight 50 goal and 100 points campaigns, an NHL record at the time, that included improvements to his team goals and points records.

It was almost one year to the day, on March 27, 1976, when Lafleur again scored his fiftieth at the Forum against the Scouts and Denis Herron (Herron would be victim of a third Lafleur 50th in 1979). That season, Lafleur raised his Canadiens goals and points record to 56 and 125 respectively and won the first of his three consecutive scoring championships, and of course, the first of four consecutive Stanley Cups. Lafleur was the first Hab to win the scoring championship since Geoffrion in 1961. The following year, he set a new points record with 136 while Steve Shutt registered a new high of 60 goals, a feat Lafleur would match in 77-78. Lafleur won the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player both years.

Here is a short video montage of Lafleur fiftieth goals in 1977 (vs Buffalo) and 1978 (vs Washington) along with his sixtieth goal (vs Detroit) that same year. Again, I could not find the original play by play of these highlights.       

 

During the 74-75 campaign, Guy Lafleur became the idol of a new generation of Canadiens fans (myself included as I was nine years old at the time). It was estimated at the time, that in one particular hockey season, Lafleur had become the subject of 600 articles. Superstardom had definitely arrived. Lafleur started to make various TV appearances and he was featured on the cover of various publications including the 75-76 Canadiens yearbook with Rocket Richard and Boom Boon Geoffrion and many others, such as the December 1975 cover of the french Hockey Mag shown below.

In 1976, the first of several books on Lafleur was published, written by journalist Yvon Pedneault (shown below also). This galvanization towards a new hero even shows up in a movie of the time. I leave you with a little clip from the 1975 movie The mystery of the Million Dollar Hockey Puck which features Canadiens and Lafleur highlights from 74-75. The clip pretty much sums up the excitement of Lafleur, pulling fans from their seats, as he had began the habit of doing that season.

For a look back into the pages of the Montreal Gazette and the time of this Lafleur milestone, click this link.

While the Canadiens and the Boston Bruins are battling it out for a playoff spot this season along with other teams in the Eastern Conference, including the New York Rangers - currently on the outside looking in - it was 40 years ago, in the 1969-70 season, that these three teams, along with the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings, were involved in one the fiercest battles for playoff spots in NHL history. Habs fans will surely recall that it all culminated in what is probably the most frustrating and controversial endings to a season the Canadiens have ever endured.

For most of the 1969-70 season, the race was so close in that East Division between five of the original six teams that each of them had a chance to win the division title and, at the same time, was in danger of missing the playoffs.

For the 1969 Stanley Cup champion Canadiens, the scenario of missing the post-season was unimaginable, yet all season long, they never quite hit their stride. Three years ago, this site presented the dramatic story of the final weekend of the season that left the defending Stanley cup champions Habs outside the playoffs for the first time since 1948, even though they had collected 92 points (38-22-16) in a 76 games schedule, more than any of the West Division teams and the most ever at that time for a non-playoff team.

The bizarre ending to the season led to changes in NHL tie-breaking criteria and a division realignment the following season, as two new expansion teams, Buffalo and Vancouver, joined the league.

For the Canadiens and their fans, the storybook Habs Stanley Cup win of 1971 was redemption for the huge disapointment of 1970.

There isn't much video footage that still exists from the Habs' 1969-70 season, but, Boston television has preserved color highlights of Bruins games from that year, including four games against the Canadiens. It probably adds up to a good amount of what is available in terms of vintage Habs footage from that season.

Today, we present to you highlights of three of those games. These precious videos allow us to see many Hall of Fame members from both teams, and some lesser known players.

Of the three game's highlights shown, two were played in Montreal and one in Boston. The dates are November 29th, December 21st and January 31st. At the time of that last game shown, Habs and Bruins were tied for second place in the East division and they would remain tied, as you will see. Of note, the Habs won the season series (3-2-3) against the eventual Stanley cup champions Bruins.

Even though the Habs collected 92 points, their season was marred by injuries and internal problems. A number of games were missed by key players such as Jean Béliveau, Henri Richard, Jean-Claude Tremblay, John Ferguson and Serge Savard, who broke his leg in March. In addition, there were suspensions to Jacques Laperrière and Ferguson, a conflict between coach Claude Ruel and goalie Lorne Worsley (who was traded to Minnesota at the end of February), personal problems that affected the play of Dick Duff (he was traded to Los Angeles at the end of January) and the forced retirement for Gilles Tremblay because of health complications.

While the Canadiens and the Boston Bruins are battling it out for a playoff spot this season along with other teams in the Eastern Conference, including the New York Rangers - currently on the outside looking in - it was 40 years ago, in the 1969-70 season, that these three teams, along with the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings, were involved in one the fircest battles for playoff spots in NHL history. Habs fans will surely recall that it all culminated in what is probably the most frustrating and controversial endings to a season the Canadiens have ever endured.

For most of the 1969-70 season, the race was so close in that East Division between five of the original six teams that each of them had a chance to win the division title and, at the same time, was in danger of missing the playoffs.

For the 1969 Stanley Cup champion Canadiens, the scenario of missing the post-season was unimaginable, yet all season long, they never quite hit their stride. Three years ago, this site presented the dramatic story of the final weekend of the season that left the defending Stanley cup champions Habs outside the playoffs for the first time since 1948, even though they had collected 92 points (38-22-16) in a 76 games schedule, more than any of the West Division teams and the most ever at that time for a non-playoff team.

The bizarre ending to the season led to changes in NHL tie-breaking criteria and a division realignment the following season, as two new expansion teams, Buffalo and Vancouver, joined the league.

For the Canadiens and their fans, the storybook Habs Stanley Cup win of 1971 was redemption for the huge disapointment of 1970.

There isn't much video footage that still exists from the Habs' 1969-70 season, but, Boston television has preserved color highlights of Bruins games from that year, including four games against the Canadiens. It probably adds up to a good amount of what is available in terms of vintage Habs footage from that season.

Today, we present to you highlights of three of those games. These precious videos allow us to see many Hall of Fame members from both teams, and some lesser known players.

Of the three game's highlights shown, two were played in Montreal and one in Boston. The dates are November 29th, December 21st and January 31st. At the time of that last game shown, Habs and Bruins were tied for second place in the East division and they would remain tied, as you will see. Of note, the Habs won the season series (3-2-3) against the eventual Stanley cup champions Bruins.

Even though the Habs collected 92 points, their season was marred by injuries and internal problems. A number of games were missed by key players such as Jean Béliveau, Henri Richard, Jean-Claude Tremblay, John Ferguson and Serge Savard, who broke his leg in March. In addition, there were suspensions to Jacques Laperrière and Ferguson, a conflict between coach Claude Ruel and goalie Lorne Worsley (who was traded to Minnesota at the end of February), personal problems that affected the play of Dick Duff (he was traded to Los Angeles at the end of January) and the forced retirement for Gilles Tremblay because of health complications.

I’m sure just about everybody will agree that the participation of NHL players in the Olympics is a great thing. But there was an era, different than today, when Canadian and United States Olympic hockey teams included many young prospects that would soon join the ranks of NHL teams after the games were done. In the case of one future Montreal Canadiens Hall of Famer in 1984, this scenario provides for an interesting flashback and some good story-telling.

Especially in the 1980’s, some of these young players made an impact with their teams in the stretch drive and the playoffs. Many might recall defenseman Ken Morrow who was part of the Miracle On Ice United States Olympic hockey team that won gold in the 1980 Lake Placid Games and then went on to win the Stanley Cup that spring with the New York Islanders. That same year, many Canadiens fans (myself included) might remember that a certain Steve Christoff, of that same US team, joined the Minnesota North Stars and contributed to the Habs playoff elimination that spring. Another example is Canadian goaltender Sean Burke, who, after the 1988 Calgary Olympics, guided the New Jersey Devils to their first playoff birth and to a run to the semi-finals.

The 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics in Yugoslavia featured another group of NHL prospects. For one, the defending Stanley Cup champion New York Islanders were awaiting the arrival of two of their high draft picks, American Pat Lafontaine and Canadian Pat Flatley. Meanwhile, the Montreal Canadiens and their fans had their eyes on U.S. defenseman Chris Chelios.

After playing junior hockey in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, the Chicago native was the Canadiens fifth pick, 40th overall, in the 1981 draft. He followed that with two strong years at the University of Wisconsin where he helped his team win a national championship in 1983. That year, Chelios postponed turning pro and committed to the U.S. National team for whom he would play a series of exhibition games to prepare for the ’84 Sarajevo Olympics.

There was no miracle for the 1984 U.S. Olympic team in Sarajevo as it finished a disappointing seventh but Chelios, along with Lafontaine, were among the bright lights for the team.

The arrival of the 22 year-old with the Canadiens was highly anticipated as indicated by The Montreal Gazette’s Red Fisher in a February 16 1984 article, a week prior to the defenseman joining the team.

The fanfare associated with the one-time University of Wisconsin all-star has been so great, his arrival in the NHL is generally regarded as The Coming of Chris. Immediately, - and without any magic words – Chelios becomes a regular member of the roster even though he has never played a game in the NHL.

First-year General manager Serge Savard and Club President Ronald Corey had travelled to Sarajevo during the Olympics to conclude a deal with Chelios and also hoping to obtain the services of another draft pick, Soviet goaltender Vladislav Tretiak.

The U.S. team played their final game at the Olympics on February 17 th. Chelios arrived in Montreal on February 22 where he signed a three year contract. The next day, The Montreal Gazette featured a big photo of Chelios being welcomed by Canadiens coach Bob Berry. Here is that entire page view. Clicking on the article pages will enlargen them for easier viewing.

 

Suffering from a bruised ankle after he got hit by a shot during the Olympic tournament, Chelios could not play right away for the Habs. But, he who had only been to Montreal once in his life for a pre-olympic game, quickly found out about the expectations regarding the Canadiens. Two days after his arrival, Savard fired coach Berry because of the team’s poor results and replaced him with then assistant Jacques Lemaire.

Chelios finally made his debut with the Habs on March 8th at the Forum as the Canadiens beat the Hartford Whalers 3-2. Right away, he impressed, showing good passing abilities and a hard shot. Thanks to the mentoring of Larry Robinson and Craig Ludwig, he improved steadily. He collected two assists in the last 12 games of the season.

But the Habs struggled during that period with four wins and eight losses, including six in a row to end the season. For the first time since the 1950-51, the Canadiens finished the season below .500 but still earned a playoff spot. In the first round, they were huge underdogs in a best-of-five series against the Boston Bruins, having finisthed 29 points behind their rival who had clinched the Adams division title with 104 points.

In a move that ressembled Ken Dryden’s playoff debut in 1971, coach Lemaire chose to start rookie goalie Steve Penney, who had been called up a few weeks earlier from the Nova Scotia Voyageurs and who had played just a few regular season games. The move paved off as Penney was spectacular. Chelios scored the Habs first goal of the series, on a power play, his first NHL goal, as the Canadiens took the first game 2-1. They followed that with a 3-1 win the next day and swept the Bruins with 5-0 shutout in Montreal.

In the following Battle of Quebec, the Canadiens continued their winning ways, downing the Nordiques in six-games (the clincher being the famous Good Friday brawl game) to advance to the semi-finals against the 4-time Stanley cup champions, New York Islanders, the team of former olympians Lafontaine and Flatley. While Lafontine had been a teammate with the U.S. Olympic team, Flatley had been one at the University of Wisconsin. After winning the first two games at the Forum, the Canadiens lost the next four to the Islanders. But, so unexepected was that playoff run that it was even more satisfying and it restored pride and hope to the fans.

Penney’s heroics and Lemaire’s defensive system were certainly two major factors in the Habs success that spring but Chelios was a dominant force who played with the poise of a veteran in moving the puck out of his zone and acting as a quarterback on the power play. He finished second to Mats Naslund in Canadiens playoff scoring with ten points (one goal and nine assists).

It was a great start to what would become a long and successful career. The following season he was the Calder Trophy runner-up to Mario Lemieux before winning his first Stanley cup the season after that. As a Hab, he won the first (88-89) of his three Norris trophies and earned the first of five first-team all star berths. At the start of the 89-90 season, Chelios was voted Canadiens co-captain with Guy Carbonneau to replace retired Bob Gainey. Then, during the summer of 1990, he was traded to Chicago for Denis Savard, apparently because of his off-ice troubles. His career included many other international competitions: three Canada Cups, Rendez-Vous 87, the World Cup and three more Olympic games.

As part of this flashback, there are two videos below. The first one shows Chelios and a few other notable players from the U.S. and Canadian Olympic hockey teams from the opening game for both teams of the Sarajevo Olympics, February 7th 1984. The team featured future Habs players, Russ Courtnall, Kirk Muller and Jean-Jacques Daigneault, the last two not even drafted at the time and who would be part of the ’93 Stanley cup winning Habs.

The second video features Chelios in Habs hi-lites during the 1984 playoffs, starting with his first NHL goal in game 1 of the Canadiens-Bruins series.

I’m sure just about everybody will agree that the participation of NHL players in the Olympics is a great thing. But there was an era, different than today, when Canadian and United States Olympic hockey teams included many young prospects that would soon join the ranks of NHL teams after the games were done. In the case of one future Montreal Canadiens Hall of Famer in 1984, this scenario provides for an interesting flashback and some good story-telling.

Especially in the 1980’s, some of these young players made an impact with their teams in the stretch drive and the playoffs. Many might recall defenseman Ken Morrow who was part of the Miracle On Ice United States Olympic hockey team that won gold in the 1980 Lake Placid Games and then went on to win the Stanley Cup that spring with the New York Islanders. That same year, many Canadiens fans (myself included) might remember that a certain Steve Christoff, of that same US team, joined the Minnesota North Stars and contributed to the Habs playoff elimination that spring. Another example is Canadian goaltender Sean Burke, who, after the 1988 Calgary Olympics, guided the New Jersey Devils to their first playoff birth and to a run to the semi-finals.

The 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics in Yugoslavia featured another group of NHL prospects. For one, the defending Stanley Cup champion New York Islanders were awaiting the arrival of two of their high draft picks, American Pat Lafontaine and Canadian Pat Flatley. Meanwhile, the Montreal Canadiens and their fans had their eyes on U.S. defenseman Chris Chelios.

After playing junior hockey in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, the Chicago native was the Canadiens fifth pick, 40th overall, in the 1981 draft. He followed that with two strong years at the University of Wisconsin where he helped his team win a national championship in 1983. That year, Chelios postponed turning pro and committed to the U.S. National team for whom he would play a series of exhibition games to prepare for the ’84 Sarajevo Olympics.

There was no miracle for the 1984 U.S. Olympic team in Sarajevo as it finished a disappointing seventh but Chelios, along with Lafontaine, were among the bright lights for the team.

The arrival of the 22 year-old with the Canadiens was highly anticipated as indicated by The Montreal Gazette’s Red Fisher in a February 16 1984 article, a week prior to the defenseman joining the team.

The fanfare associated with the one-time University of Wisconsin all-star has been so great, his arrival in the NHL is generally regarded as The Coming of Chris. Immediately, - and without any magic words – Chelios becomes a regular member of the roster even though he has never played a game in the NHL.

First-year General manager Serge Savard and Club President Ronald Corey had travelled to Sarajevo during the Olympics to conclude a deal with Chelios and also hoping to obtain the services of another draft pick, Soviet goaltender Vladislav Tretiak.

The U.S. team played their final game at the Olympics on February 17 th. Chelios arrived in Montreal on February 22 where he signed a three year contract. The next day, The Montreal Gazette featured a big photo of Chelios being welcomed by Canadiens coach Bob Berry. Here is that entire page view. Clicking on the article pages will enlargen them for easier viewing.

 

Suffering from a bruised ankle after he got hit by a shot during the Olympic tournament, Chelios could not play right away for the Habs. But, he who had only been to Montreal once in his life for a pre-olympic game, quickly found out about the expectations regarding the Canadiens. Two days after his arrival, Savard fired coach Berry because of the team’s poor results and replaced him with then assistant Jacques Lemaire.

Chelios finally made his debut with the Habs on March 8th at the Forum as the Canadiens beat the Hartford Whalers 3-2. Right away, he impressed, showing good passing abilities and a hard shot. Thanks to the mentoring of Larry Robinson and Craig Ludwig, he improved steadily. He collected two assists in the last 12 games of the season.

But the Habs struggled during that period with four wins and eight losses, including six in a row to end the season. For the first time since the 1950-51, the Canadiens finished the season below .500 but still earned a playoff spot. In the first round, they were huge underdogs in a best-of-five series against the Boston Bruins, having finisthed 29 points behind their rival who had clinched the Adams division title with 104 points.

In a move that ressembled Ken Dryden’s playoff debut in 1971, coach Lemaire chose to start rookie goalie Steve Penney, who had been called up a few weeks earlier from the Nova Scotia Voyageurs and who had played just a few regular season games. The move paved off as Penney was spectacular. Chelios scored the Habs first goal of the series, on a power play, his first NHL goal, as the Canadiens took the first game 2-1. They followed that with a 3-1 win the next day and swept the Bruins with 5-0 shutout in Montreal.

In the following Battle of Quebec, the Canadiens continued their winning ways, downing the Nordiques in six-games (the clincher being the famous Good Friday brawl game) to advance to the semi-finals against the 4-time Stanley cup champions, New York Islanders, the team of former olympians Lafontaine and Flatley. While Lafontine had been a teammate with the U.S. Olympic team, Flatley had been one at the University of Wisconsin. After winning the first two games at the Forum, the Canadiens lost the next four to the Islanders. But, so unexepected was that playoff run that it was even more satisfying and it restored pride and hope to the fans.

Penney’s heroics and Lemaire’s defensive system were certainly two major factors in the Habs success that spring but Chelios was a dominant force who played with the poise of a veteran in moving the puck out of his zone and acting as a quarterback on the power play. He finished second to Mats Naslund in Canadiens playoff scoring with ten points (one goal and nine assists).

It was a great start to what would become a long and successful career. The following season he was the Calder Trophy runner-up to Mario Lemieux before winning his first Stanley cup the season after that. As a Hab, he won the first (88-89) of his three Norris trophies and earned the first of five first-team all star berths. At the start of the 89-90 season, Chelios was voted Canadiens co-captain with Guy Carbonneau to replace retired Bob Gainey. Then, during the summer of 1990, he was traded to Chicago for Denis Savard, apparently because of his off-ice troubles. His career included many other international competitions: three Canada Cups, Rendez-Vous 87, the World Cup and three more Olympic games.

As part of this flashback, there are two videos below. The first one shows Chelios and a few other notable players from the U.S. and Canadian Olympic hockey teams from the opening game for both teams of the Sarajevo Olympics, February 7th 1984. The team featured future Habs players, Russ Courtnall, Kirk Muller and Jean-Jacques Daigneault, the last two not even drafted at the time and who would be part of the ’93 Stanley cup winning Habs.

The second video features Chelios in Habs hi-lites during the 1984 playoffs, starting with his first NHL goal in game 1 of the Canadiens-Bruins series.

 

Since last spring, we know that this is the first decade in which the Canadiens haven’t won a Stanley Cup.

Today, we skip back to a game that concluded the 1970’s decade, the winningest in Canadiens history with six Stanley Cups. Thirty years ago, on December 31st 1979, as part of Super Series '80, was played a classic rematch of the '75 New Year’s Eve game between the Canadiens and the Soviet Central Red Army team.

Just about everything has been said about the '75 New Year’s Eve game, which is considered to be one of the most memorable in hockey history. In a game in which two powerful teams with two different systems of play confronted one another, the Canadiens dominated, outshooting the Red Army 38-13. In a battle of nations, it was essentially Canada versus Russia all over again, but this time, the Canadiens had to settle for a 3-3 tie. As powerful as Montreal were, they were stymied many times over by goaltender Vladislav Tretiak (the obvious first star) while the Red Army made the most of their chances on Ken Dryden. By now, just about everybody has seen the video, especially since it was part of the 10 great Montreal Canadiens games DVD set.

For some reason, the '79 rematch is never mentioned in the same breath as the '75 game, and its highlights are never shown, even though it pitted the four-time Stanley Cup champion Canadiens against a Red Army team which was itself four-time Soviet champion.

Closing the decade, the buildup to this classic match hyped the game as one which would unofficially crown the best club team of the 1970's. We now give this great matchup its due and provide a chance for fans to watch the highlights from this.

The game was actually the third one between the Canadiens and a Soviet Union team. On January 6 1978, the Canadiens posted a 5-2 win against a touring Moscow Spartak team that included Alexander Yakushev, the tremendous Soviet player who was part of the '72 Summit Series team.

For this '79 New Year's Eve rematch, many favored the Red Army. After all, in the team's lineup were 14 members of the Soviet National Team that beat the NHL’s best in the Challenge Cup in February of 1979, handing the NHL'ers a humiliating 6-0 loss in the deciding game 3.

As for the Canadiens, they had lost some key players from the previous spring’s Cup win. Ken Dryden, Jacques Lemaire and Yvan Cournoyer had all retired, and coach Scotty Bowman had left to coach and manage Buffalo. But the Habs still formed a great hockey team. Claude Ruel had taken over the team’s coaching reigns in mid December following Bernie Geoffrion's resignation during a difficult sequence.

Offensively, Guy Lafleur and Pierre Larouche were on their way to 50 goal seasons and Steve Shutt would end up just three goals shy with 47. On defense, the team still had the Big Three of Larry Robinson, Serge Savard and Guy Lapointe, in addition to rearguards Rod Langway and Brian Engblom.

As in the '75 game, the Red Army team was undefeated before facing the Canadiens in '79. Back in 1975, the Red Army had beaten the New York Rangers 7-3. This time, they readied themselves for the Canadins after having bested the Rangers 5-2 and the New York Islanders 3-2.

Coach Ruel's game plan was based on an intense forechecking system designated to prevent the Soviet team from adopting their free wheeling style. He presented the following lineup.

Forwards:

Steve Shutt / Pierre Larouche / Guy Lafleur

Bob Gainey / Doug Jarvis / Réjean Houle

Yvon Lambert / Doug Risebrough / Mario Tremblay

Mark Napier / Pierre Mondou /  Normand Dupont

Defense:

Larry Robinson / Serge Savard

Rod Langway / Brian Engblom

Gilles Lupien / Rick Chartraw

Goal:

Richard Sevigny

Note: Dupont and Chartraw dressed for the game but did not see any shifts. The Canadiens went with five defensemen and double shifted Lafleur on a line with Napier and Mondou.

Out of the lineup:    

Guy Lapointe (flu)

Danny Geoffrion (healthy scratch)

A crowd of 17,000 packed the Forum for this highly anticipated rematch. From the highlights presented in the following videos, it’s easy to feel the emotion of players and fans, which certainly matched the excitement of the '75 game or the atmosphere of a playoff game. Images are worth thousands of words, so here goes:

Pre-game: 

First period:   

Second period:

Third period and post-game:

 

Here is the game summary:

First period

1- Canadiens: Y. Lambert (P. Mondou, G. Lafleur) 16:36

Penalties : Savard 4 :44, Lafleur and Kovin 12 :14, Petrov 15 :10

Second period

 2-Red Army: V. Zhluktov (S. Gimayev, H. Balderis) 6:51

 3-Red Army: H. Balderis (V. Zhluktov, A. Kasatonov) 12:02

 Penalties: S. Gimayev 8:50, S. Shutt 12:35

Third period

 4. Canadiens: S. Shutt (G. Lafleur, L. Robinson) 3 :38

 5. Canadiens: B. Gainey (D. Jarvis, B. Engblom) 9:38

 6. Canadiens: S. Shutt (S. Savard, P. Larouche) 12:10

 Penalties : A. Kasatonov 18:11

Shots on goal

Red Army:  3-6-5=14

Canadiens: 13-8-14=35

Players of the game : Bob Gainey, Victor Zhlutkov

As the '75 game, the Canadiens certainly dominated. And it seems fitting that the Canadiens won by coming back in the third period as they did so often during their 4 Cup-run.

"You made a lot of people happy tonight. We are proud of you, " said NHL president John Ziegler to coach Claude Ruel after the game.

"It’s the best team we've played," said of the Canadiens Soviet coach Victor Thikonov, who heckled some of his players.

Note from the game: You might have noticed in the picture or in the video that the Red Army players were wearing white socks with their red jerseys. Apparently, the team had only brought white socks on the tour. That did not sit well with some Canadiens players. Defenceman Serge Savard noted that in the corners, if you had your head down, it was hard to tell the difference between the two team’s players sets of legs.

In it's next game, on January 3rd, Red Army was soundly beaten 6-1 by Bowman’s well prepared and inspired Buffalo Sabres. Three days later, the Red Army closed out their series of games with a 6-4 win against the Quebec Nordiques.

Six weeks later, at least a dozen members of this Red Army team would be part of the Soviet National Team that took part in the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. There of course, it would be stunned by the young United States team in what is called The Miracle on Ice.

As for the Canadiens, they had a strong second half and totalled 47 wins and 107 points for the season, which ranked them third overall in the NHL. Before the 1980 playoffs began, the Hockey News picked the Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres as the top contending teams for the Stanley Cup. It is certain that the absence of Guy Lafleur, out with a season ending knee injury, was a factor in the Canadiens’ seven game loss to the Minnesota North Stars, thus foiling the team’s quest of capturing a fifth consecutive Stanley Cup, a feat that would have matched the 1950’s dynasty.

The Canadiens later had other New Year’s Eve games against Soviet teams. On New Year's Eve 1982, the Canadiens were beaten 5-0 by the Soviet All Stars. The game was closer for longer than the score indicates, as the Soviets led only 1-0 after 40 minutes before exploding for four goals in the third period. Vladislav Tretiak was chosen the Soviet team’s star, as he stopped all 30 shots fired at him. On this occasion, the Soviets outshot the Habs, directing 37 at Habs goaltender Richard Sevigny.

On December 31st 1983 and 1984, the Canadiens played hotly contested New Year’s Eve games against their arch-rival Quebec Nordiques.

Then, on New Year’s Eve 1985, 10 years after the fabled ’75 game, the Canadiens had another rematch with the Red Army team. Even though the Canadiens had a slight edge in shots (24-22), the Red Army posted a 6-1 win, sparked by a three goal performance by Sergei Makarov. Mats Naslund scored the lone Canadiens goal. On a positive note, rookie goaltender Patrick Roy took over from Doug Soetart after Red Army’s sixth goal in the third and did not give up a goal in the final 12 minutes he played. There is no doubt that the Habs were capable of a better result, and they would show it a few months later, as they captured their 23rd Stanley Cup, with the help of Roy’s heroics.

That 1985 game marked the last time the Canadiens met the Red Army team or any Soviet union team on New Year’s Eve. Here is the list other Canadiens games vs Soviet teams since 1986. In September 1990, the Canadiens traveled to Sweden and the Soviet Union to hold their training camp and play exhibition games.

January 3 1990             Canadiens 2 Soviet Wings 1   

September 12 1990       Canadiens 5 Leningrad 3

September 14 1990       Canadiens 4 Riga 2

September 16 1990       Dynamo 4 Canadiens 1  

September 18 1990       Red Army 3 Canadiens 2  (OT)

December 10 1990        Khimik Voskresensk 6 Canadiens 3

And on this day, synonymous with classic Montreal Canadiens games, Happy New Year Year Habs fans! 

Robert L note: Call it coincidence or serendipity, as Francis had been working and researching this post for a good three weeks, when I received an e-mail four days ago from reader Ashok Singh, who of course, had no way of knowing what Francis and I were up to. Ashok remembered the '79 game quite well. In fact, he had written an article on it. He sent me his work along with a scan of an article published on the game in the Globe and Mail the following day. Mr. Singh was curious to inquire if I would consider running an article featuring his contributions. What follows are his thoughts on the '79 game and the Globe piece from January 2, 1980.

Update: December 31, 1 a.m.: Evidently, the '79 game is fondly recalled by more than a handful of fans. Kevin van Steendelar / Ya! The Habs Rule! also offers his recollections of the December 31, 1979 game. Check it out.

The Forgotten Game

By Ashok Singh 

Dec. 31, 1979. 

It was the end of an era, the end of the sensational seventies. It was also the last hurrah for one of the greatest teams of all time. The Montreal Canadiens of the late 70’s won four straight Stanley Cups and could have won more if not for the inept management after Sam Pollock’s departure. Everyone remembers the memorable game on New Year’s Eve 1975 between the Soviet Red Army and the Canadiens. The game four years later is almost forgotten. 

If a term can describe a game, than it would be ‘PRIDE’. The Canadiens were the defending champions but were in a big transitional year. During the previous summer coach Scotty Bowman, goalie Ken Dryden, and Jacques Lemaire left the team. The latter two retired. Yvon Cornouyer also retired after an injury plagued season the year before. Their new coach Bernie Geoffrion quit or was fired after only a few months on the job. Claude Ruel was a reluctant replacement. The team was going through changes and it reflected in their play and standing. They were a .500 hockey club that used to dominate the league the previous years. Some of their stellar players such as Serge Savard were slowing due to age and injuries. Guy Lapointe missed the game due to injury. 

In this scenario they were to play the mighty Soviet Red Army who would like nothing less than beating the defending four time Stanley Cup champions. The whole world was watching this unique matchup, the sequel to the greatest game off all time. Earlier in the year, they beat the NHL all stars in the Challenge Cup, dominating the last game 6-0. They were getting ready for the Olympics and formed a top notch team. They beat the upcoming (eventual Stanley Cup Champions) New York Islanders 3-2 a few nights earlier and were on top of their game. 

The Canadiens were struggling and were to play perhaps the best team in the world. During a stretch in December, they lost 6 in a row. That was unheard of for the team in the 70s. Would Richard Sevigny match up to the great Vladislav Tretiak ? When told he was starting the game, Sevigny was unable to sleep the night before. What about the coaching of Claude Ruel against the mastermind of Victor Tikhinov? 

However the edge the Canadiens had over the Soviets was pride and emotion. They knew they were the defending champions and everyone was watching. They knew their fans wanted them to win badly, especially after the disappointing 3-3 tie when they outplayed the Red Army. 

The key to the Canadiens were their nucleus. Guy Lafleur, Larry Robinson, Bob Gainey, Steve Shutt were young and a big force. They had to be at their best for the Canadiens to win. They did and Serge Savard, Rod Langway, Mario Tremblay, Regean Houle, Mark Napier, Yvon Lambert, played the game of their lives. Richard Sevigny played a strong game (except for one weak goal).  

The Canadiens came prepared and determined to win. 

Despite being down 2-1 going into the third period, they knew they had an uphill task to score on Tretiak while keeping the Soviets off the scoreboard. The Canadiens found some extra energy, strength or whatever was needed to find a way to win. They stunned the Forum crowd and the Red Army with three unanswered goals to win 4-2.  

Broadcaster Dick Irvin said to Bob Gainey, MVP of the game, "both teams knew this is not just an exhibition game." 

 

Since last spring, we know that this is the first decade in which the Canadiens haven’t won a Stanley Cup.

Today, we skip back to a game that concluded the 1970’s decade, the winningest in Canadiens history with six Stanley Cups. Thirty years ago, on December 31st 1979, as part of Super Series '80, was played a classic rematch of the '75 New Year’s Eve game between the Canadiens and the Soviet Central Red Army team.

Just about everything has been said about the '75 New Year’s Eve game, which is considered to be one of the most memorable in hockey history. In a game in which two powerful teams with two different systems of play confronted one another, the Canadiens dominated, outshooting the Red Army 38-13. In a battle of nations, it was essentially Canada versus Russia all over again, but this time, the Canadiens had to settle for a 3-3 tie. As powerful as Montreal were, they were stymied many times over by goaltender Vladislav Tretiak (the obvious first star) while the Red Army made the most of their chances on Ken Dryden. By now, just about everybody has seen the video, especially since it was part of the 10 great Montreal Canadiens games DVD set.

For some reason, the '79 rematch is never mentioned in the same breath as the '75 game, and its highlights are never shown, even though it pitted the four-time Stanley Cup champion Canadiens against a Red Army team which was itself four-time Soviet champion.

Closing the decade, the buildup to this classic match hyped the game as one which would unofficially crown the best club team of the 1970's. We now give this great matchup its due and provide a chance for fans to watch the highlights from this.

The game was actually the third one between the Canadiens and a Soviet Union team. On January 6 1978, the Canadiens posted a 5-2 win against a touring Moscow Spartak team that included Alexander Yakushev, the tremendous Soviet player who was part of the '72 Summit Series team.

For this '79 New Year's Eve rematch, many favored the Red Army. After all, in the team's lineup were 14 members of the Soviet National Team that beat the NHL’s best in the Challenge Cup in February of 1979, handing the NHL'ers a humiliating 6-0 loss in the deciding game 3.

As for the Canadiens, they had lost some key players from the previous spring’s Cup win. Ken Dryden, Jacques Lemaire and Yvan Cournoyer had all retired, and coach Scotty Bowman had left to coach and manage Buffalo. But the Habs still formed a great hockey team. Claude Ruel had taken over the team’s coaching reigns in mid December following Bernie Geoffrion's resignation during a difficult sequence.

Offensively, Guy Lafleur and Pierre Larouche were on their way to 50 goal seasons and Steve Shutt would end up just three goals shy with 47. On defense, the team still had the Big Three of Larry Robinson, Serge Savard and Guy Lapointe, in addition to rearguards Rod Langway and Brian Engblom.

As in the '75 game, the Red Army team was undefeated before facing the Canadiens in '79. Back in 1975, the Red Army had beaten the New York Rangers 7-3. This time, they readied themselves for the Canadins after having bested the Rangers 5-2 and the New York Islanders 3-2.

Coach Ruel's game plan was based on an intense forechecking system designated to prevent the Soviet team from adopting their free wheeling style. He presented the following lineup.

Forwards:

Steve Shutt / Pierre Larouche / Guy Lafleur

Bob Gainey / Doug Jarvis / Réjean Houle

Yvon Lambert / Doug Risebrough / Mario Tremblay

Mark Napier / Pierre Mondou /  Normand Dupont

Defense:

Larry Robinson / Serge Savard

Rod Langway / Brian Engblom

Gilles Lupien / Rick Chartraw

Goal:

Richard Sevigny

Note: Dupont and Chartraw dressed for the game but did not see any shifts. The Canadiens went with five defensemen and double shifted Lafleur on a line with Napier and Mondou.

Out of the lineup:    

Guy Lapointe (flu)

Danny Geoffrion (healthy scratch)

A crowd of 17,000 packed the Forum for this highly anticipated rematch. From the highlights presented in the following videos, it’s easy to feel the emotion of players and fans, which certainly matched the excitement of the '75 game or the atmosphere of a playoff game. Images are worth thousands of words, so here goes:

Pre-game: 

First period:   

Second period:

Third period and post-game:

 

Here is the game summary:

First period

1- Canadiens: Y. Lambert (P. Mondou, G. Lafleur) 16:36

Penalties : Savard 4 :44, Lafleur and Kovin 12 :14, Petrov 15 :10

Second period

 2-Red Army: V. Zhluktov (S. Gimayev, H. Balderis) 6:51

 3-Red Army: H. Balderis (V. Zhluktov, A. Kasatonov) 12:02

 Penalties: S. Gimayev 8:50, S. Shutt 12:35

Third period

 4. Canadiens: S. Shutt (G. Lafleur, L. Robinson) 3 :38

 5. Canadiens: B. Gainey (D. Jarvis, B. Engblom) 9:38

 6. Canadiens: S. Shutt (S. Savard, P. Larouche) 12:10

 Penalties : A. Kasatonov 18:11

Shots on goal

Red Army:  3-6-5=14

Canadiens: 13-8-14=35

Players of the game : Bob Gainey, Victor Zhlutkov

As the '75 game, the Canadiens certainly dominated. And it seems fitting that the Canadiens won by coming back in the third period as they did so often during their 4 Cup-run.

"You made a lot of people happy tonight. We are proud of you, " said NHL president John Ziegler to coach Claude Ruel after the game.

"It’s the best team we've played," said of the Canadiens Soviet coach Victor Thikonov, who heckled some of his players.

Note from the game: You might have noticed in the picture or in the video that the Red Army players were wearing white socks with their red jerseys. Apparently, the team had only brought white socks on the tour. That did not sit well with some Canadiens players. Defenceman Serge Savard noted that in the corners, if you had your head down, it was hard to tell the difference between the two team’s players sets of legs.

In it's next game, on January 3rd, Red Army was soundly beaten 6-1 by Bowman’s well prepared and inspired Buffalo Sabres. Three days later, the Red Army closed out their series of games with a 6-4 win against the Quebec Nordiques.

Six weeks later, at least a dozen members of this Red Army team would be part of the Soviet National Team that took part in the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. There of course, it would be stunned by the young United States team in what is called The Miracle on Ice.

As for the Canadiens, they had a strong second half and totalled 47 wins and 107 points for the season, which ranked them third overall in the NHL. Before the 1980 playoffs began, the Hockey News picked the Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres as the top contending teams for the Stanley Cup. It is certain that the absence of Guy Lafleur, out with a season ending knee injury, was a factor in the Canadiens’ seven game loss to the Minnesota North Stars, thus foiling the team’s quest of capturing a fifth consecutive Stanley Cup, a feat that would have matched the 1950’s dynasty.

The Canadiens later had other New Year’s Eve games against Soviet teams. On New Year's Eve 1982, the Canadiens were beaten 5-0 by the Soviet All Stars. The game was closer for longer than the score indicates, as the Soviets led only 1-0 after 40 minutes before exploding for four goals in the third period. Vladislav Tretiak was chosen the Soviet team’s star, as he stopped all 30 shots fired at him. On this occasion, the Soviets outshot the Habs, directing 37 at Habs goaltender Richard Sevigny.

On December 31st 1983 and 1984, the Canadiens played hotly contested New Year’s Eve games against their arch-rival Quebec Nordiques.

Then, on New Year’s Eve 1985, 10 years after the fabled ’75 game, the Canadiens had another rematch with the Red Army team. Even though the Canadiens had a slight edge in shots (24-22), the Red Army posted a 6-1 win, sparked by a three goal performance by Sergei Makarov. Mats Naslund scored the lone Canadiens goal. On a positive note, rookie goaltender Patrick Roy took over from Doug Soetart after Red Army’s sixth goal in the third and did not give up a goal in the final 12 minutes he played. There is no doubt that the Habs were capable of a better result, and they would show it a few months later, as they captured their 23rd Stanley Cup, with the help of Roy’s heroics.

That 1985 game marked the last time the Canadiens met the Red Army team or any Soviet union team on New Year’s Eve. Here is the list other Canadiens games vs Soviet teams since 1986. In September 1990, the Canadiens traveled to Sweden and the Soviet Union to hold their training camp and play exhibition games.

January 3 1990             Canadiens 2 Soviet Wings 1   

September 12 1990       Canadiens 5 Leningrad 3

September 14 1990       Canadiens 4 Riga 2

September 16 1990       Dynamo 4 Canadiens 1  

September 18 1990       Red Army 3 Canadiens 2  (OT)

December 10 1990        Khimik Voskresensk 6 Canadiens 3

And on this day, synonymous with classic Montreal Canadiens games, Happy New Year Year Habs fans! 

Robert L note: Call it coincidence or serendipity, as Francis had been working and researching this post for a good three weeks, when I received an e-mail four days ago from reader Ashok Singh, who of course, had no way of knowing what Francis and I were up to. Ashok remembered the '79 game quite well. in fact, he had written an article on it. He sent me his work along with a scan of an article published on the game in the Globe and Mail the following day. Mr. Singh was curious to inquire if I would consider running an article featuring his contributions. What follows are his thoughts on the '79 game and the Globe piece from January 2, 1980.

The Forgotten Game

By Ashok Singh 

Dec. 31, 1979. 

It was the end of an era, the end of the sensational seventies. It was also the last hurrah for one of the greatest teams of all time. The Montreal Canadiens of the late 70’s won four straight Stanley Cups and could have won more if not for the inept management after Sam Pollock’s departure. Everyone remembers the memorable game on New Year’s Eve 1975 between the Soviet Red Army and the Canadiens. The game four years later is almost forgotten. 

If a term can describe a game, than it would be ‘PRIDE’. The Canadiens were the defending champions but were in a big transitional year. During the previous summer coach Scotty Bowman, goalie Ken Dryden, and Jacques Lemaire left the team. The latter two retired. Yvon Cornouyer also retired after an injury plagued season the year before. Their new coach Bernie Geoffrion quit or was fired after only a few months on the job. Claude Ruel was a reluctant replacement. The team was going through changes and it reflected in their play and standing. They were a .500 hockey club that used to dominate the league the previous years. Some of their stellar players such as Serge Savard were slowing due to age and injuries. Guy Lapointe missed the game due to injury. 

In this scenario they were to play the mighty Soviet Red Army who would like nothing less than beating the defending four time Stanley Cup champions. The whole world was watching this unique matchup, the sequel to the greatest game off all time. Earlier in the year, they beat the NHL all stars in the Challenge Cup, dominating the last game 6-0. They were getting ready for the Olympics and formed a top notch team. They beat the upcoming (eventual Stanley Cup Champions) New York Islanders 3-2 a few nights earlier and were on top of their game. 

The Canadiens were struggling and were to play perhaps the best team in the world. During a stretch in December, they lost 6 in a row. That was unheard of for the team in the 70s. Would Richard Sevigny match up to the great Vladislav Tretiak ? When told he was starting the game, Sevigny was unable to sleep the night before. What about the coaching of Claude Ruel against the mastermind of Victor Tikhinov? 

However the edge the Canadiens had over the Soviets was pride and emotion. They knew they were the defending champions and everyone was watching. They knew their fans wanted them to win badly, especially after the disappointing 3-3 tie when they outplayed the Red Army. 

The key to the Canadiens were their nucleus. Guy Lafleur, Larry Robinson, Bob Gainey, Steve Shutt were young and a big force. They had to be at their best for the Canadiens to win. They did and Serge Savard, Rod Langway, Mario Tremblay, Regean Houle, Mark Napier, Yvon Lambert, played the game of their lives. Richard Sevigny played a strong game (except for one weak goal).  

The Canadiens came prepared and determined to win. 

Despite being down 2-1 going into the third period, they knew they had an uphill task to score on Tretiak while keeping the Soviets off the scoreboard. The Canadiens found some extra energy, strength or whatever was needed to find a way to win. They stunned the Forum crowd and the Red Army with three unanswered goals to win 4-2.  

Broadcaster Dick Irvin said to Bob Gainey, MVP of the game, "both teams knew this is not just an exhibition game." 

 
 

As the Canadiens have just recently celebrated their 100th anniversary, no doubt that many Habs fans have wishes for a "centennial" Christmas.

There have been books published, stamps and coins issued and many varieties of clothing made available stamped with two different centennial logos, but surely one of the more interesting items that probably find its way under many Christmas trees is the anniversary DVD box set called 100 Years of the Montreal Canadiens which was released November 17th.

If you’re like me, you couldn’t wait for Christmas and bought the set already.

Here is my appreciation of this official Canadiens centennial documentary. If you want to keep the element of surprise, you can stop reading now but I have tried to not give everything away.

As many of you may know already, let’s start by mentionning there is a choice to be made between a regular 4 DVD set and or a special collector’s edition 5 DVD set along with other perks, such as a piece of game-used item (jersey, stick or net) from the 100th season, a pack of centennial edition hockey cards, a centennial frameable picture and the centennial pin. The collector's edition comes in a big wooden box that I found impressive at first sight but is not very handy for storage as it won’t fit in most bookcases.

Is it worth buying the more expensive collector’s edition rather than the regular edition? If you are interested in the extras, sure. If not…

Now about the DVD contents. Produced in both French and English, the set is advertised as having 6 hours of original production documenting the history of one of the game’s most storied franchise.

The main feature of the DVD set is the documentary called, "100 Years of Glory" which seems to be inspired by hockey historian D’Arcy Jenish's book of the same name (of which a new '09 updated version has been published earlier this year). Jenish himself is part of the documentary as he relates the team’s foundation and early days.

Narrated in English by Oscar-nominated actor and longtime Canadiens fan Viggo Mortensen, the documentary features interviews with a great number of individuals who bring the team’s history to life with facts, recollections, revelations and anecdotes. All of it is intertwined with archival footage and photographs.

The overview of the team’s history is very good. It chronicles its humble beginnings, the story of the star players through the years, the Stanley Cups triumphs, the dynasties as well as the more difficult, if not turbulent, times.

Aside from Jenish, the team’s early days are related by another historian, Gerry Rochon, and descendants of such as Jim O’Brien, nephew of first owner Ambrose O’Brien and Howie Morenz Jr., who gives an emotional testimonial on the circumstances of his famous father’s death. Other long-time observers of the team include Dick Irvin Jr., Richard Garneau and Michael Farber of Sports Illustrated.

As for the participation of former and actual members of the Canadiens organization, the main and secondary documentaries are filled with clips of players, management members, coaches, owners and even an usher. The impressive list includes includes Elmer Lach, Bob Fillion, Frank Selke Jr., Jean Beliveau, Dickie Moore, Henri Richard, Yvan Cournoyer, Ken Dryden, Frank and Pete Mahovlich, Eddy Palchak, Guy Lapointe, Serge Savard, Pierre Bouchard, Réjean Houle, Guy Lafleur, Murray Wilson, Larry Robinson, Bob Gainey, Mark Napier, Guy Carbonneau, Patrick Roy, Stéphane Richer, Kirk Muller, Saku Koivu, Scotty Bowman, Jean Perron, Jacques Demers, George Gillett, Pierre Boivin. The participants also include former rivals such as Stan Mikita, Glen Hall, Johnny Bower, Ted Lindsay, Ron Ellis and articulate former Bruin Gary Galley.

The information is up to date with this year’s edition of the club since it includes clips from Jacques Martin and new owner Geoff Molson. The documentary ends with testimonials on the importance of this famous franchise to fans everywhere and to the game of hockey itself.

I found it a bit deplorable that there isn’t a single clip from a player from this season’s edition in the main documentary. I think Carey Price would have been an obvious choice. But there is a clip from a prospect who has yet to play a game with the Canadiens. If you haven’t watched the documentary, I won’t spoil your surprise.

The other discs in the set are thematic and are narrated by longtime broadcaster Dick Irvin Jr. Here is a sample of what you’ll find:

Disc 2 of the set presents vignettes on each of the 24 Stanley Cup championships and the great player performances that led to them. The vignettes present a myriad of interesting facts about each Cup win. There are some interviews, specially related to the latter Cup wins but I found the presentation lacked some of the emotion involved in all those Cup wins.

Disc 3 explores Dynasties and Rivalries. The great dynasties of the 50’s, 60’ and 70’s in mini-documentaries that include many interviews with former players, observers and rivals. Then, there is a look at five of the Canadiens greatest rivalries, the Leafs, the Red Wings, the Bruins, the Flyers and the Nordiques. I thought the Black Hawks could have been included since they played the Canadiens in three cup finals from 65 to 73, including two that went seven games.

Disc 4 is titled The Immortals and presents vignettes of the fifteen great (not including Lach and Bouchard) Canadiens players who have had their jerseys retired. I thought it would have been nice to include available footage of the some jersey retirement ceremonies.

The bonus disc in the limited edition set includes a tribute to the Montreal Forum (the Mecca of Hockey), untold stories and the pictures of the Upper Deck special Legends cards of the 54 Canadiens players, owners, managers and coaches who have been enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

All in all, the DVD box set is an entertaining way to relive Canadiens history and it is certainly worth having for any Canadiens fan.

 
 

As the Canadiens have just recently celebrated their 100th anniversary, no doubt that many Habs fans have wishes for a "centennial" Christmas.

There have been books published, stamps and coins issued and many varieties of clothing made available stamped with two different centennial logos, but surely one of the more interesting items that probably find its way under many Christmas trees is the anniversary DVD box set called 100 Years of the Montreal Canadiens which was released November 17th.

If you’re like me, you couldn’t wait for Christmas and bought the set already.

Here is my appreciation of this official Canadiens centennial documentary. If you want to keep the element of surprise, you can stop reading now but I have tried to not give everything away.

As many of you may know already, let’s start by mentionning there is a choice to be made between a regular 4 DVD set and or a special collector’s edition 5 DVD set along with other perks, such as a piece of game-used item (jersey, stick or net) from the 100th season, a pack of centennial edition hockey cards, a centennial frameable picture and the centennial pin. The collector's edition comes in a big wooden box that I found impressive at first sight but is not very handy for storage as it won’t fit in most bookcases.

Is it worth buying the more expensive collector’s edition rather than the regular edition? If you are interested in the extras, sure. If not…

Now about the DVD contents. Produced in both French and English, the set is advertised as having 6 hours of original production documenting the history of one of the game’s most storied franchise.

The main feature of the DVD set is the documentary called, "100 Years of Glory" which seems to be inspired by hockey historian D’Arcy Jenish's book of the same name (of which a new '09 updated version has been published earlier this year). Jenish himself is part of the documentary as he relates the team’s foundation and early days.

Narrated in English by Oscar-nominated actor and longtime Canadiens fan Viggo Mortensen, the documentary features interviews with a great number of individuals who bring the team’s history to life with facts, recollections, revelations and anecdotes. All of it is intertwined with archival footage and photographs.

The overview of the team’s history is very good. It chronicles its humble beginnings, the story of the star players through the years, the Stanley Cups triumphs, the dynasties as well as the more difficult, if not turbulent, times.

Aside from Jenish, the team’s early days are related by another historian, Gerry Rochon, and descendants of such as Jim O’Brien, nephew of first owner Ambrose O’Brien and Howie Morenz Jr., who gives an emotional testimonial on the circumstances of his famous father’s death. Other long-time observers of the team include Dick Irvin Jr., Richard Garneau and Michael Farber of Sports Illustrated.

As for the participation of former and actual members of the Canadiens organization, the main and secondary documentaries are filled with clips of players, management members, coaches, owners and even an usher. The impressive list includes includes Elmer Lach, Bob Fillion, Frank Selke Jr., Jean Beliveau, Dickie Moore, Henri Richard, Yvan Cournoyer, Ken Dryden, Frank and Pete Mahovlich, Eddy Palchak, Guy Lapointe, Serge Savard, Pierre Bouchard, Réjean Houle, Guy Lafleur, Murray Wilson, Larry Robinson, Bob Gainey, Mark Napier, Guy Carbonneau, Patrick Roy, Stéphane Richer, Kirk Muller, Saku Koivu, Scotty Bowman, Jean Perron, Jacques Demers, George Gillett, Pierre Boivin. The participants also include former rivals such as Stan Mikita, Glen Hall, Johnny Bower, Ted Lindsay, Ron Ellis and articulate former Bruin Gary Galley.

The information is up to date with this year’s edition of the club since it includes clips from Jacques Martin and new owner Geoff Molson. The documentary ends with testimonials on the importance of this famous franchise to fans everywhere and to the game of hockey itself.

I found it a bit deplorable that there isn’t a single clip from a player from this season’s edition in the main documentary. I think Carey Price would have been an obvious choice. But there is a clip from a prospect who has yet to play a game with the Canadiens. If you haven’t watched the documentary, I won’t spoil your surprise.

The other discs in the set are thematic and are narrated by longtime broadcaster Dick Irvin Jr. Here is a sample of what you’ll find:

Disc 2 of the set presents vignettes on each of the 24 Stanley Cup championships and the great player performances that led to them. The vignettes present a myriad of interesting facts about each Cup win. There are some interviews, specially related to the latter Ccup wins but I found the presentation lacked some of the emotion involved in all those Cup wins.

Disc 3 explores Dynasties and Rivalries. The great dynasties of the 50’s, 60’ and 70’s in mini-documentaries that include many interviews with former players, observers and rivals. Then, there is a look at five of the Canadiens greatest rivalries, the Leafs, the Red Wings, the Bruins, the Flyers and the Nordiques. I thought the Black Hawks could have been included since they played the Canadiens in three cup finals from 65 to 73, including two that went seven games.

Disc 4 is titled The Immortals and presents vignettes of the fifteen great (not including Lach and Bouchard) Canadiens players who have had their jerseys retired. I thought it would have been nice to include available footage of the some jersey retirement ceremonies.

The bonus disc in the limited edition set includes a tribute to the Montreal Forum (the Mecca of Hockey), untold stories and the pictures of the Upper Deck special Legends cards of the 54 Canadiens players, owners, managers and coaches who have been enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

All in all, the DVD box set is an entertaining way to relive Canadiens history and it is certainly worth having for any Canadiens fan.