Former Montreal Canadiens forward Ed Litzenberger has passed away at the age of 78.

Best known with Chicago, Litzenberger was a National Hockey League player of significant repute in the 1950s and 1960s. Litzenberger was a rangy center who also played some right wing, known for his consistency and leadership abilities, much like Trevor Linden as a modern day comparable. At 6'3" and 195lbs, Litzenberger was a giant player in his era. He never played with a lot of snarl though. Litzenberger was known throughout the league as a gentlemanly figure on and off the ice who had everyone's great respect.

Litzenberger was a junior standout with the Regina Pats (twice helping the WHL team reach the Memorial Cup tournament). He was invited to the Montreal Canadiens training camp in 1952, although he certainly did not plan on a NHL career. 

"I was supposed to be an engineer," he told Frank Pagnucco in the book Heroes: Stars of Hockey's Golden Era. "I went down to the University of Colorado and registered. Then I went to the Montreal training camp and they offered me a contract and I kind of forsook my college degree."

Litzenberger would play a couple of seasons with the senior league Montreal Royals while making a couple of call ups to the Canadiens. It was a big adjustment for the kid from Nedorf, Saskatchewan.

"It was a matter of growing up," Litzenberger continued. "When you're a big fish in a little pond and all of a sudden you're a little fish and there's an awful lot of big fish, you become confused. I found out in a week that I had grown up and that I was not only good but better than most of the guys."

Read the full Ed Litzenberger biography at GreatestHockeyLegends.com

Ken Dryden has accomplished a lot in his life. He graduated from Cornell, enjoyed a successful career as a lawyer and businessman, was a three-time Olympic broadcaster and currently is Member of Parliament in Ottawa. Oh yeah, and he had a Hall of Fame hockey career where he won 6 Stanley Cups in 8 seasons and is considered one of the greatest goaltenders in the history of the game.

He also somehow found the time to write 5 books, including The Game, universally regarded as the best hockey book ever written.

Since losing out on a Liberal Party leadership bid in 2006 he has been somewhat quiet, at least on the national political scene. But he's back making headlines, thanks to the release of his new book.

Calm down hockey fans. Dryden's new book has little to do with hockey. Becoming Canada: Our Story, Our Politics, Our Future is very much about politics. Dryden lays out his vision of a new nationalism, a new way of seeing this country that leaves behind the tired cliches of our past and embraces the modern and incredibly diverse country that Canada has become.

"Bah! Politics" you say. Dry stuff, boring even? Say what you wish, but coming from a man who has accomplished so much in his amazing lifetime, this could be Ken Dryden's most important contribution yet.

Full book review at HockeyBookReviews.com

Great news on Thursday as news broke that Montreal Canadiens great Guy Lafleur has made peace with the team and has returned to his role as one of the team's goodwill ambassadors.

That makes today's choice for Habs Hero pretty obvious.

His blazing speed and long flowing hair combined with his puck wizardry placed him first in Montreal Canadiens all time scoring and second on Montreal fan's all time favorite list, behind the immovable Rocket Richard, of course. Guy Lafleur was one of the rare players that got you out of your seat almost every time he touched the puck. And to witness him score a goal was more often than not an event onto itself.

Here's the full Guy Lafleur biography.

The Montreal Canadiens have a long history of great defensive forwards, including Guy Carbonneau, Doug Jarvis, Claude Provost and of course Bob Gainey.

Lost in the sands of time is Kenny Mosdell, One of the NHL's top defensive specialists in the 1940s and 1950s was Montreal born Ken Mosdell.

Kenny Mosdell, a four time Stanley Cup champion with the Canadiens, saw big ice time as the Habs #1 shutdown guy. Mosdell would get the call every time the opposing team sent its No. 1 line into action. If it was Boston, he'd be out there against Milt Schmidt; if it was Detroit, he'd be checking Sid Abel of the Production Line, which had Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay as the wingers; if it was Toronto, No. 18 Mosdell would be all over the Leafs' Syl Apps.

Read the full Ken Mosdell biography here.

You know who one player from the Habs glorious past that the team could use right about now? Brian Savage.

Okay Brian Savage is hardly the most famous Montreal player in the team's history, but he was always a fast starter. He scored early and often in the opening month of the season, but then tailed off the rest of the year. Thus he was dubbed as hockey's "Mr. October."

Here's the statistical evidence:

Read the full Brian Savage biography here.

Thanks to the Montreal Gazette's Dave Stubbs' Twitter feed - @habsinsideout1 - there have been some pretty amazing photos of Elmer Lach featured online as of late. Lach, one of the toughest players to ever play as evidenced by the photos, is the obvious choice for today's Habs Hero.

Every great player had a great player to play with. Together they would make each other better, even though one would almost certainly receive less of the spotlight.

Take, for example, Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri, Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr, Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito and Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay. But you rarely hear of Rocket Richard's linemates. While he is arguably the greatest player on the greatest franchise in pro sports, his stature also overshadowed the contributions of his line mate and center for many years, Elmer Lach.

Read the full Elmer Lach biography here.

 
Yesterday GreatestHockeyLegends.com's Tuesday Top Ten offered a fun look at the Top Ten Hockey Teeth.

Today I thought it would be fitting if the Eyes On The Prize Habs Hero was also from the medical field: Dr. Jerry Wilson.

Dr. Jerry Wilson is the father of long time NHL player and Canadian Olympian Carey Wilson. He is also the grandfather of current NHL star Colin Wilson of the Nashville Predators.

His impact on the hockey world is far greater than his offspring. He also happens to be a former Montreal Canadien himself; the Winnipeg Jets team doctor (he also worked for the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet); and influential in convincing early European stars like Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson to come to North America. You can read more about Dr. Jerry Wilson here.

Now, Dr. Wilson specialized in knees. But there have been a few hockey players who actually became dentists. Bill  Baker (1980 USA Olympic team), Al Simmons (Boston Bruins), Bobby Copp and Phil Samis (Toronto Maple Leafs), Bill Carse (Chicago Black Hawks),  Rod Smylie (Toronto St. Pats), Duke McCurry (Pittsburgh Pirates), Stan Brown (Detroit Cougars/New York Rangers) Lou Hudson and Joe Sullivan (1928 Olympic gold medal winning team from Canada), Bill Carson (Toronto Maple Leafs/Boston Bruins), Doc Stewart (Boston Bruins), and pre-NHL star Gordon Roberts all became dentists.

Other hockey players became doctors, most famously Randy Gregg, who was a licensed doctor while playing with Wayne Gretzky's Edmonton Oilers. Fred Arthur of the Hartford Whalers quit the NHL after one season to pursue a career in medicine, while Pat Graham, who played 103 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Toronto Maple Leafs, became a chiropractor. He was a chiropractor for the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team.

This is Skinner Poulin - the man who scored the first game winning goal in Montreal Canadiens history.

You can read all about Skinner Poulin here.

I watched Montreal's season opening loss to Toronto on Thursday. The loss lowers Montreal's all time record in season openers to 49-27-17.

I have a bit of a confession to make - I am not really a Montreal fan.

Growing up in BC, I naturally became a Vancouver fan, and I remain loyal to this day. But I do have a significant soft spot for the Habs, in part because of their glorious history and in part because I grew up watching hockey on the French CBC channel. The Habs were my Dad's team. Guy Lafleur was my Dad's favorite player.

So when I watch a Montreal game today, I secretly cheer them on but with a fair degree of an outsider's impartiality. That being said, I want Montreal to be a strong team. We all do, even Bruins fans, even though we do not necessarily realize it. We all want - need - the legendary Canadiens to return to glory, just like baseball's Yankees or basketball's Lakers and Celtics and soccer's Manchester United.

Last night I saw a young, fast, all-too-small Montreal team play what I thought was a decent game. Playing without two of their top defenseman (Andrei Markov and Roman Hamrlik) or sniper Mike Cammalleri, I thought they were unfortunate not to get a point. If they can build on their fundamentals and catch a few breaks, I think they will continue to be a team that will challenge for a playoff spot. That is far from great like we all want, but as they proved last spring they are always capable of catching lightning in a bottle now and then.

As I watched these undersized warriors of bleu, blanc et rouge zip around the ice, I can not help but wonder how much the team would benefit from a hulking presence. I'm not talking about a goon, but a relentless big-bodied leader who could change the flow of the game with a few big hits and a few big goals. I'm talking about someone who would enable all the smaller talent on the team to play bigger than they really are. I'm talking about someone who could be a true catalyst, firing up his teammates at the right time through inspiring play that no one else on the team can provide.

Someone like Bert Olmstead - today's Habs Hero. Click here to read the Bert Olmstead biography.

When I started remembering former NHL players at GreatestHockeyLegends.com about four years ago, the very first player I ever wrote about was Boom Boom Geoffrion.

Ever since I've wondered why did I pick Geoffrion first? Why not Rocket Richard? Or Gordie Howe? Bobby Orr? Wayne Gretzky? Mario Lemieux?  Nope, I picked Boom Boom.

Not that Geoffrion was a bad choice. He won six Stanley Cups, two Art Ross trophies, a Hart and a Calder trophy. He was only the second player in NHL history to score 50 goals in a season. And he helped revolutionized the sport with his slap shot. He truly was one of the all time greats.

Full Boom Boom Geoffrion biography

A new feature this season at Eyes On The Prize will be a regular look at Habs Heroes from the past. It could be a look at an all time great like Rocket Richard or Jean Beliveau, to a fan favorite such as Mats Naslund or Mike McPhee

First off, an introduction. My name is Joe Pelletier (Twitter: @HockeyLegends). The departed Robert Lefebvre, the true Habs historian, asked me to step in and help fill the history void his departure has created. While I am not as intimately educated on Montreal's history like Robert is, hockey history is my field.

With Robert's invite and Kevin van Steendelaar's blessing, my goal is to keep alive the memories of the great Montreal players of the past. I want to bring a personal approach to it, like the late Jack Falla would have. I hope that you the readers and commentors in turn contribute with your own personal memories.

Many of you may recognize me from Greatest Hockey Legends.com, where I am known as the Hockey History Blogger. I have over 1300 former NHL players as well as international and female stars. I also have many historical features as well as tying today's games with the lessons of the past.

You may also know me from my other two websites: Hockey Book Reviews.com where I look at all the new hockey books, and 1972 Summit Series.com.

Others yet may know me for my two published books: The World Cup of Hockey and The Legends of Team Canada. I have also written for The Hockey News, Hockey Canada and USA Hockey, several NHL teams, as well researching and writing for countless media outlets, publishers and projects.

I may not be able to fill Robert Lefebvre's huge shoes in the Habs history community. But I'm hoping that we as a community can keep hockey history alive by sharing our memories of players from the past in our own personal way.

Vancouver has become famous for it's goalie graveyard. Between the heyday of Kirk McLean and the arrival of Roberto Luongo almost every goalie in Vancouver has fallen victim to it.

Luongo's arrival seemed to end those days. But a funny thing has happened in Vancouver. Anxious Canucks fans are unhappy with Luongo's play last season, and the gravediggers are getting their shovels.

I think what is needed in Vancouver - by Luongo, by the Canucks and by the media and fans - is a change in philosophy about Luongo's new role. New goalie coach Rollie Melanson - who may be the team's key off-season acquisition - will probably hammer home this point with Luongo and his teammates.

Continues using Ken Dryden's analytical insight from his brilliant book "The Game" as to how the definition of Roberto Luongo's success has changed as the team has improved. It is important for not only Roberto and his teammates to understand this paradigm shift, but also the media and the fans. Full Story at GreatestHockeyLegends.com

Hello Canucks fans. I just wanted to point out my full book review of Greg Douglas and Grant Kerr's new book Canucks At 40 is now available at HockeyBookReviews.com

Here is an excerpt: The books is so much more than just a collection of photographs. The franchise's most treasured moments are brought back to life by veteran sports journalists Greg Douglas and Grant Kerr. Many others, including Jim Hughson, Iain MacIntyre, Don Taylor, Elliott Pap and Norm Jewison, make their own contributions.

What I like best about this book is that it commemorates the franchise's history through the stories of the players. In a blue collar hockey town like Vancouver, the players - both the superstars and the characters (of which the Canucks have had many!) - are very much the heart and soul of our memories. They are without doubt the reason why we love the Canucks so much.

The photos wow, but it is these players profiles that are best part of this text. They offer first hand accounts, with some interesting insider stories. Reading the back-stage stories about Trevor Linden's mindset on the day of his final game or of Harold Snepsts memories of 1982 or of Kirk McLean playing down his heroics in 1994 or getting inside Roberto Luongo's head in the hometown Olympics of 2010 are the real gems that make this book great.

Former Chicago Black Hawk Hec Lalande died on August 18th, 2010 at the age of 75.

A junior sensation with the Galt Black Hawks in the early 1950s, Lalande got his first taste of the National Hockey League at the age of 19. He would play regularly if unspectacularly with Chicago from 1955 though 1958, finishing that third NHL season with the Detroit Red Wings.

He scored 21 goals and 60 points in 151 games over three NHL seasons with the Black Hawks and Red Wings. Lalande was described as a very good playmaker. Although his penalty minute totals do not hint at it, he was also known as a tough player who never backed down from anybody.

Full Hec Lalande biography available on GreatestHockeyLegends.com

One of the most anticipated hockey books of 2010 will be TSN's hockey host James Duthie's curiously titled book, The Day I (Almost) Killed Two Gretzkys.

While it promises to be a rip-roaring collection of stories, Vancouver Canucks fans have another reason to look forward to the book: Goaltender Roberto Luongo has written the foreword for the book!

Full information about Duthie's book (and his second title he has coming this fall) can be found at HockeyBookReviews.com

[NM Note: The preface and foreword can be previewed here.]

Great news Canucks fans! The Canucks 40th anniversary book is out early and already hitting store shelves. As a Canucks fan this is the most anticipated book in years.

The book is called Canucks at 40: Our Game, Our Stories, Our Passion by Greg Douglas and Grant Kerr. Jim Robson has the foreword. It is published by Wiley, with a cover price of $39.99.

More information about Canucks At 40 by Greg Douglas and Grant Kerr is available at HockeyBookReviews.com

"He was the rare player whose effect on a game was far greater than any statistical or concrete contribution he might make. When he came onto the ice, the attitude of the play seemed to change. Standing in back of him, I could feel it. I could see it, change, growing more restrained, more respectful, as if it was waiting for him, to see what he would do.

"Nowhere was this more evident, or more important, than against the Flyers or the Bruins. They held him in such awe, treating him with an embarrassing, almost fawning, respect, that they seemed even to abandon their style of play when he was around, and with it any hope of winning."

Full comments at GreatestHockeyLegends.com

Let's bring Kraft Hockeyville to British Columbia!

Hello everybody! My name is Joe Pelletier, aka The Hockey History Blogger over at http://www.greatesthockeylegends.com

As you may know, Terrace BC, my hometown, is a finalist for Hockeyville. We are almost ready to begin the voting process, and I am enlisting for the support of Canucks fans everywhere. 

If Terrace wins the Canucks (most likely) will come to Terrace for a NHL exhibition game, and we get $100,000 in rink improvements. Pretty exciting times!

We are trying to secure 4 million votes. With a surrounding population of 20,000, that's going to be tough. So we need your out of town votes!

Here's how to vote. You can vote as many times as you want.

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