Book excerpt: Mike Commito’s ‘Habs 365′ highlights the good, the bad and the ugly of Canadiens’ history
I never thought I would write a book about the Montreal Canadiens.
Then again, there was a time in my life in which I definitely thought I would never write a hockey book at all, but now I have four under my belt. But the main reason I never thought I’d write a Canadiens book is because I am a dyed-in-the-wool Toronto Maple Leafs fan. When it came time to take my Hockey 365 book series, which features 365 short hockey stories, one for every day of the year, it made too much sense not to start with the blue and white. I thought maybe it would be a one-off and I’d go back to write the third volume of Hockey 365, but then my publisher suggested we do Habs 365 next.
At first, I’ll admit, I was reticent. The bleu, blanc, et rouge are not my team. I didn’t grow up with them. I knew the legends like Maurice Richard and Jean Beliveau, but there would be legions of players who, at least for me, would not be household names. What if I got it wrong? What if I missed some key details? These were some of the things I agonized over early on, but as I got into the process and began learning as much as I could about the team, I went for it.
The first thing I did was check my Leafs baggage at the door. No Habs fan wants to read a Canadiens book from the perspective of a Toronto fan. From there, I just tried to do the best job I could. And you know what? I really enjoyed it. I’ll stop short of saying Habs 365 made me a Habs fan, but it certainly gave me a better appreciation and respect for the franchise.
So, if you’re a Habs fan or you’re thinking of hopping on the bandwagon…Wait, can you really have a bandwagon when you’re in the cellar? See, that’s the kind of Leafs talk I left out of the book…here are some of the stories you can find in Habs 365.
With stories from the club’s beginnings in 1909 to the Stanley Cup Final run in 2021, there should be something for every Canadiens fan. And even if you’re not a Habs fan, you probably know someone who might want to find a copy of it under their Christmas tree this holiday season.
The good…the Canadiens have won 24 Stanley Cups, so there’s a lot of good:
All right, now the Canadiens are just showing off. April 16 was also a double championship anniversary day. The first was in 1953. When the Stanley Cup Final began that year against Boston, Jacques Plante was between the pipes, but after Plante allowed four goals in the opening matchup, Gerry McNeil took over in the crease. McNeil and Plante split the previous series against the Black Hawks, but head coach Toe Blake’s gambit paid off. McNeil posted two shutouts in the final three games of the series, including the championship-clinching game, in which Elmer Lach scored the only goal just over a minute into overtime to break a scoreless deadlock.
Exactly four years later, once again facing off against the Bruins, the defending champion Canadiens were searching for their second straight title. After Maurice Richard opened the series with four goals, Plante limited Boston to just four goals in the first four games. Holding a commanding 3–1 series lead heading back to Montreal on April 16, the Habs vanquished their archrivals to secure their sixth Stanley Cup on home ice in the NHL era.
The bad:
You may just want to turn the page. I won’t mind. I get it. This story is one that most Habs fans would like to forget. On November 4, 2016, the replica Civil War cannon that’s fired after every Blue Jackets goal at the Columbus Blue Jackets’ Nationwide Arena was put through its paces in a 10-0 rout of the Canadiens. The last time Montreal gave up that many goals in a game was more than two decades before, when Patrick Roy was hung out to dry for nine goals in an 11–1 thumping against the Red Wings that proved to be his last game between the pipes for the Canadiens — but we don’t need to revisit that just yet.
After Cam Atkinson opened the scoring just over the halfway mark of the first period, poor Al Montoya let in nine more goals. The only Blue Jackets who didn’t register at least a point were Ryan Murray, Lukáš Sedlák, and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who made 30 saves in the lopsided shutout victory.
The ugly:
That was it. Patrick Roy was done. There was no going back. After being left in net for nine goals in a game against the Red Wings on December 2, 1995, Roy was finally, mercifully, relieved midway through the second period. The veteran goaltender, who had twice been playoff MVP for the Canadiens, backstopping them to a pair of Stanley Cups, rightfully felt he had been hung out to dry. After leaving the crease and arriving at the Habs’ bench, he brusquely passed by head coach Mario Tremblay to take a seat.
But before finding a spot on the pine, Roy turned around and made his way back to where team president Ronald Corey was sitting. The story goes that Roy told Corey he had played his last game in Montreal. The club tried to calm the waters the next day, but Roy’s words proved to be prophetic; he had, in fact, played his last game as a Canadien. A few days later, the team traded him to Colorado, where he’d win another championship and Conn Smythe.
The obscure:
When you’re as colourful a character as Bob Perreault was, getting a shutout in your NHL debut probably isn’t even in your top five stories. Before the Canadiens called him up in 1955 to replace an injured Jacques Plante, Perreault had already made a name for himself in the Quebec Hockey League with the Shawinigan Cataracts. One game, he went out onto the ice to take his usual spot between the pipes, but he was sporting some extra accessories and had a companion in tow. Perreault was chomping on a cigar under a straw hat, while pulling a monkey on a chain.
He had apparently bought the primate on a trip to Florida and named it Chief. Although the crowd might have delighted in the goaltender’s antics, after he placed his pet on top of the net, the referee told him to ditch it or he’d be out of the game. But when Perreault made his Habs debut on December 17, 1955, there was no monkey business. He stopped all 18 shots he faced to record his first career shutout.
The ones that only Habs fans will remember:
“Did Scott Gomez score last night?” is what Canadiens fans had been asking themselves all season long. There was even a website, aptly called Did Scott Gomez Score Last Night? where fans could go to see if the Montreal forward, who hadn’t scored a goal in more than a year, had broken his drought. Finally, on February 9, 2012, the Montreal faithful were able to rejoice when Gomez tipped in a shot in the third period against the New York Islanders to notch his first marker since February 5, 2011.
Gomez could sense the growing frustration with his play, but he told reporters he didn’t get down on himself and just kept working. “It’s certainly good to get a win, and of course it’s great to finally score,” he said. While the Canadiens paid a hefty price to get Gomez in 2009, giving up Ryan McDonagh as part of a six-player trade, he would score just one more goal for the Habs before he was bought out of the final two years on his contract.
And, finally, the ones that will remind you why you love the Habs:
As Saku Koivu emerged onto the ice, the sellout crowd at the Molson Centre rose to their feet. For the next eight minutes, they stood and celebrated the return of their captain. Koivu, who had missed the entire season while battling cancer, reclaimed his spot in the lineup and in the hearts of the Montreal faithful. As the raucous cheers continued while the crowd chanted “Saku! Saku! Saku!” public address announcer Michel Lacroix tried to interrupt the triumphant applause to start the game, not once but three times, and with every effort he was drowned out by the passionate supporters.
While Maurice Richard received a nine-minute standing ovation at the farewell ceremony for the Forum, this reception was practically unparalleled in the long and storied history of the franchise. Koivu didn’t get on the scoresheet in his first game in more than a year, but he played eight minutes in a 4–3 victory that clinched the Canadiens a playoff spot for the first time in four years. The next game, he would pick up two assists.
You can find Habs 365 wherever you like to buy books.