A Personal Hockey Heritage Calgary 1986-89

When people think of hockey heritage and heritage rivalries, they might not instantly jump to Calgary vs. Montreal. Most Montrealers would probably cite at least 5 other rivalries they deem to have more heritage. Calgarians are likely in the same boat.

But for this Montreal fan, there couldn't have been a more fitting choice for a Heritage Classic match-up than Calgary vs. Montreal. To me, this was the ultimate rivalry. Montreal is where I grew up. Calgary and the Flames set my hockey dreams alight.


The First Cup

Nearly every hockey fan has a first Stanley Cup playoffs tournament of note in their treasured memories. I was born in the 1970s, but moved to Canada when I was very young. Montreal was a Stanley Cup champion when we arrived, but this was all very alien to me. I probably vaguely knew of ice, but it hadn't been part of my winters till then.

After briefly living within touching distance of the Forum's back exit, my childhood in Montreal for a while consisted of school and playing on the street. Because we lived a stone's throw from a pool, swimming became the big sport. Because of our own heritage, soccer was to be the other pursuit.

1986 was the first playoffs I remember clearly in my house. The excitement at school and in the neighbourhood must have been building for this once oblivious child to take notice of something other than the upcoming Commonwealth Games swim meet. Though not vivid memories, I see snippets of games, I know Gainey and Robinson and Naslund were images from the time. I remember Patrick Roy being the only thing my friends would talk about at school. Even though it seemed a very easy time to grow up without the Canadiens (I think the 1970s must have made many fans more blase about the whole thing), May 1986 was the first spark of interest for hockey in a young mind.

Because the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup in Calgary that year, I even got a Canadiens sweater out of it. In a move that I understand much more with time, our swim team coaches made the Canadiens sweater our team uniform for the important under-10 swimming competition in Toronto that June. Oh, how the 19-year starved Torontonians must have loved the gesture. Probably expecting their chance to return the favour to come very soon.


Calgary Olympics

If hockey had eluded me before 1986, sports as spectacle had not. The 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles had me rapt. Canada, my country, so gracefully poaching medals left and right. Alex Baumann and Victor Davis, of course, being pivotal figures in all swimmers thoughts from that era.

4 years is a long time to wait for a child. So, when I discovered that 6 months before those Seoul Olympics, that couldn't come soon enough, Canada would be hosting a different set of Olympics, I jumped in feet first. I got the Petro Canada and Post Office gear and scheduled my entire two weeks. I was going to watch the entire event if I could. I probably nearly did. From Pirmin Zurbriggen to that final hockey game, I watched and watched.

If Calgary in 1986 had provided the spark and the sweater, then Calgary 1988 had begun to provide an education in the game of hockey and a basis for something to come. I loved Canada and cheered for Sean Burke, Andy Moog and the guys, but one couldn't help but be fascinated with Larionov, Makarov and Krutov. The Canadiens and Oilers won the NHL trophies, but this showed the young fan a whole world of players who didn't even compete for that one.


1988-89 Season

If I think about how perfect stories are reconciled in the imagination, the 1988-89 season comes to mind. The Canadiens were a good team in 1986, but they had surprised a bit, they certainly came from nowhere into my consciousness. The Flames too had accepted Steve Smith's help to make that final. 1988-89 was different.

Chelios, Roy, Robinson, Naslund, Smith and Richer were battling all season long with far-off rivals Loob, Mullen, Nieuwendyk, MacDonald and Vernon. There were two teams that season. Montreal won the East by a clear 23 points, Calgary cleared the Campbell Conference by 26 points.

The struggle for the President's trophy throughout that year was the most important hockey contest I had come across to date. Because we had moved to Canada, our family didn't really have a notion that regular seasons are unimportant, so scoreboard watching, particularly through the winter and spring of 1989 was tremendously exciting. Back then, of course, things were a bit more romantic.

Because there was no internet and very few people had TSN yet, results from the Western timezones were typically unearthed in the morning newspapers. I can remember raiding my local depanneurs with some frequency to steal a glance at Calgary scores, the exotic boxscores and the standings. Montreal went 14-3-3 over the last stretch to really pour on the pressure. But Calgary put it away impressively with an 8-1-0 run in the final nine. A win less would have been a tie break win, one more loss and tie, Montreal would have received the President's trophy. Those were some riveting boxscores, I can tell you.

And then with only the slight blip of Calgary:Vancouver, both teams swooped into the final as teams do in perfectly written seasons. The Vezina, Norris and Selke trophy laureats would face the storming offense where Doug Gilmour

0-1, 1-1, 2-1(!), 2-2, 2-3, 2-4 and it was done. Despite curfews getting in the way, i watched these where I could. Part of me expected all to go as planned and the good guys to claim victory. The villain with the red moustache was an image I couldn't shake for a long time.

This season and this final, grueling months of anticipation, celebration and work was the first of its kind for me. Hockey may not have been the sport that lived in my imagination before. it was now.


The rest is history

While Calgary may not be the Canadiens most important rivals anymore. For a few short (and pivotal) seasons, the Flames were. The city of Calgary, being the locale for a Stanley Cup victory, a mesmerizing Olympic hockey tournament and a pivotal Game 5 (among other important wins that year) was the second home of my hockey imagination.

For years after, I'd consider the possibility of the pure final (Calgary vs. Montreal) in all predictions and dealings with hockey pools. Probably right up until 1993 with the big 10-man trade and the ensuing playoffs. I knew these were the two best teams of an era, and the stats even back that up.

That's why for me that alumni game (with plenty of characters and villains from that very era) will be very exciting. The game itself will be. This rivalry just works that way.

Sharks Reinstate Claude LemieuxWilson: "Thinking How To Mess Up The Season Is Hard"

Thinking of ways to keep people interested while winning streaks drag on is the burden of the San Jose Sharks. Unaccustomed to actually starting well as finishing well, the Sharks have found their minds wandering to keep themselves occupied. Their most recent move cannot be described any other way:

The NHL-leading Sharks recalled the four-time Cup winner Monday from their minor league affiliate in Worcester, Mass. Lemieux practiced in San Jose, and he's likely to play Tuesday night against Vancouver in the Sharks' final game before the All-Star break.

Claude Lemieux should add an interesting piece to an already interesting team – one that already has two elite centres and Jeremy Roenick.

But is there anything beyond an interesting story here? Can Claude Lemieux help this team be better – in the playoffs that is.

One would have to think that was Doug Wilson's actual logic. But can we really attribute logic to a man who invites a 43-year-old, 5.5 years into retirement, to come back and play for his stacked team? Can we really say that Doug Wilson is doing anything other than rolling the dice? After all, he built a team he hopes will win the Cup around Joe Thornton (not to mention Patrick Marleau).

I get the thinking too:

My players = All chokers
Claude Lemieux = Has always found ways to win (even Conn Smythes!)

Despite that, in my humble opinion, Claude Lemieux will not help the Sharks. You can't expect a reclamation project like him to come in and turn a team's stomachs around. Nor could you expect him to fare very well in the new faster NHL. He didn't help Phoenix at the end of his real playing days, did he? His effectiveness was spent more than 9 years ago.

If anything, with Thornton and Roenick already crowding the dressing room; I think he's a personality too far. What's more, some poor youngster who could be learning the ways of winning will now be relegated back down so Claude can exorcise his whim.

I wish Claude all the best, but I'm infinitely glad we didn't sign him. Normally, I'm the first to criticise Bob Gainey for canny manouevres he missed out on. But this is not a canny manoeuvre in my book, and I wholeheartedly disagree with JT's fanciful take on the matter:

If Gainey passed over Lemieux without at least considering making him an offer, I worry the Habs GM is too conservative or unimaginative to give his team a leg up on the other teams scrabbling to be the best...

And, what is it about the late 80s Habs that just won't retire. Chelios, Richer and his repeated attempts at comebacks and now this. If Larry Robinson wants back in, we have a gaping place open for him at 6th defenceman...

Honouring RoyPatrick's Triumphant Return

To mixed reviews and polarised sentiment, Patrick Roy's 33 will be raised to the rafters in the Bell Centre. And for the first time, the sweater that should have inaugurated the new building will be donned at ice level there.

In honour of the occasion, I have tracked down a few old articles, more poignant than anything I could come up with now, for you to peruse and enjoy. Because love him or hate him, we will all remember Patrick.

Sports Illustrated: October 13, 1986

"I don't want to be a one-year player. I want to have a long, successful career. And the way to do that is to not forget how you got successful in the first place. I once asked (35-year-old defenseman) Larry Robinson, 'How do you stay excited after all this time? How do you stay interested with all the games and all the travel?' And he said, 'Every game is something new, like the start to a career, so it never gets boring.' "

Sports Illustrated: June 21, 1993

"Always Sandstrom is in my crease, bothering me, hitting at me when I have the puck," Roy (pronounced WAH) said. "When I made the save on Robitaille, Sandstrom hit at me again. So I winked. I wanted to show him I'd be tough. That I was in control."

Roy's retirement: Michael Farber

"Roy was very important in the history of the Canadiens, especially with the premature retirement of Guy Lafleur. There was a small game between French-Canadian icons and the torch was passed to Roy. He was part of that continuity."

New York Times: December 10, 1995

"It's too bad sometimes when you lose a player like that," said Tremblay, who does not regret the decision not to pull Roy from the rout earlier. "The thing is, it is not the organization who asked for the divorce."

A game to make a lagend:



And a retrospective of Denis Brodeur's pics of Roy with the Habs.

The Myth of 93

Patrick Roy will have his number retired.

I couldn't agree more with this decision. He was the best of a good group of players to grace the Canadiens mini-dynasty 85-93.

But you know, ever since the announcement has been confirmed, we've been subjected to tales of Roy's miraculous goaltending in the 1993 playoffs and how he single-handedly won a Cup with a middling team.



Let's put an end to this.


1993 Canadiens

The first thing you should know is that the Canadiens were not a middling team that year. In fact, apart from the end of the regular season, they were a very similar outfit to last year's squad:

- They had 48 wins and 102 points
- They were winning the division as late as mid-March (pipped to the post by Boston and Quebec)
- They were one of the top defensive teams over the year
- And, surprisingly, but for the top 5 or so teams, the Canadiens were right there offensively among a number of teams with 320-330 goals

In fact, if you looked across the league that season, there was not a lot to separate the contenders. That is apart from the Stanley Cup and league champion Pittsburgh Penguins who were the class of the show. The Bruins were perennially there. The Nordiques were growing but not ready yet (not with Hextall anyway). The Capitals were the next best in the East, so you get the idea. In the West, a mish mash – Blackhawks looking the class, Detroit on the ascendancy but not ready (a la Nords) and the Canucks and Flames right in the Canadiens league.

No the Canadiens were a top 5 outfit. Admittedly, it was a 4- or 5-way tie, but they were not outsiders.


Playoff opponents

Secondly, barring that first round "upset" of the Nordiques (a team 2 points their superior in the first round), the Canadiens would have done poorly to lose any of the next three series.

The Sabres, though they did well to beat the Bruins (thanks Brad May), were the second-worst team in the playoffs, maybe even the worst. They had one of my favourite top lines of all time, but then we had Carbonneau to put an end to that nonsense. Beyond Lafontaine, Hawerchuk and Mogilny, they were inferior in every way to the Habs. Keeping in mind that Hasek wasn't their choice goalie in the playoffs.

The Islanders were a gift. How they beat the Penguins, I'll never be clear on. But, that edition of the Islanders was as 1993 playoff teams go a sad bunch once they lost Turgeon (their one and only stand out). This series should have been and was the easiest. And I remember at the time thinking there was no question of making the final at that point.

In the final, the Kings. This was a puzzle of a team. A Gretzky injury in the regular season obscured how good they were. But, in reality, they'd have been a low 100-point team with the Great One for those extra 30 games. Their defence was an intriguing mix, but relied heavily on very young players (Blake, Zhitnik and Sydor) and some older boys (McSorley, Huddy and Tim Watters). And to face a 3.86 GAA goalie without a viable backup in the playoffs proved a real treat too. This series was Gretzky and Robitaille vs. our depth.Once again, our defensive forwards were prominent.


Overtime

One of the greatest tales of the 1993 playoffs is the shutout goaltending of Patrick Roy in OT. I don't want to belittle the achievement of 1 goal allowed in 11 OT appearances, but it is worth noting that toted up, OT was a surprising 96 minutes in all.

This brings to the fore the importance of the other players in OT, who by scoring often and early were saving energy and doing excellent work.


Consider that 7 players scored in OT in the 1993 playoffs. 3 scored twice each – Muller, Carbonneau and Leclair. These 3 players epitomised the success of the Habs that year for me, even as much as Patrick Roy:

- Muller was Mr. Reliable. He was a real goal threat with defensive awareness to boot. A bigger Saku Koivu.

- Carbonneau was a star in the league, known as the premier shut-down man. His 2 OT playoff GWGs were impressive considering he only scored 3 in all in the playoffs. 4 in the regular season. A classic Canadiens captain, the goalscoring record speaks for how he could raise his game more than a few notches.

- Leclair was one of the exciting youngsters to go with the green blueline corps, Gilbert Dionne and 8-playoff goal man DiPietro. In retrospect, this was Leclair's coming out party. His 2 OT goals will never be forgotten by grateful Habs fans who wanted to get to bed.

In addition to the skaters, one must consider Jacques Demers. He who consistently outcoached his rivals. Famously there was the stick measurement. But don't forget the goal off the faceoff. And 9 OT games won in the first frame, 7 in the first 12 minutes, 5 in the first 10, and 2 in the opening seconds (in the final!). This is good on the ropes coaching.


Patrick Roy

Of course, all this was achieved while knowing Patrick Roy was right there behind them. But the players out on the ice did translate the time he gave them to wins. They even rescued a few blushes (Patrick must thank Leclair for rescuing the 2 leads he would blow in the second periods in LA, 3-0 and 2-0).

What Patrick did was provide the most solid foundation to build on. But the building on top was some what masterful in looking back. Did you know for example that from 1984-85 to 1993-94, the Canadiens were basically the team to beat (with the Flames):

1. Calgary: 433-274-101, 967 pts, +590
2. Montreal, 430-274-104, 964 pts, +509
3. Boston, 412-294-102, 926 pts, +334
4. Washington, 413-312-83, 909 pts, +327
5. Edmonton, 399-314-95, 893 pts, +292

One could argue that it was because of Roy, but why sell those teams short? 2 Cups, 3 finals, a haul of trophies.


I'll celebrate

I'll certainly celebrate the retirement of Patrick Roy's sweater. The memories he provided me and a generation of fans are too numerous to quantify. His personal moments are counted among highlights of my hockey watching life.

But, November 22 will also prompt me to remember the cast that played with Patrick – Carbonneau, Chelios, Muller, Damphousse, Desjardins, Schneider, Smith, Naslund, Green, Richer, Corson, Lemieux, Skrudland, Savard, Bellows, Lebeau and the rest. All of these guys deserve credit one way or another for those years and even those Cup runs. Their numbers will never be retired, but in playing the way they did for the Habs in critical moments, they ensured they'll have one sweater they can look up at to remind them of their own treasured memories.


[Incidentally, when I was looking around for inspiration for this article, I came across a piece which suggests Roy is way overrated. I don't agree with all of what this guy says, nor with his thesis statement and reason for blogging that Brodeur is an average goalie, the article is well worth reading, if only for its comprehensiveness. As with any well-argued debate, the comments are just as informative.]