Montreal Canadiens Goaltenders

Michael Leighton - In The System 2006-07

2007-07-07T19:35:00.000-04:00

Michael Leighton's stint as a Montreal Canadiens goalie could be described as a cup of coffee. Fact is, Leighton barely had the chance to add cream and sugar.

Claimed in waivers by the Habs from the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2007 playoff stretch run, Leighton was added by Montreal as insurance after losing starter Cristobal Huet to injury.

Leighton began impressing scouts while playing for the Windsor Spitfires in the Ontario Hockey League. Following his rookie season, he was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the sixth round of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft with the 165th overall pick. He played two more seasons in the OHL before signing an entry level contract with the Blackhawks prior to the 2001-02 AHL season.

The Petrolia, Ontario native, who was born on May 19, 1981, spent three seasons between the pipes in Windsor setting a career high for wins (32) and GAA (2.73) in 2000-01 before making his professional debut the following year with the Blackhawks AHL affiliate in Norfolk. In his first season with Norfolk, Leighton suited up for 52 games and finished with a 27-16-8 record along with a 2.14 GAA and .920 save percentage.

Coming off a strong rookie season in the AHL, Leighton's consistent play early in the 2002-03 season with the Admirals earned him an eight game stint with the parent club throughout the season and in 2003-04 the former Spitfire spent most of his time in the Windy City, while seeing limited action with the Admirals.

He made his NHL debut on January 8, 2003, and became the first Blackhawks goalie to earn a shutout in his debut, a scoreless tie against the Phoenix Coyotes. Leighton would compete with Craig Anderson for back-up duties, and would not spend a complete season with Chicago in the NHL.

He would continue to play in the Blackhawks' organization until October 4, 2005, when he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Milan Bartovic. He did not appear in a game with the Sabres, as he spent the season with their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans.

On July 13, 2006, Leighton signed as a free agent with the Anaheim Ducks and following training camp, the organization assigned him to their AHL affiliate, the Portland Pirates. When both Ilya Bryzgalov and Jean-Sébastien Giguère were injured, the Ducks recalled him on November 27 to start. However, he was claimed off waivers by the Nashville Predators. After appearing in just 20 minutes of one game with the Predators, Leighton was again placed on waivers, and this time was claimed by the Philadelphia Flyers on January 11, 2007.

The Flyers placed him on a 10-game conditioning stint with the Philadelphia Phantoms, but recalled him early as Robert Esche was injured. Leighton backed up Antero Niittymäki for one game before making his first NHL start in nearly three years on February 10, 2007 in a win against the St. Louis Blues.

Four appearances later, after the Flyers had aquired Martin Biron from Buffalo, Leighton hit the waiver wire and soon found himself a Montreal Canadien.

Upon arriving in Montreal, during a roller coaster season in which he donned five different jerseys, Leighton was interviewed by the Montreal Gazette's Dave Stubbs. Here is the article and accompanying interview:

Goalie Michael Leighton finally met his Canadiens teammates Friday morning in Buffalo, three days after having been clained on waivers from Philadelphia. The welcome, the native of Sarnia, Ont., said, was warm.

"I never expected to be claimed by the Canadiens, I thought this team had enough goalies not to have to find another in another organization," Leighton said after his first practice under the guidance of Canadiens goaltending coach Roland Melanson. "But I'm happy nonetheless to find myself here. "It's the first time I've been with a Canadian team."

Leighton is only 25, but he's already been around the horn in pro hockey. The Canadiens are his fourth organization this year alone.

"I took part in the Anaheim Ducks' training camp after having signed a contract with them during the summer," he said. "The Ducks sent me to their American Hockey League farm team in Portland after the camp. I stayed in Portaldn for six weeks before being claimed on waivers by the Nashville Predators.

"Six weeks later, I was again claimed on waivers, this time by Philadelphia. They eventually sent me to the Phantoms (their AHL affiliate), and now it's the Canadiens' turn. Six team in the same season, that's a lot," said the Chicago Blackhawks' fifth choice in the 1999 entry draft.

Because of this shuffling, Leighton hasn't had the chance to see much action. He's played only five NHL games: four for the Flyers, one for the Predators.

"It's been a tough season," he said. "I've played less than 30 games and I hope to play 6-65 games per season."

The season is also hard on the family front.

"I don't often see my wife and 10-month-old daughter," he said, "only a few days here and there. They're still in Sarnia, waiting for me to settle in one city for good."

Leighton is assured of finishing this season in Montreal, because the Canadiens cannot send him to their AHL farm team because of waiver rules. Still, it will be difficult to imagine him in action; head coach Guy Carbonneau is expected to put his faith in David Aebischer or Jaroslav Halak.

"I hope to put myself in good position for next season," he said. "I'm still young and still hope to make a career n the NHL."

In the meantime, he's working under the watchful eye of Melanson.

"He's a butterfly goalie like most," Melanson said. "I've seen that he's a good worker. I'm going to help him correct the little things. That often makes the difference."

Leighton would only make it as far as the bench in a Canadiens jersey.

During the offseason, the Canadiens traded Leighton on draft day, to the Carolina Hurricanes, aquiring a 7th round pick used to select Joe Stejskal from Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Jaroslav Halak 2006 - 07

2007-07-07T19:33:00.000-04:00

The Montreal Canadiens selected Jaroslav Halak in the ninth round, 271st overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. The 5-foot-11 and 174 lb Halak was 11-4-2 with two shutouts, a 2.05 GAA and a .932 save percentage in 20 games with Long Beach as an ECHL rookie in 2005-06. Halak finished his first season with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL, going 7-6-0 with three shutouts, a 2.29 GAA and a save percentage of .927.

Halak started the 2006-07 with Hamilton, splitting the workload with fellow prospect Yann Danis. By the calandar year's end, Halak led all AHL goalie's in just about every statistical category.

He was called up to the NHL by Montreal when Canadiens starter Christobal Huet injured his leg. At the time the 21-year-old was 16-11-0 in 28 games, with a GAA of 2.00 and a save percentage of .932. He'd received many honours in his half season, such as player of the week and month, as well as being named the AHL's rookie team goaltender for 2006-07.

Halak won his first 3 starts and remained in Montreal for the balance of the season. After a few shaky games, he regained his confidence and sparked the slumbing, given up for dead Habs to within 2 points of a playoff spot.

In his first NHL stint, he posted a 10-6-0 record, with 2 shutouts, a GAA of 2.89 and a save percentage of .906. He finished second in NHL All Rookie team voting to the Dallas Stars Mike Smith.

Following the season, Halak joined Slovakia at the World Championships, leading them to a pair of surprising wins.

David Aebischer 2006 - 07

2007-07-07T19:32:00.000-04:00

David Aebischer became a Montreal Canadien via the trade that saw Jose Theodore sent to the Colorado Avalanche following a string of personal and professional debacles by the Habs former Hart trophy winner.

In Montreal, Aebischer was never seen as a replacement for Theodore, but more realistically as a tradeoff in a salary dump for a weighted down contract. Aebischer's tenure in Montreal will henceforth always be regarded as a controversial period.

Aebischer was born February 7, 1978 in Fribourg, Switzerland and was the 7th choice, 161 overall of the Colorado Avalanche in 1997. A bronze medallist with Switzerland at the 1998 World Junior Championships, he went on to capture the Top Goaltender Award at the tournament before joining the ECHL. After stints in Chesapeake and Wheeling, Aebischer joined the Avalanche AHL affiliate in Hershey where he went on to play two games with the club before being named the number one goaltender in 1998-99.

During his first full season with the club, Aebischer posted a 17-10-5 record and then improved to 29-23-2 before being named Patrick Roy's back-up with Colorado in 2000-01.

Upon his arrival in the Mile High City, Aebischer posted a respectable 12-7-3 record and was part of a Stanley Cup winner later that spring. Over the course of the next two seasons, Aebischer continued to back-up Roy, before assuming the number role in 2003-04, after Roy decided to call it a career in the summer of 2003.

In his first season as Colorado's number one goaltender, Aebischer flourished, finishing the year with a 32-19-9 record. Looking to build on his solid season in 2003-04, Aebischer returned to the Avs' in 2005-06 and did not fare as well. With Colorado having lost many players to free agency, playing on a weaker team seemed to expose the holes in Aebischer's game.

The Avalanche rotated three goaltenders, hoping a starter would emerge. Once Aebischer seemed to have settled in, his rights were acquired by the Canadiens eager to unload the salary of 2002 Hart and Vezina Trophy winner Jose Theodore.

Playing in only a handful of games for the Habs down the 2005-06 stretch, inconsistancy returned to Aebischer's game. He was handed a clean slate by Canadiens coach Guy Carbonneau at the start of the 2006-07 season, and lost a monthlong battle with incumbant Cristobal Huet for the starting role.

Seeing action in sparadic starts from then on, Aebischer had lost all confidence by the time the team needed to count on him most. With dwindling hopes of a playoff spot and Huet injured, Aebischer performances eroded the teams confidence as they fell from 4th spot in the Northeast division to 11th in a matter of three weeks.

The Canadiens threw their hopes upon minor leaguer Jaroslav Halak, and Aebischer was notified before the season end, that he could begin shopping himself to other teams at the dawn on his unrestricted free agency on July 1, 2007.

Despite all doubts in his NHL abilities, Aebischer signed as a free agent with with the Phoenix Coyotes at one third of his previous enumeration.

Aside from his World Junior experience (1997-1998), Aebischer has represented his homeland at the World Championship (1998, 1999, 2005) and the Winter Olympics (2002-2006).

Cristobal Huet 2005 - 07

2007-07-07T19:27:00.000-04:00

Goaltender Cristobal Huet was an afterthought, an unknown quantity throw in, in the deal that saw the Montreal Canadiens aquire center Radek Bonk from the L.A. Kings in exchange of goalie Mathieu Garon, and considerations (Stephane Quintal) on June 26, 2004.

Habs General Manager Bob Gainey was quite honest when asked what he knew of Huet, and how he knew he would turn out so well with the Canadiens. Gainey simply stated that he'd gotten lucky, as he'd he asked for a goaltender in return to fill the void left by the one he was trading away.

Little did anyone know that Huet would unseat Jose Theodore as the Habs within a year, guide the canadiens to an unlikely playoff berth, and lead the league in save percentage in his first Montreal season.

Born on September 3, 1975 in St. Martin D'Heres, France, Huet's road to the NHL is an interesting tale of a road not often taken.

The ninth choice, 214th overall selection of the Los Angeles Kings in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, Huet came to North America in 2002-03 after playing the previous two seasons for Lugano of the Swiss Elite League.

A highly acclaimed netminder, Huet was named the French Elite League MVP and its Top Goaltender in 2002-03 and is a three time recipient of the Top Goaltender award in the Swiss Elite League from 1999 to 2001.

He made his North American and NHL debut with the Kings where he saw action in 12 games while spending the majority of the season with the team's AHL affiliate in Manchester. In his rookie season in the AHL, Huet finished with a 16-8-5 record and a 2.29 GAA.

With the Kings battling injuries in 2003-04, Huet would see more action and went on to finish the season with a 10-16-10 record. Prior to the 2003-04 lockout season, Huet was then acquired by the Canadiens, in a three way trade involving the Ottawa Senators and the L.A. Kings.

Huet became the Canadiens starting goalie, wrestling the job away from a struggling Jose Theodore, while recording 7 shutouts in 36 games. His steadiness and self assured manner allowed the Habs to do the unthinkable - trading away the former Hart trophy winning Theodore in what many saw as both a confidence in Huet, and a salary dump of an overbearing contract.

Huet's hot streak continued into the playoffs even though Montreal would be eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes.After the season, he was named the winner of the Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award , for having the league's best save percentage.

In the Summer of 2006, the Canadiens resigned Huet to a two year contract worthy of a number one goalie. Starting the 2006-07 season, Huet split games evenly with Aebischer until a number one starter was quickly declared. His strong play earned him a berth as one of three goaltenders for the Eastern Conference in the All Star Game.

Following the All Star break, Huet suffered an injury that would sideline him for all but the final two games of the season. Rushed back into action prematurely, he was not able to help the Habs salvage a win in either game, and the team missed the playoffs by a mere single win.

On the international stage, Huet has represented France at the 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympics and is a four time member of its World Championship team (1999, 2000, 2002, 2004).

Olivier Michaud 2001 - 02

2007-07-07T19:17:00.001-04:00

Olivier Michaud's entry into the NHL would be a tale for the ages had he not had the fate of a one game wonder.

As an undrafted goaltender signed by the Canadiens on September 18, 2001, Michaud's destiny likely included years of toiling and perfecting his craft in the minors. His destiny was interrupted when Canadiens goalie Jeff Hackett suffered an injury in October of 2001.

Not expecting to see any action with the Canadiens for a few seasons yet, the junior Michaud was an emergency call up to the Habs in lieu of unavailable AHL goalies on October 26, 2001, when starter Jose Theodore was injured early in the season.

Michaud made his debut when Hackett when down two minutes into the third period in a game in edmonton against the Oilers. He was surprisingly poised and solid, allowing no goals in a Canadiens win. He was returned to Shawinigan on November.

With the spotlight upon him briefly, the future suddenly looked brighter for Michaud, but the high became a tough cloud to come down from. He would never gain a similar chance for the balance of his association with the Canadiens.

Born on September 14, 1983 in Beloeil, Quebec, Michaud had spent the three seasons with the Shawinigan Catraractes, leading them to a first place finish in the Lebel Conference in 2001-02 with a 29-11-3 record along with three shutouts and 2.45 GAA.

A member of Canada's silver medal World Junior team in 2002, Michaud grabbed the headlines in Montreal after he was called up from Shawinigan early into the 2001-02 season to replace injured goaltender Jeff Hackett, becoming the youngest goaltender in team history to play a regular season game at the age of 18. Michaud played the 2002-03 season with Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the QMJHL.

Eric Fichaud 2000 - 01

2007-07-07T19:11:00.000-04:00

After excelling at the 1994 Memorial Cup, Eric Fichaud was on many teams radar and was chosen in the first round, 16th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. Born in Anjou, Quebec, he starred for three years with the Chicoutimi Saugueneens of the QMJHL. In 1993-94 he led the league in minutes played and wins with 37.

The young netminder turned a few heads in pre-season, particularly after stoning the Montreal Canadiens in the first half of one match. He returned for one more year of junior where he played 46 games and an impressive 3.44 goals against average.

Late in the 1994-95 season the Leafs sent Fichaud to the New York Islanders for forward Benoit Hogue and two draft choices. He split the 1995-96 season between New York and the AHL's Worcester Ice Cats. Fichaud showed of plenty of promise going 7-12-2 with one shutout on a weak Islander squad. In 1996-97 he played 34 games and was chosen as the spare goaltender for Canada at the World Championships. Injuries limited Fichaud to 17 games in 1997-98 before he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers.

Before the 1998-99 season, Fichaud was traded to the expansion Nashville Predators. He was unable to gain sufficient playing time when the Predators opted to go with Mike Dunham and Tomas Vokoun between the pipes. He was shipped to the Carolina Hurricanes in the off-season but only saw action in nine games. Signed as a free agent by Montreal, September 10, 2002, Fichaud became a workhorse for the Quebec Citadelles of the AHL. He thrived on the increased responsibilities with a 3.12 goals against mark in 42 games and was recalled to Montreal for a pair of games.

Tired of moving from city to city, Fichaud retired briefly in 2001-02 after playing five games with the AHL Manitoba Moose but did however come back later that season with Krefeld of the DEL before rejoining the AHL in 2002-03 with the Canadiens affiliated Hamilton Bulldogs.

Jeff Hackett 1998 - 2003

2007-07-07T19:02:00.002-04:00

Goaltender Jeff Hackett was a workhorse for the Canadiens after being aquired from the Chicago Blackhawks in a mega trade invoving goalie Jocelyn Thibault on November 16, 1998.

Hackett grew up studying his idol Tony Esposito, figuring that if he copied the future Hall of Famer's style, he, too, could make it as an NHL goalie. After a junior hockey career that included the London Diamonds and the Oshawa Generals, Hackett drafted by the New York Islanders in 1987.

He split the next two seasons between the Islanders and the Springfield Indians of the AHL, winning the Jack A. Butterfield trophy as playoff MVP before being picked up by the San Jose Sharks in the 1991 Expansion Draft. After playing 78 games for the Sharks between 1991 and 1993, Hackett was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for a third-round pick in the 1994 Entry Draft.

It was in January 1996, while playing for the Hawks that Hackett's career came full circle. He entered the Chicago record book with Tony Esposito by recording eight consecutive wins, proving that his prior study of Esposito's game had paid off.

After a total of 173 games for the Blackhawks, Hackett was traded to Montreal along with Eric Weinrich, Alain Nasreddine, and a fourth-round draft pick for Thibault, Dave Manson, and Brad Brown in November 1998.

After comparing the media attention he initially received in Montreal with the amount he had watched Michael Jordan undergo in Chicago, Hackett quickly settled down and became a fan favourite. By February 1999, he had been voted one of the three stars eight times, due in no small part to his .914 save percentage, his 2.17 GAA, and his obvious love of his new home.

Hackett appeared in 53 games that season, and 56 the next and was often the difference in games during an era in which the Habs lost more often than winning.

Hackett went on to play parts of five years with Montreal before the emergence of Jose Theodore as the number one goalie made him expendable.

Acquired by the Boston Bruins in a three way trade with San Jose in the early stages of 2002, Hackett would play only one season in Beantown, as he signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Flyers in the summer of 2003. Upon his arrival with the Flyers, Hackett went on to play 27 games before retiring from the game due to having developed vertigo midway through the season.

Martin Brochu - In The System 1993-96

2007-07-07T18:46:00.001-04:00

Martin Brochu was born in Anjou, Quebec on March 10, 1973 and came into the Montreal Canadiens organization in 1993, when he signed a free-agent contract with the Fredericton of the American Hockey League.

The 5' 11'', 205 lb, Brochu had played his major junior hockey in the QMJHL, joining the Granby Bisons at the age of 17 in 1990. He played in 16 games during his rookie year, going 6-5-0 with a 3.76 GAA and one shutout. Brochu became the Bisons starter the following year, playing in 52 games. Midway through his final season in Granby, he was traded to the Hull Olympiques.

That first year in Fredericton, he played in 32 games (10-11-3) recording two shutouts with a 3.03 GAA. Brochu started 44 (18-18-4) the next year, posting a 3.51 GAA. After a dismal first half showing, Brochu was sent to the the Wheeling Thunderbirds of the ECHL, and he refound his game in time for the Washington Capitals to gain interest. They aquired Bruchu's rights for future considerations on March 15, 1995, and he finished out the season as a member of the Portland Pirates.

After spending the next year and a half with Portland, Brochu as called up to the Washington Capitals, where he sat on the bench in a backup capacity. He got his first taste of NHL action in 1998-99, when he played in two games for the Caps, losing both while allowing six goals. He also donned the pads for the Utah Grizzlies of the IHL and Portland that year, where he remained through the 1999-00 season.

Bruchu had a stellar year with the Pirates in 2000 and his accolades included being named on the AHL First All-Star Team, winning the Les Cunningham MVP Award as well as the Baz Bastien Memorial Trophy as top goaltender in the AHL.

In 2000-01, Brochu tended goal for the St. John Flames after signing as a free agent with Calgary. He started 55 games, going 27-19-5 with a 2.60 GAA. In the highlight of his career, he led the Flames to the 2001 Calder Cup championship. In demand in the summer of 2002, Brochu was acquired by the Vancouver Canucks and went on to play one season with the club, spending the majority of his playing time with the AHL's Manitoba Moose before playing a mere nine games total in 2002-03.

In a shortened season for Brochu, the former QMJHL netminder split his time with the QSHL's Verdun Dragons and Cherepovets Severstal of the Russian Elite League, before signing as a free-agent with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the summer of 2003. In his first season with the Penguins organization, Brochu went on to split his time with the ECHL's Wheeling Nailers, the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the parent club in Pittsburgh.

Roland Melanson 1991 - 92

2007-07-07T18:07:00.002-04:00

"Rollie the Goalie" became a Montreal Canadiens in the trade that send 50 goal scorer Stephane Richer to the New Jersey Devils. His goaltending stats never reaching the 10 game mark with the Habs, Melanson returned after retirement to serve as the Canadiens goaltending coach for a decade. He has been a tutor for the likes of Jocelyn Thibault, Jose Theodore, and Cristobal Huet during that time.

Melanson played three years of his junior career with the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL, followed by 1 season with the Oshawa Generals. He was selected in the third round, 59th overall by the New York Islanders in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft.

As a rookie in 1980-81, Melanson played in eleven games with the Stanley Cup champion Islanders, posting an 8-1-1 record with a 3.10 GAA behind starter Billy Smith. He had been called up from the minors to replace Glenn Resch who had been traded to the Colorado Rockies in February, 1981. He also started 51 games for the Indianapolis Checkers of the IHL , going 31-16-3 with two shutouts and a 2.57 GAA.

The following year, Melanson played in 36 games to Smith's 46 as the fans on Long Island got to celebrate their third consecutive Cup that spring. In 1982-83, Melanson saw action in 44 games for New York, three more than Smith, and the pair shared the William M. Jennings Trophy for the lowest team goals against average. Come the playoffs, Melanson again found himself relegated to bench duty as the veteran Smith led the Islanders to their fourth straight Cup.

In 1983-84, starting duties with Smith were again shared, but Melanson's playing time was cut marginally to 37 games. The Islanders advanced to the Stanley Cup finals for the fifth year in a row, but were turned away in their quest for another title by the Oilers, who avenged their finals loss of a year earlier.

Melanson began the 1984-85 campaign with the Islanders, but with Smith still around and a young Kelly Hrudey on the scene being groomed to take over the top spot, he was traded to the Minnesota North Stars for a first-round draft pick (Brad Dalgarno) in 1985. His Minnesota stay was short-lived as he was dealt to the New York Rangers who flipped Melanson in a three way deal to the Los Angeles Kings, where he would be the team's starting goaltender for two years.

He played one game for the New Jersey Devils in 1990-91 after signing as a free agent with the club on August 10, 1989. On September 20, 1991, Melanson and Devils captain Kirk Muller were traded to the Montreal Canadiens for Richer and Tom Chorske. Melanson started nine games for the Habs in 1991-92, and despite posting two shutouts, he left the NHL after that season having little interest in playing behind starter Patrick Roy.

Melanson played 15 games with the Brantford Smoke of the Colonial Hockey League in 1992-93 and also appeared in seven games for the Saint John Flames of the AHL in 1993-94 before retiring from the game at age 33.

Melanson has the distinction of being the first person born in New Brunswick to play a game in goal in the NHL.

Melanson served as goaltending coach for the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL during the 1996-97 season before rejoining the Canadiens in 1997. He has been their goalie coach through to the present 2007-08 season.

Vincent Riendeau 1987 - 88

2007-07-07T17:10:00.000-04:00

Vincent Riendeau played his junior hockey with the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the QMJHL where he was selected as a Second-Team All-Star in 1986. Before the season had started, he had already signed as a free agent with the Montreal Canadiens on October 9, 1985.

He turned pro in 1986-87 with the Sherbrooke Canadiens where he won the Harry "Hap" Holmes Trophy for allowing the fewest goals-against in the AHL. The following year, he appeared in one game with Montreal before returning to Sherbrooke where he again won the Holmes Trophy in partnership with Jocelyn Perreault.

During the off-season, the Canadiens determined that Riendeau was expendable and traded him to St. Louis with Sergio Momesso for Jocelyn Lemieux, Darrell May and St. Louis' 2nd round choice (Patrice Brisebois) in 1989 Entry Draft, August 9, 1988.

With the Blues, the rookie backstopper was pumped sky high for his debut. The first game was on the road in Hartford. His parents made the drive down from Quebec to watch their son's opening night. Their joy was dashed, however, as teammate Dave Lowry hit Riendeau's shoulder with a hard shot during the pre-game warm-up, putting the goalkeeper out of action for the night.

In his next outing he took a shot in the throat off the stick of defenseman Charlie Huddy. Riendeau joked that, henceforth, he was going to look for a safer line of work. He did, however, finally get his NHL career off the ground, picking up steady work with the Blues for the three seasons that followed. His best campaign came in 1990-91 when he posted 29 wins, nine losses and six ties.

The following year, Curtis Joseph took command of the Blues' crease making Riendeau tradeable once more. He was moved to the Detroit Red Wings and served as a backup for parts of three seasons. Riendeau then jumped to the Boston Bruins for a brief spell and then headed to the minors where he has saw AHL action with Providence and Manitoba. His career moved overseas for stops with Germany, and Scotland.

Riendeau would return to North America for the 2000-01 season and play his final professional season with the Anchorage Aces of the WCHL. Riendeau posted an 8-10-2 record backing up Dan McIntyre.

Following his retirement, Riendeau would become a goaltending consultant for the Toronto Maple Leafs, a move that allowed him to work with Joseph again. Riendeau would then spend the 2004-05 season as the goaltender coach for the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles of the QMJHL.

Riendeau is now living on a 100 acre farm in Quebec with his wife and three children. Riendeau works as a goaltender coach for youth hockey and runs a goalie school camp in Stowe, Vermont.

Riendeau is second goalie from left, Togliatti

One On One Interview With Riendeau at Hockey Zone Plus

Goalie Vincent Riendeau played 8 years in the NHL before moving on to Manitoba for a season in the IHL and then leaving to play in Europe. He now plays in Russia, where he became the first Canadian to join a Russian team. In mid-November 1999, he was interviewed by François Coulombe of HockeyZonePlus on his experience in Russia.

HockeyZonePlus – How long have you been playing in Russia?

Vincent Riendeau - I started playing in Russia in mid-January 1999.

HockeyZonePlus – What league is the team in and where is the team based?

Vincent Riendeau - I play for a team called HC Lada (the owner of the team is the Lada car company) in a city called Togliatti which is 1,000 km east of Moscow. We play in Russia’s 1st league.

HockeyZonePlus – Can you give us an overview of the league and how it operates?

Vincent Riendeau - There are 20 teams in the league and we play twice against each one for a season of 38 games. 16 teams participate in the playoffs, with 3 best-of-5 series and a best-of-7 final.

HockeyZonePlus – Can you tell us a little bit about Togliatti?

Vincent Riendeau - The city of Togliatti is split into two parts : the old city and new city, separated by about 20 km. My hotel is in the newest part of the city where the arena is (an arena with 4,000 seats). The downtown of the old city is quite nice but we rarely go there.

There’s not much to see in the newest part – it’s mostly lots of apartments. The old town was built along the Volga River. We are at the same parallel as Sept-Iles, Québec, which gives you an idea of the climate. Most people here work directly or indirectly for Lada. Togliatti also has a soccer team in the second league.

HockeyZonePlus – Tell us about your hockey career after you left the NHL?

Vincent Riendeau - I played in Manitoba, in the IHL, for one season which was very difficult. I lost all confidence in my abilities and thought that my career was over. My father started his fight against cancer that year (a fight which he lost in September 1997) so that was a terrible year in every possible way. During the summer of 1997, I got an offer to return to Germany (Rivier Lowen) and returning to Europe was an idea I liked. I was doing very well when the team started to have financial problems which caused my departure for Lugano in Switzerland in the middle of the season. In 1998-99, I ended up in a league in England until my departure for Russia in January 1999.

HockeyZonePlus – How did you end up in Russia?

Vincent Riendeau - My team in the England league (Ayr Scottish Eagles) was participating in the EuroCup tournament (tournament in which the champion of each European country competes against each other) and we were in the same group as a Russian team (AK Bars Kazan). We played two games against them and, to the surprise of all hockey experts in Europe, we won them both (4-2, 3-1).

During the tournament, I was impressed with the way they played and practiced. I had a clause in my contract saying that in January 1999, it was time to negociate a new contract. The team wasn’t ready to commit and since I knew, through my agent, that a Russian team was looking for a goalie, we asked the general manager if we could terminate my contract to allow me to go play in Russia. I felt that their caliber of play would be a great challenge for me. The GM told us that if I wanted to go, I could (later, he changed his mind and requested compensation, otherwise he would suspend me for the remainder of the season). We finally came to an agreement and I moved to Russia.

HockeyZonePlus – Why did you want to play in Russia?

Vincent Riendeau - Many factors made me decide to go play in Russia.

The most important factor was the caliber of play and the challenge it represented for me. When I arrived in Russia at age 32, I decided to change my position to a butterfly style, which I thought would improve my performance. When I moved to Russia, I decided that until the end of my hockey career (no matter how many years I had left), I would try to get better than I had ever been before. Up until now, after 4 months of competition in Russia, I sincerely believe that I am better than in my NHL days. One of the reasons is that Russians practice as if it was an actual game. So, I can test my new style every day, even twice a day.

Another factor that made me want to play here is the 1972 Canada-Russia Series. As far as I’m concerned, this is the most important sports event ever organized. I met people, here who played in that series, and hockey-wise there’s a big mutual respect between Russia and Canada. I was the first Canadian (and first former NHLer) to come to play in Russia, and Russians are very proud of my presence.

Obviously, there was also a financial aspect that convinced me to come here because to leave one’s family, and to be alone in Russia for the season there has to be some incentive.

HockeyZonePlus – How long do you think you’ll stay in Russia?

Vincent Riendeau - I don’t know how long I want to keep playing hockey. It’s very difficult to be so far from my family (I have 3 kids, including 2 going to school). I would like to have them with me here but that would be too difficult for them. We practice twice a day so I wouldn’t see them much anyway. There’s also the school issue. My oldest girl is 11 and she has already changed schools 10 times in her life. It has to stop, so for this year we decided that my family would stay back home in Québec. My wife and I will re-evaluate our plans after the season.

HockeyZonePlus – What has your relationship with your teammates been like?

Vincent Riendeau - As I said, I am the first Canadian to come here. At first, the players were skeptical, but when they realized that I was here to perform they quickly accepted me as a part of the group. Five or six players speak English. The coaches speak Russian and the goalie coach speaks a little bit of German (like me). To give me the practice schedule, the goalie coach speaks German to me. If they have to tell me or ask me something specific, they do so through one of the players who speaks English or through the team secretary who speaks English well.

HockeyZonePlus – How do you deal with the language barrier?

Vincent Riendeau - Hockey-wise, it’s not so bad. The fact that I am a goalie makes things easier since strategy isn’t so important (as long as I stop pucks, they are happy). For every day life, again, it isn’t so bad. We are 5 players living at the hotel and 2 of them speak English well. We eat at the arena’s cafeteria and when we decide to go to restaurants, the players help me.

I understand enough basic Russians to deal with basic day-to-day stuff. I often hitchhike to get to the arena and I can tell people where I want to go. My wife is sending me a CD to help me learn Russian, but I know that I won’t have time to master the language. I find the language to be rather difficult because the words have no similarities with any language I know. Also, their alphabet is different so it takes a while to master the different characters.

HockeyZonePlus – How would you compare the caliber of play between your current league and other leagues where you previously played?

Vincent Riendeau - I can’t compare because it’s too different. All I know is that every year, there’s the EuroCup tournament where the champs of different countries compete, and last year two Russian teams (Moscow Dynamo and Magnitagorsk) ended up in the final. I like the way they handle the puck as opposed to our famous « dump-in ». The rinks are bigger here and the dump-in is a strategy that pretty much doesn’t exist in Russian hockey.

HockeyZonePlus - What kind of compensation do you get from the team?

Vincent Riendeau - In Russia, there’s a clause in contracts that prohibits players from divulging salaries, and I don’t have any intention to be the first to break that rule. I live in a hotel provided by the team. They also provide a car, but I decided to refuse it. I find that Russians don’t have much respect for the laws of the road so I prefer to either walk or hitchhike when the weather isn’t too good. Hitchhiking is a common mode of transportation in Russia (rarely more than 5 minutes wait). For 15 roubles (CAN$ 1), you can go anywhere you want. The team also lets me use their computer and Internet connection at the arena. However, this year, I managed to get the Internet in my hotel room. We also get 3 meals a day at the arena.

HockeyZonePlus – Can you tell us any anecdotes about your time in Russia?

Vincent Riendeau - Last year during the playoffs we played against the Moscow Dynamo. The first two games were in Moscow (same arena where the 1972 Super Series took place), the first one was Saturday at 1pm and the second was Sunday at the same time. After the first game, at about 4pm, I decided to go visit the Kremlin and Red Square. After asking all my teammates if they wanted to come with me, I realized that if I wanted to visit this place, I’d have to do it by myself (which, for me, is not a problem). As crazy as I am, instead of taking a taxi as most people who don’t understand Russian would have done, I decided to give myself a bit more trouble by taking the subway, a mean of transportation that I like.

Our hotel was right next to a subway station. After figuring out at which station the Kremlin was, I was ready to go for my little adventure.

Once in the subway, I had no problem finding where to go even if everything was in Russian. The subway map is quite simple and I was on a line leading directly to the Kremlin with 8 or 9 stops in between. My problems started when I arrived at the Kremlin subway station and I realize that I didn’t know the words to find the exits (exits, street, boulevard, etc). After a quick brainstorm, I found a solution that seemed logical: I just have to follow the majority of people – they eventually have to get out of the station. So, I started following a group of people and ended up at the same place I previously was (or so I thought). I then followed another group and got the same result. After looking at the subway map, I realized that I was at the central subway station where 5 different lines meet. Every time I followed a group, they would be going to another line! I followed people like that for about an hour before finally following someone who was getting out of the station!

After all that, I went to Red Square but it was now closed. Without all this waste of time, I would have been able to catch the last tour. It still was a good day and I decided to take a cab to get back to the hotel.

HockeyZonePlus – Do you have time to learn some Russian?

Vincent Riendeau - I learn Russian via the players in the lockerroom. I wanted to take a class but our schedule makes it pretty much impossible. Our schedule changes from day to day and it is given to us only one day in advance. I know enough of the language to hitchhike and to know when I have to be at the arena. For everything else (pre-game meetings, for example), I don’t understand much. It becomes difficult when I am tired and am supposed to pay attention but I have enough experience to know when I have to pretend to be listening...

By the way, I just went through a pretty amazing experience. After a knee injury, I had to spend 3 days in the hospital for an operation and nobody could speak English or French. Everything went fine but if the same thing would have happened last year, it would have been enough for me to pack my things and come back home. Imagine what it’s like to spend 3 days alone in a Russian hospital...

HockeyZonePlus – Are you being treated differently because you are a foreigner?

Vincent Riendeau - I probably don’t look like a Russian because I feel a lot of people are looking at me. While at home in Togliatti many people recognize me, but when we’re on the road, where nobody knows me, I draw lots of looks. Never in a negative way, though. People are really nice to me and Russians are generally very cordial and helpful (Never waiting more than 3-4 minutes when I hitchhike, for example). Obviously, at first, the players were a bit skeptical about me but they accepted me quickly. The day of my knee operation, my team was playing an exhibition game against Team Canada and when I was back the next day to watch the practice at the arena, they played the Canadian national anthem for me. I really appreciated the thought...

HockeyZonePlus – Do some players in your league have hope to play in North America someday?

Vincent Riendeau - In our league, there’s a rule forcing each team to have 2 juniors in uniform. Some play and some don’t. There’s a lot of scouts following our league, and it makes things interesting because the young guys always give their best. As for the older guys, their life is here with their family, so for most of them I don’t think that they want to leave. Some would like to play elsewhere in Europe, but the life of minor leagues in North America doesn’t really interest them.

Doug Soetaert 1984 - 86

2007-07-07T16:49:00.000-04:00

Doug Soetaert was aquired by the Montreal Canadiens from the Winnipeg Jets on October 9, 1984. Looking for an able backup who would challenge as well as guide rookie Steve Penney, the Habs sacrificed goalie prospect Mark Holden in return. Soetaert had nine seaons of NHL experience, which included six seasons of bouncing back and forth between the New York Rangers who had drafted him, and their affliate New Haven Nighthawks. In 1981, a starting role awaited Soetaert upon his trade to the lowly Jets.

While Doug was growing up in Edmonton, his father stored all the hockey equipment for the community club's team in the family basement. After school, Soetaert would put on the goalie pads and have friends take shots on him in the basement.

Soetaert played his junior hockey with the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WCJHL from 1971 to 1975. During the 1974-75 season, he practiced with Hall of Famer Jacques Plante, then the Edmonton Oilers' informal goalie coach. That season also saw Soetaert selected by the New York Rangers in the 1975 Amateur Draft. He played in the World Junior Championships for team Canada and won a silver medal.

The following season, Soetaert made his NHL debut, playing in eight games with the Rangers, but spending the majority of the year with the AHL's Providence Reds. The trend continued throughout his tenure with the Rangers until he was traded to the Jets in 1981. There Soetaert would play regularly, while also seeing his first action in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Then came the trade to the Canadiens, where he would spend the next two seasons backing up Penney and then Patrick Roy. After two years, Soetaert resigned with the New York signing with the Rangers. The 1986-87 season would be his last.

Soetaert is now vice president and GM of the Everett Silvertips of the WHL. During the summer of 1998, the CHL named Soetaert to the Edmonton Oil Kings all time team.

Rick Knickle - In The System 1984-85

2007-07-07T16:48:00.000-04:00

Rick Knickle played 14 games for the Sherbrooke Canadiens after being signed as a free agent by Montreal, February 8, 1985.

The native of Chatham, New Brunswick grew up on Canadian Royal Air Force bases while his father was serving in the military. He played junior with the powerful Brandon Wheat Kings in the late 1970s. In 1978-79 he posted a remarkable 26-3-8 record and helped the team come within one overtime goal of the Memorial Cup title. Following the season he was voted on to the WHL 1st All Star team and was chosen 116th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft. Knickle started the next year in junior but eventually moved on to the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the IHL for 16 games.

Between 1980 and 1993 Knickle guarded the cage for 8 different IHL franchises, 3 AHL clubs, and one EHL team. He won at least 20 games five times, led the IHL in goals against average twice and did the same once in the EHL.

Knickle had all but given up on a chance to play on the NHL when he was summoned to the NHL as an injury replacement for Kelly Hrudey by the Los Angeles Kings in 1992-93.

With 522 career minor league games behind him, the Kings chose to sign Knickle and secured his rights in a cash transaction with the San Diego Gulls of the IHL. Knickle looked solid while playing ten games that year and four more the following year. He was with the Kings team that went to 1993 Stanley Cup Finals, but as the teams spare goaltender, he did not appear in any post season games.

After his brief Cinderella story appearance in the NHL, Knickle went back to the IHL to play for four different teams to bring his career total in that league to twelve. In 1994-95 he posted a 2.95 goal -against average for the Detroit Vipers and led the IHL in shutouts. He retired in 1997 after playing 19 games with the Milwaukee Admirals.

Knickle was named the Nashville Predators amateur scout for Western Canada in September of 1997, prior to team's inaugural 1998-99 season, and remained in that position until April 16, 2002. He was promoted to assistant director of amateur scouting on April 16, 2002 and remains in that position today.

Steve Penney 1983 - 86

2007-07-07T16:46:00.000-04:00

Steve Penney's first real impact in the hockey world came while backstopping the Shawinigan Cataracts of the QMJHL in 1980. In his third year with the club, he played in 62 games, winning 30, and he garnered the attention of the Montreal Canadiens who drafted him in the 8th round, 166th overall in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft.

The 6' 1", 190 lb Penney's ascent to the NHL would be slow and indirect. From the junior ranks he found himself toiling with the Flint Generals of the IHL. Two seasons of minor-league duty was all he would accept. In 1983, he resolved to attend the Canadiens training camp to give his career one more chance. Were Penney to be returned to Flint, he planned to quit and take his old job of delivering beer in his native town of Ste. Foy, Quebec.

While at camp, he fell under the guidance of Jacques Plante who helped raise Penney to the Nova Scotia Voyageurs of the AHL.

Meanwhile, Canadiens coach Jacques Lemaire found the inconsistent play of his goaltenders, Rick Wamsley and Richard Sevigny, to be intolerable. To make his point, he summoned Penney from the AHL just in time for the playoffs of 1984. Even though Penney struggled at first, Lemaire stuck with him and the coach was rewarded when Penney helped the Habs topple Boston and Quebec in the playoffs. In all he won nine playoff games - three as shutouts.

After Penney helped the Canadiens gain a 2-0 lead in games against the New York Isalnders, he started being compared to Ken Dryden - who once unexpectedly gave the Canadiens a Stanley Cup. Penney was the toast of Montreal for a summer.

Critics wondered aloud whether Penney would be but a postseason flash in the pan. Penney answered by enjoying a decent 1984-85 season with a 26-18-8 record and a 3.08 goals-against average.His play earned him a place on the NHL's All-Rookie team. In the playoffs, he helped the Habs beat the Bruins, and then after landing in the hospital with severe back pain, he helped Montreal push Quebec to seven games before being eliminated.

Just as quickly as Penney was the toast of Montreal, he would soon be toast. The following season, Penney played in just 18 games, losing the starting role to rookie Patrick Roy and splitting the remaining games with backup Doug Soetaert. The Habs were on their way to winning the Stanley Cup in the spring of 1986, and Penney was a bystander watching Roy make history.

During Penney' short time with the Canadiens, injuries had taken their toll. He had missed part of 1984-85 season with groin injury and part of the following season with a bruised shoulder. He would then be absent for the remainder of 1985-86 season and playoffs with damaged cartilage in left knee. The injury required season-ending arthroscopic surgery in April of 1986.

Next season, Penney was shipped to the Winnipeg Jets with the rights to Jan Ingman in exchange for Brian Hayward on August 19, 1986. He had been playing with the Sherbrooke Canadiens at the time and had requested a trade.

He would play only a handful of games for the Jets before GM John Ferguson broke the news that he didn't fit into their plans. After Penney got mop-up duty in an 8-3 loss on February 24, 1987, soon went to the minors, and didn't play another NHL game until January 10, 1988.

Penney appeared in 28 games with Moncton of the AHL before hanging up his pads in 1987-88.

When the Jets suspended him for not reporting to their farm club in Moncton, just three years after his amazing rookie season, Penney's career was over.

Gilles Heroux - In The System 1982-84

2007-07-07T16:44:00.001-04:00

As was the case in the days of the one goalie system, in the early days of the NHL, often replacement goalies had to be signed or loaned from another team for a single game.

Goalie Gilles Heroux was never drafted by the Canadiens, and there is no documentation anywhere of a contract signing or lengthy association with a Habs sponsored farm club. No pictures of Heroux are to be found. In all likelyhood he was signed up to play single games for Nova Scotia due to injuries to starters.

Heroux played two games for the Nova Scotia Voyageurs, one in the 1982-83 season, and another the following year. In the two appearances, he fared quite well.

In the first game, he allowed one goal over two periods of play, but was not involved in the decision. In the second, Heroux allowed 2 goals on 24 shots for the win.

Heroux was more than likely sought out for his solid play in junior in three QMJHL season with the Laval Voisins and Montreal / Verdun Juniors. He turned pro for one season, playing with the IHL's Peoria Prancers and the ACHL's Nashville South Stars.

Mark Holden 1981 - 84

2007-07-07T16:42:00.001-04:00

Goalie Mark Holden played parts of four seasons with the Montreal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets in the early 1980s. After a fine amateur career he ended up doing fairly well in the minors for six years.

The Montreal Canadiens took the native of Weymouth, Massachusetts, 160th overall in the 1977 NHL Amateur Draft after a solid freshman year at Brown University. Holden finished his four years at Brown and was named an NCAA east first team all American in 1980. He won 20 games as a rookie pro with the AHL's Nova Scotia Voyageurs in 1980-81 and continued to play a key role on the team for another three years. Over this time he was recalled to Montreal to make four appearances but was passed over in favour of youngsters Rick Walmsley and Steve Penney.

On October 9, 1984, Holden was traded to the Winnipeg Jets for veteran goalkeeper Doug Soetaert. He was chiefly a minor leaguer for the Jets who ended up focusing on the development of youngsters Pokey Reddick and Daniel Berthiaume. Holden retired in 1986 after toiling for the Sherbrooke Canadiens of the AHL and the IHL's Fort Wayne Komets.

Holden is a member of Brown University Athletic Hall of Fame and he became Brown's starting goalie during his junior season. He later tried out for the 1980 U.S. Olympic team at Colorado Springs in 1979, but did not make team. Holden worked for construction company in off seasons during his college playing days. He has his pilot's license and owned his own airplane since his playing days. Holden remained in Halifax area and served as Halifax (MaJHL) assistant coach after his retirement.

Rick Wamsley 1980 - 84

2007-07-07T16:39:00.000-04:00

The Montreal Canadiens selected Wamsley in the 3rd round, 58th overall, in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft. After a little over a year with Montreal's farm team in Nova Scotia, he was called up to the big club in 1981. The 1981-82 season had Wamsley appearing in 38 games for the Habs and he followed that up with a 46-game stint the next year. By now, Wamsley had firmly entrenched himself as a legitimate NHL goalie.

The route to the NHL for Rick Wamsley began in the small southwestern Ontario town of Simcoe, Ontario, also the breeding ground for Colorado Avalanche star defenseman Rob Blake. Wamsley's dreams of making it to the NHL started to become a reality when he was selected to the powerful St. Catharines Fincups of the Ontario Hockey League at the age of 17 in 1976, serving as the backup to starter Al Jensen.

A year earlier, the Fincups, playing out of Hamilton, won the Memorial Cup. Many of the Fincups stars returned for what many believed would be a certain second Cup win in a row. The Fincups, considered one of the best junior teams of all-time, boasted the likes of future NHLers such as Dale McCourt, Al Secord, Ric Seiling, Willie Huber, Mike Keating, and Jensen. Despite being the best team during the regular season, the team was upset in the playoffs by Bobby Smith and the Ottawa 67s. The following season, in a rebuilding year where many of the teams veterans had moved on, Wamsley had the opportunity to backstop 25 games.

Despite enjoying a certain degree of success with the Canadiens, including sharing the Jennings Trophy with Denis Herron in 1982, the Canadiens were in a downswing after a recent string of Stanley Cups. The organization seemed uncertain as to who would handle their goaltending duties for the future. Wamsley, along with Michel Larocque, Richard Sevigny, Steve Penney and Herron, all had their shot at the number one spot, with only temporary successes. As each failed come playoff time, they would give way to another the following year.

After appearing in 126 games for the Canadiens over three seasons, Wamsley watched Penney steal the starters role in the 1984 playoffs, surprisingly winning the first two rounds. Wamsley knew his days were numbered and it was to no one's surprise when the Canadiens dealt him to the St. Louis Blues during the 1984 NHL Entry Draft on June 9.

Along with Wamsley, the Canadiens sent a 2nd round choice previously aquired from Hartford, and their third round choice in the 1984 draft in return for the Blues 1st and second round picks. The Blues ended up drafting Brian Benning and Tony Hrkac, while the Canadiens struck it rich with Shayne Corson and Stephane Richer.

During Wamsley's three seasons in St. Louis, he appeared in 40, 41, and 31 games, respectively. The Canadiens goaltending questions were soon answered by the arrival of Patrick Roy one year later.

The highlight of Wamsley's NHL playing career came in 1988-89, when he had his name engraved on the Stanley Cup as part of the champion Calgary Flames. Although a backup to starter Mike Vernon, Wamsley was an integral part of the team's success, playing in 35 regular-season games, posting a 17-11-4 mark with a 2.96 GAA and two shutouts. The fact the Flames beat the Canadiens, Wamsley's first NHL team, made winning that much sweeter.

On January 2, 1992, Wamsley was part of one of the biggest trades in NHL history, one that saw Doug Gilmour, Jamie Macoun, Kent Manderville, Ric Nattress and himself head to Toronto for Gary Leeman, Alexander Godynyuk, Jeff Reese, Michel Petit, and Craig Berube. The trade has also gone down in history as one of the more one-sided, the Leafs winning the deal hands down.

Wamsley ended his playing career in 1993 as a backup to Felix Potvin with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He now serves as goaltender coach for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Denis Herron 1979 - 82

2007-07-07T16:36:00.000-04:00

Upon Ken Dryden's retirement from the Canadiens in 1979, there were many who assumed the post would simply be handed to longtime backup Michel Larocque. There was speculation surrounding which of several farm hands, including Richard Sevigny, Robert Holland, Rick Wamsley or Mark Holden, would gain a promotion from the minors and the backup role.

One month prior to the start of the 1979-80, Canadiens management resolved all questions concerning goaltending when they shipped Holland and forward Pat Hughes to the Penguins for veteran Denis Herron and Pittsburgh's 2nd round choice (Jocelyn Gauvreau) in 1982 Entry Draft on August 30, 1979.

Herron had played junior hockey for the Trois-Rivieres Ducs of the QMJHL, where he was named a Second Team All Star 1972. Drafted by Pittsburgh that summer, Herron played his first NHL game in a Penguins sweater, making his debut with a team that would sign him three different times in the course of his career.

He split his first season between Pittsburgh and Hershey of the AHL. The 1973-74 schedule was even busier as Herron played for three different teams: the Penguins, the Hershey Bears, and the Salt Lake Golden Eagles. Herron spent the first half of the following season with Pittsburgh and Hershey before being traded to the Kansas City Scouts. He played 22 games for the NHL club that spring and returned for a full season in 1975-76. He entered free agency at the end of the season, and was again signed by Pittsburgh in August.

Herron had a full time job with the Pens for the next three years and also made an appearance with Team Canada at the World Championships in 1978. In August 1979, Herron's childhood dream came true when he was traded to Montreal. He would end up sharing goaltending duties with Larocque and Sevigny, and in 1981 the trio also shared the Vezina Trophy - the only such instances where 3 netminders would have all played the 25 game minumum allowing this rare occurance.

Unfortunately for Herron, may will remember his costly hurried pass, through the slot he'd vacated, in the seventh game against the Minnesota North Stars in the 1980 playoffs. The slip led to a Minnesota goal, and ended the Canadiens drive for a fifth straight Stanley Cup. Other fans will surely recall that it was Herron in goal, no less than three times, for Guy Lafleur's 50th goal.

In 1982, Herron's best season, he shared another honour by winning the William Jennings Trophy with Rick Walmsley. He had finished the season with three shutouts and an average of 2.64 which were league leading numbers as well.

In September of 1982, Herron returned to Pittsburgh for the last time. He remained there until 1986 when he finished his 462 game NHL career where he had started it, in a Penguins sweater.

Denis Herron is the father of Catherine Herron, goaltender for the McGill Martlets in the Canadian University women's hockey league.

Richard Sevigny 1979 - 1984

2007-07-07T16:35:00.002-04:00

The Montreal Canadiens drafted goalie Richard Sevigny in the 7th round of the 1977 NHL Amateur draft, taking the Sherbrooke Beavers stopper 124th overall. Sevigny had posted strong numbers in back to back seasons with the Beavers and led Team Canada at the World Junior Championships in Finland, catching the Canadiens attention.

The Habs had an unprecedented 27 draft picks in the 1977 NHL Amateur Draft, and used 7 of these choices to get their hands on goaltenders. They were Robert Holland (4th round, 64th overall), Sevigny (7 - 124), Barry Borrett (9 - 152), Mark Holden (10 - 160), Carey Walker (12 - 174), Jean Belisle (14 - 179), and Bob Daly (14 - 180). Three of the seven would reach the NHL, but battles for spots in Montreal and Nova Scotia in these years were fought amongst up to a dozen goalies. Sevigny would have to wait his turn before he could stand out amongst the crowd.

The 1977-78 season saw Sevigny play 35 games for the Kalamazoo Wings of the IHL. His performance was good enought to garner him 2nd Team All Star Honours at season's end. He split the following season, playing 22 games for the Springfield Indians of the AHL, before moving over to the Voyageurs for another 20.

With Ken Dryden retiring in 1979, the Canadiens goaltending picture opened up for several AHL and minor league candidates. Sevigny performed well enough in training camp to win a job and stay with the Canadiens, but he only saw action in 11 games. He was shuffled back and forth between Nova Scotia and Montreal and settled in for good the following year.

In his first full season in Montreal, Sevigny posted 20 wins in 33 games and led the NHL in goals against average with 2.40. At season's end, he was awarded the Vezina Trophy for best goaltender, an award he shared with his fellow teammates Denis Herron and Michel Larocque. As all three had played the minimum 25 games, it would be the first and only time that three goalies have shared the Vezina.

On April 20, 1984, Sevigny was involved in the infamous "Vendredi Saint" brawl on Good Friday at the Montreal Forum. As the benches emptied twice, delaying the game over an hour, Sevigny is remembered for having beaten Quebec goalie Clint Malarchuk to a pulp.

Sevigny had a winning record in two of the next three seasons and then surprisingly was not offered a contract by Canadiens management, allowing him to become a free agent. He was quickly pursued by Hartford Whalers, L.A. Kings, and Quebec Nordiques. The Canadiens bitter rivals, the Nordiques, won out as Sevigny signed a four-year deal with them. He spent the next three seasons in Quebec before hanging up the pads during the 1987-88 season.

Interview with Richard Sevigny

Q: How did you become a goaltender?

RS: Like most goalies, I couldn’t skate so I stood in goal. I was 8 years old when I started and the scores were woeful, like 22-0, 18-0, etc. But I wanted to play and soon loved the action, worked hard on my skating and became an NHL goaltender. Later in skating drills, I used to race the forwards so I became pretty good and a goalie, to be good, must learn to skate well.

Q: Who was your goaltending hero?

RS: I really admired Roger Crozier who played with Detroit and Buffalo. Crozier was acrobatic and spectacular. He could win a game by himself. Like myself, he wasn’t very big so I related to him. In 1967 while playing for Detroit, Crozier was the first player for the losing side to win the Conn Smythe Trophy.

Q: What was your greatest thrill in Hockey?

I had several. When I broke in with Montreal, out of 12 goaltenders, I won the minor pro job. That year the Habs’ regular goalie, Dennis Herron, was hurt. I replaced him and won four games in a row, allowing one goal a game. Then we played the Soviet Red Army in 1979 in the Forum on New Year’s Eve. The night before the game, Coach Ruel told me I would start in goal. Despite being unable to sleep, I played well and won 4-2. I was named a star and it was the first time Montreal ever beat the Russians.

Q: I understand you found retirement difficult?

I found it very difficult. I was a goalie, then all of a sudden you have to start a brand new career and I was past 30. I retired in Quebec City and loved it there, but had to move back to Montreal to find a job. I worked there for awhile, then took a job playing and coaching in France. I was there for four years but the team folded. I moved back to Montreal where I worked as a special education teacher in a Montreal College with over 400 students. I was in charge of discipline but, with the drug problem and lack of parental help, I found it very difficult. Then I became the Manager/Coach of the Montreal Roadrunners Roller Hockey Team but the team and the league have folded. Here I am forty years old and I don’t know what my next job will be! I’ll find something. I know I’ll be all right.

Q: You really get into the games with your stunts and high jinks?
Well, it’s fun and what a wonderful opportunity to see your country. When else would I have a chance to see Alaska, Yellowknife, Kitimat, Campbell River and Fort McMurray. All the games charities are so worthwhile.

Greg Moffat - 1979 NHL Entry Draft (RD 6 - 121 overall)

2007-07-06T03:08:00.003-04:00

Goaltender Greg Moffett played an infamous role in the history of Montreal Canadiens puckstoppers.

Drafted in the 6th round, 121st overall in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft, Moffett enjoyed stellar seasons at the University of New Hamphire before earning permanent work for three seasons as a starter with the Nova Scotia Voyageurs and Sherbrooke Canadiens.

Born on April 9, 1959 in Bath, Maine, the 5' 11", 177 lb Moffett had earned numerous awards with New Hampshire, setting goaltending records for the school, placing on the All Star team, as well as winning the ECAC MVP in 1979-80, and the team MVP in 1980-81. He left New Hampshire with career school records (since broken) for most wins (48), games played by a goaltender (87), minutes played by a goalie (4,979) and goals allowed.

Starting in 1981-82, upon his graduation, he played 129 games for the Canadiens affiliates over the course of four seasons. During the first three seasons, he shared the goaltending duties with stoppers such as Mark Holden and Steve Penney. When the Voyageurs moved to Sherbrooke for the 1984-85 season, Moffet was the undisputed starter for the AHL Canadiens, as backup duties were split amongst four Winnipeg Jets goaltending prospects, as the Jets shared the AHL team affiliation with Montreal.

Of the four Jets goalies, only Paul Pageau would reach the 20 games played mark. With the playoffs looming and no Sherbrooke goalie grabbing the mantle, Moffett was pushed aside as the Canadiens signed free agent Rick Knickle who appeared in 14 games down the stretch. With only days left in the regular season schedule, Moffett, Pageau, and Knickle rotated games until fate took a strange but pleasant twist for the baby Habs.

With Knickle aside due to injury, and Pageau off to tend to his wife's pregnancy, Sherbrooke was left with Moffett and the recently called up Patrick Roy, from the Granby Bisons of the QMJHL to hold fort in goal. Roy saw action in the final league game as a playoff spot had been assured, but hardly anyone expected the junior goalie to see any playoff action.

Moffett appeared in four games for Sherbrooke in the post season, but was pulled during a game due to equipement problems. In came Roy in relief, and the newly promoted netminder had no intentions of blowing the opportunity. Sherbrooke rode Roy's play all the way to a Calder Cup final win, in a story that now belongs in the anals of one who many call the greatest goalie of all time.

The following season, Montreal aquired Brian Hayward from the Jets in exchange of Penney, and with all the Jets goaltending prospects on the farm, Moffett retired, law degree firmly in hand. He would soon become a partner at Sulloway & Hollis law firm in Concord, N.H.

Kevin Constantine 1978 NHL Amateur Draft (RD 9 - 152 overall)

2007-07-06T03:07:00.001-04:00

The Montreal Canadiens drafted R.P.I. goaltender Kevin Constantine in round 9, 154th overall in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft. Two years later upon graduation, he attended Montreal's 1980 tryout camp, but failed to earn an invitation to the team's main camp.

Born in International Falls, Minnesota on December 28, 1958, the 5' 10", 165 lb Constantine played goal for his local High School from 1975 to 1977. In both seasons, he was named to the state All Star team and gained a scholarship at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He left R.P.I. after his junior year and completed his bachelor's degree at the University of Nevada at Reno. When his goaltending career was over, he worked as a carpenter in Reno, before becoming involved with coaching.

Constantine served as head coach for Reno-Squaw Valley of the U.S. Jr. C from the1982-83 season through 1984-85 season. He was the named as the North Iowa Huskies (USHL) head coach prior to 1985-86 before moving on to Northwood Prep (N.Y. H.S.) the following year. Constantine then went to Rochester Mustangs (USHL) for a season, winning the USA Junior A Championships before landing a job with the Kalamazoo Wings of the IHL as an assistant coach in 1988-89. After three seasons with the Wings he was named head coach of the IHL Kansas City Blades prior to 1991-92 season, winning the Turner Cup and Commissioners Trophy as coach of the year in 1992. He remained in that position until June 16, 1993.

For the better part of the following decade, Constantine coached at the NHL level beginning with a three year stint with the San Jose Sharks. Constantine was NHL's youngest head coach at age 34 at the start of 1993-94 season and finished the a runner-up in voting for the Jack Adams Award. He did win the USA Hockey's Distinguished Achievement Award for coaching the Sharks to surprising playoff results. He was later an assistant with the Calgary Flames for one season before landing head coaching jobs with the Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils.

Constantine is currently coaching the Everett Silvertips of the WHL. His GM is another Habs goalie alumni, Doug Soetaert. He is credited as saying one of the more astute goalie quotes ever, when he said "How many people in life spend eighteen years getting shot at?"

Bob Daly 1977 NHL Amateur Draft (RD 14 - 180 overall)

2007-07-06T03:05:00.003-04:00

Ottawa native Bob Daly, a goaltender with the hometown 67's was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the 14th round of the 1977 NHL Amateur Draft. One of seven goalies taken by the Habs, Daly's career did not continue beyond his junior days with Ottawa.

Appearing in 87 games for the 67's, between 1974 and 1977, the 6' 1'', 187 lb Daly also played in the 1977 World Junior Champions, winning a silver medal. During that same year, he also represented his team in the OMJHL All Star game.

Jean Belisle 1977 NHL Amateur Draft (RD 14 - 179 overall)

2007-07-06T03:05:00.001-04:00

The Montreal Canadiens selected goaltender Jean Belisle in the 14th round, 179 overall in the 1977 NHL Amateur draft.

Belisle, born April 15, 1957 in Drummondville, Quebec, was a workhorse for the offensively gifted Chicoutimi Sagueneens of the QMJHL, and he appeared in161 games in three seasons.

The Canadiens whose goaltending stable was hardly empty, drafted Belisle, along with 6 others goaltenders in the 1977 draft. He would not earn a contract with the Canadiens.

His post junior career was brief, and included short stops with the Flint Generals, the Milwaukee Admirals, the Grand Rapids Owls, and the New Brunswick Hawks. His professional career, in fact, consisted of only 9 games in two seasons with 4 teams in the IHL and AHL.

Carey Walker 1977 NHL Amateur Draft (RD12 - 174 Overall)

2007-07-06T03:04:00.002-04:00

Carey Walker was born on June 27, 1957 in Maple Ridge, British Columbia. If the name and city has reasonance together, it is because Walker is the older brother of former MLB star and one time Montreal Expo Larry Walker. For a time, both brothers were goaltenders.

The Canadiens chose Walker among a glut of goalies they drafted in 1977.

Chosen in 12th round, 174 overall, Walker seemed to be the complete goaltending package at the time. Everywhere Walker went, the honours followed. He was the top BCJHL goalie with Bellingham in 1974-75. He won the same honour with the New West Minster Bruins in 1975-76. That year, and the next, he led the WCHL in goals against average, posting 3.32 and and excellent 2.61 in 1976-77. That year, he helped the Bruins all the way to a Memorial Cup Championship.

Walker, for reasons not known, never did catch on with the Canadiens or any of their associated teams. He would toil with the Milwaukee Admirals (IHL), the Erie Blades (EHL), Fort Worth Texans (CHL), Dallas Blackhawks(CHL), Salem Raiders, Virginia Lancers, Erie Golden Blades (ACHL), and the Peoria Rivermen (IHL) between 1978 and 1986.

From 1979 to 1981, Walker played for the EHL Mitchell Cup Champion Erie Blades, regualarly gaining All Star nods and awards. With the Erie Golden Blades of the ACHL, Walker would lead the team to the Payne Cup.

Barry Borrett 1977 NHL Entry Draft (RD 9 - 152 overall)

2007-07-06T03:04:00.001-04:00

In three seasons with the Cornwall Royals, Brockville native Barry Borrett was the backup goaltender to workhorses such as Mario Viens and Tim Bernhardt, who would both go on to WHA and NHL careers respectively. While the starters for the Royals ate up in excess of 50 games per season, Borrett was left with the remains, and saw action in only 60 games over three seasons with Cornwall.

As a Cornwall native who got to watch Borrett in play often enough, I must say that Borrett, to put it kindly, was rather ordinary. What possessed the Habs to draft him is beyond my comprehension. Borrett was in every sense a backup goalie, and rarely a reliable one.

In the 1977 NHL Entry Draft, a total of 24 goaltenders were chosen by all teams, with the Montreal Canadiens choosing seven of those across 14 rounds. Three of the Canadiens goaltender choices that year would reach the NHL, but Borrett would not be among them. The Canadiens in fact, made a cash transaction with the New York islanders to secure the 9th round pick they would use to select Borrett - hopefully, they didn't have to break a twenty. Unlike other goalies the Habs chose that June, there is not a single accolade to attach to Borrett's resume.

Borrett would however, fare better in one area than two Hab goalie picks that summer. He would suit up for the AHL Nova Scotia Voyageurs for one game. It would be his only and his last. No stats testify to that single game's outcome, but I would imagine there is a story to tell in there somewhere. From there on, Borrett as a hockey goalie, was never heard from again.

Back in Brockville, Borrett has gotten involved in the nearby Prescott municipality. In the small town communities of that eastern Ontario area, he has dabbled in local politics and community events.

Robert Holland 1977 NHL Amateur Draft (RD 4-64 overall)

2007-07-06T03:03:00.002-04:00

Montreal native Robert Holland made 82 appearances over two seasons for the local Junior Canadiens and was claimed 64th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 1977.

Holland enjoyed two solid years with the AHL's Nova Scotia Voyageurs. In 1978 he shared the Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award with Maurice Barrette for allowing the fewest goals in the league.

Following the retirement of Ken Dryden in 1979, Holland was all set to step in as Michel Larocque's back up in Montreal but things didn't work as he'd have hoped. The Canadiens opted to trade Holland and Pat Hughes to the Pittsburgh Penguins established starter Denis Herron.

In Holland's first game with the Penguins came on October 14, 1979, when he entered in relief of Greg Millen against Boston. Pittsburgh won the contest 4-1, and Holland stopped 19 shots in 34 minutes to earn the game's first star. He started the next 18 games for the Penguins, establishing a team record at the time by playing 1,114 consecutive minutes.

Holland would go on to post a 10-17-6 record, with a 3.83 goals against average in 34 games as a rookie but saw little action the next season.

Prior to the 1981-82 season, Holland was traded to the New York Islanders. He formed a solid partnership with youngster Kelly Hrudey on the CHL's Indianapolis Checkers. The tandem led the Checkers to consecutive CHL crowns in 1982 and 1983. Those two years they also shared the Terry Sawchuk Trophy for allowing the fewest goals in the league and Holland played in the CHL All Star game as well as getting the nod for 2nd Team All Star at season's end.

Holland continue as a workhorse until he retired in 1987 after playing 66 games for the IHL's Milwaukee Admirals. Including stops with Binghampton (AHL), Toledo (IHL), and Springfield (AHL), Holland played in over 400 games in his professional career

Bruce Horsch 1976 NHL Amateur Draft (RD 9-125 overall)

2007-07-06T03:01:00.003-04:00

The Montreal Canadiens chose goaltender Bruce Horsch in the 9th round, 125th overall, in the 1976 NHL Amateur Draft. The 5' 10'' , 175 lbs goalie was coming off a stellar career with Michigan Tech Huskies from 1974 to 1978, having helped the team win the 1975 NCAA Championship.

Horsch attended Hastings High School prior to entering Michigan Tech and was All St. Paul Suburban Conference in 1972-73 and 1973-74. He was rated by The Hockey News as U.S. college hockey's No. 9 prospect for the 1976 NHL draft. During his four seasons at MT, Horsch won the Great Lakes Invitational MVP in 1975, the WCHA All-Star Honorable Mention in 1975-76 and 1977-78, and the Michigan Tech Youngs Award (MVP) in 1977-78.

After getting his business degree, Horsch went on to play for the Flint Generals of the IHL, and was called upon for 4 games in 1978-79 with the Nova Scotia Voyageurs. In 1978, he set his goal on making the U.S. Olympic Team, and played with team U.S.A. briefly in 1979 also. Horsch did well enough, but in the end, was the final goalie cut from the team. He finished out the year, and his puckstopping days, with the Toledo Goaldiggers of the IHL.

Horsch was named assistant coach at Ferris State (CCHA) in 1980-81 and remained in that position through 1983-84 season. He took on the same role with Michigan Tech (WCHA) from September 1985 until the 1989-90 season. After his coaching career, he remained in Houghton, Mich, and became the Athletic Director of Houghton High School and served as the longtime director of Michigan Tech summer hockey school. He is the father of U.S. figure skating judge Catherine Horsch.

Back Row L-R: John Jaschuk, Steve Bouchard, Ed Dempsey, Dana Decker, Doug Young, Chris Ferguson, Stu Ostlund -mgr.Middle Row L-R: Howard Martin -equip, Trainer Randy Owsley, Joe Sparks, Paul Jensen, Stu Younger, Steve Jensen, Mike Zuke, Jim Mayer, Peter Roberts, Nels Goddard, Scott Jessee, Asst. Coach Glen Weller, Head Coach John MacInnes.Seated L-R: Steve Tobias, Jim Murray, George Lyle, Bill Steele, Bob Lorimer, Bob D'Alvise, Bruce Abbey, Jim Warden, Bruce Horsch.

Maurice Barrette 1976 NHL Amateur Draft (RD 5-90 overall)

2007-07-06T03:01:00.001-04:00

With their fifth round choice in 1976, the Canadiens chose Quebec Remparts goalie Maurice Barrette 90th overall. Barrette was chosen higher in the WHA Amateur Draft, taken by the Quebec Nordiques 44th overall.

The 5' 7'', 162 lbs Montreal native was a Remparts workhorse, seeing action in 155 games over three seasons there, and helped lead his team to the 1976 Memorial Cup tournament. He won the Hap Emms Memorial trophy as the top goaltender for the tournament as well as being named a first team All Star. The accolades capped off many Barrette had achieved in junior. Going into the draft, the Hockey News had him rated as the 4th best QMJHL prospect.

With his junior career behind him, Barrette opted to go with the Canadiens organization over the Nordiques. He suited up for nine games with the Nova Scotia Voyageurs team that won the AHL regular season title and the Calder Cup, although he did not see any postseason action.

In 1977-78, he split the Voyageurs goaltending duties down the middle with fellow Habs prospect Robert Holland, and the pair responded with the lowest combined goals against average in the AHL. He would split the 1978-79 season between the Voyageurs and the Springfield Indians.

While he would never play a game for the Canadiens or the Nordiques, he was named as the goaltender on the all time QMJHL team by a Canadian Hockey League panel in 1999.

Carl Jackson

2007-07-06T02:59:00.003-04:00

The Montreal Canadiens selected Pennsylvania University goaltender Carl Jackson in the12th round, 198 overall in the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft.

Little is known of the 5' 9", 195 lb Sudbury Massachusetts native, other than he attended Kent School in Kent, Connecticut prior to entering the Pennsylvania U, where he played from 1974 to 1977.

Perhaps Jackson noted the goaltending depth on the Canadiens at the time and figured that, as a 12th round pick, he'd be wise to concentrate on his education. After 4 years in the ECAC, Jackson did not pursue goaltending.

Michel Larocque 1974-81

2007-06-21T21:54:00.001-04:00

Goaltender Michel "Bunny" Larocque spent eleven years in the NHL. He was best known for his time spent as Ken Dryden's backup when the Canadiens dominated the 1970s. Born in Hull, Quebec, Larocque crossed the Ottawa River to play junior in the OHA with the 67's.

From 1969-70 to 1971-72, Larocque led the OHA in shutouts and played 162 games over that span. He posted the lowest goals against average in the OHA twice and was named to both the league's first and second all-star teams. Larocque was chosen as an honourary junior with Team Canada in the 1972 Summit Series against the USSR.

The young rising star was selected 6th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1972 Amateur Draft. He made an impressive pro debut the next year with a league leading 2.50 goals against average in 47 games for the AHL's Nova Scotia Voyageurs. Larocque was voted on to the league's 2nd all-star team and appeared ready for the NHL.

When Ken Dryden sat out the 1973-74 season to finish law school, Larocque played 27 games as a rookie backing up Wayne Thomas and Michel Plasse. His confidence was give a boost when Montreal opted to start him in the post season, but the defending champions were knocked out in the first round by the New York Rangers.

Following the return of Dryden in 1974-75, Larocque remained the Habs backup for the next five seasons. He averaged 30 appearances per year and was a part of the club's four consecutive Stanley Cup wins between 1976 and 1979. Beginning in 1977, he shared the Vezina trophy for three straight years with Dryden.

In 1979-80, Montreal was forced to retool and brought Denis Herron in to share the goalkeeping responsibilities with Larocque. The club was eliminated in the quarter finals by the Minnesota North Stars and the veteran netminder was relegated to second string status in 1980-81.

Prior to the March trade deadline, the unhappy netminder was sent to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Robert Picard. He saw plenty of rubber behind the Leafs' horrid defence and was in goal when the Buffalo Sabres scored an NHL-record nine goals in one period during a 14-4 loss. Larocque helped Toronto squeeze into the playoffs where they were crushed by the New York Islanders.

Larocque attempted to start fresh in 1981-82 and played 50 games for a Toronto team that managed to be worse than the previous year's edition. He toiled briefly for the Leafs in 1982-83 before moving on to Philadelphia and St. Louis.

Larocque retired after playing 13 games for the IHL's Peoria Rivermen in 1984-85. He passed away in 1992, at age 40 of cancer

Ed Walsh - In The System 1974-78

2007-06-21T21:53:00.003-04:00

Ed Walsh was a rival Collegiate goalie of the Nova Scotia Voyageurs Dave Elenbaas when he was signed to play for the Canadiens top farm team in 1974. While never drafted by the Canadiens, Walsh, along with Elenbaas, played a large role in backstopping several Montreal Canadiens prospects in Nova Scotia on the way to consecutive Calder Cups in 1976 and 1977.

Upon his arrival at Boston University in the early 1970's, Walsh was groomed into an already successful program. In the 1972-73 BU hockey guide, the headlined season outlook was "Youth Is The Key." The BU Terriers were coming off consecutive NCAA Division 1 National titles, and, as the underclassmen went, so went the fortunes of the 1972-73 season.

"Goaltending is a big question mark," according to the outlook, which sited the graduation losses of All-American Dan Brady and Olympic goalie Tim Regan.

Enter Walsh.

Born August 18, 1951, the 5' 10", 180 lb native of Arlington, MA had played in only three games during the 1971-72 varsity season. He converted the "question mark" during the preseason into an exclamation point by the end of the season.

He appeared in 27 of the Terriers 29 games and compiled an outstanding 2.94 goals against average. He tied a school record with consecutive shutouts against Merrimack and archrival Cornell. He was named the All-Star goalie at the Duluth Thanksgiving and Great Lakes Invitational Tournaments. Plus, he was in net when the Terriers skated past Boston College 4-1, to win their fourth straight Beanpot.

Walsh capped off his senior year by being named First Team All-New England and First Team All-America. He had ammassed more impressive statistics his senior year. Team captain, he had a 23-8-0 record with a 2.86 goals against average. Though the Terriers lost to Harvard in the Beanpot final, Walsh received the first annual Eberly Trophy as the tournament's outstanding goalie. Ironically, in his final collegiate game, he defeated the Harvard Crimson, 7-5, in the consolation game of the NCAA Tournament.

His postseason honors included MVP of the ECAC Tournament, All-East, All-New England, team MVP, and recipient of the Walter Brown Award as the top American born college hockey player in New England.

With his collegiate career in the books, Walsh was signed on by the Canadiens, and success and awards continued to follow him. In three successive seasons, from 1974-75 to 1976-77, Walsh shared top goaltending honours with Elenbaas, in winning an unprecedented 4 (3 for Walsh) Harry "Hap" Holmes trophies as the AHL's top goaltending duo.

Unfortunately for Walsh, Elenbaas, and other Habs goalie prospects of the day, Ken Dryden and Michel Larocque had a stranglehold on the top spots at the NHL level. As Stanley Cups were becoming an annual rite of springtime in Montreal, the hopes of minor league goaltenders dwindled.

After appearing in 5 games for the 1977-78 Voyageurs, Walsh was off to the AHL Springfield Indians and Binghamton Dusters, in a backup role for two seasons. In 1978-79, he joined the Dallas Blackhawks of the CHL, and was soon signed on for a stint with the Edmonton Oilers of the WHA.

The following season was Walsh's busiest, appearing in 50 games for an also ran AHL Rochester Americans team.

By 1985, Walsh returned to Boston U as an associate coach, a role he held again for 8 seasons with the U-Mass Lowell Squad. During his tenure, the Riverhawks progressed to the Hockey East Final Four for 6 of the 8 years, the NCAA semi-finals and NCAA Final Eight twice. In 1996, the U-Mass Lowell Coaching Staff received the National Coaching Staff of the Year Award from the American Hockey Coaches Association.

He is currently in his 7th year (2007) as an Assistant Coach at Division I, Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH. Previously, Walsh was an Assistant Coach at New England College where his team won the 2001 ECAC Championship.

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Ed Humphreys 1973 NHL Amateur Draft (RD 3-37 overall, Saskatoon, WCHL)

2007-06-21T21:52:00.001-04:00

Goaltender Ed Humphreys of the Saskatoon Blades was chosen by the Montreal Canadiens in the third round of the 1973 NHL Amateur draft. Picked 37th overall, the 6' 1", 170 lbs, Eaton, Saskatchewan native was also chosen by the Vancouver Blazers of the WHA in the 31st overall slot.

While belonging to the Canadiens organization, Humphreys never played for any of the Habs affiliated teams. With Montreal's abundance of goaltending talent in the day, his future was primarily focussed on the WHA.

As a 20 years old with the Blades, Humphreys enjoyed a great final season of junior hockey in Saskatchewan. Playing in 57 games, he led the WCHL in shutouts with 5, and a 2.57 goals against average, both tops in the league. He had an additional 3 shutouts in 16 plaoff games as the Blades came close to the Western league title. He was awarded the Del Wilson Trophy as the WCHL's outstanding goaltender at the years end, a feat he shares with other Canadiens goaltending prospects, both past and present, such as Ray Martynuik (1969, 1970), Carey Walker (1976), Carey Price (2007).

Upon completion of his junior career, Humphreys joined the Roanoke Valley Rebels for the 1973-74 season, where his teammates included fellow Canadiens goaltending prospect Yves Archambault, and future NHL coach Mike Keenan. The SHL Rebels were regular-season champions and Humphreys was a vital part of their run, appearing in 40 games for the team.
In 1974-75, Humphreys would miss part of the season with abdominal injury that required surgery. He moved to the CHL Tulsa Oilers after one game with the Charlotte Checkers of the SHL. He'd play 34 games with the Oilers, a Maple Leafs farm team. The following season was split between the Rebels once more, before Humphreys joined the AHL Springfield Indians for 14 games.

Humphreys, middle row, second from left

Later that same season, Humphreys' WHA opportunity came knocking, in the form of the short lived Calgary Cowboys. He would play 8 games for them in 1975-76, but would remain associated with WHA teams for the next two seasons as he moved to the Quebec Nordiques organization.

Splitting duties between the NAHL's Beauce Jaros and Maine Nordiques early in the season, his play impressed enough to warrant a callup to Quebec. He apppeared in 22 games for the Avco Cup champions, going 12-8-1, with a 3.58 goals against average. Having seen no playoff action for the Nordiques, Humphreys retired at seasons end.

Cap Raeder 1973 NHL Amateur Draft (RD 12-167 overall, New Hamphire, ECAC)

2007-06-21T21:50:00.000-04:00

Robert "Cap" Raeder was selected in 12th round, 167th overall, by Montreal Canadiens in the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft. Born October 8, 1953, the 5' 11", 175 lb Raeder was also selected by the New England Whalers of the WHA in the 5th round, 64th overall, in the World Hockey Association Amateur Draft that same year. His career would play out with the Whalers, but Raeder had a date with destiny and the Canadiens 20 years later.

The Needham, Massachusetts native started his goaltending career with Needham High School from 1968 to 1972. He was a high school teammate of future WHA and NHL player Robbie Ftorek and the two would become close friends and associates over the years.

Raeder attented the University of New Hampshire and quickly grabbed the attention of scouts after his first year in 1972-73. After being drafted, Raeder was named an NCAA East First Team All-American as well as a member of the ECAC All Star First Team in 1973-74 and set an UNH record (since broken) by leading all Division I starting goaltenders with 2.64 goals-against average.

After a final season at New Hampshire, Raeder joined the Cade Codders and the Binghamton Dusters of the NAHL before finally settling in Hartford with the New England Whalers of the WHA in 1974-75. The following season saw Raeder become the third goalie on Team USA for the Canada Cup tournament. He would then play with the AHL Rhode Island Reds for 20 games before getting his longest stint with Whalers for the final 26 games of the season. He had 2 shutouts with New England in the 1977 playoffs - a record for the WHA at the time, and was named the WHA Player of Week in early March.

Raeder winded down his playing career in seasons with the Philadelphia Firebirds of the AHL in 1977-78, the New Hampshire Cape Cod Freedom of the NEHL in 1978-79, and lastly the Richmond Rifles of the EHL in 1979-80.

He went from playing to coaching in one season joining New Hampshire (ECAC) for two seasons as an assistant starting in 1980-81. He received a bachelor's degree in communications in 1982 from New Hampshire and went on to work as a traveling goaltending consultant for several college hockey teams in 1982-83 and was brought into Clarkson (ECAC) as an assistant coach in 1983-84. He remained in that position through 1984-85 and was named Clarkson (ECAC) head coach in 1985.

On August 1, 1988, his old friend Robbie Ftorek hired him as an assistant with the Los Angeles Kings where he would remain until 1995. For 15 games in the1989-90 season, Raeder was the Kings co-coach, along with Rick Wilson, a former defenseman who had also been drafted by the Canadiens 66th overall in the 1970 draft. He was part of Barry Melrose's coaching staff when the Kings lost the Stanley Cup final to the Canadiens in 1993.

Raeder went on to become assistants with the Boston Bruins (1995-97) and San Jose (2000-02), after having scouted for the Sharks for three seasons. Between coaching and scouting jobs, Rader worked as color commentator for Boston University regularseason and Hockey East playoff coverage on cable TV in New England in 1999-00 and 2001-02 seasons.

Raeder is the father of 2006 NCAA Champions Middlebury goaltender Doug Raeder.

Jim Shaw - In The System 1973-74

2007-06-21T21:49:00.001-04:00

Jim Shaw was a journeyman AHL, WHL, and IHL goaltender when the Montreal Canadiens signed the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native to tend goal for the Nova Scotia Voyageurs in 1973-74.

Born October 18, 1945, Shaw played began his junior hockey career with the Saskatoon Blades of the SJHL in 1965-66. By 1973, Shaw was a young but seasoned veteran having put in 57 games with the Fort Wayne Komets (IHL) in 1969-70, and 47 games with the Dallas Blackhawks (CHL) in 1970-71. Shaw was named the CHL Second All Star Team Goalie. He split the 1971-72 season with the Portland Buckaroos (WHL) and the Baltimore Clippers of the AHL.

It was here that he caught the Canadiens attention, playing 47 games for the Clippers in 1972-73. With Nova Scotia, Shaw's profile was increased. He shared duities with Habs prospect Dave Elenbaas, and the pair captured the Harry "Hap" Holmes trophy, having allowed the least goals against that season.

Shaw was not long in the Habs fold, as the Toronto Toros of the WHA came calling. He would finish out his career alongside such Montreal canadiens alumni, such as Frank Mahovlich and Nark Napier.

In 1974-75, Shaw split starts with former Habs farmhand Ernie Wakely and the irrepressible GIlles Gratton - the al time king of goalie weirdness. The following season, on November 30, 1975, Shaw's career burnt to embers in a single game.

The Toronto Toros had blown an 8-2 lead against the Cleveland Crusaders, and ended up losing 10-9.

Gerry Cheevers was in net for Cleveland and he was pulled after the first period. The Toros lead 4-2 at the end of one, 8-4 at the end of two. Cleveland struck for three goals in 44 seconds in the third period on their way to taking a 9-8 lead, Toronto tied the game with just over five minutes left but the Crusaders won it with 12 seconds remaining in the game. Cleveland fired 63 shots at Toronto's net in front of 3,791 happy fans in the Buckeye State.

After the game, Toros coach Bobby Baun fined each team member $500.00, and cut three players from the team - Rick (Don't call me Richie) Cunningham, Jeff Jacques and goalie Shaw.

Wayne Thomas 1972-74

2007-06-21T21:46:00.001-04:00

Netminder Wayne Thomas made nearly 250 appearances for three different Original Six teams in the late 1970's and early 1980's. He was a solid stand up goalie who played with Montreal and Toronto during the mid 1970s.

Born in Ottawa, Ontario, Thomas played two years with the University of Wisconsin and was named to the WCHA 2nd All Star team in 1970. The L.A. Kings prospect was traded to the Montreal Canadiens with Leon Rochefort and Gregg Boddy for Jack Norris, Larry Mickey and Lucien Grenier, May 22, 1970.

Thomas spent parts of three years developing in the AHL with the Nova Scotia Voyageurs before making a few appearances late in the 1972-73 season when Ken Dryden was rested before the playoffs.

He left his mark in Canadiens history by becoming only the second gaoltender in over 50 seasons to record a shutout (3-0) in his NHL debut against Vancouver on January 14, 1973.

The young netminder played 42 games for Montreal when Dryden left to study law but was never able to gain a stranglehold on the first string position.

Thomas sat out the 1974-75 season upon Dryden's return to the Canadiens. Thomas was traded to Toronto for the Maple Leafs 1st round choice (Peter Lee) in 1976 Amateur Draft, June 17, 1975.

With the Leafs he enjoyed his finest NHL season with 28 wins and selection to participate in the NHL All Star game. In 1976-77, Thomas struggled with his consistency and was bumped as a starter by rookie Mike Palmateer.

Thomas was placed on waivers at the start of the 1977-78 season and subsequently picked up by the New York Rangers. Thomas played four years with the Rangers before retiring in 1981.

Michel Plasse 1972-74

2007-06-21T21:45:00.000-04:00

Canadiens goalie Michel Plasse's legend is sure to last longer than his all too short life.

Plasse is the owner of two distinct and unique feats in the anals of goaltending and of Montreal Canadiens history. One could suggest that he made history twice before his career was even remotely underway.

In the 1968 Amateur Draft, Plasse was selected first by the Canadiens. From 1936 until the late 1940's, the Canadiens had an option, based on territorial rule, to protect, and later select in drafts, the two best unsigned prospects to their protected lists. These players could not have signed a C-Form (Confirmation Form) with any other NHL franchise. During that time span, 14 players were signed by the Habs, none ever reaching the NHL.

When the Amateur Draft was brought into the fore in 1963, the Canadiens were once again given the right, albeit only until 1969. They usually passed on these picks for lack of qualified candidates, using it for the final time in 1969 to select Rejean Houle and Marc Tardiff as first and second overall picks.

Michel Plasse preceded both as the number one pick in 1968, and has the distinction of being the first player drafted of this sort to play for the Canadiens.

Plasse's other feat is more noteworthy. On the night of February 21, 1971, Plasse was in goal for the Kansas City Blues who were struggling to hang on to a 2-1 advantage over the Oklahoma City Blazers late in the game. The Blazers had pulled their goalie and were storming the Blues' zone when Plasse fired the puck the length of the ice in an effort to stave off the charge. He did such a good job that the disk slid all the way into the unguarded enemy cage. He became the first professional goalie in the history of the game to score a goal.

On October 1, 1970, the Canadiens had loaned Plasse to the St. Louis Blues organization in order to gain him playing time. This was necessary as the Habs had an abundance of prospects spread throughout their own farm team setup. By December 11th of that year, the agreement became a cash transaction, with Plasse returned to the Canadiens on August 23rd, 1971, in another cash flip.

Plasse in an oldtimers game.

Beginning in 1972, after one NHL start with the Blues, Plasse, along with Wayne Thomas, would serve as Ken Dryden's backups with the Canadiens. His first season saw him appear in 17 games and ended with a Habs Stanley Cup win, though Plasse saw no action during the playoffs.

The following season, Dryden's sabbatical year, saw Plasse sharing duties with Thomas and rookie Michel Larocque.

After two seasons and 32 games with the Canadiens, Plasse was claimed by Kansas City from Montreal in Expansion Draft, June 12, 1974.

He put in a year with the Scouts before joining the Pittsburgh Penguins. In 1975-76 he got his first run as a number-one goalie with the Pens and continued as a starter the following year with the Colorado Rockies, where he faced more than his share of expansion rubber.

Plasse remained with the Rockies until the early 1980's when he signed as a free agent with the Quebec Nordiques. He started 41 games over two seasons before retiring from the Binghamton Whalers of the AHL in 1982.

Plasse died of a heart attack at age 58, in l’Île du Pas, Quebec, on December 30, 2006.

Dave Elenbaas 1972 NHL Amateur Draft (RD 4-62 overall, Cornell U.)

2007-06-21T20:54:00.002-04:00

Dave Elenbaas was the second goalie chosen by the Canadiens in the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft, having been taken in round four with the 62nd pick overall. Earlier in the draft, the Canadiens used their second choice of the day, 6th overall, to select Michel Larocque of the Ottawa 67's of the OHA.

Elenbaas, 5' 11'' - 175 lbs, had a sterling resume upon being selected by the Habs, and his many achievements beyond that day, despite never playing in the NHL, are impressive and noteworthy.

Born Febuary 20, 1952 Chatham, Ontario, Elenbaas played goal for North York Junior B's in 1968-69 before embarking on a four year career with the Cornell Big Red. He was part Cornell's program when the school won 1970 NCAA championship, but was playing on the freshman team at the time and not a member of the varsity squad. He started in goal for the Cornell team that lost the 1972 NCAA title game to Boston University.

From 1970 to 1973, Elenbaas played in 62 games for Cornell, posting a record of 48-11-1, with a goals against average of 2.85 and a .904 save percentage. In 1972-73, he was named to the 1st All Star Team All Ivy League, the ECAC All Star First Team, and won the Cornell Bawlf MVP Award. Many of his goaltending marks still rank highly today among the Cornell puckstopping elite.

On January 6, 1973, in an infamous incident during a game versus Harvard, Elenbaas was a recipient of a different kind. As the Big Red were in the process of defeating the Crimson 5-2 and gaining a berth in the NCAA tournament, a Harvard fan walked over to the glass and tossed a dead chicken at Elenbaas. As college pranks go, this lead to Cornell pelting the Crimson players with assorted fish throughout the years. The incident remains to this day, part of the Cornell hockey lore.

Elenbaas joined the AHL Nova Scotia Voyageurs in 1973-74 and became the starting goaltender for the Habs top farm team for the next four seasons. Having followed former Cornell standout Ken Dryden with the Big Red, Elenbaas was now behind Dryden and Larocque on the Canadiens depth chart.

He continued his winning ways by notching 4 consecutive Harry "Hap" Holmes awards, given to the goaltenders with the lowest goals against average in the AHL. Elenbaas shared the award with Jim Shaw in 1973-74, and with Ed Walsh the following three seasons. Three times during those four seasons, Elenbaas led the league in shutouts. In 1975-76, he had the lowest GAA and was named 1st All Star Team goalie. Playing in 148 regular season games with the Vees, Elenbaas recorded 14 shutouts in total. He lead the team to two consecutive Calder Cups in 1976 and 1977.

During his time in the Canadiens organization, Elenbaas saw action in several preseason games with the Canadiens and wore the number 30. As Dryden and Larocque were seldom injured, he was only called up on rare occasions, waiting for a chance he assuredly had earned, but never materialized.

The following season, Elenbaas moved on to the CHL Dallas Blackhawks, a farm club in the Toronto Maple Leafs system. He was a stellar there again, playing in 46 regular season games for Dallas, and another 13 in the playoffs. The Blackhawks rode Elenbaas' hot hand, losing the CHL final in the seventh game overtime.

Elenbaas then put his puckstopping days behind him and focussed his career goals on finishing his degree, which he obtained from University of Toronto in 1981. He passed his bar exam in 1983 and now specializes in immigration and labor and employment law.

Today, Elenbaas lives in Scarborough, Ontario, and is the head of the Employment & Labour Relations Group, and a Chief Professional Partner with the McMillan, Binch, Mendelsohn law firm.

Photos for this post were supplied by Dave Elenbaas, a kind gesture for which I am quite thankful.

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Yves Archambeault 1972 NHL Amateur (RD 7-110 overall, St. Jerome)

2007-06-21T20:53:00.000-04:00

Yves Archambault was drafted in the 7th round, 110th overall by the Canadiens in the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft. He was born June 22, 1952 in Montreal and stood 5' 11'', and weighed 180 lbs.

Archambault showcased himself in the QMJHL as a very capable goaltender on the dismal St. Jerome Alouettes from 1969 to 1971. Early in 1971, he was dealt to the Sorel Blackhawks, a contending team in search of stability between the pipes, and Archambault respondly strongly, appearing in 32 games for Sorel.

Beyond his junior career, Archambeault would never don the colors of any Canadiens affiliates. At the time, the Habs had almost a dozen goatending prospects, and any drafted goalie would need to pull off an extraordinary just to be noticed. He pursued his puckstopping with the Roanoke Valley Rebels of the EHL in 1972 before signing a contract with the fledgling Philadelphia Blazers of the WHA.

Late in the season, he came on in relief of the Blazers Bernie Parent and made 6 starts for Philadelphia. When the playoffs began, the Blazers lost their first game in overtime, and also lost Parent to injury. The Blazers opted to go with NHL veteran Marcel Paille between the pipes in game two, but the former New York Rangers goalie was shelled for 5 goals in 27 minutes. Archambault came on in relief, and then played the last 3 games for th Blazers.

The following season, Archambault and the Blazers took their WHA act to Vancouver, and after a bad start he was back with the Rebels, this time in the SHL. He would wind down his career with successive seasons playing for the Beauce Jaros (NAHL), the Tidewater Sharks (SHL), and the Philadelphia Firebirds of the NAHL in 1976-77.

Upon retirement, Archambault returned to school and became a registered denturologist in 1983. Since 1996, he has been a certified NHLPA Player Agent working for a firm called Promotion Archie Sports Inc. in Anjou, Quebec. His NHL clients include goaltender Dany Sabourin of the Pittsburgh Penguins (2007) and forward J.P. Dumont of the Nashville Predators (2006).

Graham Parsons 1972 NHL Amateur Draft (RD 8-126 overall, Red Deer AJHL)

2007-06-21T20:51:00.002-04:00

The Canadiens drafted goaltender Graham Parsons of the Red Deer Rustlers in round 8, 126th overall in the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft. The Pokono, Alberta native, who stood 6' 0" and weighed 185 lbs, had put in two seasons with the local Stampeders and two more with the AJHL Red Deer Rustlers when he caught the Canadiens eye. He was the third goaltender taken by the Canadiens, after they had chosen Dave Elenbaas and Yves Archambault in earlier rounds.

In 1971, Parsons was a key ingredient in the Rustlers Centennial Cup championship and his impressive stats with Red Deer led to him joining the Medicine Hat Tigers of the WCHL. In the 1972 season with the Rustlers, Parsons had posted a low 2.29 goals against average and an astounding .935 save percentage. In three of four seasons with Ponoka and Red Deer, Parsons grabbed top goalie honours.

Parsons stay in the Canadiens organization was short lived due to the Habs having over a dozen goalies in their system annually. Simply getting noticed would be an accomplishment for any Canadiens associated goalie of the day, but a fact of the matter was that there was simply never enough workload for all puckstoppers.

With the 1972-73 Muskegon Mohawks, Parsons shared backup goalie duties with another Canadiens prospect of similar fate, Bruce Mullett. In only 14 starts, Parsons played well enough to garner interest in his skills, and he moved on to the Saginaw Gears of the IHL the following season. With good numbers again, he advanced up to the AHL's New Haven Nighthawks in 1973-74, playing in a career high 37 games.

In the 1974 reverse draft, Parsons was drafted out of Montreal organization by the AHL Richmond Robins. He came close to equaling previous numbers with the Robins in 1974-75, starting 25 games for the Philadelphia Flyers affiliate.

Parsons finished out his career with the NAHL Philadelphia Firebirds and the Tuscon Rustlers of the PHL in 1978-79.

Following his retirement, he became active in the Red Deer Minor Hockey association, and serving as the general manager of Sylvan Lake's Midget Tier I team as well as one of the managers of the rink in Sylvan Lake. Parsons was a part owner of Red Deer team that re-entered AJHL in 1986. He later became director of the Jasper International Hockey Camp in Sylvan Lake, Alberta.

Glenn Resch - In the System 1971-72

2007-06-21T20:49:00.001-04:00

Glenn "Chico" Resch was one of the last players to pass through the old sponsorship system when he signed on to become part of the Montreal Canadiens organization as a 12 year old in 1960.

As it turned out for Resch, rather than taking the more traditional route of Canadian Junior hockey, he opted to hone his skills by going to the United States to play for the University of Minnesoata - Duluth, where he would also receive an education.

As Resch puts it, "I went to college because I didn't think I had a future in hockey. I went to the only college that would give me a hockey scholarship." Following his senior year in 1970-71, he was selected to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association's Second All Star Team.

After failing to crack the Canadiens roster at training camp in 1971, he was traded to the expansion New York Islanders in June 1972. Ironically, it was Ken Dryden, a goalie he had faced in college, who was the undisputed incumbant at Resch's first pro camp.

The Montreal experience was hardly a waste for Resch. As an amateur, he had patterned himself after Glenn Hall, whose size and reflexes allowed him to go down often to make saves. Resch has struggled at times in junior and college because this style failed to suit his relatively small frame. While at the Habs camp, he took notice of the equally diminutive Rogatien Vachon, who utilized a stand up style while still being able to play the angles well. Resch altered his style accordingly, and his goaltending career took off.

His first professional season with the Canadiens affiliated Muskegon Mohawks of the IHL was a great success. He lead the league with 4 shutouts and his overall play earned him the James Norris Trophy for the lowest goals against average. Resch also took home the Garry F. Longman Memorial Trophy as IHL Rookie of the Year and was named the first All Star team goalie. The New York Islanders must have been paying attention.

On June 26, 1972, they aquired Resch's rights, as well as five other Canadiens contracts ( goalie Denis DeJordy, Germain Gagnon, Tony Featherstone, Murray Anderson, and Alex Campbell ) for a cash settlement.

The trade would alter Resch's life.

Resch stepped into a role as backup goalie for the Islanders. After one season on the pines, he stepped forward to assume front line status, winning far more games than he lost while maintaining a strong goals against average. During his seven seasons in Long Island, he was twice selected as a Second Team All Star.

Resch reached the height of his success by playing an instrumental role in helping his team take their first ever Stanley Cup in 1979-80. With Billy Smith getting the playoff job done in high fashion, the Islanders traded Resch to the struggling Colorado Rockies in 1981.

With the Rockies, Resch put up a brave front between the pipes and was rewarded with the Bill Masterton Trophy as the player who best exemplified the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey in 1982. He then made the transfer to New Jersey along with the rest of the former Rockies where he played parts of four more seasons. Afterwards, he was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers where he played only 25 games before hanging up his pads for good in 1986.

Since his retirement from hockey, Resch has worked as a goaltending coach, a scout, the general manager and coach of the WHL's Tri-City Americans and as a colour analyst for the North Stars and Devils.

In 1991, Resch was inducted into the Minnesota - Duluth Athletic Hall Of Fame.

Michel Deguise 1971 NHL Amateur Draft (RD 2, 24 overall, Sorel, QMJHL)

2007-06-21T20:48:00.001-04:00

Michel Deguise of the Sorel Blackhawks of the QMJHL was the Montreal Canadiens second round choice, 24th overall in the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft.

On January 28, 1971, the Canadiens had traded forward Fran Huck to the St. Louis Blues for their second round pick in 1971, and they used it to select the 5' 8" 163lb Deguise.

The Sorel, Quebec native, who was born on November 16, 1951, played 107 games in two QMHJL seasons and was a standout. In 1969-70, his rookie season, he won the Jacques Plante Trophy as the leagues top netminder. He capped of his junior career on loan to the Quebec Remparts for 1971 Memorial Cup playoffs.

Deguise was signed to the Canadiens from 1971 to 1973 and played with the Nova Scotia Voyageurs, appearing in 30 games over two seasons. Though the Vees won the Calder Cup in 1972, Deguise was below Wayne Thomas, Michel Plasse, and later, Michel Larocque in the Habs pecking order of goaltending prospects. In 1972-73, he was a co-winner of the Holmes Trophy for lowest goals against average in the AHL.

He joined the WHA Quebec Nordiques in 1973, and played in their system for three seasons. Deguise missed the entire 1974-75 season with knee injury. He ended his career, playing 26 games, as a member of the IHL Turner Cup champion Saginaw Gears in 1976-77.

Denis DeJordy 1971-72

2007-06-21T20:47:00.003-04:00

In 1970-71 as a member of the Kings, DeJordy played in 60 games, the most of any of his eleven NHL seasons. His record was just 18-29-11 with a 3.80 goals against average on what was a very dismal L.A. team.

In the fall of 1971, DeJordy was sent to the Canadiens in the Rogatien Vachon trade. It was evident Vachon's days were numbered in Montreal with the arrival of Ken Dryden, who almost singlehandedly led the Habs to the Stanley Cup as a rookie that previous spring. DeJordy served as Dryden's backup for seven games.

Denis DeJordy knew the road to the NHL was in sight by the time he reached the ranks of Junior B with the Dixie Beehives in 1956-57 at the age of 18. The following year he was playing major junior A in the Ontario Hockey Association for the St. Catharines Teepees.

During his two seasons in St. Catharines, DeJordy helped the Teepees to the top of the Ontario League. The leader of the team offensively was Stan Mikita. DeJordy missed playing with Bobby Hull, who graduated from the team after the 1956-57 season to join the Chicago Blackhawks. They would, however, play together for seven years with Chicago.

After spending three years in the minors with the Sault Ste. Marie Thunderbirds and the Buffalo Bisons, DeJordy got the call to play in the NHL in the 1962-63 season. He started five games that year, with a 2-1-2 record and a 2.48 goals against average. He appeared in six games the following year, but it was in the fall of 1964 that DeJordy got to play in 30 games for Chicago. He went 16-11-3 with a 2.52 average.

Over the next three years, DeJordy was clearly the Blackhawks' number one goaltender, playing in 44, 50, and 53 games respectively. In 1966-67, DeJordy shared the Vezina Trophy with Glenn Hall with the best goals against average. He won 67 games over those three seasons, but DeJordy found himself serving as the backup for the 1969-70 season with the arrival of 26-year-old Tony Esposito from the Montreal Canadiens. Esposito started 63 games that season, leaving a scant ten games for DeJordy before he was dealt to the Los Angeles Kings, where he appeared in 21 games.

On November 4, 1971, DeJordy was traded to Montreal by Los Angeles along with Dale Hoganson, Noel Price and Doug Robinson for Rogie Vachon. His tenure in Montreal was a short one and he was flipped to the NY Islanders by the Canadiens Montreal with goaltender Glenn Resch, Alex Campbell and future considerations (Germain Gagnon, June 26, 1972) for cash and NY Islanders' 2nd round choice (Glenn Goldup) in 1973 Amateur Draft on June 6, 1972.

In 1972-73, DeJordy became a member of the Detroit Red Wings where he started in 24 games, going 8-11-3 with a 3.74 goals against average. In 1973-74, DeJordy played one period for the Wings, allowing four goals, leaving him with a 12.00 goals against average for the year. He finished his pro hockey career that same year with the Baltimore Clippers of the AHL, playing in 42 games going 21-13-6 with a 3.23 goals against average.

In December 1974, DeJordy and the Red Wings set a precedent in the NHL when he was named the league's first-ever goaltending coach. His job was to instruct the Wings' goalies Jim Rutherford and Doug Grant.

Ken Dryden One On One

2007-06-21T20:46:00.003-04:00

The pantheon of Montreal Canadiens' immortals has a new member - goaltending great Ken Dryden.

The erudite goaltender from the powerhouse Canadiens of the 1970s had his No. 29 retired Monday night prior to the club's 3-1 win over the Ottawa Senators in a moving 48-minute ceremony at the Bell Centre.

Alternating between French and English as he addressed the sell-out crowd, the 59-year-old thanked the fans and people of Quebec for accepting a young goaltender from Toronto who joined the team in 1971 and went on to greatness.

''How do I thank you?'' Dryden asked after receiving a long standing ovation. ''Sometimes when you're lucky you get really lucky.

''I was lucky to be here in Montreal, in Quebec, to play at the Montreal Forum and to be a member of the Montreal Canadiens. You gave me a gift. Thank you.''

Dryden was joined on the ice by his wife, Lynda, his two children and a three-week-old grandchild, while his older brother, Dave, a former Buffalo Sabres goalie, and his first coach, Al McNeil, addressed the crowd.

A banner with Dryden's name and number was raised from just in front of the Canadiens' net, brought out by captain Saku Koivu and the two current goalies - Cristobal Huet and David Aebischer. The Canadiens, all wearing jerseys with No. 29, applauded from their bench.

''This is that final piece,'' a visibly moved Dryden said later. ''Who would ever dream of having their number retired by the Montreal Canadiens? It's just great.''

Former coach Scotty Bowman, teammate Larry Robinson and former Boston Bruins star Wayne Cashman offered taped testimonials on the scoreboard.

Dryden was introduced at centre ice by his opposite number in the pivotal 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union - Vladislav Tretiak - who received a standing ovation almost as warm.

''I played against Team Canada in 1972 and in 1975 against the Montreal Canadiens - the best hockey I ever saw,'' said Tretiak, now president of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation. ''Ken Dryden played unbelievable.

''He was a fantastic goalie and a great man.''

Dryden won six Stanley Cups, two Vezina Trophies, a Conn Smythe Trophy and was a first-team all-star five times in an eight-year career from 1971 to 1979.

In the regular season, he won 258 games, lost only 57 and tied 74 as part of a spectacular Canadiens dynasty that included such legends as Guy Lafleur, Steve Shutt and the Big Three on defence - Larry Robinson, Serge Savard and Guy Lapointe.

A lasting image of that decade was of the six-foot-four Dryden casually leaning on the end of his stick while his gifted teammates terrorized the opposing goaltender for minutes at a time.

But when a key save was needed, Dryden would sprawl his big body across the crease to stop the puck.

''Watching, waiting, not doing much of anything,'' Dryden joked to the crowd about his signature stance. ''That is pretty much what the 1970s were all about - that and a whole lot of Stanley Cups.''

Dryden is the 12th player and his No. 29 is the 11th number to be retired by the Canadiens. It is the second this season, as Savard's No. 18 was raised to the rafters Nov. 18.

Others are No. 1 Jacques Plante, No. 2 Doug Harvey, No. 4 Jean Beliveau, No. 5 Bernard (Boom Boom) Geoffrion, No. 7 Howie Morenz, No. 9 Maurice (Rocket) Richard, No. 10 Lafleur, No. 12 for Dickie Moore and Yvan Cournoyer and No. 16 Henri Richard.

The Canadiens, who had not retired a number since Plante's in 1995, began last season with Geoffrion, Moore and Cournoyer in a round of annual jersey retirements leading up to the club's 100th anniversary in 2009.

Those still to come likely will include No. 19 for Robinson, No. 23 for GM Bob Gainey and No. 33 for goalie Patrick Roy.

Some question whether Dryden's eight seasons were enough to merit the honour, but there was always more to him than wins and saves. He is also one of the brightest and most multi-dimensional personalities in NHL history.

A lawyer, former university professor and Ontario civil servant, Olympic hockey TV analyst and a former president of the Toronto Maple Leafs, he was also the author of four books, including ''The Game,'' perhaps the best hockey book ever written.

Currently, he is the member of parliament for the Toronto riding of York Centre, where he was elected in 2004 and re-elected in 2006 and served as social development minister. Dryden was an unsuccessful candidate for the Liberal Party leadership.

In the House of Commons on Monday, Liberal leader Stephane Dion called on all members to congratulate Dryden.

''Who could forget the 1972 Summit Series?'' Dion said. ''He was the calm giant who stopped the formidable Soviet machine. ''

And the four-storey goaltender is guarding another net for Canada now - that of our country's social conscience.''

When he joined the Canadiens organization after attending Cornell University, Dryden made a special arrangement to split time between playing for their top farm team, the Montreal-based Voyageurs, and finishing his law studies at McGill University.

He was called up to the NHL club late in the 1970-'71 season and played well enough in six games, all wins, that management chose him over their excellent starter, Rogatien Vachon, for the playoffs against one of the league's greatest scoring machines of all time - the Boston Bruins, featuring the likes of stars Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito.

Dryden was a rock in the net, not only ousting the Bruins in seven games, but then beating Minnesota and Chicago to win the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy as the best player in the post-season.

The next season he played 64 games and won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.

Then came the Summit Series of 1972, when Dryden played a key role while sharing goaltending duties with Chicago's Tony Esposito as Canada defeated the Soviet Union in the defining eight-game series.

Never one to settle for the norm, Dryden took off the entire 1973-'74 season in a contract dispute, opting to do his law articling with a Toronto firm at $7,500 per year.

But after Montreal was knocked out in the first round of playoffs that season by the Rangers, the club cut a deal and brought Dryden back.

The climax was four straight Stanley Cups from 1976 to 1979. After the last one, he abruptly retired at the age of 31. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983.

Dryden said this week his greatest memories were the Summit Series and the 1976 playoffs, when Montreal ended the two-year Stanley Cup reign of the Philadelphia Flyers, who won games as much with thuggery as skill.

The win was seen at the time as a victory for talent and finesse over intimidation.

''I hated the Flyers and we took it as a mission to beat them that year - and we did, in four straight,'' Dryden said. ''And we beat (anthem singer) Kate Smith too.''

Dryden accepted the honour even though he opposed the retiring of jerseys while he was president of the Leafs, who prefer to ''honour'' players with banners rather than take their numbers out of circulation for good.

Two teams, two traditions.

Dryden was drafted 14th overall by Boston in 1964 but traded that same year to Montreal with Alex Campbell for Guy Allen and Paul Reid.

Dryden Revisited: 20 Questions, and some very funny answers.

In a question-and-answer format, covering a wide range of topics, Hall of Fame goalie Ken Dryden fielded 20 queries from The Gazette's Dave Stubbs in February 2003. His answers offered a glimpse inside a man who too often, and quite wrongly, has been viewed as one who's entirely serious.

In eight seasons in a Canadiens sweater, the last line of defence on the club's 1970s dynasty, Ken Dryden won six Stanley Cups, the Conn Smythe as the playoffs' most valuable player, the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie, and five times was a first-team all-star while earning that many Vezina trophies as the league's finest goaltender.

Since 1997, Dryden has been president of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and in the executive suites he is as he was in the Canadiens dressing room: a thoughtful, articulate voice about the game of hockey, and matters beyond it.

Twenty questions with the sweet-toothed Hall of Famer, lawyer and best-selling author who's a fan of Monty Python and can recite The Far Side comic strips with alarming accuracy:

1. Did you ever do anything crazy with the Stanley Cup?

No. You almost never got it in those days. Another thing not a tradition then was that, when the Cup was awarded on the ice, it wasn't passed from player to player.

"I never had a chance to put it above my head and be part of the parade around the ice.

I later hosted a TV special about the Stanley Cup. I wrote the narration as well, and at the end, I spoke about how, in fact, I'd not had a chance to hold it up. (Laughs) I said: "And now, here's this Cup right here, and I'm taking my chance."

2. Are you ever heckled by fans of the arch-rival Maple Leafs or Canadiens for your association with either club?

Yes. Less so by Montreal fans about my association with Toronto. It's: "How could you?!" That doesn't surprise me entirely. The other team is the great rival. What I say, and what I most strongly feel, is that they're the two most similar teams to each other in the league. They have the same kind of history, the same intense following locally and across the country. The team matters the most in the two cities of any teams anywhere. I say to people, "If you like one, you'll like the other."

3. Do you still find yourself watching an NHL game as a former goaltender?

Less than I would have thought. One of the things that I found surprising and almost disturbing was watching a game the year after I stopped playing and how, almost immediately, I couldn't watch as a former player. It was as if I was watching a world that I hadn't been a part of.

It was almost as if the guy who was wearing the Canadiens jersey was never me. Most of my life, the person in that jersey wasn't me ... it hadn't been me before 1971, or wasn't after I retired. It was the guy on television. That was the real Canadiens goaltender.

4. In practice, whose shot did you least like to face?

Early on, (Yvan) Cournoyer. Not just because he shot hard, but because his shot was at least a little out of control. That's the dangerous guy, not necessarily the guy who shoots hardest. Later on it was Mario Tremblay and Dougie Risebrough. Again, they didn't have the hardest shots, but they always seemed to put it off your arms or shoulders, where we were the least protected.

5. Seventeen Canadiens players have worn your No. 29 since you retired. How many can you name?

(Pauses) Uh ... Gino Odjick.

6. Your pads never seemed big enough. Do you envy today's goaltenders for their bulletproof equipment?

Envy isn't the right word. The same question could have been asked of Georges Vezina about us - about our big catching gloves and padding on our upper bodies, and a blocker that in fact had fibre in it so that it might (laughs) actually eliminate some of the pain.

Today the goalie is by far the best protected guy on the ice, and the least injured. The goalie can play without fear. It changes the way you play, without any compromise for safety, completely focused on performance. That was never the case for me.

It's only when you have equipment like goalies have now, and you see the changes in the style, that you realize what a compromise it was to be a stand-up goalie. We understood that (stand-up) was the best way to play. Well, no, it actually isn't.

7. Your first mask was unlike any seen in the NHL, before or since. Do you still have it?

I think I do, somewhere.

It was made in Montreal, a fair amount like the Jacques Plante mask. I hadn't worn one before going to Cornell. That was part of the (mandatory) equipment at university. In September of my first year, a mold was made and that was the mask they sent back. (Laughs) The only input I had in its design was providing my face for the mold. I wore it at Cornell, one year with the national team, then in Montreal my first couple of years.

That was the only mask I had. If it had been lost, I'm not sure what I would have done.

8. Who was your favourite Beatle, and why?

I don't have an immediate answer the way others might. I liked Ringo's name, and his odd eyes. I liked John Lennon's voice. Paul McCartney's hair moved the right way. George Harrison? I didn't notice him very much.

9. What's the most important thing in your briefcase?

Probably my most recent legal pad, the one that I'm working with. The rest of the stuff I might not even notice for a couple of months.

10. Do you have a favourite scene in the movie Slap Shot?

(Laughs, then pauses) You see scenes on arena videoboards, and you end up remembering those, not a lot of the others. Probably the scene with the Hansons in their hotel room, playing with their slot cars.

11. What's the funniest comic strip of all time?

Probably The Far Side. I enjoy Gary Larson's slightly off-centre take on the world, seeing it straight on - with a little twist. That's the reason Monty Python is my favourite comedy series, too. (Starts laughing) I remember a Far Side strip with one deer talking to another. One has a bull's-eye on his chest and the other is saying, "Bummer of a birthmark, Hal."

12. Which golf club in your bag are you most likely to throw into the lake?

Either my 9-iron or my putter. (Laughs) Every putt to me looks like it's going to break from right to left, even if it breaks from left to right. I feel I can read a green when I stand back from the ball, but when I stand over it and look toward the hole, my world tilts.

13. What's your guiltiest food pleasure?

Probably ice cream. Always chocolate. The thing that's become a celebration for me, when I feel I've earned a special treat, is a chocolate milkshake. I'll go searching for a Dairy Queen. It can be for little things - the end of a good day on a book tour, or after a speech has gone well.

And cheeseburgers. There's nothing better than going to The Senator, a restaurant in Toronto, for a chocolate milkshake and a cheeseburger.

14. If you could invite one goalie, from any era, to talk shop over this burger and shake, who would it be?

Georges Vezina, to know what it was like. I was going to say Glenn Hall, because I like him a lot and I like the way he played, but I'd recognize his time, which was more connected to mine.

But for Vezina, what was it like when there wasn't a forward pass? What happened when it came in? What did players shoot like? What did it feel like with the padding you had? You blocked most of the shots in what way, what move would you make? Why was it hard to stop the great stars of the time?

That is a time there would be lots of surprises, lots of things you wouldn't naturally think about because you hadn't experienced anything close to it.

15. How many Ken Dryden hockey cards do you own?

Somewhere in a box, I have all of my cards that were put out. When I retired, the company that did them sent me one of each. I collected cards as a boy, hockey and baseball. And I collected specialty cards, out of the U.S., of famous people. Included among them were statesmen, inventors and war heroes.

I remember having a Mickey Mantle baseball card. And a Virgil Trucks card. He had two no-hitters for the Detroit Tigers, but his name was so interesting for a 7-year-old. And there was Sibby Sisti. I thought that was a fantastic name, too.

16. Would we find more Canadiens or Leafs memorabilia in the Dryden home?

There's more Canadiens stuff, but it's all put away. You receive more as a player, and that's also more of a collecting time. You tend to keep more of it, and as you get older, you realize, "What am I going to do with this?"

We get so many commemorative things that are too good not to keep, but there's no place to put them. What do you do with stuff of yourself? I have this incredibly beautiful maquette of a sculpture that's been done of me (the lifesize bronze sculpture is in the Place Vertu shopping mall), but what do you do with it?

I'm happy I have these things and that I know where they are, but I don't need to see them.

17. One souvenir you do not have is the last puck from your last NHL game, the 1979 Stanley Cup victory - your only Cup won on Forum ice - and it was even in your glove at the final siren. How did linesman Matt Pavelich wind up with it?

Matt and I will see each other once a year and we still talk about "our puck" (laughs). We have a survivor's understanding - if he survives me, he gets the puck; if I survive him, I get it.

It was not without some anguish that I gave it to him. It was an unbelievably lucky moment - the puck is coming to me, shot along the boards, just as the game is ending. I know I'm going to be retiring, so it's perfect. I stop it, pick it up and all of a sudden, Matt is right there, and he has the same thing in mind.

"Ken, Ken ... can I have the puck? It's my last game!" he tells me. I say, "But it's mine, too!"

Matt had been a linesman a lot longer than I had been a goalie. It seemed right that he have it.

18. Of your thousands of saves, which was the greatest, and how do you remember it?

The one on Jim Pappin (an astonishing stop in Game 7 of the 1971 Stanley Cup final in Chicago that sealed the Canadiens' victory over the Black Hawks).

It was 3-2 at the time with about four minutes to play. Chicago had the puck behind our net and passed it in front. For some reason, (Chicago defenceman) Keith Magnusen was in the slot, which seems odd to me in that he was not an offensive player at all. Why he found himself there, I'm not sure. His shot went right at me, along the ice, and it hit my stick and deflected out to my right.

Literally between the moment he took the shot and the moment I stopped it, I knew I'd have to make the save and already be moving to stop the rebound. Usually they're separate and discreet, but this was one movement, where the first part of the save was blocking Magnusen's shot and the second part was throwing out my right leg for what I knew had to come next.

The puck deflected out to Jim Pappin, but I was already in the process of moving to stop his shot before he had taken it. He shot it into my leg.

What I remember, vividly, was the strangled sound, first of "Yaaaayy ..." and seeing his arms start to go up in the air - and then his arms and voice stop.

It seems to me there was some moment (later) that Jim and I were together, with someone else, and he made a passing comment like: "I've had to talk about that shot and that save all my life." And he laughed.

19. Did you get rich with endorsements?

I think the only one I ever did was for Sher-Wood, the sticks I used and was going to use. They paid me maybe $5,000 per season.

20. Well, the game has treated you well. On what did you spend your first hockey-earned dollar?

(Laughs, for 15 seconds) There are a few ungenerous people, and I'm sure Red Fisher is one of them, who would say that this question is yet to have an answer.

Ray Martyniuk 1970 NHL Amateur Draft (RD 1-5 overall, Flin Flon, WCHL)

2007-06-21T20:46:00.001-04:00

In the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft, the Canadiens used their 1st pick and fifth overall to grab goalie Ray Martynuik of the Flin Flon Bombers. Martynuik (often spelled Martyniuk), who was labelled the "Can't Miss Kid" for all his goaltending prowess and achievements, never had the opportunity to live up to his billing at the NHL level.

Back on May 21, 1968, the Canadiens traded Norm Ferguson, Stan Fuller to Oakland Seals for Wally Boyer, Alain Caron, a 1968 first round pick (#3-Jim Pritchard), and the1970 first round pick that became Ray Martynuik.

Born on September 11, 1950 in Benito, Manitoba, Martynuik ran into a glut of goaltending prospects in Montreal, and a trainer who did not comprehend his skate sharpening instructions helped seal his NHL fate in a matter of two training camps.

With the Bombers, the 5' 10", 165 lbs Martynuik had success written all over him, while practically sweeping every honour available to goaltenders while being at the top or close in all statistical categories. In both his final two WCHL seasons, he won the Wilson trophy as top goalie, had two 1st All Star Team berths, and led the league in goals against average. He led the league in shutouts in with 6 in1968-69.

In his eight professional seasons, Martynuik played for 13 different teams in 5 leagues. He was hardly unsuccessful and earned honours at several stops.

He started out with a 10 game stand with the Montreal Voyageurs in 1970-71, before moving to the Kansas City Blues of the CHL and the Seattle Totems of the WHL.

On October 10, 1971, the Canadiens dealt Martynuik to the California Golden Seals for Tony Featherstone. He was called up to the NHL Seals at one point, but did not see any game action
Martynuik was assigned to the Columbus Golden Seals of the IHL in 1971-72 and made stops with the Oklahoma City Blazers of the CHL and the Baltimore Clippers of the AHL before the season was out. Chosen by the Calgary Cowboys in the WHA draft, his rights were later traded to the Chicago Cougars who signed him to a lucrative deal. Unfortunately, for the hard luck Martynuik, the Cougars folded operations before he could play and earn a dime on the deal.

Starting out in Columbus again the following season, he would also visit with the Salt Lake City Golden Eagles of the WHL and the Springfield Kings by years end.

He saw his busiest season with the Columbus Owls of the IHL in 1973-74, appearing in 57 games and gaining 2nd All Star Team honors as he led the league in shutouts. He also found time to appear in 2 games with the Golden Eagles. He remained there for all of the 1974-75 season, seing 53 games of action while leading the Golden Eagles to the Adams Cup. He capped the season by winning the goaltender of the year award and being named to the CHL's 1st All Star Team.

He split the 1975-76 season between Salt Lake and Tuscon of the CHL and spent the entirety of 1976-77 with the Golden Eagles. He winded down his career with a season playing for the Cranbrook Royals of the WIHL followed by a final 5 games with the Grand Rapids Owls of the IHL in 1978-79.

By Dave Stubbs, Montreal Gazette, January 2007

As the legend of Ken Dryden was about to be winched to the Bell Centre’s ceiling back in January 2007, Montreal Gazette sports writer Dave Stubbs spoke with a once highly touted goaltender whose career went in the opposite direction. The remnants of the career of Ray Martynuik are five provinces west, settled on the silt floor of British Columbia’s Moyie Lake.

It’s here that Martynuik hurled his skates, pads and most else that was in his senior Cranbrook Royals equipment bag some 25 years ago. So it was, with great

But Martynuik’s memories are perfectly buoyant two-plus decades later, and on Dryden’s special day, he sends his warmest regards to the goaler with whom he shared Montreal training-camp ice in 1970 and ’71 before hockey and life took them in much different directions.

"It seemed there were more goalies in training camp than players," Martynuik says of the roster that included law student/athlete Dryden, Rogie Vachon, Phil Myre, Michel Plasse and perhaps another half-dozen NHL wannabes.

The Canadiens had missed the playoffs that spring for the first time since 1948, having won the Stanley Cup four of the previous five seasons. Coaches came and went through a revolving door, and the club’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Voyageurs, was roaming between Montreal and Nova Scotia.

Canadiens GM Sam Pollock drafted Martynuik fifth overall that June from the Flin Flon Bombers. The goalie should have known he was on thin ice when every newspaper in town misspelled his name "Martyniuk."

He was shipped by the Voyageurs after 10 games to Kansas City of the Central league; Dryden had yet to close his McGill law books and join the Vees mid-season, headed to the NHL late in 1970-71.

While Dryden was leading the Canadiens to a stunning Stanley Cup victory over Boston, his first of six, Martynuik was pulling on the sweater of the Western league’s Seattle Totems.

For decades, Martynuik has heard the sarcastic tales about Flin Flon’s "Can-Miss Kid." But now, from his home in Cranbrook, he’s spinning his delicious yarns, laughing easily and poking fun at himself.

"I’d change a lot of things if I could do it all over again," said Martynuik, 56. "But this is the way things are. I ask the people who give me a hard time, ‘So where were you drafted?’ "

His career went south, literally, not long after he won a $27,000 contract from Bob Woolf, a multisport superagent of the day.

Martynuik hopped more than slid through his crease, and the skate sharpener in Montreal never honed his blades the way they’d been done in Flin Flon, where he’d played with Bobby Clarke and Reggie Leach.

"I stepped on the ice the first time and nearly fell on my face," he recalled. "All I could do was balance myself with my stick and hope for the best."

He played decently everywhere his skates were sharp, including Seattle, where he played well enough to earn another Canadiens invitation in 1971. But after a shaky camp, he was off to three leagues in ’71-72 to play with Baltimore, Oklahoma and, with a trade to the Oakland Seals organization, Columbus.

NHL shot never came

"That was about as far down as I could go," Martynuik said.

He was headed to Charlotte the next season, but detoured back to Columbus and then on to Salt Lake City, where he was an all-star on the Seals’ AHL club.

"I thought that after all those years in the minors, I deserved a shot in the NHL," Martynuik said. "But the Seals didn’t have me in their plans."

Pat Stapleton, playing coach of the World Hockey Association’s Chicago Cougars, liked him enough to offer a $100,000 contract and a $50,000 bonus.

So Martynuik signed and waited for the cheque to arrive. The Cougars folded before it did.

He returned to Salt Lake for about $30,000 and was summoned by the Seals, if never to even dress as backup to Gilles Meloche. His affection for the Canadiens remained strong, and he recalls sitting with injured defenceman Jim Neilson for a home game against Montreal.

"Five minutes into the game, Neilson asked why I was sitting on my hands," Martynuik said. "I told him, ‘If the Canadiens score, I don’t want to applaud.’ "

Eventually he wound up playing senior hockey in Cranbrook. Then came what is local lore – the bus ride following a Game 7 championship loss in Spokane, when he told the driver to pull off the Crowsnest Highway so he could lighten the cargo hold by one equipment bag, piece by piece, into Moyie Lake.

Working for Coca-Cola

For the past 27 years, Martynuik has worked for Coca-Cola in the Cranbrook region, maintaining its vending machines. For a decade in the 1990s, he organized a company-sponsored golf tournament which raised $150,000 for charity.

He might not have Dryden’s trophy case, but surely Martynuik had as much fun.

In Cranbrook, he argued with Bob Craig, his own defenceman, then chased him to the blue line where they fought, both men earning delay of game penalties.

With Flin Flon, he took the toilet paper Winnipeg fans lobbed at him and wrapped it around his net. Then they pelted him with Ukrainian sausage, in a celebration of his heritage.

Martynuik and his wife, Judy, returned to Montreal six years ago on holiday. The visit rekindled memories of this city which he still holds dear, of Jean Béliveau and Henri Richard, "great gentlemen" in his eyes.

"I remember Yvan Cournoyer, nearly taking the heads off Myre and Plasse in a drill," he said. "So when he came in on me, I rushed out halfway to the blue line so he’d have to deke me.

"John Ferguson cornered some guy in our first scrimmage and beat the (stuffing) out of him, for no reason at all. Next shift, he’s in my crease, and I’m shaking. Backed his bum right into me. I thought of giving him a whack in the ankle, then figured, ‘Nobody here knows me, so no one’s coming to my rescue when Fergy beats the (stuffing) out of me.’ So I let him stay."

And Martynuik recalls one sweet old lady heckling him mercilessly throughout a Vees game, so boisterously that he stopped to face her as he left the ice.

"She was yelling, ‘Martynuik, you must be pregnant!’ " he said. "Before I could ask her what she meant, she hollered, ‘You just missed three periods!’ "

Over nine seasons, Martynuik played for at least a dozen pro teams. In one fewer year, Ken Dryden played for just two – the Voyageurs, for 33 games, and the Canadiens, for 509 more.

Last September, 35 years since they had shared a common path, Martynuik was in the lobby of a Cranbrook hotel when Dryden walked past, out on the Liberal leadership trail.

"I couldn’t just stop him and say, ‘Hi, Ken, I’m Ray, remember me?’ " Martynuik said, though of course he should have.

"Ken’s a guy who made the best of his first chance. When he went up to the Canadiens in 1971, and in all the years later, I was in awe of him. He could stop 15 shots one game, and 45 the next.

"I think he was born in a tea kettle – he could really stand the pressure."

Another interview with Martynuik from 1998.

Ray Martyniuk: "The Can-Miss Kid"

Right up until the moment he stepped on the ice at the old Montreal Forum back in September of 1970, Ray Martyniuk lived the Canadian prairie hockey dream.

Granted, that wacky bit about wrapping toilet paper around the net in Winnipeg was a little outrageous even for Ray, but he was a local boy playing for the hometown team, the Flin Flon Bombers. He was also pretty good - the top goaltender in the Western League (unions) for two straight years.

It didn't much matter that he had only a sixth-grade education and went to work full-time at Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting in Flin Flon when he was just 15. The only future he foresaw for himself in the summer of 1970 was with the Montreal Canadiens, the NHL powerhouse franchise that had selected him in the first round, fifth over all, in that year's NHL entry draft.

Martyniuk signed up with high-profile agent Bob Woolf, who represented Boston sports legends John Havlicek (a Celtics Hall-of-Famer) and Carl Yastrzemski (a Red Sox superstar). Martyniuk was prepared to take on the whole world.

But that fateful fall, this small-town lad did not fare very well in the big city of Montreal. The Canadiens' top selection, sandwiched between Rejean Houle in 1969 and Guy Lafleur in 1971, was sent to the minor leagues and actually never returned. Way back then he was labeled "The Can-Miss Kid."

Few goaltenders have ever been chosen as high as fifth over all, yet of the 130 top 5 draft picks between 1994 and the introduction of the universal amateur draft in 1969, Martyniuk is the only one never to play in a single NHL game.

It all began when he first graced the ice with superstars such as the venerable Henri Richard, Jean Beliveau and even Rogie Vachon at training camp, only to fall flat on his face.

It was the skates, Martyniuk explained. They weren't sharpened properly. He preferred them done like the arena manager back at Flin Flon Arena did them. They had to be done that way because, unlike most netminders who slide from side to side in their crease, Martyniuk hopped.

He did not actually start playing the goal position until he was 14 - up to then he was a forward. But Montreal's trainer did not understand any of this specially requested skate sharpening.

"Rogie likes it this way, Rogie likes it this way," the trainer said.

"I'm not Rogie," Martyniuk deftly replied.

And so it went. It was two days into training camp before someone clued the befuddled Martyniuk in on why Montreal coach Claude Ruel kept glaring at him during a particular skating drill. He was going too fast. Somehow Martyniuk had not heard the proper skating instructions.
"Claude Ruel," Martyniuk readily admits, "is not one of my favorite people."

Today, Martyniuk is a carefree, regret-free 47-year-old living in Cranbrook, British Columbia, where he has worked in the service department for Coca-Cola, repairing and installing vending machines for the past 17 years. He admits he still gets calls from hockey writers fairly often, usually around entry draft time.

'"I make it every year," Martyniuk says. "Sam Pollock's (legendary Montreal G.M.) worst draft."

Martyniuk was small at 5-foot-9 and 155 pounds, but lightning quick. Then St. Louis Blues' general manager Scotty Bowman called him the best goalie prospect he'd seen in 20 years.

Players like Flin Flon teammates Bobby Clarke and Reggie Leach say he had all the talent in the world. And also the temperament to waste it all by the wayside. He was a great athlete from the shoulders down, but from the neck up he was a total mess.

"That'd be about right," Martyniuk concedes. "I didn't know what to expect. All I wanted to do was play hockey."

He stuck around that first training camp long enough to see his buddy Glenn Resch off to Muskegon, but soon he, too, was demoted, off to Kansas City, Halifax and Seattle in his first season alone.

He went on to play 11 seasons of professional hockey with 11 different teams in four different leagues. He won best goalie in the old Central League in 1974-1975 with a sparkling 2.96 goals-against average and felt he was ready for a second genuine NHL shot, but his flaky reputation stood in his way.

"He was off the wall," Clarke says. "He was really well conditioned and worked on off ice conditioning when no one else did. The rest of us were playing hockey and drinking beer, and he was way ahead of us."

Martyniuk says running marathons in Flin Flon had nothing to do with conditioning. It was just something he did.

The skate problem continued to plague him. The trainer with the Canadiens' top farm club, the Nova Scotia Voyageurs, where Martyniuk spent part of his rookie season with Ken Dryden, was dumbfounded.

"He says, 'Prof, this guy's nuts,'" recalls then Voyageurs' coach Ron Caron. "'You won't believe what he wants me to do. He wants me to sharpen one skate and he'll put the skate on and he'll give me an answer.'"

"He was a typical goaltender," Leach says. "He did a lot of strange things."

Of course, there was the time in junior hockey when he took the toilet paper Winnipeg fans threw at him and proceeded to wrap the entire roll around his own goal net, just for fun. The Winnipeg faithful also pelted him with sausages.

In Halifax, during practice a day before the home opener, he fired a puck off his own defenseman's helmet and almost started a brawl. Apparently the defenseman had fired a shot too close to Martyniuk's own head in a shooting drill and the frustrated Ukrainian netminder did not appreciate the close call.

He did not mellow at all with age or experience. He actually fought his own defenseman during a senior hockey game for the Cranbrook Royals. The defenseman kept losing the puck behind his own net. One giveaway resulted in a point blank shot that nearly led to Martyniuk's decapitation. The goalie and the blueliner cursed at each other as play turned up ice. Martyniuk then chased him to the blueline and started throwing haymakers.

"Imagine the play-by-play man calling the game," Martyniuk recalls. " 'There's a fight going on behind the play and it's two guys on the same team!' If I could do something a little weird to make people have fun or make them laugh, then I'd do it. I would do it all over again. I had some great times."

Today Martyniuk helps organize the lefty righty best ball tournament at the Cranbrook Golf Club, with proceeds going to the Children's Wish Foundation. This year's will be the sixth annual.
The ultimate end of Martyniuk's hockey career came sometime in the mid 1980s; he does not actually remember exactly when. The Royals lost 7-2 in the season's finale. When the team bus approached Moyie Lake on the way back to Cranbrook, Martyniuk ordered the bus driver to stop.

He got out of the bus, lifted up the baggage compartment and grabbed his equipment bag. He opened it and started bailing. Everything went into the lake, piece by painstaking piece.

Shoulder pads, chest protector, pants, jock strap, garter belt, socks, mask. His teammates were, naturally, hollering their foolish heads off. He briefly considered hanging on to the skates that had caused him so many problems, but then ditched them, too.

It marked the end of the best NHL career that never was.

"Deepest lake in B.C." he says. "They'll never find it."

Why would anyone even bother to look?

The next time any of you pop open a cold can of Coca-Cola, think of the once promising Ukrainian goaltender Ray Martyniuk - the old "Can-Miss Kid."

Cal Hammond 1970 NHL Amateur Draft (RD 4, 45 overall, Flin Flon, WCHL)

2007-06-21T20:45:00.001-04:00

While the Montreal Canadiens were scouting Ray Martynuik of the Flin Flon Bombers, who they selected with their first pick in 1970, the surely caught more than a glimpse of able backup, the 6' 0", 175 lb Cal Hammond.

Born in Snow Lake, Manitoba, Hammond appeared in 93 games over three seasons in Flin Flon, registering seven shutouts. The Canadiens, who had more goalies than they logically knew what to do with at the time, assigned Hammond to the Clinton Comets of the EHL for the 1971-72 season. He appeared in 32 games for the Comets and posted a 4.28 goals against average.

During the season he was called up to the Cleveland Barons of the AHL, where he saw one period of action, letting in 2 goals.

Hammond moved on to the Saginaw Gears of the IHL the following season, playing in 40 games and registering a 4.03 GAA.

In 2000-01, Hammond returned to the Bombers organization as an assistant coach.

Jack Norris - In The System 1969-70

2007-06-21T20:42:00.000-04:00

Journeyman goalkeeper Jack Norris played 58 career games for three different NHL clubs. The majority of his time was spent in the World Hockey Association and the minors during a pro career that spanned thirteen seasons.

The native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan played four years with the Estevan Bruins of the SJHL. The Boston Bruins prospect spent two years on the club's Los Angeles Blades farm team in the WHL. In 1964-65 he won ten games and recorded a shutout as the back up to Eddie Johnston but was unable to keep his place when youngster Gerry Cheevers came along. On May 15, 1967 he was traded to Chicago as part of the monumental deal that brought Phil Esposito, Ken Hodge and Fred Stanfield to Boston.

Norris played a few games for the Hawks but was chiefly a farmhand before he was claimed by the Montreal Canadiens in the Intra-League Draft in June 1969. He played 55 games in the AHL for the Montreal Voyageurs but was never called up by the Habs.

At the end of the 1969-70 season, Norris was traded on May 22 to the Los Angeles Kings along with Larry Mickey and Lucien Grenier for Leon Rochefort, Gregg Boddy and goaltender Wayne Thomas.

Norris played 25 games as back up to Denis Dejordy with the Kings and spent most of the 1971-72 season with the weak Seattle Totems of the WHL.

The veteran netminder's career took a turn for the better with the emergence of the WHA. Norris joined the Alberta Oilers during the league's first season and led all netminders with 63 appearances. He remained with the franchise the next year and played 53 games before joining the Phoenix Roadrunners. Norris spent two years in the desert and played well while splitting the goaltending chores with Gary Kurt. He retired in 1976 after winning 21 games in 41 appearances for Phoenix.

Phil Myre 1969-72

2007-06-21T20:41:00.002-04:00

In the 1966 Amateur Draft, the Montreal Canadiens selected Phil Myre, who became better known as one half of the netminding duo of the early Atlanta Flames.

The Canadiens took the goaltender following an unsuccessful, though long, performance by Shawinigan in the Memorial Cup playoffs. He got to hoist the Memorial Cup two years later when he backstopped a Niagara Falls team to victory.

It wasn't until the 1969-70 season that Myre saw action with the Canadiens. In ten games, he put up a 4-3-2 record and a 2.27 GAA. Still it wasn't enough to impress the team, and Myre was carried as a backup for the next two seasons before the Canadiens left him unprotected in the 1972 Expansion Draft.

The Atlanta Flames took the slender goalkeeper. His ability to stop shooters from close range was thought to be a good quality for an expansion team netminder to have. For the next five seasons, the Flames had him battling Dan Bouchard for playing time in the Atlanta net. The competition came to a head in the 1977-78 season until Myre was traded to the St. Louis Blues.

In St. Louis, Myre had a chance to shine. After the trade, he played 44 of the team's final 51 games. That stretch included a consecutive 28 games stretch, an NHL Player of the Week honour, and a shutout streak that lasted 131 minutes and 42 seconds. Unfortunately, the Blues were weak offensively at the time and Myre ended the season with an 11-25-8 record.

The Blues kept Myre for one more season before he moved on to the Philadelphia Flyers. Flyers coach Pat Quinn had played in front of Myre throughout most of his time in Atlanta and he intended to follow the Atlanta example and alternate between Myre and rookie Pete Peeters.

Peeters and Myre exceeded expectations, helping the Flyers to record a 35-game unbeaten streak. In the playoffs, Myre registered al four victories against Minnesota before the Flyers lost in the finals to the New York Islanders.

Myre played three more seasons in the NHL for the Flyers, Colorado Rockies, and Buffalo Sabres before finishing with the Mike Keenan coached Rochester Americans in the AHL. Myre has served as a goalie coach for Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago, Ottawa, and Florida since his playing career ended.

Gary Doyle 1969 NHL Amateur Draft (RD 5-56 overall, Ottawa, OHA)

2007-06-21T20:41:00.001-04:00

With their 5th pick in the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft, 56th overall, the Canadiens chose goaltender Gary Doyle of the Ottawa 67's in the OHA. Later in the draft, with their 8th pick, the Canadiens chose another goalie, Ian Wilkie of the Edmonton Oil Kings, in round seven, 74th overall.

Doyle, who stood 5' 8" and weighed 155 lbs, was born on January 6, 1949. He was the first goaltender in 67's history, playing in 47 games in 1967-68 and another 50 the following year. His goals against average improved in the second season, dropping to 4.50 from 5.70.

The Smiths Falls, Ontario native would not earn a contract with the Canadiens. He would never play at the NHL or AHL levels, but did manage a one game shot with a future NHL franchise.

In 1969-70, his goaltending career would take him to the Salt Lake City Golden Eagle of the WHL for 3 games and the Oklahoma City Blazers of the CHL for another 9 games. In 1972-73, he played with Ottawa U (CIAU), and played two more seasons for the Winston-Salem Polar Twins of the SHL. In 1973-74, Doyle played a game with the Edmonton Oilers of theWHA.

Doyle later became involved in Lanark County, Ontario, politics after his retirement, eventually becoming county warden in 2000.

Ian Wilkie 1969 NHL Amateur Draft (RD 7-74 overall, Edmonton WCHL)

2007-06-21T20:40:00.003-04:00

The Canadiens used their eighth selection in the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft to select Edmonton Oil Kings goalie Ian Wilkie. He was the secong goalie taken by the Habs that day, as they had previously chosen Gary Doyle of the Ottawa 67's in the 5th round.

Wilkie was born in Edomton on Juy 20, 1949 and stood at 5' 9" and weighed 160 lbs. He played in 51 games with the Oil Kings in his first two seasons there, and his goals against average were very respectable marks of 3.18 and 3.10. He had 12 shutouts in his three seasons with Oil Kings.

Though Wilkie would never reach the NHL, he did play in the WHA with Edmonton, the New York Raiders, and the Los Angeles Sharks. Along the way, Wilkie made stops with British Columbia (CWUAA), Long Island (EHL), and Greensboro (SHL).

Wilkie attended the University of Alberta and later took law at the University of British Columbia. While at UBC, he played on 1970-71 University team that set a school record with 29 victories and won CWUAA title.

From 1972 to 1974, Wilkie played 33 games for three different WHA franchises before retiring.

Netminder Ian Wilkie wore this vintage Lefty Wilson-style fiberglass goalie mask while tending the crease for the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WCHL and it is up for sale at the Classic Auctions site. It has an old school unpainted design similar to the mask worn by Terry Sawchuk while with the Wings. This example shows obvious game wear and is edged with strips of old creamy cloth tape in place of interior padding. Prices for these game worn masks from the Seventies will only continue to rise.

Tony Esposito 1968-69

2007-06-21T20:39:00.000-04:00

As one half of perhaps the most colorful brother act in NHL history, Tony 0 revolutionized goaltending in the NHL with his legs-open "butterfly" style and his spectacular flop-on-the-ice saves during the 16 years he spent in the league, all except one with the Chicago Black Hawks. As the younger brother of scoring star Phil, Tony had something to prove when he entered the NHL in 1968.

After a collegiate career with the Michigan Tech Huskies and the Vancouver Canucks of the Western Hockey League, he spent time with Houston of the Central Hockey League.

In his partial first year with Montreal, the 25 year old Esposito was steady, if unspectacular. He could not aspire to a starting role, as the Canadiens had Gump Worsley and Rogie Vachon ahead of him.

Upon being traded to Chicago, Esposito was impressive in his first full season, recording a Calder and Vezina Trophy winning year in 1969-70 with a 2.17 goals-against average and a modern-era record of 15 shutouts.

Fans of the game were quick to point out that the Hawks under coach Billy Reay were a defensive-minded squad and that at 5'11" and 190 pounds, Esposito was a stocky, very mature rookie. More importantly, Esposito was fast gaining a reputation as having the quickest glove hand in the game, combined with an unorthodox style that was confounding yet extremely effective. The Vezina win in his first year made him the first rookie to win the trophy since Frank Brimsek in 1939.

Even so, Tony was good enough between the pipes to win a scholarship to Michigan Tech, graduating in three years with a business degree and attaining all-American status each year. As a pro, he quickly gained a reputation as an emotional, vocal goalie who would yell regularly at his defensemen and stay well back in his crease except when he came out to poke-check skaters. He added to his rookie Vezina win by sharing the trophy with Gary Smith in 1972 and tying Bernie Parent in 1974. In his career, he totaled 76 regular-season shutouts.

Incredibly, the Black Hawks never failed to make the playoffs while Esposito was on the team. Internationally, he was a standout as well. In 1972 he shared the goaltending role with Ken Dryden on Team Canada in the Summit Series. And in 1981 he tended goal during the Canada Cup, but this time for Team USA, his country of residence.

Later in his career, Esposito began to gain a reputation as one of the grand old men of the NHL and it wasn't always easy. By the early 1980s, he'd become dissatisfied with the way his teammates were performing in Chicago. But by 1982, with Tony's help, the Hawks turned their game around again. As the oldest player in the league, Tony started to play like he was a decade younger in the 1982 playoffs, with a goals-against average under 2.00.

By 1983-84, Tony was the oldest player in the league and the only one over 40 years of age. Observers started to notice that while he was once the type of player who insisted on playing every minute of every game, he wisely realized that, at his age, he had to pick his spots and he happily shared the goalie's duties with backup Murray Bannerman.

Eventually, it came time for Tony 0 to hang up the big pads and he was released by the Hawks in 1984. He wasn't long out of the pro game, though, before the Pittsburgh Penguins made him director of hockey operations.

After Pittsburgh, Tony joined brother Phil in the front office of the expansion Tampa Bay Lightning. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988. He will always be best remembered as one of the true pioneers among netminders in the NHL.

Lyle Carter - In The System 1967-71

2007-06-21T20:38:00.000-04:00

Lyle Carter's resume reads like an atlas of North America, but his time in the NHL can be pinpointed to a few weeks in the 1971-72 season with the hapless California Golden Seals. Lyle Carter signed as a free agent with Montreal on March 30, 1968, after playing little with Cleveland Barons of the AHL and the Toledo Blades of the IHL in the 1967-68.

Carter was assigned to the Clinton Comets of the IHL , where he was a workhorse appearing in 72 games in 1968-69. He began with the Comets the following season before moving up to the Montreal Voyageurs, where he would only play in 5 contests.

As a third stringer behind Jack Norris and Phil Myre, Carter saw action only when the starters were injured.

Things became bleaker for Carter with the Voyageurs the following season when Ken Dryden, Wayne Thomas, and Ray Martyniuk all arrived to crowd the crease action. Carter played two periods of one game, allowing 5 goals. It was off to the Mukegon Mohawks of the IHL, where he would get 51 games in, sharing duties with another Habs hopeful named Bruce Mullet.

After four seasons in their system, the Canadiens traded Carter to the Seals with John French for Randy Rota in October 1971. With California he had a record of 4-7-0 and a whopping 4.12 GAA. After that, it was back to the minors for three more years before he finally retired in 1975.

Ted Tucker - In The System 1967-72

2007-06-21T20:37:00.000-04:00

Netminder Ted Tucker was property of the Montreal Canadiens and the Atlanta Flames before he finally landed with the NHL club that he would make his big league debut with.

Tucker spent two seasons with the Montreal Junior Canadiens before turning pro with the Clinton Comets of the EHL. He made a major splash by winning the Rookie of the Year award, and being named to the 1st All-Star Team. Tucker repeated the All-Star merits in his second season and had a solid third season as well.

With the emergence of Ken Dryden in the Montreal system, the Canadiens had no need for Tucker and sold his rights to the Atlanta Flames on June 10, 1972. Tucker spent the next year in the minors without getting a chance from the Flames and was sold again, this time to the California Golden Seals.

With the Seals, Tucker was finally granted an opportunity to play at the NHL level. Tucker appeared in five games for California and was able to record a win, a loss and a tie in that time. It would prove to be the only exposure Tucker would get in the NHL.

The next four years were spent stopping pucks in the International Hockey League primarily with the Toledo Goaldiggers. In 1978-79 Tucker took the season off but returned the following year to play for the IHL's Dayton Gems. During his comeback season the Gems dealt him to the Saginaw Gears where he finished that season and he spent his final year with them as well. Tucker retired from the game after playing 40 games for the Gears in 1980-81.

Bruce Mullet - In The System 1967-68

2007-06-21T20:36:00.001-04:00

St. John's Newfoundland's Bruce Mullett was a Montreal Canadiens prospect in an era where the Habs did not lack for goaltending talent.

It was the Ken Dryden era, to be precise, and it left many a Habs goalie hopeful mired in the depths of the system.

Bruce Mullett was born November 22, 1948, and was a large goalie for his time, filling in at 6' 0'' and weighing 200 lbs.

Mullett played 162 games under the Canadiens watch, starting out with the OHA Junior Canadiens where he played in 50 games in the 1967-68 season.

In 1968-69, Mullett began a string of four seasons as the Muskegon Mohawks starter, appearing in a career high 55 games in 1970. Perhaps he saw the writing on the wall, hanging up the pads after only 9 games into the 1972-73 season.

He currently works as a real estate agent for Caldwell Banker in St. John's.

Gary Bauman 1966-67

2007-06-21T20:34:00.002-04:00

According to those that knew Michigan Tech's late hockey coach John MacInnes, he called Garry Bauman the best goaltender to ever play for him.

A three-year hockey letterwinner from 196 1to 1964, Bauman complied a career goals against average with MT of 2.64. His career save percentage of .916 still stands today as the best of any goaltender to ever wear a Huskies uniform.

Bauman helped the Huskies to to school's first-ever NCAA Championship in 1962 and was named to the NCAA All Tournament team for his efforts.

He was a three time All WCHA First Team selection and twice was honored as a First Team All America selection.

Following graduation, Bauman went on to play professional hockey for both the Montreal Canadiens and the Minnesota North Stars.

Gary Bauman also owes his NHL debut to an injury, albeit once removed, Bauman was called in to relieve Charlie Hodge, who had taken over when Lorne Worsley suffered a serious knee injury. Bauman played two games and then faded into the background.

He played 2 games for the Canadiens and finished with 1 win, 1 lost and a GAA of 2.50.

Bauman shares the unique distinction, with Montreal teammate Charlie Hodge, as the only goaltenders in the history of the All Star game to post a shutout. It happened in 1967, in one of only three games Bauman played for the Canadiens.

He was picked up by the Minnesota after the 1967 expansion and played 26 games in the North Star's inaugural campaign. He would play another seven games with the North Stars the following season.

Bauman first started as a goalkeeper when his High River, Alberta team lost its goalie to an injury. He was recruited and vacated his position on the left wing to don the pads. He recorded a shutout in his first game, a 5-0 win, and never left.

Bauman, who lived in Calgary, passed away on Monday, October 16, 2006 at the age of 66 years. Garry was born in Innisfail, AB on July 21, 1940. When he retired from hockey he pursued a teaching career at Strathcona Tweedsmuir School until his retirement in 1999.

Rogatien Vachon 1966-72

2007-06-21T20:34:00.001-04:00

Rogatien Vachon's arrival in Montreal in 1966-67 put the little town of Palmerolle, Quebec, on the map. Strangely enough, Rogie owed his NHL debut to an egg - one that hit Lorne Worsley in the face and forced him to leave a game. At the age of 21, Vachon was called in.

Vachon ended up playing the majority of their playoff games when they reached the Stanley Cup finals. Though, the Toronto Maple Leafs would win the 1967 Stanley Cup, the diminutive Vachon earned a permanent place in the big leagues with his excellent play and quick reflexes.

His performance was remarkable enough to qualify him for the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year, which ended up going to Boston's Derek Sanderson.

In 1967-68 Vachon excelled in 39 regular season contests and shared the Vezina Trophy with teammate Gump Worsley. Their goals-against mark of 2.26 was the league's best since 1958-59. His play contributed significantly to Montreal's consecutive Stanley Cup championships in 1968 and 1969.

When Worsley suffered a nervous breakdown and moved out of Montreal, Vachon inherited the starting job in the Montreal net. He played well in 1969-70 but the defending champions missed the playoffs despite a 92 point season.

In 1971-72 Vachon shared goaltending duties with newcomer Phil Myre, but the rotation only served to give what the Canadiens felt was inconsistant play. Though Vachon's numbers were up to par (23-12-9, 2.65), the Canadiens were disatisfied, and called up Ken Dryden late in the season.

Dryden would play the final six games, winning each one, while allowing only 9 goals against. The rest as they say, is history - and so was Vachon in Montreal.

The following season, Vachon requested a trade after he allowed four goals in his only period of action. After making a "play me or trade me" demand, he was offerd a new lease on life when the Los Angeles Kings acquired his services in November 1971.

Vachon was reborn as a number one goalie and went on to enjoy some of his finest seasons, while helping the Kings become a more competitive hockey club. He recorded 32 of his 51 career shutouts in L.A. and was a two-time selection to the NHL Second All-Star Team. Vachon became the most popular figure in franchise history and was selected the team's most valuable player four times in five years between 1973 and 1977.

The steady Gary Edwards served as Vachon's backup during these years and gave the Kings one of the rosiest goaltending pictures in the NHL. In 1974-75 the Kings set a franchise record with 105 points and a fourth place finish in the NHL's overall standings. That season, Vachon's 1.41 goals-against mark in the first 17 games represented the best start in the league since Jacques Plante's fine beginning in 1957-58. Unfortunately, the Kings were eliminated in the first round by Toronto. The Kings never did excel in the post-season despite Vachon's brilliance between the pipes. Following that glorious regular season, Bobby Clarke edged out Vachon in the voting for the Hart Trophy.

Vachon's finest hour came as Team Canada's goalie in the inaugural Canada Cup tournament in 1976. Since Ken Dryden and Bernie Parent were unavailable, Vachon, Gerry Cheevers and Glenn Resch were invited to compete for the job. Vachon emerged with the hot hand and played every one of his team's games. His spectacular play helped Canada to the championship and resulted in his selection as the team's most valuable player.

Vachon went on to close out his career with two seasons each in Detroit and Boston. He retired following the 1981-82 season with a career goals-against mark of 2.99, Vachon returned to Los Angeles in 1983-84, where he went on to serve as coach, general manager and chief hockey operating officer.

The Kings honored their popular puck stopper by retiring his number in January 1985. He retired as general manager in 1991 but returned to the Kings a short time later as assistant to the club president.

Vachon is one of the games most overlooked canadidates for the Hockey Hall Of Fame. His exclusion, as the last remaining goaltending link to the Original Six era, is a shame that should be corrected in time.

Gerry Desjardins - In The System 1965-68

2007-06-21T20:33:00.001-04:00

Goaltender Gerry Desjardins had a three year association with the Canadiens, playing for their Houston Apollos and Cleveland Barons farm teams. Desjardins went on to a successful seven-year NHL career, which most would agree could have been much longer had a serious eye injury not prematurely ended his career.

As a 20-year-old, Desjardins played major junior hockey with the Toronto Marlboros, playing in 53 games. He posted an impressive 32-4-7 record with a 3.81 goals against average.

Signed by Montreal the following year, Desjardins was tending goal for the Houston Apollos of the CPHL in 1965-66, playing in 19 games. He shared the netminding duties with veteran Marv Edwards and both were outstanding, but in a six-team NHL, there were not many jobs for goaltenders. He played one more year in Houston, getting the start in 36 games.

For the 1967-68 season, Desjardins had hoped of landing an NHL job as the league immediately doubled in size to 12 teams with expansion. However, he was overlooked once again. So, Desjardins played with the Cleveland Barons of the AHL, and was clearly one of the major stars of the league. He played in 66 games, proving his workhorse abilities.

On June 11, 1968, the Canadiens traded the highly sought Desjardins to the Los Angeles Kings for first round draft choices in 1969 and 1972 that turned into Dick Redmond and Steve Shutt, respectively.

In 1968-69, Desjardins won the starting job with the Los Angeles Kings, one of the expansion teams from the previous year. He was thrown right into the fire, getting the start in 60 games. On one of the worst NHL clubs that year, Desjardins again proved to be a bright spot, keeping the Kings competitive in many games and recording four shutouts.

Desjardins followed up his rookie season with a 43-game performance in 1969-70 and once again was the reason the Kings managed any semblance of respectability. At 26, just as things seemed to be moving along nicely in his career, the Kings obtained Rogatien Vachon in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens.

Vachon immediately took over the role as starting goalie, relegating Desjardins to backup. Late in the season the Kings traded Desjardins to the Chicago Blackhawks, but his playing time would not increase appreciably there either, with the presence of all-star goalie Tony Esposito. Nonetheless, Desjardins played in 22 games during the 1970-71 season, going 12-6-3 with a 2.41 goals against average.

In 1972-73, he was picked up by the expansion New York Islanders in the dispersal draft. That year he backstopped 44 games for Long Island, but as one would imagine with an expansion team, he lost more often than he won. The following year was also tough on the fledgling team, although their defensive game was aided tremendously with the drafting of a young defenseman named Denis Potvin. Desjardins started 36 games, going 9-17-6.

Although the club was making strides at improvement, it was difficult for a veteran netminder like Desjardins, so he opted to try his hand in the WHA, signing with the Michigan Stags for the 1974-75 season. But, the WHA turned out to be every bit as difficult as the NHL. In 41 WHA games, Desjardins was 9-28-1 with a 4.26 goals against average. Late that same year, he returned to the NHL, joining the Buffalo Sabres. Sabres' GM Punch Implach took advantage of a clause in Desjardins' contract with the Stags, which said he could leave the team if they moved - which they did - to Baltimore. In nine regular-season games with Buffalo that season, Desjardins went 6-2-1, with a 2.78 goals against average before leading them all the way to the Stanley Cup finals, where they lost in six games to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Over the next two seasons, Desjardins was the number-one backstop in Buffalo, playing in 55 and 49 games, respectively. Early in the 1976-77 season, Desjardins' hockey career came to an abrupt end, when a puck struck him the eye in a game against the Boston Bruins.

Carl Wetzel - In The System 1965-67

2007-06-21T20:32:00.001-04:00

Wetzel's nomadic career began playing Junior hockey in Hamilton but he played a single game as a pro during his final season there. Over the next three years he played for five different clubs before putting his career on hold to fulfill his military obligations. Carl served in the United States Military during the 1962-63 season, and for most of the 1963-64 campaign.

Two years would pass before he returned to the ice, though he only played six games in his first year back. However, two of those contests were in the National Hockey League. Wetzel made two appearances in goal for the Detroit Red Wings but was victimized four times in just thirty-two minutes of play.

Wetzel was claimed by Montreal from Detroit in Reverse Draft, June 9, 1965 and sent to the Quebec Aces of the AHL. Wetzel joined the National team in 1966 and played in his first World Championships. Despite the fact that the U.S. squad finished fifth in the tournament, Wetzel was named to the tournament All-Star team. Later that season, he was sent to Minnesota by Montreal for cash on June 14, 1967.

Wetzel played five games for the North Stars and was able to register his only NHL win while also adding a tie to his career statistics. That season in the minors Wetzel backstopped the Rocheseter Americans to a Calder Cup championship. When he spent all of the 1968-69 campaign back in the minors, Wetzel returned to the National Team for the 1969-70 season. After two years with the Nats and a second World Championship appearance he elected to continue his career in Europe. Wetzel signed on with Kitzbuhel of the Austrian League but after just one year there he was lured back by a contract offer from the upstart World Hockey Association.

Wetzel's final season as a pro was spent back in Minnesota, this time with their WHA franchise, the Fighting Saints. The Saints goaltending duties were split between Jack McCarten and Mike Curran with Wetzel playing just a single game. Though he was tagged with a loss in his final start, Wetzel played well giving up just three goals.

Cliff Rose - In The System 1965-67

2007-06-21T20:30:00.001-04:00

Cliff Rose played for the Montreal Junior Canadiens in 1965-66 and 1966-67. He appeared in 23 games over two seasons in which his GAA was 3.69 and 3.77.

Ted Ouimet - In The System 1964-68

2007-06-21T20:29:00.001-04:00

Goaltender Ted Ouimet played one game for the St. Louis Blues in 1968-69. He was a fine junior and minor pro player during a career that lasted over a decade.

Born in the Quebec mining town of Noranda, Ouimet played three years with the Montreal Junior Canadiens before joining the London Nationals in 1967-68. In June, 1968 he was traded to St. Louis Blues in a cash deal by the Montreal Canadiens, who had a surplus of talented netminders.

Ouimet played one game for the Blues during his rookie season in the pros but spent most of his time with Kansas City of the CHL. He continued to toil in the minors until 1975 and also played one game for the New England Whalers of the WHA. Before retiring after the 1974-75 season, Ouimet's best year was in 1973-74 when he recorded a 2.97 goals against average for the Syracuse Blazers and was names to the North American league first all-star team.

Gil Banville - In The System 1963-70

2007-06-21T20:28:00.001-04:00

Goalie Gil Banville was a Canadiens farmhand who never rose beyond the minor leagues in a 9 year career.

Banville was born in Baie Comeau, Quebec on April 20, 1942, and was known mainly as a goaltender with the Quebec Aces from 1963 to 1970.

During his time in the AHL, Banville had four stays with Quebec, with trips to Jersey and New haven of the EHL, Phoenix and Seattle of the WHL, and Houston of the CPHL.

Banville never had much opportunity to make it with the Canadiens. Playing ahead of him in Quebec and Houston were a cast future NHL veterans and AHL journeymen that included Charlie Hodge, Gump Worsley, Fern Rivard, Ernie Wakely, Rogatien Vachon, Carl Wetzel, Michel Beaulieu, Gerry Desjardins, Ron Gilbert, Jean - Guy Morrisette, Gary Bauman.

Rocky Farr - In The System 1963-70

2007-06-21T03:19:00.002-04:00

Farr is the goaltender on the right.

Norman Richard "Rocky" Farr played 18 games in net for the Buffalo Sabres in the early 1970's. A fine amateur and minor pro goalie, he was unable to take hold of a permanent spot in the big leagues.

The Toronto native moved to Montreal as a teenager and played for the Notre Dame de Grace Monarchs and Montreal Junior Canadiens in 1963. In 1965-66 he returned to Ontario and spent two seasons with the OHA's London Nationals and Oshawa Generals. Farr bounced around the minors for three years before he was plucked off the Montreal Canadiens' surplus roster in the Expansion Draft by the Buffalo Sabres in 1970.

The young netminder split the 1970-71 season between the Springfield Kings of the AHL, the WHL's Salt Lake Golden Eagles and the Fort Worth Wings of the CHL. The next year he impressed at the Buffalo training camp and was slotted to play with their top farm team in the AHL, the Cincinnati Swords. Farr led all AHL goalkeepers with 52 appearances in 1971-72 and posted a solid 3.06 goals against average.

Farr played half a game for the Sabres in 1972-73 but otherwise excelled for the Swords and helped them win the Calder Cup. When veteran Roger Crozier was ailing in 1973-74, Farr was recalled to back up Dave Dryden. He posted a 2-4-1 record in 11 appearances but the Sabres were in disarray after a star forward Gilbert Perreault was lost with a broken leg. Farr played seven games for a much sronger Buffalo team in 1974-75 but his fate was sealed when Gerry Desjardins was acquired in the second half of the season. He played sparingly in the minors in 1975-76 before announcing his retirement.

Lorne "Gump" Worsley - 1963-69

2007-06-21T03:06:00.000-04:00

Although Worsley played 21 years in the NHL, his career didn't really begin until he was 24 years old.

Prior to his 1952-53 rookie season with the New York Rangers, he played in five different leagues, winning honors and trophies at virtually every stop along the way. He was named the top rookie and best goalie in the USHL with the St. Paul Saints in 1950-51, was named the league's MVP in the Western League during his year with the Vancouver Canucks in 1953-54 and was placed on All-Star teams just about everywhere he went.

Worsley won the Calder Trophy his first year in the NHL despite a record of 13-29-8, testament to his tremendous play on an otherwise weak team. Next season, oddlu enough, the Rangers sent him to the minors in Vancouver, the only time a Calder winner never played a single NHL game the year after being so honoured. The following year he made the Broadway Blueshirts again, and stayed in the pro crease for the next decade.

The Rangers made the playoffs only four of the next ten seasons, and although Worsley was spectacular as the last line of defense, the team wasn't very good. In 1963, during the general managers meetings on June 4, 1963 in Montreal, Worsley was traded from New York to the Montreal Canadiens in a package for Dave Balon, Leon Rochefort and Len Ronson. New York received Jacques Plante, Don Marshall and Phil Goyette.

The additional pressure of playing in Montreal, and the expectation of winning, seemed to have nothing but a positive impact on Worsley's game. In his first season, however, he injured his knee and played most of the year in the minors with the Quebec Aces to get in shape. He started the next season with the Aces but was called up to the Forum in midseason. Worsley played heroically the rest of the way in leading the Habs to the 1965 Stanley Cup. He would never play in the minors again.

In his seven seasons with Montreal, he was on four Cup winning teams, but his career with the Canadiens ended on November 28, 1969, in Chicago, when his fear of flying got the better of him during an NHL schedule that demanded almost constant air travel. The Gumper suddenly retired.

Later in that same season, Worsley was convinced by Minnesota general manager Wren Blair to return to the expansion North Stars for the last few games of the season. Minnesota didn't have too many plane trips in its schedule, and Blair was also willing to pay Gump an additional $500 for a win, $250 for a tie and $100 for a shutout, over and above his salary.

Worsley, with a promise to play mostly home games, accepted and spent four more years in the NHL. He didn't retire until he was 44 years old, and it was only in the final six games of that final 1973-74 season that he wore a mask.

Lorne Gump Worsley - One On One

2007-06-21T02:06:00.001-04:00

"I was born May 14, 1929", begins the story of 'Gump' as told by Lorne John Worsley. "My parents were living in a three bedroom flat on Congregation Street in Point St. Charles, which is a suburb of Montreal. It was the Depression, so there wasn't a lot of money floating around."

Worsley was a small boy, but enjoyed playing hockey in his neighbourhood.

"I played for a guy named Phil Walton. He owned a grocery store in our neighbourhood. I was playing forward but was getting knocked around a lot because I was so small. Walton said, 'You intend to play hockey for a living?' I said, 'I hope so,' so he said, 'You better get in the net.' That's why I ended up in the goal."

Although growing up in Montreal, Worsley didn't cheer for the locals.

"I hated the Canadiens," admits Worsley. "My favourite player was Dave Kerr with the Rangers." Davey Kerr started his netminding career in 1930-31 with the Montreal Maroons, the favoured team of Gump's father. Kerr later spent seven years with the New York Rangers, won the Vezina and was named to the NHL's First All-Star Team in 1940.

Lorne Worsley picked up an unusual nickname as a boy.

"I was about nine or ten years old. A fella I hung around with in Montreal named George Ferguson started calling me 'Gump.' I had hair that stuck up like Andy Gump, the comic strip character. The nickname came because of that." But the childhood tag remained for the rest of his life. "It's my own fault because when I went to play junior, you had to fill out a form and they asked for nickname and I put 'Gump' down and it stuck."

Although still smaller than most of his peers, Gump discovered he was better than most of the competition.

"I was about seventeen when I realized that I could make hockey my career. I tried out for the Verdun Cyclones in 1946." Worsley made the team and played for the Quebec junior team two years; from 1946 to 1948. "Verdun was a Rangers-sponsored team so I automatically belonged to the New York Rangers. There was no draft back then."

"I went to three training camps with the Rangers before I went to New York to stay," explains Gump. "The Rangers assigned me to the (New York) Rovers of the old Eastern Hockey League."

After turning pro in 1949-50, Worsley spent three years bouncing back and forth between leagues.

Finally, in 1952-53, Gump Worsley looked like he was ready for the National Hockey League.

"Charlie Rayner helped me out a lot at training camp that year." But Gump was sent to the Saskatoon Quakers of the Western Hockey League at the start of the season. "Rayner got hurt during the exhibition schedule. I was playing in Saskatoon at the time that I got called up. So I started off in Detroit. That was a great place to start. It was the season opener and we lost." The New York Times sports page read 'Worsley Stars in 5-3 Loss.'

"Charlie Rayner was a big help in my rookie season," states Gump. "I guess he knew he'd be retiring at the end of the season. He really taught me a lot." The team was an interesting mix of veterans likes Don Raleigh, Leo Reise and Rayner as well as prospects like Harry Howell, Andy Bathgate and Worsley. Yet, the team finished a distant sixth and ended the season in the cellar.

"I was surprised when I won the Calder Trophy because we only won 17 games that year. We finished in last place. Winning the Rookie of the Year was a big thrill of course."

After a solid rookie season in goal, Worsley was shocked to discover he was to spend the 1953-54 season with the Vancouver Canucks of the Western Hockey League.

When I reported to camp in 1953-54, I figured I was the Rangers' goaltender. But they had purchased Johnny Bower from Cleveland during the summer. I asked for a $500 raise and I got sent to Vancouver. It had to be about the money." The Rangers finished a respectable fifth, but still missed the playoffs.

"I was back with the Rangers for the start of the 1954-55 season," smiles Gump. This time, Bower went to Vancouver and Worsley was the Rangers netminder. But the sad-sack Rangers missed the playoffs yet again.

Phil Watson was named coach of the Rangers at the start of the1955-56 season - much to the eventual dismay of Worsley.

"Phil Watson was a jerk. If we won the game, it was because of him. If we lost, it was us." But the Rangers finished third; just two points out of second place. The team was in the playoffs for the first time in six seasons. "I was one of his whipping boys," admits Gump. "He'd say, 'You can't play goal with a beer belly. 'I'd say, 'I don't drink beer. I'm strictly a rye man."

The Rangers went to the playoffs in three consecutive seasons under Watson's tyrannical rule, but never finished higher than 1957-58's second place slot. Then, during the summer of 1963, Gump Worsley, Dave Balon, Leon Rochefort and Len Ronson were sent to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Jacques Plante, Phil Goyette and Donny Marshall.

"I was with Muzz Patrick (general manager of the New York Rangers) the night before I got traded. I asked him, 'Am I being traded?' He said, 'No, you'll be a Ranger for the rest of your career.' So I came home and one of my buddies called me and said, 'You've been traded to Montreal.' I said, 'Oh yeah, sure. Tell me another one.' He said, 'Turn on the radio.'

"So I was sitting in my backyard and I turned on the radio and sure enough, I'd been traded."

The blockbuster deal was consummated June 4, 1963. "That was tough," nods the Gumper. "To come and play at home was tough."

Worsley is still mildly bitter at the New York Rangers organization. "To this day, I've never been told by the Rangers that they traded me. Frank Selke (the Canadiens' general manager) called me and told me they had traded for me. That's the only official word I got."

The move back to Montreal was a new lease on life for the netminder, but injuries got in the way of his best laid plans. Gump was sent to he American Hockey League's Quebec Aces to recuperate and didn't return to the parent club until late in 1964-65. That season, he shared netminding duties with Charlie Hodge, and the two backstopped the Montreal Canadiens to a second place finish, followed by the Stanley Cup.

"We beat Chicago 4-0 in the final game. We were winning 3-0 at the end of the first period. It was a long game, I can tell you that!" For Gump, after twelve NHL seasons, he was finally able to taste championship champagne.

"That first one is a special one, I'll tell you! Nothing matched that thrill. My hometown Beloeil had a parade for me that summer."

The next season, with Worsley shouldering most of the netminding duties, the Canadiens finished the regular season in first place. Gump played 51 games to Hodge's 26, and the two combined to win the Vezina Trophy for the lowest team goals-against average.

"That was another first for me and a real thrill. Charlie Hodge and I got along well together," Gump states about his goaltending partner and roommate.

It was a superb season, and Gump acknowledges, "Things were going so well that it was great to go to the rink everyday." That spring, Worsley and his Montreal teammates earned a second straight Stanley Cup championship. Against Detroit in the final, Game 6 went into overtime.

"In the third minute of overtime, Dave Balon had the puck behind the net, shot it out and hit Henri Richard and the puck went in behind (Roger) Crozier," recalls Worsley.

The NHL doubled in size to twelve teams in 1967-68. Charlie Hodge was lost to the Oakland Seals in the expansion draft, but nonetheless, Worsley and new partner Rogie Vachon guided the Montreal Canadiens to the Stanley Cup that spring. Then, a lot changed in Montreal the next season.

"We changed coaches from Toe Blake to Claude Ruel. We didn't see eye to eye. The fans were getting on my nerves. And we were travelling a lot." That proved to be Gump's undoing. "The Forum was being renovated and we played the first eight games of the season on the road. I hated flying."

Gump was off on a medical leave from late November until just past New Year's, then split the remainder of the schedule with Vachon. Then, Worsley broke a finger during the playoffs. Nevertheless, Montreal captured its fourth Stanley Cup championship in five years.

In 1969-70, Gump Worsley had clearly had enough of hockey and retired - at least, for the first time.

"I was at home. I had quit the Canadiens. Wren Blair (of the Minnesota North Stars) called me at home. I told him, 'You can't talk to me,' and he said, 'I got permission from Sammy Pollock to talk to you.' I said, 'Okay, what do you want?' He said, 'I want you to come play with Minnesota.'

I said, 'You're crazy! I'm forty years old.' He said, 'I know how old you are."

Worsley joined the North Stars, sharing goaltending duties with Cesare Maniago. The young team also boasted former Canadiens' Clause Larose and Danny Grant as well as fledgling stars Bill Goldsworthy and J.P. Parise. The next season, they added Worsley's friends Ted Harris and Bobby Rousseau.

"They were good years. That was a good time to play, I'll tell you. We had a pretty good team, you know." Gump enjoyed four full seasons in Minnesota.

"That was a good place to live. I was too old to start over again and buy a new house at forty. I'd been in my house for eighteen years. Now, I've been in the same house fifty-three years. I live about twenty miles outside Montreal in Beloeil."

It was 1973-74 and Gump Worsley started the season still playing without a mask.

"I never really did wear a mask. The last six games I wore one. I was retiring and Wren Blair told me, 'You better put on the mask and save your eyes.' It was awful warm. And you still ducked."

By then, only Andy Brown of the Pittsburgh Penguins was still playing bare-faced. "The main occupational hazard is trying to stay alive while facing up to forty or fifty shots a game, and some of those shots fly 115 miles an hour. The toughest shot I ever faced was from Bobby Hull. In 1965, I got hit by a shot from Hull. It hit me on the right cheek. I was lucky; the flat side of the puck hit me, not the edge."

While discussing Hull as the finest shooter he ever faced, Gump names other outstanding players he competed against.

"Bobby Orr was the best defenseman I ever saw. Doug Harvey, too. Glenn Hall and Johnny Bower were the best goalies I ever played against. "

After the 1973-74 season, at the age of forty-five and having played twenty-one NHL campaigns, Gump Worsley announced his retirement.

"The final goal against me was by Dave Schultz of the Flyers. I remember the first one too - Ted Lindsay," Worsley laughs. "I was going to retire in 1970-71 and Blair said, 'Play one more year and I'll pay you one year to play and four years to scout.' That's how I got into scouting. I scouted ten years. I discovered Bobby Smith."

It is a much different game today than it was during the years Worsley played; a fact Gump readily admits. "When I broke in, there were only six goaltenders in the National Hockey League." Worsley stops and collects his thoughts. "We were the best in the world."

Andre Gagnon - In The System 1963-65

2007-06-21T00:47:00.001-04:00

Andre Gagnon played 47 games for the OHA Montreal Junior Canadiens in 1963-64, registering three shutouts and a GAA of 3:23. The following season he moved to the IHL, playing 37 games with the Muskegon Zephyrs, and finished out the 1964-65 season with the Cleveland Barons, appearing in 13 games. After a years absence from the games, Gagnon played for the Long Island Ducks and the Springfield Indians in 1966-67.

Jean Guy Morrisette 1963-64

2007-06-16T04:07:00.001-04:00

With a little more luck, the diminutive Jean Morissette might have tended goal for the Canadiens for a good part of the 1963-64 season. Morissette played in just one NHL game but it was a special memory for him, especially getting to play in net for the Montreal Canadiens.

The biggest game of Jean Guy Morrisette's hockey career took place on October 30, 1963 when he got the call to replace Gump Worsley, who was sidelined by an injury in the second period of a game against Toronto.

Morissette was Montreal's spare goaltender at the time, but had never been pressed into action until this day He was noticeably nervous in goal, accentuated by the fact he allowed four goals on 17 shots in what resulted in a 6-3 loss to the Leafs.

The lowest point in Morissette's career also came during the 1963-64 season.

In fact, it came but one day after his one and only game in the NHL. On October 31, 1963 he was hit in the face with a hard shot which broke his cheekbone. Morrisette would miss the remainder of the season.

The Canadiens loaned Morrisette to the New York Rangers for the balance of the season in 1964-65 as part of a Dick Duff - Bill Hickie trade, but unfortunallety the goalie never saw game action.

Morissette continued to play goal for eight more years, the majority of which were spent in the AHL and WHL with various clubs. While still Canadiens property, Morrisette was claimed by Hershey of the AHL in a 1966 reverse draft.

His last two pro seasons were spent with the Grand Falls Cataracts of the Newfoundland Senior League. Both years Morrisette helped the team advanced to the Allan Cup championships.

Ernie Wakely 1962-69

2007-06-16T04:06:00.001-04:00

Goaltender Ernie Wakely owns one of the NHL's most dubious honours - and that's taking achievement to extremes.

Wakely's name is engraved on the Stanley Cup twice, with the 1965 and 1968 Montreal Canadiens.

Not too shabby for a goalie who's played all of two career games with the Habs. Even odder when one considers that those games were played in 1962 and 1969, respectively. It gets downright unreal at closer inspection. Wakely, a Canadiens farmhand goalie of seven years, had not even set foot in Montreal in the seasons for which he has been immortalized.

Such went Cup name engraving in the days before stringent rules were set about for such qualifications. Still, Wakely's erroneous honour fell through the cracks.

Truth be told, Wakely was a number, pure and simple, in a stacked Canadiens system in the 1960's. He played with the Montreal sponsored Houston Appolo's, sharing net duties with other Habs prospects such as Tony Esposito, Phil Myre, Gerry Desjardins, and Rogatien Vachon.

His tale is that of a journeyman goalie, awaiting opportunity, despite the effortless and dubious reaching of a pinnacle.

During Wakely's tenure in the Habs organization, he was given a round trip tour of the Canadiens sponsored teams of the 1960's.

Starting in 1961-62, Wakely saw action with the Hull Ottawa Canadiens, Kingston Frontenacs, and North Bay Trappers of the EPHL. He returned to Hull Ottawa for 41 games the following season but finished out in Spokane of the WHL, playing three games with the Comets. The high point of the season was a stopover with the NHL Canadiens, where he earned his first NHL victory, allowing 3 goals in the win.

In 1963-64, he split the season between the AHL Quebec Aces (8 games) and the CPHL Omaha Knights (59 games). He was stellar with the Knights, posting a 38-16-5 record, with a 2.93 GAA. Wakely began the next season in Omaha (11-3-1) before being promoted to the AHL, splitting duties with the Quebec Aces and Cleveland Barons.

Wakely made the same two cities his home in 1964-65, playing a game in each city in 1965-66, before finishing out with the WHL Seattle Totems.

With the NHL expansion on the horizon, Wakely was one of the more busier minor leaguers over the next three seasons. In successive years, he played in 70 games with the1966 Cleveland Barons of the AHL, 57 games with the Houston Apollos of the CPHL, and with the AHL Barons again for 65 games.

Along the road of 1968-69, he squeezed in a big time shot with the Habs, allowing 4 goals for his first NHL loss, only 7 seasons after his first NHL win.

Mercy finally arrived for Wakely on June 27, 1969, when the Canadiens dealt the 28 year old to the St. Louis Blues for Norm Beaudin and Bobby Schmautz.

The 1969-70 season provided the breakthrough Wakely needed. He appeared in 30 games for the Blues, registering a 2.11 GAA and four shutouts.

Wakely once stated that, "You can't judge a player until you've given him a chance to play in the big league."

It was also a pressure packed situation in St. Louis, having to take over from the legendary Glenn Hall. Wakely made the most of his opportunity, helping lead the Blues to the Stanley Cup finals, where they were defeated in four straight by Bobby Orr's Boston Bruins.

Building upon his first-year success, Wakely backstopped the Blues to 20 victories the following season, starting 51 games in goal for St. Louis. By now, he had earned the reputation as being a solid NHL calibre goaltender, which was noticed not only by those in the NHL, but also scouts for the fledgling WHA.

The Winnipeg Jets, already in prized possession of the Golden Jet Bobby Hull, made an offer that Wakely could not refuse. It was also an opportunity to play professional hockey in his home province. For the next two years Wakely tended goal for the Jets before moving on to the San Diego Mariners six games into the 1974-75 WHA campaign.

After a brief 6 game stint with the Cincinnati Stingers in 1977-78, Wakely packed his bags for Houston where he finished out the season with the Aeros.

In 1978, Wakely went to the Birmingham Bulls in what would be his final professional season and also the swan song for the WHA. Just four teams would be absorbed into the NHL. Wakely realized that at the age of 39, the chances of his landing a job were slim at best, so he decided to call it a career.