THE #5 JERSEY

I have always been a firm believer that the crest in front of the jersey has always been more important than the name on the back. However, we must not ever forget the men who wore the jersey with pride, honour and distinction.

As you look up at the rafters of the Bell Center, prominently displayed are the Stanley Cup Championships and the retired numbers of the men who wore the CH with great distinction. The Richards, Beliveau, Lafleur, Morenz, Harvey, Robinson, Plante, Savard, Gainey, Geoffrion, Cournoyer, Moore, Dryden, Bouchard, Lach, Roy

As a long time Habs supporter, who’s witnessed and experienced so many great moments of the past, there seems to be a great omission on that list of great retired and honored numbers. The name is Guy Lapointe.

Guy Lapointe, an intricate and important member of the “Big Three”, Hockey Hall of Famer.  A six time Stanley Cup Champion and important member of Team Canada 72. How can we honor only 2/3 of that great threesome of defensemen?

It’s time for us as Montreal Canadiens fans to make things right!! Collectively, we have to have our voices heard and let the team ownership know, it’s time to honor the contributions of Guy Lapointe, by raising his name to the rafters. Let’s not wait until he’s 90 years old and in a wheel chair a la “Butch” Bouchard to have his name and number honored.

How can you help??? Sign the petition circulated, and add your name to the growing list who believe that Guy’s #5 should be honored.

I’m proud to say, that my name appears on that petition

George Manios

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/lapointe-banner/

How Watching a Game has evolved

As I was watching two hockey games and a baseball game the other night, holding the tv remote in one hand and a cold Heineken in the other, I paused for a second, took a mental time out, and started to reflect on the so called “Good Ole Days”

Hockey on a Saturday night was a weekly ritual. Throughout the week at school, there was the buildup that led up to game of the week. Conversation amongst friends would be who was the best player, and defending our Habs against the odd Black Hawk or Bruin fan. We didn’t need a program, because we knew every player in the NHL off by hard. We didn’t have to Google stats, all we had to do is take a quick look behind an O Pee Chee hockey card to prove a point.

Today, we start off with the pre-game analysis, then there are the in game interviews, the colour commentator between the benches, HD TV cameras located everywhere including in the net, super slow replays and the L’Antichambre after party.  I got one game a week back then and not even in its entirety. HNIC broadcast started at 8:30, after the first period because teams relied on the gate as their main source of revenue.  Many years later, when I attended my first game at the Forum, I remember how I just stood there in awe…it was the first time I had ever seen a game in colour. I remember listening to radio broadcasts and hearing the legendary Dick Irving start off his broadcast by saying..The Canadiens are skating from left to right on your radio dial. Talk about using your imagination. They leave nothing up to your imagination anymore.

I may be watching the games in colour on a plasma TV these days, but a lot of the colour in the game has disappeared. Colourful iconic figures of that era have been replaced mostly by corporate like, dull hockey players with their agents, who have been schooled not to say anything politically incorrect and feed us the same smorgasbord all the time.  The boys back then played hard for the jersey and partied just as hard afterwards without any repercussions of being on the front page of Le Journal de Montreal or on YouTube. Even the officiating appears to be headed in the direction of factory cloning. I knew exactly who was refereeing the game, whether it was Frasier, Stuart, Van Hellemond, or Friday. Now, I’m clueless to whom the man in stripes is.

I guess I’m getting all these flashbacks of the Good Ole Days as I approach my 55^th birthday. Ok…my mental time out is over. Mannnnnny!!! (my son)… How about you get me another cold one?? Back to watching the game.  At least the part of Son and Dad watching a hockey game together remains a constant.

PS:

I miss… The Good Ole days!!!

Those were the days my friends......I thought they'd never end

Hearing the grave news the other day on Gary Carter’s condition got me thinking. First and foremost, I took a minute to pray for him. Then, I started reminiscing of the good ole days. If there was a period of time you could choose to be growing up in Montreal, the late 70’s was the time. The Habs were winning championships, so were The Als and of course, John Travolta Saturday Night Fever was ragging in the Montreal club scene. Most importantly for a huge baseball fan, it was the rise of The Expos as a force to be reckoned with in the National League. No longer would we be perennial cellar dwellers of the East Division

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If you could name an iconic athlete of that era, of course Guy Lafleur would be on the top of most lists. Gary Carter would be the name that would be a close second. The Kid, as he was dubbed by the late Ted Tevan, had the charisma and the talent to match The Flower on the diamond.  Gary Carter’s Expos were drawing 2,000,000 fans plus at Olympic Stadium. Charles Bronfman owned the Expos on paper, but make no mistake… it was Gary’s team.  Whether it was by throwing out a runner at second base, getting a clutch hit to win a game, running to first base on a walk, Gary did whatever it took to win a game. The day he got traded to the Mets was a sad day, for Gary Carter was a true Hall of Famer and most importantly a Montreal Superstar.

One of my prized souvenirs of "The Kid"

It’s now the bottom of the ninth, the home team is trailing by a run and Gary Carter is up at bat….only this time Gary is in there battling for his life. I absolutely believe in the power of prayer, so why don’t you join me as I pray for Gary

Flashback 1993......

Flashback 1993

Montreal Canadiens win their 24^th Stanley Cup and the entire city celebrates! Being a huge fan, it was the ultimate opportunity to share my love & passion for the Habs with my 6 year old son at the time, Emmanuel. Father & son headed out to the parade together on Sherbrooke to applaud our conquering heroes. After experiencing the Habs euphoria, we headed back to where my bakery was, in a small shopping strip on Grenet Street in Ville St-Laurent. As I entered the parking lot I could see a number of my friends waving Canadiens flags and I honked my horn repeatedly as I approached them…GO HABS GO!!.

As I was talking to my friends while still in the car, officer Tellier from Station 14 approached me. Officer Tellier was occupying his time while on duty, to have his patrol car washed. Drivers licence and registration please. Is there a problem officer? He repeated, drivers licence and registration please, so I complied. To my astonishment, he handed me a traffic ticket for the sum of $100, for using my horn unnecessarily. OMG!!! I couldn’t believe my eyes. Everyone who was witness to this was in shock. Enraged, but keeping inside of me the urge to get out of the car and bop him one, I said to him…SEE YOU IN COURT!!

6 months later………

My time arrives for justice to be served! I pleaded my case in front of the judge. Your Honour, when there is a wedding and a precession of cars honk in celebration, do the police stop them and ticket them all? Does the law apply to everyone or just to me? Why was I singled out in a private parking lot by this particular officer? At this point in time I felt like one of the lawyers on L.A. Law, a junior Perry Mason. Mr Manios, did you honk your horn… Yes or No?  Yes I did your Honour. Then I must find you guilty!!! Under the circumstances however, I will wave the court costs. Thank you your Honour. Your Honour, may I make one final statement before I pay my fine?? Yes you may. It’s obvious to me your Honour, that you are a NORDIQUES fan!!   Lol

A True Story