The great Canadian teams of yesteryear have been back in the news for some time. In these difficult years for the Habs, the effect is therapeutic for fans who experienced this good era.
Last August, Serge Savard brought together the 16 surviving members of the champion editions from 1975-1976 to 1978-1979, on the occasion of the foundation golf tournament bearing his name. A record sum of $1,537,000 was raised for the benefit of student-athletes at the University of Sherbrooke, beneficiaries of this annual event.
There was a lot of emotion in the air at Le Mirage golf club, which is owned by a group of business people of which Savard is a member. The reunion of this day was such that Savard gave the mandate to its organizer Richard Beaudry, of Ovation Media, to publish a book in coffee table format, as they say in the publishing world, remembering these glorious years.
It was September and Savard wanted the work to be on the market as quickly as possible.
It's done.
The pleasure of playing
There were lots of people at the launch held at the 9-4-10 restaurant at the Bell Centre. The atmosphere was festive, as is always the case when alumni from the Canadiens' golden era get together. The bonds that unite them are for life.
The less young understand. Good teams were like a monarchy. The players played together for a long time. There was a free agent market, but it wasn't like today. The players were not leaving right and left and, in Montreal, we had the chance to see the cream of Quebec players.
We'll never see that again and it's a shame, even if we have to keep up with the times. That the younger generations are swooning for today's Canadian is good. We are elsewhere, times have changed.
But players of the past will tell you that current players do not experience the pleasure they had practicing their profession. Salaries had started to rise in the 1970s, but the guys were playing hockey in the real sense of the word. They were a bunch of happy guys, something you don't feel when you walk into the locker room today.
Eight cuts in 12 years
The book put forward by Savard and his friend Beaudry is entitled The greatest dynasty, period which spans between the 1967-1968 and 1978-1979 seasons. Montreal has witnessed eight Stanley Cup parades over the course of 12 years.
The first two seasons coincide with the end of what Jean Béliveau called the forgotten dynasty. Between the series of five consecutive championships during the second half of the 1950s and that of four conquests in a row during the second half of the 1970s, the cup returned to Montreal four times in five years, namely in 1965, 1966, 1968 and 1969.
Savard contributed to the last two of these four championships, just like his long-time accomplice Jacques Lemaire with whom he began playing with the Canadian junior.
The “Big Three”…and a half
During the launch, I spoke with Pierre Bouchard and Yvon Lambert, who, without being dominant, played their part in the Canadian's successes in those years. People identified themselves.
Bouchard shows the same humor that characterized him as a player when he refers to his involvement in these teams.
“It was the “Big Three” and a half,” he says.
“There was Serge, Pointu (Guy Lapointe) and Larry (Robinson). I was the half.”
Pierre used to say during his career that when “you are sitting near the locker room door, it is because you are about to leave the room”.
“It was my way of bringing lightness,” he says.
“Instead of complaining about my limited playing time, I turned it into a joke. I have, of course, gone through difficult times. But we won all the time.
“I could have gone to play in Quebec when the Nordiques were created in the World Association. I won $90,000 with the Canadian and the Nordiques offered me $115,000. But I would have been asked to fight all the time in Quebec.
“In Montreal, in addition to my salary with the Canadiens, I received $25,000 from my association with the restaurant that belonged to our family. It wasn't the money athletes make now, but I lived well.
“I thought about the Nordiques’ offer. But my agent, who was Alan Eagleson, was like, “Are they going to pay you until the end?” The World Association was new and some teams operated on a day-to-day basis. It must also be said that Eagleson was quite involved with the National League.
Naughty is the right word.
“Still, I had some great years with the Canadian,” adds Butch.. It’s not forgotten.”
From unhappy to privileged
Lambert, for his part, came to the Habs organization via that of the Detroit Red Wings, who had drafted him at 40e rank in 1970. Contrary to what one might believe, he had taken the news badly.
“I was the unhappiest guy in the world! he exclaims.
“Gordie Howe and Alex Delvecchio (who played 25 and 23 years with the Red Wings) were getting older and I was told after my first season in Port Huron (International League), where we won the Turner Cup, that we had plans for me next season.
“I went on vacation to Florida, and when I returned, I learned through Montreal-Morning that I had been traded to the Canadiens. I said to myself, “Good luck, dude!” I was 21 years old and I didn’t believe in my chances of playing with the Canadian.”
Lambert played two seasons with the Nova Scotia Voyageurs. In his first year, the young people who formed the next generation of the big club won the Calder Cup under the tutelage of Al MacNeil. In his second season, Lambert led the American League in scoring with a record of 52 goals and as many assists in 76 games.
What followed was a great nine-year career with the Canadian. In 1979, Lambert scored the goal in overtime that allowed the Canadian to eliminate the Bruins in a hotly contested semi-final. It was the famous game where Guy Lafleur scored the tying goal, while the Bruins were penalized for having too many players on the ice.
Lambert is still celebrating this goal, his friends say!
“Today, everything I have is thanks to the Canadian,” concludes Lambert with well-felt gratitude.
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