Carbo on TSN's Off The Record

On Friday, Carbo joined TSN host Michael Landsberg on Off The Record to talk about Movember, P.K. Subban, Olympic goalies, and whether he really dented the Stanley Cup in 1999.  It's a terrific interview.

Watch it here.

The firing, over four years ago, still stings

Guy has done a special interview with the Quebec newspaper La Presse, concerning his firing from the Canadiens in March 2009 and his relationship with Bob Gainey.

The Google translation to English is wonky; I've tried to clean it up to the best of my ability.

I can understand the pain felt by coach Peter Laviolette, who was fired by the Flyers earlier this week.

The memories of my own dismissal are still fresh in my memory, even four and a half years later ...

Coming back from Dallas on March 9, 2009, I was happy on the plane, because we had won the match against the Stars, and things seemed to get back into place after a slump in January.

We would play 11 of our last 16 games at home, where we had a good record. I foresaw the end of the season with optimism, especially as our injured players began to return to the game.

When we landed in Montreal around noon, I received a call from Bob Gainey, who did not accompany the team to Dallas.

I took the call, expecting to receive congratulations from him for our game against the Stars. He asked me to meet him as soon as possible at the Bell Centre. I told him that I would spend some time at home before we met.

When he told me he would meet me at home, I asked why. I experienced great emotions with this man. I was with him when his wife died. I was one of the first people he called after the tragedy of his daughter. I thought he had serious things to discuss.

But I was not expecting bad news about my job.  We had, after all, 104 points last year, and despite our slump during the winter, our record was 35-24-7. I coached in the All-Star Game as assistant to Claude Julien.  Nothing allowed me to believe that my job was in danger.

When I opened the door, I felt something strange. He sat at the table, my wife was with me. Bob told me that he wanted to make changes and I was relieved of my duties.

I was in shock. I said "what?"  I was fired for the first time in my life.  I tried to find out why, but when I saw that it was useless, I thanked him and I said goodbye, saying that he had made a mistake.

I went on a very long walk.  That was in March and it was cold, but I did not freeze ...

What makes it worse today is that I still don't know the reason why Bob fired me.  I wish I had a reason.  Because of our long friendship as coaches, as former teammates, I believe I deserved a reason.

I would have preferred him to say: we tried you, but you're not a good coach.  Nothing like that. He fired me without telling me why.

We have spoken twice since.  It was cordial, and I agreed to meet him in the hope that I would finally learn why he fired me.  This has not happened.  I do not know if it will happen one day, probably not, but for me, it would allow me to finally close this chapter of my career. 

Interview by Mathias Brunet

Guy at NHL FaceOff

Guy was present at yesterday's NHL FaceOff festivities in Montreal.  Here is a photo of him signing the jersey of a lucky fan, published on NHL's official Instagram account:

(photo source:  Instagram / NHL)

Guy talks poker and hockey

Full Tilt Poker.net has posted this wonderful interview with Guy, done at a recent Montreal poker festival.  

Enjoy!

Rest in peace, Denis Brodeur

Denis Brodeur, longtime official Montreal Canadiens photographer and father of legendary goaltender Martin Brodeur, passed away last week at age 82.  The elder Brodeur was also a goaltender, between the pipes when Team Canada won the bronze medal at the 1956 Olympic Games in Italy.  

Dave Stubbs of the Montreal Gazette tweeted this wonderful Denis Brodeur photo of Guy with Brodeur's young son Martin, at the old Montreal Forum.

(photo source:  Twitter / @Dave_Stubbs)

A new -- and really neat -- Guy hockey card

(photo source:  eBay)

In terms of Carbonneau collecting, I've never been a big hockey card person, though I have quite a few of cards featuring Guy.  With the boom in cards featuring NHL alumni, every once in a while something comes along that really catches my eye.  Like this card, for example.  It's a limited issue of only 500 cards from the Elite Rookie Anthology series.  The photo is of Guy in the Heritage Classic MegaStars alumni game, which was played on November 22, 2003 in Edmonton.  It's quite a nice card and I may very well pick one up to add to my own collection.  

Nice IIHF.com piece about Carbo and Maccabi

Guy's been back in the limelight lately due to bringing home hockey gold at the Maccabi Games in Israel a few weeks back.  Here's what IIHF.com had to say:

METULA, Israel – Guy Carbonneau’s 18 NHL seasons produced three Stanley Cup Championships, three Selke Trophies and profound hockey acumen.

But a gold medal on the international stage remained elusive for the defensive specialist from Quebec never afforded the opportunity to represent Canada during his playing days.

But, that is no longer the case for the 53-year-old Carbonneau who led Canada’s hockey team to gold at the recently concluded Maccabiah Games (or so-called “Jewish Olympics”).

Canada defeated familiar foe USA 7-1 in the final of the open division at the games. Ukraine and Israel also fielded sides in the four-team tournament.

“Anytime you get a chance to get behind the bench, coach and represent your country it’s a thrill,” Carbonneau noted after the tournament.

“I love competition and never got the chance to play at the Olympics or World Championships. Whenever you get a chance to be part of Hockey Canada, it’s a tremendous opportunity,” added Carbonneau, who was coaching the Canadian U18 national team in 2010.

The Maccabiah Games are held every four years in Israel and are open to Jewish and Israeli athletes, promoting competition and the opportunity for participants to further explore Israel and Jewish history.

Hockey made its first and most recent appearance at the Maccabiah Games in 1997 but had a comeback in the 2013 Maccabiah Games.

The event took place in the northern Israeli city of Metula near the Lebanese border. Metula possesses the only full-sized ice rink in the country fittingly called the Canada Centre Ice Rink.

Canada also won the tournament in the junior division, while the United States claimed gold in the masters division.

Previous international coaching engagements for Carbonneau include serving as head coach at the 2010 IIHF U18 World Championship and assistant coach at the 2001 World Championship and at the U18 World Championship the same year.

Yet, Canada failed to medal in all three of Carbonneau’s experiences, while gold at the Maccabiah Games almost never materialized.

Legendary coach Mike Keenan was scheduled to be behind the bench for Canada until he took over duties for Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL in mid-May.

“I got a call two months ago asking if I was interested,” Carbonneau explained. “They could’ve played it anywhere and I would’ve said yes. I really enjoy having the opportunity to travel and coach internationally.”

Not only did the tournament produce a long-awaited gold for Carbonneau, but it might have also rekindled his passion for coaching.

“I’d love to coach again. I’m passionate about working with players, but the situation must make sense,” said Carbonneau.

“It’s not a money thing. The lifestyle must make sense for me as well,” he added.

Currently, Carbonneau serves as an analyst for French-Canadian broadcaster RDS on hockey telecasts, a role he relishes due to the cerebral nature of watching and analyzing the game.

Someone entrenched in the game for so long offers a unique perspective on the future of the game both in terms of quality and expansion.

“Being in Israel, you notice how much the game is growing in non-traditional places. It’s a lot like my time in Dallas, or places like Phoenix or Los Angeles. It’s hot, you’re already sweating on the way to practice, but hockey is still being played there,” Carbonneau remarked.

Carbonneau went on to explain how the game at the youth level is constantly improving and how impressive it is to see hockey played in places like the Middle East.

He used Switzerland’s inclusion in the gold medal game at the 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship as a prime example of how countries not typically considered major hockey powers are now putting their stamp on the game.

Events similar to the Maccabiah Games and the inclusion of quality hockey characters such as Carbonneau will continue to drive the game into previously unchartered territories.  (link)

An oldie but a goodie

I was going through an old camera tonight, and found this picture from half a decade ago:

Carbonneau fan back then too, and will always be.  :)

A myth debunked at last, and Carbo on Maccabi

At last, an official debunking of the "Carbo threw the Cup off Vinnie Paul's balcony" story:  Official Stanley Cup keepers Philip Pritchard, Mike Bolt, Walter Neubrand, and Howie Borrow say it never happened.  (link)

Also, here are a couple of quotes from Guy regarding the recent Maccabi Games in Israel, where he coached the Canadian men's hockey team to a gold medal:

“It was a little different,” Carbonneau said of ice hockey in Israel, where the sport was part of Maccabiah for the first time since 1997.

“They’re just starting to understand what hockey is,” he said. “It’s a small country. Hopefully in the next little while there will be a little more, and if [so], more kids are eventually going to skate and they’ll be better.” ( link)

And another Carbo news item

Today, Guy and Team Canada at the Maccabi Games in Israel won the gold medal in men's ice hockey! Bravo, Coach Carbonneau!  Now go and bug those NHL general managers with this, because that is where you really belong.

Guy and the Basic Game Worn Jersey 101

* Edited October 12, 2013 to add photo of jersey and remove dead eBay link

This is a post I wrote on the gameworn.net forum last week involving a Carbonneau game worn jersey.  I chose not to publicize the jersey here based on the things I wrote, I was pretty sure it was a good jersey and it is, but not 100% and when you're bidding on expensive things like game worn collectibles, it's probably good to be 100% sure.  

So essentially, in case I was wrong, I didn't want to be responsible for someone's expensive mistake.  But my information here is good, which I've been told by other game worn people, and the jersey itself closed on eBay for $1950.07 which is pretty much the average/standard price for one of Guy's Montreal sweaters.

(photo source:  eBay)

 This is the sweater (eBay link is now dead) and congratulations to the person who got it, because it's terrific!  And my offer of help with photomatching still stands, I'm always happy to help out someone who likes Guy. 

This is a basic example of the things to look for, and research, when buying game worn collectibles.  It's more casual in my writing than the things I write in this blog because well, it's a forum.

Okay. I hardly ever post here but this came up. I certainly don't know as much about gameworn in general as you guys but I do know about Carbonneau, having been a hardcore collector of his stuff for over half a decade. It's not that concentrated in GW stuff -- I have a few pieces -- but I have pretty much all the random non-GW stuff that came out during the Habs era. With Dallas there was not a whole lot. Anyway.

I'm just going on what I know and what I can take a good guess at based on what I've seen and related information, but the wear on this jersey looks about right based on other Carbos I've seen. Lots of repairs on the elbows and sleeves (yep that's Guy all right) ratty crest, stick marks, etc. The 86/04 tag -- I do not know much about Habs tagging, or Maska tagging, but there was a 1986-87 home on Classic a number of years ago with the same 86/04 tag, so I'm guessing that season? The listing does not give the year, which bugs me. Also bugging me is the "obtained from a member of Leafs staff" provenance. If you're doing provenance and you're putting it on an auction page you better come up with something better than that. How did the Leafs person get it? From the Leafs? (WTF were they doing with a Habs jersey? If they had a Habs jersey, they probably would've burned it. LOL) From Carbo himself? From a collector? Was the Leafs person a collector? If so, what do they know? Questions. If I had the answers I'd put them right on the auction page instead of having people ask in because with something of that price, they're gonna ask. I know LOAs don't come even remotely close to photomatching, but yeah. The auction page does not even mention an LOA. If you're a memorabilia dealer which this seller seems to be but you're not offering one? Suspect. 7 day return policy on the auction.

Also, a friend of mine has a 1984-85 Carbonneau home (from Marc Juteau/Classic, sleeves on that one are a disaster too) and she was told by a Habs/Carbo fan that they only issued one home jersey to him that year, which is the one she has. He didn't say about the road jerseys but I'm guessing just one too. That was two years before this jersey, if the date is right. So that also explains the wear -- less jerseys. But people can also fake wear pretty well so I don't know. Also the policy on how many jerseys issued might've changed in the two years -- Habs experts?

Also. I first saw this listing this morning. It was at $1700 then. No bids, that was just the starter. The auction has obviously been pulled -- it wasn't to end for another few days -- and relisted at $1400. When it was at 17 it had 6 watchers. I can't find information on the seller other than it's apparently Glory Days Sports in Toronto. 28 Ripley. They have a Facebook page but it's basically empty. No updates. The page has been on Facebook since 2011. [This was the one thing I was wrong about, the Facebook page I was referring to was a different one, the one linked here is active.]  eBay feedback is basically good -- no negs this year -- but that's neither here nor there re: the authenticity of the jersey.

So there you go. If anyone else can shed more light, please do so. If it is legit, I'm surprised that someone hasn't already jumped on it because it's a Montreal jersey and Guy's stuff from Montreal is most desirable. Glory days. But then again, I'm also surprised that his 2nd to last jersey on gamewornauctions a few months ago went so low. It was the last of his from his NHL career to ever hit the market (the home from his final game was retained by the Stars, per Barry, and likely given to him when he retired). And it's an SCF, even if the Stars lost that series. Based on some of the prices of other Carbos from auctions past. But that always can change.

And, if it is legit, it's pretty well photomatchable and I have a very, very good shot at matching it because I have all the Les Canadiens magazines from when Guy played with them except I think the one from 1985-86 where Gainey is doing the Superman thing on the cover. And those have tons, TONS, of Guy action photos. So if someone here or someone reading this picks it up, e-mail me.

My verdict: I'm not going to give one one way or the other, I'll leave that to the rest of you, I'm just giving what I know personally.

Oh yeah. And the pasted in Wikipedia thing on Guy's career. I edited that previously so it WAS right, but I see someone has effed with it again because his draft date is listed as 1980. NOT RIGHT. It was 1979. 3rd round. 44th overall. This is why you shouldn't rely on Wikipedia for anything. 

Cheers.

More about Guy in Israel

From the Canadian Jewish News:

TORONTO — When Maccabi Canada announced that Mike Keenan would be coaching the Canadian hockey team at the Maccabiah Games this summer, it was expected his reputation would give the program instant credibility and attract top-notch players.

Well, that’s pretty much what happened, but in the last few weeks, Keenan, a 1994 Stanley Cup winner as coach of the New York Rangers, pulled out of the games, as did the rest of his coaching staff.

But the move, made for personal reasons and after Keenan signed to coach in the KHL, didn’t leave Maccabi Canada bereft.

Suspecting Keenan’s personal situation could be an issue – his daughter suffers from cancer – Maccabi Canada developed a back-up plan.

Enter Guy Carbonneau as head coach. A three-time Cup winner with the Montreal Canadiens (1986, 1993) and the Dallas Stars (1999) as a player, Carbonneau was also a coach with the storied Habs franchise from 2006 to 2009, including a stint as head coach.

Wayne Primeau has joined him as his assistant. Primeau played for a number of NHL teams from 1995 to 2010, including Buffalo, San Jose, Calgary, Boston and Pittsburgh. He ended his playing career in Toronto.

At a two-day mini-camp at York University’s Canlan Ice Sports facility earlier this week, Carbonneau got a chance to meet the players and prepare for the tournament. He admitted he’s at somewhat of a disadvantage, joining the team late and not being present at tryouts last year.

“We’ll try to keep things simple at the start, tweak it as we go on,” he said.

He’ll have to strategize for the Olympic-sized rink at the Canada Centre in Metulla, but he’s confident he has the personnel to do so.

“We have guys with good speed, good hands,” he said.

Carbonneau, who captained the Canadiens and was known as a defensive specialist, said, “I always want us to be sound defensively.”

Like the rest of the Maccabi hockey brain trust, Carbonneau is somewhat in the dark as to the level of competition they’ll face. The Americans have a lot of quality NCAA players to draw from, and they recently added Colby Cohen, a 215-pound defenceman who played a handful of games for the Colorado Avalanche and who was one of the Boston Bruins’ “Black Aces” the year they won the Cup.

The host Israelis recently won a gold medal in the International Ice Hockey Federation’s Division II B. Rounding out the tournament will be a team from Ukraine. Little is known about them, except that they replaced a team from France.

The Israeli team is coached by Jean Perron, the man behind the bench of the 1986 Stanley Cup-winning Habs. Carbonneau smiles at the prospect of going up against his old mentor.

“He’s a competitive guy. He always has been,” said Carbonneau. “But so am I.”

Montrealer Alan Maislin, who’s long been associated with hockey in Israel, recruited Carbonneau to Team Canada. He did the same with Perron 10 years ago, asking him to coach the Israeli national team – a task he’s assumed on several occasions.

Doing his due diligence, Carbonneau asked around and heard glowing reports about the Israel experience. One of the people he spoke to was Jacque [sic] Demers, who coached the Canadian team at the 1997 games – the only other time hockey was a Maccabiah sport. Demers was the Habs’ coach in 1993, when Carbonneau won his second Cup.

“Everyone had rave reviews about those Olympics,” he said, referring to the Maccabiah, which have been called the Jewish Olympics.

“I expect it to be a great experience for me and Wayne and all the players,” he said. “None of us has had the chance to win a gold medal, so we’re going to try.”

The Hall of Fame, and Brenden Morrow's future

Today was "Annual Lisa Gets Annoyed Day," otherwise known as Hockey Hall of Fame selection day.  And in usual fashion, the HHOF selection committee didn't fail to disappoint.  With all due respect to this year's inductees, when is Guy going to get the call?  This was his 11th year of eligibility, and once again he has been overlooked.  Then again, this is also the committee who failed to do the right thing a few years ago and induct a deserving builder, Pat Burns, while he was still alive to be able to enjoy it, so I have no expectations where they are concerned.

However, Guy himself is happy to see his former Habs teammate and co-captain Chris Chelios make the cut:

(Translated from French)  "I am very very happy. There was no doubt that Chris Chelios, when he would have a chance to enter the Hall of Fame, he would do so. He had an extraordinary career.  It is not every day that a guy plays 24 years in the National Hockey League. He fully deserves the honour. 

"The fact that he finished his career in Detroit certainly helped.  Detroit has always been a mainstay in the National Hockey League, a team that is always there to win, and supports young talent.  In his later years, he knew he was going to play less often, but he always gave the same effort."  

But Guy was also disappointed to see his former coach, the late Pat Burns, overlooked:

"He has the numbers, titles, everything it takes to be elected.  The sooner he enters the Hall, the better."

As for his own Hall of Fame expectations:

"Your ultimate dream is to lift the Stanley Cup. The Hall of Fame is one of the dreams of any player, but I'm still young!"  (source)

* * *

Also, Guy has revealed that his son-in-law Brenden Morrow has interest in playing for the Canadiens:

(Translated from French)  "He did not veto playing for the Canadiens.  There have been many movements in recent days. There are teams that are interested in his services, there are others that are less so, but there are teams who were surprised to see the interest Brenden has for them.  I really think the Canadiens were surprised that he was open to the idea of ​​playing in Montreal.  Now, only time will tell if they are interested or not."

On the prospect of daughter Anne-Marie returning to Montreal:

"They liked Dallas. They now have to turn the page.  Brenden and the children are eager to know where he'll end his career."  (source)

* * *

Finally, here is a photo from a charity softball game Guy participated in recently with the Habs alumni:

(image source:  canoe.ca)

Guy to coach in Israel...and OT: farewell, Daniel Alfredsson

Mike Keenan was originally slated to coach the Maccabi Canada men's hockey team, but has been forced to bow out due to family medical issues.  Guy will be replacing him at the Maccabi Games in Metula, Israel which take place from July 16 to July 31.  We wish him and the team the best of luck!  (link)

And in a stunning turn of events, the longtime captain of my team, the Ottawa Senators -- Daniel Alfredsson -- has left us for Detroit, hoping for the chance to win a Stanley Cup before he retires.  Can't say as I blame him, but I'm left once again reaching into my Byrds/Gene Clark fandom to find words for what I can't express.  Probably silly, but here it is.

(Clark, with slight lyric modifications by yours truly)

"Tried So Hard"

Stopped awhile this morning on our way back home 
We had to realize this time that we'd be all alone 
Cause he is moving somewhere far away not slow 
And though we tried so hard to please him
He said he really had to go
Even though this time it really hurts us bad
We've been through similarities
It's not the first break we've had
And we just can't let it bring us down too low
And though we tried so hard to please him
There must be something more to know
Never thought that we would find our end this way
It seemed that everything was going fine
Still with all the things that we can do or say
It won't change the fate we know so well is ours

So we'll stop again and look right past the pain
Cause we've been in love before and we can love again
While he is moving somewhere far away not slow
And though we tried so hard to please him
He said he really had to go...

And the original:

Finally, to coincide with my previous post about Super Dave, I have found a "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" style connection between Guy and the Super One.  Featured in a 1990 episode of Super Dave was renowned Quebec impressionist Andre Philippe Gagnon, whose music video for "La Canada" featured...Guy!  (look for him at around the 1:28 mark)  And that's only 3 degrees!

OT: A Sens hat for Super Dave

If you've been a regular visitor to this blog, you will know that occasionally I take these off-topic detours.  This will be one of them.  (Although it is periperally on-topic since it does somewhat involve hockey.)

It might be surprising, but I do fangirl things other than Carbo.  In fact, I seem to have made being a fangirl an unpaid profession throughout my life.  One of my heroes since childhood has been the fictional stuntman Super Dave Osborne (real name:  Bob Einstein).

The Super One with CBC (now CNN) host George Strombolopoulos in 2008.  (photo source)

He has been a fixture on televisions in both Canada and the United States since the 1980's (first becoming popular on the John Byner sketch comedy show Bizarre).  If you're familiar with the Super One, you will know that his stunts, well...never quite work.  Here is one of his most famous ones:

Bob Einstein, however, comes from a phenomenal showbiz family.  His parents were Harry "Parkayarkus" Einstein, a radio comedian, and Thelma Leeds, an actress, who met on the set of the film New Faces of 1937.  They married that same year and had three children:  Clifford Einstein, a retired ad executive and sometime actor; Bob; and someone who you may have heard of, Albert (who uses the last name Brooks professionally for obvious reasons).  Bob and his younger brother Albert Brooks appeared together in the 1981 film Modern Romance:

Then, on November 24, 1958, at the Friars Club roast of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, their father Harry Einstein delivered a testimonial that by all accounts brought the house down, sat down, and collapsed on the shoulder of Milton Berle.  The Friars membership included several doctors that came to his aid, but they were unable to save him.  He died of a massive heart attack on the dais.  And last month I was reading about that on Wikipedia and well, it resonated with me.  Because my own father basically died the same way.  Well, not on the dais at the Friars Club of course, but it was a massive heart attack as well and it was sudden.  And there was also a huge, unsuccessful medical effort to save him.  

My father figures into this story in another way as well:  it was him who introduced me to Super Dave.  We'd watch his show together, and my dad loved all the silly stunts that always backfired.  So, for all the reasons above, I decided to write Bob Einstein a letter.  I included a small gift which I hoped symbolized how he touched lives here in the Ottawa Valley with his comedy:

It kind of fits, too, because in a 2008 interview Bob ripped on the Leafs a little.

So this week, I received a package in the mail.  The return name on the box was "S.D. Osborne" which made me laugh so hard.  Inside was this:

With this written inside:

In case you can't read it, it says:  "To Lisa-Marie, my next stunt is dedicated to you!  Best wishes, your pal Super Dave."  (Lisa-Marie is my full first name, and no, my parents weren't Elvis fans.)

Also this:

Bob as the great character Officer Judy from the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, which Bob wrote for (and received an Emmy with the writing team after the show's abrupt cancellation in 1969).  It reads:  "To Lisa-Marie, Your letter was a joy to read -- thank you!  Best wishes, Officer Judy, Super Dave, Marty Funkhouser -- Bob Einstein."

Yes, you may have also seen Bob on the Larry David show Curb Your Enthusiasm as Marty Funkhouser:

This post may have nothing to do with Carbo, but basically, Bob Einstein rules.  Additionally, a huge thanks to Bob's web people, Melissa and Christopher, for their help and friendship. 

Carbo and REO Speedwagon lead singer Kevin Cronin: Separated at birth?

Brought to my attention on Twitter.  This is the lead singer of the '80s band REO Speedwagon, Kevin Cronin:

Now, it may be just me but remove the big hair and you've essentially got this:

Uncanny!  Now excuse me, I think I'll go play "Take It on the Run" in my iTunes.

20 years ago on Sunday...

...the Habs won their 24th Stanley Cup, captained by Guy.  The Montreal Gazette has just published a great piece featuring thoughts from Guy and coach (and current member of the Canadian Senate) Jacques Demers.  You can read it here.  We learn that Carbo's daughter Anne-Marie, then eleven years old, was kept from her bedtime by the ensuing riots.

Also, you can read more on the anniversary at the Gazette's Canadiens blog, Hockey Inside/Out.

The Shift, 15 years on

Fifteen years ago tonight, this happened.  In Game 5 of the Western Conference Final against Detroit, on June 3, 1998, our hero played an amazing shift in the final minutes of the game, and scored the tying goal which sent the game into overtime which Dallas eventually won.  Detroit would eliminate the Stars two days later, but it was a sign of what was to come for the Stars the following year, and in my opinion it was one of Guy's finest moments as a Star, and in the final years of his career.

I wrote this of the Shift in 2011:

1:25 remained in the third period, and Detroit was leading by a score of 2 to 1.  To make matters worse, it was an elimination game for the Stars.  The fans in Reunion Arena in Dallas seemed to accept that their season was over.

38-year-old Guy Carbonneau, however, did not see it that way.  His name was on the Stanley Cup twice and his career was ebbing.  But he did not accept defeat.  He fought and he scrambled, first knocked down near the end boards yet still keeping the Wings from clearing the puck.  Then he got back on his feet to receive the puck and make an impossible shot towards the net.

The score was tied.  Jamie Langenbrunner would score in overtime to win the game.  The play was vintage Carbonneau, never-say-die hockey.

I did not see this play until a decade later, yet it remains my favourite moment.  Carbonneau has been an idol and a personal inspiration to me, for many reasons other than that night in Dallas.  So much so, that in fact, I decided to immortalize him forever on my body by getting his autograph tattooed on my shoulder.  I wear it with pride.

I did, and still do.  Carbo's heroics on the ice are not, and will never be forgotten.

Further reading:  from Diane Lau's tribute site, her take on The Shift, from 1998.

A few news updates

Firstly, the jersey auction closed last week, and Carbo's last gamer (at least, the last one to be made available on the market) sold for $1378.50 before hammer fee and shipping.  Congrats to the winner -- you picked up a real gem!

Also last week, Patrick Roy was appointed head coach and vice-president of  hockey operations for the Colorado Avalanche.  Guy shared his thoughts on Roy with the Montreal Gazette:

Did he see Roy as a future coach when they were teammates? “Not as much as anybody thought that I would be a coach. It’s not something you really think about when you start your career and you’re playing hockey. But we travelled a lot together and we talked a lot about how the game is played and how to get around things and I think that’s something that we always enjoyed together.”

On Roy’s coaching career: “I think he did it a lot differently than most of us did. He went back in junior in Quebec City … not only was he a coach, but he was a GM, an owner … all those things together. He gained a lot of experience doing all of those little things.”

His advice for Roy: ”My advice to him … I think he’s already there. He’s well-prepared, he’s proved that in the past. I think expectation has to be fair. I think everybody wants to win quickly … I wouldn’t say it’s impossible, but it happens once in a while. But to understand what kind of team you have and what they can do. Too often a coach has a style and doesn’t have the players to play that style or has the players to play one kind of style and the coach doesn’t want to play that style. I think you really have to understand what kind of team you have and try to mould part of the system around it.”

On the adjustment from being a player to a coach: ”I always said that playing was the easiest thing ever. You get told when to show up to the rink, what time you need to get dressed, what time you get to go on the ice, what kind of drills you need to do, where you go for the drills, when to get off the ice. All those things are done for you, so you don’t really have to think about anything else than just get yourself prepared and show up for the game and play.

“As a coach, you have 22, 23 sometimes more players and you have to take care of a lot of things … travelling sometimes, practices … and players are human beings. They have their own problems … family problems, all those things … sickness, injuries. But it’s something that for him he saw every day, but at a different level. So it’s not going to be anything new to him, but he’s going to have to be patient and learn from the mistakes he makes. He was a great player, he was a good coach in junior, but he’s going to make mistakes … everybody does. It’s how you react to those mistakes.”

On whether he might get a call from Roy offering an assistant coach job: “I have no idea. I haven’t talked to him …. It’s up to him. He’s got control of who he wants to have around him (as vice-president of hockey operations). He’s going to have his reasons like I had when I was a coach here. I knew what I wanted around me and that’s what I got. I don’t know what he wants.”

On Roy’s infamous temper: ”They said the same thing about me, they said the same thing about Michel Bergeon, they said the same thing about Pat Burns … everybody has a temper. You have to have a temper … if you don’t have a temper, get out of there. If you don’t have temper that means you accept to fail … at one point you have to put your foot down and shake some things. He was like that when he was a player and he was successful. He was like that when he was a coach in junior and was successful. He might have to adjust a little bit, but I don’t think he has to change anything. Whatever worked in the past should work in the future … that’s why they hired him.”

On Roy adjusting to his new job: “He’s going to have a chance to meet with the players during the summer and talk to them, whether it’s on the phone or face to face, and learn a little bit more about them and they’re going to learn a little bit more about him. But I think once everybody is together for Day 1 of training camp and that first speech and that first practice he’s going to be well prepared.”

His favourite Roy story: “I have a lot of them. … We won two Cups together and we travelled every day together to the rink because we lived really close to each other. We had to change roads pretty often when we were losing … we’re both pretty superstitious. I just have great memories of him. He was always a good friend and a great competitor. He hated to lose. Hopefully he’ll keep that for his career in coaching.” (link )

Also, Guy's Selke nomination streak (1986-1990) was surpassed recently by the Red Wings' Pavel Datsyuk, who was nominated for the trophy for a sixth consecutive season.  (link)

Guy on the Habs' elimination

Special to La Presse, en francais (but Google Translate should make it mostly readable).  In the end, Carbo attributes the Canadiens' first round exit to injuries and the difference in physical size between that team and the players of the Ottawa Senators.  You can read the article here.

And an older news item:  it has been 20 years since the Habs won the Cup, and Guy along with Vincent Damphousse shares his memories of that victory here (again in French, again Google Translate should help).

A GEM of a Carbo gamer hits the market

In the current GAMEWORNAUCTIONS.net auction, Guy's 1999-2000 Stanley Cup Finals road jersey is up for bids.  This jersey was worn in the series against the New Jersey Devils and as such, is the 2nd to last jersey Guy ever wore in the NHL (the white home jersey worn in his final game was retained by the Stars and likely given to him upon his retirement).  

From the auction description:

Sewn to the right breast of this gamer is the 2000 Stanley Cup Finals patch. Sewn just above is the year 2000 NHL patch. The game wear on this 3rd set size 56 sweater is solid and consists of stick and slash marks, board burns, board paint transfer, un-repaired burn holes, inner pilling and a handful of team-sewn repairs. Shown above is a beautiful photo match of Carbonneau wearing this exact jersey during the Western Conference Finals against Colorado. Also shown above are video match highlights of Carbonneau wearing this exact jersey during the 2000 Stanley Cup Finals. Sewn to the inside hem is the official Dallas Stars game worn jersey and set tagging. A terrific well-worn photo and video matched example complete with the Stanley Cup Finals patch and donned by Carbonneau during the final road games of his award winning career, choice! This jersey will be accompanied by a Stars team letter.

The auction is here and ends on May 21 at 10:00 PM.  Happy bidding!

Win a train trip to Ottawa with Guy

First of all, a nice photo of Guy taken during the Face a Face Celebrites tournament which was held recently:

(photo source:  Herby.tv)

Second:  Delissio is holding another contest in which you can win a train trip from Montreal with the Canadiens legends (including Guy) to see the Habs take on the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place.  The contest is open only to residents of Quebec, but if you happen to be eligible, have at it here.

Finally, Habs Eyes on the Prize has a piece on the Vendredi Saint brawl (which passed its 29th anniversary on April 20th) here.

Guy in Newfoundland charity game

Recently Guy took part in the 18th annual Children's Charity Benefit Hockey Game at the Mile One Center in St. John's, Newfoundland.  Guy played on the Celebrity All-Stars team with former Habs teammate Gaston Gingras, against the Newfoundland and Labrador Police All-Stars.  The Newfoundland Autism Society, Newfoundland Tourette Syndrome Foundation, and the Newfoundland Lion's Quest School Program each received donations of $2,500.  (link)

There is a photo slideshow here and a video here.  In addition, CBC has a video on the game here, in which Guy reveals his affinity for Mexican food and admits that he'd never had fish and chips prior to his Newfoundland visit.  Wow!

Belated roundup of Guy's two recent charity tourneys

Meant to do this sooner, but life kind of got in the way.  Sorry about that.  :)

Anyhow, on March 22 Guy participated in the Hockey Helps the Homeless tourney at the Sportplexe 4 Glaces in Pierrefonds, Quebec.  $243,000 was raised for local homeless shelters.  NHL alumni included Vincent Damphousse, Stephane Richer, Karl Dykhuis, Georges Laraque, and P.J. Stock.  (link)

And on March 25 the Habs alumni took on the NHL alumni in a tilt at the Bell Centre.  Proceeds from the game benefited the Montreal Canadiens Children's Foundation.  Guy scored two goals but the Habs alumni fell to the NHL alumni, 5-3.  An interesting in-game trade was made when current Habs GM Marc Bergevin (who had been playing for the NHL alumni in his Blackhawks jersey) was traded to the Habs alumni for Chris Chelios, who then donned his Blackhawks jersey!  Also in the game playing for the Habs alumni was "L'Artiste," Alex Kovalev, who had announced his retirement just days prior to the game.  (link)   

Blog reader Anastessia Bettas sent along these pictures from the game.  Many thanks!

In addition, All Habs has a gallery from the event here.

Also, here's an article about Guy which was recently published.  If you understand French, have at it:

Breaking news

which doesn't have to do with Guy directly, but is related.

Son-in-law Brenden Morrow has agreed to waive his no-trade clause to go to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a package that includes defenseman Joe Morrow (Morrow for Morrow, ha!).

(link)

Some marvelous Carbo media

First off, an intermission interview with Stars broadcaster Daryl Reaugh from Monday night, when Guy was honored as part of the Stars' 20th Anniversary team.  I'm not able to embed it here for whatever reason but here is the link.

Also, Guy on CHOM Radio in Montreal on Thursday.  The link to that is here.  Very cute at the end when the other (female) interviewer admits her crush on Guy and asks him about his ties!

Hopefully these will make up for my missing Flashback Friday!

Roundup of the Stars honoring Guy, as well as Guy's thoughts on the current Habs

As noted previously, Guy was honored on Monday as part of the Dallas Stars 20th Anniversary Team.  Here is the handout photo that was given out at the game:

And here are some pics from the Stars' big screen.

(photo credit:  Badger, who is a big Brenden Morrow fan -- Twitter @IamMORROW)

And here's Guy taking a bow!  (photo credit:  Twitter @DustinDietz18)

Finally, here's a link to Guy's tribute video, which is also most excellent.  And finally, I have to give Badger another shoutout because I now have (or will have) the Carbo handout photo!  How awesome!

* * * 

Also, the Montreal Gazette recently published Guy's thoughts on the new-look Habs:

Guy Carbonneau, the last coach to lead the Canadiens to a first-place finish in the Eastern Conference, likes what he sees from this year’s team.

“It’s been a 360 and they’re surprising everybody … it’s fun,” Carbonneau said when I spoke with him recently. “I always say that everything starts from the top, and from the time Geoff Molson got here … asking Serge Savard to get involved and then the hiring of Marc Bergevin (as GM). From there, there’s a big, big change.”

Carbonneau led the Canadiens to a first-place finish in the Eastern Conference in 2007-08 with a 47-25-10 record before losing to the Philadelphia Flyers in five games in the conference semifinals. The Canadiens also led the NHL in scoring that season with 262 goals and were a lot of fun to watch.

Carbonneau was fired the following season after 66 games when the Canadiens had a 35-24-7 record.

I asked Carbonneau what he thought about new coach Michel Therrien’s system.

“When everybody works and goaltending is strong, every system works,” Carbonneau said.

“Time will tell,” he added. “I thought when Guy Boucher came into the league with a new system (in Tampa Bay) everybody kind of got excited. But the ability of NHL players – the best players in the world to adapt – is unbelievable.”

Carbonneau says he’d like to coach again in the NHL, and with an overall coaching record of 124-83-23 it’s surprising he hasn’t been given another shot.

 “Obviously, it’s been four years so it would have to be somebody that really saw what I did in the past and are willing to give me a chance,” said Carbonneau, who met with Bergevin about the vacant Canadiens job last summer before Therrien was hired. “I think people know that I’m still there and I’d like to get back into it. But I have a good life here in Montreal and if something happens then we’ll look at it.” (link)