The bird

Let me start by saying that I really struggled with whether to post this photo.  It is not one of Guy's greatest moments, for sure, but it is part of his history.

After nearly 25 years, the infamous Carbo "finger photo" has once again seen the light of day.  I found it a few weeks ago in a Google search and then subsequently found it on Twitter.  The photo was taken on May 2, 1994, three days after the Habs were eliminated from the playoffs by the Boston Bruins in seven games.  

It appeared on the front page of Le Journal de Montreal on the following morning, May 3.  It is said that the photo is one of the main reasons why Guy was traded from the Canadiens to St. Louis three months later.  The player to the right of Guy in the photo is Vincent Damphousse.

(image source:  Twitter/@photoshistos)

See also my previous blog post on the subject:  Guy et le doigt d'honneur*.

A nice little article about Carbo; plus, some new items hit the auction block

Last week, the Montreal Gazette published an article by Stu Cowan, about Guy being the last Canadiens captain -- and indeed, the last captain of a Canadian team -- to hoist the Stanley Cup.  Carbo had this to say about the pressure to win in Montreal versus that of later on in his career with Dallas:

Carbonneau doesn’t buy the pressure of playing in Montreal as an excuse for the Canadiens’ lack of success in recent years, saying there was also a lot of pressure to win in Dallas.

“Was it easier at the start? Yeah,” Carbonneau said about playing for the Stars. “But once we got going and (GM Bob Gainey) built a franchise that could win, the pressure to perform was there. Obviously, you could hide a little bit there, but you can do that here, too. I tell people: ‘You think that (Sharks stars) Brent Burns and Joe Thornton grow their beards not to be recognized in San Jose?’ I mean, come on.

“When things are good and you’re scoring lots and you’re getting points and the team is winning, everybody wants to be seen,” Carbonneau added about the players. “Everybody wants to go in the bars and be happy, go to the restaurants and everybody’s laughing. But all of a sudden when it’s not going well, now they want to hide? Or they’re bitching because they can’t hide? It doesn’t work.” 

 You can read the full article here.

* * *

Some interesting memorabilia items have appeared on the auction block recently.  Classic Auctions has Guy's goal puck plaque from his first NHL hat trick, here.  The current bid is $393.00 USD and the auction closes at 9:00 PM EDT on Tuesday, June 19.

Also, the goal puck plaque from Guy's first ever NHL goal has appeared on eBay, here.  At $2500 USD it's a bit too rich for my blood but it's a marvelous item.  Oh, if only I could win the lottery...  

Ten years!

Today I'm celebrating a very significant milestone -- 10 years of being a Carbo fan.  Some of my blog readers may be surprised to learn that I've only really been a fan of Guy since 2008 and not since his playing days.  Believe me, the fact that I missed out on his playing career is one of my biggest regrets.  I think of all the things that have happened in my life since I started following Guy.  Jobs, a relationship, the death of my father.  My admiration for this man has inspired me during the good times and comforted me during the hard times.

I think it speaks to how special Guy is that he's managed to hold my interest for this long.  I've always been a fangirl -- in fact, I jokingly list one of my job titles as "professional fangirl."  Some of the fandoms I've been in haven't lasted ten minutes, let alone ten years.  Carbo's achievements in the sporting world, his kindness to his fans, and his humble personality are a true inspiration.  

So here's to ten years, and many more.  Thank you, Guy, for being you and for continuing to be my hero.  Bless you.

Guy, the condo salesman

I'm signed up for Google alerts for articles related to Carbo.  Most of the time they're hockey articles that mention him in passing, but I found one that came across my e-mail interesting.  Earlier this month, Guy participated in an open house for a Habs-themed condo development in Montreal.  The condos are being built in the shadow of the Bell Centre, and Guy was there to sign autographs and promote the units.  (source)

(image source:  CBC.ca)

I'd certainly buy a condo if Guy was selling it!  Then again, I'd also buy oceanfront property in Colorado if Guy was selling it, so maybe I'm not the best person to ask.

The Only Carbonneau Museum in the Ottawa Valley

I realized recently that in six and a half years of doing this blog, I have never shown my own collection of Carbo memorabilia.  I guess this is because, as my friend Diane Lau once said, even though many people collect, it seems neurotic and I have visions of Guy visiting my house and fleeing in horror.  I have collected Carbo memorabilia for ten years now and have amassed a pretty extensive collection.  It's gotten to the point that there isn't much that I haven't seen or don't already own, and though the really unique pieces on sports memorabilia auction sites are often too rich for my blood, I have been lucky enough to acquire some rare items.

My Carbo collection is housed in my computer room.  I occupy the upstairs of my mother's house and have a bedroom and computer room.  My room has slanted ceilings, so wall space is limited.  I actually have Guy posters that are put away as I just don't have the wall space at the moment to hang them up.  I also have two cats, so you will be seeing litterboxes in these pictures.  (The litterboxes are clean, though!)  

So without further ado, here is The Only Carbonneau Museum in the Ottawa Valley.

The door to my computer room is covered by this HUGE Carbo growth chart poster.  It was a mail-in promotion from Kraft Foods back in 1989.  I happen to love this poster because it includes two things I love, Carbo and teddy bears!

Moving to the right of the door, here is the pride of my life:  my 1995-96 game-worn Dallas jersey.  You can see that to the right of the jersey, there are two photos hanging on the wall.  These are the photomatches for the jersey.  (That is, photos of Guy actually wearing the jersey.)

The photomatches.  The jersey was actually pretty easy to match up to photos; there is a black thread in the T in "Stars" that you can see in these photos.

And these are the photos hanging to the left of the jersey.  The one on the bottom, a signed action shot of Guy from the 1999-2000 season (his last in the NHL) is actually the first piece of autographed Carbo memorabilia I ever got.

On the shelf above the jersey are photos from both times I met Guy, along with a few random pieces of memorabilia.

A closer look at the memorabilia items.  The little Carbo figurine was a promotion from Provigo (a supermarket chain in Quebec) during the 1988-89 season.  Both the Coke and the Dallas Stars slice of the ice (actual ice water from Guy's 3rd Cup) were gifts from readers of this blog.  And the signed business card is from Guy's stint as Habs head coach.

Moving around the room, here is my trifecta of Carbo sticks hanging on the wall.  (A tip:  if you're looking to hang hockey sticks, L-shaped cornice hooks from the hardware store are the best.  They're inexpensive and easy, you just screw them into the wall and you're all set.)

And this is the photomatch to the Sher-Wood stick (the third one on the wall).  The stick is from Guy's second-to-last game before he retired.

This is a signed candid photo of Guy from the 1993 Habs Cup parade.  You can barely see the signature; Guy's pen died.

This is a rare signed photo of Guy.  It is from when he played for what was the Habs' AHL affiliate at the time, the Nova Scotia Voyageurs.  (Guy played for them from 1980 to 1982.)  My Steiff turtle also wants to say hello.

Moving around the room again, here is the photo that Carbo signed for me and my fiance Erik for our anniversary in 2009.  Erik wrote to Guy requesting an autograph.  The photo directly below it is of another retired NHLer, goaltender Pascal Leclaire.

This is my Kraft Drawings print of Guy.  This was another promotion from Kraft Foods, this time in 1987.  Kraft issued a series of hockey cards with drawings of players and you could send in proofs of purchase and receive large posters of the artwork.  This was a hard one for me to acquire on eBay and I haven't seen another one up for auction since.

A graphic artist friend made this image for me back in 2008.  It is a composite of several of my favorite photos of Guy.  The quote is from Roch Carrier's "The Hockey Sweater."

And last but certainly not least are my Carbo rookie skates.  These are photomatched as well, to Guy's 1982-83 Steinberg rookie card.  Also Mickey Mouse ears.  The placement of things in my room tends to be random.  

So that's the tour!  Hope you enjoyed it!

Carbo's stick out for Humboldt

If you've been following the news in the hockey world over the last week, no doubt you've heard about the tragic bus crash involving the Humboldt Broncos, a Saskatchewan junior hockey team.  The crash claimed the lives of 16 people, many of them teenage hockey players.  The response from people all over the world to this tragedy has been massive.  One of the tributes that has gone viral is #PutYourStickOut, in which folks have put hockey sticks outside their doors for the team.

I thought I'd pay tribute in my own way, so here is Guy's Artis outside my door.

In memory of those who were lost, and in support of those left behind.  I'll also link to the Broncos' GoFundMe page, which you can find here.

On signatures

You can't tell me that Guy doesn't have one of the most beautiful signatures in hockey.  I have many pieces of autographed Carbo memorabilia and I have long joked that if the Pawn Stars ever needed an expert to authenticate a Carbonneau signature, I'm their girl.  I can tell a real one from a fake a mile away.  Guy has signed his name thousands of times over the course of his career and it's interesting to see how his autograph has evolved over the years, so I thought I'd write a post on this interesting subject.  

From my collection, this is a photo of a very young Guy with the Nova Scotia Voyageurs (AHL), Montreal's farm team which Guy played for from 1980-82.  At this time Guy was still signing his full name but you can see the pattern of his signature starting to develop.  The exaggerated "C" in Carbonneau for example.  There is no "21" next to his name like you will see in later signatures, but this is to be expected as Guy wore the number 10 with Nova Scotia.

(photo source:  eBay)

These autographs were signed in 1984 and 1985 respectively.  Guy still signs with his first initial but here are the beginnings of what I think is the most unique part of his autograph:  the "CH" formed in the center, for Montreal Canadiens.  Even after being traded, Guy included this as part of his signature and continues to sign like this to this day, and I think it shows his pride at being a member of such a storied franchise.

And Guy's signature at current.  I used this particular example as the template for my tattoo:

There you have it!  And for what it's worth, if I had the chance to ask Guy any question I wanted I'd ask him what the strangest/most bizarre thing is that he's ever been asked to sign.  

Guy visits his former bench boss

Something that grabbed my attention while perusing Twitter recently:  over the holidays, Guy visited  his former coach Jacques Demers in the hospital.

(Image source:  Le Journal de Montreal)

Demers, who suffered a stroke in April 2016, is paralyzed on the right side of his body and can only manage to speak a few words.  He is currently in a rehabilitation facility offering long-term care.  He was delighted by Guy's visit, especially when Guy told him that there will be a meeting of the members of the 1993 Stanley Cup team this coming April to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Cup win.

(excerpted from the French article here.)