Hockey, strength and blogging

I have already once blogged about the strength shown by Guy during the 1999 playoffs when his father, Charles-Aime, died suddenly.  I feel the need to revisit it again because it is something that speaks to me directly.

If I may talk about myself personally for a moment, some may wonder why I blog about Carbonneau.  It might seem odd to blog about an NHL player, even more so to blog about a former NHL player.  I started this blog not only in tribute to Guy, but also as something of an escape.  On June 27, my own father died of a sudden heart attack.  Guy lost his father the same way -- he said at the time that it "took everyone by surprise."  It is also true with me.  There were no warning signs.

To say that I miss my father is a huge understatement.  The two big heroes in my life are Guy Carbonneau, and my father.  It is an enormous loss.  And I find strength from Guy's example because there are plenty of days when I feel very sad and wonder if I can even keep going.  I cannot speak for Carbonneau's experience of grief -- but he played hockey through his loss, and won that Stanley Cup for his dad.  It inspires me.

It is funny because my dad hated hockey.  (He did, however, correctly predict the outcome of the 2010 Canada-USA gold medal game.)  He'd probably shake his head at me finding solace in hockey, and Carbo, and blogging.  But I do, and in part it's why I write this blog.  Not only because I feel that Guy deserves it, but it keeps me distracted, gives me something to focus towards.  

I hope that those of you who read this blog enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it.

Guy Carbonneau, Stanley Cup Champion

Of course, Carbo is a three-time Stanley Cup champion.  This entry is about his first, in 1986.  On a Montreal Canadiens team loaded with rookies -- most notably, goaltender Patrick Roy -- Guy notched seven goals and five assists in the '86 playoffs.  The Habs won the Stanley Cup on May 24, beating the Calgary Flames in five games.

My boyfriend Erik uploaded this video, of Carbo being interviewed in French after his first Cup win.  Enjoy.

Hockey figurines

May I use my blog space for a moment to lament the lack of a Carbo McFarlane figurine?  This annoys me supremely because many of Guy's contemporaries from that era have had figurines made (the latest being Wendel Clark).  Carbo may not have been a superstar, but he was still one of the most recognizable players from that time!  The other option is to make a custom figurine which I may try my hand at someday (someone did make a Carbonneau custom once, but that has since disappeared online).

Unfortunately, figurines just didn't exist during Guy's playing career.  The closest were the Kenner Starting Lineups.  However, Provigo (a supermarket chain in Quebec) did a series of Canadiens figurines in 1989 and I own the Carbo figurine:

There he is on my shelf, along with a few other Carbo things.  The resemblance is striking -- they certainly got the nose right. 

Still, this doesn't excuse you, McFarlane Toys.  Get with the program!

This day in Carbo history

On this day in 1982, rookie Carbo scored his first NHL goal!  The goal was scored on Daniel Bouchard during a 9-5 Canadiens win against the Quebec Nordiques at the Forum.

Other facts about Guy's rookie season:  Dan Daoust was traded to the Leafs to make room for Carbonneau on the roster, a move which initially earned the consternation of Canadiens fans when Daoust became a quick success in Toronto.  Initially spending a lot of time on the bench as a fourth line center when coach Bob Berry usually only played three lines, he became a defensive forward when teamed with Bob Gainey to play against the opposition's top lines.  Guy quickly showed his mettle, playing 77 games and notching 18 goals and 29 assists.

That year, Guy was tied for most shorthanded goals by an NHL rookie with five.  He also scored the first of his two career hat tricks on January 6, 1983 against Los Angeles.  

Looking back on Guy's firing

This season, the Canadiens have been off to a rocky start.  They have lost six of their last seven games, and some reports have surfaced out of Montreal that coach Jacques Martin's job may be in jeopardy.  Which has led me to ponder and reminisce about the last Habs coach firing; which, of course, was our Carbo.

March 9, 2009 was a day that I -- as a Carbo fan -- will never forget.  I remember exactly where I was when I learned of the firing.  I had just come back from a walk to the post office (where, perhaps ironically, I had received a new Carbo hockey card for my collection).  I sat at my computer and opened my friends page on LiveJournal, where there was a post from my friend Kaitlyn offering condolences to me with a link to the TSN story.  That was how I heard the news.

It was, even before that, a rough time to be a Carbo fan.  I found myself defending him in various hockey communities from disenchanted Habs fans who wanted to see him fired (a task that is no burden to me; I decided when I threw my lot in with this man that I'd have his back no matter what).  It has been said that being a coach in Montreal is the hardest job in hockey, and the Habs had high expectations that year with celebrating their centennial season.  The results were disappointing, the team was 8-11-1 in the twenty games prior to Guy's firing.

Still, that January, he had earned a place behind the bench at the All-Star Game in Montreal, which gave me great pride.

The day before Carbo was fired, the team played Dallas, and won.  I could see the pride in his face at his successful return to the Lone Star State.  Then, on March 9, he was driving home from picking up his dogs after the team flight from Dallas landed when he received a call from Bob Gainey asking to meet.  He would be the coach of the Canadiens no longer.

I admit, I shed some tears.  Even with my personal bias put aside, it seemed to me that the firing was premature.  After all, Guy had a winning record:  230-124-83.  He had been nominated for the Jack Adams Award just the previous year.  To many, perhaps even to Carbonneau himself, the reasons for being let go are still murky.  Perhaps we'll never know.

(photo credit:  Hockey Inside/Out)

Nine days later, on his 49th birthday, Guy sat down at the Bell Centre to bid the Canadiens farewell.  With that same class that won my admiration, and certainly the same class he always exhibited as coach and player -- never saying a bad word about Gainey, the organization, or the media.  Then, later that evening, he went to a quiet birthday dinner with his family.

It is always a sad thing when someone has to lose their job.  But in coaching, it is of course expected.  It is early in the season, and I do hope the Canadiens can turn it around.

Carbo in the world of hockey cards

As mentioned previously, I've been collecting Carbonneau memorabilia for about four years.  In my collection I have about 100 of his hockey cards.  In the beginning, most of these were his old issues -- when the card companies started coming out with "legends" cards, Guy just wasn't getting his due.  But in the last few years, many new Carbo cards have been issued, which delights me.  Here are a few of my favorites from his recent issues.

This is Guy's most recent offering, a 2011-12 Parkhurst Champions card.  I like this one because of the picture the company used -- it's an older one -- plus the card has sort of a holographic look to it, which I also like.  Over the years, the amount of "spiffy" cards Guy has had have been very few.

This is a 2009-10 O-Pee-Chee card.  Again, I like this one because of the picture -- an action shot of Guy from the 1993 Stanley Cup Final.

I am very torn on the subject of "game-worn jersey" cards.  On one hand, it gives those who otherwise might not be able to afford such memorabilia a chance to own a piece of a jersey.  On the other...Carbo's game-worn jerseys are being cut up to make cards, which breaks my heart.  This is a 2008-09 SPX Flashback Fabrics card.

This is a rare and unusual card.  It incorporates a piece of Carbo's fight strap.  Also, it's a game-worn card featuring him in a Dallas uniform, which you just don't see at all.  There were only two of these cards made, and it is a 2009-10 SP Famous Faceoffs card.

This last card, I am featuring because it is signed by Guy in addition to being a game-worn card.  This card has a piece of his jersey nameplate and is a 2008-09 SP Letter Marks card.

(image credits:  eBay)

Guy, the foodie

Interesting little comment in this interview with Brett Hull.  Hull, of course, is the current VP of the Dallas Stars and was Carbo's teammate in St. Louis and Dallas.  

"When I came here to Dallas, Guy Carbonneau and I would try to find what each city considered to be its best restaurant. You know a lot of guys had their own places they'd like to go, some would go to Hooters or an Italian place. But, Guy and I would go to the absolute best restaurant we could find. And we did that in almost every city."

There you go.  Carbo's love of wine is well-known, but who knew he is also a foodie!  Not only that, but he's had a dish named after him as well:

(image credit:  Diane Lau's former hockey blog, Hockey Snacks)