Jan 26 CONTEST: HABS ADDICT QUALIFIERS

If there is one thing this HABS ADDICT contest taught us, is that there are a lot of Montreal Canadiens fans not just in this Province of Quebec, but across North America. It was great to see all the submissions and great stories. While we had initially said we would only take 5 qualifiers, we decided to add 1 more spot just because of the tremendous response.

Now, we leave the decision to you, the Montreal Canadiens fans, to choose which story touches you the most; the story of which you most identify yourself, or perhaps you just want your buddy to win. Voting takes place in the menu column on the left-hand side of this website. Voting will take place from Friday January 28, 2011 to Monday February 14, 2011. The winner will be announced at the end of February and will be on the Sunday Shinny at the beginning of March (pending availability). Here are the 6 finalists, and their stories from which to choose:

Robyn Flynn

Rosalyn Roy

Greg Rothman

Iain Carnegie

Dennis Kane

Bram Eisenthal

Here are their stories:

Submission #1 Rosalyn Roy

When I was a child my father worked for a tire manufacturer holding corporate season tickets in the Forum. Some of my earliest and clearest memories are of watching games in that place.

I remember how huge Larry Robinson was, and how opposing players couldn’t easily get past him. I watched Guy Lafleur streaking up and down the ice, sans helmet, so fast I could barely keep up.

I remember the smell of the ice and how fans were so madly in love with each and every one of the players. I remember the hard red seats that we barely used because we were too busy jumping and screaming like lunatics fresh out of the asylum.

I remember my father laughing and smiling with me and my brother every time the Habs scored a goal. I remember the anticipation we felt whenever we drove from Sherbrooke into Montreal to grab some poutine before the game.

I remember how we took it for granted we could go pretty much whenever we wanted, and yet cherished it anyway.

My father had little patience for any co-worker who wanted to talk shop. We were there for the game, and interlopers would either receive a casual wave off or a stern word about timing.

I watched the players in the bleu, blanc et rouge battle furiously for a tiny round piece of vulcanized rubber.

And I spent my childhood engulfed in the madness and exhilaration that comes with being a Montreal Canadiens hockey fan.

Submission #2 Robyn Flynn

My very first Habs memory came when the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup in 1993. I was 6 years old and in bed, when I awoke to my father screaming. I jumped out of bed and ran into the living room, where my father was on his feet. The TV was tuned to CBC and I had walked in just in time to hear Bob Cole saying the now famous line “and now a 24^th banner will hang from the rafters of the famous forum in Montreal… The Canadiens win the Stanley Cup!” I remember getting goose bumps as the clock counted down and the players on the ice began celebrating. I looked back at my dad, and he had tears in his eyes. I had never seen my father cry before. I immediately fell head over heels in love with the Habs, and have been addicted ever since. Over the years, I’ve been to games at the Bell Centre, I’ve gone to bars downtown to watch games with my friends, I’ve painted my face bleu blanc rouge and celebrated in the streets with strangers during the playoffs, but my favourite place to watch a Habs game is at home, with my dad. He taught me everything I know and love about hockey, and that makes it all the more special.

Submission #3  Greg Rothman

You guys have it easy in Montreal. Try being a Habs Addict 2,500 miles away in Los Angeles. I'm going to take you all the way back to January 10th, 2011. I bought glass seats to the Kings/Leafs game just so I could wear my #9 sweater and harass the Toronto fans and yell at Komisarek and Grabovski the whole game. Since our beloved Canadiens only come here every other year, I can take solace in making Maple Leafs fans as miserable as possible. During the Kings goals the local fans stood up and cheered the ice. I, however, stood on my seat and faced each and every fan wearing a Leafs jersey I saw, and clapped in their direction (footage can be viewed on Maple Leaf TV). The Toronto fans may have won this round as the Leafs beat the Kings 3-2 that night. I still had the last word, however, when I reminded them all that their team moved up from 12th place to....well...still 12th place.

Submission #4 Iain Carnegie

"You have to be addicted if you grew up (30 years) in Toronto and supported the Habs all your life. Of Special Note - the local bar always saved me a spot on the rail and one of the 3 big screen TV's for every Habs game that was televised. I would call ahead and ask if it was available on satellite, and they would tell me to come on down. I was always there with my Habs shirt and hat on. I even got them to ring the goal bell a couple of times for our beloved Canadiens. To top it off – I converted my friend from hating hockey to wearing Habs gear, and he joined me often on my stool to watch the games. All this in a Maple Leaf bar, only 10 minutes from the ACC.  Secondly, I made sure that I was at the last Montreal Game v Toronto at MLG. Sitting in the Greys cheering on my team (we won 2-1). If that doesn’t show dedication and addiction to le Bleu, Blanc, et Rouge … then ask my better half … She has proclaimed herself officially “A Hockey Widow”, as I stand for the entire game, in front of the TV in my Beliveau jersey, yelling instructions at the team. BTW, did I mention that we drove to Toronto and back, same day, just to go to the game in December? Somehow – I think I qualify!”

Submission #5 Dennis Kane

Growing up in the 1950's north of Toronto and with only two TV channels and Toronto newspapers, we were swamped with Leafs news and the Leafs on TV. It was all very tiring because there was another team winning Stanley Cups, a romantic team, with names like Richard, Beliveau, and Harvey, and we hardly ever saw them. My dad had a friend who could sometimes get Peterborough Chex TV which showed the Habs at the Forum from time to time and we would go there and I would see very grainy black and white images of these Canadiens players and I wanted so much to see them all the time instead of mostly the Leafs.

My dad took me to Maple Leaf Gardens in the late 1950's to finally see them in living colour and it was like a dream.There they were, in all their splendour, and I remember on one occasion when we got to the Gardens very early and while standing in the lobby the entire Habs team walked by us on their way to the dressing room. And my dad brought a hockey book with him and corralled Toe Blake outside the room to take the book in and get Doug Harvey's autograph for me, which he did.

I spent my youth dreaming of wearing the sweater and playing in the Forum. I wrote to my heroes, the Rocket sent me a Christmas card, and my love grew.

Funny thing, but the feeling has never gone away. I love this team now, at 60 years old, as much as I did when I was a kid. I guess I've been a truly passionate fan for the better part of 55 years.

Submission # 6 Bram Eisenthal

My obsession with the Habs started when I was 13, 40 years ago. It was the 1970-’71 hockey season and, coincidentally, I had just developed a fierce slap-shot in ball hockey during street games in NDG. But goalie was the position I liked to play best. Just after New Year, I was invited to attend a Montreal Canadiens open practise at The Forum. Until then, I really could care less about the Habs... or viewing sports in general. That practise (likely in February) completely mesmerized me, as I watched the likes of Jean Beliveau, Henri Richard, Frank and Peter Mahovlich, J.C. Tremblay, Jacques Lapperiere and the rest of the gang carouse and go through their drills. I loved the speed, the camaraderie... it really hooked me.

Then, in March, the Habs called a rookie goalie named Ken Dryden up from the Nova Scotia Voyageurs and I started watching games on TV. Dryden went 6-0 in his starts, I believe, with me his biggest cheerleader... and then the playoffs started. Everyone knew what a powerhouse the Bruins were and I was riveted to my TV during the entire playoffs. It was only when the Habs came back in that miracle game (five, I think), down 5-2 in the third until they took the lead and won the game, that I became a rabid Habs fan for life.  The rest of that glorious playoff will never be forgotten, nor will my passion for the indomitable Canadiens

Tags: Habs Addicts \ hockey \ Montreal Canadiens \ NHL