The Habs have cured Me!!!

[Allwrong]

I'm a West Coast boy.

I grew up dreading the yearly visits of the Habs.

Every year this team would roll into Vancouver for their regular stomping of our local boys.

Every year the world?s most annoying fan, the Habs fan. Would go into his closet and root out the tattered old "blue, blanc, et rouge".
He would wear his colors to work for a week before the game and tell anybody who couldn't get away, "I've always been a Habs fan, you know!! No team is good like Les Habitant".

Then they would go to the game and the few of us who were actually there to see the home team win would instead be treated to yet another crushing victory by the Canadians and yet another sea of faithful "always been a Habs fan". They would pat each other on the back and share that special bond only Habs fan has for Habs fan.

Habs fan didn't lower himself to argue about which team is best. If the question came up he would just look at you with a little pity and launch into the "always been a Habs fan" number. As a matter of fact the only thing that could get Habs fan worked up was if somebody said they were a bigger fan or had liked the Habs longer, or worse... if somebody accused Habs fan of just recently jumping on the bandwagon. Look out those were fighting words.

It used to be so fun to hate the Habs. They team was good, and arrogant. Their fans always stood out like a pimple on prom night.

Then tragedy struck. The hockey world was turned upside down. The Habs got bad! I mean they got downright terrible at times. Habs fan quietly put his jersey away.
The team was hit by bad luck regularly. They regularly had more injuries than soccer has pansies.

They added Saku Koivu. I mean how can you hate a team with Koivu as their captain?
How can you hate a team that is always losing? How can you hate a team that is always hurt?

I found I had no outlet for my anger anymore. Montreal would come to town and Vancouver would win. Habs fan would just quietly go home after the game. I had nobody to grumble at when I was sitting in the beer garden.

I was out of balance, my shakras were misarranged.

Montreal and Boston fixed all that.

Habs fan is back!!!!

Everywhere you go in Canada the birds are singing, the sun is shining and you can hear the chorus "I've always been a Habs fan" once again.

It?s once again OK to hate the Habs.

 

[the mugs]

You're words ring true to these ears. Although there are very few who actually claim to be Habs fans in this area, there are a couple.

I got this one kid at work. I mean kid, he just turned 21. He can't have many, if any memories of Cam Neely (sorry Canuck fans) scoring the nail in the coffin goal in the Forum back in '88 to eliminate the Habs in 5. What a party we had that night. Finally, after 43 years - the Bruins beat the Canadiens in the playoffs. I remember the T-shirts...They read "Break the Hab-it" with the "B" as the spoked "B"...

Now, the bad stuff as Montreal owned the Bruins for 43 years in the playoffs going something like 17-0. There's no way he remembers a rookie Steve Penney stump the B's in '84. Much like Koivu, the kid played like 3 games at the end of that year before the playoffs. In '79 Game six, too many men on the ice penalty in the Forum. Then loosing on OT...No way... A rookie Ken Dryden. Please. Anything before Dryden is stuff I had to read about so I'm not going any farther.

But EVERY freakin day he comes up to me, pats my shoulder with my Bruins tattoo and asks me if I'm watching the (or watched) the B's / Habs game. Yesterday, this puke had the balls to do it and ask me if I'm watching the Habs and Hurricanes.

This kid was 12 when they won the Cup in '93 so I guess that's what he bases his roots on. Still, I don't get it. Not around here anyway.

Like you Allwrong, I rooted for them to get into the playoffs so I could root against them...And yes hate them like I used to. It's good for as many Original Six to get into the dance I rationalized. Wouldn't you know it, it's 1984 or worse 1971 all over again here. On paper, the Bruins were far superior to the Habs but games aren't played on paper.

I am happy for Koivu - the guy beat cancer. How can you not root for him? But now, I look at the sweater he wears...Ugh.

So, I was happy last night and I'm hoping the ex Hartford Whalers can go up 2-0 in the series so I can go into work on Monday and say to Jarred..."Hey man, did you see those games over the weekend?"

 

[Allwrong]

Oh,.. you just had to bring up Neely. ..(sniff)

We were just reminiscing the other night about Cam. What bugs me is two of the guys who took out his knee are still playing. If I'm not mistaken weren't the culprits. Lemiux, and Marchment, two of the dirtiest in the game.

 

[the mugs]

That hit is a very deep emotional scar...

Ulf Samuelson in the '91 playoffs against Pittsburgh. That son of a b---- took out Cam in the Igloo.

As for crazy Claude - Cam threw him around like a rag doll.

I don't remember any Marchment / Neely battles. You may be right, I just don't remember.

Cam's a total class act. I met him a couple times but also the work he's done in this area with his "Neely House". It's a home for families with sick children of cancer. (I think) I'm pretty sure he lost both of his parents to cancer, so this is his way of helping out other families as he knows exactly what they are going thru. Anyway, if someone comes to Boston for treatment for their children, they have a free place to stay for a short time. I'm not 100% on the details because fortunately, no one in my family presently has cancer and two, I live here so I wouldn't need the facilities.

 

[ChuckyTheGoat]

Ulf is a piece of crap. He took out Cam, and Cam never made it back to himself despite a lot of rehab (including wearing some machine on his leg 23 hours/day to improve the movement). Never worked, he never made it back to himself.

I do remember Cam and Ulf meeting up after Cam returned, and Cam pummeled the hell out of Ulf's face. Well-deserved, too.

Cam was always one of my favorites.

 

[Frogy]

Allwrong, very nice to read this thread.

I always loved hockey. As far back as i remember i see myself as a young kid in front of the t.v set watching hockey night in canada.(ta tana na na, ta na nana), it was right after the magical world of disney.

Man i loved those saturday nights. Lafleur was an icon, bigger than the game, Robinson, Gainey, Shut , Savard and all the others; shure the habs where good but you know what; i just loved the game. Nobody ever told me you have to like this stuff, i guess its something that come whit the canadian package.........
I remember playing hockey whit my dad in the kitchen and missing school to attend those tournement, the game was a so important part of my life at that point. At school i would speed eat to be sure to get one of the limited hockey for lunch time and at night i would fall asleep listening to the game on radio.(my mom would be mad at me)

Hockey was a dream i could acces in the street and at the corner ice, i could be Lafleur and i was so many times.
The nordiques came in the leaque and i started to hate the habs, i did so for so many years. Each time they would play at the "colis?e" i would wait up the stairs in hope my dad would bring me one more time to the game. That was the greatest rivality in hockey and mayby in all of sport "montreal Quebec". The famous " jeudi saint", has we call it, when both team faught on the ice was something. Sport broadcaster would fight in the press box, bergeron and lemaire would get at each other so much......those where the best.......and i loved to hate montreal.
Then Aubut pull off one more scam whit the help of the provincial autorities and the teams move to colorado.( i could writte so much on him but why loose my time)

For 8 years i did not listen to a single hockey game....not one, ZERO.
Then last years i watch a game honoring MAURICE Rocket Richard at the forum and started to follow a little bit more the habs. This year i have been watching more and more. I'm not an habs fan yet, its the team i follow although latelly i've been putting $ whit my heart wich means i must be getting in the flow.

All i can say is that hockey is the greatest sport on earth what ever team it is i will always love the greatest sport the planet and the HABS: THE GREATEST TEAM ON HEART, SO MANY STANLEY CUP AND GREAT HOCKEY PLAYERS...GO HABS GO GO HABS GO

 

[Allwrong]

I'm glad you finally responded Frogy.

Rivalries are what make hockey great.

There is no sport in my mind where players are more phsically punishing of each other and abusive in all ways toward each other, and when the game is over they smile, shake hands and maybe even share a beer.

Having a tough time picking a team to cheer for in the playoffs.

It just doesn't feel right saying Go SENS!!!!