Myth of the Montreal Canadiens’ Early Success
For generations, the Habs have been dogged by accusations that their historic Stanley Cup success was because they had territorial rights to the best players French Canada had to offer.…
Sam Pollock
Sam Pollock’s First Great GM Move
On Friday night, Marc Bergevin will make the most important draft pick of his career as general manager of the Montreal Canadiens. Some would argue that already happened when he…
When the Canadiens’ Dynasty Ended for Good
When sports historians speak in terms of true dynasties (that is, success that lasts for a few generations, as opposed to a few years), three franchises come to mind: the Yankees in baseball, the Celtics in basketball and the Montreal Canadiens in hockey.
50 Years Ago in Hockey: Expansion Draft Plan “Generous”
With no National Hockey League games scheduled for the last couple of days, we take a swing around the hockey world with lots of news and notes. Expansion Draft Plan…
50 Years Ago in Hockey: Pollock Proposes World Pro League
Sam Pollock, the crafty general manager of the Montreal Canadiens, thinks the Russian national hockey team fits the definition of “professional” and he would like to eventually see a world…
50 Years Ago in Hockey: Bing Crosby Wants NHL Club
Singer Bing Crosby confirmed yesterday that he is a member of a syndicate that wants to bring NHL hockey to San Francisco. Crosby said that his group has not yet…
50 Years Ago in Hockey – 64-65 Post-Mortem: Canadiens
If one were to write a book about the 1964-65 season, the chapter on the Montreal Canadiens would have to be titled “Return to Glory’. What started out as a…
50 Years Ago in Hockey – Hurting Leafs Shock Hawks
The Toronto Maple Leafs, playing without four key players, went into the Chicago Stadium last night and skated to a surprising 3-1 win over the Black Hawks. In the other…
1964-65 Preview – The Montreal Canadiens
It has been four long years since the Stanley Cup took up residence in Montreal, a circumstance that is completely unacceptable to the general population of Canada’s largest city. The…
Welcome to 1964!
Welcome to 1964 and the “As it Happens – 50 Years Ago Today in Hockey!” Blog. Our aim here is to provide news as it would have been reported as…
Molsons Carrying on the Montreal Canadiens Tradition
In January, I sat down with former Montreal Canadiens owner J. David Molson and his wife Claire Molson to look back on the Habs’ glory days of the 70s; a…
Draft More Fun When Habs Have Higher Pick
Last year at roughly the same time, the Montreal Canadiens were readying themselves for the NHL Entry Draft in Pittsburgh, PA where they had the third overall pick after a…