Montreal Canadiens send 10 players to the Olympics

[Cranky]

Article from the Toronto Star:


TORONTO  --The Olympic Team was finally announced in Toronto today. It is composed of the best hockey players Canada can put together for the Winter Olympics.

The roster was announced by Scotty Bowman, 'We truly believe that every player who is on this team deserves to be here and will contribute to hopefully us winning the gold medal,'' Bowman said.

Bowman’s final team will look like this:

Forwards;

Steve Shutt of Montreal
Jacques Lamaire of Montreal
Guy Lafleur of Montreal
Pete Mahovlich of Montreal
Ivon Cournayer of Montreal
Bob Gainey of Montreal
Eric Lindros of New York Rangers
Mario Lemieux of Pittsburgh,
Joe Sakic of Colorado,
Paul Kariya of Anaheim
Owen Nolan of San Jose  <br>Jarome Iginla of Calgary,  <br>Simon Gagne of Philadelphia,
Ryan Smyth of Edmonton,


Defensman:

Larry Robinson of Montreal
Guy Lapointe of Montreal
Serge Savard of Montreal
Chris Pronger of St. Louis
Scott Niedermayer of New Jersey
Adam Foote of Colorado,


Goaltender:

Ken Dryden of Montreal
Martin Brodeur of New Jersey
Curtis Joseph of Toronto

The squad, to be coached by Scotty Bowman, the legendary coach of the Montreal Canadiens has three goalies, six defenseman and 14 forwards. Montreal Canadiens have placed 10 players on the Olympic Team,  making up almost half the roster of what is expected to be a dominant team in this years Olympics. Particularly dangerous is the line of Steve Shutt, Guy Lafluer and Jacques Lemaire, together this line has scored over 140 goals in a season. They are expected to dominate the offense and have shown to dismantle the Czeck trap system with particular ease.

On defense, the legendary Ministry Of Defence of the Montreal Canadiens with the addition of Pronger, Neidemeier and Foote is expected to defend against the fast skating team of the Russians or the aggressive forechecking of the American's.

Some of the others missing the cut were Wade Redden of Ottawa, Derek Morris of Calgary, Scott Stevens of New Jersey, Alex Tanguay of Colorado, Anson Carter of Edmonton and Mark Recchi of Philadelphia.

Toronto Maple Leafs send 1 player, Curtis Joseph, who is not expected to start due the increadable goaltending of Ken Dryden.

Canada lost the 1998 semifinal game to the eventual champion Czech Republic before losing to Finland for the bronze.

Dominik Hasek, the Czech goalie, stopped all five Canadian shooters -- including Nieuwendyk, Fleury, Lindros and Shanahan -- in a shootout.

"Scotty Bowman knows what he's doing," Hasek said. "We'll be ready also. I know the Canadians are maybe the runaway favorite team for the Olympics because of the additions of that powerhouse Hab's team, but we'll try to show tha we belong in the same ring with them, if we get the chance."

After the announcement of the Olympic Team, there was a large gathering of Hab's fans outside the Hockey Hall of Fame and they were heard singing a song from the 70's

Those were that days my friend,
we thought that never end......................

[Vichab]

Well done. Just a couple of comments. I don't know if I would be pushing the Dryden for goalie issue too far as he was rather poor in the international games. On the other front I still believe that the 1976 Team Canada for the Canada Cup was the best team ever assembled and that team was loaded with many of the habs you listed except for Lemaire and Cournoyer. But the big difference was that along with the Big 3 on D they had Orr, Park and Potvin. Not bad. And has you elude to I would rather see Scotty behind the bench than Quinn who I think i8s not up to the challenge.

[Cranky]

This is the 1976 Canada Cup Team. Possibly the best hockey team ever assembled. I honestly believe that a team of this caliber will never be assembled again. Ever.

Does anyone want to take a shot as to how many people on that team had a Hab's connection? Does anyone dare do make a comparison between 1976 Canada Cup management and the current Olympic Hew-Haw Management Team that we have for this Olympics?

Marcel Dionne,
Danny Gare,
Jean Pronovost,
Jim Watson,
Lanny McDonald,
Rene Robert,
Steve Shutt,
Richard Martin,
Bob Gainey  <br>Phil Esposito,
Carol Vadnais,
Darryl Sittler,
Dave Burrows,
Reg Leach,
Bill Barber,
Paul Shmyr,
Dan Maloney,  <br>Denis Potvin,
Guy Lapointe,
Peter Mahovlich,
Al MacNeil (Coach),
Don Cherry (Coach),
Scotty Bowman (Coach),
Bobby Kromm (Coach),
Jean Beliveau (Special Advisor),
Gilbert Perreault,
Serge Savard,
Larry Robinson   <br>Gerry Cheevers,
Rogatien Vachon,
Bobby Orr,
Bobby Clarke,
Sam Pollock (Managing Director),
Toe Blake (Assistant Managing Director),
Bobby Hull,
Guy Lafleur,
Glenn Resch,
Dan Bouchard  <br>

I wish that the younger Hab's Fan's could experiemce the pride and glory of our team. Not just read about the "legacy" or watch a tape of what was. Before the Foules and the Molson's greed for profits. Before the endless idiotic managers and coaches.

One of my greatest memory and emotional experience was the Boston-Hab's series of 1971.

If nothing else, the B's were dominant in 1970-71 under coach Tom Johnson, who stepped in when Sinden took a private-sector job. The B's piled up an incredible 399 goals while winning 57 of 78 games and finishing 12 points ahead of the Rangers to top the NHL with 121 points. Esposito had a season no Bruin and few NHLers have ever touched (76 goals, 76 assists); Orr set a league record with 102 assists (no defenseman has matched it), and Bucyk (116) and Hodge (105) both topped the 100-point mark, but somehow, the B's didn't have enough to get by the Canadiens in the first round. Boston took a 3-2 lead with a convincing, 7-3 victory at Boston Garden, but the Habs smashed back in Game 6 with an 8-3 onslaught from which the B's didn't recover. Hab's won the last  Game 7 at the Gahhdens, 4-2.


I am a Hab's Addict and I need my Hab's Glory fix. Dammit