Corson has soft spot for Habs

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www.canada.com/sports/hockey/canadiensstory.html?id=4d62358e-0c11-498e-aa1a-e41dda35da6e


Former Canadiens bon vivant puts his hockey retirement on hold, says stories of his late-night revelry downtown were often embellished


He's an old-timer by definition, not by admission. And that won't go unnoticed at the Bell Centre tomorrow night when Shayne Corson, 38, skates with a bunch of retired pros in a charity hockey game sponsored by Viagra, the drug of choice for men looking to extend their own glory years.

Corson is still "active" and hopes to revive a National Hockey League career that went limp two years ago after he left the Toronto Maple Leafs during one of their impotent playoffs runs.

Corson said health concerns forced him to step back from the game then, but after a late-season cameo with the Dallas Stars last year, he is a free agent in search of one last contract once the NHL lockout is resolved.

"I'm not ready to retire just yet," said Corson, a rugged winger who has collected 273 goals and 2,357 penalty minutes since his NHL career began with the Canadiens almost 20 years ago.

"I spent 10 years in Montreal and practically grew up there," said Corson, a first-round pick of the Canadiens (eighth overall) in 1984.

"I live in Toronto now, but in many ways, Montreal feels like home. It's a great city with a great culture, very European. I made a lot of friends there."

Corson, who once owned a restaurant on Bishop St., admits he partied as hard as he played during his younger days in Montreal, where the trappings of fame cause pro hockey players to be held up on pedestals and, in some cases, bar stools.

"You're young and you want to have fun, but you have to draw the line somewhere," Corson said. "Everything in moderation is all right. That's something you learn as you get older and become more mature.

"I'm not going to say I regret anything I've done. I've made some mistakes in my life, in hockey and my personal life, but you have to learn from it."

While his reputation as a bon vivant is now lore in Montreal, Corson said stories of his late-night revelry were often embellished by the media and others.

"A lot of it gets exaggerated," he said. "You know how a story starts and it becomes bigger than it really was. I've always had respect for the media and they've been pretty fair to me, but the truth doesn't always come out."

Corson said it's a fact he now skates three times a week and trains off-ice five days a week.

"I'm probably in better shape now than when I was younger," he said. "But you have to nowadays if you want your job."

Bad timing caused Corson to miss playing on the Canadiens' last two Stanley Cup winners, in 1986 and '93, by a whisker. He joined the Habs in 1987 and played six seasons before being shipped to the Edmonton Oilers in a 1992 package deal for Vincent Damphousse, thus missing out on the Canadiens' miracle Cup run in '93.

Corson said his draft day at the Forum and his first time in the Canadiens' dressing room, where legends like Larry Robinson and Bob Gainey were among his teammates, are two highlights of his career. The most crushing disappointment of his career was losing the 1989 Stanley Cup final to the Calgary Flames. "Losing at the Forum was tough," he said.

After stints with the Oilers and St. Louis Blues, the Canadiens reacquired Corson from the Blues in 1996, along with defenceman Murray Baron and a fifth-round draft pick, in exchange for Pierre Turgeon, Craig Conroy and Rory Fitzpatrick.

Corson's veteran leadership on his second tour of duty in Montreal earned him a trip to the winter Olympics in Nagano. But two years later, he signed as a free agent with the Leafs, where he played alongside his brother-in-law Darcy Tucker, another former Canadien who's become a feisty in-your-face favourite of Leaf fans.

However, Corson's T.O. stint unravelled when he walked out on the Leafs during the 2003 playoffs. While reports suggested he was angry about being scratched from the lineup, Corson said the truth is that his health had deteriorated to such an extent he could no longer play to his ability.

"People don't know the whole story," he said. "Bottom line is that my weight had dropped from 210 to 180 pounds and I was a mess. I was suffering from anxiety attacks from all the stresses in my life. The pills I was taking were only making things worse. I had to step back from the game and regain my health.

"But when you're a hockey player, you're supposed to be a tough guy who can get through anything. Well, that's not the way it works. You need to get help. I did, and now I feel great."

Through all the ups and downs, Corson still has a soft spot for the Canadiens, which he called a "first-class organization."

"My heart is with the Canadiens," he said. "I still bleed red, white and blue and always will."

Notes - More than 11,000 tickets have been sold for tomorrow's Viagra Legends of Hockey Classic at 7 p.m. All ticket proceeds will go to the Canadiens Children's Foundation. Tickets ($15 and $10) are available at the Bell Centre box office and through the Admission network at [phone] or [phone], or www.admission.com. A limited number of VIP tickets are available for $100, which include a premium seat and a skating session with some of the legends in the afternoon. Chris Nilan and Claude Lemieux are the latest roster additions.

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[Disgruntled70sHab]

I was a supporter of Corson's when he was in Montreal. When he says he bleeds, "... red, white and blue, and always will..." there was a time I could see him as our long-term Captain. However, when he bolted to Toronto citing that playing for the Leafs was a dream come true, he lost me.

It wasn't so much he that he went to Toronto, but the way he left Montreal. He and his agent led the team, the city and the club's fans to believe Corson would resign with the Habs. When Houle offered what he believed Corson and his agent were asking for, they asked for more at the last minute. At that point I became suspicious.

All that aside, I do appreciate what Corson brought to the Habs when he was there.

Cheers.

[M. Beaux-Eaux]

I share Dis's sentiments. The way in which corson left he Habs was not what one could call classy. Helluva a player though, might even make the HabsRus team.

[Forum Ghost]

Through all the ups and downs, Corson still has a soft spot for the Canadiens, which he called a "first-class organization."

"My heart is with the Canadiens," he said. "I still bleed red, white and blue and always will."

*

Sounds to me as though he wouldn't mind coming back.

Hmmm, come to think of it, there does seem to be a spot open on the fourth line...


Corson-Begin-Ward ?

[Forum Ghost]

Disgruntled70sHab said:

I was a supporter of Corson's when he was in Montreal. When he says he bleeds, "... red, white and blue, and always will..." there was a time I could see him as our long-term Captain. However, when he bolted to Toronto citing that playing for the Leafs was a dream come true, he lost me.

It wasn't so much he that he went to Toronto, but the way he left Montreal. He and his agent led the team, the city and the club's fans to believe Corson would resign with the Habs. When Houle offered what he believed Corson and his agent were asking for, they asked for more at the last minute. At that point I became suspicious.

Yup and I also didn't like the fuss he made to the media when Koivu was chosen as captain over him.

But, of course, there were some great moments, like the year when he led the injury-riddled Habs to a win away from clinching the playoffs.

He played hard for the Habs and always wore his heart on his sleeve, but it was indeed very unclassy the way he left Montreal.

[Doc Holliday]

Disgruntled70sHab said:

I was a supporter of Corson's when he was in Montreal. When he says he bleeds, "... red, white and blue, and always will..." there was a time I could see him as our long-term Captain. However, when he bolted to Toronto citing that playing for the Leafs was a dream come true, he lost me.

It wasn't so much he that he went to Toronto, but the way he left Montreal. He and his agent led the team, the city and the club's fans to believe Corson would resign with the Habs. When Houle offered what he believed Corson and his agent were asking for, they asked for more at the last minute. At that point I became suspicious.

All that aside, I do appreciate what Corson brought to the Habs when he was there.

Cheers.

My feelings as well. I was a big supporter of Corson and eventhough he didn't have the C in his last Montreal stint, I felt like he was the true team leader anyhoo. I felt betrayed when he left. Today he might say that he bleeds HABS colors but when he left he told to Toronto media that playing for the Leafs was his lifetime dream...

Now that Toronto shown him the door, he wants to come back ? No way. You've burn too many bridges, time to hang 'hem up Shayne.