Habs’ alums win thriller with Legends
Apr 25, 2005 7:27:43 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2005 7:27:43 GMT -5
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MONTREAL – On a night high on nostalgia and low on defense, the Canadiens Alumni won a spirited affair against the Legends of Hockey, 10-8.
The game, officially titled the Viagra Legends of Hockey Classic, was organized as a benefit to raise funds for the Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation. A festive crowd of 14,894 rocked the Bell Centre with numerous ovations for some of the NHL’s biggest names of the distant and recent past, in all raising $300,000 for youth initiatives both in the city and throughout the province.
The Canadiens Alumni opened the scoring just 46 seconds into the contest, with Shayne Corson tearing down the right wing and beating Daniel Bouchard with a wrist shot from the middle of the faceoff circle. The Legends responded with goals from Normand Dupont and Donald Audette, yet the Canadiens drew even on a blast from Benoit Brunet at 5:05.
Stephane Matteau converted a nice cross-ice feed from Claude Lemieux at 11:37 to put the Legends back out in front, then Craig Muni followed two minutes later with the Legends’ fourth goal of the game.
Referee Ron Fournier made his first call of the night at 16:57, calling a red-faced Marcel Dionne for holding. Guy Carbonneau wasted little time capitalizing on the home team’s power play chance, banging home a feed from Brunet at 17:24 to make it a one-goal game.
The Canadiens blew things open in the second. Having gained a breather during the first intermission, Jacques Demers’ charges flew from the gate with six straight goals in just over a half-period, surging past the Legends on tallies from Carbonneau, Corson, Stephane Richer, Denis Savard, Richer again, and Chris Nilan.
Guy Lafleur, who alongside Carbonneau and Larry Robinson drew the loudest ovations in the pre-game introductions, cemented his status as the crowd favorite when he was announced for an assist on Richer’s first goal. Already hearing chants of “Guyyyyyyy!” each time he touched the puck, No. 10 garnered an explosive roar from the faithful for earning his first point of the night. Lafleur was also central in the game’s prettiest play, a give-and-go involving some dizzying stick work that led to the score by Savard.
The Legends made a game of it by scoring four in a row from Lucien DeBlois, two from Lemieux, and another from Matteau, yet with their lead having shrunk from 9-4 to 9-8, the Canadiens sealed their win with an empty-net tally from Richer at the 19:03 mark of the third.
Though the final frame was short on offense – its three total goals were a stark contrast to the fire wagon hockey of the opening 40 minutes – it wasn’t without its fair share of memorable moments. Chief among them: A tripping call on “Knuckles” Nilan, the Canadiens’ all-time penalty minutes leader, who proceeded to good-naturedly fake his own swoon onto the ice as he made his way to the box.
Nilan showed flashes of his old self at times. Though some friendly tussling with Andre Dupont was clearly for show, at other points the former enforcer appeared ready to leap to a teammate’s defense. The fact the game was devoid of much physical contact helped ensure that behavior, in the end, was kept gentlemanly.
Despite the decisive outcome in regulation, the clubs faced off in a shootout to provide what could be a preview of the new-look NHL in 2005-06. Of the five initial shooters from each team, only Carbonneau and Normand Dupont could score for their respective clubs, despite a roar of public support for Lafleur in his final attempt for the Canadiens. With the shootout deadlocked at 1, a “sudden-death” confrontation played out that saw Audette and Nilan fail at their respective chances before Matteau at last converted for the Legends. Needing a goal to answer and keep the showdown alive, Brunet was stuffed by Bouchard to give the Legends a moral victory to close the evening.
Three-star honors went to a trio whose names were called countless times in Montreal: Carbonneau, Lemieux, and of course, Lafleur. It could be said, of course, that everyone at the game – from the fans to the players themselves – were the stars in a charitable initiative that will ultimately touch the lives of thousands.
J.S. Trzcienski is the Site Manager for canadiens.com.
Montreal Canadiens Children's Foundation President Robert Sirois (center) receives a check for the $300,000 that was raised through ticket sales to Saturday's game at the Bell Centre.
MONTREAL – On a night high on nostalgia and low on defense, the Canadiens Alumni won a spirited affair against the Legends of Hockey, 10-8.
The game, officially titled the Viagra Legends of Hockey Classic, was organized as a benefit to raise funds for the Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation. A festive crowd of 14,894 rocked the Bell Centre with numerous ovations for some of the NHL’s biggest names of the distant and recent past, in all raising $300,000 for youth initiatives both in the city and throughout the province.
The Canadiens Alumni opened the scoring just 46 seconds into the contest, with Shayne Corson tearing down the right wing and beating Daniel Bouchard with a wrist shot from the middle of the faceoff circle. The Legends responded with goals from Normand Dupont and Donald Audette, yet the Canadiens drew even on a blast from Benoit Brunet at 5:05.
Stephane Matteau converted a nice cross-ice feed from Claude Lemieux at 11:37 to put the Legends back out in front, then Craig Muni followed two minutes later with the Legends’ fourth goal of the game.
Referee Ron Fournier made his first call of the night at 16:57, calling a red-faced Marcel Dionne for holding. Guy Carbonneau wasted little time capitalizing on the home team’s power play chance, banging home a feed from Brunet at 17:24 to make it a one-goal game.
The Canadiens blew things open in the second. Having gained a breather during the first intermission, Jacques Demers’ charges flew from the gate with six straight goals in just over a half-period, surging past the Legends on tallies from Carbonneau, Corson, Stephane Richer, Denis Savard, Richer again, and Chris Nilan.
Guy Lafleur, who alongside Carbonneau and Larry Robinson drew the loudest ovations in the pre-game introductions, cemented his status as the crowd favorite when he was announced for an assist on Richer’s first goal. Already hearing chants of “Guyyyyyyy!” each time he touched the puck, No. 10 garnered an explosive roar from the faithful for earning his first point of the night. Lafleur was also central in the game’s prettiest play, a give-and-go involving some dizzying stick work that led to the score by Savard.
The Legends made a game of it by scoring four in a row from Lucien DeBlois, two from Lemieux, and another from Matteau, yet with their lead having shrunk from 9-4 to 9-8, the Canadiens sealed their win with an empty-net tally from Richer at the 19:03 mark of the third.
Though the final frame was short on offense – its three total goals were a stark contrast to the fire wagon hockey of the opening 40 minutes – it wasn’t without its fair share of memorable moments. Chief among them: A tripping call on “Knuckles” Nilan, the Canadiens’ all-time penalty minutes leader, who proceeded to good-naturedly fake his own swoon onto the ice as he made his way to the box.
Nilan showed flashes of his old self at times. Though some friendly tussling with Andre Dupont was clearly for show, at other points the former enforcer appeared ready to leap to a teammate’s defense. The fact the game was devoid of much physical contact helped ensure that behavior, in the end, was kept gentlemanly.
Despite the decisive outcome in regulation, the clubs faced off in a shootout to provide what could be a preview of the new-look NHL in 2005-06. Of the five initial shooters from each team, only Carbonneau and Normand Dupont could score for their respective clubs, despite a roar of public support for Lafleur in his final attempt for the Canadiens. With the shootout deadlocked at 1, a “sudden-death” confrontation played out that saw Audette and Nilan fail at their respective chances before Matteau at last converted for the Legends. Needing a goal to answer and keep the showdown alive, Brunet was stuffed by Bouchard to give the Legends a moral victory to close the evening.
Three-star honors went to a trio whose names were called countless times in Montreal: Carbonneau, Lemieux, and of course, Lafleur. It could be said, of course, that everyone at the game – from the fans to the players themselves – were the stars in a charitable initiative that will ultimately touch the lives of thousands.
J.S. Trzcienski is the Site Manager for canadiens.com.
Montreal Canadiens Children's Foundation President Robert Sirois (center) receives a check for the $300,000 that was raised through ticket sales to Saturday's game at the Bell Centre.
