Tonight on Hockey Night in Canada is the game. Montreal at Toronto.
No longer played in such great venues as Maple Leaf Gardens or The Forum on St. Catherine's Street.
Now the rivalry plays out in Air Canada Centre and Bell Centre. Centre de Bell and Centre de Air Canada.
No Howie Meeker, Danny Galivan or Dick Irvine. Danny Galivan left us in 1993.
But the rivalry is still there. Not as important as it once was in the grand scheme of things. English Canada vs. French Canada. Barry Melrose said that and he is from Weyburn, Saskatchewan. Been there as a kid for an air show.
I am a Canadiens fan. Loved Jean Beliveau, The Flower, Mahovolich, Henri Richard, Dryden, Sevigny and Bunny Larocque. The Missus and I got to know Bunny's son, Stephan one winter in Wichita with the CHL Wichita Thunder.
For forty years, Hewitt was Canada's premier hockey play-by-play broadcaster on Hockey Night in Canada, the first radio program widely listened to in Canada. He coined the phrase "he shoots, he scores!" and was also well known for his sign-on at the beginning of each broadcast, "Hello, Canada, and hockey fans in the United States and Newfoundland." (Newfoundland was an independent Dominion before joining Canada in 1949.)
I remember that call on occasion in 68 on the radio when we first moved to Alberta.
History..................yep.
This is our game.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadiens%E2%80%93Maple_Leafs_rivalry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foster_Hewitt
The rivalry is still there (as you note) but it sure ain't what it used t'be. Then again, I can't think of too many rivalries that are what they used t'be, post-lockout.
ReplyDeleteTis a shame, that.
It was a good night for my Canadiens. 5-0 over the Leafs on Mats Sundin Night.
ReplyDelete