The last time two of the original six teams squared up in a battle for Lord Stanley’s Cup was 1979.
It was the Rangers and the Canadiens.
The first game of that final in Montreal was incidintaly the first NHL game I saw – live.
In 1979 – As a young buck during the Swiss off-season I was touring North America following the play offs.
From NYC where I saw the series decider between the Rangers and the Islanders. The euphoria in the Big Apple was electrifying. I watched the game in an Irish bar on Lexington Avenue, as if I needed any more prodding to become a life long Rangers fan, that celebration did it for me.
The Habs/Bruins series continued and so I was heading north towards Boston. As I drove past the old Yankees stadium in the Bronx I remember the light billboard outside: Well done Shero’s Heroes! Get the Cup!
Once the Habs took care of the Bruins I game or two later I made short term plans to travel to Montreal, a Stanley Cup pilgrimage for this young Czech Swiss convert.
Of course I went to see the Forum to soak in some of the aura. I remember vividly – it was a Sunday morning and the game was to take place in the late afternoon. It must have been 10 or 11 am when all of a sudden the ticket office door opened and with fresh tickets for sale. I got my Golden Ticket! To this date I am failing to comprehend that. I was way up in the nosebleeds. I remember seeing the old boxy TV screens overhead to watch replays.
At the time I played for the Geneva Servette team in the Swiss League and it was already in the news that Jacques Lemaire was going to finish his NHL career and move to Switzerland and play for the small market team of Sierre. His buddy Jacques Plante, was living nearby and I guess he set it up for Jacques Lemaire. So I knew going into this game than come fall I would need to play against Jacques Lemaire.
I must have been the only Rangers fan in the building that day. Rangers won that game, what a night!
I still have the programme from that game, HoF line ups:
Habs
6 Pierre Mondou
8 Doug Risebrough
21 Doug Jarvis
25 Jacques Lemaire
28 Pierre Larouche
10 Guy Lafleur
11 Yvon Lambert
12 Yvan Cournoyer (Captain)
14 Mario Tremblay
15 Rejean Houle
20 Cam Connor
22 Steve Shutt
23 Bob Gainey
30 Pat Hughes
31 Mark Napier
3Brian Engblom
5 Guy Lapointe
17 Rod Langway
18 Serge Savard (Acting Captain)†
19 Larry Robinson
24 Gilles Lupien
27 Rick Chartraw
29 Ken Dryden
1 Michel Bunny Larocque
Rangers
6 Tim Bothwell D
30 John Davidson G 25 6-3 205 -/L 5 February 27, 1953 20-12-5, 3.52 GAA
23 Lucien DeBlois RW
2 Andre Dore D
10 Ron Duguay C
77 Phil Esposito C
3 Dave Farrish D
22 Nick Fotiu LW
4 Ron Greschner D
15 Anders Hedberg
16 Pat Hickey LW 25
17 Eddie Johnstone
26 Dave Maloney D
12 Don Maloney LW
25 Mario Marois D
27 Mike McEwen D
14 Don Murdoch RW
11 Ulf Nilsson C 28 injured in final
31 Doug Soetaert G
19 Dean Talafous RW
18 Walt Tkaczuk C
5 Carol Vadnais D
8 Steve Vickers LW 27
Tonight the Series starts and I am torn. I don’t particularly care for the Bruins, but they have Jags and I would like to see Jags get one more. He deserves it.
What a story book career.
So you ask how did it go with Jacques Lemaire that following season. Well, I was meant to shut him down away from home and I failed. We had a coincidental minor.
I blew the ice re-entry as I was in awe of lemaire, I missed my clue. Then during the return game at home we won and I was killing penalties against him…
Go Hawks!
It was the Rangers and the Canadiens.
The first game of that final in Montreal was incidintaly the first NHL game I saw – live.
In 1979 – As a young buck during the Swiss off-season I was touring North America following the play offs.
From NYC where I saw the series decider between the Rangers and the Islanders. The euphoria in the Big Apple was electrifying. I watched the game in an Irish bar on Lexington Avenue, as if I needed any more prodding to become a life long Rangers fan, that celebration did it for me.
The Habs/Bruins series continued and so I was heading north towards Boston. As I drove past the old Yankees stadium in the Bronx I remember the light billboard outside: Well done Shero’s Heroes! Get the Cup!
Once the Habs took care of the Bruins I game or two later I made short term plans to travel to Montreal, a Stanley Cup pilgrimage for this young Czech Swiss convert.
Of course I went to see the Forum to soak in some of the aura. I remember vividly – it was a Sunday morning and the game was to take place in the late afternoon. It must have been 10 or 11 am when all of a sudden the ticket office door opened and with fresh tickets for sale. I got my Golden Ticket! To this date I am failing to comprehend that. I was way up in the nosebleeds. I remember seeing the old boxy TV screens overhead to watch replays.
At the time I played for the Geneva Servette team in the Swiss League and it was already in the news that Jacques Lemaire was going to finish his NHL career and move to Switzerland and play for the small market team of Sierre. His buddy Jacques Plante, was living nearby and I guess he set it up for Jacques Lemaire. So I knew going into this game than come fall I would need to play against Jacques Lemaire.
I must have been the only Rangers fan in the building that day. Rangers won that game, what a night!
I still have the programme from that game, HoF line ups:
Habs
6 Pierre Mondou
8 Doug Risebrough
21 Doug Jarvis
25 Jacques Lemaire
28 Pierre Larouche
10 Guy Lafleur
11 Yvon Lambert
12 Yvan Cournoyer (Captain)
14 Mario Tremblay
15 Rejean Houle
20 Cam Connor
22 Steve Shutt
23 Bob Gainey
30 Pat Hughes
31 Mark Napier
3Brian Engblom
5 Guy Lapointe
17 Rod Langway
18 Serge Savard (Acting Captain)†
19 Larry Robinson
24 Gilles Lupien
27 Rick Chartraw
29 Ken Dryden
1 Michel Bunny Larocque
Rangers
6 Tim Bothwell D
30 John Davidson G 25 6-3 205 -/L 5 February 27, 1953 20-12-5, 3.52 GAA
23 Lucien DeBlois RW
2 Andre Dore D
10 Ron Duguay C
77 Phil Esposito C
3 Dave Farrish D
22 Nick Fotiu LW
4 Ron Greschner D
15 Anders Hedberg
16 Pat Hickey LW 25
17 Eddie Johnstone
26 Dave Maloney D
12 Don Maloney LW
25 Mario Marois D
27 Mike McEwen D
14 Don Murdoch RW
11 Ulf Nilsson C 28 injured in final
31 Doug Soetaert G
19 Dean Talafous RW
18 Walt Tkaczuk C
5 Carol Vadnais D
8 Steve Vickers LW 27
Tonight the Series starts and I am torn. I don’t particularly care for the Bruins, but they have Jags and I would like to see Jags get one more. He deserves it.
What a story book career.
So you ask how did it go with Jacques Lemaire that following season. Well, I was meant to shut him down away from home and I failed. We had a coincidental minor.
I blew the ice re-entry as I was in awe of lemaire, I missed my clue. Then during the return game at home we won and I was killing penalties against him…
Go Hawks!