Question: What does Jacob Fowler, the Montréal Canadiens hot rookie goaltender, have in common with Habs Hall of Fame* all-star goalies Ken Dryden, Patrick Roy, and Carey Price?
Ummmm... Can we have a clue? Who's Jacob Fowler? Ed.
Try to keep up, Hed! Jacob Fowler (born 24 November 2004) is an American professional hockey player who tends goal for la Sainte Flannelle. He was selected by the Habs in the third round, 69th overall, in the 2023 NHL entry draft, and played his first regular season game last night in the Canadiens' 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Here are the RDS video highlights.
Answer: Last night Jacob Fowler became the fourth Habs goalie to play and win his first NHL game in Pittsburgh. His predecessors were Ken Dryden, Patrick Roy, and Carey Price, all of whom went on to become superstars.
*OK, unlike Dryden and Roy, Price never had his name inscribed on the Stanley Cup, and has not yet been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. But next year he's a sure-fire bet to be elected to the HHOF, on the first round of voting. For sure!
As our National Sports Editor, Poor Len Canayen, reported, legendary Montréal Canadiens goaltender Ken Dryden, one of the greatest of all time, passed away in early September after a long battle with cancer, at the age of 78. If you missed it, please click here to see the video tribute we posted the day after his death was announed.
Here is the official NHL tribute video, posted at the same time.
And now, the video from the team's tribute shown before the season opening ceremonies at at le Centre Bell, last night.
Rest in peace, Ken. We miss you. - Walt, Poor Len [and Ed.! Ed.]
Ed. here. We welcome back our National Sports (as long as it's hockey) Editor, Poor Len Canayen. His notes on last night's exhibition game between the Montréal Canadien and the Pittsburgh Penguins will be posted later today, but first this salute to Habs captain Nick Suzuki, who on Friday gave his first television interview in French.
There was a time, long ago [Len writes] when giving an interview in la langue de Moliere was no biggie for a captain of les Glorieux, because he would have been a francophone -- native Canadian French speaker. But in the 21st century NHL, the Flying Frenchmen are lucky to have even half a dozen French-Canadian players. I can remember a couple of years back when David Desharnais was voted the fans favourite francophone players, and commented, "Hey, I yam de only one!"
All the same, there is a certain expectation that he who wears the "C" should learn the language, sooner or later. Since being named the youngest captain in franchise history three years ago at age 23, Nick Suzuki has embraced the role, and shown his understanding of the history and character of la Sainte Flannelle. Here's his interview with Félix Séguin of TVA Sports.
Believe it or not, this is the first time a Canadiens captain had been interviewed in French since Vincent Damphousse -- a francophone -- more than 25 years ago. Suzuki is the first English-speaking captain to learn French and do an interview in that language since Bob Gainey, who felt it was his duty to learn French and taught himself.
Fellow Canadiens Hall of Famers Larry Robinson and Ken Dryden also learned French. The Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby learned to speak French during his two seasons playing for the QMJHL’s Rimouski Océanic and Suzuki spoke with him about it when the two captains were together recently in Las Vegas for an NHL media event. “He said he didn’t really have much of a choice when he was playing junior... He said all the bus rides they watched French movies and he'd watch them with the guys."
There are language zealots on both sides of the Two Solitudes and Suzuki will never make everyone happy. But he should be applauded for taking a big first step. Il a gagné ses épaulettes!
Further to Poor Len Canayen's commentary, posted earlier today... From his iconic stance to his lightning-fast reflexes, the Montréal Canadiens' Ken Dryden's unique goaltending technique stunned the greatest hockey players and revolutionized the best game of all. Our good friends at Blazing Cat Fur have found and reposted this excellent video showing the historic moment that changed hockey forever.
Ed. here. It is less than a month until the opening of the National Hockey League's 2025-26 hockey season. We expect Poor Len Canayen's preview about two weeks from now, but have had to call on him today in the sad circumstances which he will now relate. Over to you, Len.
Tank youse, Hed. It is my sad duty to report to fans of the world's best sport, and the Montréal Canadiens in particular, that Ken Dryden, one of the best goaltenders of all time has died, after a long battle with cancer, at the age of 78.
Ken burst on the scene late in the 1970-71 season, when the Canadiens called him up from their Halifax AHL affiliate to lead the underdog Habs to one of the greatest upsets in hockey history. Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr led the Boston Bruins that year to one of the best regular seasons in NHL history but Montreal took them out in a seven-game semi-final series.
He won the Conn Smythe trophy as MVP after les Glorieux beat Chicago in the final in seven games. He went on to win the Calder Cup as rookie of the year in the following season, and six Stanley Cups in his eight seasons with Montréal.
He and Tony Esposito backstopped Canada to that improbable win over the Soviet national team in 1972. He said after the series that during the eighth and final game, in which Canada trailed 5-3 before coming back to win, he feared waking up the next day and being the most hated man in Canada.
After hanging up his skates, Dryden went on to practise law before being elected to the Canadian House of Commons as Member of Parliament for the Toronto riding of York Centre.an MP. He was also, briefly, President of the Toronto Maple Leafs, but his heart was always in Montréal.
In 1983 he authored The Game, widely acknowledged as the best hockey book ever written. The Game is a reflective and thought-provoking look at a life in hockey, capturing the essence of the sport and what it means to all hockey fans. Dryden gives us vivid and affectionate portraits of the characters --Guy Lafleur, Larry Robinson, Guy Lapointe, Serge Savard, and coach Scotty Bowman among them --that made the 1970s Habs one of the greatest hockey teams in history.
Geoff Molson, le propriétaire et président du Tricolore, a décrit Dryden comme "un athlète exceptionnel, mais aussi un homme d’exception. Derrière le masque, il était plus grand que nature.
"Nous pleurons aujourd’hui non seulement la perte d’un pilier d’une des plus grandes dynasties du hockey, mais aussi celle d’un homme de famille, d’une personne attentionnée et d’un gentilhomme qui a profondément marqué nos vies et nos communautés à travers les générations. Il était de ces légendes qui ont façonné notre Club pour en faire ce qu’il est aujourd’hui."
The Montreal Gazette’s Red Fisher, called the Hall of Famer "one of the truly great goaltenders in Canadiens history." On wishing Ken Dryden a happy 65th birthday, Mr Fisher wrote, "Dryden, a winner of 258 of his 397 regular-season games (2.24 goals-against average) and 112 playoff games (80 victories) who started his NHL career with a 5-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1971. And who can forget that after playing in only six regular-season games, Dryden was GM Sam Pollock’s stunning choice over Rogie Vachon to start in the playoffs against the heavily favoured Boston Bruins.
"Dryden didn’t merely contribute to this team winning the Stanley Cup that year – in seven games against the Bruins, in six against Minnesota and in a seven-game final against the Chicago Blackhawks. They would not have won it without him in a string of postseason performances for the ages – with the Canadiens winning all of the series-deciding games on the road.
"There are so many reasons why he was a member of six Stanley Cup teams in eight seasons. He had the size. He had the hockey sense. He had the passion. So many reasons why he was so special, not the least of which was – and is – his massive intellect.
"You don’t lead your team to the Stanley Cup and win the Conn Smythe Trophy after only six regular-season games unless the goaltender is your most valuable player. This team was blessed with a number of great stars, but throughout his brief career he was my MVP. And make no mistake about it: he was also the players’ most valuable player. They, better than anyone else, understood what he was made of and what he meant to the team."
A glowing tribute indeed, and well-deserved. Comparing himself to Carey Price, a guaranteed first-ballot Hall of Famer, Ken Dryden said he (Dryden) was a good goaltender who was fortunate to have an excellent team in front of him, whereas Price was an excellent goaltender playing behind a good team.
It is noteworthy, that through good times and tough times, winning and losing, la Sainte Flannelle has resisted the temptation to employ foreign goaltenders. All their greats have been Canadians, and many of those canadiens. One thinks of Patrick Roy, Jacques Plante, and, of course, Georges Vézina, who started their tradition of excellence. One hopes that Ken Dryden will smile down on young Samuel Montembault as he carries the torch passesd to him.
Ed. here. Instead of the usual drivel, we are pleased to turn this space over to our National Sports (As Long As It's Hockey) Editor, Poor Len Canayen, for a long-awaited announcement.
Tank youse, Hed. All of us at WWW, and Habs fans worldwide, are beyond please to congratulate Montréal Canadiens defenceman Lane Hutson, on winning the 2024-25 Calder Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year.
Yes! we have video to show why he easily topped the voting for the coveted award.
Hutson n'est pas un gars de chez nous. He actually comes from Holland*, but we already consider him a citizen of Québec, and of Canada too. After all, he was a major reason for the surprise appearance of la Sainte Flannelle in this spring's NHL playoffs.
Hutson, selected 62nd overall by Montréal at the 2022 NHL draft, is the Canadiens’ second Calder recipient in the expansion era, after goaltender Ken Dryden (1971-72). He led rookies in scoring, with six goals and 60 assists in his inaugural NHL season.His 60 assists matched Larry Murphy (1980-81) for the most by a rookie defenceman, while his 66 points trailed only Murphy, Brian Leetch (1988-89) and Gary Suter (1985-86) for the most ever by a rookie blueliner.
We predict a great future for the diminutive defenceman who, when he's on the ice, plays twice his size. Il a gagné ses épaulettes!
* Ed. asks: Should we call him Der fliegende Holländer? Errr, no. He's from Holland MI!
Poor Len Canayen here. The loooong NHL season is finally over. Last night the St. Louis Blues surprised everyone -- perhaps including themselves -- by defeating the big bad Boston Bruins 4-1 to take the Stanley Cup back to their city. Congratulations to them!
The story of the Blues' rise from last to first, to win their first ever championship, is a truly remarkable one. On New Year's Day they were dead last in the NHL. Instead of talk of a playoff run, the chatter around the club six months ago centred around which players would be available at the trade deadline.
Then they got a new "interim" coach, Craig Berube, who worked some kind of magic with a squad of has-beens, never-weres and rookies. They went 30-10-5 to make the playoffs and disposed of the Winnipeg Jets, Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks in the first three rounds. The final series went the full seven games, culminating in an outcome which was the opposite of that predicted by most punters, notably "Donless" Cherry and (ahem) yours very truly.
The star player in the Blues' climb from outhouse to penthouse was rookie goalie Jordan Binnington. He was called up on December 9th, and during the regular season gave no indication that he would become the Blues saviour. But he sure shone in the playoffs. I haven't seen anything like it since Ken Dryden came from nowhere in 1971 to help the Montréal Canadiens win Lord Stanley's silverware. Dryden was voted playoff MVP that year. Binnington set a rookie goalie record, with 16 W's in this year's payoffs, and looks a sure bet to take home the Conn Smythe Trophy.
But the big win was the result of an outstanding team effort. The Blues hit hard, forechecked hard and they were unrelentingly diligent in their own end. Whatever shots the skaters didn't block, Binnington saved. They were also overwhelmingly physical, no mean feat against the rough tough Bruins. It was a textbook road game, grabbing a quick(ish) lead and then defending fiercely until the final buzzer. The best team won, and we at WWW salute them. Well done, Blues!
Poor Len `ere. Last night I was watching the Boston v Columbus game on Hockey Night in Canada, and I got to thinking about that Don Cherry (aka Donless Cherry -- that's what Ron Maclean calls him), who was all dressed up for May the 4th (geddit?) and talking about "When I had the Bruins and Bobby Orr..." And I got to thinking, why isn't Don Cherry in the National Hockey League Hall of Fame?!
Wikipedia calls Donald Stewart Cherry (born 5 February 1934) "a Canadian ice hockey commentator". He is more than that. He is THE Canadian ice hockey commentator. Along with Ron Maclean, he co-hosts the "Coach's Corner" intermission segment on Hockey Night in Canada, the longest-running show on Canadian TV. He is a Canadian icon, known for his outspoken manner, his nationalistic opinions [How does he get away with it, nowadays? Ed.] and his flamboyant dress (see pic). Those Edwardian shirt collars must be damn uncomfortable.
Don toiled for years with the AHL Rochester Americans, and was called up for one (1) game with the Boston Bruins, the only game he ever played in the NHL. He went on to coach the big bad Bruins for five seasons, during which he had the good fortune to have on the team Bobby Orr, one of othe greatest -- Don says THE greatest -- defencemen ever to play the game. He never lets us forget it (see above).
Mr Cherry was voted the seventh greatest Canadian on a CBC television special called, errr, The Greatest Canadian (duh). In March 2010, his life was dramatized in a two-part made-for-TV movie, Keep Your Head Up, Kid: The Don Cherry Story, based on a script written by his son, Timothy Cherry. In March 2012, CBC aired a sequel, The Wrath of Grapes: The Don Cherry Story II. And yet the selectors for the NHL Hall of Fame keep passing over him. I can't understand it. Don Cherry IS famous, for:
- coaching Bobby Orr (see above)
- being a Canadian nationalist
- disliking European-born players, especially "chicken Swedes"
- loving Canadian guys in uniform: soldiers, cops and hockey player
- owning a succession of white bull terriers, all named "Blue"
- turning down an offer of appointment to the Canadian Senate
- other stuff
But what Don is most famous for, IMHO, is something that happened forty years and five days ago, on the evening of 10 May 1979. The Bruins were playing in the seventh game of the NHL Stanley Cup semi-finals against arch-enemies, the Montréal Canadiens. The series was tied 3 games each, and the winner of the 7th game would go on to play for Lord Stanley's silverware. Boston was ahead 3-1 going into the third period and looked to be on the verge of victory. The Habs responded with goals from Mark Napier and Guy Lapointe to tie the game. With just under four minutes to play, Rick Middleton managed to bounce a puck off the arm of goaltender Ken Dryden and into the net to take a 4-3 lead. Here's what happened next.
With only 2:34 to go, the Bruins were caught on a sloppy line change -- too many men on the ice... two-minute penalty! Changing the lines is the coach's responsibility, so, as Don Cherry later told the Grope and Flail, "It was my fault. The guy couldn't have heard me yell. I grabbed two other guys trying to go over the boards. That would have made eight on the ice. Might as well have let them go."
Not wasting an opportunity, Montréal coach Scotty Bowman put out his elite power-play unit: Guy Lafleur, Larry Robinson, Serge Savard, Steve Shutt and Jacques Lemaire. Unlike Don Cherry, all five players are in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Lafleur scored the a beauty, beating Gilles Gilbert on the short side, to tie the game at 4-4. In the overtime that ensured, les Glorieux went on to win. They would then beat the New York Rangers to win yet another Stanley Cup.
Later that May, Bruins GM Harry Sinden fired Don Cherry. But here's the thing. To this day, a clip of Don responding to the derision of the Montréal crowd is still included in the intro to every "Coach's Corner". He's a classy guy, an asset to the game and to Canada, and should damn well be in the Hall of Fame, EH!
Poor Len, again. [Hey, that rhymes! Ed.] I'm pleased to report that les Glorieux -- the Montréal Canadiens -- won last night's game against the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 3-1.
The win was important as the Habs fight to make it into the Eastern Division playoffs. See yesterday's post, below. More noteworthy, though, is the fact that this was Price's 315th victory wearing the bleu-blanc-et-rouge colours of la Sainte Flannelle. That makes him the winningest Habs goalie of all time, with 315 victories, one more than the legendary Jacques Plante. Third and fourth on the list are Patrick Roy and Ken Dryden. To appreciate Price's skill check out the spectacular save at 1:30 of this highlight reel.
Now we have the reality check. Columbus also won their game last night, so remain in the second and last wild card spot for the Eastern Division playoffs. They are tied with the Habs for the number of points, but are ahead by virtue of having a better won-loss record. The Canadiens will need to play like this for every one of their 12 remaining games to avoid hitting the golf course in April.
There are those who think of hockey players as big, dumb guys who beat each other upside the head with curved sticks. Some of them are. But some are well educated, thinking, feeling human beings. Intellectual, even. One of the latter types is Ken Dryden: lawyer, teacher, author, former member of the Canadian cabinet, and Hall of Fame NHL goaltender. [Poor Len wants it clearly understood that Mr Dryden played always and only for the Montréal Canadiens! Ed.]
Even when he was on the ice, in the middle of a game, Ken Dryden could be seen observing and thinking. This picture says it all. There he is, taking it all in, seeing the obvious and the not-so-obvious, figuring out what's going on. Like many thoughtful Canucks, Mr Dryden has spent the last couple of months pondering American politics, the events of last Tuesday and what the Trump triumph means for the Excited States of America, the Democratic Party and the lamestream media.
How could Mrs Bill Clinton, her Democratic and other supporters, and virtually all of the country's press and broadcast pundits get it all so wrong? Mr Dryden presents his analysis in a powerful op-ed piece in today's Toronto Star, headed "Clinton, media never understood Trump".
That the piece should appear in the Toronto Red Star is rather ironic, given that the Star has this year moved even more to the left than normal. It has long been a propaganda organ for the Liberal Party, and now finds itself the smug and self-righteous voice of progressivism and the fight for "social justice". Here are some other articles in its Commentary section today: "Why did women vote for Trump?"; "Canada could have its own Donald Trump" (intended as a warning); "Trump’s victory has become Obama’s legacy"; "We are really going to miss Obama"; "Prepare for the new world disorder"; and "How best to mount an anti-Trump opposition?"
What a load... But there is some gold hidden amidst the dross, in the form of Mr Dryden's article which is as unbiased as anything the Star would ever publish, clear and (IMHO) right on the money in analyzing what happened. And yes, I believe it could happen in Canada... and France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. The next 18 months or so could well see a true "people's revolution" in which the will of the people -- the real people -- is expressed and acted upon. Let us pray....
Ed. here. It's been a while since we did the mailbag bit, wherein I answer readers' questions about Walt or WWW or whatever. Today we have space for just one. Justine Truedough writes: I notice that Walt seems to be a fan of the Montréal Canadiens. Can you tell me why?
Bonne question, Justine! By way of answer, I've selected a passage fromThe Unfinished Canadian, by Andrew Cohen (McClelland & Stewart, 2007), a fine book mentioned by Walt in his second post today. He highlighted these paragraphs in the last chapter, "The Future Canadian". I've added an appropriate photo.
Hockey is Canada's high church. For this is the country of the Trail Smokeaters, the Edmonton Oilers, the Toronto Maple Leafs -- and the Olympic women's hockey team. Most famously, it is the country of the Montréal Canadiens. Even their name says something about us. Up the late 1800s, les Canadiens were the real Canadians, those who spoke French and lived in Québec. It is fitting that the name of the greatest team in hockey should marry Montréal, once the foremost city of Canada, and les Canadiens, the first Canadians. They have come to represent not just the city and Québec but something greater than that, the country itself.
For les Canadiens are what we were, what we are, and what we may be. For years, they were French and English in perfect balance, one of those few national institutions that brought us together. They were Harvey, Harris, Worsley, and Moore. They were Savard, Rousseau, Tremblay, and Plante. They were the country itself, winning and losing, but mostly winning. In the history of the sport, no team has won more professional championships. Twenty-four pennants hang from the rafters of the Bell Centre in Montreal.
And how they won! They were élan itself. The fire of Maurice Richard, the moxie of Doug Harvey, the tenacity of Henri Richard, the power of Bernie Geoffrion, the wings of Yvan Cournoyer, the tentacles of Ken Dryden. Most of all, there was Jean Béliveau, the quintessence of class itself, floating above the maelstrom, his stick a paintbrush sweeping across an incandescent white and blue canvas. Their retired numbers hang from the rafters, too. This is our national portrait gallery.
Their language was not so much English and French, but success. They were what we were. Today, the Canadiens are not just English and French; in fact, they are hardly either, any more. Today they are the world -- Swiss, Finns, Russians, Americans, French, Czechs and Kazakhstanis.
They have no identity crisis. They have no resentment or jealousy or ambiguity and show moderation in everything but the pursuit of excellence. They do not ask who they are and no one asks them. Their temple is cloaked in history -- the championships they have won, the torches they have passed. They know where they are from and who came before them. They do not agonize over divided loyalties or different nationalities. They know instinctively where they belong, in the Dominion of Success. These are les Canadiens....
