Miracle Moments in Montreal Canadiens History: The Turning Points, The Memorable Games, The Incredible Records

by Jim Hynes

The Habs, Les Glorieux, La Sainte Flanelle—the Montreal Canadiens have almost as many nicknames as they do Stanley Cup twenty-four. In Miracle Moments in Montreal Canadiens History , the first book of a new sports series, Montreal native Jim Hynes details twenty-four memorable moments in the history of hockey’s oldest franchise.

Over the course of three periods—the regular season, the playoffs, and off the ice—relive the highest of highs and lowest of lows of the National Hockey League’s signature franchise, from their founding in 1909 for the enjoyment of Montreal’s French Canadian population to their centennial season of 2009, and beyond. Rub shoulders with the legendary players, from “Rocket” Richard and Jean Béliveau to Guy Lafleur and Patrick Roy, and the owners, managers, and coaches who pulled the strings, creating both dynasties and catastrophic failures along the way.

From “Phantom” Joe Malone’s five-goal night in the NHL’s founding season of 1917 to Jacques Plante’s debut of the goalie mask in 1959, Captain Saku Koivu’s courageous battle with cancer in 2002, and much more, this book brings it all to life. Now hear the chants, sing the songs, feel the thunderous ovations, then stand and cheer (or mercilessly boo) along with those who came before, transfixed before their TV sets or in the shrines to hockey that are the legendary Montreal Forum and its successor, the raucous Bell Centre. Through the pages of this book, join those still watching, waiting, hoping, and praying for that elusive twenty-fifth Stanley Cup.

Genres: Sports

200 pages, Hardcover

Published October 4, 2016

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect of this book, having never heard of the author, but I ended up really enjoying it. In his preface, the author describes the book as 24 essays rather than chapters, and that's exactly what it is. 24 specific players and events have been chosen and fairly brief but interesting and well-researched essays are written about each, along with sidebar stories that tell the story of players and events associated with the main narratives. As someone who has read almost everything written in English about the Habs, I usually have my radar out for mistakes and errors. Aside from misspelling Elmer Lach's name, I found none here. Most of the information here would not be new to the serious Habs fan, but it is presented in a concise and well-written fashion. And I did learn some new things as well, such as the story of Saku Koivu's comeback from cancer. For anyone remotely interested in the Montreal Canadiens, this book would be an excellent place to start discovering about the history and mystique of one of the most successful and storied franchises in North American sport.