Emile 'Butch' Bouchard, a member of the Le Club Hockey Canadiens' Ring of Honor, has passed away at the age of 92.
For his story, I refer to the one where he rode his bike 80 kilometers to try out for the Canadiens.
Back then, it seems, players would die for their team.
Once upon a time, long ago, in a galaxy far away, the Montreal Canadiens were the greatest hockey organization in the world.
Now, they stand lost in the shuffle amongst many.
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Altogehter now, how great were they?
So great they took on in 1975 the mightiest of all hockey empires - the Soviet Union - and outplayed them in a 3-3 tie (38-13 shots in favor of the Habs) in what is considered the greatest hockey game ever contested. The Soviets were like a bunch of Terminators on the ice. Precise in their passing, artistic in their skating, and deadly in their shooting accuracy, they invoked pure fear like Huns descending on a hapless village. Russian players still exhibit those classical attributes.
Yet, still on the cusp of what was to be their last great dysnasty,the Habs measured up well against them.
Amazing how things have changed. Now I don't think they could take on Latvia or Ukraine let alone the CCCP.
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