Lions in Winter

When people talk about dynasties in sport, the Montreal Canadiens come immediately to mind. They are inarguably the greatest franchise in all of hockey and, some would say, the most successful sports team of all time. A few reasons why the Canadiens are truly Les Glorieux:

• The first team to win 10 Stanley Cups (1957-58), the only team to win 20 (1976-77), and currently at 24 Stanley Cup victories (1993).
• The only franchise to win at least five Cups in each of three consecutive decades (1950s, 1960s, and 1970s)
• The only club to win at least one Stanley Cup in each decade of the twentieth century in which it competed (1916, 1924, 1931, 1944, 1953, 1964, 1971, 1986, and 1993).

In 2009, the Habs celebrate their 100^th anniversary, and Lions in Winter is the definitive chronicle of that storied past. More than a history of this extraordinary franchise, it is a fascinating look at the heart of the club—an examination of the characters and the qualities that have made that heart pump so strongly for 100 years.

     Meet the builders, the early heroes, the coaches and general managers, and the superstars who have helped lead the Canadiens to countless first-pace finishes and championships throughout an entire century. Great hockey strategists including Frank Selke, Dick Irvin, Toe Blake, Scotty Bowman, and Sam Pollock are remembered or interviewed. And the “Flying Frenchmen” themselves are everywhere, reliving the glory of the Habs on every page: Howie Morenz, Maurice and Henri Richard, Jean Béliveau, Guy Lafleur, Larry Robinson, Ken Dryden, Bob Gainey, Patrick Roy, and many, many more.

     Lions in Winter , on the 100^th anniversary of the Habs, commemorates the legendary players, coaches, and the men in the front office who have made their team the greatest franchise in the history of professional hockey.

“The complete inside story of a great hockey team.” Ronald Corey (former President of the Montreal Canadiens)

“A most sensitive and memorable account of the Club de Hockey Canadien.” Jean Béliveau

CONTENTS

Introduction

Part 1                    The Lion Rampant

Chapter 1              Setting the Stage/ Assembling the Cast

Chapter 2              The Darkness Descends

Chapter 3              Maurice Richard, The Lion Rampant

Chapter 4              Father Frank’s Master Plan

Part 2                    The Lion Regal

Chapter 5              The Fabulous Fifties

Chapter 6              Jean Béliveau, The Lion Regal

Chapter 7              Good Trader Sam and the Surprising Sixties

Part 3                    The Lion in Flight

Chapter   8            The Seventies

Chapter   9            Guy Lafleur, The Lion in Flight

Chapter 10            La Guerre

Part 4                    The Lion at the Gate

Chapter 11            The Interregnum/ New Order/Young Lions/The Lions Fly/The 7-Year Itch

Chapter 12            Patrick Roy, the Lion at the Gate

Chapter 13            An improbable Cup in the not-so-gay Nineties (NEW)

Part 5                    The Lion of the New Millennium

Chapter 14            A Forum adieu (NEW)

Chapter 15            Bob Gainey, the Lion of the New Millennium (NEW)

Chapter 16            Leaguespeak and the New Hockey (NEW)

Chapter 17            A bleu-blanc-rouge Centennial (NEW)