|
Springtime in Montreal Means Hockey Playoffs By
Arnie Greenberg (A quintessential Montreal hockey fan, above, rooting for the Canadiens) A city that until recently was covered with snow is now enjoying the spring season. Spring means different things for different people. They say that in spring, a young man's fancy turns to thoughts of love. That may work for most people, but if you live in Montreal, spring is filled with meting snow, flooding, changing winter tires, putting the warm coats away...and thoughts of hockey playoffs. If You're a Montrealer, You're a Hockey Fan We have a pro football team, a soccer team, and we once had a major league baseball team. But if you're a Montrealer, you're a hockey fan. That's just the way it is. I remember as a young boy, when traffic wasn't so heavy, we would meet to play ball hockey on the street. We played without pads or special gloves. Our goal posts were two clumps of ice and we played with a frozen tennis ball. But we took it seriously and we copied the moves of our superstars, or at least we thought we did.
(The famed Montreal Canadiens on the move) But that was long ago, and now most amateurs play on ice surfaces cleaned and provided by the city. Older guys play on rented ice in indoor arenas. Kids played ball hockey on gym floors. The hype and thrill are still there. Then, at night, we watch our home team on television. It's like a religion. It's what we do because we live in a hockey world. In my day, we rooted for Maurice Richard, Yvan Cournoyer, Dickie Duff, Butch Bouchard and Peter Mahovolich. Today, instead of country boys or French Canadian stars, our players often come from Russia or the Czech Republic. But it doesn't matter. Once they put on the red, white and blue uniform, they are playing for 'us'. They are accepted as 'our team' -- and we're truly proud. If we were fortunate enough to see them in action, we went to the Montreal Forum, which was their home, their shrine, and their ice palace of dreams. Then in 1992, because of size or capacity or some big financial move, the team moved to the Bell Center. It took some getting used to. So, too, did the fact that we were now playing against teams from Atlanta, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh and Washington. For a School Boy, It's a Night at the Bell Center For a schoolboy, a night at the Bell Center with a hotdog and souvenir hat or sweater is a dream come true. Grown men cry, women scream and everyone becomes a strategist during the playoffs. Today April 8, 2008, the headline in the Montreal Gazette stated, "Now that we're in the playoffs, our goal is to win the Stanley Cup."
(A night at the Bel Center is hockey nirvana for the kids) This statement, attributed to the Canadien's General Manager and one-time hockey star, sums up the feeling of the city. So if you want a thrill, this is the place to be over the next few weeks. After that, the city becomes a playground for sightseers with a large mountain park in the middle, an exciting old city near the once thriving port, theatres, restaurants, horse and buggy tours, parks and river cruises. There is much more, including some of Canada's best hotels. Hockey Is the Big Theme in Montreal But for the next little while, the theme of Montreal is HOCKEY. Sales of sweaters, flags and other souvenirs are commanding large prices. Even auction sites are selling the playing hockey star sweaters from past years. I attended one such auction. Bidding for Maurice Richard's No. 9 jersey started at $1200. Others were going for a meager $600, and there were buyers. I'm a hockey fan and a voice for the merits of this wonderful city, but at those prices I turn my back. One restaurant owner, with 478 sites in the province, says his business during a Stanley Cup Final can translate into $250,000 revenue. I must be in the wrong business.
(There's nothing like hockey to get Montreal fans cheering) But the investment has its rewards. Where else can you see grown men and women, dressed in red, white and blue, a beer in one hand and a hot dog in the other, screaming with delight as their team scores a goal. In Montreal, the greatest thing you can hear is an announcer on TV or radio screaming"…He shoots…he scores!" It's been a long time since I last saw people and cars on the streets dressed for hockey madness. For me, it brings back memories of my youth. It's hockey. Its pride. It's Montreal. It's the same thing. Join us for the greatest sports show I know. I'll be there too.
| ||
 |
