JMMR Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 A great tribute to boom boom and a huge slap in the face to CBC/Leaf nation: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/serv...ory/Sports/home Leaf Nation missed boat on habs hero When Boom Boom's legacy rose to Montreal's rafters – and Leaf Nation missed it ROY MacGREGOR From Monday's Globe and Mail E-mail Roy MacGregor | Read Bio | Latest Columns What the regions of this country really need is a better equalization formula. One that's built on fairness. And specifically for hockey. The absurdity of "Leaf Nation" was on eye-rolling national display this weekend, when a magical moment was taking place in Montreal while most television sets in this country were carrying a relatively meaningless game between two teams that might not even make the playoffs: the Toronto Maple Leafs and the sinking Tampa Bay Lightning. The game in Montreal, on the other hand, was a thrilling 1-0 victory by the home-team Canadiens over the New York Rangers, two teams desperate to solidify their playoff positions. The CBC and Hockey Night in Canada cannot, of course, be expected to know which games will be more exciting, but surely they should be able to pick the better storyline. Especially when that story -- the retirement of Bernard (Boom Boom) Geoffrion's No. 5 -- had been scheduled back in early October. Instead, even hockey fans living in Montreal had to switch from the Leafs game to RDS, the French-language sports channel, where one of the most moving stories in recent hockey history was unfolding in a remarkable series of tears and shivers. In the evening in Montreal, they raised Bernie Geoffrion's No. 5 to the rafters. In the morning in Atlanta, Bernie Geoffrion died of stomach cancer at age 75. His last words had requested that his wife Marlene and daughter Linda make it to Montreal for the ceremony. It should, of course, have happened years earlier, with Geoffrion himself there with his big smile and the big voice that, had he not been a hockey star, might have made him a celebrated singer. They would have cheered and it would have made everything alright again. They booed him long ago in Montreal, on the night in 1955 when he was given the Art Ross Trophy as the league's top scorer. The fans felt it should have gone to Rocket Richard, Geoffrion's great idol, but Richard had been suspended and, in the last game of the season, Geoffrion's assist had lifted him over the Rocket. He never forgot those boos. They loved him other times, though, and they always called him "Boom Boom" or "The Boomer" or just "Boom," surely the greatest of all hockey nicknames. Today he would be "Geoffie." Mercifully, he played when nicknames required imagination. His was for his shot and Geoffrion stands unique in hockey for the changes he brought. He gave hockey the slapshot, which led to the curved blade, which led to the goalie mask. His mischievous side would have loved that, in the very week they were honouring him, the NHL was embroiled in a debate over the use of warped stick blades in shootouts. His wife and daughter made it in time. They and the two Geoffrion sons, Danny and Robert, put on No. 5 Canadiens jerseys and the four of them pulled the cord that raised the banner to hang beside No. 7, the sweater worn by the Canadiens' great hero of the 1930s, Howie Morenz. Howie Morenz, Marlene Geoffrion's father. They did this on the day that Bernie Geoffrion died and 69 years to the day since 12,500 weeping fans turned up at the old Montreal Forum to say farewell to Morenz, dead tragically at 34 from a hockey injury. They did this 10 years to the day since the old Forum -- hockey's greatest shrine, the rink where Morenz and Geoffrion starred -- was closed down. They did this while the fans cheered and the man's grandchildren covered their wet faces with handkerchiefs as his sons spoke. "The first time Dad took my mom on a date," Danny Geoffrion said, "he took her to a boxing match at the Forum. He told her that one day his sweater would hang up there next to her father's. "Today, he's kept that promise." Marlene Geoffrion nodded, remembering; yet one can only imagine what must have been going through this brave woman's mind at that moment. For most of the country interested in the national sport, however, that moment was coloured blue and featured, as it far too often does, the Toronto Maple Leafs. The CBC is not alone here -- Leaf Nation appears to rule all national media based in Toronto -- but surely it is time to acknowledge that if there is indeed a Leaf Nation there are, most assuredly, five other hockey nations in this country. And each and every one of them, at the moment, a far more interesting story than the worst team in Canada. Those watching the Leafs, unfortunately, missed both a great game and a great story. Boom's great friend, Montreal Gazette sportswriter Red Fisher, says that Marlene Geoffrion spoke to her husband's old teammate, Dickie Moore, as she raced to the airport. She was on her way, she said, because, "He's in heaven now -- he's where he should be." There, and high on the rafters beside his wife's father, No. 5 and No. 7 together. And all of Canada should have seen him rise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime Minister Koivu Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 Great article. CBC is garbage, I wish the government would stop giving them money. Yes they show alot of hockey but if the leafs are playing that is what they show. Toronto is only one part of the country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
habsfan88 Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 Your right, it is a great article. Stupid "LEAF NATION". I hate them so much, when I am old enough, I'm getting the HELL OUT OF TORONTO and moving to Montreal...Probably Westmount. I think that all of Canada should've seen that ceremony. It was sooo moving, that was history right there. That ceremony was something to remember, but instead they aired a bunch of goons on ice, fighting for scraps under a table. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel1968 Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 I couldn't agree more. As a Montrealer marooned in Toronto for 19 years, I'm amazed/dismayed at how little other teams are discussed here. It's quite sad and pathetic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTH Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 Worse than CBC is the Glen Healy/Chris Cuthbert duo on TSN. I like MacGuire but Healy makes me so mad that I definitely prefer listening to RDS in French. Healy is an idiot. I was recently watching the Habs/Bruins game on TSN. What GLen Healy did was take our impressive road trip record, go through it game by game and bash every single one saying how we shouldn't have won (including the 6-2 beating of the Lightning). He also brought the Leafs into a game that they had nothing to do with way too often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bebehabs Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 i heard on RDS that nite that in NY, there was a channel who is going to show the boom boom ceremony LIVE~ and yesterday the rangers played at home and they took a lil moment at the beginning of the game to honnoured boom boom and superman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMMR Posted March 14, 2006 Author Share Posted March 14, 2006 That station is MSG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel1968 Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 I watched it on NHL Centre Ice and MSG played the ENTIRE ceremony, including all of the French parts without translation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trizzak Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 (edited) What I don't like it that the CBC decide what games they are going to broadcast before the season starts. Toronto gets a chunk, Ottawa gets a slice, Montreal gets the scraps, all decided early in the season before anyone knows what teams will be fighting for playoff spots, which nights will be special, and so on. I'd rather they decided a month in advance of the game being played. Might allow them to be a little bit more in touch to who is actually doing well. Edited March 14, 2006 by Trizzak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaos Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Yeah I can see it here where I'm from, 2 hours south of Toronto, why I am subjected the Leafs on CBC, but its gotta suck living in Montreal and having to watch their shit. I'm thankfull I have Satellite and can watch whatever I want, wish all habs fans could be so lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetsniper Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Worse than CBC is the Glen Healy/Chris Cuthbert duo on TSN. I like MacGuire but Healy makes me so mad that I definitely prefer listening to RDS in French. Healy is an idiot. I was recently watching the Habs/Bruins game on TSN. What GLen Healy did was take our impressive road trip record, go through it game by game and bash every single one saying how we shouldn't have won (including the 6-2 beating of the Lightning). He also brought the Leafs into a game that they had nothing to do with way too often. Cuthbert rules! Unless you are only dissing Healy, then I'll shut up. I hate Healy too. And yeah, me and my dad were wondering that. We were watching the RDS feed on channel 11 (Calgary's all-french channel.) CBC really dropped the ball there. There's a reason there is so much animosity towards Toronto in this country and CBC is a main contributor. Theres other huge cities in Canada that deserve national attention like Montreal. Like Vancouver. Like Calgary. The only city that TRULY deserves to be ignored is the one 3 hours north from me. Piece of crap city's got nothing on Calgary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaos Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Cuthbert rules! Unless you are only dissing Healy, then I'll shut up. I hate Healy too. And yeah, me and my dad were wondering that. We were watching the RDS feed on channel 11 (Calgary's all-french channel.) CBC really dropped the ball there. There's a reason there is so much animosity towards Toronto in this country and CBC is a main contributor. Theres other huge cities in Canada that deserve national attention like Montreal. Like Vancouver. Like Calgary. The only city that TRULY deserves to be ignored is the one 3 hours north from me. Piece of crap city's got nothing on Calgary. Yeah that Edmonton/Calgary rival is brutal eh? Probably because of CBC and its Toronto fasination, we never get to hear enough about the great Edmonton/Calgary battles. Probably only bettered by the great Montreal/Quebec rivalry.....PLEASE BRING BACK THE NORDIQUES......yeah right Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mont Royale Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 What I don't like it that the CBC decide what games they are going to broadcast before the season starts. Toronto gets a chunk, Ottawa gets a slice, Montreal gets the scraps, all decided early in the season before anyone knows what teams will be fighting for playoff spots, which nights will be special, and so on. I'd rather they decided a month in advance of the game being played. Might allow them to be a little bit more in touch to who is actually doing well. I agree... however, timing wasn't necessarily to blame in this case. It was decided last October that No. 5 would rise to the rafters on Mar. 11. CBC chose not to care. (Of course, they couldn't have predicted the added poignancy of Boomer's death the same day, but it's still a special moment even if he's alive and well.) Would it have been so difficult to start the Leafs game at 8pm? That used to be the usual starting time of all games, once upon a time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huzer Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Wow, that's surprising. I had assumed that it would be shown on CBC. I've got Centre Ice, and watched the game on MSG, and even they started a half an hour BEFORE the presentation happened. Wild. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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