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Habs Reading List

March 19, 2020, 5:36 PM ET [425 Comments]
Karine Hains
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Evenings with no hockey can be boring affairs but we can all be creative and find things to do instead of just watching the games. For those of you who like reading, I thought I'd compile a list of my favorite Habs related books so here goes:

1. The Game - Ken Dryden
Published in 1983, Dryden's first book remains one of the best books ever written about hockey. In in, he gives his insight on life on the road, on celebrity and tells us about his famous teammates and coach; Guy Lafleur, Guy Lapointe, Larry Robinson, Serge Savard and Scotty Bowman. Furthermore, he tells us how he saw the game, how he felt about it and ultimately, it helps you understand why he called time on his career so early. Dryden is no doubt one of the smartest and most eloquent man to ever play the game and it sure shows when you read this book. Even if you aren't a big reader, if you are a big Habs fan, I guarantee you'll love this book and it will entertain you.



2.Le Guerrier (Winning and Nothing Else) - Michel Roy
Written by Patrick Roy's dad, this book tells you all about the last goaltender to bring the Stanley Cup to Montreal. Unsurprisingly, this one covers Roy's early life all the way to his retirement and you get a very personal glimpse of what his life has been like. His challenges, his idols, his determination and what made him such a special athlete and warrior, you'll read it all. This one was published in 2007 and I love the fact that in it it says (loosely translated from French): One day, not so far, the red, white and blue jersey number 33 will join those of Morenz, Vézina, Richard, Plante, Béliveau, Lafleur, Dryden and the other immortals of this glorious team in the rafters of the Canadiens' home the Bell Centre. On that day, the warrior will be back from his exile. Remember what Roy said on November 22, 2008 on his jersey retirement night? Tonight, I'm coming home...So very true.



3. The Great Defender - Larry Robinson with Kevin Shea
You might be too young to have seen him play but Big Bird was as good as they come on the blue line. He spent 20 years in the NHL, 17 with the Habs and 3 with the Kings. As a member of the last great Canadiens dynasty he has got plenty to say about those years and those players. I remember when he signed with LA in the summer of 1989, I was 9 years old and for the first time ever, I was upset to see a player leave my favourite team (it was great practice for when Chelios was sent packing in 1990 and Roy on that dreaded December 1995 day). In this book, Robinson also talks about life post retirement and what it's like to be a coach in this sport.

4. Canadien jusqu'au bout - Philippe Cantin
I reviewed this one not so long ago and I just loved it. This book was long overdue and it allows you to know how Savard really felt when Ronald Corey decided to clean house and replace him with the inexperienced and quite frankly incompetent Réjean Houle (no disrespect to Peanut, he was a good player, a likeable guy and a great Canadiens alumni representative but he had no business being the Canadiens GM). You'll also find out which trade he regrets making and why he made it as well as how he planned to trade Patrick Roy in the summer before he was fired. This man was the general manager of the Habs when I first started watching hockey so finding out about his years at the helm was just downright fascinating. I highly recommend reading this one. Unfortunately, it hasn't been translated to English yet but if you speak French, this one is a must.



5. No Days Off - Max Domi
This one is a bit special, it's not just about hockey but also about Domi's fight with Diabetes and how he didn't let this serious disease stop him from reaching his dream of playing in the NHL. He'll tell you how he felt on draft day, who helped him reach the NHL and how he adapted to it once he made it to the show. You'll also find out what playing with this disease means and all the monitoring that goes into it just to make sure Domi can be at his best. I'll be honest, I didn't know much about diabetes so that made it an even more interesting read for me.



6. Chantal Machabée Désavantage Numérique - Guillaume Lefrançois
Ok, she's not a Habs player but to me, Chantal Machabée is the first lady of Habs coverage and this book is really well written by Lefrançois. It gives a great account of how challenging it was for her to reach the goal she had set for herself and to basically make it in a man's world. There's also a few interesting anecdotes in there about Habs players and management and about RDS' arrival on the sports scene in Québec in 1989. I don't know about you but I grew up watching Sports 30 every morning with breakfast and it's interesting to hear how it all came to be.

So there you have it, my very own reading list. And if you miss the Habs too much, well, here's a treat from Michel Lacroix's Twitter account:

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