Season 7: 1982-83
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Season 7: 1982-83 |
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The number 21 was his again,
and along with it some impressive skates to fill. 21’s previous
owner, Doug Jarvis, had been the Canadiens’ penalty-killing
center for seven years. In the off season he was traded to Washington,
a move which made his many fans very upset. Three games into the
season, the new numéro vignt-et-un was in the game, ready
to prove he had learned the kind of defensive skills for which
his predecessor had been so valued. (Ironically, 13 years later
Carbonneau would join Jarvis, now an assistant coach, in the Stars
organization.)
Adding to the pressure of that challenge was the imposing presence
of Guy’s new teammates and the legacy of the Montreal team.
"When I got there," Carbonneau later explained, "I
was sitting with Guy Lafleur on one side and Larry Robinson and
Bob Gainey on the other. I was pretty nervous the first couple
of days. It takes awhile to get a little bit of confidence and
be able to do what you have to do on the ice to prove to them
that you could play." Guy was inspired by the tradition that
had preceded him. "Just to be able to sit around and talk
with Maurice and Henri Richard, Jean Beliveau, Toe Blake…When
you’re a young guy, that means a lot," Carbonneau said.
"When they tell you a story, it’s from the heart. Those
guys, they played for the love of the game."
Carbonneau had to earn his own glory for the number 21, and he
was determined to do so. However, an obstacle immediate arose:
a lack of ice time. He and Coach Bob Berry did not get along well,
and as fourth line center, Guy didn’t get much opportunity
to put his long-honed skills to work. Guy explains, "They
mostly played just three lines in those days, so I was always
on the bench. One day, somebody got hurt and I tried killing penalties.
Then they decided to put me with Gainey to play against the other
teams’ top lines."
As a penalty-killer, Carbonneau
was impressive. Bob Gainey reminisces thus on Carbo’s early
years: "Guy’s skills were already weighted towards being
a defender rather than somebody who created offense…He understands
checking angles and how to take away people’s space. He was
given that role and when I was there, we played together. We were
teamed up for five or six years." Adds Guy, "I guess,
in one way, I was trying to take the best of everybody and put
it in my game. And Bob being the best defensive forward, I learned
a lot from him."
As much as Carbonneau felt awe and respect toward the hockey legends
around him, on the ice he was not cowed. It was the author’s
privilege to acquire a tape of a game only two months into Guy’s
NHL career, when the 22-year-old center’s team faced the
Edmonton Oilers. Early in the game Wayne Gretzky did something
to offend, and earned Carbo’s wrath. It is difficult to read
lips on a 17 year old videotape, but as the linesman held #21
at bay his fury was clearly not checked by any awe of the Great
One. Guy later was able to take out his revenge against Gretzky
more than once in the faceoff circle.
In spite of limited duty, Carbonneau got 18 goals and 29 assists
in his rookie year, and he also tied that year’s NHL rookie
record for shorthanded goals with five. It was a fine start, and
it was only the beginning…
For all the challenges of his new position in life, Carbo would
thrive under the pressure of his teammates, the rabid Canadiens
fans, and the Montreal media. He would not only become a true
member of Les Glorieux, but a leader among them. There was something
in Carbonneau’s makeup, in the way he was raised, that made
him the quintessential Canadien. As Guy’s wife Line would
later say, "I realized when I first met him that he was a
leader. He always has been like the captain. He’s always
had the role even when he was really young. It’s his nature."
The demands of honor and duty that were the team’s legacy
were welcome to Carbonneau. He understood patience and discipline,
hard work and focus, the insatiable desire for victory. He was
not only up to the task of playing the role his team required
of him, he possessed the personal character that would bring honor
to that precious sweater.
Before he was through wearing 21 for the Habs, Guy would do that
number quite proud.
See also: 1983: Carbonneau on Habs Snit List (from our "Obscure Facts" section)
Resources:
1995-96 Official Game Program, The Dallas Stars
Hockey
Over Time
web site (Joe Pelletier and Patrick Houda)
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