Season 16: 1991-92
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Season 16: 1991-92 |
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Montreal athletic therapist
Gaetan Lefebvre once said of Carbonneau, "C’est un vrai."
In English, we might say, "He’s the real deal." We’re talking about something that spans both physical prowess and psychological character—body and mind—and it’s something a true hockey hero cannot be without.
Lefebvre was referring mostly to Carbo’s pain threshold, which in 1991-92 was as renowned in the league as that of his predecessor in the captaincy, Bob Gainey. Up until that year, Guy had only once missed more than three games a season. His ability to play through pain can be traced back to his years in juniors, when he possessed a terrible proclivity for dislocating his shoulders. Guy would often return to the bench with one shoulder lower than the other, and would pop the bones back into place himself in time to take his next shift. Before he went professional, he had surgery on both shoulders to connect his bones with stainless steel. Guy’s brother Denis once said in an interview, "I have the impression that, in the face of pain, he is able to observe himself from outside his body. He looks at himself coldly and notes simply: ‘Yeah, that’s bad.’"
This ability to ignore pain contributes to Carbonneau’s courage on the ice, particularly his willingness to block shots. Teammate Brent Gilchrist once said, "Carbonneau is the top shot-blocking forward in the game today and perhaps of all time." Ray Bourque said of Guy, "Even when he’s not there, you’re sneaking a look [for him]. Everything seems to hit him. He’s fearless." Carbo refuses to boast: "It’s just timing and you can’t be scared of the puck. I try and face the shooter all the time. Some guys are scared and move away and get hurt." Unlike his long-time friend Craig Ludwig, who became famous for his gigantic shin pads, the only special equipment Guy has ever worn are protective flaps that cover the top of his skate boots. "I’ve never had a serious injury from blocking a shot," he says. "I’ve been hit in the ankle and around the foot. You get hit on the outside of the foot and it hurts a lot and it might get swollen, but I’ve never been hurt bad enough to miss a game."
It’s not
that Guy doesn’t feel pain, it’s more that he doesn’t
believe it should matter. I saw this myself during the 1999 playoffs
when Dale Hunter’s skate landed on Carbonneau’s calf.
The anguish on Guy’s face as he clutched at the leg of Stars
trainer Dave Suprenant was clearly real. Nevertheless, he was
back on the ice in the next period, in perfectly normal form.
After a playoff game in 1991, Guy spoke to reporters minus a tooth
and with ice bags on his foot and back. His commentary on his
condition was matter-of-fact: "Everybody goes through the
same thing in the playoffs." After the Habs were eliminated
by Boston, broadcaster and former Canadien Mario Tremblay described
their Captain: "He looked like he’d come out of a meat
grinder after that last game. His face was swollen and covered
with stitches, his body covered with bruises. When I watched him
head for the shower, I said to myself he represents what the Canadiens
have come to be known for: determination, courage and pride. Where
would the Canadiens be without Carbonneau?"
Tremblay
touches upon the connection between physical and spiritual courage.
No doubt it is the same strength of character that enables Guy
to bear up under pain, which also makes him such a leader on and
off the ice. No less than Wayne Gretzky once expressed his admiration
for his opponent: "I’m happy not to face Carbonneau
more than three times a season. Still, that’s three times
too many. You have to be on the ice with him to know how forceful,
effective and talented he really is. He gives his body and his
soul to his team."
Meanwhile, it’s important to note that Carbonneau manages to embody toughness while also exhibiting the utmost respect for his opponent. To the author’s knowledge, the only couple serious injuries he has inflicted upon other players were sheer accidents, such as the time he opened the door to the penalty box and Bryan Marchment (ironically!) collided with it. Carbonneau is the ultimate example of a hockey player who can be tough, physical, and even hot-tempered, without causing injury to others. In fact, "dirty" players have always incensed him and more than once provoked him to complain to league officials. This he did after the 1991 playoffs regarding low checks made by Edmonton’s Craig Muni on members of the Los Angeles Kings. Carbo told the Montreal Gazette, "The game is tough enough without players trying to deliberately hurt another player. If he wants to stand up and hit somebody with a shoulder, fine. But this guy has been going after people’s knees. He’s trying to end a guy’s career." Such an attitude among players is certainly intolerable to Carbonneau, raised as he was to believe that mutual respect is essential.
Guy’s intense
protectiveness of the health and safety of players matches his
intense willingness to sacrifice his own body for his team. In
fact, at the heart of the matter, intensity is what Carbonneau
is all about. In 1992 he wrote an essay on the subject for Les
Canadiens, in which he said:
"By definition, intensity means a degree of activity, energy and power. These elements describe well the effort applied by a professional athlete to attain his personal objectives and those of his team.
"Don’t make the mistake of thinking that the degree of intensity varies depending on whether it is the regular season or the playoffs. Intensity is omnipresent, and you can be certain all the players are giving everything they’ve got. It’s true that the playoffs, due to the high stakes involved, inflict a certain pressure, but that stops the moment the game begins. In the final analysis, it is the game that determines the intensity, and it’s the typical vigor of a playoff game that sets its tone.
"For me, all that matters is that I bring to the game everything of which I am capable, the rest follows. That’s the law of nature!"
Spoken like a true "vrai."
[Click HERE to read about Guy's intensity in the 99-00 season, courtesy of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Jennifer Floyd.]
Resources:
"Defensive Specialist is Source of Strength for Habs,"
Chris Stevenson, Inside Hockey, 1991
"La petite histoire de mon frère Guy," Denis
Carbonneau with Jean Bouchard, Montreal 7 Jours, Dec. 30,
1995
"Gretzky vs. Carbonneau," Les Canadiens, 1990-91,
Issue 5
Les Canadiens, 1992-93, Issue 4
"Game of Intensity," Guy Carbonneau, Les Canadiens,
1991-92, Issue 6
Historical fact update, added 10/24/08 [from a 1992 Beckett Hockey Monthly article, contributed by Guy fan Lisa-Marie Schroeder]:
It would be difficult to think of the Canadiens without Carbonneau, who played his 700th NHL game (all with Montreal) last season. But as close as the Canadiens might have come to losing Carbonneau to an unfortunate mishap if he hadn't wised up, they came even closer last season as he played out his option and became a free agent on July 1.
Carbonneau went as far as putting his Montreal home on the market and flying to Florida to meet with the Fort Lauderdale contingent of the proposed six-team Continental League. Although the league never got off the ground, Ford Lauderdale drafted Carbonneau in the first round.
At least he felt wanted somewhere. Carbonneau failed to receive any offers from NHL clubs during the off-season, and was further hurt when he wasn't invited to Team Canada's training camp for the Canada Cup tournament.
Bitter feelings came to an end on August 29, when Carbonneau signed a four-year, $3 million (Canadian) contract with Montreal.
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