Season 18: 1993-94
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Season 18: 1993-94 |
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One of Carbonneau’s greatest gifts
has always been the ability to anticipate the play. Like Gretzky,
he believes the way he sees the game is a greater and more useful
talent than any physical skill he possesses. Guy’s prowess
in faceoffs, defensive play, and the penalty kill can all be traced
to anticipation. It’s a special sort of intelligence which
is able to distill the facts—the specific players on the
ice, who is in goal, the possible strategies each team may use,
the way the game has gone all night—and apply them at lightning
speed to the action at hand.
In 1993, Carbo described the gift of anticipation, as applied to the breakaway, in this fashion (from the French):
"I’m not a natural scorer, but on a breakaway, I try to think of everything. Which goalie am I facing? What style of game does he prefer? The important thing is to make the right move at the right moment. Personally, I prefer shooting to deking, because I’m not as quick as I once was. The goalie is more vulnerable against a powerful, precise shot. If you find yourself alone crossing the blue line, you have enough space and time to react. You can even pick up speed. But if you start the breakaway deep in your opponent’s zone, you must react quickly. Nowadays I play more defensively than I once did, I take fewer risks, and consequently I get fewer breakaway chances. Nevertheless, I try to create as many opportunities as I can. The secret is the power to anticipate the play, especially passes. That has always been my strength."
As for anticipating life, when Guy commenced his 12th year with Montreal, he expected a better regular season than the previous one. And indeed, his health was improved, he contributed more points, and he captained the Habs to another strong season. The defending champions had to relinquish the Stanley Cup to the New York Rangers, but that was no tragedy. Nor was the fact that Carbonneau was now 34. Although he expected to play a less key role on the team, he had no reason to anticipate anything other than finishing his career in Montreal.
Hockey, for all its
vagaries, is sometimes easier to predict than life. On August
19, 1994, the Canadiens traded their captain to the Blues for
Jim Montgomery.
The trade came as a shock to everyone, most of all to the man who had to pack swiftly for St. Louis. It was strange enough from a strategic standpoint for the Habs to swap their faithful captain, a future Hall of Famer, perhaps the best defensive forward in history, for a prospect. But on a deeper level, the trade flew in the face of all that Guy held to be important in the game of hockey.
So why did it happen?
The excuse at the time was an occurrence on a golf course, when Carbo attempted to shoo off a photographer who interrupted a private game. Politeness failed, and in an unfortunate moment of frustration, Guy was captured on film giving the photographer the finger. After the photo was published, the organization declared the incident inappropriate behavior for a representative of the Canadiens.
There was also the usual talk about lowering the payroll, bringing in younger blood, and so on. But underneath all these explanations was the far more plausible one that Carbonneau was not well liked by Habs General Manager Serge Savard. Carbo was too outspoken, too forthright with the press, for the GM’s liking, and this ill will got the better of Savard. He seized the opportunity to be rid of the man who had irritated him for so long, regardless of the consequences both to Guy’s life and to the welfare of the team.
Two years later,
Carbonneau would tell a Dallas reporter: "I didn’t really
expect it. I thought I was going to stay in Montreal for the rest
of my career. I had a disagreement with Serge, but it wasn’t
that bad. I thought maybe they were going to talk to me, tell
me, ‘we can’t play you as much. Will you stay and play
once in awhile,’ things like that." Guy’s bewilderment
at this twist in the road made him question many things he had
always believed about the game, himself, and his career.
He had never anticipated this.
Guy Carbonneau is fifth in Canadiens history in number of playoff games played, and tenth in regular season games played. During his wonderful career with the Habs, he achieved the milestones of his 800th NHL game, 500th point, 300th assist, and 200th goal. For five years he served as team captain, and for longer than that, as a symbol of the most revered tradition in hockey.
It was his hands, along with those of Jean Beliveau, which raised the banner honoring the Canadiens’ 24th Stanley Cup. They, unlike Carbo, haven’t won one since.
And in 1995,
with Carbonneau gone, Montreal missed the playoffs for the first
time in a quarter century.
Resources:
"Anticipating the play," Guy Carbonneau, Les Canadiens,1993-4,
Issue #2
Les Canadiens, 1993-4, Issue #1
Les Canadiens, 1993-4, Issue #2
Les Canadiens, 1993-4, Issue #3
1995-96 Official Game Program, The Dallas Stars
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