For this playoff win, he's just a regular Guy

by Mike Heika for The Dallas Morning News, 4/12/01

When Jamie Langenbrunner whipped in the game-winner Wednesday night, Guy Carbonneau jumped from his seat and cheered just the way he always has at Reunion Arena.

Old habits die hard.

The only problem is this time Carbonneau's seat was a padded cushion among the 17,001 faithful instead of a hard piece of pine at ice level. Carbonneau fittingly watched the first playoff game of his retirement in the arena where he became something of a folk hero – and the truth is, it didn't hurt that much.

"I am being completely honest with you when I tell you I miss the game, but I don't miss playing," said the 41-year-old center who retired last season after helping the Stars win seven of their last eight playoff series. "As I sit there, I can't say I need to be out on the ice. I wondered what it would be like, and I know that I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. I know I made the right decision."

Carbonneau now is an assistant coach with the Montreal Canadiens, but his work is done for this season. Montreal is out of the playoffs and Carbonneau is making a trip down to Dallas to see his daughter Anne-Marie, who is a student at SMU.

While he's in town, he couldn't resist checking out the playoffs.

"It's just great to be here at the game and in this building," he said. "I still have a lot of great memories here."

So do Stars fans, who hunted Carbonneau down and grabbed a few autographs during the game. As Carbonneau shuffled along the corridors to join his wife Line in the lounge during the second intermission, the cry of "Guuyyy" came up from the crowd in almost wave form. The sight was comical as Carbonneau weaved his way through several No. 21 sweater's with "Carbonneau" in bold letters on the back.

But while the fan favorite hasn't been able to make it back to Dallas for many games, his heart has been with the Stars. He and Line watch as many games as possible on the satellite in Montreal.

"She watches every game to keep an eye on [Brenden Morrow]," Carbonneau said.

Morrow, the gritty Stars winger, is going out with Carbonneau's daughter. And while that was a little strange in the past when the two players were teammates, the relationship between the father and boyfriend has moved onto something else.

"It's actually kind of fun," Carbonneau said. "I like him. I've always liked the way he's played, and I like the way he's developing. I kind of enjoy watching that. I liked playing that way when I played, and I like watching him play that way."

In addition to keeping up with Morrow, Carbonneau says he has regular phone calls with his old buddies.

"Me and Brett talk all the time," he said.

Carbonneau and Brett Hull were neighbors in Dallas and often carpooled to practices and games. Hull says now that he misses those drives with his old comrade.

Fact is, the entire city has had a certain amount of separation issues over the loss of Carbonneau. For much of the season, fans were infinitely worried that there was no way they could replace the tough defensive-minded center.

So was that a worry for Carbonneau.

"It was kind of fun, actually," he said. "I got a lot of mileage out of that."

But, he added, he always believed the team would find a way to fill his skates.

"I think they've done pretty good without me," he said. "The game moves on."

And maybe that was underlined by the fact the Stars once again found a new way to win Wednesday. They have done it after losing Craig Ludwig. They have done it after losing Pat Verbeek. They have done it after losing Dave Reid and Shawn Chambers. Now, they must do it after losing Carbonneau.

But, just in case anyone needs his help, Carbonneau said he's not against issuing a tip or two.

"I still have a lot of friends on the team and we went through so much together, I hope they can do it again," he said. "Hey, if they need me, they know where to find me."

Weight happy Carbonneau no longer a Star

DALLAS (CP) - April 12, 2001 - Oilers captain Doug Weight cited one difference in this year's Dallas Stars team that he considered a benefit to Edmonton.

"Thank God Guy is gone," Weight told the Dallas Morning News, referring to retired Stars forward Guy Carbonneau. "It seemed like he always got a goal that would change the tide."

Among those Carbonneau scored was the game-winning goal in Game 4 against the Oilers last year, which provided the Stars with a 3-1 series lead. He also scored the winning goal against Edmonton in the teams' series opener two years ago.