Carbonneau: Tribute to a Champion

By Pierre McGuire
For The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, December 5, 1999

When Dallas Stars center Guy Carbonneau was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens back in 1979, little did anyone think that, as the 44th player picked, he would have a career that would span almost 20 years.

This is a player who has won three Stanley Cups and has played a pivotal role in all three. He is a faceoff man par excellence, a shot blocker good enough to have won the Selke Award three times, and a man who can chip in a timely goal and create momentum-shifting offense almost as if he was a 50-goal scorer.

Carbonneau isn't a big man, but he is a proud man. He's a valuable asset to any organization because of his passion and pride. He never takes a day off, even if ordered to by the team's hierarchy.

This past week, I had the privilege of calling a Guy Carbonneau game in Montreal. It might very well have been his last game in his adopted city. He comes from a town in northern Quebec called Sept-Isles.

I marveled as I watched him prepare for the game. He was at the rink at 4:30 p.m. for a 7:30 game. He sat alone in the stands in his playing underwear, taping his sticks meticulously. He spent 7 to 10 minutes on each stick.

His faceoff abilities in that game were something to see. The young Dallas players are lucky. They get to follow the lead of a player who lives and breathes this game. The league salutes stars such as Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, and they should. But they also should salute the players who, during the years, took the time to go the extra mile to be solid citizens and company men.

Guy Carbonneau is what every franchise desperately needs but very few ever have.