Carbonneau exits, won't forget Texas

By Jennifer Floyd for The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, August 19, 2000

IRVING, TEXAS -- If Guy Carbonneau had his way, his return to Dr Pepper StarCenter yesterday would have been permanent.

He didn't. It wasn't.

The former Stars center simply was tying up loose ends before returning to Montreal and his new front-office job with the Canadiens. It is a job similar to the one he thought he'd have in Dallas after retiring from the Stars following last season.

He would have preferred to stay with the Stars.

"Yeah. Definitely," said Carbonneau, the Canadiens' supervisor of prospect development, "but business is business. I wanted to find a job that would help me gain experience in different departments, to figure out what I like and don't like, and that's why the offer in Montreal was better."

The Stars only offered Carbonneau a one-year deal, similar to former Stars defenseman Craig Ludwig's role last season, where he mainly helped with scouting. But after 20 seasons of uncertainty and not knowing where he'd be one year to the next, Carbonneau wanted more stability.

So he returned to Montreal, where he played 12 seasons, leaving behind a house, a daughter and a lot of fond memories.

His daughter, Anne-Marie, begins classes at SMU next week and will forgo dorm life to live with Stars forward Brenden Morrow, whom she began dating last season.

Don't worry, though, dad approves. He returned to help them get settled.

Because Montreal is so far away, Carbonneau said he is glad Morrow will be looking after his daughter.

"I feel more comfortable that way than her moving into a dorm," Carbonneau said. "He's a good kid, and I trust my daughter."

Which isn't to say he won't miss being a 10-minute car ride away. He already misses Texas. He doesn't miss playing. Well, not yet, at least.

His fractured wrist, while sore, didn't require surgery this summer and slowly has been healing.

He realizes when training camp begins in September he may miss playing.

He has a plan, though. He will be in France. Carbonneau and his wife, Line, will be taking a wine-buying trip. It's the one they always wanted to take but were never able to because of hockey.

"Even if I had played again [ Stars coach Ken Hitchcock] knew I wouldn't have been at training camp," Carbonneau said. "I was going to go on this trip."

And who knows, some day he could make a more permanent trip to Texas.

"You never now," Carbonneau said. "Like everybody is telling me, hockey is a small world, everything is tied together, so you never say never."