Carbonneau: 'I never thought about playing for another team'
Putting on a Canadiens jersey has been a dream fulfilled for many players, including Guy Carbonneau and Vincent Damphousse
By
Pierre-Antoine Mercier. Translated by Matt Cudzinowski. @CanadiensMTL / canadiens.com
SHOP: CH Glass 17 oz
Guy Carbonneau did, though, making his Canadiens debut against the Vancouver Canucks on March 21, 1981.
The Sept-Îles, QC native grew up a Habs fan and realized his dream when he was drafted by Montreal in the third round, 44th overall, in the 1979 NHL Draft.
Few people can describe the feeling of putting on a Canadiens jersey for the first time, but Carbonneau certainly can.
"We grew up with the Montreal Canadiens. I was passionate about hockey in the 1970s and 80s. I liked to play outside more than I liked to watch on TV, but on Saturday night, when there was a game, I'd always watch the Canadiens. There weren't any other games on TV. I grew up watching Jean Béliveau, Henri Richard and Yvan Cournoyer. I was proud to be drafted by Montreal. I never thought about playing for another team. It was a dream come true to be drafted by the Canadiens. It was amazing," mentioned Carbonneau, who amassed 663 points in 1,318 regular season games, before being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 18, 2019. "I started my career in the early 1980s when Guy Lafleur, Larry Robinson and Bob Gainey were part of the team. They were Stanley Cup winners. I'd see them in the dressing room, and I'd also see Henri Richard, Maurice Richard, Jean Béliveau and Yvan Cournoyer walking the halls every day. I couldn't have debuted at a better time. It was a dream come true to play for the Canadiens. I always wanted to do that. I was very proud."
Former Canadiens defenseman Patrice Brisebois is definitely in agreement with his former captain.
Brisebois, who was a second-round selection of the Canadiens in 1989, played 896 of his 1,009 career regular season games with Montreal.
At the end of his career, he only had one regret.
"We're Quebecers and we're proud to wear the uniform. My greatest dream was to play my entire career with the Canadiens. I played my first 14 years in Montreal, then I played two years with Colorado before coming back. There were a lot of people who asked me why I wanted to come back to the Canadiens after everything that happened," stressed Brisebois, who registered 420 points (98 goals, 322 assists) during the regular season. "The answer is easy, because I told myself that I should never have left. I wanted to be like Henri Richard and Jean Béliveau, and play my entire career in Montreal."
A unique feeling
For his part, centreman Vincent Damphousse wasn't drafted by the Canadiens, but he still played 519 regular season games in a Habs uniform.
During his appearance on the "Le Salon des Anciens" podcast, Damphousse chatted about the pressure of playing in Montreal.
The 1993 Stanley Cup champion believes that great players always rise to the occasion.
Watch: Youtube Video
"Pressure is a good thing. It's not a bad thing. Journalists often bring up the subject with young players by saying that it's a lot of pressure. But, the truth is that the ability to handle pressure will determine who makes the NHL and who doesn't. Big athletes perform under pressure. Why has Tiger Woods won so many majors? Why has Roger Federer won so many majors? Why do they succeed where others fail? It's because they perform under pressure. If you can play in markets like Montreal, Toronto or New York, there are no better places in the world," explained Damphousse. "In our case, we managed to perform and win when we had to. It's the best gift that you can give yourself, being able to perform when it's time to perform. It's definitely tough when things aren't going well. As an athlete, you can't expect for everything to go well all the time. There will be tougher moments. You have to keep your head high and understand that the fans are emotional. As an athlete, that's what I miss the most, feeling that pressure. It's tough to find that feeling anywhere else. You can't do anything else and get a feeling like that."
The Alumni Lounge and Le Salon des Anciens podcasts feature in-depth interviews with some of the organization's most popular players of the past.
The inaugural season of the pod will include 10 episodes, which will alternate languages each week under two separate titles in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and other podcast hosting platforms.
They will also be available as full video episodes on the Canadiens' YouTube channel.
