MONTREAL – Hall-of-Famer Jean Béliveau touched many, many lives over the years. His former [...]
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The Welcome Wagon
MONTREAL | February 10th, 2014
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Any time company comes to town, a gracious host should pull out all the stops to help make their visitors feel as welcome as possible. Always willing to feature their own special brand of Montreal hospitality in the early ‘80s, the Canadiens had their own unique way of making their guests feel right at home.
While the visitors’ dressing room was a far cry from luxurious at the Forum, the only amenity opposing teams really needed to bring along with them to Montreal was a heavy-duty padlock – especially when Habs
All-Star and prankster extraordinaire Guy Lapointe was around. To hear Rod Langway tell it, visitors to la Belle Province had to have their guard up both on and off the ice.
“Anyone who has played with Guy knows enough to be looking over their shoulder at all times,” explained Langway, who patrolled the Habs’ blue line with Lapointe from 1978-79 to 1981-82. “The thing about Pointu, though, is that he would find a way to get you even if you were playing against him. Everyone was a target for him. No one was safe.”
Once the visiting team had left for their hotel after a game-day skate, Pointu got to work. Like a stealthy lion hunting his prey, Lapointe would skulk into the opposing team’s dressing room undetected, setting his plan into action. Armed with a few key weapons – scissors, tape and an eagle-eyed lookout man – Lapointe would find former teammates’ equipment and make a few custom “alterations”.
“I remember walking into the room once and I was about to start getting dressed and I saw that the laces on my pants had been cut,” recalled Langway, who played 11 seasons for the Capitals after his four-year stint in Montreal. “My gloves were taped together with what must have been an entire roll of tape, but that wasn’t all – he’d gotten to my skate laces, too!”
While Langway’s Capitals teammates were ready to help the big defenseman find the culprit, there was no need to contact the authorities and open an investigation.
“The funny thing was, I didn’t even have to ask who did it,” shrugged Langway. “I just knew it couldn’t be anyone other than Pointu!”
See also
A Sticky Situation
The old switcheroo
Mikey Scissohands
The Bear Essentials
One of a kind
Joy and pain
Stuck on you
Attention to detail
While the visitors’ dressing room was a far cry from luxurious at the Forum, the only amenity opposing teams really needed to bring along with them to Montreal was a heavy-duty padlock – especially when Habs
All-Star and prankster extraordinaire Guy Lapointe was around. To hear Rod Langway tell it, visitors to la Belle Province had to have their guard up both on and off the ice.
“Anyone who has played with Guy knows enough to be looking over their shoulder at all times,” explained Langway, who patrolled the Habs’ blue line with Lapointe from 1978-79 to 1981-82. “The thing about Pointu, though, is that he would find a way to get you even if you were playing against him. Everyone was a target for him. No one was safe.”
Once the visiting team had left for their hotel after a game-day skate, Pointu got to work. Like a stealthy lion hunting his prey, Lapointe would skulk into the opposing team’s dressing room undetected, setting his plan into action. Armed with a few key weapons – scissors, tape and an eagle-eyed lookout man – Lapointe would find former teammates’ equipment and make a few custom “alterations”.
“I remember walking into the room once and I was about to start getting dressed and I saw that the laces on my pants had been cut,” recalled Langway, who played 11 seasons for the Capitals after his four-year stint in Montreal. “My gloves were taped together with what must have been an entire roll of tape, but that wasn’t all – he’d gotten to my skate laces, too!”
While Langway’s Capitals teammates were ready to help the big defenseman find the culprit, there was no need to contact the authorities and open an investigation.
“The funny thing was, I didn’t even have to ask who did it,” shrugged Langway. “I just knew it couldn’t be anyone other than Pointu!”
See also
A Sticky Situation
The old switcheroo
Mikey Scissohands
The Bear Essentials
One of a kind
Joy and pain
Stuck on you
Attention to detail