http://www.canadiens.comRSS Feed from the Canadien's centinnial websiteen-caSun, 19 May 2013 04:50:57 -0400Sun, 19 May 2013 04:50:57 -040030Copyright/rss/http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/static/admin/images/logo.pnghttp://ourhistory.canadiens.com163122 http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/article/Where-Are-They-Now-Karl-Dykhuis http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/article/Where-Are-They-Now-Karl-Dykhuis Mon, 15 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400 Players http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/article/Down-To-The-Wire http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/article/Down-To-The-Wire Tue, 02 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

March 10, 1981: William Baker traded from Montreal to Colorado for Colorado's 3rd-round pick in the 1983 Entry Draft.

March 10, 1981: Michel Larocque traded from Montreal to Toronto for Robert Picard.

March 9, 1982: Guy Lapointe traded from Montreal to St. Louis for St. Louis' 2nd-round pick in the 1983 Entry Draft.

March 6, 1990: Jyrki Lumme traded from Montreal to Vancouver for St. Louis' 2nd-round pick in the 1991 Entry Draft (acquired previously).

March 5, 1991: Mark Pederson traded from Montreal to Philadelphia for Philadelphia's 2nd round pick in the 1991 Entry Draft and future considerations.

March 10, 1992: Petr Svoboda traded from Montreal to Buffalo for Kevin Haller.

March 18, 1997: G Pat Jablonski traded from Montreal to Phoenix for D Steve Cheredaryk.

March 18, 1997: D Dave Manson traded from Phoenix to Montreal for RW Chris Murray and D Murray Baron.

March 23, 1999: Montreal traded C Vincent Damphousse to San Jose for a 5th-round pick in the 1999 Entry Draft and a conditional draft pick or picks in the 2000 Entry Draft.

March 23, 1999: Phoenix traded C J.F. Jomphe to Montreal for future considerations.

March 13, 2001: Montreal traded C Trevor Linden, RW Dainius Zubrus and New Jersey's 2nd round pick in the 2001 Draft (previously acquired by Montreal) to Washington for LW Richard Zednik, C Jan Bulis and Washington's 1st-round pick in the 2001 Draft.

March 19, 2002: Los Angeles traded G Stéphane Fiset to Montreal for future considerations.

March 11, 2003: Montreal traded C Doug Gilmour to Toronto for Toronto's 6th-round pick in the 2003 Entry Draft.

March 9, 2004: Montreal traded LW Sylvain Blouin to Vancouver for D Rene Vydareny.

March 9, 2006: Chicago traded D Todd Simpson to Montreal for Montreal's 6th-round pick in the 2006 Entry Draft.

Feb. 26, 2008: Montreal traded G Cristobal Huet to Washington for Anaheim's 2nd-round pick in the 2009 Entry Draft (previously acquired).

March 3, 2010: Matt D'Agostini is traded to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for another young forward named Aaron Palushaj.

February 28, 2011 : The Canadiens acquired goaltender Drew MacIntyre from the Atlanta Thrashers in exchange for defenseman Brett Festerling.

February 27, 2012 : Forward Andrei Kostitsyn was traded by the Canadiens to the Nashville Predators in exchange for a second round draft pick in 2013 and a fifth round conditional pick in 2013 as well.]]> Players http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/article/The-Great-Expedition http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/article/The-Great-Expedition Mon, 01 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400 Players http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/article/Where-Are-They-Now-Jason-Ward http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/article/Where-Are-They-Now-Jason-Ward Fri, 22 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0400
Where do you live now?
I’m living in Brampton, ON. I used to stay in Brampton and Mississauga every offseason. When I used to play for the Hamilton Bulldogs, my wife and I got a place around here and we always loved coming back.

What are you doing now?
I’m an assistant coach with the Brampton Battalion in the OHL. As I got older, I always felt like a player-coach. I always liked helping the younger guys so I thought it was a natural transition. To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do after my playing career. At first I was only a part-time coach, skating with the team to stay in shape and helping the coaching staff before I got a phone call to play in Austria, in 2010. When our season ended over there, I came back to Brampton and the Battalion was still playing and they asked me if I wanted to continue helping out. When the Austrian team I played with wasn’t interested in bringing me back, I decided it was time to do something else. I really enjoy what I do now and sometimes I still feel like a player since I’m still around the game. The emotions are still the same.

Other than for your coaching duties, do you still lace up the skates for fun?
Not really. I’ll maybe lace them up once or twice a year. It’s one of those things that my body just doesn’t want me to do anymore!

Are you still in touch with any former teammates from your Montreal days?
Not really. I’m not really a phone guy so I don’t really keep in touch with the other guys. I’m not on Facebook or any other social media. But when I run into some of them, it’s like we haven’t missed a beat.

Do you still follow the Canadiens?
Definitely. Mathieu Darche is a good friend of mine since we played together in Tampa Bay and it was fun see him do well in Montreal. I actually went to a playoff game two years ago against Pittsburgh during that long playoff run they had.

What’s the one thing about Montreal you miss the most?
I think the fans. I remember when we played against Boston in the playoffs, the fans were so awesome and so into the game. I loved my time with other teams, but the excitement from the crowd in Montreal was like nowhere else.

What is your favorite piece of Canadiens memorabilia you own?
I was there when they did that special night for Jean Beliveau couple years ago and we each received a signed jersey from him. It would have to be that.

Is there a game in particular from your career with the Canadiens that stands out the most?
Obviously my first game in the NHL in 1999 – I remember it like it was yesterday. We played against the Rangers and I scored my first goal in the league the same night. But one of the games I most enjoyed playing was against Pittsburgh when me, Chad Kilger, and Karl Dykhuis were a checking line and we had to play against Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr. For a young kid like me at the time, to get to play against two of the top players in the league, it was a pretty exciting task.]]> Players http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/article/Where-Are-They-Now-Denis-Savard http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/article/Where-Are-They-Now-Denis-Savard Tue, 05 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0500
Where are you currently living?

I’ve been living in Chicago for several years now, ever since I retired from hockey back in 1997.

 

What are you up to these days?

I got into the food business a few years ago, became a food broker, and I’ve been doing that ever since. I represent several grocery stores and we advise them on the products they should stock. I also have my own brand of frozen pizzas called, Savy’s Pizza. I had a few friends of mine who are presidents of supermarkets tell me that if a created my own line of pizzas, they’d sell them in their stores. I wasn’t really sure at first, but I went ahead and tried it, and things have been going great. The younger kids that eat my pizzas don’t know about the fact that I was in the NHL, so they just call me the “Pizza Man”.

How many times per year do you still lace up the skates?
I get involved in charity games with the Blackhawks and the Canadiens alumni every now and then. In Chicago, I’m involved in some minor hockey programs, so I manage to jump on the ice with the kids here and there.

Do you often get asked to do a “spin-o-rama”?
People ask me all the time!

Do you still stay in touch with any of your former Habs teammates?
I really do my best to stay in contact with those guys. I’m still close with Guy Carbonneau, so we talk often enough. I also recently spoke with Vincent Damphousse.

Do you still follow the Canadiens?
Absolutely. I’m always keeping an eye on what’s going on in Montreal. I grew up not too far from there. Now that my friend, Michel Therrien is back as the team’s head coach and Marc Bergervin has stepped in as GM, I’ll probably be following them even more closely.

Where do you keep your Stanley Cup ring?
I have it at home, but I don’t wear it all that often. I got one from the Blackhawks from their 2010 championship that I wear a little more frequently. I’m an ambassador for the Blackhawks in Chicago, so people here know that one better.

Other than your ring, do you have a favorite piece of Canadiens memorabilia that you’ve kept over the years?
I’ve kept pretty much everything, but I’d have to say my favorite is the jersey I wore during the Stanley Cup finals in 1993.

Is there a game that you played in during your time with the Canadiens that sticks out in your mind?
That would be my first game with the Canadiens at the Forum. We won it 6-5 over Buffalo and I got a goal and an assist. I’ll never forget that one. There was this photo near the entrance to the dressing room of one of the old Stanley Cup parades in Montreal. I would always look at it and think about how much fun it would be to experience something like that. I got the chance to do it three years later.]]> Players http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/article/Where-Are-They-Now-Scott-Thornto http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/article/Where-Are-They-Now-Scott-Thornto Wed, 23 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -0500
Where do you live now?
I’m living in Collingwood, ON, near the Blue Mountain area. I always wanted to come back to Ontario after my playing career because I had some business interests here and a lot of family around the area.

What are you doing now?
I’m the owner of CrossFit Indestri gym in Collingwood. I’m also one of the coaches at the gym. I was always into fitness and always one of the more fit guys when I was playing in the NHL. I’ve always been kind of intrigued with fitness – I had to be since I wasn’t the most talented. When I retired in 2008, I started to do some Crossfit training because it was challenging and I could measure myself against others. I started to train some buddies of mine at my house and the more I did it, the more I thought I had a pretty good eye for movement. I’ve always been looking for new challenges to stay motivated and healthy and I did it through different things. I did some triathlons, I competed in my first Ironman event in Austria couple years ago, I went to the Himalayas and even stayed there for 21 days to see how high I could go! 

Do you still lace up the skates occasionally?
No, actually, I don’t. I skated once last winter in a father-son hockey game with my son’s team. I don’t get on the ice too much anymore; I’ve had some shoulder issues lately. I certainly miss the game and the intensity of it. Part of playing now and what’s frustrating is I’m not nearly as good as I used to be!

Are you still in touch with any former teammates from your Montreal days?
Vinny Damphousse is a pretty good buddy of mine. We played together in Montreal and again later on in San Jose. We’re involved in a business together, Scandinave Spa. He’s involved with the one in Tremblant and I’m part owner of the one in Blue Mountain. I also see Saku Koivu and Brian Savage maybe once a year but that’s about it.

Do you still follow the Canadiens?
A little bit. The team came and trained a couple times at my gym last year during training camp when they were in the area. Josh Gorges is a buddy of mine; we played together in San Jose and I follow him. When Carbo [Guy Carbonneau] and Kirk Muller were behind the bench I was even more interested in the team. But there are tons of Montreal fans in this area; it’s not only Leafs country.

What’s the one thing about Montreal you miss the most?
The restaurants! We were at Da Vinci’s and Queue de Cheval a lot after our games. I loved bringing my family to Gibby’s when they were visiting. It’s been a couple years since I went to Montreal and I miss those places. Personally, I didn’t have the best stats when I was in Montreal, but I loved being there and I loved the city.

What is your favorite piece of Canadiens memorabilia you own?
I have seats from the old Forum in my house that I show off quite a bit.

Is there a game in particular from your career with the Canadiens that stands out the most?
There are a couple. The first ever game played at the Air Canada Centre, in Toronto. Playing with Montreal and going into their building, two big rivals colliding in a monumental game was a big one. I also remember Mario Lemieux’s last game in Montreal before he retired in 1997. He had five points that game! Playing against a guy like him, in Montreal, and the respect the fans paid to him was pretty impressive. He came out after the game and did a final farewell skate which was pretty neat.]]> Players http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/article/Where-Are-They-Now-Paul-DiPietro http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/article/Where-Are-They-Now-Paul-DiPietro Wed, 02 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -0500
Where are you currently living?
I’ve been living in Switzerland for the past 14 years now.
 
What are you up to these days?
I’m still playing hockey in the Swiss League. I still have the same desire and the passion that I had when I first started playing the game. You need to have it when you’re still playing at 42 years old. I play for Lugano and my roommate here is another former Habs player, Glen Metropolit.

What convinced you to go in Switzerland in the first place?
Doug Gilmour, who played here during the 1994-95 lockout, once told me that he liked it in Switzerland. Originally I wanted to play here for only one year but I really enjoyed it and 14 years later, I still do.
 
Have you started thinking about life after hockey?
A little bit, you kind of have to when you’re 42 years old! I’m not sure where things are going to head yet; it’s difficult to say after playing hockey for so long. I’d like to try maybe coaching or scouting or something to that effect to stay involved in the game.

Have you stayed in touch with any of former teammates?
Since I still play and I’ve been living in Europe for so long, I unfortunately haven’t seen many of those guys in a while.
 
Do you still follow the Canadiens?
Of course, I follow the whole NHL. The hockey world is small. I follow the Habs and I hope they do well. Raphael Diaz is a good friend of mine; we played together in Zug.
 
What’s the one thing about Montreal you miss the most?
I don’t know. I don’t really miss much because I always come back to Montreal for a couple months every summer.

Where do you keep your Stanley Cup ring?
I have here with me at home, but I don’t really wear it. It’s not because it’s too big because it’s the perfect size, actually, but I never really wear it.

What’s your favorite piece of Canadiens memorabilia you currently own?
The miniature Stanley Cup replica we each received. No doubt about it.

Is there a particular game from your career with the Canadiens that stands out the most?
I’d have to say when we won the Stanley Cup at the Forum in 1993. I was pretty young at the time, I was 22 years old in 1993 and I didn’t really know much back then. You think you can do it every year. I remember when Denis Savard, who was much older than I was, told me to enjoy it because it might not happen again, I didn’t really believe him.]]> Players http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/article/Where-Are-They-Now-Brian-Hayward http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/article/Where-Are-They-Now-Brian-Hayward Sun, 16 Dec 2012 00:00:00 -0500
Where do you live now?
I’ve been living in Orange County, CA, since I started playing for the San Jose Sharks in the early ‘90s.

What are you doing now?
I’ve been in the broadcasting business for almost 20 years. After putting an end to my playing career in 1993, the Sharks had just fired their TV color guy and they asked me if I wanted to give it a try. Just for fun I did and I guess it went okay! But I didn’t really look at it as a career option for me. Instead I was planning on going back to Cornell University to earn my MBA in business. But the folks at Disney, who had just been awarded an NHL franchise in Anaheim, told me that someone sent them a tape of my work and they wanted to hire me. I was kind of surprised and I actually turned the job down a couple times. But they were persuasive and here we are, almost 20 years later and I still have the job and I’m very grateful they convinced me. I’m also involved in a mobile development business. When the iPhone was first introduced and people were wondering about all the different apps and the potential they had, I had some discussions about it with a bunch of developers here in California and we had an idea about putting together a mobile application for hockey teams. We took our idea to Henry Samueli, who owns the Ducks and is the founder of another company in that field, and he and his team were really interested. It’s grown from there.

How many times per year do you lace up the skates?
For almost a decade after I retired, my back was so bad I didn’t dare go back on the ice. As medical technology changed, I was able to get a new procedure done to my back that really helped me. Three years ago, I started playing pickup games with our staff here and I actually joined a men’s league for fun. I’m the oldest player and perhaps the slowest defenseman in the league, too!

Are you still in touch with any former teammates from your Montreal days?
I see guys periodically. I ran into Shayne Corson this summer in Barrie. I’ve seen Brian Skrudland a couple times on the road since he’s working for the Florida Panthers. I’ve seen a number of guys through the years, mostly hockey related. I’ll probably see Larry Robinson more often since he just joined the San Jose Sharks.

Do you still follow the Canadiens?
I would say on a pretty limited basis. When you’re in the business that I’m in, you’re following every team to a certain extent. But my focus is predominantly on the Western Conference now, so I don’t see  the Canadiens that often.

What’s the one thing about Montreal you miss the most?
It has to be the energy of the city. I used to live on Nuns Island during my time in Montreal and my wife and I had the greatest time over there.
The restaurants, the nightlife and living that close to the energy of downtown; as a player you can never replace the thrill and the energy of playing in front of a packed house like it was every game at the Forum. That’s something you miss for the rest of your life. I consider it to have been a real special privilege to have played in that city.

What is your favorite piece of Canadiens memorabilia you own?
In my office I still have the William M. Jennings trophies that Pat Roy and I won during my tenure. I also really like one of my old Canadiens masks that’s been repainted and that I hung on one of the walls of my office.

Is there a game in particular from your career with the Canadiens that stands out the most?
I don’t know if I can pick just one game, but probably the highlight personally for me was during the 1986-87 playoffs. The Quebec Nordiques had a 2-0 lead after winning the first two games in Montreal. Patrick Roy had started the series, but I took over in Game 3 in Quebec City, and we were able to come back and win that series in seven games in what was a pretty emotionally charged series – like they always were with the Nordiques.]]> Players http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/article/Too-Many-Bears-On-The-Ice http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/article/Too-Many-Bears-On-The-Ice Thu, 13 Dec 2012 00:00:00 -0500 Players http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/article/Where-Are-They-Now-Mats-Naslund http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/article/Where-Are-They-Now-Mats-Naslund Sun, 09 Dec 2012 00:00:00 -0500
Where are you currently living?
I now live of Malmö, a city in the south of Sweden. It’s really close to the capital of Denmark, Copenhagen.

What are you up to these days?
I’m working part-time as a carpenter. Not a lot of people know this, but I was one before moving to Montreal a while back. I’m not involved with hockey anymore. I’ve been involved with it for so many years, that now, I just want to spend more time with my family and go golfing more often!

Even though you stepped away from hockey, do you still lace up the skates every now and then for fun?
I do. I still play in about five or six old-timers’ games every year. I try to make sure I stay a bit in shape.

Do you still stay in touch with any of your former teammates?
I try to stay in touch with Bob Gainey and Larry Robinson, but since I’m in Europe it makes it hard sometimes. Usually around Christmas we receive cards from old teammates, which is always really nice.

Do you still follow the Canadiens?
I do sometimes when they play afternoon games on the weekend. I don’t stay up in the middle of the night to watch NHL games anymore!

When was the last time you made it out to Montreal for a game?
It was in December 2009 for the 100th anniversary game. It was such a great experience and everything you could expect from the Canadiens organization. All of us had a great time in Montreal.

What’s your favorite piece of Canadiens memorabilia that you currently own?
I kept some pictures and other things like that, but I would have to say my Stanley Cup ring.

Where do you keep it?
At home, with me. I don’t wear it often since it’s too big for my hand. I only put it on for really special occasions.

Is there a particular game from your career with the Canadiens that stands out for you the most?
Of course the night we won the Cup in 1986 was really special, but I think the most memorable one would have to be my very first game with the Canadiens. It was an exhibition game against the Flyers at the Forum, I thought there was going to be around 5,000 people in the stands, but it was completely sold out. I also scored a hat trick that night.]]> Players