The Montreal Canadiens: 100 Years of Glory (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: les canadiens sont, opening faceoff, thirty goals, Stanley Cup, French Canadian, Maurice Richard (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A fascinating, necessary read for any Canadiens fan or hockey historian.”
— The Gazette (Montreal)

Product Description

National Bestseller

The definitive history of the Montreal Canadiens – to coincide with their Centenary in 2009.

Before there were slapshots, Foster Hewitt, or even an NHL, there were the Canadiens. Founded on December 4, 1909, the team won its first Stanley Cup in 1916. Since then, the Canadiens have won 23 more championships, making them the most successful hockey team in the world. The team has survived two wars, the Great Depression, NHL expansion, and countless other upheavals, thanks largely to the loyalty of fans and an extraordinary cast of players, coaches, owners, and managers.

The Montreal Canadiens captures the full glory of this saga. It weaves the personalities, triumphs, heartaches, and hysteria into a compelling narrative with a surprise on every page. It sheds new light on old questions – how the team colours were chosen, how the Canadiens came to be known as the Habitants – and goes behind the scenes of tumultuous recent events still awaiting thorough examination: why Scotty Bowman was passed over as general manager after Sam Pollock resigned; why Pollock’s successor, Irving Grunman, failed; why Serge Savard was dumped as GM so hastily despite his record.

Colourful and controversial, The Montreal Canadiens is the history of a team that has been making news for 100 years – and continues to do so with the return of legendary player Bob Gainey as general manager, determined to bring the Stanley Cup back to Montreal.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday Canada (September 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385663242
• ISBN-13: 978-0385663243
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #699,211 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #9 in	Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Regional Canada > Quebec
  #95 in	Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Biographies > Hockey

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for hockey lovers of the Montreal Canadiens, December 13, 2008

By	David Gartenberg - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This well written book does an excellent job of covering the history of the Montreal Canadiens hockey organization, including it's owners, managers, coaches and players. It follows the team from it's inception through World War One, the Great Depression, World War Two, and the evolution of hockey expansion, up to today. Hockey in Montreal isn't just another sport, and the Montreal Canadiens are not just another hockey team. Hockey is ingrained in the hearts of Montrealers, and the Montreal Canadiens are their team. This book would be a good read for any hockey addict, but it is a GREAT read for any ardent longtime Montreal Canadiens fan. Thoroughly enjoyable.

5.0 out of 5 stars To Hab and Hab Not, October 14, 2009

By	Richard A. Johnson "writer/historian" (Braintree, Ma) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This joins a select group of Canadiens team histories along with volumes by Brian MacFarlane, Dick Irvin, Claude Mouton, and the editors of "Sports Illustrated." Jenish does a great job plumbing the depths of the club's early years and helps fans understand that success was not instantaneous...most forget that the Forum was built for the rival Maroons and not the Canadiens. The narrative really starts rolling from the forties onwards as we are given some new perspective on familiar characters. Donat Raymond is given his just due as is the great Dick Irvin. I especially liked this book because it is written as straight history as opposed to the hagiography that constitutes most sports histories. This is an excellent treatment of hockey's most important club and is worthy of the subject. Merci beaucoup.