Legendary Canadiens and Stars forward Guy Carbonneau was officially inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday, and Stars head coach Jim Montgomery came prepared with a strong anecdote for the occasion.
Montgomery throws it back to 1994, when he was traded for Carbonneau. At the time, he had just finished his first season with the St. Louis Blues, and the Canadiens were willing to accept him straight up in the trade — which was a surprise to even Montgomery himself.
By then, Carbonneau was well into the back half of his career, although he would still win another Stanley Cup with the Stars in 1999. Things didn’t quite work out for Montgomery in Montreal, playing all of five games before being released.
Mostly, though, Montgomery — a Montreal native himself! — couldn’t believe the Habs traded Carbonneau to get him.
That’s probably fair to say, considering that Wayne Gretzky remembers Carboneau as the ‘Guy Lafleur of defensive hockey.’
