Ahhhhhh .... Hockey Night in Canada with Foster Hewitt, Danny Gallivan, on our only TV station, CJCB in Sydney, NS, provides most of my memories of that era. And, when the atmospheric conditions were favourable, listening to Rene Lecavalier from a French radio station in New Carlisle, New Brunswick. I was too far away to see any of those hockey games live. But I did see Gump Worsely walking along Atwater Street when I was in Montreal in 1967. We had great debates in the late 50's and early '60's as my Dad was a big Leafs fan while my brother and I cheered for Montreal. My favourite player was Boom-Boom ... say it ain't so, Rick!

When I was 12 or so and my brother and I got a table-top hockey game for Christmas, we didn't have to fight over who would get to be Montreal; the little tin players were dressed in Chicago Black Hawk and Detriot Red Wings uniforms. I took Chicago!

The only game I ever saw live in the Montreal Forum was the first game of the 1972 Canada-Russia summit series. What an atmosphere at the start of the game. What an end to the series.

For the past 18 years, I've lived about 20 minutes from Edmonton's SkyReach Centre where the Oilers play. I remained a die-hard Montreal fan until that fateful night in 1983 or 1984 when I watched Montreal beat the Oilers. I walked out of there with a heavy heart knowing that my loyalties had changed forever.

And, Rick ... I predicted over a year ago that the Leafs would win their next Stanley Cup in the year 2028 based on Al Strachan's comment that the Leafs were "bottoming out". I don't claim to be infaillable, but .....

Bob