20 years ago today, the Montreal Forum closed...
It was my first ever out of Alberta sports trip. Me and my girlfriend at the time flew out there (her aunt and uncle lived in Montreal). I went a day earlier and got to see the Saturday game against Ottawa as well.
We were fighting the day of the game so I ended up going by myself. Got a scalper ticket and joined the huge crowd for the game. The people sitting next to me were puzzled that an Alberta boy was a Canadiens fan. They quizzed me for about 20 minutes, I got most of their questions correct.
I don't remember much about the game. I know Andrei Kovalenko scored the last goal and that they beat Dallas 4-1. What really sticks in my head is the ceremony afterward. They trotted out endless amounts of Hall of Famers. Moore, Beliveau, Lafleur, Dryden , the Richard brothers. The Canadiens had a team song, Boom Boom Geoffrion sang it the loudest, really got into the moment. The ovation for the Rocket was incredible. He cried as he tried to get the fans to stop. Terrific moment.
I toured the building the next day. It was kind of sad as they were already taking it apart. The new dressing room in the Bell Centre wasn't ready yet so the team was still using the one at the Forum. They all walked into a bus in full gear getting ready for practice at the new building.
Jaromir Jagr and Shane Doan are the only active players who ever played a game there. Glad I got to see a couple of games there. Might have to take my son this fall to see his first game(s) in Montreal.
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