Since he first became a Canadiens fan in 1958, he's probably old enough to remember what the Forum looked like prior to its renovation in 1968.
This is the version of the Forum most of us are familiar with:
Since Canadiens1958 probably saw some games at the Forum prior to the renovation of '68 (That was the first year of expansion and Toe Blake's last season as coach)
I was wondering, how different did the Forum look prior to the 1968 renovation as opposed to the version most of us remember?
No clock over center ice. Old Sportstimer with hands, high in the north end.
No elevators / escalators. Pillars obstructing the view from certain seats.Shops around the outside. Old style 1920's brick construction inside - somewhat like MLG or the Boston Garden but not as narrow. Old style turnstyles, ticket windows,small lobby. No restaurant very basic concessions, no souvenir outlet.
Probably remember other details given some time.
Forum was renovated after the first expansion season.
Last edited by Canadiens1958: 05-05-2008 at 10:31 PM.
Reason: addition
No clock over center ice. Old Sportstimer with hands, high in the north end.
No elevators / escalators. Pillars obstructing the view from certain seats.Shops around the outside. Old style 1920's brick construction inside - somewhat like MLG or the Boston Garden but not as narrow. Old style turnstyles, ticket windows,small lobby. No restaurant very basic concessions, no souvenir outlet.
Probably remember other details given some time.
Forum was renovated after the first expansion season.
The top blues were orange. I remember Dad taking us to some exhibition games, Que. Aces vs. the CH and we always seemed to be behind a pillar. It seemed to me to be a strange way to watch a game. It was early 60's what the hell did I know.
The high white/grey seats behind the nets didn't exist, did they , until the renovations ?
The ice was green back then, they had elephants instead of Zambonis. There was four periods, not three. In the intermission, the coach had to do a song and dance in front of the fans before going to the locker room.The players had to bring their jerseys home and wash them and they played with a rubber ball instead of a puck.
I was just one year old in 58 so its kinda foggy but that how i remember it.
The ice was green back then, they had elephants instead of Zambonis. There was four periods, not three. In the intermission, the coach had to do a song and dance in front of the fans before going to the locker room.The players had to bring their jerseys home and wash them and they played with a rubber ball instead of a puck.
I was just one year old in 58 so its kinda foggy but that how i remember it.
The top blues were orange. I remember Dad taking us to some exhibition games, Que. Aces vs. the CH and we always seemed to be behind a pillar. It seemed to me to be a strange way to watch a game. It was early 60's what the hell did I know.
The high white/grey seats behind the nets didn't exist, did they , until the renovations ?
The North and South end seats near the rafters were added in the 1968 renovations.
Last edited by Canadiens1958: 05-06-2008 at 09:54 AM.
Reason: typo
My dad told me that they had to walk 12 miles in a near blizzard ice storm with a spring coat wearing sandals...appearantly all the kids did it back then....the same went for school.
edit: Dang, my 3000th post was wasted on a lame joke
Seriously though, until the late 20s teams had two lines. The first line and five other skaters, called alternates. I wrote a little thing about this here.
The Maroons had the Forum and the Habs played in the arena at Mount Royal and St. Urban, which was demolished a few years ago for a Provigai.
The big garage that still stands at Drummond and Dorchester was the Victoria Rink where the first real hockey game was played.
Seriously though, until the late 20s teams had two lines. The first line and five other skaters, called alternates. I wrote a little thing about this here.
The Maroons had the Forum and the Habs played in the arena at Mount Royal and St. Urban, which was demolished a few years ago for a Provigai.
The big garage that still stands at Drummond and Dorchester was the Victoria Rink where the first real hockey game was played.
Hmm, I always thought it was the other way around, learn something every day.
My parents used to go to Montreal Royals games [senior hockey] at the Forum on Sunday afternoons, back when in his words, they were courting.
They had the pleasure of seeing a young Jean Beliveau play with Quebec.
Seriously though, until the late 20s teams had two lines. The first line and five other skaters, called alternates. I wrote a little thing about this here.
The Maroons had the Forum and the Habs played in the arena at Mount Royal and St. Urban, which was demolished a few years ago for a Provigai.
The big garage that still stands at Drummond and Dorchester was the Victoria Rink where the first real hockey game was played.
The Canadiens played at the Forum from the time it opened. They had played at the Mount Royal Arena previously.The Mount Royal Arena, at the SE corner of Mount Royal and St. Urbain, running east/west to Clark was converted for industrial /commercial use. It was not demolished but burnt down clearing the way for the construction of the Provigo. Otherwise heritage issues would have precluded new construction.
The Canadiens played at the Forum from the time it opened. They had played at the Mount Royal Arena previously.The Mount Royal Arena, at the SE corner of Mount Royal and St. Urbain, running east/west to Clark was converted for industrial /commercial use. It was not demolished but burnt down clearing the way for the construction of the Provigo. Otherwise heritage issues would have precluded new construction.
False... The Forum was built for the Maroons..... The Habs played the first game there because the Ice at Mount Royal melted prior to the game that was scheduled. They moved into The Forum and shared it with the Maroons the next year.
The Montreal Royals played in the QSHL, then the EPHL, Sunday afternoons at the Forum thru the 1960-61 season.
I guess that in a 6 team NHL, there were a lot of players that just hadn't gotten a chance or some that didn't want to leave other jobs, giving you a quality senior league. I guess it was a more affordable option for people like my parents, depression kids, afraid to spend money because they were brought up without it.
The old man worked at CN, as did a few guys who worked for the old Forum security/police. I bet that he probably got freebies and never told anyone, probably got Mom to pay for a drink or a hotdog, thinking mcphee sr. paid for the tickets.
