Mr. Speaker, my dear Montreal Canadiens, the second-youngest team in the National Hockey League, are competing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs following an exciting season.
It brings back memories of my childhood in Montreal, when I could watch the Canadiens practise at the Verdun Auditorium, standing just a few feet from the legends that lit up the Forum and our TV set.
We know their names: Dryden, Savard, Robinson, Lapointe, Lafleur, Lemaire, Shutt, Gainey, Cournoyer. During those same years, when I was in high school, just a stone's throw from the old Forum, we experienced three incredible Stanley Cups.
Three times I was in detention, smiling, for having skipped school to attend the Stanley Cup parade.
We have just as much pride in today's young Habs.
I now summon all the ghosts of the old Montreal Forum, with all the fans from LaSalle—Émard—Verdun and across the country, to shout, “Go Habs, go”.