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    Ken Campbell
    Ken Campbell
    Aug 15, 2024, 14:20

    Serge Savard got an amazing group of players together for a picture the other day, and it's a reminder of how rich the history of the Montreal Canadiens is, says Ken Campbell.

    Serge Savard got an amazing group of players together for a picture the other day, and it's a reminder of how rich the history of the Montreal Canadiens is, says Ken Campbell.

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    Perhaps they're so accustomed to seeing greatness in their midst. Or maybe it's because that greatness is so far removed from current reality. 

    But when Serge Savard assembled the 13 players and coach Scotty Bowman from the 1970s Montreal Canadiens dynasty at his annual golf tournament earlier this week, it received almost no coverage from the mainstream media.

    None that I saw, anyway. Which is sad because there aren't many hockey photos around with that much greatness. 

    Look at this photograph:

    Among the 14 people in that photo are a total of 99 Stanley Cups. For those of you keeping score at home, that's an average of about seven per guy.

    The only two players from all four Cup winners who were missing were Guy Lafleur and Michel 'Bunny' Larocque, who sadly have passed away. Savard even managed to get unheralded defenseman Rick Chartraw, who is living in Australia, to come to the event.

    Those who were in attendance were thrilled. Savard said there were even some tears shed. It has been 45 years since those players hoisted the Stanley Cup for the Canadiens, a team many observers - including Bowman in a book he wrote - believe is the greatest of all-time. 

    To wit: Over the course of those four seasons, the Canadiens lost a total of 46 games. To put that into perspective, consider the fact that the San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks each lost more games than that just last season.

    You know, sometimes it's hard for people to remember how great the Canadiens were. Part of that is because, and this is a personal observation, there seems to be less of an appreciation for the game's rich history. But when you see a photo like that one, you realize just how special that team was.

    Here's more, including a listing of the people in this iconic photo:

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