THN Archive: New Archive Podcast Guest Engblom Was Sturdy Blueline Force with Canadiens, Capitals

Longtime NHL defenseman Brian Engblom – one of the first guests on THN's brand new Archive Podcast Show with Adam Proteau and Matt Labov – graced the blueline of the Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals in the '70s and '80s.

The Montreal Canadiens’ last dynasty had more than its share of elite defensemen. And in this feature story via The Hockey News’ exclusive Archive, we put the spotlight on the same blueliner who is one of the first featured guests on THN’s brand-new Archive Podcast – Brian Engblom.

(And remember, for full access to THN’s 76-year archive, you can subscribe to the magazine.)

For Engblom – who appeared with this writer and podcast co-host Matt Labov on the new podcast – the NHL was almost a bridge too far for his imagination. 

Growing up in Winnipeg, Engblom was working a summer job mowing lawns when he first got the news the Habs had drafted him 22nd overall in 1975. And once he got to the Canadiens, Engblom bided his time behind and earned two Stanley Cup championships along the way.

That said, in this story on him – from THN’s Feb. 15, 1980 edition (Vol. 33 Issue 20) – Engblom discussed his acclimation to the sport’s top league and most decorated franchise. He was 25 years old at the time THN writer Glenn Cole wrote about him, and he was taking advantage of injuries to mainstay D-men Serge Savard and Guy Lapointe to earn the trust of Montreal coach Claude Ruel.

“Everyone wants to play as much as he can,” Engblom said in the story. “We’re doing that now with the other guys out. To me there is more pressure when you are out there on spot duty. The chances of things going wrong always seem to be higher when you’re only playing five or six shifts a game. If the first two or three shifts are a little shaky, it makes it harder for the next ones out there.”

Engblom played five seasons for the Habs before he was traded to Washington in 1982 in a blockbuster move that also sent star defenseman Rod Langway to the Capitals. However, in the years leading up to the trade, Engblom established himself as a dependable, smart D-man. Before health woes forced him to retire in 1987, Engblom appeared in 659 regular-season games and generated 177 assists and 206 points. But before arriving in D.C., he made the most of the ice time Ruel gave him in Montreal.

“It was a case of starting over right from the very first step,” the defenseman said of his initial time with Ruel as his coach. “We had to give everybody a specific job in a specific situation. Everybody had to do their jobs. It was as simple as that.

“In that situation, I felt a lot better as to what my job would be on a three-on-two or whatever. Claude told us that on a three-on-two, there is supposed to be a forward back. If the winger is carrying the puck on the outside and we have a chance to take him, he wants us to. He doesn’t want us backing in which we were doing a lot earlier in the season. He told us not to worry about the middle. If something goes wrong there, that’s the forwards’ fault. But if something happens on the outside, that’s the defensenan’s responsibility. Doing those basic things and stressing them has helped us.”

(For Engblom’s exclusive look back at his NHL days – including his many years as a color commentator – stay tuned to The Hockey News Archive Podcast wherever you find podcasts. The first episode of the new podcast comes out on Sunday, Dec. 10.)

Vol. 33, Issue 20, Feb. 15, 1980

By Glenn Cole

MONTREAL – Quietly, but efficiently, Brian Engblom is accomplishing a great deal for the Canadiens.

It has not been easy for the former University of Wisconsin star who turned 25 last month. There were a couple of times earlier this season when the Winnipeg native found himself sitting on the sidelines looking in for reasons no one really knows to this day.

But with the injuries to Serge Savard and Guy Lapointe, Engblom has found himself reunited with Gilles Lupien as his defense partner and, as is the case with the Rod Langway-Larry Robinson duo, the Engblom-Lupien combination is working well.

“Everyone wants to play as much as he can,” said Engblom. “We’re doing that now with the other guys out. To me there is more pressure when you are out there on spot duty.

“The chances of things going wrong always seem to be higher when you’re only playing five or six shifts a game. If the first two or three shifts are a little shaky, it makes it harder for the next ones out there.

“If you do something well on the first shift, you can have a really good game. If something really goes wrong on the first shift, you might not get another one.”

Engblom, who missed a few games with an ankle injury, is not considered a rock-’em, sock-’em type of defenseman. He is excellent in the shot-blocking department and is fair offensively, although he did not get his first goal of the season until Montreal’s 51st game in Colorado.

Engblom, who has a good shot, was trying to connect with teammate Steve Shutt on a pass, but it slipped through Hardy Astrom’s pads and the Canadiens went on to record a 3-2 triumph.

As noted previously, the Canadiens have been playing much better defensively since Claude Ruel took over the club. Aside from a sloppy 7-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres in the Canadiens’ last home appearance in January, Montreal’s defense has been above reproach.

“It was a case of starting over right from the very first step,” the defenseman said.

“All of us have the basic knowledge of what we should do,” said Engblom. “We have been around long enough in the minors and here to know what they want us to do.

“Those six losses in a row marked the lowest part of the season for us. It was a case of starting over right from the very first step. The defense has got to stay back and play defense. Nothing fancy.

“We had to give everybody a specific job in a specific situation. Everybody had to do their jobs. It was as simple as that.

“In that situation, I felt a lot better as to what my job would be on a three-on-two or whatever. Claude told us that on a three-on-two, there is supposed to be a forward back. If the winger is carrying the puck on the outside and we have a chance to take him, he wants us to. He doesn’t want us backing in which we were doing a lot earlier in the season.

“He told us not to worry about the middle. If something goes wrong there, that’s the forwards’ fault. But if something happens on the outside, that’s the defensenan’s responsibility. “Doing those basic things and stressing them has helped us.”

The play of Engblom, Langway and Lupien left Ruel with some serious thinking to do as the return of Guy Lapointe and Serge Savard neared. The pressure was simple: both Lapointe and Savard are veteran defensemen, but it is also difficult to break up a winning combination without crushing confidence and drawing a lot of heat from the Montreal media who were keeping a close eye on the situation.

Ruel had one major problem as the team entered February. Utility forward Rejean Houle suffered a fractured jaw in the game against the Rockies in Denver and faced up to two months on the sidelines.

Houle was struck on the right side of the face by a clearing pass off Lupien’s stick. He left the ice almost instantly and then quickly skated off the ice to the bench before heading to the hospital for x-rays.

Last season, Engblom broke his jaw when Paul Holmgren bopped him in the chops with a well-placed elbow in a pre-season game in late September. Engblom did not return to the lineup until Nov.1, but the injury to Houle is considered more serious.

With Houle out, Normand Dupont was dressed in his place and Mark Napier, whose ice time had been limited since Christmas, saw some additional duty.

But coach Ruel made it clear that, basically, he would be going with three lines and five defensemen, leaving Napier and Dupont as the “extra” forwards.

The Hockey News Archive is a vault of 2,640 issues and more than 156,000 articles exclusively for subscribers, chronicling the complete history of The Hockey News from 1947 until today. Visit the archives at THN.com/archive and subscribe today at subscribe.thehockeynews.com