EXPLAINER CATALOGUES THE CENTENNIAL.

1 This special commemorative Habs loonie began entering circulation last Wednesday. It's the first time a North American sports team has ever graced a circulation coin. The Metro grocery chain is the exclusive distributor of the coin, meaning shoppers will receive them with their change. "The legacy of the Montreal Canadiens will be preserved from coast to coast as Canadians find this coin in their change and save it as a treasured symbol of Canada's glorious hockey heritage," said Ian Bennett (left), the president and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint. The Mint is also selling a "special-edition proof silver dollar" that includes gold plating and starts at $69.95. Or you can get a roll of 25 Habs loonies for $44.95. But coins are just the tip of the iceberg.

2 A centennial anniversary is a rare and wonderful thing for any organization, let alone a sports team. Long before the start of this season, the Canadiens began putting a plan in place to make the most of this special year. In addition to a series of pregame ceremonies that celebrate great players and coaches from the past, as well as the rivalries with Original Six teams (Leafs suck!), eager fans can also buy a wide array of centennial products. For example, there are five different centennial jerseys, a centennial puck, a hat, several books, a Habs edition of Monopoly, Canadiens stamps, trading cards and a DVD set of the team's greatest games. There is also a French-language film, Pour toujours, les Canadiens!, a CBC television special hosted by George Stroumboulopoulos, and a concert by the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. One other way to grab your piece of the festivities is to purchase an engraved brick at the team's new Centennial Plaza. A 4-by-8-inch brick, on which you can engrave your name or another message, starts at $175 and is installed at the new Centennial Plaza near the Bell Centre, which was unveiled in December. Only one thing's missing from all the festivities and products: a 25th Stanley Cup.
 
 

		Write your comment on this article!

100 years of rip-offs     Being a Canadian fan and a hockey collector, I can only cringe at the overflow of memorabilia junk that has flooded the market. While the team is floundering on the ice and partying hard off the ice, Pierre Boivin and the marketing boys have figurent out quite auickly that the only way to make money was to exploit the legends of the past in order to revive the passion of the fans. It all started with the sale of old vintage jerseys at ridiculous prices, then buying a brick (in my books any moron who bought a brick should have it tied around their ankle and their Habs' carcass thrown in the St-Laurence river) not to mention compilation CD of classic games, collectible coins and so on. The Rocket must be rolling in his grave, The Canadian organization has pulled every cheesy gimmick in the book to make more money and soak the fan. Meanwhile the team on the ice is a lifeless bunch of overpaid Europeans and Americans who couldn't care less about the Habs tradition. THe centennial of the Habs should have been a festive celebration of the greatest hockey team of all time. Instead it has become a money grabbing rip-off. of gullible fans who still love their team.Go Habs Go!
Gerald Vallee		March 19th, 2009
The biggest prize......     'Nos Glorieux' are going through a bit of a setback at the moment; but we die-hard fans remain optimistic and support them all the way. So wear your CH caps and jerseys, buy the coins, hang the flags & do whatever your heart desires and I forsee that in a couple of months we'll all be celebrating on St-Catherine street in a peaceful re-run of what happened in 1993. The cup is meant to be won by us this year. GO HABS GO
Shahira Sidky		March 19th, 2009

Write your comment! please follow these guidelines

Information requested in blue will remain confidential   [privacy policy] Please indicate your real first and last names.

First name :

Last name :

Your email :

Confirm your email :

Title of your comment (max. 150 characters)   Your comment (max. 2000 characters)  characters remaining       LIMIT PER PERSON : one comment per article per member. Thank you. Your comment will be read by our approval team and, if it is approved, will be posted on the website within 24 hours. It could also be published, along with your name, in the printed version of Hour magazine and on any of our partner websites. In order to present the highest quality of comments, Hour reserves the right to refuse certain submissions. Any plagiarism will entail the entire removal of the member’s profile. Hour is not responsible for the opinions expressed by the members.