Road Report from Montreal

February 8, 2011 - Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Lewiston MAINEiacs News Release


Good morning from Montreal, and for those of you reading this right away, "morning" is most certainly the operative word here. Today features a game that has been circled on the calendar for quite some time, as the Lewiston MAINEiacs will play their first ever morning game in franchise history. This morning's face-off is slated for 10:35 at Verdun Auditorium, as the MAINEiacs will look to complete their 2010-11 QMJHL checklist by knocking off the Montreal Junior.

Believe it or not, I am actually starting to change my tune about this game. When the schedule first came out and I saw the 10:35 start time, I thought to myself, "You have to be kidding me." For just about all of my life, I have always been a night owl, meaning that mornings and I aren't exactly the best of friends. My mentality stayed the same throughout most of the season, but now that we're here, I'm beginning to look at the other side of the coin. I've never been to a morning hockey game at a high level, let alone broadcast one, so this is an opportunity to experience two lifetime firsts. Plus, it will be nice to return home in time to watch... you guessed it... more hockey!

Tomorrow night's NHL schedule features the San Jose Sharks and Washington Capitals (this is on NHL Center Ice) at Verizon Center in DC, meaning I will be able to watch my favorite player (Joe Thornton), in a game called by my favorite broadcaster (Joe Beninati). I have had the opportunity to meet both Joe's, and I'll see if I can get a personal story about Beninati into the mix at some point this season.

Back to Montreal, for the third time this season, I had the opportunity to go out and explore thiswonderland of treasures. My first visit here came in October, when the team had two days off during a nine-day road trip. Being the sports junkie I am, I took one day to tour Olympic Stadium and another day to tour the Bell Centre. Both buildings featured more than I could have imagined, as the Bell Centre has an entire Hall of Fame dedicated to the Canadiens, while Olympic Stadium has swimming pools and an observatory tower located behind the field (or concrete floor - seats are still in tact) that the Montreal Expos used to play on. If you happen to make your way to the Bell Centre tour, be on the lookout for a pair of Rejean Houle jerseys (JF's father), as well as a pair of hockey socks used by MAINEiacs' associate coach Steven Finn from when he played with the Quebec Nordiques.

My second trip to Montreal was in December, and although I didn't have a ton of time to look around, Rob Mainville and I did find a late night dessert stop that is definitely worth mentioning. The place is called "Second Cup," and it is located on St. Catherine's Street. Second Cup appears to mostly be a routine coffee place, but there are a lot of tasty pastries and beverages available. On that chilly December night, I opted for a chocolate tart, as well as a hot chocolate, which is apparently one of their specials (granted it's made of chocolate, but the chocolate flavor was pure and perfect - not powdery, not watery).

My most recent trip around Montreal was on Monday night, and there was one major sports site that I had yet to see in the city - the Montreal Forum. There are some parts of the arena that still exist today, as the building has been transformed into a mall and a movie theater. Inside the mall, there are various historical areas, highlighting both the history of the Forum, as well as the history of the Canadiens. Although the mall isn't as detailed as the Hall of Fame in the Bell Centre, there was still over an hour spent in the building. Following that, another trip to Second Cup was in order, where a chocolate tart and hot chocolate were my selections for the second time in a row.

My tour guide on Monday was John Myszak - a good friend of mine, Alex Reed, and Tampa Bay Lightning radio broadcaster Dave Mishkin. John reminds me of a lot of people on the Lewy's Legion crew - someone who is willing to do just about anything, simply because he has a love for the game. John served as an in-game statistician for Alex in various QMJHL cities in the Montreal area, and has continued to do the same for me. In fact, John assisted me in my first solo broadcast in Victoriaville in December of 2009. His connection to Dave Mishkin is similar, as John helps by providing stats for Dave when the Lightning visit the Montreal Canadiens and occasionally the Ottawa Senators. Fans in Lewiston have heard from John before, as he informed me last spring that he was the last person to serve as the color commentator for a MAINEiacs' playoff win (Alex was quick to confirm this) - a 5-2 victory over Cape Breton in game five of the 2008 first round.

John will be my statistician in the booth again today, where I will be joined by two amazing guests during intermissions. Team chaplain Josh Cousineau is making his first ever road trip with the MAINEiacs, and will join me during the first intermission. Josh and I will talk about his role as the chaplain, what brought him to the MAINEiacs, and what he thinks of being on the road. In the second intermission, I will turn to one of the people I spoke about earlier - Rejean Houle. Rejean has been a tremendous person in the few times I have had the pleasure of speaking with him, while also doing an incredible job with the Montreal Canadiens' organization both on and off of the ice.

Rejean and I will talk about what he is up to these days, sprinkle in some talk about the Habs, and maybe even learn some things we didn't know about JF!

So, grab some coffee, put on some headphones so your boss doesn't know you're listening at work, and enjoy this morning's game!



Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from February 8, 2011


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