When it comes to writing about hockey, Sudbury author Mike Commito makes it clear he is a true blue Toronto Maple Leafs fan.
But as a fan of all things hockey, Commito said no one can ignore the impact and history of the Montreal Canadiens.
Commito has written a series of books based on the 365 days in the year concept, where he can relate a hockey story for each day.
This has worked for his other efforts, which include Hockey 356, Hockey 365: The Second Period and Leafs 365, which focuses on Toronto’s much loved hockey franchise.
The newest effort (released Oct. 15) is Habs 365, which comes through with 365 daily stories about the Canadiens, who were also known as “les Habitants”, a French word referring to early Quebec settlers, and where the team’s nickname, “The Habs”, finds its origin.
Commito said his research pleased him because he was able to learn so much more about a team he rarely thought about before.
“Learning more about the franchise and maybe appreciating some of the players that were not necessarily household names, at least for me, I think that was probably the most fun for me,” he said.
He said he had some worries that he might not be able to tell some of the background stories that he was able to relate when he wrote about the Leafs.
“But I realized pretty early on that I think if I’m doing my research and I’m trying to be true to what a Canadiens fan might want to read. there’s no reason why I couldn’t undertake the project, and so I really did enjoy it,” said Commito.
He also has a greater appreciation for some of the legendary names that have worn the Habs sweater over the years; Jean Belliveau, Guy Lafleur, Maurice “Rocket” Richard, Bernie “Boom Boom” Geoffrion and, of course, Ken Dryden.
Commito said he even chatted with Habs star Yvan Cournoyer as part of his research; a man who played 16 seasons with the Canadiens, won 10 Stanley Cups and scored the tying goal in Game Eight of the Canada-Russia Summit Series, just minutes before Paul Henderson scored the famous series-winning goal.
“Obviously, I would stop short of saying I’ve become a fan of the Montreal Canadiens, but I certainly have a much greater and deeper appreciation for the team’s history on and off the ice,” he said.
The book is on sale now at most bookstores and can be easily ordered by your favourite independent bookstore, said Commito.
He’s hoping that the Montreal fans he ran into last year while he was promoting his Leafs book will give this new book a chance.
“It’s an opportunity for you to kind of fall in love with the team you love all over again, although you know, there’s some moments in franchise history that aren’t great, and you’ve got to relive some of those playoff disappointments and other disappointments, trading away certain players and things like that,” he said. “But ultimately, I think if you’re a true fan of a team like the Montreal Canadiens, you take the good and the bad. And I think this book is hopefully a reminder of why you know you started cheering for the team in the first place.”
Len Gillis is a reporter at Sudbury.com.
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