CANADIENS CUP HEX
Is Curse of the Fork to blame for Habs’ title drought?
Tim Mell will be marching in his 57th consecutive St. Patrick’s parade on Sunday. He’ll be near the front representing the St. Patrick’s Society and Boston Bruins fans everywhere.
There have been many reasons for the Canadiens’ collapse this season. There have been injuries, most notably to goaltender Carey Price. Some blame it on Michel Therrien’s reluctance to use Alex Galchenyuk at centre. And then there’s the theory that there’s a rift in the dressing room as wide as the Grand Canyon.
But Mell knows that the Canadiens have fallen prey to the Curse of the Fork.
A little background is needed here. Mell was born into one of the most prominent families in the Irish community in Point- StCharles. His late father Frank and his uncle Joe were the driving forces behind Leo’s Boys, a group that provided recreational opportunities for the boys — and girls — in the area. The group was named for Frank and Joe’s brother Leo, who died of leukemia at age 20. Tim Mell will be wearing his father’s Leo’s Boys sash when he marches in Saturday’s parade.
When I began my journalism career a half- century ago, I covered the Leo’s Boys football team, which dominated the Quebec juvenile ranks with a toughness that reflected the working- class neighbourhood. The organization once fielded more than 100 teams in a variety of sports. Joe Mell’s reach extended to a variety of charitable organizations and he was named Irishman of the Year in 2014.
Frank Mell was a diehard Canadiens fan, but Tim took a differ- ent path in his youth.
“I grew up a Habs fan until my 11th year when I decided to start cheering for the Bruins, partly as a rebellion against my dad’s worship of the team and partly due to my sense of fair play,” Tim explained. “The Habs had won seven Cups in my 11 years and I began to think the whole thing was rigged. Being a Bruins fan in the midst of such a dominating run of Habs’ post- season success against my chosen team only added to my disdain for this storied franchise.”
The origins of the curse date to Toe Blake’s funeral at St. Ignatius of Loyola church on May 20, 1995. Tim Mell attended along with brother, sitting in the pew in front of Gazette columnist Red Fisher and yours truly.
The celebrant of the mass, Father Fitzpatrick, invited the mourners back to the Forum for a light lunch and the Mells decided to go as unofficial representatives of the Bruins.
“Sitting at the bar in the Forum lounge surrounded by all the past Hab greats I found myself seated next to Elmer Lach,” recalled Mell. “Jean Béliveau came up to me and asked me to move one seat to the right so he could sit next to Elmer. I obliged and as Big Bill sat down with his buffet lunch, he turned 90 degrees to the bar so he could speak with Lach. I seized the moment to snatch the fork from Béliveau’s plate and the Curse of the Fork was born.
The curse prohibits the Canadiens from reaching the Stanley Cup final until each team represented in the NHL on May 21, 1995, has had the opportunity to reach the final. There are only five teams remaining to be break the curse — the St. Louis Blues, Arizona Coyotes, New York Islanders, San Jose Sharks and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“I doubt ( general manager Marc) Bergevin knew about this curse before he accepted the job,” said Mell. “When the Curse was ordained, Jacques Demers was the head coach and the Curse has claimed 10 coaches in the past 20 seasons with No. 11 already on borrowed time. During the span covered by the curse, the longest streak of playoff appearances for the Habs has been four years from 2008 to 2011, and the Habs have played more than 1,850 regular- season and playoff games since last representing their conference in the finals.”
Mell keeps the Fork in a safe with other valuables, but he removes it for special occasions: Toe Blake’s birthday on Aug. 21, once a decade to commemorate Bobby Orr’s induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame and HabNot Day, the annual ceremony when the Canadiens are eliminated from Stanley Cup contention. Last month, he predicted that Hab- Not Day this season will fall on March 28.
Mell notes there is a delicious twist to the curse.
“Once the last five franchises are confirmed as finalists then, and only then, can the Habs reclaim their historical place within the realm of Stanley Cup contenders,” he said. “I tell Habs fans that if they want to lift the curse, they have to start rooting for the Leafs.”