Jean Beliveau Foundation Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/11/2008
What better way to lead off a section devoted to the Montreal Forum than with one of the Stanley Cup banners that once hung high up in the rafters of the mecca of hockey. Wooden banner commemorates the Canadiens' fourth consecutive Stanley Cup title in 1978-79 and is accompanied by a nifty story, but first a little recap of the '78-79 Habs. After amazingly only losing 8 and 10 games respectively in the previous two seasons, Montreal posted a 52-17-11 record and 115 points, one back of their eventual successors, the Islanders. Guy Lafleur fired 50-plus goals (52) for the fifth straight year and come playoff time added another 10 as the Canadiens swept the Leafs, got by the Bruins in seven and beat the Rangers in five, giving coach Scotty Bowman a fifth Cup title in seven years! As for the banner, it was literally "saved" but not before it was cut up in five pieces as those dismantling the Forum upon the arena's closure in 1996 deemed it too big to haul out! It has been pieced together for the photo, with the four lines from the darned saw recalling its almost fateful fate. Measuring three feet wide and seven feet high, with the same logo, letters and numbers painted on both sides, it's a piece that calls out for an appreciative new home following a little professional restoration. The only original wooden Stanley Cup banner from the pre-vinyl era to ever be put on the auction block, this one is for you fanatical Canadiens' supporters!
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