Exciting ITG News

[doniceage]

Well, unless the Karl Marx portrait didn't make it to the production meeting (doesn't he always?), I guess we can "also" count on seeing another 1000 or so "1/1" cards appear on ebay! We all know the ones..............with the little card show stamp.

Where are you going with this (lost here)?

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[Bostonfan46]

Like the team specific sets very catering to team collectors. Soon hopefully we get a Bruins Habs set!

[MatsSundin13Rocks]

Going with the fact that ITG always has show stamped 1/1 cards which I hate! Absolutely sucks for player collectors to have cards show stamped 1/1. To me they should not count as true cards. However people buy them as singles and they add value to the breaks at the shows. I just don't like seeing all the different Sundin Show Stamped 1/1 cards.

Where are you going with this (lost here)?

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[RGM81]

Granted they are both Canadian but how can a Montreal rivals set not be with the Bruins? The leafs haven't been relevant for decades and the Bruins Habs rivalry hasnt stopped being meaningful after decades. Sorry Leafs fans!

I don't disagree with you at all. If you had to ask me if there was one team that Habs fans HATE above all others...it's Boston by a mile. And that opinion predates 3/8/11.

I firmly agree with Ken Dryden, who wrote in 1983 that the Habs/Leafs rivalry is dead because the Leafs killed it.

But...and this is huge...there is so much money to be made by marketing the Habs/Leafs rivalry as something that still exists, and therefore it lives on with the fans. It matters not that there hasn't been a playoffs series between the two teams since the 1970's, or that they haven't competed for the Stanley Cup since 1967, or that the closest thing to a big game in my lifetime was in 2007's last game of the regular season where the Leafs killed the Habs' post-season chances in dramatic fashion.

The rivalry is the providence of the fans now.

On the ice, well, you know exactly where it is and who it's between, ya Bruins lover. LOL

[bprice]

Try and get a ticket for a game between the Leafs and Habs. Good luck.

This rivalry is anything but dead.

Brian Price

[87sluggo]

At the very least, I can buy a box and be able to keep half of it. AND trade the other half for cards from the first half. Imagine that, no leftovers :)

[MatsSundin13Rocks]

This! The rivalry is more than just about hockey success but about 2 provincial rivals representing the 2 languages of Canada. I know that the Montreal Canadiens are still the Toronto Maple Leafs top rival in the NHL. Next is Ottawa and then maybe Buffalo/Boston.

Try and get a ticket for a game between the Leafs and Habs. Good luck.

This rivalry is anything but dead.

Brian Price

[RGM81]

Try and get a ticket for a game between the Leafs and Habs. Good luck.

This rivalry is anything but dead.

Brian Price

Have. Twice. Both times involved a playoffs-bound Habs team defeating a tee-time bound Leafs team. It was fun, and it was absolutely special to be able to see a Habs/Leafs game in both arenas. Fans of one team were in a celebratory mood and looking forward to the next game (you guessed it, the Bruins, in the playoffs), the fans of the other were demoralized because they lost at the only thing they still have.

But that goes back to what I said about it being the providence of the fans and marketing.

I'm not saying at all that it's a bad thing...but the rivalry is much more intense emanating from the fans of one side than of the other. Try walking around downtown Toronto in a Carey Price jersey after he's stellar in a 4-1 win. You'll have awful things said to you. Truly awful. I got to practice my mock golf swing a bunch. LOL

Don't get me wrong, there's absolutely going to be always special sentiments involving the Habs and the Leafs, but until such time as they're competing...truly competing...in important games with more than pride on the line, the Leafs will be in the rearview mirror behind the Bruins as far as the true rivalry goes.

Says the guy that owns this shirt:



LOL

[CoolHandLuke]

Try and get a ticket for a game between the Leafs and Habs. Good luck.

This rivalry is anything but dead.

Brian Price

The rivalry is certainly not dead but probably stronger from a leaf point of view. I know here it's all about Boston and prior to this it was the Nordiques in the 80-90. So many person wear a bruins jersey in Montreal and take for this team that this fuel the debate a lot. Some TV commentator also take for Boston so we hear a lot more on the Boston rivalry that is in my opinion the number one rivalry and Toronto would come second. Also we have had a few series in the past season with Boston and many fans still did not forget when Pacioretty hit the post and got injured. So all fuel for this rivalry. It used to be a strong rivalry but the Nordiques took number one spot and later the Bruins got it too!

I can't remember great moment between Toronto and Montreal like i do for the other two rivalry. This is why from what I see in Montreal that yes there is one but it does not fuel much of family reunion as far as diccussion goes. As for ticket, they are always sold and you need to buy ticket on a secondary market, this is true for all teams, so not a factor in Montreal to test rivalry. But it is there, just that fans do not approach it with the same passion as Boston.

[Wickabee]

It's pretty simple, guys.
Until 1970, when Vancouver entered the league, Canadian fans wore either blue and white, or bleu, blanc et rouge. Everyone in the country, save a minority, were die-hard fans of one or the other. No one walked around asking, "Are you a Habs or a Bruins fan?" No, it was, "Are you a Habs or a Leafs fan?"

Boston/Montreal is a great rivalry that has been really hot for a few years now, but it will never eclipse the meaning of the Habs/Leafs rivalry. Never.