Thursday, March 1, 2012

'Baby Boom' Blake Geoffrion embraces family legacy with the ...

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?I remember hearing all these stories growing up about my Pappy,? Canadiens Blake Geoffrion recalls. ?I knew he was a superstar but I didn?t know what it meant until I got here, people coming up to us, offering condolences on our loss, telling us he was a great man. I couldn?t believe these people recognized his grandsons.

MONTREAL ? Blake Geoffrion has come north from his native Tennessee with some sound advice from his father.

?He told me not to worry about you guys,? Geoffrion said with a laugh Wednesday in the Canadiens? Bell Centre dressing room, waving at a media crowd unlike any he?d seen before.

On Thursday, Geoffrion will make his home-ice Habs debut, following in the strides of his great-grandfather, Howie Morenz; his grandfather, Bernie Geoffrion; and his father, Danny. He will skate beneath Howie and Bernie?s banners that hang from the rafters, and against the Minnesota Wild he?ll absorb as much of the experience as his focus will allow.

There was no sign Wednesday that the pressure was bearing down on a fourth-generation Canadien. And he was taking to heart a few words of wisdom from defenceman P.K. Subban, 22, an old sage who suggested the 24-year-old newcomer simply use the emotion he?ll feel on the ice to his advantage.

?When (Danny) played here, he said he felt the pressure,? Geoffrion said. ?He was nervous. It?s a lot different for me. I was kind of disguised way down in Tennessee. You guys didn?t even know I existed for awhile.

?My father grew up here, he got to see Pappy all the time,? he added of his grandfather, the legendary Boomer. ?When Dad was playing here, my Pappy was the coach.?

It?s been a whirlwind two weeks for Geoffrion, acquired from the Nashville Predators on Feb. 17 for Habs defenceman Hal Gill. He reported to the Hamilton Bulldogs, played for them at the Bell Centre last Friday, was called up to the Canadiens on Monday, made his Habs debut Tuesday in Tampa Bay and on Thursday sees action on home ice, his parents in the crowd.

Grandmother Marlene Geoffrion, Boomer?s widow ? ?my Nana,? Blake calls her ? won?t be in the house, not a frequent flyer. But she, too, is part of this magic.

On Wednesday, walking to the Bell Centre from the hotel where he?s installed, Geoffrion pulled on his No. 57 jersey ? honouring Boomer?s No. 5 and Morenz?s No. 7 ? and joined his new team on risers at centre ice for the club?s official portrait, something ?pretty special.

?It?s an honour to wear the Geoffrion name on the back and to be a part of this family and the tradition here in Montreal,? Geoffrion said. ?Pressure comes along with that but I?m my own player. I?ll just play as hard as I can.?

The young man is embracing all that goes with his family?s legendary name. It was something for which he got a taste in 2006 when he was in town for the emotional ceremony to retire the sweater of Boomer, who?d died the morning of the banner-raising.

?I remember hearing all these stories growing up about my Pappy,? he recalled. ?I knew he was a superstar but I didn?t know what it meant until I got here, people coming up to us, offering condolences on our loss, telling us he was a great man. I couldn?t believe these people recognized his grandsons.

?It was pretty emotional. I was really close to Pappy, we talked all the time on the phone. He was one heck of a character. He captured a room, you knew his presence. He loved to be the centre of attention and tell some jokes, so when I look up at the banners, those memories come to me of just how much I miss that guy.?

Geoffrion confessed he didn?t know Howie Morenz ?on a personal level,? likely because the Habs? first true superstar died in 1937.

?But I heard a lot of stories about him ? the Stratford Streak, the Mitchell Meteor,? he said. ?I know the story about him dying of a broken heart (medically, of a coronary embolism), and obviously he was really loved in Montreal, too.?

The Bell Centre ovation Geoffrion will hear Thursday won?t be for Morenz or the Boomer, but for the new Canadien who some are calling Baby Boom.

Even Geoffrion?s given name is famous in this city, the surname of legendary coach Hector (Toe) Blake.

?I?ve asked my mom if my name has to do with Toe,? he said. ?But she said she chose the name because she liked it. It?s just a coincidence.?

He paused.

?I think.?

There will be butterflies come game time, Geoffrion admitted, even if last Friday he felt Bell ice beneath his blades and saw the banners overhead that gave him chills down his spine.

?I needed that experience,? he said. ?I didn?t play too well for the Bulldogs, but those jitters are gone.?

Geoffrion?s dream comes true just after 7:30 p.m., nearly six years after he?d hoped that the Canadiens would bring him into the NHL.

He?d interviewed several times with New Jersey but the Devils passed him by in the 2006 draft; the Habs instead chose Ben Maxwell and Mathieu Carle with their second-round picks, 49th and 53rd overall.

Geoffrion went to his hometown Nashville Predators, 56th overall, and now suits up for what he calls the team that?s ?my home away from home.?

His father, he said, ?is pumped,? even if Danny needed some convincing. Blake has long teased his father with Internet rumours and when he was dealt to the Canadiens, his call was shrugged off.

?Dad told me, ?Yeah, real funny. I?m at the movies with Nana, I?ll call you back,? and he hung up,? Geoffrion recalled.

?I later swore to him on my life that it was true, and he turned to Nana and just said, ?Taber ?? ? the rest of the word garbled in his laughter.

But now here he is, like three generations before him wearing the CH.

?I?ll tell you what, God works in mysterious ways,? Geoffrion said. ?It?s been one heck of a ride.?

dstubbs@montrealgazette.com

twitter.com/habsinsideout1

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Source: http://nhl-northeast.com/montrealcanadiens/baby-boom-blake-geoffrion-embraces-family-legacy-with-the-montreal-canadiens-the-montreal-gazette/

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