25-04-2025
Even Pierre Houde is surprised by the Canadiens this season
The Corner Booth
The Montreal Canadiens surprised just about everyone this year by making the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in four years, including legendary Habs play-by-play announcer Pierre Houde.
But on this week's episode of The Corner Booth with hosts Aaron Rand and Bill Brownstein, back on home ice at Snowdon Deli, the French-language voice of the Habs on RDS since 1989 said the signs were there that this young team was primed to turn the corner.
'In the long run, I was a very strong believer in that team, very early in the process, including the captain and all those young players coming on board,' Houde said.
He added that coach Martin St. Louis has played a major role in the Cinderella success of the rebuilding club.
'He was the perfect coach for the process to start with,' he said.
The recipient of the Hockey Hall of Fame's 2024 Foster Hewitt Memorial Award is set to celebrate 50 years in broadcasting, and he shared a few stories with Rand and Brownstein this week, including how he almost became the first-ever Colorado Avalanche play-by-play announcer, and how his first English game — of only two he has ever done — was actually one of the most infamous in Canadiens history.
He also talked about the pride he feels being 'the professor' to so many anglophone Habs fans, who credit Houde's calls with helping them learn French over the years.
'It's so heartwarming,' Houde said. 'I just love doing my job in the French language because I think there are so many opportunities to call the same play in various ways.'
