Yvan Cournoyer is the oldest Canadian captain still with us. Last November, the Habs’ famous number 12 celebrated his 80th birthday.

“Health is good. I try to stay in shape. “At my age, we know when to go to bed, but we don’t know when to get up,” he joked to me as we spoke on Tuesday morning.

Nicknamed the “Roadrunner,” Mr. Cournoyer closely follows the performance of the team he played for for 16 seasons from 1963 to 1979. “We have character, we have an excellent first line and the players have performed well.”

During his career, Cournoyer missed the playoffs only once (1970). This year marks the third consecutive year the Canadians have been eliminated from the spring tournament, the fifth time in seven years and the sixth time in the last nine years.

“It’s hard,” Cournoyer said, smiling. I now work as an ambassador for the team. I won 10 Stanley Cups as a player and would like to win the eleventh, but I am aware of today’s reality.

He also has a recommendation to improve the team. “We need to add some weight. “It will gain weight going forward to play against the big teams,” while stressing that he appreciates the work of Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes. “They are very approachable, you can talk to them and they have a lot of respect for the older ones.”

Mr. Cournoyer is also very impressed with head coach Martin St-Louis. “I would have loved to play for Martin St-Louis,” he told me without hesitation. “When he speaks, he doesn’t speak in vain. He respects his players and his players respect him. Sometimes he visits us in the alumni lounge. He’s really an exceptional guy.”

Mr. Cournoyer wanted to add the following about St-Louis: “He is sincere and honest and when he has something to say, he says it well,” he specifies, directed in Montreal by Toe Blake, Claude Ruel, Al MacNeil and Scotty Bowman.

As a former captain (1975 to 1979), Cournoyer also pays special attention to the captain of the current edition, Nick Suzuki. “I often talk to him. He does a great job as captain. He is polite, speaks well and is a good role model for his teammates on the ice.

During our conversation, I also pointed out to Mr. Cournoyer that his playing style was similar to that of Cole Caufield. “Yes, I see myself in him,” he admitted.

Cournoyer even gave Caufield advice to help him achieve greater success. “I noticed that he was staying on the boards a lot in the offensive zone and I advised him to get involved in front of the net more often.” Cournoyer added: “It’s fun to watch Caufield play. He’s improving defensively, his game is more complete and he’s going to get even better. He’s going to be a real player.”

To this day, Yvan Cournoyer is one of the best players in the history of the Canadiens. In particular, he ranks fourth in goals (428) behind Maurice Richard, Guy Lafleur and Jean Béliveau. Cournoyer was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1982.