The Galchenyuk moment (2015)
— Now passed! Raw talent is not enough ____________________ Note to readers: In 2021, Alex Galchenyuk was suddenly back in the news as a promising acquisition for the Leafs. This comes after a bumpy three years spent among multiple NHL teams. Early in 2015, the young Canadiens star seemed to be emerging as a terrific…
The ‘phénomène Gainey’ hits France (1989)
In July 1989, Bob Gainey shocked the North American hockey world by announcing he was leaving the big time, the National Hockey League’s Montreal Canadiens, for a position as player-coach of a team called the Squirrels – les Ecureuils – in Epinal.
For a player who has tasted virtually every top-level honor the NHL offers – Stanley Cup champion, Canadiens captain, all-star and multiple trophy winner – Gainey’s decision might seem like a big step into the unknown.
The Big M: Bruins-killer. The fabulous 1971 Habs-Boston series
This feature celebrating Frank Mahovlich, published before the 2014 Canadiens-Boston series, took a fresh look at that classic ’71 Habs’ upset David Winch, April 2014 First published at hockey blog TopShelfwithBK MONTREAL — The Bruins looked unbeatable. They finished the season with the best record in the NHL, after a run to the Cup the…
The return of Dag – dynamic UN head back in the spotlight as turbulence looms
UN Special magazine, June 2011 Coincidence, or a trick of history? At the very moment when the UN appears caught in confrontation with a superpower member and overwhelmed by tectonic geopolitical shifts in the developing world, Dag has returned to the headlines. Dag Hammarskjöld is a large figure – maybe the largest – on the…
Trip to the edge — A deskbound Geneva ‘fonctionnaire’ tastes life in the field
By David Winch, UN Special, May 2009 The arrival was a shock. The airport, a shambles. After a day and a night on flights from Geneva to Paris to Togo and beyond, here we were in Central Africa. Years later, the memories of this, my first field mission, remain vivid. Arriving from the North, the…