HABS-TOWN: "What a roller coaster ride!!"

Whether she's appearing on CJAD's "The Exchange" to talk about Social media privacy rights, working for your family in her capacity as a family attourney, or waving her bleu-blanc-rouge colours around town, today's guest on HABS-TOWN isn't shy to share her opinions.

Izabel Czuzoj-Shulman is a passionate Habs-fan. She brought her fandom to our nation's capital and back. With ninja-like precision she navigated a houseful of three hockey playing boys to possibly become the most opinionated of the bunch. Today she shares some of those opinions with us in HABS-TOWN.

What got you into hockey, more specifically the Habs?

My dad and brothers were always Habs fans and they're the ones who got me into hockey and specifically the Habs. I still remember watching the '93 playoff run with my dad. I became a bigger fan after the lockout in 2004 (I must have missed it) and have been getting increasingly hardcore every year since.  

What happened between the run in 1993 and 2004? Why'd you lapse and what brought you back? 

Well, I think from '93 to the late 90's I was too young to really know what it was all about but I can't say for sure. I have limited memories of being Ten.

In high school I spent most of my time working on fashion shows and debating (odd combination, I know) so I don't think it was until I branched out a bit more on my own in CEGEP that I truly began appreciating hockey and the Habs specifically. I also never played hockey so that might have led to me having less of an interest in it.

What got me back into it, interestingly enough was dating. I started hanging out with guys who were hockey fans and starting watching it again. It reminded me how much I had enjoyed watching as a little kid and the Habs - monster in me was reborn. Poor guys (laughs) they had no idea I'd be more into the game than them.

Do you remember your first Habs Game?
I don't remember my first Habs game but I'm pretty sure it was after they moved into the Bell Center (or at that time, the Molson Center).

Do you have a favorite Habs player ever? if so, whom, and why?

I don't have a favourite Hab ever, but my favourite all time player is Stevie Y.

I love him because he's not only an all around amazing player but he's also tremendously respected and admired by players, coaches and management throughout the league. I also had the privilege of meeting him last summer at a wedding and he was so gracious. People were literally lined up - at a wedding!! -  to get his autograph and he signed every last one, took pictures and spoke to everyone. 

A red wing as a favorite player. How does that happen?
I got into Stevie Y and the Wings because of someone I dated briefly. He was a Wings fan so we'd end up watching games together. 

My first impression of them was that they were the only Western Conference team that I'd watched that were talented and gracious. So many of those teams were just big burly guys who wanted to fight. Then there were the 2000 era wings with Yzerman, Shanahan, Chelios, Draper and the list goes on. Skilled, classy guys who wanted to play the game right. And I believe a lot of that came from Yzerman being their captain. They would never steal me away from my Habs but man were they fun to watch. Today, my mind is blown by Datsyuk's stick handling every time and the winter classic was awesome. Just good, ol time hockey.

Where do you like to watch games?
My favourite place to watch a game is the Bell Center. There is no other arena with the ambiance of the Bell Center. I literally get goosebumps during the opening of the games every single time. I also love seeing the Habs play in other arenas. I lived in Ottawa for six years and went to watch the Habs play the Sens whenever I could. It was really fun because a ton of people in Ottawa are Habs fans and it almost felt like being at home.

I also like to see the Habs when I travel, if I can, so I've been able to see them in LA, Florida, Anaheim and Boston. If I cant get to an arena to see the game I prefer to watch at home with my dog, Zoey, who is also a Habs fan.

Do you find living away from Montreal changed how you view the team at all?
I definitely think living in Ottawa made me an even bigger Habs fan. It's fun to be a fan of a "foreign" team. It made me want to be more vocal about it, that's for sure. And that stayed with me when I moved back home.

I also paid $15 more per month to get RDS in Ottawa so I could watch my Habs in French and on a network that respects them the way that they should be respected. So yeah, I love my Habs. 

Do you prefer to watch with guys? with girls? why?
I prefer to watch the game with someone who understands or at least cares to understand the sport. Male or female is irrelevant to me. But they have to be into the game! I also find it really interesting to watch with people who play hockey themselves because they offer really interesting insights into the game. My dad, for example, plays and refs so he's a ton of fun to watch with! And one of my brothers is a goalie so his perspective is always fascinating to me.

Do Goalie -  bro and Ref - Dad argue alot? Or are they always on the same page? Who do you find yourself agreeing with more?
For sure they argue. I see it less now since goalie brother and I don't live with ref father anymore but they still get into it whenever we're together. And I love to just sit back and listen when they do because they both know the sport so well. It's so much fun to learn from them. 

I also get into quite a few arguments with each of them given how opinionated I can be and I rarely side with one more often than the other. I just think it's so cool that you can look at the game from so many different perspectives. I consider myself a diehard fan but also kind of a new fan so I realize I still have a ton to learn and I'm lucky to be surrounded by people who know so much and want to share (and or tolerate my rants). 

Do you have any pre-game rituals or in game superstitions?
I have a ton of rituals and superstitions. On every game day, whether regular season or playoffs and whether or not I will be watching I MUST wear at least one item of red clothing. Typically it's a Habs shirt. When we win, I insist on wearing whatever item I was wearing for that game until it stops being lucky. And playoff time is always a Habs shirt or jersey. My dog wears hers too. I park my car in my garage in the exact same way during the playoffs and do my nails with Habs colours and symbols. I'm entirely convinced that these things make a difference.

What's the best game you ever went to? what do you remember about it?
Best game I've been too was this past April 5th. Given the (Conference) restructuring, the Habs were finally playing Detroit and I was ecstatic. Even more so when we went up 3-0. 

When the Habs are winning the Bell Center is the best place in the universe to be. But then the dreaded 3 goal lead habits set in and the Wings tied it up. It's funny because I had wanted to wear a Detroit hat along with my Habs jersey and scarf but was told it was too confusing,(laughs) so I didn't. 

Let me tell you, as much as I love Detroit, when they tied it up my heart sank. I always believe our boys will persevere though and Gionta proved my point about how important Captains can be when he scored that 4th goal. From that point on, the energy was restored at the Bell Center. 

What a roller coaster ride!!

Do you have any funny or interesting stories that are somehow related to the Habs?
Just this past June on the afternoon of game 7 against Boston, I was standing outside of my office and I saw a camera crew walking in to my building. So I approached the guys and asked if they were there to interview me for being such a huge Habs fan. They looked confused so I showed them my nails which were all painted red, except for one finger that was blue with the white habs symbol. After seeing that they agreed to interview me so I brought them out to see my car which I covered in Habs stickers and other paraphernalia. When they saw that I had a Youppi toque, they insisted that I wear it for the interview. So, I appeared on Global news that night at six wearing a Habs tuque (while otherwise dressed as a lawyer) talking about my love for the Habs.

What are your expectations for the 2014-2015 edition of the Montreal Canadiens?

I think this is going to be an incredible season for us. Given how far we got last year, there is no reason to assume we can't do as well if not better. I think we've picked up some interesting guys and (remember you heard it here first) I believe we have the power to bring the cup back home in 2015.

So you don't feel that the Habs may suffer from a leadership void this year? They've gotten younger in the off season after jettisoning much of their veteran talent - including their captain. 
You know, I don't feel that there's a bit of a leadership void this year because I find we have so many guys who fill in different aspects of what makes a captain great. I think being a captain takes more than having a strong presence with the team as well as skills on the ice. I think it takes experience, poise and ability to keep the team and the fans motivated when things look good as well as stepping back and letting everyone enjoy the victories. 

I liked Gionta, LOVED Koivu and would love to see someone on our team step up and do the job right. But I also think that no matter who our captain is, we have a great team. Guys that motivate and encourage, guys that play the game the way it should be played and set a great example even though they're not as vocal. It all comes together to make for an awesome team.

I will say, one of the things I enjoy most about the Habs at the moment is the dynamic between Budaj and Price. I love that Budaj is constantly giving Price little tips, commenting on things that he sees and helping Price become better and better with every game. Those are the kinds of things you want to see from your teammates and why I think that no matter who the captain is, everyone has an important leadership-type role to play.  

You're a big Teenage Mutant Nina Turtles fan, which Habs do you feel best represent the personalities of each turtle, and why?

Based on the pranks he pulls and his general goofy attitude Galchenyuk is Michaelangelo. I'd say Price is Donatello. He's not the most talkative turtle but he's both a great leader and a brain. Leonardo would have been Gionta but I'll give it to Markov now. A great leader, skilled player and well respected in the locker room. I'd say P.K. is Raphael not so much because he has a bad attitude but he can certainly have an attitude one when he wants to although he is still an essential part of the team. 

I think I may have had the cerebral Markov as Donatello,  prankster P.K as Michaelangelo,  "cool but crude" Brandon Prust as Raphael,  and to me calm, cool, stoic Price is Leonardo. 
Can I like your turtle choices but prefer mine?

You can, but I think I get the last word here.
(Laughs) Fair. 

For more from Izabel Czuzoj-Shulman, follow her on Twitter @LadyLawyerMtl

HABS-TOWN: "I'm no longer a fan of the Montreal Canadiens"

Many of you, like me, may remember Ben Raby from his time in Montreal. He worked at the Team 990 (now TSN 990) for four years with the likes of Mitch Melnick and PJ Stock. He left for Washington D.C. shortly after completing a Master's degree at Syracuse University. He still makes occasional appearances on TSN 990, most recently this week with Conor McKenna on "Melnick in the afternoon".

Ben Raby is a man of many hats in the sport world. I've had the pleasure of knowing him for the better part of a decade. He was a pretty good ball hockey player, has knowledge on a multitude of sports and my own mother confused a picture of him as me - so he must be a pretty good looking guy.

While Ben has moved on to another locale, he is still a Montrealer born and bred, the Habs were an important part of his growing up, and to me that makes him an interesting member of HABS-TOWN.

Many readers may remember you from your time at the Team 990 (now TSN 990) here in Montreal, were you always into sports, or was reporting your first love? 

I think my goal of becoming a sports reporter began when I was still a fetus. It was something I was always interested in as a kid and the interest only grew as I went through high school and university.

Somewhere (hopefully far away) are cassettes and video tapes of simulated sports shows I made from my bedroom when I was between six and ten years old. I also used to put together sports magazines and newspapers with my own writings during that time.  Those are now stored away in boxes and likely won’t be seen again for a very long time… but they were fun to sift through when I last saw them in 2007.

I was just a sports media junkie from a very young age- watching Hockey Night in Canada on Saturdays and the NFL on Sundays and calling Mitch Garber’s CIQC radio show on Sunday nights as nine-year-old with a high voice.

On a serious note, I also had a role model for a career in media with my uncle Jason Moscovitz having worked as a political reporter on the CBC for 29 years. He remains a mentor of mine and an honest reviewer of my work.

For those who don't know what are you up to these days?

I left Montreal in 2007 to pursue a Masters Degree in Broadcast Journalism from Syracuse University. The degree from an American university offered me the opportunity to work in the U.S. and I’ve done so since 2009 in Washington, D.C.

I wear a few different hats in D.C. working as both a broadcaster and writer. I’ve covered the Washington Capitals for the last three years and am part of the broadcast team on the radio side where I host the pregame, postgame and intermission shows. I also cover the Caps as a correspondent for NHL.com and with Comcast Sportsnet in DC and with a few different local radio stations.

When there are no conflicts with the Capitals, I work on the radio broadcasts for the American University and George Washington University’s Men’s Basketball teams and starting with this upcoming season, I’ll also be part of the radio broadcast team for the NBA’s Washington Wizards.

During the hockey and basketball offseason, I work as a sports anchor with WTOP Radio in DC covering all local teams including the Washington Nationals and Redskins. 

Does that make it difficult to still be a Habs fan? 

It may sound sacrilege to say I’m no longer a fan of the Montreal Canadiens but I’m in a different situation living in a different city and covering another NHL team for a living.

When Montreal kids go on to play in the NHL, they may have a soft spot for the Canadiens and look forward to the games against Montreal but their priority is always the team they play for and their upcoming opponents. That’s the way I have viewed things while I’ve been covering the Caps.

If for example, the Caps have an upcoming game against Florida and the Panthers are on the NHL Package in my apartment, but the Habs are also on TV that night, chances are good that I’ll be watching the Florida game in preparation for our broadcast. I really don’t even think twice about it.

There has also been a lot of turnover since I last called Montreal home and followed the Canadiens regularly. I think Andrei Markov and now Francis Bouillon are the only remaining players that were regulars with the team when I last lived in Montreal in 2007. I’ve never really had any allegiance to the current group of players.

That said- the soft spot for the franchise and the history is always there. Just don’t expect me to worry too much when the team hits a rough patch in their schedule next season.

What got you into hockey, more specifically the Habs?

I’m not sure if there was any one specific thing that got me into hockey and the Canadiens. It was probably just a combination of watching Hockey Night in Canada and going to games at the Montreal Forum with my father.

I also enjoyed collecting the old Panini stickers and hockey cards as a kid and when I was five or six years old, my grandfather got me the complete set of Canadiens player figurines from Provigo- a set that I still have today… somewhere.

Do you remember your first Habs game?

I don’t remember when exactly I saw my first Canadiens game, but it had to have been sometime in the late 1980s when I was four or five years old.

Apparently I was confused when the game started because there was no play-by-play announcer like all those games I had watched on TV. I’ve been told that I then took it upon myself to do the play-by-play from my seat, causing those around us to wonder what the heck this kid was doing. Guess it was a sign of things to come.

My father introduced me to the Montreal Forum when I was a little guy. I also remember my cousin Ben Raby taking me to see Wayne Gretzky and the L.A. Kings when I was five or six. 

Do you really have a cousin with the exact same name as you?

Yes. Yes I do. He's a doctor.

Do you have a favorite Habs player ever?

Russ Courtnall was among my favorite players when I was still a little guy. He was a goal scorer with plenty of speed- was just fun to watch. I used to always request jersey #6 in my house leagues because it’s the number that Courtnall wore in Montreal.

Shortly after he was traded to the Minnesota North Stars for Brian Bellows, I got a custom made Stars sweater with his #26 on the back (they didn’t exactly have those hanging on the racks in Montreal).

I also liked Chris Chelios which was more a result of his being my older sister’s favorite player. Wearing a Chelios jersey at the Bell Centre in the early 2000s always garnered plenty of reactions. 

More recently Saku Koivu was another favorite of mine and his name is one of the few that I still look for in the box-scores. He was a gamer in Montreal. Captained the team during the worst decade in franchise history and he put up with so much nonsense in the media. I’ll always remember his comeback in 2002 and his going up against Boston’s Joe Thornton in the 2002 and 2004 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

I was actually at the game in Dec. 1996 against the Chicago Blackhawks when Koivu suffered a serious knee injury. He was the NHL’s leading scorer at the time with 38 points in 30 games, but after the injury he never produced points at that rate again.

 

Is it easy to turn the "fan" off and on when appropriate? 

I don’t think it’s too difficult to turn the “fan” off when appropriate. Selfishly speaking, you usually want to see the teams you cover do well because it’s usually good for business (more people tuning in or reading your coverage), but that doesn’t mean you need to cheer in the press box or forget that you have a job to do.

When you deal with the players you cover regularly you develop a relationship that differs from a fan-athlete relationship. It’s a professional relationship that may also allow for a casual conversation when time permits, but I’ll put it this way- reporters can’t talk to players the way fans may talk about the team on a call-in radio show.

The best example I can give of tossing away the fanhood is when you’re working on deadline. When writing a story on a tight deadline the last thing a reporter needs is an overtime finish or a crazy late-game comeback. In those situations, regardless of whether “your” team is leading, sometimes you just want the game to end quickly regardless of who comes out on top. It makes life as a reporter a whole lot easier.

What's the best hockey game you attended? what do you remember about it?

Some of the best hockey games I attended were the first few times the Colorado Avalanche visited the Molson Centre in the late 1990s. At the time the Avalanche were one of the best teams in the NHL, they were still only a couple of years removed from Quebec City (brining out plenty of Nordiques jerseys to the arena), and their goalie Patrick Roy had a little bit of history in Montreal. The atmosphere at those games was always special.

I’ll also always remember attending the final game at the Montreal Forum on March 11, 1996. The Canadiens beat the Dallas Stars 4-1 and the postgame ceremonies included an eight minute standing ovation for Maurice Richard.

A couple non-hockey questions, you moved to DC right around the same time as the Expos, now you work for the team, does that make it that much easier to be a Nationals fan, or do you still feel the pain of the Expos loss? 

The Expos were my favorite team growing up so I’ll always have a soft spot for the team’s history in Montreal and the memories of seeing some great players at Olympic Stadium (say what you want, but I maintain that it had to have been one of the most under-rated fan experiences in all of baseball).

That said, this is my fifth summer in D.C., and having covered the Nationals in some capacity since 2008, I have gotten to know the folks who work with the club, I have followed the growth of the team and I have seen them evolve into a pennant contender. It’s been a great ride which should only get better.

I do acknowledge the unique situation I’m in. I understand that most Expos fans don’t care about the Nationals, just as most Washington baseball fans don’t care about what the franchise did while in Montreal. 

The Nationals themselves (perhaps under orders from MLB) do a very good job of acknowledging the Expos past. Any time a franchise record is broken for example, you’ll often hear a reference to a Montreal Expo. Whenever the Nats begin a home stand, the press notes will always include the club’s all time record (dating back to 1969) versus the upcoming opponents.

I would say that in each game broadcast, there are least three or four references to the Expos. On the TV side, former Expos outfielder FP Santangelo is the color analyst, so many of his anecdotes or references come from his time with Montreal.

It was also special in 2010 when the Nats honored Andre Dawson and Gary Carter by including them on the team’s ring of honor at Nationals Park. The Nats wore the tri-colored Expos hats during batting practice that day and the players then had to sign the hats for charitable auction purposes.

Adam Dunn, Ian Desmond (third-round pick by Montreal in 2004) and Drew Storen (an Expos batboy in the late 1990s in St. Louis) weren’t happy about having to give up the hats and apparently went out and bought their own Expos hats after the fact.

The point is- the Expos actually have a bigger presence in D.C. then some may realize. 

Before I let you go, I'd be remiss if I didn't ask you - have you gotten around to seeing The Godfather or Goodfellas yet?

I have in fact gotten around to seeing the Godfather and Good Fellas, and the latter is actually among my all-time favorite movies. 

The origin to this question dates back to 2006 when I was working with Mitch Melnick and it was discovered in an on-air conversation that I have seen very few must-see movies.

I think I was given a list of ten classics that I was instructed to watch… I only wound up watching four of them- Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, The Godfather and Good Fellas- but I’m forever grateful that they were brought to my attention.

I still have never seen the Wizard of Oz. 

For more from Ben Raby, follow him on twitter: @BenRaby31

or read his articles at CSN Washington.com