Habs fan pushing for team to retire Toe Blake’s number 6 There are 15 numbers retired at the Bell Centre, and there’s a push to add one more. Toe Blake died in 1995. His name is not known by many fans despite the fact that he helped the Montreal Canadiens win eleven Stanley Cups. Blake played left wing alongside Habs legends Maurice Richard and Elmer Lach on the punch line in the 1940s. There’s a park named after him near the Forum and a namesake arena in his hometown outside Sudbury, Ont. But one lifelong Habs fan wants more for Blake – he wants the team to retire number six. “I believe that he needs to be recognized the way he should be, as one of the greatest Montreal Canadiens player, coach, mentor,” said Maurice St-Martin. St-Martin, a physician, is also from northern Ontario. He was young during Blake’s prime, so his push to honour the player only materialized after a trip to the Bell Centre last November. “We realized that Blake wasn’t there despite being an integral part of the punch line,” he said. “It’s an oversight. It’s an injustice. And, you know, I think his playing career literally got eclipsed by his formidable coaching career.” Blake was behind the bench for the Canadiens for 13 seasons. He coached the team to win five consecutive Stanley Cups, and later added three more to the trophy shelf, according to NHL.com historian and columnist Dave Stubbs. “There are a whole lot of people who probably don’t even realize that he won the Stanley Cup three times as a player. So he was a tremendous player, and he’s in the Hall of Fame, not as a builder, but he went in in 1966 as a player,” he said. Blake made his NHL debut in the 1934-35 season with the Montreal Maroons. Later traded to the Canadiens, he led the league in scoring in 1938-39 – a fitting award for the player nicknamed “the old lamplighter.” Stubbs says these three were the most feared offensive unit at the time. “Elmer Lach once told me we were three average hockey players and made each other better. Well, that was a little modest because they were more than average hockey players. These guys were absolutely brilliant, and they were the best of the best during their time,” he said. Blake’s first name is actually Hector, but one of his siblings couldn’t pronounce it, and he became “Toe.” “His contemporaries all really respected him, and they respected what he brought to the game. Scotty Bowman again, you know, really learned he almost worshiped at the altar of Toe Blake,” said Stubbs. St-Martin says he’s in touch with Blake’s family, who support his push to retire number six. There is no player on the current roster wearing it, and ultimately, it’s up to the team. But he says he won’t stop until Blake is reunited with his linemates in the rafters.
