1965 Montreal Vs. Chicago Game – Review
1965 Montreal Vs. Chicago Game – Review
Adding a break in between the Aftermath, I’ve found time to re-emerge and write a review.
On my nose through the TV listings one evening, I noticed a rather unusual break in the baseball coverage on ESPN America.
This break was for a classic Stanley Cup challenge re-run, but not from the last decade, or even the last 2 decades. This game was from 1965.
To say that this game was a real blast from the past feels like an understatement. Firstly, it was incredibly weird to see no helmets on the players. Something I’m just not used to – being that the oldest thing I think Ive ever watched was a highlight reel from the 80′s.
The commentary was also in a completely different era, and it sounds very similar to what is now typically the stereotype of American sports commentary style.
I must admit that the commentary was also both a lot more descriptive but also more annoying. Perhaps its just because I am not accustomed to it.
The game play was fast, smooth, pretty much like hockey is now, though minus all this fancy new stuff such as edge jerseys and “RBK carbon nano sticks”.
The one major difference though, was that the game looked a lot more physical. The checks seemed to be a lot more full and there was a few “good old” punch ups.
The biggest issue I had really with this classic game, and definitely the one that stopped me watching the whole thing continuously versus little chunks (luckily I used the UK equivalent to Tivo here) was the the quality.
Yes, fristly before you even continue with the assumption that I’m being a complete prat, I am aware that it was in 1965.
Still, the black and white recording, complete with film scratches and dust particles (yes, there was tonnes) really ruined the experience for me and I think it’s this, that put me off the most.
Still, overall, It was certainly an interesting watch, and If I see future games I will record them so I can have a look at them, just because it’s amazing to see how hockey has evolved.
Final Conclusion
This was certainly a rare treat to be able to catch a 44 year old game on TV and I am glad to have watched it. The quality was a let down, being worse than I imagined, but it’s definitely better than nothing at all.
I cannot really rate this out of ten, mainly because it is a game on TV.
Still, if you see a classic game on, do check it out. You’ll be surprised if you’ve never seen one from this era.
Kev.