In an interview on Friday’s JiC program on TVA Sports, the former Canadian player returned to mark the 30th anniversary of that famous conquest.
“Even though it’s been 30 years, the feeling remains incredible. Winning the Stanley Cup in Montreal in front of my family and with my teammates was a dream come true. I’m 55 now, but the memories are still fresh in my mind. You can’t forget moments like that. I never thought it was 30 years ago.
– Also read: Stanley Cup of CH: That really happened on the evening of June 9, 1993
The man who picked up six points from 13 games in the 1993 playoffs still remembers what set his team’s season apart.
“Three games before the end of the regular season, Jacques showed us the banners on the players’ bench. He had given a speech about the Canadiens’ winning tradition. We then did our dirty laundry as a family to find out what was going on. The next day Jacques had arrived with the famous card telling us that together we would commit to going to great honors.
Despite it all, the Quebec native believes the Canadian had everything he needed to form a winning team.
“I don’t agree with people who say we didn’t have a great team. Aside from Patrick Roy, we might not have had a particularly big star, but we had a lot of good players. We had a very mature team that didn’t really panic. We measured our emotions well. A quality team with a lot of depth can sometimes become a champion team.
Lebeau also admits to being a bit disappointed with the performance of his former side over the past 30 years.
“I’ve been saying for several years that we’re still riding the wave of the 1993 edition. I find that a bit unfortunate. I’m happy that people are still talking about us and that we continue to pay tribute to the 1993 edition, but I can’t wait to pass the torch on to someone else at some point.
The one who also evolved for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim notes that the organization’s standards have changed a lot since then.
“I remember well that the culture and goal of the Canadiens back then was to win the Stanley Cup. It wasn’t about making the playoffs. Not winning the Stanley Cup was practically a failure. The ambition was very high back then.”