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brian bellows 1982-1999

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Two Teams, One Dream

by Dan Rankin

A failed Cinderella Stanley Cup run with Minnesota made Bellows championship victory with Montreal that much sweeter
rian Bellows starred with Minnesota, the state he now calls home, but his heart still lies with Montreal. Bellows was drafted second overall by Minnesota in 1982 and he quickly became a key component for the North Stars. Over the next 10 seasons he and the Stars reached the post-season eight times and they came tantalizingly close to a Stanley Cup in 1990-91, losing in Game 6 to the Penguins. Against Pittsburgh, I thought we had a solid chance, Bellows said. The difference there, honestly, was Mario Lemieux. He was so good. Whenever we had a chance and it was close, he just pulled it away. Even though the Stars the 16th seed upset the regular season-champion Chicago Blackhawks, the second-place St. Louis Blues and the defending Stanley Cup-champion Oilers on the way to final, Bellows was not satisfied. Theres no consolation, he said. NHL playoffs are all win or all lose. Two seasons later, he was back in the final as a member of the 92-93 Canadiens. This time it felt different. When you have a guy like Guy Carbonneau or Patrick Roy in the room, that really kind of settles and balances you out, Bellows said. We won so many games in overtime (10) that we just had this expectation we were going to do well. We won the first round and it just kept building and building and building. You could sense it. He still calls hoisting the Cup in Montreal, after defeating the Los Angeles Kings in five games, his greatest hockey memory, one savored more for how close hed come with Minnesota. I appreciated it more, but any time is really, really sweet because its such a Brian Bellows grind, he said. It was a great group of guys. Between 1982 and 1994, Bellows posted 12 straight seasons of 50 points or more, ranking as one of the top three scorers on his team nine times and putting him on some noteworthy all-time top 50 lists: 46th in career goals (485), 47th in career playoff points (122) and 29th in playoff points in a single year (29 in 1991). In between seasons, while still staying active to keep in shape and volunteering as a speaker at elementary schools, Bellows took summer classes to acquire a finance degree. Hes now a broker in Minneapolis, Minn. Youve got to take care of yourself in the summer, said Bellows, 47. That got me out of the hanging out, doing nothing mode.

The NHL playoffs are all win or all lose

Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images

These days, his spare time is Sweet 16 dedicated to being a father of Brian Bellows led the 16ththree hockey-playing kids, as seeded North Stars to the well as the coach of his 13-year- Stanley Cup final in 1991. old son Kieffer and his bantam A squad. My job is pretty involved, he said. Ive got to keep track of stocks, whats going on. And Im continuing to coach. The thing about Bantams is, its six days a week. As dedicated as he is behind the bench today, the St. Catharines, Ont., native actually reached the pinnacle of his coaching career more than 30 years ago. In November, 1981, Bellows was playing for the Ontario Leagues Kitchener Rangers. While sidelined with a shoulder injury early in the season, the 17-year-old was surprised to get the call to be interim bench boss when coach Joe Crozier was out serving a suspension. Back then you only had one coach and one trainer and no assistants, Bellows said. So, when Crozier got suspended, he just figured a player would know the lines better than anyone on the board of directors. So he just told me, Go ahead and take care of it. I remember being a little bit nervous and thinking the toughest thing would be to make sure I didnt hurt anyones feelings. Bellows went 1-1 during his brief stint and still holds the record as the youngest coach in OHL history. Now, almost 20 years after winning the Cup with Montreal, Bellows is back in Minnesota, living in the middle of Wild country. But does he root for the state he starred in? I still cheer for the Habs, he said.
THN.com april 16, 2012 | 55