Montreal

MONTREAL - If I were rich and single, I know exactly where I would propose marriage to my sweetheart. It would be in Birks Café, the little gourmet hideaway on the mezzanine of the downtown flagship store of Birks, jeweler to the elite of Montreal since 1879. With its French history and contemporary sophistication, it's hard to beat Montreal for romance. There's no more romantic spot than the jewelry store in the lovely Beaux-Arts building in the very heart of town. I even know what time of day I would pop the question.

Not sure why we never went to Montreal and Quebec City in one long trip (though several visits to Montreal only). We ate extraordinarily well, beginning at Le Comptoir Charcuteries et Vins , (above) which was very crowded when we arrived without a reservation. In Montreal, establishments cannot serve wine at the bar unless you're also eating and all those spaces were spoken for. We had walked three miles in the rain (though not uphill and backwards, only uphill)

The storehouse of unreleased jazz concert recordings seemingly goes on forever. The "new" one from Dexter Gordon is a masterpiece. "Night Ballads, Montreal, 1977," culled from four nights at The Rising Sun, showcases the tenor saxophonist's prowess on slow numbers. Gordon's quartet — with pianist George Cables, bassist Rufus Reid, and drummer Eddie Gladden — uses four standards ("Lover Man," "You've Changed," "Old Folks," and "Polka Dots and Moonbeams") as vehicles for improvisation.

Police say smoke bombs were set off at multiple points in Montreal's subway system, briefly cutting off service and creating a nightmarish morning commute. Quebec Premier Jean Charest condemned the attack, saying he hopes the guilty parties are found. The incident occurred near the peak of Thursday morning rush hour. Most service was restored just after 10 a.m. (1500 GMT). Subway service has been interrupted in recent weeks as the city deals with student protests over tuition increases.

Nathan Horton will not travel with the Bruins to Montreal to start their six-game road trip. Horton continues to recover from a concussion suffered on Jan. 22. Horton will miss his eighth straight game tonight. @GlobeFluto

HADLEY - Having driven 90 miles, Doug Gladue arrives at his destination and parks in front of an old barn in a part of town known as the Commons. He will tour the area's breweries before heading back home to Old Saybrook, Conn. But he came here for the malt. "Welcome to the malt house. Let me get you your bags," says Andrea Stanley, 34, a Ludlow native who owns and operates Valley Malt with her husband, Christian Stanley, 33. The two live with their three children in Hadley, where they sprout and dry locally grown barley, wheat, rye, and other grains to make malt, the chief...

Boston 1 2 0 0—4 Montreal 0 1 2 0—3 Boston won shootout 1-0 First Period—1, Boston, Ference 5 (Marchand), 17:09. Second Period—2, Montreal, Darche 5 (Subban), 1:39 (sh). 3, Boston, Pouliot 9 (Kelly, Peverley), 5:07. 4, Boston, Bergeron 17 (Seguin, Chara), 14:33 (pp). Third Period—5, Montreal, Pacioretty 24 (Desharnais, Cole), 3:34. 6, Montreal, Cole 22, 11:12. Overtime—None. Shootout—Boston 1 (Krejci NG, Seguin G), Montreal 0 (Bourque NG, Pacioretty NG, Eller NG). Shots on Goal—Boston 12-13-2-7—34.

Montreal 0 0 1—1 Boston 1 0 1—2 First Period—1, Boston, Caron 2 (Boychuk, Chara), 1:23. Second Period—None. Third Period—2, Boston, Lucic 15 (Horton, Krejci), 3:43. 3, Montreal, Weber 4 (Kaberle, Desharnais), 12:46 (pp). Shots on Goal—Montreal 16-6-12—34. Boston 12-8-10—30. Goalies—Montreal, Price. Boston, Thomas. A—17,565 (17,565). T—2:19.

The Canadiens have re-signed Josh Gorges, bringing the defenseman back to Montreal on a one-year contract. Gorges had a goal and six assists in 36 games last season. He had 18 penalty minutes and averaged 21:10 seconds of ice time per game. The 26-year-old defenseman, who has played with Montreal for six seasons, sustained a season-ending injury to his right knee on Dec. 26 at Long Island. "Josh is recovering extremely well," Canadiens general manager Pierre Gauthier said.

The Bruins have assigned Jordan Caron to Providence. Caron has been a healthy scratch for the last two games. Providence plays Albany this afternoon at the Dunkin' Donuts Center. Because the big boys don't play until Thursday, Caron could be recalled prior to the game against Montreal. @GlobeFluto

Editor's note: This article first appeared in The Boston Globe (then called the Daily Boston Globe) on Jan. 20, 1958. Willie O'Ree, who became the first Negro player in the history of the National Hockey League as a member of the Bruins lineup in the weekend games against Montreal, had just about the same reaction as any other rookie. "I'm just happy to get a chance up here, that's about all I can say," was Willie's reaction to writers and other well-wishers in the Boston room.

The Phoenix Coyotes roused a dormant fan base with an energetic season-ending burst that carried into the playoffs. Lunch-pail likable and brilliantly resilient, they have made hockey cool in the desert again and given the NHL playoffs a distinctive new vibe by reaching the second round for the first time in a quarter century. And they're not alone. After years of the same handful of teams competing for the Cup, Lord Stanley's sterling mug has some new pursuers. Red Wings, Canucks, Blackhawks, Bruins — they're all gone.

We know how Game 7 ends Wednesday night at the Garden between the Bruins and Capitals. When the final second ticks off the clock, or the overtime goal gets fired into the net, one of the clubs will rejoice wildly, the other will grimace in pain, and within moments, they'll all line up on the ice for the customary end-of-series handshake. Players and coaches alike, no matter how elated or bitterly disappointed, will fulfill one of the game's great, charming traditions. It's the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The storehouse of unreleased jazz concert recordings seemingly goes on forever. The "new" one from Dexter Gordon is a masterpiece. "Night Ballads, Montreal, 1977," culled from four nights at The Rising Sun, showcases the tenor saxophonist's prowess on slow numbers. Gordon's quartet — with pianist George Cables, bassist Rufus Reid, and drummer Eddie Gladden — uses four standards ("Lover Man," "You've Changed," "Old Folks," and "Polka Dots and Moonbeams") as vehicles for improvisation.

The Boston Bruins still have Tim Thomas, and they've added something they think might be even more important as they try to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. ‘‘It's called experience," coach Claude Julien said of the lessons he learned in the Bruins' title run last year. ‘‘Once you've got that experience, it makes you a better coach, and the experience I gained last year, I certainly hope to be able to utilize to my advantage this year. " The Bruins won their first NHL championship since 1972 last year, thanks largely to the Vezina and Conn Smythe...

Tomas Plekanec scored a rare short-handed goal with Montreal down two players and the Canadiens beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1 Saturday night in the regular-season finale for both teams. Max Pacioretty, Erik Cole and Brad Staubitz also scored for Montreal (31-25-16), which finished last in the Eastern Conference. Staubitz's goal into an empty net with 1:58 to play was his first point in 62 games this season. Dion Phaneuf scored for Toronto (35-37-10), which had a promising start to the season wasted by a 7-18-4 record over the last two months.

Tomas Plekanec scored a rare short-handed goal with Montreal down two players and the Canadiens beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1 Saturday night in the regular-season finale for both teams. Max Pacioretty, Erik Cole and Brad Staubitz also scored for Montreal (31-25-16), which finished last in the Eastern Conference. Staubitz's goal into an empty net with 1:58 to play was his first point in 62 games this season. Dion Phaneuf scored for Toronto (35-37-10), which had a promising start to the season wasted by a 7-18-4 record over the last two months.

The Boston Bruins still have Tim Thomas, and they've added something they think might be even more important as they try to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. "It's called experience," coach Claude Julien said of the lessons he learned in the Bruins' title run last year. "Once you've got that experience, it makes you a better coach, and the experience I gained last year, I certainly hope to be able to utilize to my advantage this year. " The Bruins won their first NHL championship since 1972 last year, thanks largely to the Vezina and Conn Smythe Trophy-winning Thomas and some...

Canadiens linemates Erik Cole and Max Pacioretty both scored two goals, and Montreal snapped a four-game losing streak by beating the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-2 on Wednesday night. Lightning star Steven Stamkos didn't score, despite several good chances, and remained two goals short of 60. He will play in his hometown of Toronto on Thursday night and has two games left to reach the mark. Cole scored twice in the second period, Pacioretty had a pair of goals in the third, and Alexei Emelin also scored for Montreal (30-35-15)