Former Canadiens Enforcer Announces One Man Show

Montreal Canadiens former enforcer Chris Nilan announced yesterday that he had a new project, a one-man show titled Knuckles: The Chris Nilan Story. For four nights in late May and early June, he will take the floor to talk about Nilan will take center stage at the Maison Principale in Saint-Henri.

Tickets for the show will cost $350 and include dinner and while some may see this as a hefty price tag, it's important to note that all proceeds will go to the Barry F. Lorenzetti Foundation. The organization is committed to improving mental health care in Canada.

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If you've read Nilan's 2013's Fighting Back: The Chris Nilan Story, you know how much Nilan has to say and how well he can tell a story. Part of the 1986 Stanley Cup winning Canadiens, the tough guy might have made the NHL as an enforcer, but he became more than that and formed quite the checking line with Guy Carbonneau and Bob Gainey.

The Boston-born straightshooter was never scared to speak his mind, even when he was a youngster and that's how in May 1979, he talked his way into giving Gilles Lupien, Guy Lafleur and Jacques Lemaire a lift. The three players were about to call a cab from the Garden when two kids offered them a ride, they climbed into the car, and soon enough, one of the two kids told them he had been drafted by the Habs and would be with them at the next training camp. They didn't know him and though he was just trying to make himself interesting, but they realized he wasn't joking when they saw him at training camp in September.

That's just one of the stories he told in his book, you can expect more from the one-man show, but also more serious tales about the black hole of addiction that almost swallowed him whole when he retired from the game. It won't be a pity party though don't worry. Nilan plans to tell his story as a survivor and not as a victim.

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Yesterday, he explained how former linemate Bob Gainey once gave him a business card that would eventually save his life. If you fancy spending an evening with a 688-NHL game veteran who wasn't too proud to ask for help when he needed it and wants to make a difference, tickets can be bought on the Barry F. Lorenzetti Foundation website.

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