Habs forward Travis Moen with Montrealer David Nerman, whose cut-resistant hockey socks are gaining a foothold in the NHL and beyond.
Phil Carpenter, Gazette
You might recognize Montreal native David Nerman as Albert, the long-time manservant angel in the Philadelphia Cream Cheese spots. But Canadiens forward Travis Moen knows him as the man who might have saved him a crippling injury.
The Habs are among a growing list of NHL clubs and minor- and beer-league teams wearing the Tuff-n-Lite cut-resistant hockey sock recently introduced by Nerman, who starred in the first two seasons of Lance et Compte in the mid-1980s (photo of him with a familiar hockey trophy below).
Nerman, once coached in Outremont baseball by current Habs GM Pierre Gauthier, was spurred into action when he saw defenceman Andrei Markov seriously hurt Oct. 1, a left foot tendon slashed in a collision with netminder Carey Price. Habs equipment manager Pierre Gervais has bought a supply of Nerman’s socks, the majority of the team now wearing them, and says that Markov wouldn’t have missed a game if he’d been wearing them.
• Feature story on that here, along with this morning’s Gazette preview of tonight’s Habs-Leafs matchup and a Stubbs column on yesterday’s return to practice of Michael Cammalleri.
Montreal actor David Nerman as Quebec Nationals’ Steve Bradshaw in 1986 at the Quebec Colisée during shooting of the téléroman Lance et Compte.
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I’m surprised it has taken this long for something like this to be adopted. It’s nice to see though! I wonder if Pleks can get a turtleneck made out the same material?
Thank you Dave! Much catchier title this time around anyway
Although the former did draw quite a bit of attention.
Nice to see Manservant Albert finally getting a real job.
Seriously, if I had a million bucks, I’d invest in this. You can bet that five years from now, every senior league hack and 10 year old house league hopeful will be wearing these. It’s the neck guard of the 2010s.
And a poet at that. You did have some of our quick attention Dave!
G’mornin’, Ian. The players have wrist guards. To put it plain: they are crap. The players should go back to the longer glove with all the slashing going on. $10 million wrists protected by nothing, for “looks.” Idiots.
How dare he hold the cup with that sweater on, the Nordic have never won a thing. Degrades Stanley!
It is much better now that he is starting at the bottom with socks and working his way to the top.
All fun aside, great job for the game! Don’t forget to work your way to the top, needed wrist guards for short cuff gloves and a better neck protector sock.
It’s not a Nordiques jersey, it’s the fictitious “Nationals du Québec” from Lance et Compte!
—Hope Springs Eternal—
Geez, you guys. I’ve rewritten the headline!
Dave Stubbs
Habs Inside/Out
Sports Columnist/Feature Writer, Montreal Gazette
• On Twitter: twitter.com/habsinsideout1
concurred! Please never scare us like that again Stubbs!
Don’t start a headline with ‘Markov injury’ please.
Yeah really!!!!
Really eh? That and the picture of what looks like the Nordigue holding the cup is messing with my head.
really, almost spewed out my cheerios till i read more
its funny how these pros wear the thick skates for shot blocking and these socks… but anything remotely close to a neckguard is ridiculous (turtlenecks dont count(unless they’re made out of those socks))
I had a scare too…
I have the HABS tattooed on my heart
Happy Birthday to Sergei who turns 23! Now keep scoring!
“I gotta a feeling…that tonight’s gonna be a good night!”
Wow… inventing new hockey socks – that’s how desperate Nerman is to get off of those )@(#%@$ Philadelphia commercials!?!
Seriously though, the socks are awesome and everyone should wear them… can we also invent a visor that’ll make all the idiots feel like they still look cool when they have all their teeth?