Martin Biron Yearns for Vengeance

In the wake of last season's finish at the bottom of the NHL standings, the Philadelphia Flyers have been seeking vengeance all year long -- or at least their marketing department would have us think so.

But as it turns out, one of their key players really is out for vengeance against the Montreal Canadiens this year.

So who's the player who can't let go of a grudge? How about goalie, Quebec native and ex-Nordiques fan, Martin Biron?

"I used to paint my face blue and white as a kid," the 30-year-old Biron recalled. "We were big fans. My parents had season tickets in the early '80s for a few years. We used to go down for games."
Nords fans still talk about the Good Friday brawl in 1984 at the Montreal Forum: fourteen fights. So many, in fact, that referee Bruce Hood lost track of who was tossed from the game and who was not.

"My parents still talk about that game," Biron said. "How the Canadiens cheated. It runs deep. People who are Quebec fans will always be Nordiques fans. It runs deep within families. They will always have that feeling inside them."

So you say you've never seen that brawl before? Fear not, my friends, we've got it for you after the jump.

It's hard not to feel a little empathy for Biron, and for fans of the three WHA franchises who joined the NHL in time for the 1979-80 season, only to eventually relocate far from their original homes.