Hit The Post with Rick Moffat

Was Mike Pringle really THAT scary? The newest Alouette inductee to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame scared me once but I don't feel so bad knowing even some of his closest teammates felt the same way.

Bryan Chiu and Anthony Calvillo admit they were intimidated by Mike until they got to know him (a process that took several wild-eyed seasons). Chiu says Pringle would run over his own linemen to bust through a hole of his own making if you didn't get your block for the indestructible CFL Rushing King.

Calvillo says "Iron Mike" didn't even talk to him their first few years in Montreal...but AC sure understood that look in the huddle that growled: "give me the rock again now!"

My Pringle-scare came on the Als first roadtrip to Edmonton after the Grey Cup season. Pringle was now in hated Green and Gold of the Eskimos and had not yet received his 2002 Cup ring. He'd lost his starting job to Lawrence Phillips, blown out his knee, and after the Parade, with no comeback apparent, asked for his release.

I asked Mike if the Eskimos' '03 marketing slogan "Grey Cup...that was SO last year" (given that the Als had stolen the Cup right out of Edmonton's house for the first time in CFL history) reflected Pringle's own approach.

"I won the Cup last year...don't you question my contributions...its documented." Pringle's considerable chest puffed up and I felt like a wounded gazelle cornered by the Lion King about to pounce.

Then in Reggie Jackson-esque metaphor Pringle declared of the Grey Cup season "That Grey Cup was icing on the cake...and I'm the baker who baked that cake."

Everyone in the Eskimos' dressing room was now staring at Mike and I. We've since talked on many occasions and Mike tells me this week he'd love nothing more than to come back to Montreal as a coach one day. I'd certainly warn every one of his players...don't fall asleep in the meeting room or you'll have Iron Mike staring you down!

Congrats to everybody who stuck it out through 3 long days of filming as extras for the Canadiens' Centennial movie. As I was leaving the Bell Centre Thursday, Trent Adams of Lachine called out to me. He was thrilled to have his 15 seconds of fame as "crazy Habs fan with flag and Carbo's jersey #" in the crowd right behind the Habs bench.

Guillaume Latendresse tells me that other than a Junior Hockey Allstar game, the last time he and brother Olivier (Lasalle-born, before the family moved to Guillaume's hometown of Ste. Catherine) were teammates was at the age of 14 in Midget AAA.

Big props to Marc Normandeau who has made blue bracelets the rage in St. Lazare in support of his fund for the Montreal Children's Hospital. St. Lazare Women's Softball has a tournament tomorrow (Saturday) at Bedard Park to raise money for kids like Marc fighting leukemia or cancer. Marc's eyes fill with pride when he talks about the Lac St. Louis Lions taking shots on him recently.

Good luck, ladies and good luck Marc! Wish I could be there with you, but I'll be walking with Team Proudfoot at the ALS Society annual walkathon Saturday at Parc Maisoneuve with the Alouettes and Vincent Damphousse.