from Dave Stubbs of the Montreal Gazette,

Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs fans across the nation unexpectedly had their breath stolen for three minutes and three seconds last Saturday night, even before the puck had dropped on the 721st regular-season game between the two storied clubs.

Tuned to Hockey Night in Canada, they were overwhelmed by a pregame video montage that was a magnificent cross-section of a rivalry more than eight decades old, stunning black-and-white and colour footage of the players of yesterday and today, their skating and battling and celebrating at full speed and in slow motion sewn through grainy film and razor-sharp images of buildings and broadcasters and diehard supporters of both clubs.

If the images alone were enough to weaken the knees, their drama soared higher still with the accompaniment of the legendary tenor Luciano Pavarotti, singing the Puccini aria Nessun dorma (translated: None shall sleep) from the 1920s opera Turandot.

It was the latest and, many say, the greatest montage in more than six years of Hockey Night in Canada telecast-opening work by Toronto’s Tim Thompson.

continued and if you missed the montage, you can watch it below...