IN THIS ISSUE International Diplomacy The arrival of Jaroslav Spacek brought more than just a proven presence to the Canadiens' blue line. Having already conquered hockey on the world stage, the veteran defenseman will now look to do the same in Montreal. The Natural Armed with a shot so powerful and deadly that it struck fear into opposing NHL goaltenders, Stephane Richer sits among some elite company in more ways than one. Right Hand Man A phone call. An old friend. A job offer. When Jacques Martin and the Canadiens came calling this summer, Perry Pearn didn’t have to be asked twice. Future Watch In any sport, some paths to the pros are a little longer than others. Getting his start in hockey in Degelis, QC, a town with a population of 3,400, Gabriel Dumont couldn’t have grown up farther from the NHL spotlight. Blast from the Past On any hockey team, goalies are the ones most often typified as being paranoid, sweating the slightest quirks that could influence the outcome of a game and mark the difference between winning and losing. The Last Word: Viggo Mortensen Even A-list movie stars aren’t immune to the allure of the bleu-blanc-rouge. Best known for his role as Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, modern-day Renaissance man Viggo Mortensen knows all about the fine arts: acting, singing, painting and cheering on his Canadiens. We caught up with the 2008 Oscar nominee for Best Actor during a break from promoting his new blockbuster, The Road, to learn more on how he became one of Hollywood’s biggest Habs fans. On the Fly Quick hits, insider chatter, and other random facts including: - Heavy duty with Marc-André Bergeron - My Influences: Travis  Moen - The Couch Critic: Georges Laraque - My Playlist: Hal Gill - Dining Out with Jaroslav Halak - Behind Enemy Lines: Darcy Tucker on Hal Gill - Habs' favorite Randy - Our new pop culture quiz

Accolades, rants, feature suggestions – we welcome them with open arms and minds. Drop us a line at letters@canadiens.com and your letter could end up in CANADIENS magazine!