Marcy and all -- Always ready for a lesson on Canadian English (pron.
Canajun). Habs is short for Habitant (pron. hab-ee-TAH -- pinch nose
on last syllable), which means "those who live there," with the
connotation of farmers living on the land. The same name is given to
pea soup, a staple of the French-Canadian diet. A somewhat ironic
name for a hockey team, suggesting big clumsy oafs stumbling around on
the ice (not that they did).
Margaret Procter
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