By Rookie, AllHabs.net

MONTREAL, QC. — It happens to the best of us. A player catches our eye, we cheer for him, and we make the decision to spend our money and wear his name on our backs. Then, the unthinkable happens. He leaves Montreal. Suddenly the name on our backs doesn’t match the logo on our chests.

My heart sank a little when I visited the Habs Zone in the Bell Centre this week and saw Hal Gill shirts on sale at half-price. A few weeks before that, a co-worker of mine lamented the fact that he bought his wife a Mike Cammalleri T-shirt almost exactly a month before he was traded. I’m sure the fans whose Cammalleri shirts and jerseys were purchased to replace their Komisarek merchandise were none too happy either.

There isn’t much you can do to save a shirt once a player has left the city, save for hoping he’ll come back (our door is always open, Hal), but you can shop for things that won’t get affected by trades, free agency, and all that jazz.

Live in the past. We’re Canadiens fans, after all. It’s what we do best.

What could be better than your all-time favourite Canadien? Many of our Habs legends’ names and numbers are available on T-shirts. Or, if you’re interested, the fan-designed shirt on the left immortalizes some of Montreal’s captains. (In a style borrowed from the Beatles! What’s not to love?)

Be proud that your hockey team is over a hundred years old. History doesn’t change.

Love the logo. I don’t think the CH is getting traded to another team anytime soon.

Our logo will never go out of style. And look! A reversible hat! It’s practical – not only will it keep you warm, you can turn it inside out if you accidentally get it dirty. Or you can wear one colour when the Habs win, and the other when they lose!

Take some liberties. How did these get in here?

It doesn’t get much more historical than the Montreal Maroons. Obviously, they won’t be trading your favourite player away anytime soon. Or, if you’re feeling especially sentimental, you can pretend that this Predators shirt is a Canadiens shirt and watch Hal Gill make a playoff push.

I’ve been lucky enough to not regret buying any of the Habs shirts in my collection, regardless of whether the number on the back is still on the roster or not. I’m also lucky enough to have some trade-proof backups in case that ever changes.