Edited sentence: According to A Thinking Man's Guide to Pro Hockey, by Gerry Eskenazi, published in 1973, Montreal had exclusive rights to players within its 50-mile territorial limits.All players signed to Montreal remained the exclusive propoerty of the NHL "sponsor" team until they were released or traded.But the Canadiens continued to benefit from players developed under the old system well into the 1970s.It should be noted however that the Canadiens held a massive unfair advantage over other NHL teams.Most of these advantages disappeared in 1963 with the introduction of the amateur draft.Prior to 1967, the Canadiens held a further advantage.Prior to the 1960s, there was no NHL amateur draft.So they could browse the neighbourhood rinks near Montreal at their leisure, while the Rangers had a lock on the next great goalie from Hoboken.The Montreal Canadiens ensured they were first served by establishing a farm system with junior and senior teams on the prairies, minor pro teams in the U.The recruitment of prospects was simply a matter of first come, first served.They also were given first choice of all French Canadian players.and entire leagues in Quebec