Habster:
La Presse writer Richard Labbé is reporting that the Montreal Canadiens will retire Patrick Roy’s #33 sometime in November during the organization’s centennial season. There is also rumours that Emile “Butch” Bouchard #3 might also be retired or Toe Blake’s #6.
Whether Patrick Roy’s jersey should be retired isn’t the the real issue surrounding this possible decision. The real issue should be whether Roy’s #33 should be retired this season during the centennial celebration of the most historic and classy hockey organization in the world.
The key word here is classy something the extremely ego centric and controversial Roy doesn’t completely understand. He is a hot head who has demonstrated poor judgement on numerous occasions which have been well publicized with only minimum consequences.
With that being said, there is no questioning his legacy as a Montreal Canadiens and what he meant to the organization during his 11 year career in a Habs uniform. He almost single handily won the 1993 Stanley Cup when he was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP (He played very well during the 1986 Stanley Cup victory but wasn’t the only contrbuting factor).
I sometimes try to imagine how the organization would have done if St. Patrick didn’t lose his cool and the ill prepared Mario Tremblay would have used better judgement with his goaltender on a off night against the Red Wings that December 2nd, 1995 night. We’ll never really know!!
His jersey will be hanging from the Bell Centre rafters and deservedly so but in my humble opinion, it shouldn’t be in the centennial celebration that should display the wonderfully glorious history of the organization.