An excerpt of an article from Scott Burnside ESPN.com:
1. Should the Montreal Canadiens have retired Patrick’s sweater?
Does anyone else think it’s a bit curious that a man who single-handedly disrupted a franchise for more than a decade is not only feted by that franchise, but is also immortalized with a sweater retirement?
To pose this question doesn’t diminish the significant role Patrick Roy played in the Habs’ past two Stanley Cup championships in 1986 and ’93. They were things of beauty. They were the kinds of performances that put Roy in the Hockey Hall of Fame and cemented his reputation as the greatest goalie of all time (we defer to Roy until Martin Brodeur returns from injury and passes him in the record books, presumably later this season). But he also demanded a trade in a fit of anger back in December 1995, forever altering the course of history for this franchise.
Yes, ill-qualified coach Mario Tremblay had a hand in the famous blowup, but Roy was the star; he knew it and played the star card. Fair enough. But we’re not sure it qualifies him for a place in the Habs’ ring of honor along with players whose history speaks not just of great play, but of a connection to the franchise and city that goes beyond mere statistics.
Imagine if Guy Lafleur had demanded to be let out of Montreal at the peak of his talents because he got into a tiff with Scotty Bowman. Ken Dryden warred with management, but all he did was retire for a season before coming back and guiding the Habs to more glory.
Roy? He went on to win two Stanley Cups in Colorado after his famous fit, while the Habs have failed to advance beyond the second round of the playoffs since the trade.
Think about that every time you see his No. 33 fluttering from the rafters of the Bell Centre.
Solid article. Good find Rockstar. I disagree that Roy number shouldn’t have been retired, but I think it would have been better to do it in another decade or two.
But on the other hand, it’s not like we would have seen another goalie wear red-white and blue with a 33 stiched on his back.
In the same sense, we could retire 66 league wide. Who else would have the balls to wear it?
Before somebody misundertand me, I’m not advocating the retirement of 66 league wide, I’m just saying the impact, at least for the Habs, would be the same. If Price asked to wear it, somebody in the organization would have a little talk with him to explain why he can’t.
And maybe someday, in 60 years, a player from Kansas City (whatever) will wear the 66 but even then someone would point out how gutsy it is… Some players demand THAT much respect.
As a side note, I’m curious how long it will be before somebody else wear the 11 after Koivu leaves…
Comments are closed.