Now That Patrick Roy’s Canadiens Jersey is Retired, Who’s Next?
Did you enjoy the ceremony the other night that saw Patrick Roy’s Montreal Canadiens jersey get hoisted to the rafters? I hope so, because it might be a long time before you see another Canadiens jersey retired. For myself, a long time Habs fan it was with mixed emotions that I watched Patrick Roy’s Montreal Canadiens jersey get hung from the rafters the other night. Patrick Roy’s relationship with the Montreal Canadiens following his controversial departure from the team for Colorado has been rocky at best, and though Patrick Roy is still a beloved son in Montreal, and in my humble opinion deserved to have his Canadiens jersey retired, it is still somewhat of a surprise the team went ahead with the ceremony. Or is it?
It is the Montreal Canadiens’ 100th year in the league, and throughout the year the hockey team has events planned to celebrate their Centennial year. Part of those celebrations included retiring the Canadiens jersey of yet another legendary Habs player. The problem for Habs’ fans? Patrick Roy was not only the best choice to receive this honor, he was the only choice.
In a city that over the past century has grown used to winning on a regular basis, and has seen more than its fair share of the games greatest stars, the lack of a bona fide superstar over the past 25 years (with the exception of Patrick Roy) has been glaring. Back in the 1970s they had Lafleur, Shutt, Dryden, Savard, Robinson and a host of others that helped the Canadiens dominate that decade. Back then if you needed a Canadiens jersey to retire you need only throw a dart at a team picture and you’d come away with a pretty good choice. These days Montreal has a lot of good players, but despite the fact that they lead All Star Game balloting at all six positions you’d be hard pressed to name a player that will one day have the potential to have his Canadiens jersey retired.
Perhaps the only player with potential to one day earn this great honor is yet another goaltender. Carey Price did not follow in the footsteps of Patrick Roy and Ken Dryden last season when he was unable to do what those other two Montreal Canadiens legends did: lead the Montreal Canadiens to a Stanley Cup in his rookie season. Still, at only 21 years of age Price is displaying a maturity far beyond his tender years, and has dealt admirably with the incredible pressure that goes along with being a starting goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens.
Still, Carey Price is a long way from one day watching his Canadiens jersey get hoisted to the rafters. He’ll need to have a long, distinguished career with the Montreal Canadiens, with Stanley Cups and Conn Smythe trophies on his resume. If he falls short of this then Canadiens fans are in for a long wait to see another jersey retirement ceremony.
Yes, The Montreal Canadiens made the only choice available to them when they retired Patrick Roy’s Canadiens jersey, and it is my humble opinion that they made the right choice. Let’s hope we don’t have to wait until the team’s bi-centennial celebration to see another Habs jersey hoisted to the rafters.
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