Should Patrick Roy's Canadiens jersey #33 be retired by Montreal this upcoming season? When you look at the incredible numbers Roy put up in his career - 4 Stanley Cups, 3 Conn Smythe trophies, 551 regular season wins, 151 playoff wins - it is hard to imagine that the Habs could refuse to hang Canadiens jersey #33 from the rafters of the Bell Centre.

The Colorado Avalanche wasted no time hoisting Roy's jersey to the rafters, bestowing the honor on Oct 28, 2003, just months after Roy had announced his retirement. So why hasn't Montreal followed suit?

There are a couple of reasons for this. First of all, the Montreal Canadiens are a franchise steeped in tradition, and many of the game's biggest legends have worn a Canadiens jersey. Roy can certainly put his resume up against anyone in the history of the NHL, but since he only played half his career with the Canadiens (more on this in a moment), his jersey retirement isn't a sure thing. Colorado, on the other hand, is a relatively new franchise, even if you count the time they spent in Quebec as the Nordiques. With the exception of Joe Sakic, who is still playing, Roy is the biggest star the franchise has ever had. Pretty much a no-brainer to retire his number.

Already 14 Canadiens jersey numbers hang from the rafters of the Bell Centre. Montreal has to be pretty choosy about who they honor, or all of their players will be wearing numbers from 50 and up in a few decades.

The main point of contention of this debate, however, has to do with the circumstances under which Roy left Montreal. His departure was anything but amicable. After an embarrassing loss to the Detroit Red Wings during which coach Mario Tremblay refused to pull the volatile goalie, Roy came to the bench and informed Canadiens' president Ronald Corey that he was done playing for the Canadiens. A trade was soon arranged, and Roy was sent packing to the Colorado Avalanche. The Avs won 2 cups after Roy's arrival. The Canadiens have none since Roy's departure.

It is said that time heals all wounds, but Patrick Roy is as stubborn as they come. Will his fierce pride allow him to bury the hatchet with the Canadiens' organization? I think anyone with knowledge of the sport of hockey can see that this great athlete deserves to have his Canadiens jersey hung from the rafters. Those in the Canadiens camp are surely anxious for this to happen. It would be a great PR move, and reinforce just how classy this organization really is. Thus, I think the ball is firmly in Patrick Roy's court. If he can just remember the good times, and swallow the bitterness surrounding his departure from the Montreal Canadiens I believe he will soon enjoy the honor the Canadiens would bestow upon him. As a longtime Habs' fan I hope to see Roy's Canadiens jersey in the rafters before the end of the 2008-2009 season.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 20th, 2008 at 12:32 pm and is filed under Canadiens news. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.