Rumours persist that the Canadiens will retire Patrick Roy's number 33 on November 22. The word came from La Presse first, and RDS has picked it up and run with it. We certainly aren't going to let any Habs news go by the wayside in this dreadfully long offseason, so let's talk St. Patrick:Deserving or not? We know where HF4 stands. The rest of the FHF have had spirited debates over the credentials of a number of former Habs and whether or not their numbers deserve to be raised or lowered from the rafters ... check Bill Durnan's career stats, or compare the impact of Elmer Lach, Newsy Lalonde, Aurel Joliat, or the Georges (Vezina and Hainsworth) and tell us why they aren't up there but Ivan Cournoyer and Boom Boom Geoffrion are (and don't get us wrong, we LOVE the Roadrunner and Boom.) Off the ice, Patrick has proven to be a world-class ass, but in a Habs jersey he was one of the best ever. What say you? St. Patrick to the roof with Rocket, Beliveau, Morenz, Lafleur and the rest? Or someone else from the Habs pantheon?
21 comments:
You have to put Roy up there. Brodeur pending Roy is the best of all time. What more needs to be done?
The numbers just don't lie...and thanks again, Patrick for '86 and '93!
I remember the last time this was discussed on FHF. I think it was 4 who eloquently pointed out that the Habs don't just retire any old numbers. In Montreal, it's not enough to have simply been an astounding hockey player. You have to have been a representative of the game itself, someone who can be admired both on and off the ice.
There's no question that Roy's achievements are incredible. He's clearly one of the greatest players of all time. That being said, he's a prize prick. I think had he won cups in '86 & '93 for any other team, you should definitely retire his number.
Just not in Montreal. Stanley Cups just aren't enough. Given the numbers already up there, we need to have a higher standard.
3 things..
1) All those consecutive playoff overtime wins were performed in a habs jersey.
2) I've always wondered, Did Roy give up on the team, or did he give up on the direction of the team?
3) What would you do if your boss that you liked was replaced by Tremblay and Houle.
Thumbs-down, sorry.
It's not about stats. It's not about cups -- Claude Provost would be up there, and in the 'Hall as well.
It's about being a venerable Montreal Canadian.
Patrick Roy doesn't make it on that basis.
You have to wonder why the Habs would open this can of worms in the 100th anniversary celebrations. Patrick is a pretty polarizing figure. With so many others to choose from (Toe Blake, Emile Bouchard, Lalonde, Durnan, etc) it seems silly to bring this sort of controversy on themselves.
I'm all for retiring his number. But after he's dead. Just to spite him.
Ahh, screw it. The Habs have always elicited passionate reactions from their fans. Why should the 100th anniversary year be any different?
Retire 33. He may be an asshole, but he's the reason I got to stand on a Montreal street and watch two people steal a stop sign. It's a moment I'll neer forget.
Roy's last act in the Habs uniform was a disgrace to the organization - regardless of what prompted it.
He showed no respect for the uniform, so no respect should be shown back.
Let Colorado give him his due instead.
My feeling is that because of his "little" tirade before getting traded STILL gets shown after all these years is kinda embarassing. I'd wait to see if he make the HOF first before retiring the number.
If Chris Nilans jersey isn't up there this year i quit watching hockey.
He gave the finger to the Habs way back didn't he?
Yeah, I know he was only traded because he was banging Corey's trophy wife (or was that Chelios?), but he still showed disrespect to the Tricolore.
Every goalie has a bad game. Yea, that was a bad game and Tremblay hated him even before he was coach... But that was how Tremblay was. Yet at the same time, Roy shouldn't have blown a gasket on it either. Instead, he could have taken the high road and shoved it in Tremblay's face. Then again, he let his anger get the better of him more than once even with the Nordalanche (who already raised his number). Still, since his departure, no one has worn the number 33, like it was quietly retired behind the scenes. May as well make it official.
And then have a showdown between Roy and Gui! for critizing him in the media.
At least Durnan has an arena named after him (aptly placed on Vezina avenue, though I've no idea if it's the same Vezina). But, being the captain/ambidextrous goalie with all those awards and records and a class-act too to top it all off, I'd vote for his name up there. This year is about the history, and I'd say he fits the bill there. Too bad he isn't alive anymore...
he's the best option for retirement form a Habs fan of the modern era.
nobody born in the 70's ever watched those guizzers play.
Un trou de cul, Oui.
Raise #33 forever, Oui encore.
When's it all going to end?
I noticed Patrick Roy a changed man at the start of the 1994-95 season.
Seems he was getting fed up when Matthieu Schneider was fucking his wife on ths side and in a game against in Philly ensued between a fight between Schneider and Roy in the dressing room where Roy threateded to want to be traded and eventually Schneider got traded. This is when Jacques Demers was coach and gave him more time off in practices than any other player. Big mistake for the coach to do and led to Demers being let go and bringing in Mario Tremblay. Theses are facts and if you didn't know fucking Patrick's wife was a whore, you've been too busy fucking playing with yourself.
First thing Mario said to Patrick was I coach you play which led to a terrible relationship between the two but Patrick was getting fed up when he was not allowed to skip anymore practices.
We can't play Mario totally for that evening of December 2 1995 where he let in 9 goals.
Patrick Roy acted in a childish behaviour when the fans were on his case and I was there to witness it.
Seems PAtrick had more problems with his whore of a wife which led to his demise in Montreal. Seems like she found a new boy toy and Patrick believed he had to get out of Montreal.
Anytime youre wife is fucking around, you're going to lose it.
To this day, Patrick is divorced from the slut but his personality is still the same. A bitter and angry man.
I lost respect to him on that night on December 2 1995, wailing his arms in the air, and embarassing Tremblay and the team and organization. Bravo Tremblay for embarassing him and letting him stay in the game.
I really believe if he had a faithful wife and not a fucking slut, Patrick ROy would be with the organization for so long.
Take it from me, my ex fucked around so much that I had to leave my job and move to another city.
I got remarried to a much younger woman and although I miss my ex giving me the best blowjob I ever got, I am still a bitter and angry man for what she did to humiliate me back then in front of family and friends.
Perhaps Patrick should finally admit it was his personal life not Tremblay that led to his demise in Montreal.
To retire his sweater? Yes but not this year for fucks sake!
Wait for aonother 10 years. Have we fuckkng forgotten about Lalonde, Hainsworth, Durnan, Lapointe, etc...
With the centennial anniversary approaching, the Organization are licking Patrick's balls big time.
Let them retire his jersey, I'll be the first not to fucking congratulate him!
I don't know...
On one hand, Roy did lead the team to 2 cups (though he's much more a one man show than he is a leader) and he is arguably the best goalie ever.
On the other hand though, I think there's just way too much controversy surrounding his name and he never did show the CH the respect it deserves. Besides, up there alongside the Richards, Beliveau, Dryden and all the rest, he would be like the Barry Bonds of the Bell Centre rafters, one of the greatest, but...
I kinda am curious though, if he even had the decency to show up at his own ceremony, would he perhaps apologize for being such a ROYal ass, for the embaressment he caused the franchise?
Yeah, I know, fat chance...
Steeltown, your vision is extremely limited. Roy did a lot of great things too. I'll cheer when 33 is raised.
steeltown you got some major ISSUES man. you might wanna see a shrink or something and not rant on a random blog about your ex wife and blowjobs. you're weird man.
Eech... I'm of two minds on this. Yes, Roy was a fantastic goalie. Unfortunately, he became a pretty awful human being in the years after his first cup, and became a gigantic fucking asshole in the years after his second cup with the Habs.
So, while I would cheer for him when they raise his jersey in recognition of the glory he did bring to Mtl when he was in a Habs uniform, I'm still pretty uncomfortable with the fact that his name gets to be said in the same breath as Jean Béliveau. But that's just because I think that jerseys should be retired for a person's actions both on and off the ice.
Case in point: if/when there is ever a discussion about retiring Koivu's jersey, I think you can make a pretty solid case for retiring it, even if he never manages to win a cup. And in his case, it would be the off-ice achievements that would tip the scales in his favour.
(PS: I don't wanna live in a world where Captain K never wins a cup here!)
Boy, Tremblay really showed that cocky motherfucker. Tremblay was out on his ass in another year and a half, while Roy only won two more Stanley Cups and a record third Conn Smythe Trophy with the former Nordiques.
Wait, that's not how that was supposed to go. Shit.
I'm not huge on this idea, but in a strange way, that's why it's a good idea. Roy will always be an egotistical prick. He'll always be a hotheaded asshole. He'll always have the Tremblay Incident hanging over his head. There will never not be controversy, so that's a shitty excuse, and once you get past that, is there another legitimate objection? Fine, Durnan, Hainsworth, Vezina, Jolait, and Lalonde aren't up there, but then again, their numbers are already retired for Plante (the first three) and Beliveau (the other two). Is there a point in raising more banners? I dunno. Again, that doesn't strike me as a particularly good reason. At least with Lach, Bouchard the Elder, and Blake, their numbers are, if I remember correctly, still in circulation.
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