Montreal Canadians to retire Patrick Roy’s #33 this November

The highest honor that a franchise can give one of their players—aside from a statue in front of the arena—is to retire his number.

That’s a superlative reserved for the players who’ve made a significant impact above and beyond the call of duty, ranking them among the most valuable team members in history.  It’s the rare player who has been such a valuable contributor to two different teams that he’ll have his number retired by both.  Patrick Roy will join that elite group this November when the Montreal Canadians will retire his #33, joining the Colorado Avalanche who have already retired Roy’s number.

 

When the Canadians lift Roy’s #33 into the Bell Centre rafters, the company he’ll join is staggering—basically representing a “who’s who” in NHL history:  Jacques Plante (1), Doug Harvey (2), Jean Beliveau (4), Bernie Geoffrion (5), Howie Morenz (7), Maurice Richard (9), Guy Lafleur (10), Yvan Cournoyer and Dickie Moore (12), Henri Richard (16), Serge Savard (18), Larry Robinson (19), Bob Gainey (23) and Ken Dryden (29).   Unlike some less successful franchises, who’ll retire a player’s number for a few productive years in their uniform, the Canadians have set the bar very high. 

Roy’s career numbers definitely merit the honor.  He played over ten seasons in Montreal, with the Habs winning the Stanley Cup twice during his tenure.  Both Cup victories were led by Roy, who twice won the Conn Smythe trophy for playoff MVP as a Canadian (he’d add another trophy and two more Stanley Cups while in Colorado).   He won the 1986 Cup at the age of 20 and became the youngest playoff MVP in history.  For his 2nd Montreal Cup victory in 1993, he set another NHL record with ten consecutive OT playoff victories.

His career stats are equally as impressive.  In over 1000 regular season games his career goals-against average is a tidy 2.54 with 66 shutouts.  Not surprisingly, his stats are even better in the playoffs--in 247 career playoff games his goals against average dropped to 2.30 with 23 shutouts.  Most significantly, he displayed the toughness and heart of a professional prizefighter—a common trait among the NHL elite.  When asked at his retirement press conference which player he “feared the most” during his lengthy NHL career he immediately responded that “he feared no one” when on the ice.

Roy’s number will be retired in a ceremony before the Canadians’ November 22nd home game against another “original six” team, the Boston Bruins.