The Canadiens in their season ticket package have announced they will retire two numbers in the coming season. One jersey will be retired onNovember 18 in a game against Atlanta, and the second number to be retired on January 29 against Ottawa.
So which two plyaers deserve to have their numbers retired this season? Deserving candidates would include Gainey,Robinson,Roy and for my money Serge Savard. Savard had a tremendous career and he probably would have been even more dominant if not for the two broken leg injuries he sustained early on in his career. The guy was so solid in his own end, the long reach the physical play, great positioning, a low hard accurate shot from the point, the famous Savardian spinarama. Larry Robinson (obviously a very deserving candidate) once said it was easy playing with Savard because he could do his own thing and not worry about anything as Savard would play error free. Savard always seemed to be the calming infleunce on the ice and to an extent would slow the game down on those rare occasions when the Habs seemed a little rattled. Never felt he was fully appreciated for all his accomplishments. Sorry for rambling, but given all that Savard gave to the organizationand the length of time he has been retired I think he is very deserving. Anyway, any opinions on who the next two players numbers should be retired?
The Canadiens in their season ticket package have announced they will retire two numbers in the coming season. One jersey will be retired onNovember 18 in a game against Atlanta, and the second number to be retired on January 29 against Ottawa.
So which two plyaers deserve to have their numbers retired this season? Deserving candidates would include Gainey,Robinson,Roy and for my money Serge Savard. Savard had a tremendous career and he probably would have been even more dominant if not for the two broken leg injuries he sustained early on in his career. The guy was so solid in his own end, the long reach the physical play, great positioning, a low hard accurate shot from the point, the famous Savardian spinarama. Larry Robinson (obviously a very deserving candidate) once said it was easy playing with Savard because he could do his own thing and not worry about anything as Savard would play error free. Savard always seemed to be the calming infleunce on the ice and to an extent would slow the game down on those rare occasions when the Habs seemed a little rattled. Never felt he was fully appreciated for all his accomplishments. Sorry for rambling, but given all that Savard gave to the organizationand the length of time he has been retired I think he is very deserving. Anyway, any opinions on who the next two players numbers should be retired?
Wright, I don't often agree with you but being old enough to follow Savard's career, I certainly do this time!
Wright, I don't often agree with you but being old enough to follow Savard's career, I certainly do this time!
I would then retire Robinson after him.
I always agree with wright - and even occasionally with AB! - and I agree with both of you on this one. Savard and Robinson this year, above all others.
And now I feel old - I can remember Savard - and Lemaire and Lafleur and Shutt and and and ..... - being a rookie...............
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Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
reading between the lines my guesses are Nov. 18 serge savard(#18) and jan 29 ken dryden(#29) just the kind of class you'd expect from les habitants dont ya think(or cliche).lol
As for the Spinarama, I always associated it with DENIS Savard...I definitely don't recall big Serge doing any spins. But I do remember Denis doing 360s at almost full speed.
to clarify #3 was meant for Emile Bouchard who i think is well deserved of having his number retired. A very gritty defensmen who knew what it took to play for the Canadiens. He was a captain who stepped down when his time was done, and let Richard take over.
A good argument could be made for JC Tremblay as well.
plouf wrote: I'd go with Robinson, but hey....both are greats.
As for the Spinarama, I always associated it with DENIS Savard...I definitely don't recall big Serge doing any spins. But I do remember Denis doing 360s at almost full speed.
Correct me if I'm wrong.
You are wrong, plouffer!
Denis also did the spins, but the original spinner, for whom the term "Savardian spinerama" was coined by the late great Danny Gallivan, was #18 Serge Savard.
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Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
For those who think it might be Larry Robinson or Patrick Roy, I don't think so. For the sole reason that they both bad mouth the Canadiens on the way out of the orginization. I know for Robinson it's been over 20 years and he personally doesn't want his number retired anymore.
Boy I would love to have Robinson, Bouchard, Savard and lapointe in their prime. Oh yes and Laperriere. I remember so many games when these guys were just unbelievable. I was telling my son there was a year when the habs lost 8 games and another year I think they lost 10. I believe it was two consecutive years too. Young kids just do not believe that I am telling the truth. Can u imagine that happening today??????
habscsi wrote: reading between the lines my guesses are Nov. 18 serge savard(#18) and jan 29 ken dryden(#29) just the kind of class you'd expect from les habitants dont ya think(or cliche).lol
Judging by past recent history on how the Canadiens do things, numbers and dates, is no coincidence. Nov 18, for #18 Serge Savard. Jan 29 for #29 Ken Dryden.
But am I the only one (among those old enough to remember) who thought that Guy Lapointe was better than Serge Savard?
I went to look at their statistics to compare, and the only thing I came up with was that the Habs were an absolutely ramarkable team in the 60's and 70's.
As far as your question goes, I personally don't think Lapointe was better, I think they were different players. Savard stood his ground and was as solid a defenseman as there was at that period. Lapointe had 622 points in 894 games and Savard had 439 points in 1049 games.
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I walked past a restaurant yesterday that had a sign in the window that said, "Lobster Tail and Beer." I went in, since I enjoy all three.
Dryden and Savard to join Habs legends Key components of Canadiens dynasty of the 1970s to have numbers retired (09/15/2006)
Ken Dryden and Serge Savard teamed up to help the Canadiens dominate the 1970s.
MONTREAL – After winning half a dozen Stanley Cups together as teammates on the Canadiens’ dominant teams of the 1970s, it’s only fitting that Serge Savard and Ken Dryden will each see their numbers immortalized by the Canadiens in 2006-07.
Savard will see his No. 18 get raised to the rafters just prior to the Canadiens facing the Atlanta Thrashers, while Dryden’s No. 29 will get the royal treatment on Jan. 29 when the Habs host the Ottawa Senators.
One was a relentless blue liner and an integral part of the greatest trio of defensemen the league has ever seen. The other was as tall and as dominant a goalie you could find anywhere. With a combined 14 Stanley Cups between them, this pair of Hall of Famers certainly made their mark on the rich history of the Canadiens.
The personification of toughness and determination, Savard’s impact on the Habs’ blue line was felt immediately. After beginning his 14-year career with the Canadiens in 1967-68, Savard first made his mark during the Habs' Stanley Cup run in the spring of 1969. The then-23-year-old put up 10 points in 14 postseason games, on his way to becoming the first defenseman to ever win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
One of the most courageous players to ever wear the Canadiens’ sweater, Savard overcame numerous fractures of his left leg over the span of only two seasons in the early 1970s. Despite undergoing several surgeries, Savard bounced back every time, never missing a beat as he remained one of the game’s most dominant defensemen.
Along with fellow Habs defensemen Larry Robinson and Guy Lapointe, Savard formed a defensive force that would aptly be tagged the Big Three, which provided the foundation for a Canadiens juggernaut that would go on to rule the NHL in the 1970s. A four-time NHL All-Star, Savard sits third all-time among Habs blue liners in career goals (100), and fourth in both assists (312) and points (412).
The Montreal native also served as the Canadiens’ 19th captain, having worn the “C” from 1979 though 1981. After finishing his NHL playing career with the Winnipeg Jets, Savard returned to the Canadiens family prior to the 1983-84 season as general manager, where he was the architect of Stanley Cup winning teams in 1986 and 1993. Savard was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1986.
Snatched from the Bruins in exchange for two players who would go on to never play a single NHL game, Dryden’s acquisition remains one of the greatest steals in league history. The Cornell graduate burst onto the scene late in the 1970-71 season, winning all six of his starts to secure the starting job for the playoffs. The unproven rookie went on to carry the Canadiens to an improbable Stanley Cup run that spring, which was capped off with Dryden earning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. With only his six regular season games under his belt, Dryden was then still eligible for the Calder Trophy in 1971-72, which he won easily. He remains the only player to ever win the Conn Smythe before being named the league’s top rookie.
Dryden would go on to lead the Canadiens to a total of six Stanley Cups, including Montreal’s incredible stretch of four straight championships from 1976 through 1979.
His 6-foot-4 frame served him well over the course of his short yet scintillating eight-year career with the six-time Vezina Trophy winner still holding the club record for wins in a season (42), while sitting third in career victories (258), goals against average (2.24) and shutouts (46). The four-time All-Star retired following the 1978-79 season and was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983.
Savard and Dryden’s jerseys will soon be high above the ice at the Bell Centre alongside the 10 other players to have been paid the ultimate tribute by the Canadiens: Howie Morenz (No. 7, on November 2, 1937), Maurice Richard (No. 9, on October 6, 1960), Jean Béliveau (No. 4, on October 9, 1971), Henri Richard (No. 16, on December 10, 1975), Guy Lafleur (No. 10, on February 16 1985), Doug Harvey (No. 2, on October 26, 1985), Jacques Plante (No. 1, on October 7, 1995), as well as, Dickie Moore/Yvan Cournoyer (No. 12 on November 12, 2005) and Bernard Geoffrion (No. 5 on March 11, 2006) who had their numbers retired last season.