Time to retire a bunch of old-timer jersey numbers

[BenchBrawl]

Time to get it over with and correct historical injustices, based on current standards of jersey retirement of the franchise. No need to re-do the big ceremonies like in the Pierre Boivin years, which were nice, but would be overkill today since few would have seen them play; modest ceremonies before games with surviving family could work for the old-timers.

#1 Georges Vézina

#1 Bill Durnan

#4 Newsy Lalonde

#4 Aurèle Joliat

#6 Toe Blake

And then...

#31 Carey Price

---

Maybes:

Georges Hainsworth

Kenny Reardon

Didier Pitre

Jacques Lemaire

Gump Worsley

Sprague Cleghorn (short stint but impactful)

Guy Carbonneau (161 playoff games for MTL, 2 cups, Selke record in MTL: 1,1,1,2,2,3,4,4,5, team captain)

Jacques Laperrière

JC Tremblay

Tom Johnson

Pit Lépine (early Carbonneau type)

Sylvio Mantha

Jack Laviolette

 

[BenchBrawl]

It's one and done. You fix the injustice and it's over, never need to go back to it.

Costs nothing. Occasion to remember the good old days, a couple articles, show respect to history, nothing fancy.

 

[Bombshell11]

We're losing track of what a jersey retirement means

In fact, i would say release every jersey, whats the point? Personally i am so tired of watching guys with the same numbers all the time... specially the 2x numbers. Like man they're ugly af.

31 does not belong up there, just like the RBC and Air Canada logo don't belong on the jersey.

 

[BehindTheTimes]

Let’s not and pretend we did.

 

[BenchBrawl]

We're losing track of what a jersey retirement means

In fact, i would say release every jersey, whats the point? Personally i am so tired of watching guys with the same numbers all the time... specially the 2x numbers. Like man they're ugly af.

31 does not belong up there, just like the RBC and Air Canada logo don't belong on the jersey.

Many of us aren't losing track of what it means: A consecration for the contributions exceptional players made to this team. Yeah, standards have been somewhat diluted; perhaps it would have been best to restrict it to the greatest of the greats: Morenz, Maurice, Jean, Guy, the three goalies and Harvey. But I'm not gonna complain. As is, the players I mentioned should get their jersey retired.

As for Price, he deserves to be there. Best goalie in the world in his generation. He was just as valuable to this team as several players that have their jersey up the rafters already.

 

[BenchBrawl]

Let’s not and pretend we did.

Why?

 

[Bombshell11]

As for Price, he deserves to be there. Best goalie in the world in his generation. He was just as valuable to this team as several players that have their jersey up the rafters already.

Wow... that's a BOLD claim.

 

[Toene]

Many of us aren't losing track of what it means: A consecration for the contributions exceptional players made to this team. Yeah, standards have been somewhat diluted; perhaps it would have been best to restrict it to the greatest of the greats: Morenz, Maurice, Jean, Guy, the three goalies and Harvey. But I'm not gonna complain. As is, the players I mentioned should get their jersey retired.

As for Price, he deserves to be there. Best goalie in the world in his generation. He was just as valuable to this team as several players that have their jersey up the rafters already.

Robinson, Savard and Lapointe have to be there. Boum Boum too.

 

[DAChampion]

We're losing track of what a jersey retirement means

In fact, i would say release every jersey, whats the point? Personally i am so tired of watching guys with the same numbers all the time... specially the 2x numbers. Like man they're ugly af.

31 does not belong up there, just like the RBC and Air Canada logo don't belong on the jersey.

There's no actual shortage of numbers.

 

[Hins77]

A jersey number should be retired for like 50 years. we are now 100 years ago that howie morenz played. Can we use his number 7 back again please.

 

[BenchBrawl]

A jersey number should be retired for like 50 years. we are now 100 years ago that howie morenz played. Can we use his number 7 back again please.

Bullshit!

The goal is to achieve so much glory that all 99 numbers are retired, at which point the team folds because duty accomplished.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Time to get it over with and correct historical injustices, based on current standards of jersey retirement of the franchise. No need to re-do the big ceremonies like in the Pierre Boivin years, which were nice, but would be overkill today since few would have seen them play; modest ceremonies before games with surviving family could work for the old-timers.

#1 Georges Vézina

#1 Bill Durnan

#4 Newsy Lalonde

#4 Aurèle Joliat

#6 Toe Blake

And then...

#31 Carey Price

---

Maybes:

Georges Hainsworth

Kenny Reardon

Didier Pitre

Jacques Lemaire

Gump Worsley

Sprague Cleghorn (short stint but impactful)

Guy Carbonneau (161 playoff games for MTL, 2 cups, Selke record in MTL: 1,1,1,2,2,3,4,4,5, team captain)

Jacques Laperrière

JC Tremblay

Tom Johnson

Pit Lépine (early Carbonneau type)

Sylvio Mantha

Jack Laviolette

Many of those should already be there. Price is definitely worthy.

 

[BenchBrawl]

Many of those should already be there. Price is definitely worthy.

Great minds think alike

At the very least they should retire the first segment of my list.

 

[austin316]

I think Carey deserves to have his number retired.

Having said that, as I’ve gotten older I feel I think we should look to unretire jerseys, just honour them instead.

Almost all of our jersey numbers are high numbers and it’s starting to look ridiculous

 

[BenchBrawl]

Robinson, Savard and Lapointe have to be there. Boum Boum too.

They are not at the same level as those I mentioned. I don't think that's in contention. But obviously, they deserve the honor.

 

[BenchBrawl]

I think Carey deserves to have his number retired.

Having said that, as I’ve gotten older I feel I think we should look to unretire jerseys, just honour them instead.

Almost all of our jersey numbers are high numbers and it’s starting to look ridiculous

We have a Leafs fan in the place.

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

I'm definitely in the '' only truly retire a few and honor the others with a banner '' camp, the way the leafs do it. Getting your own banner is a huge thing in itself, to actually take the number out forever should be reserved for the 5 or 6 guys who legit defined the franchise for entire generations. You're making it a lot less special if Rocket Richard is treated the same as Dickie Moore, no offense to the man .

 

[austin316]

We have a Leafs fan in the place.

Retract that comment please. I am many things but a Leafs fan I am not!

 

[BenchBrawl]

I'm definitely in the '' only truly retire a few and honor the others with a banner '' camp, the way the leafs do it. Getting your own banner is a huge thing in itself, to actually take the number out forever should be reserved for the 5 or 6 guys who legit defined the franchise for entire generations. You're making it a lot less special if Rocket Richard is treated the same as Steve Shutt.

That's reasonable but a standard has been set, and under that standard the players I listed deserve to have their jersey up the rafters.

Newsy Lalonde was a whole lot better hockey player than Guy Lapointe and Bob Gainey relative to his peers, and that's no knock on Lapointe or Gainey.

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

That's reasonable but a standard has been set, and under that standard the players I listed deserve to have their jersey up the rafters.

Newsy Lalonde was a whole lot better hockey player than Guy Lapointe and Bob Gainey relative to his peers, and that's no knock on Lapointe or Gainey.

They do. I just would rather give them a banner and a ceremony, without the number part.

 

[BenchBrawl]

Let's show some self-respect and dignity as a fanbase. Let's NOT be like the New York Rangers, who retire the jersey of many players but forget to honor the two best in NYR history, Frank Boucher and Bill Cook, a travesty the ones of which I have never seen.

Clown franchise.

 

[BenchBrawl]

Ottawa is just as bad, when they incomprehensibly wanted to detach the new team from the old school dynasties that graced their city. Clown ville. Shame!

There would be a dozen of Ottawa players deserving of having their jersey up the rafters, but they won't do it because the franchise is a joke.

 

[BenchBrawl]

There's a reason Boston is our true nemesis, our real arch rival, because they are the only other franchise with a comparable level of respect for its history as Montreal.

Now let's lead by example and retire those jerseys!

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

There's a reason Boston is our true nemesis, our real arch rival, because they are the only other franchise with a comparable level of respect for its history as Montreal.

Now let's lead by example and retire those jerseys!

They don’t have our history. Nobody is close.

 

[BenchBrawl]

They don’t have our history. Nobody is close.

No but they have a rich history and they honored most of their great players from the start. They do not erase eras from their memory like the Rangers.