The Montreal Canadiens dishonor their past

Why are the Montreal Canadiens reluctant to retire numbers of great players?

We all know politics and sports should not mix. In theory we all wish this to be true but the reality is that humans are political beings. And petty political vendettas sometimes gets the best of people. I could just imagine how many ball players were and are kept out of the Hall of Fame because they did not play ball - excuse the pun - with the thin-skinned media in MLB history. For example, Doug Harvey - possibly the greatest defenseman in the history of the game outside Orr - was kept out of the Hockey Hall of Fame by Frank Selke Jr.

Retiring numbers may be a small gesture by sports franchises towards a former star athlete but it's not taken lightly by players - it's the ultimate symbolic acknowledgment of ones services. That doesn't mean there aren't questionable retired numbers just as there are many people who don't belong in some Halls.

In the case of the Montreal Canadiens there is no excuse for them to wait as long as they are to retire some important numbers. They are behaving in a contemptuous fashion towards their own legacy in doing so. Frankly, it lacks class. I have no idea what their problem is and nor do I care.

With the news of Bernie 'Boom Boom' Geofferion's stomach cancer, it was sad to hear that he will not make the pre-game ceremony honoring the retirement of his number. Widely thought to be the inventor of the slap shot, Boom Boom had to recently sell his hockey memories to make some money. He deserved to have his number retired long ago. Why did they have to wait this long? All they do by doing this is run the risk of not having the person honored present as time goes on.

Geofferion was not the only one to wait so long. Earlier this year, Yvon Cournoyer and Dicke Moore had their sweaters retired years after they retired. Larry Robinson, Ken Dryden and Bob Gainey all cornerstones of a Montreal dynasty are all waiting to have their numbers retired. None of these stars were marginal players. They were all superstars that brought Montreal several Stanley Cups and help to build the Montreal mystique.

Alas, this has been forgotten by the men who run the organization these days. It's a damn shame. It really takes nothing to do it. The Habs are not only failing on the ice but in the heart and soul of its own essence.