Top 25 Montreal Sports Moments Of 2014: 15-11

Nov 8, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens former player

(5) waves to the crowd during his jersey retirement ceremony and his wife Louise (right) and

(left) and Guy Savard before the game against the Minnesota Wild at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

12. Guy Lapointe’s Jersey Retirement

I was waiting for my wife outside of the bathroom during the intermission of a World Juniors game at the Bell Centre when I saw Guy Lapointe walk up the stairs into the main floor of the Bell Centre. He walked with his clipboard in hand, that trademark smile, and continued. He walked right by fans who didn’t stop him.

That’s life of a Canadiens legend and life of the head of amateur scouting with the Minnesota Wild.

There have been a lot more jerseys in the rafters of the Bell Centre lately, and I think that’s a great thing. I’m a big hall-of-fame guy. I’m all for tons of numbers in the rafters and honouring the best and significant players in Canadiens history.

I wasn’t around for the 1970s and didn’t know a lot about Lapointe’s career, at least for me, he was in the shadow of Serge Savard and Larry Robinson. Savard and Robinson were significant players for someone born in the mid-1980s due to their jobs within the NHL after their retirement. Savard was the first Canadiens GM I remember growing up and Robinson played into the 1990s and was a head coach.

Lapointe’s ceremony was very well done, as is the norm for the Canadiens, and it was nice to see him get his due while still connecting him to the Big Three by having Savard and Robinson on hand.

One of his many impressive achievements in the NHL was three straight 20 goal seasons as a defenceman.

There’s no denying his place in history and his place on the Canadiens dynasty of the 70s. He’s well deserving of the honour and his ceremony was one of the top moments in Montreal sports in the year.

-Jared Book

Next: No. 11: A Captain Returns