What a moving ceremony on Saturday night in Montreal, as the Canadiens raised Boom Boom Geoffrion's #5 jersey to the rafters. If there's one thing the Canadiens do right, it's honouring the rich history of the "Blue Blanc et Rouge".
With Geoffrion's passing earlier that same day, the ceremony took on somewhat of a solemn tone, turning into a memorial as much as it was a celebration of his life.
All the usual elements of a jersey retirement were in place -- a tribute video, former teammates, and emotional speeches. All of the elements were made even more poignant by the presence of his family, many of whom flew from Atlanta -- on the very same day that Geoffrion died. Boom Boom's banner was raised alongside Howie Morenz, who was Boom Boom's father in law -- and who was memorialized nearly 7 decades ago to the day at the Forum.
It's too bad Hockey Night in Canada didn't show a live broadcast of the ceremony. We watched the ceremony in french on RDS, while HNIC showed Toronto vs. Tampa Bay.
Update: More on the ceremony from NHL.com
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