The Montreal Canadiens can pull off a pregame ceremony like no other franchise in professional sports, and they did it once again on Saturday when they retired Guy Lapointe's No. 5 jersey.
Lapointe was joined on the ice by Serge Savard and Larry Robinson, the other two members of a much-feared defensive line during the 1970s whose numbers were already hanging from the rafters in the Bell Centre.
“Guy was a great player. He also sat next to me in the locker room, which wasn’t necessarily a good thing.” – S. Savard on Guy Lapointe
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) November 8, 2014
"You were a big part of my life and my career. You're one of the reasons I'm up there as well." - Larry Robinson on Guy Lapointe
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) November 8, 2014
"It is with great emotion that I find myself in front of you tonight, 32 years after I left the Canadiens," Lapointe said in an address to the fans. "I'd like to thank all of my teammates, and I'd like to pay a special tribute to my first captain, Jean Beliveau. I'd also like to thank my father, who made no mistake thinking that I'd be a better hockey player than a policeman."
He also spoke highly of his old linemates.
"For me, they were the Big Two" - Guy Lapointe, turning toward Serge Savard and Larry Robinson. I'm sure they would beg to differ.
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) November 8, 2014
Lapointe won six Stanley Cups with the Canadiens and played 777 games with the organization, scoring 166 goals and adding 406 assists for 572 total points.
The entire ceremony can be viewed below.
