In a couple of weeks Patrick Roy's No. 33 will join legends Maurice "Rocket" Richard, Jacques Plante, Jean Beliveau, Guy Lafleur and company in the Bell Center rafters.
Roy will go down as one of the greatest goaltenders of all time. And here's a prediction: When his playing days are over, the Canadiens current No. 1 netminder Carey Price will also be remembered as one of the all-time greats.
Price is just 21 years old and he still has plenty to learn. Roy and Brodeur have set the bar high; however, there is no doubt in my mind the Williams Lake, B.C. native will be mentioned in the same breath as them when his playing days are over.
One of the things Price has in common with the aforementioned backstops is his passion for the game and his desire to win.
Now I know Price didn't look all that great in the Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Philadelphia Flyers, but give the kid time. He won a world junior championship as well as a Calder Cup in 2007 and a few months later Price was making his debut in the NHL in the most difficult city to play in for a goaltender.
Anyone who knows a little about hockey can see what great potential Price has. What they can't see is his determination. He lost 30 pounds this summer to ensure he would be ready for the rigours of an 82-game season. And although Price has given up a few soft goals so far this season, every single general manager in the NHL would build their team around him in a heartbeat.
So it made absolutely no sense to me when veteran writer and broadcaster Stan Fischler said Price was a stiff, cocky and inept on the weekend. It's one thing to offer an opinion based on facts; however, taking personal shots at someone simply to increase your own exposure and TV ratings is ludicrous. Besides, didn't Fischler rip Wayne Gretzky as a rookie?
But what do I know? Fischler has been in the business longer than I've been alive. Maybe he truly thinks all those things. Maybe I'm the one that's way off base here. Maybe it's time for me to cover curling or bowling or horse racing, because from what I've seen stiff, cocky and inept don't fit the bill.