A tribute to "Boom Boom"

This Saturday I was in the stands for the sold out attendance at the Montreal Bell Center, for the Montreal vs. Rangers hockey game. In itself is a good night, but we were treated to a once in a lifetime experience, a tribute to the life of one of Hockey's greatest players.

Now I am not a religious zealot when it comes to Hockey, however certain events merit a time to reflect. Many of today's fans, consider some of the young "all-stars" to be the greatest thing to come into hockey ( Sydney Crosby, Ilya Kovalchuck and many more come to mind ). Don't get me wrong, these players are very good at what they do, play the game. But few players in today's league have what it takes to evolve the game of hockey.

Bernard "Boom Boom" Geoffrion earned his nickname by becoming the founding father of what is known as the modern day slapshot. Many people just assumed that such things have been around since the dawn of hockey, just like helmets, or goalie masks. It is players like him, that forced the game to evolve into what we see today. And this is the reason, why in my opinion "Boom Boom" joins a short list of players who have helped make the game what it is today. This list includes such names as Maurice "The Rocket" Richard, Bobby Orr, Jacques Plante, Wayne Gretzky, Patrick Roy, Ken Dryden, Gordie Howe, Mario Lemieux, and few more.

I do have one thing I would like to clarify. I heard many whispering while I was in the crowd, of why would his family be there when he died that very morning in his sleep. I agree that this may seem strange to some people, but I believe his son said it best, " It's what he (Boom Boom) would have wanted." To anyone who has ever met any of the "true greats" of hockey, can tell in an instant, that their love of this game goes beyond comprehension. I was once lucky enough when I was just a kid playing the game to meet some of these greats ( Henri Richard, Boom Boom, and a few more ) who were playing in an old-timers game at the Maurice Richard area ( where I was playing in a tournament.) Someone that surprised me, was they seemed to be more enthusiastic to be around the game of hockey, than anyone in that tournament. It is for this reason, that I want to thank to Geoffrion family (and everyone else who was there for the event ) for paying the proper respects to one of the best hockey ambassadors we could ever want.

Maybe these are just the ramblings of a hockey fan, but I was honored to be part of the crowd for this event and will not soon forget it.