Gainey's No. 23 joins immortals tonight

OK gang, I've got my awesome custom Gainey tshirt, courtesy of my talented craft-y goddaughter, and am ready to go! Aforementioned goddaughter and I are making the pilgrimage to the Bell Centre to share in this special night.

Dave Stubbs, we'll do our best in helping bring the roof down to meet his banner ;-)

Thank you, Mr. Gainey, for so much. I'm already a little misty-eyed.

What can one say about Mr. Gainey? I was fortunate to have seen him play, and to realise that he was a special player. Perhaps it is best to quote from Ken Dryden's "The Game."

It is a great temptation to say too much about Bob Gainey. It comes in part from a fear, guilt-edged in all of us, that Gainey, a fifteen-goal scorer in a league full of do-nothing thirty-goal scorers, goes too often unrewarded. But mostly it is admiration. If there is such a thing as a "player's player," it would be Gainey. A phrase often heard and rarely explained, it is seldom applied to the best player of a sport, as Gainey is not, for performance is only a part of it. Instead, the phrase is for someone who has the personal and playing qualities that others wish they had, basic, unalterable qualities--dependability, discipline, hard work, courage--the roots of every team. To them, Gainey adds a timely, insistent passion, an enormous will to win, and a powerful, punishing playing style, secure and manly, without the strut of machismo. If I could be a forward, I would want to be Bob Gainey.

An "enormous will to win." That seems to describe Mr. Gainey.
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"Respect your efforts, respect yourself. Self-respect leads to self-discipline. When you have both firmly under your belt, that's real power."
--Clint Eastwood

I have never had the pleasure and honour of watching Bob Gainey play hockey, but ever since he took over the GM duties of our club, I have seen him handle himself through many obstacles, ordeals and tragedies, both professional and personal, with immense class and dignity.

We have all watched him from afar slowly but surely bringing this team back to its proper respect and glory, but for tonight none of that is relevant. Tonight is about him. The fact is that this man has sacrificed blood, sweat and tears for this organization, and is absolutely deserving as any for this honour.

I never had the chance to watch Bob Gainey play, but I still have tremendous respect and admiration for the man for what he has done and given to this city. There are only a few other people for which I can say that is true, and their names will soon be joined by his high in the rafters of the Bell Center.

I'm fairly certain the team's communique is incorrect on Gainey's birthday. I think it's December 13, not November.

http://habsloyalist.blogspot.com

There's the famous picture of the team hoisting Gainey on their shoulders after the 1979 Cup win in La Presse. On a team full of superstars, that was a great tribute to his worth.
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Remember February 19th: The Comeback

is there any live broadcast of the ceremony tonight

Once you have gone through the excellent pieces posted on Gainey at the Gazette, I'd like to invite you to check out my own tribute to Bob.

I have posted 23 links with 23 pics that cover Bob past and current.

The chances are slim, but wouldn't it be great if Gainey pulled off a trade on this day. Could you just imagine the frenzy he could create by simply pulling a cell phone from his jacket as his banner was being raised to field a call!

The Habs For Breakfast - All About Bob Edition

http://wwwrealitycheckeyesontheprize.blogspot.com/2008/02/habs-for-break...

The excellent idea of donating 23 bucks to the Gainey Foundation will be added at the bottom of my post as well.

Thanks for the inspiration J.T.

Great column by Brunt.

http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080222.wspt-brunt-col-2...

My little tribute to BG

Truly a class gentleman who has been through more than any one person should have to deal with. Congratulations Mr. Gainey, You are a genuine inspiration.

I put this up:

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Bob_Gainey_Tribute/

Not sure if it'll have any legs but I thought I'd do it just out of respect for Gainey. Hopefully, the guy gets to read it at some point. Add your thoughts if you wish!
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Remember February 19th: The Comeback

Retiring Bob Gainey's number tonight is not only special but also quite unique. Outside of Ken Dryden, he is the only non Quebec player to have him number retired. He is also the only player who wasn't a 'star' in the popular sense of the word (I think you could say the same for Savard and personally I think Moore's number is only retired because of Cournoyer). Bob Gainey is being recognized for not only his skill but also the intangibles he brought to the game and the team. He never led the league in scoring and he was never voted onto an all-star team. He led the team in a different way. He epitomized what a defensive forward was and defined the requirements for the Selke Award, which is essence was the Gainey award. He led with his leadership, his poise, his tenacity, and his respect for the honour of being a Hab. He knew the true meaning (and responsibility) of the tradition of carrying and passing on the torch.

We've had quite a few numbers retired recently as we bring the team forward into the 21st century. I'm sure that Patrick Roy will be given serious consideration for next year. After that there really isn't anyone left that deserves the honour - certainly not from the past. Koivu is still playing and probably will for at least another three years. So that's a a question for another day, a day that's well down the road. Personally, I'm happy that we're not retiring too many numbers - to do so would defeat the entire purpose. We don't want to become the Hockey Hall of Fame where politics and cronism reigns supreme. This is a special honour that is befitting only to very special Montreal Canadien players. Bob Gainey is one of those very special Habs.

The Original 24 Cups

You know what would be a nice gesture? If those of us who can manage it could donate $23 to the Gainey Foundation today as a tribute to him. I think you can do it online at the Foundation website.

http://habsloyalist.blogspot.com