remembering the rocket

the montreal canadiens are still battling in the stanley cup playoffs, so it seems like a good time for this particular memorial patch post.

back in 2000, montreal still fielded a major league baseball team, and when montreal native, canadien (and canadian) legend and hockey icon maurice 'the rocket' richard passed away in may of that year, the expos wore a black number 9 patch on their right sleeves in his honor.  richard, of course, wore number 9 for les habitants from 1942-1960, leading them to 8 stanley cup titles.  this is the only instance that i know of where a team from one sport has honored a player from another with a memorial patch.

geoff blum is wearing the memorial patch on his 2001 upper deck victory card

which is one of two double play cards i have in which the patch is visible.  the other is this 2001 upper deck augie ojeda card

pretty sure that the expo who tried to break up two is jose vidro, whose 2001 donruss elite card also features the patch

i was going to use this vladimir guerrero card from 2001 upper deck reserve as the example for this memorial in my collection

but then i came across this 2001 upper deck ultimate victory card of milton bradley which shows the patch so nicely

so it gets the nod.  besides, i'll keep that vladdy card in my vladdy pc.

richard was the first player in nhl history to score 50 goals in 50 games, and was the league's all-time leading scorer until another player wearing number 9, gordie howe, came along.  still, i doubt the tigers will wear a gordie howe patch when he passes away.