"I look at the number of your father up there," Geoffrion once told Marlene. 7 of his late, legendary father-in-law, Howie Morenz, who decades ago had been voted by sportswriters as the greatest hockey player of the first half of the 20th century. On the red carpet that night were a son, Danny, and a grandson, Blake, both of whom had gone on to play briefly for the Canadiens, in 1979-13 respectively.įittingly, Geoffrion's banner was hoisted beside the No. Boomer's number was raised to the rafters of the Bell Centre that night above his widow, Marlene, their three children and his extended family. 5 jersey in a ceremony that had been arranged months previously. In a sad twist, his passing came 12 hours before the Canadiens retired his No. Geoffrion died in Atlanta 10 years ago next month, lost to stomach cancer at age 75 on March 11, 2006. "I couldn't fall down with millions of people watching but at the commercial break I sure felt it.") "Probably the worst injury I had," Giacomin later told me.
BOOM BOOM ROOM ATLANTA TV
(Rehearsal went perfectly but on live TV Geoffrion rifled a shot into Giacomin's throat, leaving him without a voice for a week.
There is Geoffrion's unofficial record that never will be matched: Between 1951-60, the Canadiens a championship finalist for 10 consecutive years, Boomer was the only player to appear in all 53 games played in the Stanley Cup Final.īut Geoffrion's unabashed love of life and all that went with it is what still stands out since his passing - from his cheesy Miller Lite beer endorsements on TV and in print advertising, to his curly later-years perm, to his 1966 appearance with New York Rangers goaltending teammate Eddie Giacomin on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson."
* Eleven appearances in the NHL All-Star Game. * Second player in NHL history, behind teammate Maurice "Rocket" Richard, to score 50 goals in a season, that coming in 1960-61. * Recipient of the 1960-61 Hart Memorial Trophy as the player voted to be most valuable to his team. * Twice winner of the Art Ross Trophy, in 1954-61, as the League's top point-scorer. * The 1951-52 Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top rookie. * Six Stanley Cup championships won: 1953, then 1956-60 inclusive. Photos of the Hall of Famer are on display throughout the Canadiens' Bell Centre home, his on-ice achievements celebrated - even if they sometimes can't keep pace with the mischief this bon vivant got into off it. The familiar mechanisms of the night started turning into gear.Memories remain rich in Montreal of Boom Boom, so nicknamed by a 1950s Montreal sportswriter for the sound of the puck hitting first Geoffrion's stick, then the boards. Around four P.M., as a drizzle fell on the Upper East Side, a crowd gathered around The Mark Hotel to watch guests head over to The Met. Staging a reprise of the American fashion-themed event didn’t appear to damper initial enthusiasm. The idea behind having another Met Gala so soon after the last one was presumably to get the event back on the traditional first Monday of May schedule.
She quickly made her way to the stage, but not as quickly as the crowd, who had gathered around to hear about what they could expect from the rest of their nights. On this occasion, Naomi Campbell was hosting the event along with Kate Moss and Riccardo Tisci. As Monday night became Tuesday morning in Manhattan, that meant a Richie Akiva-produced afterparty was well underway at Casa Cipriani. At this stage of the much-vaunted return to normal, establishment players, whether in fashion or politics-the White House Correspondents’ Association held its first annual dinner in three years on Saturday-have mostly returned to their old stations. A few months later, on Monday night, it returned again. In September 2021, the Met Gala returned from its two-year-plus COVID dormancy. “Naomi, you ready?” a DJ asked from the stage at around 2:30 A.M.
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