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MONTREAL (CP) - The two sons of Bernard (Boom Boom) Geoffrion are determined to see their gravely ill father's jersey retired with dignity.
Robert and Danny Geoffrion as well as other family members will stand in for the former Montreal Canadiens scoring star when his No. 5 jersey is raised to the Bell Centre rafters on Saturday night before a game against the New York Rangers.
The 75-year-old Geoffrion, who has been admitted to a hospice in Atlanta with inoperable stomach cancer, could not be present for an honour he has waited decades to receive.
He asked his sons to represent him at the ceremony.
''We're here for the celebration,'' Danny Geoffrion said Friday. ''As hard as it is, with a little bit of help from God, we're going to make this happen.
''It's a celebration and that's what it should be. It shouldn't be a funeral. We're coming to bring closure to this for Dad.''
He said the ceremony is not likely to be televised in Atlanta, where Geoffrion has lived since the 1970s, so they hope to bring him a videotape.
The brothers said Geoffrion went on intravenous feeding this week, hoping to build up strength to make the trip, but he caught an infection and his health began deteriorating. On Thursday, his wife Marlene and daughter Linda had him admitted to a hospice, which Danny called ''the last stage.''
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Geoffrion, said to be the inventor of the slapshot, was a charismatic star on powerhouse Canadiens teams in the 1950s and early 1960s. He became the second NHL player, after teammate Maurice (Rocket) Richard, to score 50 goals in a season in 1960-61.
Robert and Danny Geoffrion as well as other family members will stand in for the former Montreal Canadiens scoring star when his No. 5 jersey is raised to the Bell Centre rafters on Saturday night before a game against the New York Rangers.
The 75-year-old Geoffrion, who has been admitted to a hospice in Atlanta with inoperable stomach cancer, could not be present for an honour he has waited decades to receive.
He asked his sons to represent him at the ceremony.
''We're here for the celebration,'' Danny Geoffrion said Friday. ''As hard as it is, with a little bit of help from God, we're going to make this happen.
''It's a celebration and that's what it should be. It shouldn't be a funeral. We're coming to bring closure to this for Dad.''
He said the ceremony is not likely to be televised in Atlanta, where Geoffrion has lived since the 1970s, so they hope to bring him a videotape.
The brothers said Geoffrion went on intravenous feeding this week, hoping to build up strength to make the trip, but he caught an infection and his health began deteriorating. On Thursday, his wife Marlene and daughter Linda had him admitted to a hospice, which Danny called ''the last stage.''
...
Geoffrion, said to be the inventor of the slapshot, was a charismatic star on powerhouse Canadiens teams in the 1950s and early 1960s. He became the second NHL player, after teammate Maurice (Rocket) Richard, to score 50 goals in a season in 1960-61.
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