Pierre Turgeon now has his place as a member of the Hall of Fame in Toronto. He is one of the immortals of ice hockey.
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After the weekend’s emotions in Toronto, the former No. 77 detoured to Montreal for another honor: a spot in the Canadiens’ Ring of Honor.
“There are a lot of memories running through my mind,” Turgeon said a few hours before the game against the Calgary Flames at the Bell Centre. I talked about this in my introductory speech on Monday, but the closing of the Forum and the opening of the Molson Center remain big moments in my career. There were so many stories about all the captains being on the ice. It always warms my heart when I come back to Montreal.”
He also had a smile on his face when asked to describe his feelings about earning a spot in the CH Ring of Honor.
“It means a lot to me. I grew up in Rouyn-Noranda. I watched the Canadian in my youth. When I was 18, I moved to the US, but later received a call telling me that I was in the frame an exchange would go to the Canadians [Islanders au Canadien]. When I first looked at my vest I thought it was incredible. It’s a big organization. I had a short stay in Montreal, it lasted less than two seasons. But I loved my moments.”
Turgeon will also have a photo of his place in the Habs locker room, an honor reserved for all CH alumni who have their place in the Hall of Fame. He will be there with the team’s other legends such as Maurice Richard, Jean Béliveau and Guy Lafleur.
“Once again, I think it’s very special,” he replied. When I became captain of the Canadian, I had dinner with Mr. Jean Béliveau. Réjean Houle organized this. When I came out I thought “Wow.” I bought his biography immediately afterwards. Canadian is a religion. I’m excited to be a part of it.”
A bilingual speech
Turgeon was admitted to Toronto on Monday night at the same time as his former agent and mentor Pierre Lacroix and hasn’t yet had time to come down from his cloud.
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“When I was in Toronto, I thought about my speech. I had to speak in front of a lot of people, but I was prepared. At three or four in the morning I was already looking forward to my speech. I had butterflies in my stomach. The emotions were very present. I’ve had trouble sleeping in the last few days because I’ve experienced too many beautiful things. I couldn’t wait to wake up, drink my coffee and see my world. I enjoyed my four days in Toronto. I just wanted to slow down time, it was going too fast.”
Even though he remains in Florida today, the former center gave his native language plenty of space in his almost twelve-minute speech on Monday evening.
“My speech was important to me. I wanted to speak French. My roots remain. I’m from here, I’m from Quebec and I’m proud of it. I’ve been thinking about giving French a big place in my speech. I did it with my heart. It wasn’t difficult for me to write passages in French!”