The Montreal Canadiens began their centennial celebrations in fine fashion on Wednesday night, unveiling their Ring of Honour at the Bell Centre.
The exhibit, displayed along the back wall of the arena's upper deck, pays tribute to the 44 players and 10 builders the team has sent to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Players on the ring include Howie Morenz, Georges Vezina, Aurel Joliat, Newsy Lalonde, Joe Malone, Sprague Cleghorn, Herb Gardiner, Sylvio Mantha, Maurice Richard, Joe Hall, George Hainsworth, Jack Laviolette, Didier Pitre, Albert Siebert, Bill Durnan, Ken Reardon, Toe Blake, Tom Johnson, Bernard Geoffrion, Doug Harvey, Jacques Plante, Lorne Worsley, Frank Mahovlich, Ken Dryden, Jacques Lemaire, Bert Olmstead, Serge Savard, Jacques Laperriere, Buddy O'Connor and Patrick Roy.
Dick Duff, Larry Robinson, Steve Shutt, Guy Lapointe, Jean Beliveau, Dickie Moore, Henri Richard, Yvan Cournoyer, Guy Lafleur and general manager Bob Gainey were on hand for the pre-game festivities, while Emile Bouchard and Elmer Lach - the two oldest surviving Canadiens dropped the puck for the ceremonial faceoff.
The Ring of Honour is one of several events taking place in Montreal honouring the team's 100th season.
The team will retire Patrick Roy's No. 33 on Nov. 22, host the NHL All-Star Game in January and the 2009 NHL Entry Draft in June.
As well as events, this season will see the release of a documentary release on DVD of the team's most memorable games, a special set of Upper Deck anniversary cards and a Canadiens edition of Monopoly.
The Royal Canadian Mint will issue 10 million one dollar coins and Canada Post will issue four million stamps honouring the Canadiens anniversary.
