A memorial service will be held Saturday in Marietta, Ga., for Marlene Geoffrion, the widow of Montreal Canadiens great and Hockey Hall of Fame member Bernie (Boom Boom) Geoffrion. She died on March 2 at age 84.
Geoffrion was the daughter of Canadiens Hockey Hall of Famer Howie Morenz and her early life was marked by tragedy. She was three years old when her father died of complications from a broken leg suffered during a game in 1937. Her brother, Donald, died of pneumonia two years later and her mother died when she was eight.
Marlene was skating with an ice show at the Forum when she met Canadiens prospect Bernie Geoffrion and they were married for 54 years. He died of cancer on March 11, 2006, the same day his No. 5 was retired at the Bell Centre. Marlene kept a promise to her husband to travel from their home in Georgia to represent him.
Bernard (Boom Boom) Geoffrion’s widow Marlene and daughter Linda (in Habs jersey) are flanked by sons Danny, left, and Robert during apregame ceremony retiring Geoffrionâs No. 5 at the Bell Centre on March 11, 2006.
She described the moment when she spoke at a Hockey Ministries International breakfast during the 2009 NHL All-Star Game festivities in Montreal.
“My dear husband died from cancer on March 11, 2006 — the very day he was so looking forward to, as his Canadiens jersey, was to be retired at the Centre Bell that night,” Marlene said. “Boom had made me promise to attend the ceremony even if he couldn’t be there. This was not easy, I can assure you. All our children were there. We were so filled with pride that evening as we watched jersey No. 7 — my father’s — come down and meet jersey No. 5 — Boom’s. Together, they made hockey history once again.”
The Geoffrions’ son, Dan, was the Canadiens’ first-round draft choice in 1978. He played 77 games with the Quebec Nordiques before playing 111 NHL games with Montreal and Winnipeg.
His son, Blake, won the Hobey Baker Award as the outstanding player in U.S. college hockey at the University of Wisconsin. He became a fourth-generation Canadien after playing for the Nashville Predators. His career was cut short when he suffered a fractured skull while playing for the Hamilton Bulldogs at the Bell Centre on Nov. 9, 2012.
Marlene’s daughter, Linda, is married to former NHL player Hartland Monahan.
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