The late Gary Carter meant a lot to the city of Montreal.
The legendary catcher spent 12 of his 19 seasons there with the Expos, establishing himself as a fan favorite with his unparalleled work ethic and his desire to connect with the French-speaking fanbase, despite the fact that he didn’t know a lick of French when he first came to the team. Today the Montreal Canadiens paid tribute to Carter by taking to the ice as a team prior to their game with the New Jersey Devils wearing jerseys bearing “Carter 8” on the back.
These jerseys, while aesthetically pleasing and a lovely tribute to a legendary ballplayer on their own, are going to do more than just remind people of the impact Carter had on the city of Montreal. Per the Canadiens’ official Twitter feed (@canadiensMTL):
67Montréal Canadiens @CanadiensMTL
Tribute jerseys for the “Kid” worn Sunday will all be auctioned off this week for the Gary Carter Foundation. twitpic.com/8m5wm3
This simple gesture is going to benefit thousands of kids. Carter, who was more a family man than he ever was an athlete, dedicated his life to helping kids achieve their dreams by promoting literacy among youths. According to the foundation’s official site, they’ve donated more than $360,000 to promote use of the Reading Counts program in Palm Beach County (Florida) schools. Given how crazy Montrealers are about the Canadiens, that’s a number that’s expected to rise significantly once these jerseys are auctioned off.
Carter hit 220 of his 324 career home runs while wearing an Expos uniform. It’s safe to say that the city’s most beloved sports franchise just hit one more in his memory.
