Yahoo Sports Gatineau Sends Former Kings' Player's Number To The Rafters
Around 3000 fans took to the Slush Puppie Centre in Gatineau to watch the return of one of the franchise's greats.
Fresh off of being selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the second round of the 1995 NHL draft, Czech forward Pavel Rosa made the move to North America to play for the then Hull Olympiques.
Now, No. 55 -- his number -- will be forever immortalized by the Gatineau Olympiques.
« Ma femme et mes deux enfants sont Gatinois. Ils sont nées ici. [...] Je suis très fier d'appeler Gatineau, chez moi. » - Pavel Rosa
📸 @D_Charettephoto #goOLgo♠️ pic.twitter.com/cNnnq66b4c— Olympiques de Gatineau (@OlympiquesGAT) December 14, 2024
From the moment he stepped on the ice with the Olympiques, to his final moments with the team, Rosa was a star.
Accumulating 269 points (109+160) over 129 games over just two seasons, his impact was short-lived but immediate.
Over his two seasons, Hull made the QMJHL finals twice -- winning in his second appearance in 1997.
Rosa wouldn't find the same success in the NHL as he did in the 'Q', playing in 36 games over four seasons with the Kings. However, Rosa had an extensive career in Europe, playing in Finland, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland and his native Czechia.
Fans who attended weren't only treated with Rosa's return to Gatineau, but also an overtime win over the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.
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