Canadians pay tribute to former Expos player Gary Carter

Tributes rained down on the late Gary Carter as the House of Commons remembered a man who was once the biggest baseball star in Canada.

Members from different political parties read tributes to the Hall of Fame catcher who died Thursday, of cancer, at age 57.

They described his generosity with fans, and his perpetual enthusiasm in an era when Canada had only one baseball team, the now-defunct Montreal Expos, and the California native was their most popular player.

The Liberals’ Denis Coderre descibed him as one of his idols as a child — as a winner on and off the field. Coderre tipped an old Expos cap to Carter, as a tribute to him in the House of Commons.

The NDP’s Jamie Nicholls said Carter was one of the greatest players ever to play in Canada. He said Carter personified the franchise he played for.

Carter’s passing was front-page news on all three of Montreal’s daily newspapers today, on a day when a city that lost its Expos seven years ago was suddenly reminiscing about baseball again.

The front-page headline in the Montreal Gazette said: “The Kid” Was Light Of Expos.

La Presse also referred to the former Expos and Mets catcher by his nickname, saying: The Kid Is No More.

In Le Journal de Montreal, there were front-page headlines like: A Brother; The Real Thing; and Thanks For Everything.

The Montreal Canadiens also planned to honour Carter before their hockey game Sunday.

There was a movement on Twitter suggesting the Expos’ former mascot, Youppi!, who now entertains Habs fans, should bring out his old jersey for the game.

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