It has been a very difficult last few months for the legions of Montreal Expo fans all over the world. First it was former All-Star pitcher Charlie Lea who had passed away at the age of fifty-four. Gary Carter passed away at the age of fifty-seven, only nine short months after being diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour in May 2011.

PHOTO CREDIT - sportsillustrated.cnn.com

Edmonton - February 17, 2012 - It has been a very difficult last few months for the legions of Montreal Expo fans all over the world. First it was former All-Star pitcher Charlie Lea who had passed away at the age of fifty-four, due to a massive heart attack back on November 13th. As tough as that one was for Expos fans to deal with, when word came down Thursday afternoon that "Kid" had lost his battle and scummed to his on going battle with brain cancer, it brought things down to a whole different level. Gary Carter passed away at the age of fifty-seven, only nine short months after being diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour in May 2011. The baseball world not only lost one of its greatest players but it truly have lost one of the nicest guys to have ever played the game.

Carter broke into the Expos everyday lineup in 1975 and never looked back on what was one of the finest careers put together by any catcher in the history of the game. He played eleven years in Montreal and was the most popular player in the clubs history and will always be remembered as the face of the franchise. Gary was a seven-time All Star during his years in Montreal and was considered the best all around catcher in the game. Be it with his bat or his lethal throwing arm and a ability to call a game, "Kid" could do it all and he was loved by all in La belle province.

Prior to the 1985 season, Carter was traded to the New York Mets in one of the most lopsided trades in MLB history. The Expos did not move him because they felt he was past his prime, instead it was for financial reasons and it was arguably the biggest single move that helped New York transform into a powerhouse ball club. Gary was coming off his best season ever in Montreal and followed it up with two more outstanding campaigns in New York. He was a main cog in the Mets attack and their eventual run to the 1986 World Series Championship.

After playing five years in New York, he would make stops in San Francisco and Los Angeles before finishing up his career where it all started. It was 1992 and Gary was an Expo again. Like most veteran players who return back to their first organization to close out their career, Carter did not produce any thing of note in his final season but he did go out on in style. During his final game, Gary's last swing produced an RBI double and was promptly lifted for a pinch-runner. The ovation he received from the Olympic Stadium faithful was something Gary said he would forever cherish.

Carter was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001 and he was then elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003. It took him six tries to finally make it into Cooperstown but they finally got it right and put "Kid" where he belonged...right beside the other legends of the game. Gary was the first Montreal Expo to be enshrined into the Hall of Fame and has since been joined by former teammate Andre Dawson and will likely have Tim Raines follow in short order.

The two-time All-Star game MVP is survived by his wife Sandy and his children Kimmy, Christy and D.J.