Patrick Roy

Patrick Roy
Hockey Hall of Fame, 2006
Born	(1965-10-05) October 5, 1965 Sainte-Foy, QC, CAN
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight	190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position	Goaltender
Caught	Left
Played for	Montreal Canadiens Colorado Avalanche
NHL draft	51st overall, 1984 Montreal Canadiens
Playing career	1985–2003

Patrick Jacques Roy (IPA: [ʁwa]), (born October 5, 1965, in Sainte-Foy, Quebec, Canada) is a retired ice hockey goaltender. Nicknamed "St. Patrick", Roy split his professional career between the Montreal Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League, winning two Stanley Cups with each franchise. In 2004, Roy was selected as the greatest goaltender in NHL history by a panel of 41 writers, coupled with a simultaneous fan poll. On November 13, 2006, Roy was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

He is currently the co-owner, general manager, and head coach of the Québec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Early life

Jesus and Barbara and he was raised in the suburb of Sainte-Foy. He became interested in being a hockey goalie when he was seven years old. After playing for the local Sainte-Foy Gouverneurs, he started his junior career with the Granby Bisons of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

NHL career

Montreal Canadiens

Roy was drafted 51st overall in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens, which he disliked, being a fan of the rivals Quebec Nordiques. His grandmother, Anna Peacock, who was a big Canadiens fan, died before seeing her grandson being drafted. Roy kept playing for the Bisons, before being called up by the Canadiens. Despite the thoughts that he wasn't going to play, on February 23, 1985, he made his NHL debut when he replaced the Canadiens starting goaltender Doug Soetaert in the third period. Roy played for 20 minutes and earned his first NHL win without allowing a goal. After the game, he was sent to the Sherbrooke Canadiens of the American Hockey League. Despite starting as a backup, Roy replaced the starting goaltender after he had equipment troubles during a game. He got a win, became the starting goaltender for the playoffs and led the team to a Calder Cup championship with ten wins in 13 games.

In the following season, Roy started playing regularly for the Montreal Canadiens. He played 47 games during the regular season and won the starting job for the playoffs, where he emerged as a star, leading his team to an unexpected Stanley Cup title and winning a Conn Smythe Trophy for the Most Valuable Player. As a 20-year old, he became the youngest Conn Smythe winner ever and was chosen for the NHL All-Rookie Team.

Nicknamed St. Patrick after the victory, Roy continued playing for the Canadiens, who won the Adams Division in 1987-88 and in 1988-89, when they lost to the Calgary Flames in the Stanley Cup finals. Roy, together with Brian Hayward, won the William M. Jennings Trophy in 1987, 1988 and 1989. In both 1989 and 1990, he won the Vezina Trophy for best goaltender in the NHL and was voted for the NHL 1st All-Star Team. In 1991-92, the Canadiens won the Adams Division again, with Roy having a very successful individual year, winning the William M. Jennings Trophy, the Vezina Trophy and being selected for the NHL 1st All-Star Team. Despite the successful regular season, the Canadiens were swept in the second round by the Boston Bruins, who stopped their playoff run for the fourth time in five years.

In the 1993 playoffs, after the Canadiens lost their first two games to their archrival Quebec Nordiques in the first round series, a newspaper in Roy's hometown district suggested that he be traded. Nordiques goaltending coach Dan Bouchard also proclaimed that his team had solved Roy. These comments seemed to fire up Roy, who responded by winning the next four games against the Nordiques, sweeping the Buffalo Sabres in the next round, and winning the first three against the New York Islanders to complete an eleven postseason game winning streak. Roy set a record during the postseason with 10 straight overtime wins, won the Stanley Cup, and was once again the Conn Smythe Trophy winner.

In 1994, the Canadiens were the defending champions but they were knocked out in the first round by the Boston Bruins. Nonetheless, that seven game series was notable in the eyes of Montreal fans as Roy came down with appendicitis and missed game three. He convinced doctors to let him return for Game Four and led the Canadiens to a 5-2 victory, stopping 39 shots[1].

On December 2, 1995 Montreal's head coach Mario Tremblay elected to keep Roy in the goal until he let in 9 goals on 26 shots during an 11-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings[2]. This was the last straw for Roy in what was already a contentious relationship with the rookie head coach. The two had almost come to blows in a Long Island coffee shop before Tremblay was announced as a coach and his first appearance in the dressing room was greeted with snickers from Roy. They almost fought a second time after Tremblay fired a shot at Roy's throat during practice.[3]

When Roy was replaced midway through the second period, as he was storming off the ice, Roy could be seen on-camera[4] telling Habs team President Ronald Corey that this was the last game he would ever play for Montreal, later elaborating by saying that he would not play for Montreal as long as Tremblay was coach. Three days after the incident, he was traded to Colorado along with Montreal captain Mike Keane in exchange for Jocelyn Thibault, Martin Rucinsky, and Andrei Kovalenko, which is known in Montreal as "Le Trade."[5] Roy's relationship with the Canadiens remains strained to this day. However, the Canadiens have not issued Roy's old #33 jersey since he left the team.

Since Le Trade, the Canadiens have won three playoff series (1998 vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins, and 2002 and 2004 vs. the Boston Bruins), and have won two games beyond the first round (during the 2002 Stanley Cup playoffs series against the Carolina Hurricanes). Montreal Gazette columnist Jack Todd, in a nod to other teams that have struggled since making odd personnel decisions, has written numerous times that the Canadiens are under "The Curse of St. Patrick." Indeed, the swap turned out to be, in hindsight, one of the most one-sided deals in NHL history. In 2004, ESPN called Roy's trade to Colorado a steal, and one of the worst moves ever made during the first 25 years of ESPN's existence.

Colorado Avalanche

The same season he was traded to the Avalanche, Roy helped lead them to their first Stanley Cup. He played for Colorado until his retirement in 2003, adding another Cup and capturing a record third Conn Smythe Trophy in 2001.

In the 1996 Western Conference semi-finals between the Colorado Avalanche and the Chicago Blackhawks, Jeremy Roenick was stopped by Roy on a break-away during OT in game 4, while apparently being tackled by an Avalanche player. The referees did not call for a penalty shot on the play and the Avalanche won in triple overtime on Joe Sakic's game winning goal. Earlier in game 3, Roenick scored on an unchallenged breakaway to tie the score at 3 and send the game to overtime; the Blackhawks ended up winning the game.

After game 4, Roenick told the media "there should have been a penalty shot [on the play]. I like Patrick's comment when he said he could have stopped me [on the breakaway]. I'd like to know where Patrick was in Game 3, probably up trying to get his jock out of the rafters." Roy retorted with his now-famous line, "I can't really hear what Jeremy says, because I've got my two Stanley Cup rings plugging my ear." [6]

Roy and the Avalanche beat the Blackhawks in 6 games and went on to win the Cup.

Roy was a huge part of the Avalanche/Detroit Red Wings rivalry. During the Red Wings-Avalanche brawl in 1997, he fought Wings goalie Mike Vernon. The next season, he fought another Red Wings goalie, Chris Osgood. The Avalanche and Red Wings met in the playoffs four times after 1996, with both teams winning two series.

His final game was played against the Minnesota Wild on April 22, 2003, in a game seven overtime loss in the quarterfinals of the NHL playoffs.

At the press conference to announce his retirement, Roy was asked by a reporter which NHL player he feared the most when playing. Roy replied that there was no one he feared when playing.

International play

Roy was selected as Team Canada's starting goalie for the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. He refused to give up a start, even though many people thought backup Martin Brodeur deserved to start in the bronze medal game. Roy played all six games, and Canada failed to win a medal. Roy had a 4-2 record with one shutout.

Post retirement

After retiring from the NHL, Roy joined the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL as vice president of hockey operations. He is also owner and general manager. On September 29, 2005, he was also named head coach of the team.

On May 28th, 2006, the Quebec Remparts won the Memorial Cup (top Canadian Hockey League tournament), beating the Moncton Wildcats 6-2 in the finals (although the Remparts were only the runner-up in the 2006 QMJHL championship, they were able to participate in the Memorial Cup since the QMJHL champions were the host city — see Memorial Cup, 1983 to present). Patrick Roy is the 7th coach to win the cup on his rookie year, and the first to do so since Claude Julien with the Hull Olympiques in 1997.

On January 19, 2007, Saguenay Police investigated an incident involving Roy and co-owner of the Chicoutimi Sagueneens, Pierre Cardinal. There were reports that Roy threw punches at the co-owner after he intervened in order to disperse a crowd of hockey fans that were blocking the Remparts bus after a game between the two clubs. A complaint for assault had been filed against Roy who may face assault charges in the matter. Montreal newspaper Le Journal de Montreal reported that Roy later apologized to the victim by telephone. [7][8].

In a press conference following a Remparts game on January 21, 2007, Roy said that he was "suffering prejudice on the part of the media" and believed that he was not feeling guilty of the incident. He then questioned his future as head coach and co-owner of the team, even considering resigning from his duties. [9]. On January 25, 2007, Cardinal announced that he removed his complaint against Roy, before Roy made a press conference about his future in the Quebec Remparts, where he announced he will stay coach and co-owner of the team. [10] [11]

Personal life

• Patrick Roy married Michèle Piuze on June 9, 1990. The couple divorced in early 2006. They have 3 children — Jonathan, Frederick, and Jana.

• Since the 1980s, Roy has been a significant contributor to the Ronald McDonald House charity.

• Roy was known for superstitious quirks.[http://www.cbc.ca/sports/columns/top10/superstition.html He never skated on the blue lines, often talked to the net posts, and he never talked to reporters on days of games he was playing later on. By refusing to touch the lines in the ice between periods, he had to jump them.

Career statistics

Regular season

Season	Team	League		GP	W	L	T	MIN	GA	SO	GAA	SV%
1981–82	Ste-Foy Gouverneurs	QAAA		40	27	23	10	2400	156	3	2.63	-
1982–83	Granby Bisons	QMJHL		54	13	35	1	2808	293	0	6.26	-
1983–84	Granby Bisons	QMJHL		61	29	29	1	3585	265	0	4.44	-
1984–85	Granby Bisons	QMJHL		44	16	25	1	2463	228	0	5.55	-
1984–85	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		1	1	0	0	20	0	0	0.00	1.000
1984–85	Sherbrooke Canadiens	AHL		1	1	0	0	60	4	0	4.00	.852
1985–86	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		47	23	18	3	2649	148	1	3.35	-
1986–87	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		46	22	16	6	2681	131	1	2.93	-
1987–88	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		45	23	12	9	2582	125	3	2.90	.900
1988–89	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		48	33	5	6	2743	113	4	2.47	.908
1989–90	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		54	31	16	5	3173	134	3	2.53	.912
1990–91	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		48	25	15	6	2835	128	1	2.71	.906
1991–92	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		67	36	22	8	3934	155	5	2.36	.914
1992–93	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		62	31	25	5	3594	192	2	3.20	.894
1993–94	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		68	35	17	11	3867	161	7	2.50	.918
1994–95	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		43	17	20	6	2566	127	1	2.97	.906
1995–96	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		22	12	9	1	1260	62	1	2.95	.907
1995–96	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		39	22	15	1	2305	103	1	2.68	.909
1996–97	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		62	38	15	7	3697	143	7	2.32	.923
1997–98	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		65	31	19	13	3835	153	4	2.39	.916
1998–99	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		61	32	19	8	3648	139	5	2.29	.917
1999–00	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		63	32	21	8	3704	141	2	2.28	.914
2000–01	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		62	40	13	7	3584	132	4	2.21	.913
2001–02	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		63	32	23	8	3773	122	9	1.94	.925
2002–03	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		63	35	15	13	3768	137	5	2.18	.920
NHL Totals				1029	551	315	131	60225	2546	66	2.54	-
AHL Totals				1	1	0	0	60	4	0	4.00	.852
QMJHL Totals				159	58	89	3	8856	786	0	5.33	-
QAAA Totals				40	27	13	10	2400	156	3	2.63	-

Playoffs

Season	Team	League		GP	W	L	MIN	GA	SO	GAA	SV%
1981-82	Ste-Foy Gouverneurs	QAAA		2	2	0	114	2	1	1.05	-
1983-84	Granby Bisons	QMJHL		4	0	4	244	22	0	5.41	-
1984-85	Sherbrooke Canadiens	AHL		13	10	3	769	37	0	2.89	-
1985-86	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		20	15	5	1215	39	1	1.93	-
1986-87	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		6	4	2	330	22	0	4.00	-
1987-88	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		8	3	4	428	24	0	3.36	.889
1988-89	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		19	13	6	1206	42	2	2.09	.920
1989-90	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		11	5	6	640	26	1	2.43	.911
1990-91	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		13	7	5	785	40	0	3.06	.898
1991-92	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		11	4	7	685	30	1	2.63	.904
1992-93	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		20	16	4	1293	46	0	2.13	.929
1993-94	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		6	3	3	374	16	0	2.56	.930
1995-96	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		22	16	6	1453	51	3	2.10	.921
1996-97	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		17	10	7	1033	38	3	2.21	.932
1997-98	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		7	3	4	429	18	0	2.51	.906
1998-99	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		19	11	8	1173	52	1	2.66	.920
1999-00	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		17	11	6	1039	31	3	1.79	.928
2000-01	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		23	16	7	1450	41	4	1.70	.934
2001-02	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		21	11	10	1241	52	3	2.51	.909
2002-03	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		7	3	4	423	16	1	2.27	.910
NHL Totals				247	151	94	15205	584	23	2.30	-
AHL Totals				13	10	3	769	37	0	2.89	-
QMJHL Totals				4	0	4	244	22	0	5.41	-
QAAA Totals				2	2	0	114	2	1	1.05	-

International

Year	Team	Event			GP	W	L	T	MIN	GA	SO	GAA
1998	Canada	Oly			6	4	2	0	369	9	1	1.46
Senior int'l totals					6	4	2	0	369	9	1	1.46

Legacy

In 1989, 1990, and 1992 Roy won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goaltender. He won the Jennings Trophy (fewest goals allowed) in 1987, 1988, 1989 (all shared with Brian Hayward), 1992, and 2002. He led the league in shutouts and goals against average twice, was named a First Team All-Star four times, a Second Team All-Star twice, and played in eleven All-Star games. Roy has also won a record three Conn Smythe Trophies as NHL Playoff MVP (1986, 1993, and 2001).

Among the many goaltending NHL records Roy holds are career wins (551), career games played (1029), career playoff wins (151), and career playoff games played (247).

The Avalanche retired Roy's #33 jersey on 28 October 2003. Roy was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2006, in his first year of eligibility.

Milestones

• His jersey number 30 has been retired by the Granby Bisons.
• His jersey number 33 has been retired by the Colorado Avalanche.
• In 1998, he was ranked number 35 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.
• The Colorado Sports Hall Of Fame 2004
• QMJHL Hall of Fame
• Hockey Hall of Fame inductee 2006
• Was Ranked #5 in The Hockey News' The Top 60 Since 1967 - The Best Players of the Post Expansion Era

Records

• Most NHL games played by a goaltender (1029)
• Most NHL Regular season wins (551)
• Most NHL playoff games played by a goaltender (247)
• Most NHL playoff wins by a goaltender (151)
• Most Conn Smythe Trophy wins (3)
• Most minutes played in the Goaltender position in the NHL (75444)

Style of play

He was also one of the first goalies to regularly utilize the butterfly style.

Awards

• Stanley Cup — 1986, 1993, 1996, 2001
• Conn Smythe Trophy — 1986, 1993, 2001
• William M. Jennings Trophy — 1987*, 1988*, 1989*, 1992, 2002
• Vezina Trophy — 1989, 1990, 1992
• NHL All-Star Game — 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003
• NHL 1st All-Star Team — 1989, 1990, 1992, 2002
• NHL 2nd All-Star Team — 1988, 1991
• NHL All-Rookie Team — 1986
• Trico Goaltending Award — 1989, 1990

* Shared with Brian Hayward.

External links

• Patrick Roy player profile at NHL.com
• Patrick Roy career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database