Here is a short essay I wrote about my hero, Patrick Roy
You watch the puck fly past the net, missing only by a few inches. Never letting the puck out of your sight, you see the left wing player behind your net pass it out in front to the center. Looking through the jumble of sticks bodies and legs you see him bring his stick back and fire it directly at you. You drop to the butterfly and swipe the puck out of the air with a magnificent glove save. No Goal. Well at least for now. Your teammates hit your pads and helmet saying good job. But the game’s not over.
Patrick Roy, one of the best goaltenders of the decade feels like this almost every game. Making $4 455 944 every year, this 6’2” 34 year old has lead his teams to win 3 Stanley Cups; the Montreal Canadiens in 1986 and 1993, and the Colorado Avalanche in 1996.
Born in Quebec City on October 5th, 1965, he has been a hockey fan since he received an autographed stick from his hero Daniel Bouchard as a child. He received his first pair of ice skates when he was six. Patrick played in organized games on rinks in hometown until he began his hockey career as a forward. One game, the regular goalie was hit in the leg with a puck and didn’t want to play anymore. Patrick said he wanted to play in goal, but his coach said he was too short. At the age of 15, he was invited to try out for the Granby Bisons of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, an important stepping-stone to the NHL for many Canadians. Patrick didn’t have quite enough skill for the team that year and he was cut. The next year, he played 54 games with the Granby Bisons, winning only 13.
In the 1884 - 85 season, Patrick played in one NHL game for the Montreal Canadiens. He didn’t let one single goal in. The Montreal Canadiens signed him in the 1885 – 86 season. They already had two good goalies, Steve Penny and Doug Soetaert, but they figured that Patrick could play if they got injured. Patrick Roy became known for his wacky superstitions than for his superb goaltending. Patrick always dresses from left to right. He puts his left glove on before his right, his left skate before his right one. He says it helps him concentrate.
Right before the actual game starts, Patrick skates out onto the ice, stepping over the center red line and blue line and glares at the iron goal posts and talks to them. “The forwards talk to each other. The defence are close, but the goalie’s are all alone” Patrick explains.
An important win for Patrick and his team was a shut out against the Edmonton Oilers who had the awesome players Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and Jari Kurri on their team. Patrick soon passed Penny and Soeaert to become the Montreal Canadien’s No. 1 goaltender.
The Montreal Canadiens entered the 1986 playoff season with 22 Stanley Cup wins, more than any other team in NHL history. But the team hadn’t won a playoff title in 7 years. The Montreal Canadients made it to the Stanley Cup finals against the Calgary Flames. In game one, the Flames fired 30 shots at Patrick Roy, beating the Canadiens 5 – 2. In game two, Calgary beat Montreal 3 – 2. In game 3, the Canadiens fired 4 shots into the Flames’ net in the first period and won 5 – 3. In the fourth game, Montreal beat Calgary 1 – 0. In the fifth and final game, Patrick let in 3 goals, but the Canadiens scored 4 on Mike Vernon and won the Stanley Cup. Along with the Stanley Cup, Patrick Roy won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player in the playoffs. Pretty impressive for a 21 year old.
Among his other achievments, Patrick Roy has won the William M Jennings awadrs in 1987, 1989 and 1992. He has won the Vezina award in 1989, 1990 and 1992 for outstanding goaltending. He was in the NHL All Star team in 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996 and 1997 and was in the 1998 Olympics for Team Canada.
Nicknamed “Patty”, “St Patrick” and “Brick Roy” Patrick Roy has played 778 games, winning over half of them. A husband and father of 3 kids; Jonathan, Frederick and Jana, and in my opinion, the best goalie in NHL history.
