ATHLETE : John Daly (golf)

WRITER : Aghata Christie

MUSIC : Rod Stewart; Madonna; Celine Dion

" .... I WAS BORN OCTOBER 5, 1965,
in quebec city. My full name is Patrick Jacques Roy and I'm the son of Michel Roy and Barbara Miller. When my mother was younger, she was a synchronized swimmer who competed provincially and nationally. I have a brother Stephane (30) and a sister Alexandra (23). "

".... I WAS AN ACTIVE CHILD and I loved to play. At chool, my favourite subjects were math and Physical education. I was planing to be a notary or a lawyer."

".... I lIVE with my wife Michelle Piuze. We met at a softball game 12 years ago. We have two sons, Jonathan (8) and Frederik (6), and a daughter, Jana who's 4 years. We also have a golden retriever. "

".... MY BEST QUALITY : I'm honest. My worst fault : I'm a slob."

".... I LOVE PLAYING GOLF."

".... I WRITE THE NAMES : of my three childrens on my stick before each game ..."

".... I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT to do what you like. Life is too short to limit yourself."

".... I'M VERY SUPERTITIOUS. I always get dressed the same way, I always play with a pucklook at the clock between periods to make sure I have time to spray water on my face, fill my water bottle, etc. The day of a game, I always eat the same thing ... There's a bunch of little things that I do all the time and would never dream of changing."

".... WHEN I JOINED THE HABS, they gave me number 32, but I didn't like it, so I asked Eddy Palchak if I could have 33. I had worm 30 before, but it was taken by Chris Nilan. When he was offered it to me, but I decided to stick with 33."

".... MY TOUGHEST OPPONENT ? They are a lot of excellent player in the NHL and I don't underestimate any of them. Cam Neely has given me some trouble in the past."

".... ON THE ROAD I love playing in Boston and Vancouver; they're both beautiful cities."

".... I WENT TO MY FIRST NHL GAME at the Forum to see the canadiens play the L.A. Kings. My father knew that Rogatien Vachon my favorite player and we made the trip from quebec city just to see him. I was playing pee-wee then.

".... AFTER 60 MINUTES OF PLAY ... It's always flattering to be named first star of the game. It's a sign of recognition, an indication that I've done well. But I can only really appreciae it if we win. For the good of the team, I have focus on the collective angle, our overall performance as a unit. If we play well and win, individual honours follow naturally. The first star is a prestige award. Every player feels proud to be honoured and I'm no exception. I know that reporters have a job to do, so I try my best to make it easy for them. I think most journalists know an athletes limits. They know that you're less inclined to chat after you've lost. We cooperate, and they don't push us. During the regular season, I'm very accessible. I give them the time they need. But during the playoffs, I prefer to concentrate on the game. And they respect that."

PATRICK'S MOTHER TALKING ABOUT HER SON ... "Patrick had so much energy that he sometimes remonded me of Denis the menace. He just wouldn't stop. At age 8, for Christmas, he asked and got goaler pads. He enjoyed school where he was a brigadier, and had a good time. Young Patrick was also an excellent swimmer."

"PATRICK IS PART OWNER" of the QMJHL's Quebec Remparts.

Patrick Roy's surname is pronounced WAH, as is roi, the French word for king. Quite apropos, given that Roy is treated as royalty in the province of Quebec.

Saint Patrick has since taken his goaltending act to Colorado, but his reign as the Montreal Canadiens' leading man won't soon be forgotten. Roy gave Montreal fans 11 outstanding seasons, including a Stanley Cup championship in 1993 in which the Canadiens' puckstopper was an overwhelming choice to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. It was the second Conn Smythe Award for the Quebec City native, who, as a rookie, guided the Montrealers to the Cup finale against Calgary.

The list of other accomplishments is as long as the list of shooters that Roy has frustrated over the last decade - four Jennings trophies, three Vezina trophies, three selections to the First All-Star Team and a two-time member of the Second All-Star Team, and six appearances at the All-Star Game. He can also lay claim as the founding member of a relatively new goaltending fraternity based in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League that keeps sending standout netminders to the NHL. Roy has been followed by Felix Potvin, Stephane Fiset, Martin Brodeur, Jocelyn Thibault and Eric Fichaud. Jose Theodore and Marc Denis, who backstopped Canada to the world junior championship last month, will join their fraternity brothers in the big leagues within the next two years along with Martin Biron.

Hockey fans in Quebec were stunned in December when Roy was made part of a five-player deal between Les Habitants and Colorado. It wasn't an easy move for someone who was quite comfortable living in the Montreal area with his wife and three children. Not only was Roy popular for his athletic achievements, but the 30-year-old was a huge supporter of children's charities. To wit, on the same day it was announced that Roy would be traded, a wing of a children's hospital in Montreal was being named in honor of Patrick.

"It's a big turn in my career, but so far it's a good experience," Roy said recently of his new home. "It's the same for my family. We bought a place in Colorado. Denver is a very beautiful place - the mountains on the side. The people have been very nice to us and we're really enjoying it."

Even though he has played his last game at the Forum, Roy will revisit Montreal in March when the Avalanche meet his former team at the new Molson Centre.