NHL: Roy-alty

Even if he hadn’t played a game after 1986, Patrick Roy would still be a legend. Of course, he’s played a few since then and won more than his fair share (more on that later.) But the Magical Mystery Goalie from that playoff run of 14 years ago is the Roy who stands out in my mind. He was the reason all of us 13-year olds showed up for ball hockey that fall with #33 Montreal Canadiens jerseys. Of course, there’s another Roy. That’s the one who demanded a trade from the Canadiens on the bench during a game (most guys just want the water bottle) because his coach left him in too long. That’s also the guy who launched into a VCR-bustin’ tirade in Colorado because his coach didn’t leave him in the game long enough, and cost the goalie one of his precious wins. Which brings us back to the fact that, through it all, Roy has now accumulated 446 of those wins. He finds himself on the verge of breaking Terry Sawchuk’s all-time win record of 447. He’s come a long way from the scrawny, goofy 20-year old kid with an unpronounceable last name (in case there’s someone out there who still doesn’t get it, it’s Ruh-wahh - two sounds, one syllable) who somehow led 18 guys names Serge to the Stanley Cup in 1986.

Back then, the confidence that Roy now wears up front like the big Avalanche logo on his chest was well hidden by eccentricities like talking to the goalposts. He put on a brilliant show, stealing games Montreal had no business winning, like in a virtuoso overtime performance against the Rangers which I would fail to do justice to by describing it here, so I won’t. (Find the tape.) Roy followed it up with three Vezina Trophies and in 1993, by leading the Canadiens to another unlikely titles, highlighted by ten straight overtime victories. But in December 1995, the wheels came off. Overwhelmed rookie coach Mario Tremblay (a former Hab who roomed with the young Roy on the road) left his meal ticket in for nine goals against the Red Wings. You don’t do that to someone with the pride and ego of Roy without repercussions, and they came quickly. When he was finally, mercifully, taken from the game, Roy went straight to Canadiens’ president Ron Corey, conveniently sitting right behind the bench, and told Corey he’d played his final game in a Canadiens uniform. The relationship between goalie and coach had apparently been souring for a while, with two stubborn men refusing to give ground. A few days later, Roy was sent to Colorado, where NHL hockey had just returned in the form of the late Quebec Nordiques. It was a marriage made in heaven, as Roy took to less pressure-packed atmosphere of John Elwayville, and the deep, young Avalanche had the man to lead them to the promised land. A third Stanley Cup for Roy came that summer, and the wins have been mounting ever since, despite a failure to get back to the Cup Finals since ’96, thanks mainly to Ed Belfour and the Dallas Stars.

Roy is still prone to an occasional outburst, like when he re-arranged coach Bob Hartley’s office after being pulled from a game last season. Of course, goalies have always been a breed apart. Terry Sawchuk was the best goalie in an era when just about every team had a Hall of Famers in nets, but he was also a troubled man, given to bouts of depression. That didn’t keep Sawchuk from compiling some amazing records: most games (974), most shutouts (103), three Stanley Cups, four Vezina Trophies, a first all-star three times, a second all-star four times. And just imagine life as an NHL goalie back in the good old Original Six days of the ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s. There you are, staring down 100-mile an hour slapshots with very little padding and - for much of these guys’ careers - no mask, and not just trying to survive the ordeal, but actually being counted on to stop the puck more often than the guy across the rink from you. Remember, there were only six of these jobs, so if you didn’t get your mug in front of that puck often enough, you could find yourself playing in Moose Jaw or working at a gas station somewhere before you know it. And don’t even think about getting a break now and then. You played every game, every season. Sawchuk’s contemporary, Glenn Hall, played in an NHL-record 502 consecutive games from 1955 to 1962. You will see a 57-game hitting streak in baseball, a 101-point game in basketball, and a 500-yard rushing game in football – on the same day! - before anyone plays 502 straight games in goal again.

It’s all enough to turn the bravest of men weepier than Dick Vermiel. So as King Patrick closes in on a legendary record and a legendary name, raise your glass not only to him, but to all who went before in the brave, insane field of NHL goaltender.