Patrick Roy:
Chasing a Legend
Andrew Wiese
CBC Sports Online Hockey once had two seemingly unassailable records: Gordie Howe's all-time scoring mark and Terry Sawchuk's 447 regular season wins in goal.
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Height: 6'2"
Weight: 185
Birthdate: 10/05/1965
Birthplace: Quebec City
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But, just as Wayne Gretzky matched, then shattered Howe's record of 1,850 points, Patrick Roy has now eclipsed Sawchuk's 30-year-old netminding mark. And with the 35-year-old goaltender seemingly getting better with age -- his GAA of 2.29 last season was the lowest in his career -- Roy has perhaps another two or three seasons ahead to pad his stats and set the next seemingly "unbreakable" record.
In retrospect, it seems obvious that from the moment Patrick Roy set foot on the
ice the NHL had a legend in its midst. After all, when
he was named the Montreal Canadiens starting goaltender
for the 1985-86 season, he had precisely 20 minutes of
NHL experience under his belt. Yet, he led the Habs into
the playoffs, and, after posting 15 victories and a 1.92
GAA, the Canadiens had skated away with the Stanley Cup
and Roy had won the Conn Smythe Trophy.
What is not so often remembered is that the three-time Vezina Trophy winner was the 51st player, and third goaltender, picked in the 1984 draft. Or, that the Canadiens tried to get him to change his now-famed and oft-imitated "butterfly" style.
Roy's record-breaking achievement merely rubber stamps his place
alongside the Terry Sawchuks, Jacques Plantes, Glenn
Halls, Grant Fuhrs, and Tony Espositos of the
goaltending elite.
Yet the number doesn't capture the way Roy has always
elevated his game when the pressure is on, particularly
when the Stanley Cup is on the line. He almost
single-handedly carried the Canadiens to their Cup wins
in 1986 and 1993. During the 1993 playoffs Roy was
simply astounding, winning 10 straight overtime games
against just one loss. His postseason record that year
was 16-4 with a 2.13 GAA.
His overall postseason stats
are just as impressive: first in games played (196); first in wins (121); and tied with Clint Benedict for first in shutouts (15).
It
is a hockey truism that great goaltenders are a breed apart: high-strung, aloof, eccentric, egocentric. Dominik Hasek seemingly alienates teammates as often as he saves games. Sawchuk was both melancholic and volatile. Gary "Suitcase" Smith would strip off all his hockey equipment and shower between periods, the great Glenn Hall would be so wracked with nerves before games that he would violently vomit.
Perhaps it is a necessary part of a goaltender's mental make-up. After all, few would dispute the pressures that come with the job. Roy certainly fits in the mould. He talks to his goalposts, he won't touch the red or blue lines and no one would deny there is a touch of arrogance in him.
In Montreal he will
certainly be remembered for his overtime heroics, but fans still talk about that fateful night in the legendary Forum when he lashed out in a fit of embarrassed rage at Montreal coach Mario Tremblay.
December 2, 1995 was a particularly bad night for
Roy. Playing against the Detroit Red Wings, Roy allowed
nine goals on 26 shots. The demanding Forum fans jeered
him when he made an easy save and Roy raised his hands
in mock celebration. When he was finally, mercifully,
pulled, Roy stormed past his coach and
confronted team president Ronald Corey.
"It's my last game in Montreal," he said.
A few days later Roy was traded to Colorado and a few months later the Avalanche were hoisting the Stanley Cup. Roy went 16-6 during the playoffs with three shutouts, including a 63-save performance against the Florida Panthers that went into triple overtime.
Since Roy's departure, the Canadiens and the Avalanche have gone in different directions. Montreal, once the crown jewel of the NHL, now faces a yearly life-or-death struggle to make the playoffs, while Colorado is a perennial Cup favourite.
"It is kind of funny because when I played my first
game all I wanted was to survive in the league as long
as I could," Roy recently said. "When I got traded to
Colorado and then I hit that 300-win mark, I realized
that it could be possible for me to reach that
record.
"I think for any athlete, you need objectives and players like Sawchuk or Hall or those great goaltenders in the past has made it interesting for goaltenders," he said. "It gives them some goals to reach."
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Career Stats
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| Year |
Team |
GP |
W |
L |
T |
GA |
SO |
AVG |
| 84-85 |
Mtl. |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.00 |
| 85-86 |
Mtl. |
47 |
23 |
18 |
3 |
148 |
1 |
3.35 |
| 86-87 |
Mtl. |
46 |
22 |
16 |
6 |
131 |
1 |
2.93 |
| 87-88 |
Mtl. |
45 |
23 |
12 |
9 |
125 |
3 |
2.90 |
| 88-89 |
Mtl. |
48 |
33 |
5 |
6 |
113 |
4 |
2.47 |
| 89-90 |
Mtl. |
54 |
31 |
16 |
5 |
134 |
3 |
2.53 |
| 90-91 |
Mtl. |
48 |
25 |
15 |
6 |
128 |
1 |
2.71 |
| 91-92 |
Mtl. |
67 |
36 |
22 |
8 |
155 |
5 |
2.36 |
| 92-93 |
Mtl. |
62 |
31 |
25 |
5 |
192 |
2 |
3.20 |
| 93-94 |
Mtl. |
68 |
35 |
17 |
11 |
161 |
7 |
2.50 |
| 94-95 |
Mtl. |
43 |
17 |
20 |
6 |
127 |
1 |
2.97 |
| 95-96 |
Mtl.-Col. |
61 |
34 |
24 |
2 |
165 |
2 |
2.78 |
| 96-97 |
Col. |
62 |
38 |
15 |
7 |
143 |
7 |
2.32 |
| 97-98 |
Col |
65 |
31 |
19 |
13 |
153 |
4 |
2.39 |
| 98-99 |
Col. |
61 |
32 |
19 |
8 |
139 |
5 |
2.29 |
| 99-00 |
Col. |
63 |
32 |
21 |
8 |
141 |
2 |
2.28 |
| 00-01 |
Col. |
6 |
4 |
0 |
2 |
6 |
0 |
1.61 |
| TOTAL |
-- |
848 |
448 |
264 |
105 |
2164 |
48 |
2.63 |
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Career
Playoff Stats
|
| Year |
Team |
GP |
W |
L |
T |
GA |
SO |
AVG |
| 85-86 |
Mtl. |
20 |
15 |
5 |
0 |
39 |
1 |
1.93 |
| 86-87 |
Mtl. |
6 |
4 |
2 |
0 |
22 |
0 |
4.00 |
| 87-88 |
Mtl. |
8 |
3 |
4 |
0 |
24 |
0 |
3.35 |
| 88-89 |
Mtl. |
19 |
13 |
6 |
0 |
42 |
2 |
2.09 |
| 89-90 |
Mtl. |
11 |
5 |
6 |
0 |
26 |
1 |
2.43 |
| 90-91 |
Mtl. |
13 |
7 |
5 |
0 |
40 |
0 |
3.06 |
| 91-92 |
Mtl. |
11 |
4 |
7 |
0 |
30 |
1 |
2.62 |
| 92-93 |
Mtl. |
20 |
16 |
4 |
0 |
46 |
0 |
2.13 |
| 93-94 |
Mtl. |
6 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
16 |
0 |
2.56 |
| 95-96 |
Mtl.-Col. |
22 |
16 |
6 |
0 |
51 |
3 |
2.10 |
| 96-97 |
Col. |
17 |
10 |
7 |
0 |
38 |
3 |
2.21 |
| 97-98 |
Col. |
7 |
3 |
4 |
0 |
18 |
0 |
2.51 |
| 98-99 |
Col. |
19 |
11 |
8 |
0 |
52 |
1 |
2.66 |
| 99-00 |
Col. |
17 |
11 |
6 |
0 |
31 |
3 |
1.79 |
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