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Patrick Roy Page

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Nickname : "Casseau" :
When Patrick Roy first joined the Canadiens in 1985-1986, he was a young bachelor who wasn't particulary fond ok cooking and ate most of his meals in restaurants. Patrick's favorite food was french fries, which he enjoyed day in, day out. His teammates couldn't help noticing their netminder's habits and decided to nockname him 'Casseau" (the square cardboard container used to serve french fries "to go"). Since then, Patrick has married and, yes, his eating habits have changed.  Roy's others nicknames are St. Patrick, The King ...

 

Roy's Notes

FOOD : Chicken

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.

 

".... MY MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT : Definitely the third game in the 1986 semi-finals against New York Rangers. We won 4-3 in overtime. The tension was overwhelming and the fans were screaming "Roouu-ah, Roouu-ah." It got me off to a good start in the NHL."

 

 

".... 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.

".... AFTER HOCKEY ? It's hard to say, because I don't know how strongly I'll still feel about hockey. The most important thing wll be to take at least a year off just to get away from the game and see how much I miss it. Then I'll probably recycle myself as a student. Whatever knowledge I accumulate can only be to my advantage. "

 

 

 


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.

"It's going to be a sad moment," said Roy, who will have joined Andy Moog and Grant Fuhr as the only active goaltenders with 300 or more victories. "There are so many memories in that Forum, so many Stanley Cup titles have been won there. The Stanley Cup we won in 1993 against the Kings is certainly the big moment."

 

Net gain
Roy is simply among the greatest goalies ever


 

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"He's one of the greatest goalies in the game's history. When the big games are there, Patrick brings his game to another level. He's exceptional under pressure."

Those words were spoken about Avalanche goalie Patrick Roy by current Colorado coach Bob Hartley, and never have truer words been spoken by anyone. If I were in a one-game, must-win situation, there is no one else I would want between the pipes than Roy.

Roy entered the 1999-2000 season just 36 wins shy of passing Hall of Famer Terry Sawchuk for first place on the all-time list. With the talent he has around him now, that milestone will be one he can easily reach.

When he was selected by Montreal with the 51st overall pick in the 1982 draft, the Canadiens didn't know the gem they had discovered. But they learned pretty quickly.

In his first full season with the big club, Roy was not only named to the All-Rookie team, but also became the youngest player to ever win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP as he led the Canadiens to their first of two Stanley Cup Championships with him between the pipes.

After winning his second Stanley Cup and second Conn Smythe Trophy in 1993, Roy had cemented his place in the record books. But like Wayne Gretzky before him, his success in the city he started with was coming to an end.

In a deal with the Colorado Avalanche on Dec. 6, 1995, the Canadiens sent Roy, along with Mike Keane, to the Mile High City in exchange for Jocelyn Thibault, Martin Rucinsky and Andrei Kovalenko. Of course after the deal, the Canadiens have never made much postseason noise, while the Avs not only won Roy his third Cup, but have been a dominant force ever since.

The next logical question is, what makes this four-time William Jennings and three-time Vezina Trophy winner so good?

That's easy. He loves to play the game. He has a fire that is unmatched by most in the sport, and that gives him an edge. It's like with all great athletes — Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, and Gretzky — Patrick Roy has a will to win that won't die.

Roy is very aggressive between the pipes, and has no problems coming out of the crease to challenge a shot. He is an excellent puck-handler, which can also be his downfall. Sometime Roy gets too aggressive, which can hurt more than it can help. But it's much easier to tone a player down than it is to bring up his energy level.

Roy has his name all over NHL record books. No goalie in NHL history has played in more playoff games or has more playoff wins than Patty.

The NHL should consider itself blessed to have a netminder with the skill of Patrick Roy playing in its midst. I know as a fan I feel blessed whenever I get a chance to watch him work his magic.