HALIFAX | The Remparts had to wait 47 years, but the Cup is back in Quebec. Patrick Roy’s men won 5-4 in Game 6 of the final against the Halifax Mooseheads to claim their first Gilles-Courteau Trophy since 1976.
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Pier-Olivier Roy scored the game-winning goal with 59 seconds left in the third period. The Remparts end the playoffs with a record of 16 wins and two losses.
“Winning is always special,” admitted Patrick Roy, all smiles on the ice, a few minutes after being “victim” of the traditional Gatorade shower. “It goes with the efforts we put in to reach the end of our goal. To have worked so hard, all the hours we put in the arena. It’s a process that begins in August and we are progressing slowly, step by step. I am lucky, I have a partner in Jacques Tanguay who has always been extraordinary and who has supported me and I have my big sister, Nicole [Bouchard] who has always been there for me.
Resilience was the theme of the year at the Remparts and it was still the case on Sunday. Patrick Roy’s men erased deficits of 2-0, 3-1 and 4-3 to finally win. Even with 3 min 13 s to go in the third, Zachary L’Heureux had made 4-3 Mooseheads and we seemed to be heading for a game number 7, Monday night, in Quebec. Kassim Gaudet tied the game just over a minute later, however, before setting up Pier-Olivier Roy’s game-winning goal with 59 seconds to go.
“Resilience and character. That’s what we’ve shown all year and we’ve done it again tonight. It’s amazing to come up with this the same way. I don’t even know what the feelings are inside me right now. It’s amazing to see these guys, the core that has been working so hard for a long time. Getting here, we’ve been talking about it for two years. This year, we worked so hard and to lift the cup, it’s incredible,” added captain Théo Rochette.
“I would tell you that when they made it 4-3, we said to ourselves “oh fuck!”, we will have to return to Quebec. Finally, we come out with the cut. We didn’t want them with us on the plane!” laughed Nathan Gaucher.
the last dance
The Remparts had often spoken this season of the fact that it was the last chance for the core of the team to win a championship together. The “last dance”, as Rochette had called it before the start of the playoffs, referring to the last championship of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in 1998, which was the subject of a documentary.
“The chemistry inside was amazing. We are more than teammates, we are brothers, we are a family,” added the captain, who had decided to come back for his 20th year to help the team lift the cup.
“I am so happy, he added on this decision to come back. We knew we had a good team. I had many discussions with Pat. It was long and hard, but I think it was really good for me to come back with the team. We had a chance to win, but you never think of times like this when starting the season. It’s just amazing.”
This last dance, moreover, began with a misstep, in the semi-finals last year, when the team lost to the Shawinigan Cataractes.
“We got stuck last year and we rebuilt ourselves and we worked according to the playoffs. I think it pays today, “added Bolduc, author of the equalizing goal which was 3-3 in the third period.
Malatesta, Most Valuable Player
Author of 14 goals and six assists in 18 games, James Malatesta received the Guy-Lafleur trophy, given to the most useful player of the playoffs.
“It is an honor. I think our goal was to win. When I came here at 16, that was Pat’s goal: to build a winning team. Every game was a team effort. We were resilient and we got the job done.”
A seventh-round pick of the Remparts in 2019, Malatesta was considered a top prospect, but had shown his intentions to continue his journey with the United States.
“It was difficult to convince him to come and play for us, but today, we are very happy to have him with us and I am convinced that his parents are also very happy,” mentioned Patrick Roy.
“I don’t regret it at all! From the moment I set foot in the locker room, I didn’t regret it. That was our mission and I can’t explain how happy I am,” added number 11.
Big year for Lefty
A little further on, Nathan Gaucher was jubilant, too. After two gold medal wins with Junior Team Canada, in August and January, he lifted the Gilles-Courteau Trophy with the team that made him its first-round pick in 2019.
“We’ve been together for four years and we’ve been working for this,” he admitted. We’ve been through tough times, but honestly, going through it with this band… They’re my brothers. To experience it with James winning the playoff most valuable player trophy is incredible.”
And which of the three titles won this year is the most satisfying?
“The trophy!” he says without hesitation.
It is not finished
The Remparts savored the victory, but their speech did not change: the ultimate objective has not yet been achieved. Once the party is over, the team will resume preparations for the Memorial Cup tournament, which gets underway Friday in Kamloops, BC.
“It is not finished! Kamloops, we are coming and I hope the other teams are ready!” launched Gaudet.