Patrick Roy is the youngest of the last “greats” of the Canadian. Of all those whose jersey is retired at the Bell Center, he is the only one who wore the CH uniform after the 1980s.
Posted at 11:45 a.m.
Updated at 12:26 p.m.
But before becoming a legend, Roy was a goalie like any other, a guy who was trying to make his place in the National League. And like everyone else, he was intimidated by Guy Lafleur.
During an interview conducted last year, for an article to come in the coming days, Roy told us about his very first training camp with the Canadiens, in 1984.
“I was sitting at the end of the locker room, and Guy was on my left, he was putting on his equipment. It was intimidating, Roy recalled. It took him five minutes to get dressed. Her shoulder pads were attached to her panties. He was getting dressed, then he went to smoke one in the next room, where the skates were sharpened, because Jacques Lemaire no longer wanted him to smoke in the locker room. »
Roy was obviously incredulous to find himself on the same rink as Lafleur during this fall of 1984. He was only 18 when he arrived at camp, and had to stop the shots of the one who was then 9and in National League history with 516 goals in 942 games.
“We took penalty shots, and I stopped a shot from Guy,” continues Roy. I think I called all my friends afterwards! I used to watch him play on Saturday evening, and then I hunkered down on the ice at the Forum and stopped him. I was no longer touching the ground! »
In the end, they never played a match together with CH. Roy remained in the Canadiens’ entourage at the start of the season, but without playing, before being sent back to the Granby Bisons, while Lafleur returned home in November 1984.
“I played the first 10 games with the Canadiens, and they then sent me back to junior. That’s why he retired, he saw that I was leaving! joked Roy.
The return
Patrick Roy met the media in Quebec on Friday morning, a few hours after the announcement of Lafleur’s death. Although they have never officially been teammates, their destinies have often intersected.
Roy notably knew Lafleur as a rival. In the 12 games that Lafleur played against CH, four times Roy defended the Montreal net. Lafleur scored three goals in those four games. One of them was the 560and and last of his career, on March 30, 1991, at the Forum.
But the supporters especially remember the first two, registered on February 4, 1989, in a supercharged atmosphere at the Forum. It was indeed Lafleur’s return to his old home, this time in a Rangers uniform. The Canadian won 7-5, but Lafleur was the big star of the evening.
“I have good memories of it,” Roy told the media on site in Quebec. For the show, it was a magical evening for everyone. From the moment he hit the ice for the warm-up, the crowd was going wild, people were grateful, happy to see him on the rink. It brought back memories. I often say that it’s rare to see a standing ovation after giving up a goal. But it was a moment for the whole province. In fact, Guy was more than Quebec, he was an international athlete. Everyone knew him. »
“Extraordinary impact”
PHOTO RYAN REMIORZ, THE CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Yvan Cournoyer, Guy Lafleur and Patrick Roy during the 4and Stanley Cup Final game between the Canadian and the Tampa Bay Lightning in July 2021.
“We may expect the worst, but we are never ready for that. We are all hoping for a miracle to happen and for us to hear some good news. Unfortunately, that’s not the case this morning, added Roy. He is a legend, a person who had an extraordinary impact on many people, especially my generation. With my parents, during Hockey Night, we were all Guy Lafleur and Ken Dryden. »
Today, Roy finds himself at the head of the Quebec Remparts, the organization with which Lafleur began to write his legend. His 130 goals in 1970-71 was a QMJHL record until Mario Lemieux scored 133 in 1983-84.
“Just with the Remparts, I saw him as someone who knew where he came from,” Roy said Friday morning. He was a first class ambassador. He was available, accessible, very generous with his time. I had a lot of admiration for that. »
As a coach, what qualities of Guy Lafleur would he like his players to remember?
“What I remember is his fighting spirit. I was reading an article where Yvan Cournoyer said he was an excellent team player, a first-class teammate. We want that from our players today, guys who stick together, who play as a team. Also, he was persistent. His early career wasn’t as easy as one might imagine, he even took off his helmet because he thought it might prevent him from performing. »
Roy of course expects tributes to Lafleur everywhere, but he proposes a different way to mark his departure. “Instead of a moment of silence, maybe Guy deserves a standing ovation in every arena. People need to externalize it”, believes Roy.