The Canadian | Martin St-Louis remembers outsmarting Patrick Roy… when he was 12

Martin St-Louis no longer knows if he ever beat Patrick Roy in the National League, but he remembers achieving this feat at the age of 12.

This goes back to his years in the pee-wee ranks, when he and his club, following the Quebec pee-wee tournament, were invited to the Forum to participate in the famous annual daytime training of the Canadian, often sponsored by a potato chip maker.

One day we will have to ask Patrick if he remembers it or not, but in the meantime, there will be a game that we could remember for a long time, Thursday evening at the Bell Centre: the Canadian against the New York Islanders, with Roy behind the visitors’ bench. This will be a first game at the Bell Center for the new Islanders coach, who was named to this position on Saturday afternoon, to everyone’s surprise.

All the members of the Canadiens interviewed about this visit Wednesday to Brossard uttered the word “special”, and you had to see Martin St-Louis return to his childhood when recounting his big moment against Patrick at the age of 12 ; verification done, he was never able to thwart him in three games against him in the NHL. But he did it as a peewee.

Martin St-Louis has not forgotten either, like anyone else alive in Quebec at that time, the Cups of 1986 and 1993, the last two in the history of the club, both times with an Imperial Roy in front of the net.

THE coach Montrealer remembers among other things the first of the two, “when Patrick made himself known”, in a season ironically marked by a menage a trois in front of the net.

“I always had a lot of respect for him,” added Martin St-Louis. I remember the Stanley Cups of 1986 and 1993. The number of times I was Patrick Roy as a goalie on the street at that time… He was the cornerstone of the club. We idolized him, we admired him. It was during those years that we knew him, it was really special.

“His return behind a bench, I think it’s good for the league… he’s a hockey man, he has experience, we all know what he’s done in front of the net. So yes, it’s very good for the league. »

Martin St-Louis was not able to confirm the identity of his goalie for Thursday night’s “special” game at the Bell Center, but obviously Samuel Montembeault would like to obtain this assignment.

“I already knew that we were going to play against them on Thursday evening,” explained the Quebec goalkeeper. I was passing through the Bell Center on Sunday, and the security guys told me that all the restaurants around were already full for Thursday night’s game…”

At just 27 years old, Montembeault wasn’t born the last time Roy walked the streets of downtown with the cup at arm’s length, but he’s well aware of what he’s accomplished around here .

“It’s going to be fun, it’s a match where there’s going to be energy, that’s for sure. I wore number 33 for a long time in my career all the way to Florida, except here. When I got here, I couldn’t carry it anymore…”

Joshua Roy sold to Laval

Joshua Roy will have to return to the American League. The Canadian confirmed during the day on Wednesday that the young attacker, who was recalled by the club on January 12, will have to return to the Rocket in Laval. In total, he had time to play six games during this stint, collecting his first goal in the NHL, as well as an assist. Moreover, we do not really know if this decision will lead to other decisions, because Martin St-Louis did not want to say on Wednesday if he was going to make changes to his formation for Thursday evening’s match.