Nov 22, 2008 - 6:19 AM
0 shoutsMONTREAL (Ticker) -- Despite his bitter departure from the team, Patrick Roy will be given his due by the Montreal Canadiens.
The Canadiens will retire Roy's No. 33 prior to Saturday's game against the Boston Bruins, making the Hall of Famer the 15th player to receive the honor from the storied franchise.
Others to have their numbers retired by Montreal are Jacques Plante (1), Doug Harvey (2), Jean Beliveau (4), Bernie Geoffrion (5), Howie Morenz (7), Maurice Richard (9), Guy Lafleur (10), Yvan Cournoyer and Dickie Moore (12), Henri Richard (16), Serge Savard (18), Larry Robinson (19), Bob Gainey (23) and Ken Dryden (29).
"Well, you have no control on if they will retire my jersey or not, but I surely hoped that that would happen one day," Roy said during a conference call on Wednesday. "I knew they had a lot of guys to do before me. You know, the Canadiens haven't done that for a long time, and I felt that the Savards, the Robinsons, Gainey, Dryden, they've been a big part of the history of the Canadiens, and I think they deserve that.
"But it's a great honor for me to join them. You know, to see my jersey retired by the Montreal Canadiens means a lot to me. It's an organization with a great history and great tradition. I've seen them play when I was younger, and then watching games every Saturday and then going downstairs to play hockey because we were excited and we wanted to do the same thing that they were. I mean, to see today my jersey retired, I mean, it is very special."
A third-round pick in 1984, Roy was one of the top goaltenders in team history, leading Montreal to Stanley Cup championships in 1986 and 1993 - the last of the franchise's record 23 NHL titles.
However, the native of Quebec's tenure with the "Original Six" club came to a screeching halt on December 2, 1995, when Roy allowed nine goals on 26 shots in a 12-1 home loss to the Detroit Red Wings. Feeling that Mario Tremblay humiliated him by refusing to pull him earlier in the game, Roy stormed past the coach to inform team president Ronald Corey he never again would play for the Canadiens.
"You always have some regrets," Roy said. "I mean, nobody's perfect. There's things. But when you love to compete, and that's the way I was, it was good side of it and bad side of it. But I don't think I would have the career I had if I was not that type of person."
Three days later, Roy was traded to Colorado in a five-player deal. The three-time Vezina Trophy winner went on to win two Stanley Cups with the Avalanche, who retired his No. 33 in 2003.
Roy would rather let bygones be bygones and focus on remembering the success he had with the Canadiens.
"The good thing about what's going to happen on Saturday is we're going to talk more about, you know, those years like '86 or '89 or '93," Roy said. "I thought we had great runs in Montreal. I think we're finally going to put away that December 2 of '95, and... I mean, I had so many good years and we had so many good teams. I mean, I played for great coaches, but I also played with great teammates.
"Nothing would have happened without the support of them. But we had, you know, players that had that desire to want to win, and they were very special teams."
Roy will become the sixth player in NHL history to have his number retired by two different teams, joining an exclusive club that consists of Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Ray Bourque, Gordie Howe and Bobby Hull.
"This is obviously a well-deserved honor for Patrick," Colorado president Pierre Lacroix said. "To have No. 33 hang from the rafters in Montreal, a place where the game's greatest goaltender began his career, is truly special. For me, it's another reminder of the legacy that Patrick has left behind. I know fans in the Quebec province appreciate his contributions and many will remember how far he came from his early days wearing the Canadiens' sweater.
"In Colorado, we honored his career and achievements because of the immediate and continued impact he had on our team. This celebrates the player that he was, the pioneer he became and the legend he will remain."
During his career with Montreal, Roy posted a 289-175-66 record with 29 shutouts and a 2.77 goals-against average in 551 games. The 11-time All-Star had a career mark of 551-315-131 with 66 blankings and a 2.54 GAA in 1,029 career contests over 19 seasons with the Canadiens and Avalanche.
His 551 victories are the most in NHL history, seven more than New Jersey's Martin Brodeur.
A three-time Conn Smythe Trophy winner, Roy was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2006. He did not get emotional during that ceremony, but some are wondering whether he will break down on Saturday.
"Well, I'm a person that keeps a lot of his emotion inside," Roy said. "I think that'll be a great challenge, to see how emotional and see how good it's going to be and how good I'm going to feel. A lot of people think I'm going to have some tears. When I retired or when I was in the Hockey Hall of Fame, I never been that type of person. It will be a good test for my emotion, that's for sure."
