If the past is a guarantee of the future, the arrival of Patrick Roy at the Bell Center for Thursday's game against the Montreal Canadiens, the organization for which “Casseau” celebrated his first hours as a professional hockey player, would provoke many reactions in the stands .
The former No. 33, who was named head coach of the New York Islanders on Saturday, has already led his new team twice and celebrated his first triumph in his debut on Sunday when his team beat the Dallas Stars 3-2 in overtime. Now, as a starter at opposing rinks, Roy is being spoiled. He'll be visiting a place he knows relatively well, even if his greatest Montreal moments were at the Forum.
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In addition, any Canadian game played in the presence of the Hockey Hall of Fame member had a very special flavor for sports fans and added some spice to the confrontation on the ice. Here are some of Roy's notable returns to the city since his playing days with the Canadiens ended long ago.
March 5, 1997: a “stormy” evening at the Bell Center
This meeting was eagerly awaited by many supporters and those most affected. Even though the exchange that sent the goalkeeper to the Colorado Avalanche on December 6, 1995 was several months ago, the controversial context surrounding the divorce between the goalkeeper and the CH could not be overlooked. Bleu Blanc Rouge instructor Mario Tremblay's icy look at Roy during his last game with the team clearly illustrated the poor relationship between the protagonists.
The goalkeeper was already in a strong position for his big comeback before the puck dropped: The “Avs” had won the Stanley Cup last spring and were once again a power in the National Hockey League (NHL), while the CH were Fight for playoff qualification. And the duel at the end of the winter of 1997 respected logic: an easy 7-3 win for Colorado. While the evening was tasty for Roy's fans, it was “stormy” for those at general manager Réjean Houle's club…
The latter saw Jocelyn Thibault benched midway through the game after giving up six times on 20 shots. Roy stopped 34 pucks and received mixed applause and boos from the crowd. He had a career record of 4-1-1 at the Bell Center, with his only loss coming on December 8, 1997.
November 22, 2008: a much warmer return
It took almost 13 years until “Casseau” was seen again with a CH jersey on his back at the team’s home game. Eager to reconnect with the player who played his last NHL game in the spring of 2003, the Montreal franchise took advantage of the numerous 100th anniversary celebrations by retiring Roy's number 33 before a game against the Boston Bruins. He was the 14th man to receive the award in the club's history and, unsurprisingly, the reception was warmer than in 1997.
Uncharacteristically, the former goalkeeper appeared at the stadium after strolling through the building's corridors and attentively greeted the scores of fans cheering him on. He shook hands with the great Jean Béliveau near the bench, under the eyes of players of the time like Carey Price. “Thank you for being so demanding and demanding that we play every game as if it were the last. Thank you for seeing a piece of history in every victory,” he said during his on-ice speech.
March 18, 2014: Dwarfed by an unexpected actor
In his first campaign as an Avalanche pilot, Roy had to wait a long time to visit the Bell Center, as was the case in 1996-1997. His troops arrived in town in large numbers with 44 wins on the clock and featured Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Matt Duchene, among others. The attention was certainly on “Casseau,” but a rather obscure man made sure to keep the spotlight on him. Sometimes invisible, Thomas Vanek chose the right moment to emerge from the shadows. In his sixth game after being acquired by the Islanders via trade, he hit the target for the first time in his new uniform… In fact, he scored a hat trick and led the CH to a 6 on 3 win.
“[…] Maybe he could have waited another night, the Avs instructor told the Journal, which received applause from the audience as he presented it on the big screen at the Bell Center. I was a little embarrassed when I saw my face on the board. I tried to look at the ice. I pretended I didn't see anything, but I had enough time to see it. I liked the Canadian way of doing things. They did it in a subtle way, not forgetting that the game was much more important than me.”