The Canadiens didn’t pile up 100 years of history without the blood, sweat and tears of the [...]
Our history - The historical website of the Montreal Canadiens
Back to homepage Back to homepage- Canadiens.com
This content requires Adobe Flash Player 10
Patrick gets his shot
YOU ONLY GET ONE CHANCE TO MAKE A FIRST IMPRESSION.
MONTREAL | July 3rd, 2009
Autres articles
See also...
PATRICK ROY
Achieving never-before-seen levels of success in his career, Patrick Roy’s butterfly style [...]
More
Becoming a professional hockey player requires an elite level of skill, but being at the right place at the right time doesn’t hurt either. Rookies looking to launch their careers in Montreal can take a lesson from Patrick Roy: you only get one chance to make a first impression.
After being drafted in the third round by Montreal in 1984, a 19-year-old Roy found his way to the Sherbrooke Canadiens, tending goal for the Habs’ farm team after posting a 16-25-1 record with his junior team, the Granby Bisons.
With Sherbrooke, the future Hall of Famer played just one regular season game, relegated to backup-backup status behind Paul Pageau and Greg Moffett. Enjoying the ultimate win-win situation during the 1985 Calder Cup playoffs, Pageau’s wife went into labour. When the team’s starter headed off to be with her for the birth of their child, Roy found himself dressed on the bench, one step closer to living his dream.
Moffett, the usual backup, got the nod as the team’s newly-minted starter. Before the fourth game of the first round against the Fredericton Express, though, Roy let teammate Gaston Gingras in on a pre-game premonition.
“That night, a little before game time, Patrick came to see me to talk about the game. That’s when he looked at me and said, ‘Tonight, I’ll be playing’,” offered Gingras. “After he said that, I just reminded him that there were two other goalies ahead of him and that the chances of him stepping onto the ice were pretty small.”
Despite not being in uniform for the game, there was always a chance Pageau could decide to hit the ice with the Canadiens for Game 4.
With Moffett between the pipes, things were on course for the visitors. Trailing just 2-0 at the first intermission, the second period brought unexpected problems for the Sherbrooke netminder. Briefly forced out of the game with an equipment problem when his leg strap snapped, Moffett headed to the room for repairs.
After a brief huddle between head coach Pierre Creamer and goalie coach Francois Allaire, the duo decided to throw the rookie into the fray to fill in in the meantime.
“We were losing 2-0 and then Patrick made two or three really big saves. That was enough to convince Pierre Creamer to leave him in there for the rest of the game,” added Gingras.
From that moment on, Roy became The Man in Sherbrooke, proving that despite his youth, he would be their go-to guy for the rest of the Cup run. Posting 10 wins and just three loses during the postseason, Roy helped the Jr. Habs hoist the Calder Cup at the end of the spring.
“I asked Patrick what had happened to Moffett’s pad that night. The only answer I got out of him was a sly little smile,” laughed Gingras. “I never believed him about that, though, and even today, I still doubt it.”
Read also
Roy's bio
Roy rules the Forum
No.33 retired forever
After being drafted in the third round by Montreal in 1984, a 19-year-old Roy found his way to the Sherbrooke Canadiens, tending goal for the Habs’ farm team after posting a 16-25-1 record with his junior team, the Granby Bisons.
With Sherbrooke, the future Hall of Famer played just one regular season game, relegated to backup-backup status behind Paul Pageau and Greg Moffett. Enjoying the ultimate win-win situation during the 1985 Calder Cup playoffs, Pageau’s wife went into labour. When the team’s starter headed off to be with her for the birth of their child, Roy found himself dressed on the bench, one step closer to living his dream.
Moffett, the usual backup, got the nod as the team’s newly-minted starter. Before the fourth game of the first round against the Fredericton Express, though, Roy let teammate Gaston Gingras in on a pre-game premonition.
“That night, a little before game time, Patrick came to see me to talk about the game. That’s when he looked at me and said, ‘Tonight, I’ll be playing’,” offered Gingras. “After he said that, I just reminded him that there were two other goalies ahead of him and that the chances of him stepping onto the ice were pretty small.”
Despite not being in uniform for the game, there was always a chance Pageau could decide to hit the ice with the Canadiens for Game 4.
With Moffett between the pipes, things were on course for the visitors. Trailing just 2-0 at the first intermission, the second period brought unexpected problems for the Sherbrooke netminder. Briefly forced out of the game with an equipment problem when his leg strap snapped, Moffett headed to the room for repairs.
After a brief huddle between head coach Pierre Creamer and goalie coach Francois Allaire, the duo decided to throw the rookie into the fray to fill in in the meantime.
“We were losing 2-0 and then Patrick made two or three really big saves. That was enough to convince Pierre Creamer to leave him in there for the rest of the game,” added Gingras.
From that moment on, Roy became The Man in Sherbrooke, proving that despite his youth, he would be their go-to guy for the rest of the Cup run. Posting 10 wins and just three loses during the postseason, Roy helped the Jr. Habs hoist the Calder Cup at the end of the spring.
“I asked Patrick what had happened to Moffett’s pad that night. The only answer I got out of him was a sly little smile,” laughed Gingras. “I never believed him about that, though, and even today, I still doubt it.”
Read also
Roy's bio
Roy rules the Forum
No.33 retired forever