Patrick Roy

Roy was born in Quebec City but grew up in Cap-Rouge, Quebec. His parents are Barbara (Miller) and Michel Roy, and he has a younger brother, Stéphane. Roy became interested in being an ice hockey goaltender when he was seven years old, idolizing Rogie Vachon and Dan Bouchard. He played in the 1977 and 1978 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments on a minor ice hockey team from Quebec City, which included his brother in 1978. After playing for the local Sainte-Foy Gouverneurs, he played for the Granby Bisons of the QMJHL(Quebec Major Junior Hockey League). He then began his professional career with the Sherbrooke Canadiens of the American Hockey League (AHL). ==Playing career==

Montreal Canadiens (1984–1995) , on display in the Hockey Hall of Fame Roy was drafted in the third round, 51st overall, in the 1984 NHL entry draft by the Montreal Canadiens, a team he disliked, being a fan of the rival Quebec Nordiques. His grandmother Anna Peacock was a big Canadiens fan, but died before seeing her grandson being drafted. Roy kept playing for the Granby Bisons of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) before being called up by the Canadiens. Despite the thoughts that he was not going to play for the team, on February 23, 1985, he made his NHL debut when he replaced the Canadiens' starting goaltender, Doug Soetaert, in the game's third period. leading his team to an unexpected Stanley Cup title and winning the Conn Smythe Trophy for the Most Valuable Player in the playoffs. Nicknamed St. Patrick after the victory, Roy continued playing for the Canadiens, who won the Adams Division in 1987–88 and in 1988–89, when they lost to the Calgary Flames in the Stanley Cup Final. Roy, together with Brian Hayward, won the William M. Jennings Trophy in 1987, 1988, and 1989, as the Canadiens regularly allowed the fewest goals against. In 1989 and 1990, he won the Vezina Trophy for best goaltender in the NHL and was voted for the NHL first All-Star team. In 1991–92, the Canadiens won the Adams Division again, with Roy having a very successful individual year, winning the William M. Jennings Trophy, and Vezina Trophy and being selected for the NHL's first All-Star team. Despite the successful regular season, the Canadiens were swept in the second round by the Boston Bruins, who stopped their playoff run for the fourth time in five years. In the 1992–93 season, the Canadiens fell from first overall in March to finish the regular season third in their division behind title winner Boston Bruins and a resurgent second-place Quebec Nordiques. During the first round of the 1993 playoffs against the archrival Nordiques, Roy was in a goaltending duel against Ron Hextall; Hextall was also a Vezina and Conn Smythe winner with his previous team, the Philadelphia Flyers, when they had several ill-tempered postseason encounters with Roy's Canadiens in the 1980s. The Canadiens lost the first two games of the series with Roy letting in soft goals, and a newspaper in Roy's hometown district suggested that he be traded with the headline "NORDIQUES WIN GAME, BATTLE OF GOALIES," while the subhead added (Quebec goaltender Ron) "HEXTALL GETS BETTER OF ROY." Nordiques Goaltending Coach Dan Bouchard also proclaimed that his team had "solved Roy." These comments seemed to fire up Roy, who responded by winning the next four games against the Nordiques (Roy was replaced for part of Game Five by backup André Racicot after being struck by a puck in the collarbone Final season with Montreal and trade A disastrous start to the 1995–96 season after four games, as well as missing the 1995 playoffs, led to Canadiens' team president Ronald Corey making a major management shakeup or "house cleaning". Head coach Jacques Demers was fired and Mario Tremblay was hired despite having no previous coaching experience. Likewise, longtime general manager Serge Savard was also let go and replaced by the inexperienced Réjean Houle. Roy and Tremblay, who had roomed together while teammates, had since developed a strained relationship, with Tremblay regularly mocking Roy for speaking broken English. Roy was a frequent target of Tremblay during the latter's sports radio career. Roy allowed nine goals on 26 shots, which was highly unusual, as star goaltenders are generally taken out of the game quickly when it is clear they are struggling. During the second period, when Montreal was trailing 7–1 in the game, the crowd provided mock applause after Roy made an easy save on Sergei Fedorov from centre ice, prompting him to sarcastically raise his arms in mock celebration. Tremblay finally pulled Roy in the middle of the second period in favour of Pat Jablonski. During Molson Breweries' tenure as owner of the team, the rows of seats immediately behind the Canadiens' bench were under the exclusive control of Molson and as such were typically reserved for the use of executives of the Canadiens, Molson, or invited dignitaries. Since these seats were not available to the public, the standard glass partitions that separate hockey spectators from the team benches were not installed behind the home bench of the Forum. Because of this unusual arrangement, an enraged Roy had no time to regain his composure before approaching the team's top brass who were in attendance and their usual seats. Upon reaching the bench, Roy immediately stormed past his coach and told Canadiens President Ronald Corey "It's my last game in Montreal", before storming past Tremblay again and sitting down. The next day, Roy was suspended by the Canadiens. At the time, Tremblay told the media that he regretted not pulling Roy earlier in the game, but Roy later said that despite allowing five goals on 17 shots in the first, Tremblay kept him in the net to humiliate him. In later interviews, Roy cited a general distaste with what he thought was a loosening of standards with the team. Four days after the incident, the Canadiens traded Roy and captain Mike Keane to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Jocelyn Thibault, Martin Ručinský and Andrei Kovalenko. The return for Roy was seen as uneven at the time it was made and eventually became known as one of the most one-sided deals in NHL history. Canadiens general manager Réjean Houle had been in his post for only 40 days and faced criticism for making the trade instead of trying to resolve the tension between Roy and Tremblay. Roy and the Avalanche beat the Blackhawks in six games and went on to win the Stanley Cup. Roy was a large part of the Avalanche–Red Wings rivalry, which also involved players Adam Foote and Brendan Shanahan, among others. The Avalanche and Red Wings met in the playoffs five times from 1996 to 2002, with the Avs winning in 1996, 1999, and 2000. The heated competition between teams is linked to the 11–1 Montreal loss to Detroit that precipitated Roy's midseason trade to Colorado in December 1995, and in that season's 1996 conference finals Roy helped his new team eliminate first-place Detroit. During the Avalanche–Red Wings brawl in 1997, he fought the Wings' goaltender Mike Vernon. The next season, he fought another Red Wings goaltender, Chris Osgood. In what would be Roy's final playoff meeting with Detroit, he was pulled after allowing six goals in game seven of the 2002 Western Conference finals, a game Detroit won 7–0 to advance to the Stanley Cup Final. In 2000–01, Roy's Avalanche won the Presidents' Trophy for the best regular season record. In the playoffs, his team advanced to the Stanley Cup Final, where they faced the defending champion New Jersey Devils, who were backstopped by Martin Brodeur, a star netminder who had idolized Roy as a child. In game four, while playing the puck behind his net, Roy could not make a clearing pass, allowing the Devils to score into an empty net to tie the game. Roy had his worst game of the Cup Final in a 4–1 home loss during game five, which gave the Devils a 3–2 series lead. Roy rebounded in game six at New Jersey by stopping 24 shots for his then-record 19th career playoff shutout in a 4–0 victory. The Avalanche jumped to a three-goal lead in game seven before conceding one consolation goal to win their second Stanley Cup. Roy was named playoff MVP for the third time in his career, an NHL record. Roy has said that he and his teammates had wanted to win it for Ray Bourque, who finally won his first Cup after 22 seasons in the NHL; Bourque who had previously played 21 seasons with the Boston Bruins had numerous playoff encounters against Roy when he was with the Canadiens. Rob Blake also won his first Cup after joining the Avalanche in a midseason trade; Blake had previously played for the Kings and had faced Roy's Canadiens in the 1993 Stanley Cup Final. Roy's final game was played against the Minnesota Wild on April 22, 2003, in a game seven overtime loss in the first round of the 2003 playoffs. Patrick Roy announced his retirement on May 28, 2003. ==International play==

Roy was selected as Canada's starting goaltender for the 1998 Winter Olympics, alongside Martin Brodeur and Curtis Joseph, the first Olympics in which the NHL took a break to allow its players to participate. Roy played all six games, but heavily favoured Canada did not reach the gold medal game after being eliminated by the Czech Republic in the semifinal. Roy and his Czech counterpart Hašek both had save percentages above .950 entering the semifinal, and regulation ended in a 1–1 tie. After a scoreless overtime, the Czechs beat Canada 1–0 in the tiebreaking shootout, with Roy being beaten by Robert Reichel, then saving from Martin Ručinský and Pavel Patera, followed by Jaromír Jágr hitting the post, while Hašek stopped all five Canadian shots. After the loss, their first of the tournament, the Canadians could not regain momentum for the bronze medal game and subsequently lost 3–2 to Finland, ==Post-playing career==

during a game in 2009 After retiring from the NHL, Roy joined the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) as vice-president of hockey operations; he also became the owner and general manager, and on September 29, 2005, he was named head coach of the team. On May 28, 2006, the Remparts won the 2006 Memorial Cup, the top Canadian Hockey League (CHL) tournament, beating the Moncton Wildcats 6–2 in the finals (although the Remparts were only the runner-up in the 2006 QMJHL championship, they were able to participate in the Memorial Cup since the QMJHL champions were the host city—see Memorial Cup, 1983 to present). Roy is the seventh coach to win the Cup in his rookie year, and the first to do so since Claude Julien with the Hull Olympiques in 1997. On January 19, 2007, Saguenay Police investigated an incident involving Roy and the co-owner of the Chicoutimi Saguenéens, Pierre Cardinal. There were reports that Roy threw punches at the co-owner after he intervened to disperse a crowd of hockey fans that were blocking the Remparts' bus after a game between the two clubs. A complaint for assault had been filed against Roy, who faced possible assault charges in the matter. Montreal newspaper Le Journal de Montréal reported that Roy later apologized to the victim via telephone. In a press conference following a Remparts game on January 21, 2007, Roy said that he was "suffering prejudice on the part of the media," and believed that he was not guilty of the incident. He then questioned his future as head coach and co-owner of the team, even considering resigning from his duties. On January 25, 2007, Pierre Cardinal announced that he removed his complaint against Roy before Roy made a press conference about his future in the Remparts, where he announced he will stay coach and co-owner of the team. On March 22, 2008, in Chicoutimi, Quebec, Roy was involved in another on-ice incident during game two of a first-round playoff series against the rival Saguenéens. Late in the second period, in which the Saguenéens were leading 7–1, a brawl started and Remparts goaltender Jonathan Roy, Roy's son, charged towards opposing goaltender Bobby Nadeau. Jonathan hit Nadeau numerous times despite Nadeau indicating he did not want to fight. After knocking Nadeau down, Jonathan continued to hit Nadeau. Jonathan then fought a second Saguenéens player before skating off the ice while holding both middle fingers up to the crowd. Roy denied inciting his son Jonathan to fight, despite video evidence showing Roy making a gesture towards his son while he was advancing towards Nadeau. After an investigation by the League office, Patrick Roy was suspended for five games and fined $4,000, while his son Jonathan was suspended for seven games and fined $500. The Quebec Ministry of Public Safety has launched a police investigation into the matter. In late July 2008, Jonathan was charged with assault in Saguenay courts. On November 21, 2008, Roy's other son, Frederick Roy, found trouble playing for the Remparts when he cross-checked an opponent in the head after a stoppage in play. Frederick was ultimately suspended 15 games by the QMJHL for the incident, which occurred the night before Patrick Roy's jersey retirement ceremony in Montreal. In May 2009, several unnamed sources reported that Roy was offered the head coaching position with the Colorado Avalanche. He turned down the position, but expressed the possibility of becoming an NHL-level coach at some future date. In September 2012, Roy started a new chapter in his career by becoming a permanent member of the French–Canadian hockey talk show ''l'Antichambre'', where he worked as a hockey analyst. He was reunited on the set with his former head coach, Mario Tremblay, the man in part responsible for his departure from Montreal. In January 2024, it was announced that Roy, in partnership with Canadian businessmen Jean Bédard and Jacques Tanguay (a former owner of the Remparts), had purchased a minority stake in Boxers de Bordeaux, a professional team playing in the French Ligue Magnus. NHL coaching career Colorado Avalanche (2013–2016) during a game in 2024 On May 23, 2013, Roy was named head coach and vice-president of hockey operations of the Colorado Avalanche. TSN's Bob McKenzie reported that Roy would have the final say in all hockey matters. Those powers were formerly held by Avalanche general manager Greg Sherman, who nonetheless retained his post despite losing responsibilities. At the time, Roy was the only coach in the NHL who had the title or powers of general manager. Before the season started, his former Avs teammate, Joe Sakic, was hired as executive vice president of hockey operations. Although the title nominally put him above Roy on the organization chart, Roy and Sakic shared most of the duties normally held by a general manager in the NHL–a practice that continued after Sakic was formally granted the title of general manager in 2014. Roy's first regular season game with the Colorado Avalanche as coach was the home opener on October 2, 2013, a 6–1 win over the Anaheim Ducks, where Roy got into a shouting match with Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau and nearly broke the partition separating the two teams' benches. Roy won his first six games as a rookie coach, coincidentally tying Mario Tremblay, his former coach with whom he had a feuding relationship, for the most consecutive wins at the beginning of an NHL coaching career. In the 2013–14 season, Colorado racked up 112 points, won the Central Division title, tied a franchise record with 52 wins, posted the NHL's best road record (26–11–4) and had zero regulation losses when leading after two periods (35–0–3). For his team's success, Roy won the Jack Adams Award for the NHL's top coach, winning the honour over the Detroit Red Wings' Mike Babcock and the Tampa Bay Lightning's Jon Cooper. During the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs, Roy became known for aggressively pulling goaltender Semyon Varlamov to set up a 6-on-5, empty-net scenario, sometimes with as much as three minutes remaining in the game. However, the heavily favoured second seeded Avalanche ultimately lost in the first round to the seventh seeded Minnesota Wild at home in game seven. The following season, the Avalanche regressed significantly, finishing last (seventh) in their division for only the third time in the history of the organization. On August 11, 2016, Roy, citing a lack of input in personnel decisions, stepped down as the head coach and vice-president of hockey operations for the Avalanche, and was subsequently replaced by Jared Bednar. New York Islanders (2024–2026) On January 20, 2024, the New York Islanders fired Lane Lambert as head coach and named Roy as his successor. He made his Islanders debut on January 21, and earned his first win as Islanders head coach with a 3–2 overtime victory over the Dallas Stars. On April 5, 2026, the New York Islanders fired Roy and named Peter DeBoer as his successor, with only four games remaining in the 2025–26 season. ==Personal life==

Patrick Roy married Michèle Piuze on June 9, 1990. They have three children – Jonathan, Frederick and Jana. His sons, Frederick and Jonathan, played for the Quebec Remparts during Roy's tenure as head coach of the team. His son Jonathan has since left ice hockey to pursue a music career. While playing for the Avalanche, Patrick Roy was arrested for domestic violence on October 22, 2000, and was released on $750 bail. Roy and his wife were in an argument, and his wife made a hangup call to 911. Police found physical damage to the house and took Roy into custody. The presiding judge dismissed the case, citing it did not meet the standard for criminal mischief in a case of domestic violence. Roy and Piuze divorced in early 2005; Roy has not remarried. Since the 1980s, Roy has been a significant contributor to the Ronald McDonald House charity. Roy was known for superstitious quirks. He often talked to the net posts, and he never talked to reporters on days in which he was scheduled to play. He also refused to let his skates touch the red and blue lines on the ice, stepping over them. ==Legacy==

In 1989, 1990, and 1992, Roy won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goaltender. He won the Jennings Trophy (fewest goals allowed) in 1987, 1988, 1989 (all shared with Brian Hayward), 1992 and 2002. He led the NHL in shutouts and goals against average twice, was named a First Team All-Star four times, a Second Team All-Star twice, and played in 11 National Hockey League All-Star Games. Roy has also won a record three Conn Smythe Trophies as NHL playoff MVP (1986, 1993 and 2001). Among the many goaltending NHL records Roy holds are career playoff games played (247) and career playoff wins (151). The Avalanche retired Roy's number 33 jersey on October 28, 2003, while the Montreal Canadiens retired Roy's number 33 on November 22, 2008. This made Roy the sixth NHL player to have his number retired by two organizations. Roy was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2006, his first year of eligibility. Roy won over 200 games with both franchises. Along with Terry Sawchuk, Roy is directly credited with inspiring the jersey numbers that NHL goaltenders use; both are cited as the primary reason goaltenders have come to choose numbers in the 30s since their respective careers. British Columbia-born baseball player and former American League MVP Justin Morneau wore number 33 in tribute to Roy. ==Career statistics==

Regular season and playoffs International ==Head coaching record==

NHL QMJHL ==Career achievements==

Milestones • His #30 jersey number has been retired by the Granby Bisons • His #33 jersey number has been retired by the Colorado Avalanche and the Montreal Canadiens • In 1998, he was ranked number 22 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players • The Colorado Sports Hall of Fame 2004 • Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Hall of Fame 2004 • Hockey Hall of Fame inductee 2006 • Canada's Sports Hall of Fame 2010 • Was ranked #5 in The Hockey News' The Top 60 Since 1967 – the best players of the post-expansion era Records • Most NHL playoff games played by a goaltender (247) (third-most playoff games of all players) • Most NHL playoff wins by a goaltender (151) • First NHL goaltender to play 1,000 NHL games (finished with 1,029 games, later passed by Martin Brodeur) • First NHL goaltender to win 500 games • Most Conn Smythe Trophy wins – 3 • Most Seasons of 20+ Wins-17 Awards As a player Colorado Avalanche on the Stanley Cup. Roy's name is engraved on the second last row of names. • Calder Cup – 1985 • Stanley Cup – 1986, 1993 (Montreal); 1996, 2001 (Colorado) • Conn Smythe Trophy – 1986, 1993, 2001 • William M. Jennings Trophy – 1987*, 1988*, 1989*, 1992, 2002 • Vezina Trophy – 1989, 1990, 1992 • NHL All-Star Game – 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003 • NHL first All-Star team – 1989, 1990, 1992, 2002 • NHL second All-Star team – 1988, 1991 • NHL All-Rookie Team – 1986 • Trico Goaltending Award – 1989, 1990 • Shared with Brian Hayward As a coach • Memorial Cup – with Quebec Remparts in 2006 and 2023 • Jack Adams Award – 2014 • Maurice Filion Trophy – 2022 • Gilles-Courteau Trophy - with Quebec Remparts in 2023 ==See also==