Patrick Roy: A legendary career

Patrick Roy is retiring, ending his career as one of the greatest goaltenders in NHL history.

Roy was still one of the league's best goalies at the age 37. But he has always been a proud man, and merely being "one of the best" probably isn't good enough for him.

Right from the beginning Roy was something special. In retrospect, it seems obvious that from the moment he set foot on the ice the NHL had a legend in its midst.

FULL COVERAGE:
• King of goaltenders retires
• Roy's career numbers

A star is born

When Roy was named the Montreal Canadiens starting goaltender for the 1985-86 season, he had precisely 20 minutes of NHL experience under his belt. Yet, he led the Habs into the playoffs, and, after posting 15 victories and a 1.92 goals-against average, the Canadiens had skated away with the Stanley Cup and Roy had won the Conn Smythe Trophy.

What is not so often remembered is that the three-time Vezina Trophy winner was the 51st player, and third goaltender, picked in the 1984 draft. Or, that the Canadiens tried to get him to change his now-famed and oft-imitated "butterfly" style.

Roy's record-breaking achievement merely rubber stamps his place alongside the Terry Sawchuks, Jacques Plantes, Glenn Halls, Grant Fuhrs, and Tony Espositos of the goaltending elite.

Yet the number doesn't capture the way Roy has always elevated his game when the pressure is on, particularly when the Stanley Cup is on the line. He almost single-handedly carried the Canadiens to their Cup wins in 1986 and 1993.

During the 1993 playoffs Roy was simply astounding, winning 10 straight overtime games against just one loss. His postseason record that year was 16-4 with a 2.13 GAA.

A different sort

It is a hockey truism that great goaltenders are a breed apart: high-strung, aloof, eccentric, egocentric.

Dominik Hasek seemingly alienates teammates as often as he saves games. Sawchuk was both melancholic and volatile. Gary "Suitcase" Smith would strip off all his hockey equipment and shower between periods, the great Glenn Hall would be so wracked with nerves before games that he would violently vomit.

Perhaps it is a necessary part of a goaltender's mental make-up. After all, few would dispute the pressures that come with the job. Roy certainly fits in the mould. He talked to his goalposts, he wouldn't touch the red or blue lines and no one would deny there was a touch of arrogance in him.

In Montreal he will certainly be remembered for his overtime heroics, but fans still talk about that fateful night in the legendary Forum when he lashed out in a fit of embarrassed rage at Montreal coach Mario Tremblay.

The turning point

December 2, 1995 was a particularly bad night for Roy. Playing against the Detroit Red Wings, Roy allowed nine goals on 26 shots. The demanding Forum fans jeered him when he made an easy save and Roy raised his hands in mock celebration. When he was finally, mercifully, pulled, Roy stormed past his coach and confronted team president Ronald Corey.

"It's my last game in Montreal," he said.

A few days later Roy was traded to Colorado and a few months later the Avalanche were hoisting the Stanley Cup. Roy went 16-6 during the playoffs with three shutouts, including a 63-save performance against the Florida Panthers that went into triple overtime.

Since Roy's departure, the Canadiens and the Avalanche have gone in different directions. Montreal, once the crown jewel of the NHL, now faces a yearly life-or-death struggle to make the playoffs, while Colorado became a perennial Cup favourite.

Roy backstopped the Avalanche to a second championship in 2001.

And three years ago, Roy accomplished what many thought was almost impossible individual feat.

Setting the standard

Hockey once had two seemingly unassailable records: Gordie Howe's all-time scoring mark and Terry Sawchuk's 447 regular season wins in goal.

But, just as Wayne Gretzky matched, then shattered Howe's record of 1,850 points, Roy reached Sawchuk's 30-year-old netminding mark three seasons ago, then shattered it, going on to win 551 games.

"It is kind of funny because when I played my first game all I wanted was to survive in the league as long as I could," Roy said as he closed in on Sawchuk. "When I got traded to Colorado and then I hit that 300-win mark, I realized that it could be possible for me to reach that record.

"I think for any athlete, you need objectives and players like Sawchuk or Hall or those great goaltenders in the past has made it interesting for goaltenders," he said. "It gives them some goals to reach."

Now it will be the likes of New Jersey's Martin Brodeur and Anaheim's Jean-Sebastien Giguere who have Roy's records to chase.