The creation of the Patrick-Roy Trophy by the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Obviously. Because without downplaying the importance of the others, no other former Quebec National League player has done as much for this circuit as the former general director and coach of Quebec Remparts.
Roy has given back a hundredfold to the league in which he began to make his name. He wasn’t exactly a star player with the Granby Bisons, who struggled in his three seasons with them.
He did not possess the technique that later became his trademark thanks to the skills of his guru François Allaire. But his strength of character was not lost on anyone.
This is what prompted Serge Savard and André Boudrias to select him in the third round in 1984, with a pick obtained from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Robert Picard.
Patrick was subjected to regular blitzes every night with the Bison.
His goals against average rose to 5.55, 4.44 and 6.26, but he never gave up. Daniel Bouchard, his idol with the Nordics, had also told him during a surprise visit to his house, on the occasion of his birth anniversary, that the ideal would be for him to end up with a weak team at the junior level. .
A matter of watching many records.
Roy saw the smell of rubber in Granby!
A pioneer
His success with the Canadiens and Avalanche made him the benchmark among National League goaltenders.
Quebec was the breeding ground for butterfly goalkeepers. The young people wore the number 33, including Manon Rhéaume. It was the golden era of Quebec goalkeepers.
The QMJHL had to pay tribute to Roy in a tangible way.
If Guy Lafleur was his best player and ambassador, Roy will have been his greatest ally.
His passion for hockey prompted him to ride the bus again and eat on his lap after many years of enjoying the comfortable lifestyle of the National League. It takes willpower and an unreserved love for the sport to submit to such a regime.
Roy’s short temper embarrassed him more than once, but he adapted to the new realities of hockey.
Today he is one of those who believe that fights no longer have a place on the ice.
Knowing him, he will be the first to defend the QMJHL’s position against those who cry that the circuit makes a mockery of it with its regulations aimed at stopping battles.
The NHL will not escape
However, the Ontario and Western leagues are the last two that tolerate matchups.
European hockey has never accepted this kind of thing and the same is true at the American collegiate level, which contributes an increasing number of players to the NHL.
The OHL and WHL shouldn’t scare the QMJHL as much either. The last four editions of the Memorial Cup have been won by QMJHL teams.
How can we ask 16- to 20-year-olds to throw away the gloves?
They don’t want to know anything about that.
It is not up to them to watch the game, but to the leaders who are adults, let’s remember that. It’s not being afraid to not want to fight. That’s what boxing and martial arts are for. Change is happening and the National League will not escape it.
Patrick Roy understood this over time. He has done an impeccable job with the Remparts in recent years. His players loved playing for him. Roy knew how to instill good values in them.
Receiving the Patrick-Roy trophy will be a great distinction for the goalkeepers who will be honored with it.
