The NHL needs some more drama. Enter, Patrick Roy.
The quirky-as-hell former goalie is coming back to the NHL to coach his former team, the Colorado Avalanche. Roy led the Avs to Stanley Cups in 1996 and 2001.
Roy is remembered for how good he was and for his strange signature moments, fights and postgame interviews. On the ice, he's the only player ever to win the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP three times. He won four Stanley Cups (two with the Avs and two with the Montreal Canadiens) and is a Hall of Famer.
Here are five reasons to love (or hate, if you want) Patrick Roy. Now that he is back in the NHL, we expect more antics from Mr. Ruuuuuaaaah.
The wink
In the 1993 Stanley Cup Final against the Los Angeles Kings, Roy, then a member of the Montreal Canadiens made history in a blink of an eye.
Roy was stopping shot after shot after shot in Game 3 at the old Great Western Forum against Wayne Gretzky's Kings, but it was the wink he threw at winger Tomas Sandstrom after stopping a shot that goes down on Roy lore.
The Canadiens of course went on to win that series 4-1.
The best quote ... ever
Two ears. Two Stanley Cups rings. One moment of pure trash-talking genius.
Excuse Roy if he couldn't hear Jeremy Roenick's jabs. In the 1996 Western Conference Finals Roy and JR went at it by trading postgame quotes worthy of repeating. But Roy won this one, big time (and on the ice, too).
The end in Montreal
Things got reeeeal nasty once Roy (practically the mayor of Montreal) felt disrespected by his coach and his fans.
On Dec. 2, 1995 Roy was being embarrassed by the Red Wings on his home ice. The goalie allowed NINE goals before his coach decided to pull him in the second period. And before he was pulled, he received fake cheers from the crowd after making a routine save. Roy's response? A big F-U to the crowd by raising his arms in celebration.
Once on the bench, he walked past his coach Mario Tremblay and told the president of the team he had played his last game in Montreal. Roy believed Tremblay waited too long to pull him and was humiliating him on purpose. Needless to say, Roy was traded to the Colorado Avalanche just four days after the brouhaha.
Fight! Fight!
The Red Wings-Avalanche rivalry in the late 90s made old-time hockey enthusiasts proud. Games were beyond nasty. The tension was real. especially considering the teams met five times in the playoffs from 1996-2002.
In back-to-back years Roy went after Mike Vernon and Chris Osgood.
Everyone loves a good goalie fight.
Very superstitious
Roy has to go down as one of the most superstitious hockey players of all time.
He was known to dress the same way for every game, have conversations with his goal posts and jump over every line on the ice.
If you know French, this video is great. If you don't know French, this video is great.
