Subject :When Patrick Roy returns to Montreal on Tuesday as an NHL head coach for the first time, he will hav
When Patrick Roy returns to Montreal on Tuesday as an NHL head coach for the first time, he will have a chance to look up to the rafters of the Bell Centre and enjoy the presence of his Canadiens No. Adidas Superstar Oro . 33 retired jersey banner. But as the Colorado Avalanche bench boss told TSNs Michael Farber in conversation, the road from his 1995 departure from the Habs, to that jersey honour, to his present-day job in Denver has been long and thought-provoking. Roy played his last game for Montreal on Dec. 2, 1995 when he was left in the net for the first nine goals of a 12-1 Detroit Red Wings victory. When he was finally pulled, he stormed past head coach Mario Tremblay to team president Ronald Corey and told him that the game would be his last with the Canadiens. Four days later, the future hall of famer was traded to the Avalanche as part of a five-player package. Fast forward 13 years with plenty of water under the bridge, and the Canadiens retired Roys jersey on Nov. 22, 2008. Farber asked Roy if the raising of his number to the rafters put his difficult exit from Montreal behind him. "I have to say yes it did, but for me it was before that," explained Roy. "When I retired I was already in peace in what happened in Montreal, and when Pierre Boivin and Bob Gainey came over to my house and talked about retiring my jersey and start talking to me, (asking) how do you feel...I said Im already in peace, Ive already moved on. "I understand that hockey is a business, I made a mistake, and Im sure on the other side they felt like they made a mistake as well. But at the end Im not there to judge. I was so happy to get back into the Canadiens family." Roy also recalled being frustrated by a separate incident from the same night, when late-arriving teammate Vincent Damphousse was not disciplined by Tremblay prior to the Detroit game. "Mario, I thought he was tough on me...I thought he was trying to send messages by being tougher on me. And I always thought that as a coach you need to be fair, and on that day I thought that Vinny was privileged. "He came in late because he slept in, and I just felt that was unfair to the team. Everybody has their opinion, everybody has their thinking about how things could have happened that night, and lets leave the past where it is." Would Roy have still been a Canadien if he had been pulled after the first five goals had been scored? "I have no idea," answered Roy. "I remember being down 5-1 after the first period and Mario came into the room and asked, "are you okay?"...and I said "yes Im okay". At some point I felt so sorry for my teammates (since) I couldnt stop a beach ball. My head wasnt there any more, I couldnt stop a puck. "Youre almost asking for help, but at the end were professional, you stay calm, and this is something I did not do." With the game 7-1 and catcalls coming from the home fans in Montreal, Roy made a save on a long shot by Sergei Fedorov and raised his arms to the crowd. He disclosed that his mocking action remains his only regret about the entire night. "My only one. Every day I played in Montreal, I was ready to play...I was ready to compete. I was accountable for the team. I wanted my teammates knowing that they could close their eyes knowing that their goalie will come that night and play hard for them. Thats what I wanted." Farber asked what prompted Roy to raise his arms after the save. "Its just frustration I guess. The fans love the Canadiens. The fans are...to them, they love the team, and if a player doesnt perform, then it is what it is. If youre performing, its the best place to be, and I knew that." Roy discussed why he spoke to Corey, who was seated in the front row behind the Montreal bench, after he had finally been pulled. "Because I think at the time, this is where we were. Ive been brought up to win the Stanley Cup, and I just felt like things (had) changed. Im not saying I wanted to leave Montreal, it was just time and unfortunately it happened that way." With that history firmly in Roys past, the Avalanche head coach is looking forward to playing his old club on Tuesday. "I was happy to be a part of the Montreal Canadiens...it means a lot to me to be able to go coach (against them), but Im going to try to approach it as a hockey game." Adidas Superstar Blu e Rosse .com) - The Vancouver Canucks hope an upcoming stretch of home games will be enough to get the club into the postseason. Adidas ZX 750 Saldi Chiaro Grigie/Carbone Grigie/Orenge . - Vince Wilfork has played only two career games in Kansas City.FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - Sebastien Le Toux scored two goals to lead the Philadelphia Union to a 3-1 victory over the New England Revolution on Saturday, giving interim manager Jim Curtin a win in his Major League Soccer head coaching debut. Philadelphia (4-7-6) has scored three goals in four of its last five matches. The Union scored late in the first half. New England defender Jose Goncalves headed the ball back toward goalkeeper Brad Knighhton, but it was intercepted and poked into the back of the net by Le Toux in the 42nd minute for a 1-0 lead. Uomo Adidas Slip-On ZX Flux-Scarpe Wolf Grigie/Running . . Danny Cruz extended Philadelphias lead to 2-0 in the 69th minute with a long-range strike. New England (7-6-2) got on the board in the 73rd minute on Saer Senes goal, just three minutes after he entered. Le Toux capped the scoring by scooting a well-placed roller to the far post in the 78th minute. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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