Canadiens, fans show love for Roy in return as Islanders coach

MONTREAL -- Patrick Roy could not escape the past Thursday. He said he did not want to make this about him, his return to Montreal in his third game as coach of the New York Islanders. But as he stood behind the bench during “O Canada,” the Montreal Canadiens played a slideshow on the video screens at Bell Centre.

Here was Roy holding the Conn Smythe Trophy and the Stanley Cup, Roy making a spectacular glove save, Roy winking through his goalie mask, Roy raising the Cup, Roy’s No. 33 rising to the rafters. The fans cheered, then cheered louder for a live shot of the No. 33 banner.

Finally, as the anthem ended, the Canadiens put a live shot of Roy on the screens. At first, he kept his game face. Then he bounced on his feet and let out a deep breath. The fans cheered, cheered and cheered some more, and he couldn’t help but acknowledge them with a nod and a wave.

“I’ve played in here quite a few times, and I haven’t heard the building ever that loud,” said Islanders forward Bo Horvat, a 10-year NHL veteran. “It was pretty incredible to witness.”

Even after a tough 4-3 loss -- the Islanders falling behind 3-0 at 12:19 of the first period, tying it 3-3 with 3:32 to go in the third and allowing the winning goal with 2:12 to go -- Roy expressed his appreciation.

“I’d like to thank the Montreal Canadiens for that,” he said. “It was real nice of them, what they did, and the fans were just like usual. This is a good crowd, and it’s like in New York. They’re good fans, and they love their team, and they want to support them, and I’m thankful for that.”

The Canadiens have won the Cup 24 times, more than any other team by far, and their legends fill the Hockey Hall of Fame. But they have not won the Cup since Roy was in net in 1986 and 1993, winning the Conn Smythe as the most valuable player of the playoffs each time. That is their freshest memory of glory.

The 58-year-old is their most popular living legend even though he forced a trade to the Colorado Avalanche on Nov. 6, 1995.

Although he had been back to Montreal before -- first as an Avalanche goalie, then for his number retirement, then as the Avalanche coach -- it had been 8 ½ years since his last game behind the bench at Bell Centre, on Nov. 14, 2015. Until the Islanders hired him Saturday, he had been out of the NHL since abruptly resigning as Avalanche coach Aug. 11, 2016.

“It’s just the return of our prodigal son,” said Sunil Peetush, who sat in the front row of Section 110 under the No. 33 banner with Mike Pzoubabakis, each in a Roy Canadiens jersey and goalie mask. “I’m 45. I grew up watching Patrick Roy, and it’s just great to see him back in any form in the NHL. It’s something to celebrate indeed, if you’re a Montreal Canadiens fan and if you’re a hockey fan.”

Roy is larger than life in Montreal. Literally. Since Nov. 19, 2021, he has been part of the 60-by-40-foot mural “Generations of Greatness.” His image dominates the northeast corner of the Bell Centre exterior, almost three stories tall, hoisting the Stanley Cup.

He looms over Centennial Plaza, which celebrates the history of a team that dates to 1909, eight years before the NHL was founded a couple of blocks away. His No. 33 rests in a row of pillars honoring retired numbers. His name is the first listed on each of the plaques honoring the 1986 and 1993 champions. Some of his exploits are described on tiles commemorating the Canadiens’ 100 greatest moments. 

In the team store, the Canadiens sell his No. 33 jersey, a No. 33 pennant, a No. 33 coffee mug and a limited-edition figurine of him stretching to make a save. Atop the upper bowl, his name, No. 33 and headshot are part of the Ring of Honor. Outside the Montreal locker room, he’s pictured hoisting the Cup, and inside, his headshot hangs in a lineup of the team’s Hockey Hall of Famers. 

“We all admire him and idolize him,” said Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis, a 48-year-old from the Montreal suburb of Laval, Quebec. “He meant a lot to me, like the rest of the kids growing up here. He was kind of the backbone of the franchise for a long time.”

Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher is from Edmonton, Alberta. The 31-year-old remembers watching Roy play more for Colorado than Montreal. But Gallagher has played for the Canadiens since 2012-13 and knows the fans love Roy for his passion too.

“I think a lot of people relate to him,” Gallagher said. “He’s emotional, he wore his heart on his sleeve, and a lot of people really respected everything he did, for good reason. He built a legacy in this league as a player, now as a coach. He obviously deserves every ounce of credit he receives.”

Roy chose not to hold a morning skate Thursday, so the Islanders could stay away from Bell Centre and the media circus. Instead, he held his pregame media availability in the press conference room about three hours before face-off. Shutters clicked as he walked in and sat down in front of an Islanders backdrop set up in front of the Canadiens backdrop.

For 15 minutes he spoke, first in French, then in English.

“I am sorry,” he said when asked for his message to Canadiens fans coming to cheer for him. “I just want to focus on our game. I think everybody in Montreal knows how much I love them and how much respect I have for this organization. But at the same time, we’re here to win a hockey game.”

In the end, Roy had to walk across the ice from the bench to the locker room as the Canadiens raised their sticks to the fans and their victory song blared from the loudspeakers. He’s 3-4-0 against the Canadiens as a coach, including 1-3-0 at Bell Centre. He’s 1-2-0 as Islanders coach.

But the past is past. Roy came back for the present and future. For all he has accomplished in Montreal and elsewhere, he wants to accomplish more with general manager Lou Lamoriello and special assignment coach Jacques Lemaire, another Canadiens legend. 

“I’m lucky to have mentors like them,” Roy said. “I think I’m going to grow as a coach, I think I’m going to grow as a hockey person, and I think I’m very blessed to be in that position. Very blessed.”