Patrick Roy.
Nicknamed "St. Patrick", Roy split his professional career between the Montreal Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League, winning two Stanley Cups with each franchise. In 2004, Roy was selected as the greatest goaltender in NHL history by a panel of 41 writers, coupled with a simultaneous fan poll.[1] On November 13, 2006, Roy was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.[2] He is the only player in NHL history to have won the Conn Smythe Trophy, the award given to the most valuable player in the Stanley Cup playoffs, three times.
(Information from Wikipedia.)
In the '86 season, Roy started playing regularly for the Montreal Canadiens. He played 47 games during the regular season and won the starting job for the playoffs, where he emerged as a star,[3] leading his team to an unexpected Stanley Cup title and winning a Conn Smythe Trophy for the Most Valuable Player.As a 20-year old, he became the youngest Conn Smythe winner ever and was chosen for the NHL All-Rookie Team.
In the 1993 playoffs, after the Canadiens lost their first two games to their archrival Quebec Nordiques in the first round series, a newspaper in Roy's hometown district suggested that he be traded. Nordiques goaltending coach Dan Bouchard also proclaimed that his team had solved Roy. These comments seemed to fire up Roy, who responded by winning the next four games against the Nordiques, sweeping the Buffalo Sabres in the next round, and winning the first three against the New York Islanders to complete an eleven postseason game winning streak. Roy set a record during the postseason with 10 straight overtime wins, won the Stanley Cup, and was once again the Conn Smythe Trophy winner.
In 1995 the Canadiens traded Roy and captain Mike Keane to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Jocelyn Thibault, Martin Rucinsky, and Andrei Kovalenko, which is sometimes called "Le Trade" ("The Trade").[10] After the trade, the Canadiens did not have a solid starting goaltender until Jose Theodore arrived in 2001. Since Le Trade, the Canadiens have won only four playoff series and missed the postseason several times; In contrast, Roy enjoyed great success in Colorado and won two Stanley Cups and two Presidents' Trophies. Montreal Gazette columnist Jack Todd, in a nod to other teams that have struggled since making odd personnel decisions, has written numerous times that the Canadiens are under "The Curse of St. Patrick." In hindsight, the trade was one of the most one-sided deals in NHL history. In 2004, ESPN called Roy's trade to Colorado a steal, and one of the worst moves ever made during the first 25 years of ESPN's existence. Canadiens General Manager Réjean Houle, who was in his first year on the job, was criticized for making the trade instead of resolving the tension between Roy and Tremblay.
The same season he was traded to the Avalanche, Roy helped lead them to their first Stanley Cup. He played for Colorado until his retirement in 2003, adding another Cup and capturing a record third Conn Smythe Trophy in 2001.
(Information for Wikipedia.)
Two teams. 4 Cups. One Patrick Roy.
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