NHL

• Time for Roy, Montreal to officially bury the hatchet

  
  

  By Pat Martin, Hockey Editor Montreal, QC (Sports Network) - A lot has been made of the way legendary NHL goaltender Patrick Roy left the Montreal Canadiens over the years.

  After playing in 551 games with the Habs from 1984-95, capturing two Stanley Cups, two Conn Smythe Trophies and three Vezina Trophies, things went south after a forgettable game.

  The infamous night occurred on Dec.

  2, 1995 when Roy allowed nine goals against visiting Detroit. When Roy wasn't pulled by then-coach Mario Tremblay, whom he had been feuding with prior, he declared that he'd never play another game for the Canadiens.

  Roy was true to his word and forced a trade to the Colorado Avalanche a few days later.

  He went on to play in 478 games for Colorado, winning two more Stanley Cups while earning his record third Conn Smythe.

  Roy also had his No.

  33 retired by the former Quebec Nordiques franchise after retiring in 2003.

  But five years after retiring and just shy of 13 years since his less-than- amicable exit from Montreal, Roy will have his number retired by the Canadiens when they host fellow "original six" club Boston at the Bell Centre on Saturday night.

  "You always have some regrets, I mean, nobody's perfect," Roy said of his Montreal exit in a conference call on Wednesday. "There's things. But when you love to compete, and that's the way I was, it was good side of it and bad side of it. But I don't think I would have the career I had if I wasn't that type of person." Roy's competitiveness contributed to him being the NHL's all-time leader in games played (1029), victories (551), playoff games played (247), playoff wins (151) and playoff shutouts (23). He hopes that Saturday's ceremony will go a long way toward burying the hard feelings created by that infamous game in '95.

  "The good thing about what's going to happen on Saturday is we're going to talk more about, you know, those years like '86 or '89 or '93," Roy said. "I thought we had great runs in Montreal. I think [we're] finally gonna put away that December 2nd of '95 [game], and that's something that, you know, one game [defined my career in Montreal].

  "I mean, it's funny, because when you play, when you get to the NHL they say to you, 'one game does not make a career.' But one game made pretty much my career in Montreal.

  But I feel that that was not the case. I mean, I had so many good years and we had so many good teams. I mean, I played for great coaches, but I also played with great teammates. Nothing would have happened without the support of them. But we had, you know, players that had that desire to want to win, and they were very special teams." Roy, who is now co-owner, general manager and head coach of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Quebec Remparts, is older and wiser. He understands the history of the Montreal franchise - which is currently celebrating its centennial - and understands what it will mean to be the 15th player to have his number retired by the historic franchise.

  "You know, the Canadiens haven't done that for a long time, and I felt that the Savards, the Robinsons, Gainey, Dryden, they've been a big part of the history of the Canadiens, and I think they deserve that," Roy said. "But it's a great honor for me to join them. You know, to see my jersey retired by the Montreal Canadiens means a lot to me. It's an organization with a great history and great tradition. I've seen them play when I was younger, and then watching games every Saturday and then going downstairs to play hockey because we were excited and we wanted to do the same thing that they were. I mean, to see today my jersey retired, I mean, it is very special." Roy probably won't get emotional on Saturday night just because that isn't who he is. But that doesn't mean the occasion won't mean the world to him.

  "Well, I'm a person that keeps a lot of his emotion inside," Roy said. "I think that'll be a great challenge, to see how emotional and see if I [shed tears], how good it's going to be and how good I'm going to feel during that night.

  A lot of people think I'm going to have some tears. When I retired or when I was in the Hockey Hall of Fame, I've never been that type of person. It will be a good test for my emotion, that's for sure." It will also be a good test of the emotions of the Montreal faithful. Are they willing to let bygones be bygones? Theyshould, becausedespite hisfiery andsometimes controversial personality, Roy has been one of the best players to ever wear the Habs' sweater.

  It's time for Roy and the Montreal Canadiens to officially bury the hatchet.

  11/19 20:20:31 ET