Roy Retiring?

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

Source: Roy to retire from Avalanche


DENVER (AP) -- Colorado's Patrick Roy is retiring, ending the 18-year career of one of the greatest goaltenders in NHL history, a team source told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Roy will make the announcement at a news conference on Wednesday, the source said on condition of anonymity.

A four-time Stanley Cup champion, Roy is still considered one of the best goalies in the game at age 37. But he has been bothered by arthritic hips in the past few years, and he has made it clear he wants to follow the career of his oldest son, Jonathan, a goalie who will start playing in Quebec this fall.

Roy won two Stanley Cups each with Montreal and Colorado, and is the only three-time winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the MVP of the playoffs. He is the NHL's career leader in wins with 551, games played with 1,029. Earlier this season he became the first goalie to eclipse 60,000 minutes.

After the Avalanche were eliminated by Minnesota in the first round of the playoffs last month, Roy said he was 90 percent sure of his plans for the future, but did not reveal his decision.

Roy's retirement plans were first reported by the Daily Camera of Boulder on Tuesday.

Roy had his best regular season in 2001-02, with a 1.94 goals-against average and a career-high nine shutouts, but the playoffs ended in disappointment after he allowed six goals in a 7-0 loss to Detroit in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals.

Roy struggled early this season, but was unbeaten in 26 of his final 30 starts. He helped the Avalanche move pass Vancouver and win the Northwest Division title. He finished fourth in the league with 35 wins and had a 2.18 goals-against average.

Roy was solid in the first four games of Colorado's first-round playoff series against Minnesota, but gave up soft goals in Games 6 and 7 as the Wild became just the seventh team in league history to come back from a 3-1 deficit with two road wins.

"The day that I feel that I'm going to lose that desire and that passion, that would be a good time for me to leave," Roy said in January. "The tough part is that it could happen at any time. It could happen in the middle of the season, it could happen at the end of the season. And if it's time to go, it's time to go."

Before Roy broke into the league with Montreal in 1985, most goalies either stayed on their feet or stacked their pads to stop shots.

Glenn Hall and Tony Esposito, two goaltenders who starred in the 1960s and 1970s, helped develop the butterfly style of dropping to their knees to stop shots. Roy made the style popular during his record-setting career.

Roy hold the NHL record with 151 career playoff wins, and his 247 games and 23 shutouts are well ahead of Grant Fuhr, who is second with 150 games and 92 wins.

"He basically has done everything and broke every record, so I think it's pretty safe to say he's the greatest goalie who ever played," Colorado's Mike Keane said recently.

Roy appeared to be readying himself for retirement over the past year, when he bought a home in Lake Jupiter, Fla., and put his house in Denver up for sale.



From NHL.com

 

[Chizip]

about franking time

 

[Edgeman]

Agreed

 

[cujo]

Damn.

You scooped me LMPA.

The Press Conference is Wednesday at 2PM ET. I'm going to tape it and watch it again and again and again. Oh happy day.

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

Damn.

You scooped me LMPA.

Dija like it?



Yes, Wings fans are rejoicing. One less Av to hate.

 

[zonelistener]

Yeah!!!!

The whole Western Conference will have a huge sigh of relief.

Next stop for Roy.....Hall of Fame.

 

[AvsGirl41]

I was outscooped too!

Well, I am disappointed. I really thought he'd play one more season and go out with a bang. "Win one for Patty" and all that.
Especially since this will likely be Sakic and Blake's last season.

They seem to like going out with a whimper though.

I don't know, I won't neccessarily believe it until I see the press conference. What was reported as "a team official" now became "an annonymous source" and The Daily Camera is hardly the place I think a story like this would have broke.
The Avalanche are so secretive that crazy rumors do become holy fact within hours...(Pierre Lacroix retiring to manage Celine Dion comes to mind) And yet, I don't really have a reason to doubt it. It would just top off this crappy season perfectly.

Check out this story The Denver Post did yesterday though:

QUEBEC - Sitting in one of the plush offices of the junior hockey team he partly owns, Patrick Roy on Sunday finished what he called a fun, relaxing week watching the Memorial Cup tournament in the city he was born.

On Tuesday morning, however, Roy will leave for Denver to "really start taking seriously" his decision whether to return for a 19th season in the NHL with the Colorado Avalanche.

"I still don't know what I'm going to do," Roy said from the Le Colisee Pepsi offices of the Quebec Remparts, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League he owns with two other partners. "A big part of my decision has been taken, but I want to make sure I'm making the right one, and I'm really going to think about it seriously (this week) when I go back to Denver. I'm going to sit down with my wife and kids and see where we stand again."

Roy said he will notify Avalanche president and general manager Pierre Lacroix no later than the July 1 NHL free-agent deadline - and probably well before that.

Roy, 37, sounds torn between coming back and retiring. One moment he talks about the fun he had last week getting on the ice and teaching members of his Remparts what he knows about the game.

The next he sounds like a man eager for the Avs' training camp to begin, and what fate might hold for the team next season.

"I don't want to come back and regret it, and I don't want to retire and regret it," Roy said. "If I come back, I'm going to go all-out with the same passion and same drive. That's what I'm going to do."

Roy said health will not be a factor. The hips that have given the goaltender trouble in the past feel fine, he said. If he retires, Roy said the major reason will be because he did not have the intensity for the game.

"I wouldn't want to hurt the team that way," said Roy, who has one year left on his contract at the Avalanche's option, worth $8.5 million.

Roy said he met with Lacroix nearly a month ago, and the two agreed he should take more time to reach a decision. Since then, he has spent time at his homes in Greenwood Village, Palm Beach, Fla., and Lac Beauport, Quebec. Roy said thoughts of what he should do creep in during the quiet times, walking the fairways on a golf course or driving to the store.

Roy knows he has a lot to gain by playing another season, not just financially. With him, the Avalanche would have another strong team, and he would be able to extend his all-time victory totals over his competitors, such as New Jersey's Martin Brodeur.

"I know I have a lot to gain, believe me," he said. "It could be a great year, a good challenge. It's a good team and a great bunch of guys, for sure.

"But, again, I have to go deep inside myself and really evaluate where I am. That's kind of what I was doing before I got to (Quebec) and that's what I'm going to do (this week). I want to be honest with the Avalanche, and they'll be the first to know."

No matter what, Roy said he wants to stay in hockey, preferably as an owner or general manager. If an NHL team offered him a job in the front office - including the Avalanche - Roy would listen. But he said he enjoyed imparting his experiences to his young junior players, even though he has no desire to be a head coach.

If Roy does return, he said Colorado would be a factor. He and his family love the state, he said.

"It's unbelievable in Denver. The people are really nice. They've just been outstanding to me and my family," Roy said. "It's amazing how hockey has grown in Denver, too."

Roy has gotten over the Avalanche's first-round playoff loss to the Minnesota Wild. Not that he has forgotten it, though.

"They should not have beaten us, but we have had a lot of those leads in a series where we have just blown it," Roy said. "I really believe maybe the guys were a little tired from playing a lot of hockey in the last few years. And maybe next year, we ought to come with more grit and more hunger. It would be a lot easier.

"I have tons of faith in Pierre, and I know he's going to do the best for his organization. He's going to make sure he puts the best players out there for our fans. He knows that fans expect a winner just like the players do."

Did Roy just slip, talking in the future tense about the Avs, using words such as "we" and "us"?

"Listen, I really don't know what I'll do yet," he said with a laugh.

Avalanche fans can only hope Roy soon does not talk about the team in the past tense, for good.

 

[zonelistener]

Awesome Sig AvsGirl

 

[AvsGirl41]

Thank you--I think.

Donald's got a mean slapshot, Martin Broduer better watch out.

 

[AvsGirl41]

Well, I heard that the Avs are currently denying that Roy is retiring--but the Denver Post still has it splashed all over it's front page and The Sporting News says Jean Martineau (team spokesman) announced the press conference.

Hmm. Roy isn't going to be happy that someone blabbed to The Daily Camera, anyway.

 

[Bbug]

I think Roy will play another year just to spite whoever leaked the story, he just seems like that kind of guy. *disclaimer* I've been in montreal for a while now, which may have coloured my opinion of him...

 

[cujo]

Well Roy is one to beat a dead horse. His play has gone downhill the past few seasons, despite what any arbitrary stat you think proves otherwise. He's getting slow, and eventhough I dislike him it's not a great thing to see a decent player go out on a lull. Patty should have let with Bourque... instead all he'll be remembered for is his imitation of the Statue of Liberty from last years semis.

 

[Chizip]

who was better, roy or hasek?

 

[Michael Griffiths]

Well Roy is one to beat a dead horse. His play has gone downhill the past few seasons, despite what any arbitrary stat you think proves otherwise. He's getting slow, and eventhough I dislike him it's not a great thing to see a decent player go out on a lull. Patty should have let with Bourque... instead all he'll be remembered for is his imitation of the Statue of Liberty from last years semis.

He just had the best year of his career in 2001. GAA and save %. Wins, too, if I remember. I mean, the guy was nominated not only for the Vezina, but also for the freakin Hart Trophy just last season. What else does he have to do?

 

[Michael Griffiths]

who was better, roy or hasek?

If I were to assemble a team to bet my entire life savings with (say if I had life savings, lol), I would be picking Roy.

 

[Chizip]

i'd go with hasek, he was just unlucky to be with some bad teams, yet still was spectacular

he was the best goalie of all time

 

[AvsGirl41]

I thought that was Giguere?

I would go with Roy. He could carry whole teams if neccessary.

 

[Chizip]

well besides Giguere obviously

Was it not necessary to carry his team this year? He let in a couple softies in games 6 and 7, the last goal of his season, and possibly his career was pretty bad.

 

[Michael Griffiths]

That's debatable. Remember a guy by the name of Terry Sawchuk? Jacque Plante was no slouch either. Grant Fuhr was darn right scary during the 80s. But for my money, it's Patrick Roy. He was better than Ken Dryden, imo. Did you watch Roy in his first few seasons? Back when his equipment was tiny (and everyone's equipment was tiny for that matter)? Remember that playoff game, Canadiens vs. the Bruins in 91? He made like 70 saves for the victory. It was unreal. 4 OT's or something. The things he pulled off when he was in Montreal were *unreal*. I used to watch him every week 'cause it was so entertaining (Habs games were played on the French channel every Saturday). Here you had this greesy haired kid, looked like the guy at the 711 or something, just making everyone (guys like Gretzky included) look horrible. He was one of those guys who wouldn't just make the 1st save or even the 2nd, but the 3rd and the 4th as well. He was a bit of a freak.

 

[Chizip]

and Hasek wasn't a freak? some of the saves he made convinced me he doesnt have a spine

if i had to pick one goalie to win a game for me, i would definitely pick hasek in his prime over roy in his prime

 

[Michael Griffiths]

I didn't say Hasek wasn't a freak either...it's just that I have much more confidence in Roy than I did Hasek. Just my opinion of course. If you look at their careers, I would take Roy's career over Hasek's *any* day.

 

[Michael Griffiths]

I remember in the '87 Canada Cup, Gretz and the boys just lit Hasek up. I mean *lit*. But there again, having Lemieux and Gretzky and Coffey in their primes playing on the same line would have been quite intimidating, so not too surprising considering.

 

[Chizip]

well roy has more wins and crap because hasek didnt join the league until his late 20's, then played on some piss poor Buffalo teams, yet still almost managed to win a Cup all by himself.

Then when he did go to a good team he won a Cup easily. I think if Hasek played as long and for the same teams Roy did he would have put up better numbers.

I have nothing to base this on obviously, but it is fun to speculate.

 

[Chizip]

Hasek wasnt even in the NHL than.

Hasek carried the Czech's to a gold medal in the 98 Olympics, he was amazing then.

 

[Michael Griffiths]

No one can deny Roy's prominence, even if you don't count the wins: He won 4 Stanley Cups on two different teams, and he's done something no one else--player or goalie--ever has: he's won 3 Conn Smythe trophies as playoff MVP. Gretzky and Lemieux only won 2 a piece. That's pretty remarkable.

 

[AvsGirl41]

well besides Giguere obviously

Was it not necessary to carry his team this year? He let in a couple softies in games 6 and 7, the last goal of his season, and possibly his career was pretty bad.

This season, the team broke down as a whole in the playoffs. We had no third and fourth line and our top forwards were useless when we needed them the most. No matter how amazing a goalie is, you need a few goals here and there and solid play from all your lines. The Avs didn't have that--they didn't have it last season either, but Roy carried them as far as he could. Eventually, even the best goalie is going to crack when he has no one in front.

The only Frenchman to blame for our early playoff exit was Lacroix. This is going to be a scary off-season as he tries to "rebuild" and Denver finally sees what a dink this guy is. This has been coming for two years and Lacroix wouldn't accept it.
You'll see a repeat next season when Sakic and Blake go and oops, Lacroix has traded away the remaining young talent for a new goalie. Bye bye Avs.

 

[Chizip]

it helps when you have great teams in front of you. like i said, if hasek was playing with the same teams he would have done the same, if not better.

 

[Michael Griffiths]

Hasek wasnt even in the NHL than.

Yes, but why do you think that was? Besides, he was still playing professionally, and the fact remains he got obsenely lit by Canada in the Canada Cup.

 

[Michael Griffiths]

it helps when you have great teams in front of you. like i said, if hasek was playing with the same teams he would have done the same, if not better.

Did you actually ever watch the Montreal Canadiens of the late 80s and early 90s? Do you think they were "great"??? lol The only reason they won those Cups was because of Roy. Did you even see the finals in '93?

 

[Chizip]

right after hasek joined the laegue he won 5 out of 6 vezina's, with one going to jim carey. this was behind a piss poor team too. how many did roy have in that time, 0.