(Quebec) During his three campaigns as a player in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Patrick Roy was never able to have his name put on the Jacques-Plante trophy. Never mind ; the QMJHL has taken steps to have its name forever engraved on a brand new trophy from 2023-24.
Confirming the news that had broken 48 hours earlier, commissioner Mario Cecchini announced, Sunday afternoon at the Videotron Center, the creation of the Patrick-Roy trophy, which will be awarded to the goalie of the year in the circuit.
Three main criteria will help determine the winner of the trophy: having participated in at least 40% of their team’s minutes played; having stood out from his peers for goals allowed average, save rate, shutouts, winning percentage; to have had a significant impact on the overall performance of his team, while demonstrating a certain consistency in his prowess.
This honor is in addition to the Jacques-Plante Trophy, awarded annually to the goalkeeper who posted the best goals against average in the regular season.
“When I received the call from Mario Cecchini a few weeks ago to make the announcement, at the time I was surprised, but at the same time, very touched by the news,” said Roy, during a press conference, where he was seated to the right of the new commissioner, and a few feet from the new trophy, placed on a table to his right.
During his speech, Roy said that the league’s initiative had led him to go back and think about the moment when he entered the QMJHL, with the Granby Bisons, in 1982, but also to his years as a leader with the Remparts de Québec.
Also, he took advantage of this opportunity to display his vision of what the league has brought constructively, to him personally, but especially to young people, instead of talking about his own exploits.
“To see the progression of our league, to see the support we offer young players and to allow them to evolve in a climate that will allow them to have great experiences makes me extremely proud today. today to see my name on a trophy which will be awarded to the best goalkeeper. It’s a great mark of recognition,” then declared the former great goaltender of the Montreal Canadiens and the Colorado Avalanche, in the National League.
Roy’s exploits with these two NHL teams are among the many reasons Cecchini listed to justify the establishment of this new honor.
Cecchini notably returned to the fact that he developed in the QMJHL. He also recounted some of Roy’s statistics with Granby, including the 39 shots per game he averaged over his three seasons combined, and the fact that he also finished fifth in average in goals against (4.49) and fourth in save percentage (.873) in 1983-84.
“Following his induction into the QMJHL Hall of Fame in 2004, he became more involved than ever in the development of the league’s young student-athletes as head coach and general manager of the Quebec Remparts,” said underlined Cecchini, before declaring that there had been a “before and after Patrick [Roy]”.
“His influence, cited many times, his passionate performances, his wink, his calm and his determination inspired a generation of Quebec goalkeepers, some of whom, in turn, won Conn-Smythes. It is for all these reasons that the committee, under the direction of Pierre Leduc, unanimously chose to place the name of Patrick Roy on the goalkeeper of the year trophy,” added Cecchini.
As a manager, Roy won the Memorial Cup on two occasions, first in 2006 at the end of his first campaign behind the bench, and the second, just a few months ago.
After the press conference on Sunday, Roy was to participate in the raising of the banner commemorating this second championship, before the duel against the Rimouski Océanic.
While he was also with Cecchini, Roy appeared relaxed, serene, and did not give the impression of being worried about his future in hockey.
“I’m at a stage in my life where I can enjoy the good times. I don’t know what the future holds for me as head coach, but if this was the end, it’s a great ending. I can’t ask for a better storyline than this. »