Patrick Roy Was Shelled in 11-1 Loss To The Detroit Red Wings

Published on April 7th, 2023 1:55 am EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


During Montreal's dramatic run to the Stanley Cup in 1993, Canadiens goaltender Patrick Roy reigned over the hockey world.

Roy was phenomenal, leading his team to double-digit wins in overtime. The Canadiens eventually defeated the Los Angeles Kings to win the Stanley Cup.

This was Roy's second Stanley Cup, and it seemed like he was destined to retire as a Montreal Canadien.

At the end of 1995, Roy and the Canadiens parted ways in acrimonious fashion, with Roy famously telling the President of the team that he would never play for them again.

What happened?

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On Decembdr 2nd, 1995, the Detroit Red Wings travelled to Montreal to take on the Canadiens.

The Red Wings were very good, led by the likes of Igor Larionov, Sergei Fedorov and Paul Coffey, to name a few.

The Montreal Canadiens, on the other hand, were coming off of a very disappointed strike-shortened season in 1994-95, in which they finished with a record of 18-23-7.

The 1995-96 campaign got off to a slow start as well, with the Canadiens playing .500 hockey.

Tensions were starting to fray, and fingers were being pointed.

Tensions boiled over on December 2nd, 1995, when the Red Wings humiliated Patrick Roy and the Montreal Canadiens.

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In many cases, goalies are pulled when they are getting shelled.

On this fateful evening, the Detroit Red Wings scored five goals against Patrick Roy in the first period.

In most cases, Roy would be shelved for the rest of the night, but he was left in for the second period to endure more humiliation.

By the middle of the second period, the Red Wings were up 9-1.

The crowd was not happy, and neither was Patrick Roy, and he was throwing his hands up after making saves, to respond to the mock cheers from the crowd.

When Roy was finally pulled, he glared at his coach, Mario Tremblay.

As he walked down the bench, Roy stopped and turned back to deliver a message to Canadiens President, Ronald Corey, who was sitting near the bench:

This is my last game as a Montreal Canadien.

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Roy, who is one of the greatest goaltenders of all time, was humiliated and had had enough.

There was no cooling off period, as the Canadiens suspended Roy after learning that he still wanted to be traded.

The Canadiens told Roy to stay away from the team until he was traded.

The Patrick Roy era in Montreal was over.

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On December 6th, 1995, the Montreal Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche would agree to a trade that would officially end the Patrick Roy era in Montreal.

The trade, which has been called one of the most lopsided in the history of the league, saw the Avalanche acquire Roy and Mike Keane in exchange for Andrei Kovalenko, Martin Rucinsky and Jocelyn Thibault.

The Avalanche would go on to win two Stanley Cups with Patrick Roy as their goaltender, and they would enjoy a long stretch as one of the most dominant teams in the NHL.

The Montreal Canadiens, you can argue, are still reeling from the effects of the trade, over 25 years later.