With the New York Islanders set to face the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Thursday, newly appointed head coach Patrick Roy will return to the city he called home for the first half of his career.
The hero behind the Canadiens’ last two Stanley Cup wins (1986, 1993), Roy remains a prolific figure in Montreal, with fans nicknaming him Le Saint Patrick.
And while the former goalie’s return is sure to bring him up some emotions, the 58-year-old insists that he does not want to be the centre of attention.
“I don’t want it to be about me. I want it to be about the Islanders,” Roy, whose No. 33 hangs in the Bell Centre rafters, said to reporters after practice on Wednesday. “We’re going there to win a game. We’re not going there to win for the coach.”
Hoping to minimize the inevitable attention he’ll receive from the Montreal media, the newly appointed Islanders bench boss has decided to not hold a game-day skate in the city.
“That’s the reason I don’t want us to go to that morning skate… They’re going to ask questions about me,” he added. “I don’t need this, and [the players] don’t need that.”
Unfortunately, Roy, who won two Conn Smythe trophies won’t be able to do much about the Bell Centre crowd, who may very well offer him a standing ovation.
Even Habs head coach Martin St. Louis, who told a story of scoring a goal on Roy as a youngster at the Quebec Pee-Wee tournament to reporters after Montreal’s Wednesday practice, foresees a higher-than-usual level of excitement for Roy’s homecoming
“A regular Bell Centre atmosphere but is it going to be cranked up a notch because of Patrick coming back? My guess is yes.”
Montreal forward Brendan Gallagher is also predicting an exciting display from the crowd.
“I think it’ll be fun,” Gallagher said. “There’s going to be a lot of energy in the building and I think for our group right now, it’s going to be a good thing.”
With the Canadiens going 4-4-2 in their last 10 games, they’ll need all the energy they can get.
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