Mick Kern appears courtesy of Live From Wayne Gretzky’s

Time keeps on ticking, ticking, ticking, as that old Steve Miller chestnut tells us.  With 30 franchises in the National Hockey League, even if every team were to take a turn winning the Stanley Cup, let’s say in alphabetical order, that would still mean a 30 year wait between Cup victories, and since that type of ultimate parity is never going to happen, then the sober fact is, most NHL fans will never see their team hoist the big mug.

Last season, the Pittsburgh Penguins were the champions, a season after making it to the Stanley Cup Final, and falling short to the Detroit Red Wings.  When captain Sidney Crosby accepted the Cup from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, it had been 17 years since the Penguins were crowned Stanley Cup Champions.

17 years is a long time; a generation of Pittsburgh hockey fans would have grown up never having seen Jaromir Jagr and Mario Lemieux play together.  Yet 17 years is nothing if you’re a fan of the Chicago Blackhawks or the Toronto Maple Leafs.

To have experienced a Stanley Cup celebration in Chicago, if you go with the thought that most childhood memories are retained beginning at the age of five, then the youngest you could be as a Blackhawks fans, and vividly recall the Cup being won, is the age of 54.

Chicago has not won the Cup since 1961.  In comparison, Maple Leafs fans aren’t so bad off.  Using that same measurement, the age of the youngest Toronto fan to witness, and remember, a Maple Leafs’ Stanley Cup parade would be 48, as the Leafs haven’t won it all since 1967.

Those are the two longest current Cup droughts in the NHL.  Still, that’s nothing on long-suffering New York Rangers fans.  When the Broadway Blueshirts won it all in 1940, back in the days of a seven-team NHL, if you had suggested that the Rangers would take another 54 years to win it again, you probably would have been laughed at.  No team could be that unfortunate, especially considering the era of the so-called Original Six began shortly after and lasted 25 years.

Yet, as the years wore on, even a losing appearance by the Rangers in the Cup Final was rare.  After falling to the Red Wings in 1950, it was another 22 years before Ranger fans could once again experience the agony of coming up short in the Final, when they lost in six games in 1972 to the Boston Bruins.

The mocking cry of 1940 rang in the ears of Rangers’ fans as the decades piled up.  In one four-year stretch, the rival expansion New York Islanders won more Stanley Cups (4) than the Rangers had won in their entire history.

The 1994 Cup win by the Rangers ended that 54-year drought, but hey, it’s now been 16 years, and counting.

The years can pile up very quickly.

Just ask a fan of the Boston Bruins.  When Bobby Orr flew through the air after putting the puck past Glenn Hall to end the 1970 Stanley Cup Final, putting the Bruins at the top of the hockey world, it had been a long 29 years since Boston had won it all.

Two years later, they repeated the feat.  Two Cups in three years.  The future looked bright.

The Bruins would make it back to the Big Show in 1974, 1977, 1978, 1988 and 1990.

In 1974, they fell to the expansion Philadelphia Flyers.  The powerhouse Montreal Canadiens bested them in 1977 and 1978 (and 1979, for that matter, for that semi-final was the de facto Stanley Cup Final).

Both of the Bruins’ Final appearances in the 80’s ran smack dab into the run-and-gun Edmonton Oilers, the first time with Wayne Gretzky, the second time without.

As we enter the 2010 NHL playoffs, the Boston Bruins have now gone 38 years without winning the Stanley Cup.  Of the Original Six teams, only fans of the Blackhawks and Maple Leafs have been waiting longer.

And for all those smug Montreal Canadiens fans, your team hasn’t won the Cup since 1993, which is 17 years ago.  Yes, there was that non-hockey year of 2004-05, but that applies to every team, which is why we’re calculating years here, not seasons.

That 17-year gap…and counting…is the longest in franchise history, with no indication that it will come to an end any time soon.

The previous dry period for the Habs was during the Dirty Thirties.  Montreal won the 1930-31 Cup, and then didn’t get to taste glory again until 1943-44, a very lengthy 13 years later.

That leaves the Detroit Red Wings as the only Original Six team with a Cup win in recent memory, that being in 2008.  The Red Wings also walked through Valley of the Shadow of Death, going from 1955 until 1997 before winning it all again.  That was a 42 year drought, which only goes to prove the Cup Curse, if there is one, can indeed be broken.

Then again, fans of the Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks, Buffalo Sabres, and Washington Capitals might say whatever; at least you have a Cup.  All these long-time NHL franchises have made the Stanley Cup Final at least once, but returned home with nothing to show for it.  Which means the Kings and Blues are right behind the Blackhawks and Maple Leafs for longest current Stanley Cup droughts.

What is that cliché?  Just Win Baby?  Not in pro sports.  Count on your team NOT winning the Big One.  Mathematically, it’s a long shot.  Sure, somebody has to win, and the odds are much better than wasting two bucks on a lottery ticket, but it always seems to be the same teams that are either winning the Cup, or at least seriously competing for it.

The following list is ranked in order of NHL team’s that have had the shortest Stanley Cup winning drought.  Obviously, a team such as the Atlanta Thrashers has had a shorter dry spell than the Los Angeles Kings, or the Washington Capitals, due to only being in the league for about a decade.  (** = teams that have yet to win a Stanley Cup)

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS – 3 Stanley Cups (2009, 1992, 1991)

Stanley Cup Final losing appearances – 1 (2008)

DETROIT RED WINGS – 11 Stanley Cups (2008, 2002, 1998, 1997, 1955, 1954, 1952, 1950, 1943, 1937, 1936)

Stanley Cup Final losing appearances – 13 (2009, 1995, 1966, 1964, 1963, 1961, 1956, 1949, 1948, 1945, 1941, 1940, 1934)

Current Cup Drought – 2 years

ANAHEIM DUCKS – 1 Stanley Cup (2007)

Stanley Cup Final losing appearances – 1 (2003)

Current Cup Drought – 3 years

CAROLINA HURRICANES – 1 Stanley Cup (2006)

Stanley Cup Final losing appearances – 1 (2002)

Current Cup Drought – 4 years

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING – 1 Stanley Cup (2004)

Stanley Cup Final losing appearances – zero

Current Cup Drought – 6 years

NEW JERSEY DEVILS – 3 Stanley Cups (2003, 2000, 1995)

Stanley Cup Final losing appearances – 1 (2001)

Current Cup Drought – 7 years

COLORADO AVALANCHE – 2 Stanley Cups (2001, 1996)

Stanley Cup Final losing appearances – zero

Current Cup Drought – 9 years

**COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS – zero Stanley Cups

Stanley Cup Final losing appearances – zero

Current Cup Drought – 9 years (since joining the NHL in 2000-01)

**MINNESOTA WILD – zero Stanley Cups

Stanley Cup Final losing appearances – zero

Current Cup Drought – 9 years (since joining the NHL in 2000-01)

**ATLANTA THRASHERS – zero Stanley Cups

Stanley Cup Final losing appearances – zero

Current Cup Drought – 10 years (since joining the NHL in 1999-2000)

**NASHVILLE PREDATORS – zero Stanley Cups

Stanley Cup Final losing appearances – zero

Current Cup Drought – 11 years (since joining the NHL in 1998-99)

DALLAS STARS – 1 Stanley Cup (1999)

Stanley Cup Final losing appearances – 3 (2000 as Dallas, 1991 & 1981 as Minnesota)

Current Cup Drought – 11 years

NEW YORK RANGERS – 4 Stanley Cups (1994, 1940, 1933, 1928)

Stanley Cup Final losing appearances – 6 (1979, 1972, 1950, 1937, 1932, 1929)

Current Cup Drought – 16 years

**FLORIDA PANTHERS – zero Stanley Cups

Stanley Cup Final losing appearances – 1 (1996)

Current Cup Drought – 16 years (since joining the NHL in 1993-94)

MONTREAL CANADIENS – 23 Stanley Cups (1993, 1986, 1979, 1978, 1977, 1976, 1973, 1971, 1969, 1968, 1966, 1965, 1960, 1959, 1958, 1957, 1956, 1953, 1946, 1944, 1931, 1930, 1924) – also one Cup in 1916 before the formation of the NHL

Stanley Cup Final losing appearances – 8 (1989, 1967, 1955, 1954, 1952, 1951, 1947, 1925)

note: the 1919 Stanley Cup Final between the Canadiens and Seattle was cancelled due to the Influenza Epidemic

Current Cup Drought – 17 years

**OTTAWA SENATORS – zero Stanley Cups (the previous Ottawa Senators franchise records are kept separate from this current incarnation)

Stanley Cup Final appearances – 1 (2007)

Current Cup Drought – 17 years (since joining the NHL in 1992-93)

**SAN JOSE SHARKS – zero Stanley Cups

Stanley Cup Final losing appearances – zero

Current Cup Drought – 18 years (since joining the NHL in 1991-92)

EDMONTON OILERS – 5 Stanley Cups (1990, 1988, 1987, 1985, 1984)

Stanley Cup Final losing appearances – 2 (2006, 1983)

Current Cup Drought – 20 years

CALGARY FLAMES – 1 Stanley Cup (1989)

Stanley Cup Final losing appearances – 2 (2004, 1986)

Current Cup Drought – 21 years

NEW YORK ISLANDERS – 4 Stanley Cups (1983, 1982, 1981, 1980)

Stanley Cup Final losing appearances – 1 (1984)

Current Cup Drought – 27 years

**PHOENIX COYOTES – zero Stanley Cups

Stanley Cup Final losing appearances – zero

Current Cup Drought – 30 years (since joining the NHL as the Jets in 1979-80)

**WASHINGTON CAPITALS – zero Stanley Cups

Stanley Cup Final losing appearances – 1 (1998)

Current Cup Drought – 35 years (since joining the NHL in 1974-75)

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS – 2 Stanley Cups (1975, 1974)

Stanley Cup Final losing appearances – 5 (1997, 1987, 1985, 1980, 1976,)

Current Cup Drought – 35 years

BOSTON BRUINS – 5 Stanley Cups (1972, 1970, 1941, 1939, 1929)

Stanley Cup Final losing appearances – 12 (1990, 1988, 1978, 1977, 1974, 1958, 1957, 1953, 1946, 1943, 1930, 1927)

Current Cup Drought – 38 years

**BUFFALO SABRES – zero Stanley Cups

Stanley Cup Final losing appearances – 2 (1999, 1975)

Current Cup Drought – 39 years (since joining the NHL in 1970-71)

**VANCOUVER CANUCKS – zero Stanley Cups

Stanley Cup Final losing appearances – 2 (1982, 1994)

Current Cup Drought – 39 years (since joining the NHL in 1970-71)

**ST. LOUIS BLUES – zero Stanley Cups

Stanley Cup Final losing appearances – 3 (1968, 1969, 1970)

Current Cup Drought – 42 years (since joining the NHL in 1967-68)

**LOS ANGELES KINGS – zero Stanley Cups

Stanley Cup Final losing appearances – 1 (1993)

Current Cup Drought – 42 years (since joining the NHL in 1967-68)

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS – 13 Stanley Cups (1967, 1964, 1963, 1962, 1951, 1949, 1948, 1947, 1945, 1942, 1932, 1922, 1918) – one as the St. Pats and one as the Arenas

Stanley Cup Final losing appearances – 8 (1960, 1959, 1940, 1939, 1938, 1936, 1935, 1933)

Current Cup Drought – 43 years

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS – 3 Stanley Cups (1961, 1938, 1934)

Stanley Cup Final losing appearances – 7 (1992, 1973, 1971, 1965, 1962, 1944, 1931)

Current Cup Drought – 49 years

Of the current thirty NHL franchises, seventeen have won the Stanley Cup.

Only six teams have failed to at least advance to the Stanley Cup Final.  Four of those six franchises have joined the NHL in the past decade (Nashville, Atlanta, Minnesota, and Columbus), so their track record is not that bad…yet.

The biggest non-achievers in terms of the National Hockey League are the Phoenix Coyotes and the San Jose Sharks.

The Sharks came into being when the Gund Brothers engineered a franchise split with the Minnesota North Stars in 1991.  Despite having stellar regular season teams for the past few seasons, the Sharks have been unable to get near the Cup Final.

As for the Coyotes, they began life in 1972 as the Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association.  The seven years they spent in that rebel league were fruitful, as they won three Avco World Trophies, and arguably, were better than a number of NHL teams at the time…Colorado Rockies, Cleveland Barons, Detroit Red Wings, etc.

Along with the Whalers, Nordiques, and Oilers, the Jets were absorbed into the NHL in time for the 1979-80 season.  Most of their good players were reclaimed by the existing NHL clubs, and even though the Jets iced a number of competitive teams in the mid-80’s, they have never come close to making it to the Stanley Cup Final, either in Winnipeg, or in Phoenix, where they relocated in time for the 1995-96 campaign.

The underlying point to all is this a blunt one; a team’s window-of-opportunity to win the Stanley Cup is a narrow one at best.  When you’re one of the top eight teams in the league, it’s probably worth it to roll the dice and do whatever you deem necessary to win it all.  If not, your Stanley Cup Drought will only drag on.

-  Mick Kern

(all stats as of 04-02-10  -  if any of the stats are wrong, please contact me)

Mick Kern appears courtesy of Live From Wayne Gretzky’s

Darren Pang appears courtesy of the Phoenix Coyotes

The Stanley Cup Final begins on Saturday.

The playoffs have been outstanding, although they lost a little momentum in the Conference Finals as Detroit beat Chicago in just five games and the Penguins swept a gritty Carolina team in four games.

I have been sitting in a studio at TSN for the entire playoffs, learning plenty about what it takes to build a winner, to get to know players and their ultimate roles on a winning team, and which players you can count on when the game is on the line.

I am now heading to Detroit for the Final to work alongside Mike Milbury between periods on NBC, and just the anticipation of seeing a mature and professional Sidney Crosby advance to his second straight Stanley Cup Finals is going to be exciting.

The Penguins have an advantage for sure as the Wings are banged up a little, and with the Final going back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday, you have to think the healthy Penguins will jump all over the Wings to get a head start on the series.

Detroit’s Pavel Datsyuk, Nik Lidstrom and Kris Draper are injured, so who knows how well the Wings will start the series? The cast of Henrik Zetterberg, Dan Cleary, Johan Franzen and Game 5 hero Darren Helm have been outstanding, as have defensemen Brian Rafalski, Brad Stuart and Nik Kronwall.

The MVP for Detroit has been Chris Osgood, hands down. I have been so impressed with his ability to focus and to let any doubt from outsiders slide off his back. He was very average in the regular season and at one point his GM, Ken Holland, had him take 10 days off for a little “clarity” to get ready for the playoffs. They have had a long-standing relationship and that trust is something that can’t be underestimated.

The Penguins are here because they belong here. They took Detroit to six games last year but ran out of steam.

Your best players have to lead when it matters most and for me the best player in the playoffs has been Sidney Crosby.

In the first round against Philadelphia, when their backs were against the wall and they were trailing in Game 6, it was Sidney that got things going and changed the momentum, and the same thing can be said for that brilliant series against the Capitals that ended in a Penguins blowout…in Washington, no less….against Alex Ovechkin. Great players do those things and cement a reputation.

He has had plenty of help as Evgeni Malkin is coming into his own right now. His speed, patience with the puck, and power was too much for the ‘Canes. They had no answer.

The wingers for Crosby have been very good as well, with Bill Guerin having a career playoff in points with 15. After starting the postseason slowly, Chris Kunitz has turned it up patrolling Crosby’s left wing. He has history going against the Wings, with all those battles while playing for the Anaheim Ducks, and the animosity he has against them will find its way in the locker room, for sure. It is never a bad thing to have leaders like that in such a heightened environment.

The Penguins have a solid core of defensemen and combine solid shutdown guys when you talk about Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill, and they will see plenty of Zetterberg and Franzen. They play a solid “Dot to Dot” game, where they keep the puck carrier on the outside, and don’t over commit.

Marc Andre Fleury has really evolved in the net. He has matured as a goalie and a teammate, and has made the key saves at the right times in these playoffs, as he did last season. He is just fun to watch because he is a very athletic and active goalie that makes playing the position look like fun. He is always smiling on the outside, but is fiercely competitive on the inside, much like Osgood. Both are candidates for the Conn Smythe, in my opinion.

Here are my Conn Smythe favorites:

1) Crosby
2) Malkin
3) Osgood
4) Franzen
5) Zetterberg

Enjoy the Finals.

- Panger

Darren Pang appears courtesy of the Phoenix Coyotes

Mick Kern appears courtesy of Live From Wayne Gretzky’s

With the Montreal Canadiens set to celebrate their 100th season as a hockey franchise, they’ve gone out of their way to make the year special for not only followers of the club, but also hockey fans in general.

To that end, the Canadiens have cornered the market on most special events happening during the 2008-09 National Hockey League season, with the notable exception of the outdoor game January 1st at Wrigley Field, though whispers continue that the Habs are interested in staging such a game at Olympic Stadium.

Part of their centenary celebrations includes the salute to their impressive roster of Hall-of-Fame players, and fourteen of those men have had their sweater number retired. The names are familiar to every hockey fan; Plante, Harvey, Beliveau, Geoffrion, Morenz, M. Richard, Lafleur, Moore, Cournoyer, H. Richard, Savard, Robinson, Gainey and Dryden.

Half of those retirement ceremonies have come in the past three years, as the Canadiens have made a conscious effort to reconnect to their glorious past.

Which is important to point out, as the team is often lauded for being the classiest when it comes to celebrating its past. The fact is, Montreal Canadiens pride had become somewhat frayed around the edges, as the team not only struggled on the ice, it also lost its way in the management suite and in the boardroom.

Despite the sizeable outcry when American businessman George Gillett took over ownership of the franchise, he has shown an understanding and appreciation of the Canadiens’ place within the cultural fabric of Montreal, the province of Quebec, the country of Canada, and most importantly, the history of hockey.

The Canadiens have successfully reconnected to their past, which at least now is not merely a smokescreen to cover up the fact that they’ve been dismal on the ice. That the Habs have been, mostly from the mid-90′s on, until the 2003 hiring of Bob Gainey as general manager, and their Eastern Conference first-place finish last season is proof that something is finally working.

The good folk of Montreal talk about the Stanley Cup drought that has persisted since 1993, which might rub the good folk of Chicago (1961), Toronto (1967), Boston (1972), and Philadelphia (1975) the wrong way, not to mention all the teams that have never won the Cup, but the standards in Montreal have always been a bit higher.

Those same good folk often point to the statistic that boasts Montreal has won at least one Stanley Cup in every decade.  For example, Cups were captured in 1916, 1924, 1931, 1944, 1953, 1965, 1971, 1986 and 1993, so that’s nine straight decades of at least a taste of success.

Of note are those last two dates…1986 and 1993.

The 1986 Montreal team was an interesting mix of veterans (Larry Robinson, Mario Tremblay, Doug Soetart), players at-or-near the peak of their career (Bobby Smith, Mats Naslund) and a bunch of raw rookies, most of whom had won the Calder Cup with the Sherbrooke Canadiens the year before (Brian Skrudland, Stephane Richer, Patrick Roy).

In retrospect, the 1985-86 Montreal Canadiens were a very solid team, and their record that year reflects that…87 points…good enough for second place in the Adams Division, and seventh overall in the league.
Regardless, when they hoisted the Stanley Cup that season, it was regarded as a surprise, and still is. Newcomers like Claude Lemieux made their mark in those playoffs, but it was goaltender Patrick Roy that stole the headlines.

In his first full NHL season, Roy proved to be the money goalie a team usually needs in order to survive the post-season grind. For his efforts, Roy was given the Conn Smythe Trophy, the first of three he would win over his Hall-of-Fame career.

That Montreal team was a good team, but they don’t sniff the Final unless Roy stands on his head. One playoff game in particular, against the New York Rangers, best illustrated that point. The Rangers, a team that earned all of 78 regular season points, had dominated Montreal in the overtime, but were unable to slip anything past Roy, which bought Montreal enough time for Claude Lemieux to finally bury the winner.
The funny thing is, that team, with some changes, matured into an NHL powerhouse the next three seasons, but were tripped up each time.

The 1987 Habs lost to rookie goaltender Ron Hextall and the Flyers, the 1988 Habs (103 points) were the second best team that year, but were finally upended in the playoffs by the Boston Bruins. The 1989 edition of the team was even better (115 points), but fell in six games in the Stanley Cup Final to the best team in the regular season with 117 points, the Calgary Flames.

By then, Roy was established as Montreal’s starting goaltender, and teamed up with backup Brian Hayward, the Canadiens had the stingiest defence and won a trio of Jennings Trophies.

As good as Roy was in the 1986 playoffs, the next season, he faltered enough in the post-season that Hayward took over, and was in net when the Canadiens edged their bitter rivals, the Quebec Nordiques, in a spirited series.

Roy was outplayed in 1988 by Reggie Lemelin of the Bruins, and the entire Montreal team were just a half-step behind the Flames in 1989.

As good as Roy had been in the regular season, he was unable to translate that into playoff success. Some critics pointed out that his impressive regular season numbers were somewhat artificially inflated, as he started almost every Montreal home game, while Brian “The Road Warrior” Hayward got the road starts.

The Legend of Saint Patrick has its roots in the 1986 playoffs, but it really took hold during the 1993 playoffs (and it was cemented during the 1994 playoff series loss against the Bruins, when Roy returned from the hospital, after he had appendicitis, and started the next game).

After the loss in the ’89 Cup Final, the Canadiens slipped a bit in the regular season, and for three straight years (1990-1992), were beat by the Bruins in the playoffs, including a four-game sweep in 1992.
By the time the 1993 playoffs rolled around, the Canadiens were once again not expected to challenge for the Cup. There were much stronger teams; Mario Lemieux and his Pittsburgh Penguins had 119 points to lead the league that year, and coming off two straight Stanley Cup wins, were picked by most pundits to make it three-in-a-row.

Montreal finished with 102 points that year, slightly inflated by it being an expansion year (the Lightning and Senators joined the league), but all teams benefited from that.  Those 102 points were good enough for sixth best record in the league, so Montreal were hardly underdogs.  For comparion sake, the Toronto Maple Leafs had 99 points that year, while the Los Angeles Kings racked up only 88.  In anything, the fact the Kings made the Cup Final is more of a surprise.

All that being said, Montreal entered their first-round playoff matchup, with their friends the Quebec Nordiques, on a low note. They had not played all that well to end the season, and then dropped their first game against the Nords, blowing a lead late in the game, and then losing in overtime.

Overtime.

That would be the buzzword of the ’93 playoffs, and Montreal would not lose another overtime game that spring.

After dropping the second game to Quebec, the Canadiens rebounded to win the third match in overtime, and took the next three games to wrap up the series in six.

The five teams that finished in front of Montreal that season all experienced breakdowns in the postseason. Montreal took care of Quebec, Buffalo dispatched Boston in four (Mayday Mayday!), St. Louis upset Chicago in four, Toronto shocked Detroit by winning the seventh game in Detroit in overtime on a goal by Nikolai Borschevky, while only Pittsburgh made it through to the second round…

…where they lost to David Volek and the Islanders in overtime in Game Seven.

From round three on, Montreal had the best record of the teams still standing.  But even then, they rode their overtime magic and the money goaltending of Patrick Roy all the way to the Stanley Cup.  Most hockey fans either remember, or have seen the footage, of Roy winking at the Kings’ Tomas Sandstrom, after having once again stymied the L.A. attack.

The Canadiens’ magic continued in Game Two, thanks to the infamous stick measurement on Marty McSorley, and Eric Desjardins’ hat-trick.  A couple of overtime goals by John LeClaire before he became John LeClaire, and a dominating home-win in Game Five garnered the Habs the 1993 Stanley Cup, and Patrick Roy his second Conn Smythe Award.

And from that moment on, the Myth began.

That the 1993 Canadiens were a poor team.

The late, great Jim Hunt once went on the Fan 590 in Toronto, talking about Roy being traded to the Colorado Avalanche, and said that the ’93 Habs were a “horrible team”. He wasn’t alone in that opinion. Somehow, it became fact.

Wrong.

Stats prove that.  So does memory, which is suspect at best.  But common sense also proves that.

The ’93 Canadiens would certainly have not won that Cup without Roy in net, but the very nature of hockey dictates that your goaltender had to be above-average in order to win.

Examine any of the rosters of the past forty Cup winning teams, and the goaltenders on those squads had to have been good, or there’s no parade.

Yes, you have the Roy’s and Cam Wards, and the 1971 Ken Dryden.  But you also have to have a decent performance from the 1976-79 Dryden and Billy Smith during the Islanders’ run and Grant Fuhr/Andy Moog with the Oilers.

Any of those gentlemen slip up, and the very talented teams in front of them collapse like a house-of-cards. Just ask the Ottawa Senators during their time with Patrick Lalime in net. The most damning word in the English language, if, can be applied to the Sens, in particular if Lalime could have stopped a couple of beach ball shots lobbed his way by the Maple Leafs’ Joe Nieuwendyk.

But he didn’t, and a vastly superior team was bounced by Toronto.  Again.

Your goaltender doesn’t have to stand on his head the entire time, but he’s got to be consistently good, and have flashes of brilliance.

Patrick Roy in 1986, and in particular 1993, was exactly that.  That has led many to proclaim him the best goaltender of all-time, and his regular season stats bear that out.

Personally, Roy is in my Top Ten of all-time, but he’s behind Jacques Plante, Glenn Hall, Terry Sawchuk, Dominik Hasek, and my pick for best goaltender of all-time, Martin Brodeur.

Regardless, Roy is a blue chip Hockey Hall-of-Famer, and was given that honour in 2006.  He won two more Stanley Cups with the Avalanche, and won his unprecedented third Conn Smythe Trophy in 2001.  His number was retired by Colorado, but his greatest individual accomplishments were with Montreal.  Roy’s three Vezina Trophies were won with the Canadiens.  His legend, his myth, began in Montreal, and in this year of wall-to-wall Canadiens’ festivities, it would be folly for the team not to invite him to the party.

Of course, there was that messy public divorce back in December 1995 during a blowout loss to the Detroit Red Wings. Roy burnt his Jacques Cartier bridge by informing team president Ronald Corey that he would never again play for the Canadiens.

And he never did.

And the team slowly slid into mediocrity.

And many blamed Roy for that slide.

But, like most things, it isn’t that simple, nor is it true.  A litany of bad management decisions, poor coaching, and poor drafting dropped Montreal into the second division, while at the same time, Roy and the Avalanche were winning a couple of Cups.

It’s been suggested by a number of parties that once the proud/arrogant Roy cooled down following that December 1995 game, he recanted his declaration.  Montreal head coach, and former teammate, Mario Tremblay had never coddled Roy to the same degree that former skipper Jacques Demers had.  That special treatment rhad ubbed some players, and media, the wrong way, but when a guy can walk the walk, such things tend to be overlooked somewhat.

Tremblay, the new sheriff-in-town, was having none of that, and Roy’s meltdown handed him the lever he needed to pry the legend loose.

Yet the Second Roy Myth persisted, even to this day; Patrick Roy quit on his team.

Many in the media, and some fans, still cling to this belief, to the point of objecting to the Canadiens’ announcement last week that they would retire Roy’s iconic number 33.

As if the Second Myth wasn’t enough, many of the dissenting chorus piled on by bringing up the unsavoury on-ice junior hockey incident this past spring involving his son attacking an opposing goaltender.

As if they retire sweater numbers, or put a player in the Hall-of-Fame, based on someone being a good guy.
No, they recognize and honour what happened on the ice.  And with that, and only that criteria, the Montreal Canadiens had no choice but to acknowledge the contribution Patrick Roy made to the team, and to raise his number to the rafters along with the other legends.

To not do so would leave a large gaping hole in their 100th anniversary celebrations.  Unlike Dave Keon and the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Canadiens and Roy were able to put the damage of the past behind them, and embrace their shared glory of yesteryear.

There really was no other choice.

Welcome home.

- Mick Kern

Mick Kern appears courtesy of Live From Wayne Gretzky’s