Conroy, a rookie with the Canadiens, was on the bench when the hall of fame goalie told team president Ronald Corey he was finished with the storied franchise
Conroy, a rookie with the Canadiens, was on the bench when the hall of fame goalie told team president Ronald Corey he was finished with the storied franchise
For all the chaos and controversy that surrounded the Calgary Flames this season, especially in the first month of action, it’s nowhere near the level Craig Conroy saw early in his NHL career.
Conroy, the Flames general manager, had a front row seat to the infamous night Patrick Roy played his final game for the Montreal Canadiens. Saturday was the 28th anniversary of the Dec. 2, 1995 game in which Roy was left in the Montreal net until he surrendered nine goals against the Detroit Red Wings, and — believing coach Mario Tremblay left him in the net to humiliate him, a byproduct of a long-time acrimonious relationship — went to team president Ronald Corey as soon as he was on the bench and told him it was his last game with the Canadiens.
“He talked to Mr. Corey and then he walked behind me and sat down,” recalled Conroy, who was a 24-year-old rookie. “He spoke in French, so I didn’t know what he said, but my buddy, Scott Fraser was right next to me and said, ‘This will be his last game as a Canadien.’
“Then he told us in the locker room as he was leaving. I think the one thing he took was his helmet as he walked out.”
A few days later, Roy was traded to the Colorado Avalanche, a turning point transaction for both clubs, as Roy backstopped the Avalanche to the Stanley Cup.
“He was a god in Montreal. It was amazing to watch. In the NHL, there are lots of great players, but the way Patrick was treated in Montreal, it was on a whole different level,” Conroy recalled.
“When that day happened, I thought everyone was going to go home and calm down, but that wasn’t the case.”
Conroy himself saw first-hand Roy’s fire. His first ever practice on the same ice as the Hall of Fame netminder earned Conroy a punch to the face from him.
“We were just scrimmaging and my first shot, I hit Patrick in the head,” Conroy recalled. “He was great to me after but that wasn’t a great day. He punched me in the blocker and I thought, ‘Now, Patrick Roy hates me.’ ”
As for his part in the infamous game in which the Canadiens were on the receiving end of an 11-1 drubbing at the hands of the Red Wings, Conroy’s stat line says no points and a minus-4.
“Two of them were my fault, but two of them weren’t my fault,” Conroy said. “Sergei Fedorov had a breakaway and Vinnie Damphousse changed so I went on for one of those goals against.
“Geez, minus-4. It’s partly my fault Patrick Roy wanted out of Montreal.”