Montreal Canadiens legendary goaltender Patrick Roy found success with methods that included talking to his goalposts.
Fun fact: This cover was a particular favorite, so much so that it was blown up poster-size for our 60th anniversary party, then brought back to the office, where it hung out for years. (How much influence did then-designer and now creative director Erika Vanderveer, a Patrick Roy super-fan, have on the decision? She won’t say.)
Regardless, Roy’s legendary career was already taking off by September 1986, and he was the toast of Montreal after leading the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup the previous spring, earning himself the Conn Smythe Trophy at 20 along the way.
In the cover story, Roy is described as a child of Quebec’s Quiet Revolution, “a rich kid who chose hockey over law (school)” who listened to Bruce Springsteen on team flights and admitted to talking to his goalposts. One of the voices quoted in the story is Ken Dryden, who, like Roy, found instant success in Montreal but also knew the pressure. “You just knew that almost immediately the judgments would come and come quickly,” Dryden said. “Whether you’re really as good as last spring or just an anomaly.”
Well, as it turns out, Roy really was that good.
— Adam Proteau, The Hockey News
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