MONTREAL — No one told Patrick Roy what would happen during Thursday's national anthem.
So when the Canadians interjected a pregame rendition of “O Canada” with a slideshow of photos from Roy's playing days, Roy was as surprised as anyone.
After spending the lead-up to Montreal's return insisting on focusing on the Islanders, the cheers turned to jubilation as the scoreboard camera panned to Roy's No. 33 and then to the Islanders' new head coach. , positive evidence was obtained that hopes were in vain. coach.
“I want to thank the Montreal Canadiens. What they did was really great,” Roy said after the Isles lost 4-3. “The fans, as always, were a good crowd. It's like New York. Good fans love their team and want to support it. Thank you.”
No matter how much Roy tried to downplay it, his first game coaching in Montreal since 2016 was met with a hero's welcome and a media circus.
It seems like every character in this city has a story about Roy – seeing him, meeting him, hearing their parents talking about him.
That includes Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis, who on Wednesday recalled scoring a goal from Roy as a 12-year-old during a pee-wee tournament.
“I think there was a Humpty Dumpty practice every year where fans would come and watch the Canadiens practice. And my team would go on the ice and everyone would break off and try to have a shootout with Patrick,” St. Louis said. he told reporters. “Patrick poke-checked me and made it easy for us, but I turned him over and scored.”
St. Louis also played against Roy in the NHL and is now counted among his coaching contemporaries. But once you're an idol, you'll always be an idol.
“While I was a goalie on the streets as Patrick Roy, we all admired and looked up to him,” St. Louis said. “And he was very important to me. For the rest of the kids who grew up here, he was kind of the main figure of the French players for a long time.”
There was no update on Adam Pelech's condition as he was ejected in the third period after taking an elbow to the head from Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher, with Gallagher being ejected five minutes into the major.
Hudson Fassing was also sidelined for good during the first period after sliding into the end boards on a breakaway.
Semyon Varlamov stopped 22 of 26 shots in his first game since Jan. 2.
Roy said that last Friday, the same day as Lane Lambert's last game as head coach between the Islanders and the Blackhawks, Lou Lamoriello called him and told him he was being hired. It is said that he was
