Sather snub still sticks in Roy's craw
May 1, 1997 - In his native country, where hockey is religion,
Patrick Roy reigns as
a goaltending god. And heaven have mercy on any Canadian who blasphemes him.
For going on 10 years, Roy has felt slighted by Edmonton's
Glen Sather. So pity the
poor Oilers, who work for Sather and must face the Colorado Avalanche in Round 2 of
the NHL playoffs. Because hockey has no wrath like a Roy scorned.Roy has taken
long quaffs from the Stanley Cup and won the Vezina Trophy three times. He's the No. 1
netminder of his generation. But, at age 31, Roy never has worn the uniform of Canada in
any major international competition. From the 1996 World Cup dating back to the Canada
Cup in '87, Roy has been frozen out every time when his nation's pride was on the blue line.
How could that be possible? "It's a cause of deep sadness for him and me," said Pierre Lacroix,
Avalanche general manager and long-time confidant of Roy. "He has been the best goalie in the
game, but he has got pushed around by his own country. The history of Canada with the
World Cup and international competition is a lot of political B.S." The single man who has
shoveled the most disrespect on Roy's career? It seems to be Sather, who has helped put
together every Canadian all-star team of the past decade. But Roy forgets absolutely nothing.
He collects slights and turns them into saves. Did you see broken Canadiens coach
Mario Tremblay, who humiliated his famous goalie fewer than 18 months ago, with those
painfully moist eyes while announcing his resignation from Montreal? Bad things have a
strange way of happening to antagonists who roil Roy's blood. Roy does not need anger to
beat the Oilers. But that knowledge won't lessen his pleasure while getting even.
The goalie does not care that Sather blames Detroit coach Scotty Bowman for blacklisting
Roy from the World Cup team last year. And it would only further incense a proud athlete
to hear Sather suggest Roy's ego couldn't have handled playing behind Curtis Joseph
or Martin Brodeur on Canada's national squad. "Look," Sather said from his Denver
hotel room, "I don't know Patrick Roy from a hole in the ground. I've never even spoken
to the man. I don't begrudge him for being outspoken on this issue; it certainly snubbed
his ego. But I don't know what Patrick Roy being upset has to do with this playoff series.
Maybe he needs it as motivation." Roy refused to talk Wednesday after practice, vowing to
deliver a communique today. Let the Oiler quake with apprehension. "Flame the fires
anyway you want, but you're not going to get any smoke from this side of the fence. The
Colorado Avalanche shouldn't need any special motivation to beat us. We've got nine rookies
in the lineup. We've an inexperienced team with very fragile egos, and they're the
favorites to win the Stanley Cup," said Sather. After compiling a list of reasons why his
Oilers have no shot against Colorado, Edmonton's general manager issued a concession speech
before the first puck is dropped in this series: "We should be very easy for the Avalanche.
It shouldn't be anything for them to beat us." If Roy requires somebody to kiss his skates,
then let Sather be the first in line. "I think you would not get an argument that Patrick Roy is
the best goaltender in hockey right now," Sather said. "When
Canada picks the 1998 Olympic
team, I would think he would be the first choice. I can't see anybody else getting the job."
But Sather is tired of the subject. "I," he declared, "will have nothing further to say about
Patrick Roy." It is better to be caught in acid rain than Roy's vengeful stare. And his icy
blues are fixed on the Oilers now. Colorado's goalie will not pick a fight with an old enemy.
It will be more fun to destroy Sather's team. Roy won't need to say a thing. The last word
will be humiliation. It will be clear to anyone with eyes.
By Mark Kiszla
Denver Post Sports Columnist
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