Nilan recalls ‘little boy’ Roy eating Big Macs
Chris Nilan and Patrick Roy were teammates when the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup in 1986.
And on this week’s HI/O Show on The Gazette’s hockeyinsideout.com website, Nilan recalls when the rookie goalie first walked into the Habs’ locker room.
“He was a little boy, actually,” Nilan says. “He was just a young boy. Showing up here, he had them old leather pads, no colour on them, white mask.
“And I just think of McDonald’s when I think of Patrick.”
Nilan recalls Big Macs being a big part of Roy’s diet in those days as the goaltender hung out at the McDonald’s near the old Forum.
Nilan joins Gazette columnist Dave Stubbs and sports editor/host Stu Cowan on this week’s show.
Roy was back in town this week as head coach of the Colorado Avalanche, who lost 6-3 to the Canadiens Tuesday night at the Bell Centre, and Stubbs notes that Roy said all the right things. “He talked about the Canadiens’ grace and class, he talked about how nice it was to be back in the Canadiens family, and then he talked about his own club,” Stubbs says.
In an HI/O poll question this week, 70 per cent said they wished Roy was coaching the Canadiens now.
Nilan also talks about his close friendship with another former teammate, Mario Tremblay, who was coaching the Canadiens in 1995 and helped trigger Roy’s trade to the Avalanche by leaving the goaltender in net for nine goals in an 11-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. The panel discusses the fact Roy and Tremblay are back on speaking terms, thanks to Michel Therrien, and about who was really to blame for the events that resulted in Roy leaving town.
Other topics of conversation include Thomas Vanek’s hat-trick against the Avalanche and the strong performance from the Canadiens’ new fourth line of Brandon Prust, Travis Moen and Dale Weise.
Nilan also shares some tips he gave Prust when it comes to dropping the gloves. You can watch a new HI/O Show every week at hockeyinsideout.com, where you can also get all the latest Habs news, post your comments and follow Mike Boone’s live blog during every game.