MISE À DAY
Sergei Bobrovsky's brilliant performances during these playoffs are reminiscent of those of Patrick Roy with the Montreal Canadiens in 1993.
C' is what François Allaire said during an interview with Jean-Charles Lajoie on Thursday.
“If you want to get to the final, you need a series that the goalkeeper steals for you. It's very rare that a goaltender will be lukewarm for four rounds and win the Stanley Cup. It takes something, at some point. Patrick had done that in 1993. The Nordiques were really strong. They started the series with two wins, but we were able to turn things around. He took the pressure off us and the team was gone after that. Against Toronto, this is the series where our goalkeeper stood out. He managed to beat a team that was supposed to be superior to us. This is the parallel that can be drawn between the two.”
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The former goalkeeper coach also shared a secret about the 1986 conquest.
“At the time, Jean Perron had decided to go there with Patrick. It was a decision that was not easy to make. Two weeks before the start of the playoffs, he told me to only take care of Patrick and not to talk to the other goalies anymore. In my head, I told myself that there was a message behind that. I'm so happy to have experienced this with Patrick. For me, it was important to prove myself. Patrick gave me the opportunity to do that. Afterwards, I solidified my place in hockey.”
The one who is now a consultant for the Florida Panthers today wishes another colleague to get his hands on the precious trophy, Roberto Luongo.
“I hope he wins the Stanley Cup. He didn't do it as a player, but I think that's the only thing he didn't do. I hope he will succeed at the management level. I think he deserves it. I hope so for him because when you lose in the final, it's the worst feeling you can have in hockey.”