Influenced by the invitation of the Montreal Canadiens, Patrick Roy enjoyed sharing the experience he had with Guy LaFleur on Tuesday during his national funeral.
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The speech he gave caused a lot of backlash and was, according to many, one of the highlights of the ceremony.
“It’s sad to see someone so young leave but he was so well organized. I was nervous before giving my speech, but seeing others before me made me feel good and be ready when it was my turn,” he admitted on Wednesday.
In his speech, Roy talked about the three defining moments he experienced with his ex No. 10 Canadians: His first encounter with him during boot camp in 1984, a time he had during the Return of the Blond Devil at the Montreal Forum in 1989, as well as his last encounter with him, a few months earlier, at the Videotron Center.
All the moments he wanted to highlight.
“I had the pleasure of being able to discuss my first meeting, the match [du 4 février 1989] As well as his recent visit here at the Videotron Center. These were the moments that marked me in my encounters with Jay. I wasn’t necessarily very close to him, but there’s still a lot of respect from him as well as my own. I was touched that Canadians allowed me to speak so I could pay tribute to him and share my story. »
humor point
In his speech, Roy also showed a sense of humor on several occasions, among other things when he told how the evening of February 4, 1989 had been “enchanting”.
“So charming that when he scored two goals for me, I got a standing ovation!” he recalled before raising a wave of laughter.
“We don’t always know how to do it, whether it goes well or not. On the other hand, it was a strong moment for me, the February 4, 1989 match. It’s in people’s memory and I’ve heard some people say that it was one of the most important matches they attended. This was the case for me as well.”
What he will remember from this meeting is, among other things, holding the blond demon in front of all the attention he was attracting.
“The way he handled it, it’s amazing. Do it with humility and be able to perform after that. Guy, he was a ‘performer’. He arrived in this match with two goals and one assist. He could have hit a lot of guys but he didn’t. He collides, I can tell you that.”