November 26, 2001
It's no coincidence Roy's skipping Olys
History reveals strange truths
By DICK CHUBEY -- Edmonton Sun
Tell me it's nothing more than sheer coincidence.
But Patrick Roy's decision to withdraw from Team Canada's Olympic team does follow an alarming pattern of high-profile snubs, involving common denominators.
Consider ...
Back in 1984, Saskatchewan-born Bryan Trottier, in the prime of a splendid career, passed on the Canada Cup team. Trottier opted to play for Team U.S.A., maintaining he was of North American heritage and Canadian Caucasians had racially ridiculed him as a youngster.
Team Canada at the time was coached by Glen Sather, whose Edmonton Oilers earlier that year snapped the New York Islanders' Stanley Cup-winning streak at four.
Oddly enough, other Isles (Brent Sutter, John Tonelli, Bob Bourne, Mike Bossy) suited for Canada and contributed handsomely to the eventual victory. They set their NHL differences aside and - to the surprise of many - teamed up harmoniously with the numerous Oilers on the squad.
Trottier's now an assistant coach in Colorado.
* Ray Bourque played for Canada in the 1987 Canada Cup and 11 years later in Nagano during the Olympics.
What transpired inbetween?
Well, oddly enough Bourque's Boston Bruins were beaten in the only two Stanley Cup finals they appeared in during that stretch. By the Oilers, no less.
Who operated the Oil? Why, a smirking, cigar-chomping Sather, of course. The same Slats Sather who managed Canada Cup entries in 1989 and 1982, plus Team Canada's World Cup side in 1996.
Bourque passed on all three of those teams, but went to Japan in '98 when Bob Clarke was installed as GM, replacing Sather.
Bourque concluded his brilliant career in Colorado, finally winning that Stanley Cup that eluded him twice previously.
* Now Roy pulls the plug on his country.
Roy has openly admitted he didn't cotton to Sather one night after blanking the Oil 2-0 in Denver a few years back, winning a goaltenders' duel with Curtis Joseph.
"I don't like Glen Sather,'' he blurted to scribes for the then-Oilers' GM employing Joseph as his main man in the crease for the '96 World Cup.
Now Wayne Gretzky and No. 99's former Oiler roommate Kevin Lowe represent the management braintrust for Canada's Salt Lake City aggregation.
Gretzky wouldn't hand Roy the No. 1 post on a silver platter, saying check your egos at the door and his top two goalies would start the first two games.
After that, a No. 1 man would be named.
So Roy's off to the Quebec Pee-wee Tournament instead, to watch his son play.
Pat Roy plays goal for Colorado.
It's all simply coincidence, right?
STARS HIT THE TRAIL
The sputtering Dallas Stars take to the road for their next four games, including a Skyreach Centre visit next Saturday.
Coach Ken Hitchcock's surly bunch probably couldn't get out of Big-D soon enough. Following Friday's 3-3 tie with Philadelphia, the Stars have gone 0-3-2 in their new home-ice digs where they haven't won since whitewashing Nashville 3-0 Nov. 2.
The Predators know all about home-ice woes, having subjected their fans to five straight losses prior to turning the corner. Ever since, they've rolled along at 5-0 at the Gaylord Entertainment Center.
Yet, some of the giveaway promotions these franchises conjure up leaves one to wonder. In the midst of their latest stretch, 10,000 fly swatters were handed out for a 3-2 victory over Columbus.
Hardly surprisingly, the promo bugged Blue Jackets' GM Doug MacLean to no end.
"People who are desperate to put people in the stands will do anything,'' spewed MacLean. "This just shows me they're desperate ... They should be embarrassed.''
The affair attracted 14,243 customers. Only in four of 14 home outings have the Predators drawn more.
THEY SAID IT
* "There was about a five- or-six-minute span where I thought his common sense was nowhere to be found. He went brain-dead there for a little bit ... and it's not good.'' - Curtis Joseph on referee Mike Leggo ignoring what the Toronto goalie felt were obvious crease violations during Friday's 3-1 loss on Long Island.
* "You expect that - it's part of hockey. They were just venting out their frustrations.'' - Washington defenceman Brendan Witt on a series of scraps that resulted in 148 penalty minutes as the Caps trumped the New York Rangers 6-2 Friday.
* "It was a lot of work. Steve (Yzerman) came in after the period and said, 'Don't complain that you didn't get any work.' '' - Detroit goalie Manny Legace, who was forced to make 23 first-period stops during Wednesday's 1-0 OT victory over Columbus.
IN THE CREASE
San Jose Bryan Marchment's six-game suspension for KOing Edmonton-native Shane Willis of Carolina with a vicious elbow has been served following the Sharks' 3-1 loss in L.A. yesterday ... The former Oiler is eligible to return Tuesday versus Nashville. Say what you like about the notorious Mush, but he was one of the first former teammates on the phone to Ryan Smyth when the Oiler winger broke his ankle.
2002 Games Men's Hockey Coverage
