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Sunday, October 10, 1999
Pound for pound, Roy's a good fit
When the Senators rookie winger looks back on it, it will be memorable as much for what he didn't do as what he did.
Just past the mid-way mark of the second period, Roy and linemates Shaun Van Allen and Kevin Dineen roared through the neutral zone, picking up where their teammates had left off against the Toronto Maple Leafs, launching another wave on goaltender Curtis Joseph.
Van Allen dropped it to Roy and the big winger leaned into a low, hard shot. The 40-footer sizzled low to Joseph's glove side, slamming into the back of the net. Not a bad way to score your first NHL goal.
The game was on Hockey Night in Canada, viewed coast-to-coast; it came against the Leafs and it beat the one goaltender who can challenge Dominik Hasek as the best in the game.
Less than a minute later, in an episode that likely did more for Roy's future here than scoring that goal, Roy got involved with Leafs tough guy Tie Domi in front of the Ottawa bench, Domi trying to goad him into their second fight of the night. With his teammates shouting from the bench for him to ignore Domi, Roy resisted the challenge and referee Mick McGeough handed Domi an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, putting the Senators on the power play.
Not dropping his gloves against Domi showed the kind of discipline Senators coach Jacques Martin demands from his role players.
"It was a smart move on his part," said Martin.
There have been more than a few people who have felt the Senators needed a physical presence the last couple of years. The problem has been finding one who could fit the Senators' unique demands. These are not the Chicago Blackhawks, after all.
One of the things that makes the Senators a league power is their depth and Martin relishes those nights when he can roll over four lines and use all 12 forwards to wear down the other team. A one-dimensional tough guy throws things out of whack because if he can't play regularly without hurting you, somebody else has to be double-shifted.
If you look at the other players who have attempted to fill the role of tough guy on the Senators during the Martin reign, it was clear they simply didn't have the skill to be a player who could sustain the club's emphasis on speed, shift after shift. Dennis Vial and Chris Murray were willing scrappers, but couldn't measure up when it came to playing the game.
Enter Roy, a 24-year-old who had time to do a couple of loads of laundry with the Boston Bruins (three games in 1995-96 and 13 in 1996-97), but just two years ago was playing with Charlotte of the East Coast Hockey League.
That's a lot closer to nowhere than the NHL, if you're scoring at home.
He was picked up close to the trade deadline last season while he was on his way to leading the IHL with 395 penalty minutes while playing for Fort Wayne.
"(Discipline) is something I've got to work on," said Roy. "Last year everyone was talking about me having 395 penalty minutes and there were a couple of times when I snapped and took a couple of dumb penalties. The coaches were telling me to play hard, but disciplined, because they wouldn't take it in the NHL."
Goalie Ron Tugnutt, who sits next to him in the Senators' dressing room, reminded Roy between periods not to fight Domi again.
"He's a young guy and he would probably want to show off in front of the home crowd," said Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson. "But he showed discipline and that meant a lot to the team. Domi can say what he wants, but Andre did it for the team."
Roy, born in Port Chester, N.Y. (his dad worked construction) and raised in St-Jerome, Que., came to camp as an unknown, but impressed with his skating ability and his shot. It was a shot good enough to make him the trigger man in junior with shifty Daniel Briere setting the table.
It's a good shot and has the unique quality that at any given moment neither Roy nor the goaltender knows where it's going.
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