Roy's son brawls in QMJHL playoff game

[Terry]

TSN.ca Staff

3/22/2008 11:23:13 PM

The spirited rivalry between the QMJHL's Quebec Remparts and Chicoutimi Sagueneens reached a new low on Saturday, and once again, a Roy was front and centre.

This time, however, it wasn't Quebec head coach Patrick Roy, but his son Jonathan who plays goal for the Remparts.

With the Remparts trailing 7-1 near the end of the second period of their playoff game on Saturday, players on both sides began to brawl. The younger Roy skated towards Chicoutimi netminder Bobby Nadeau, but was held back by two on-ice officials.

According to reports, it was at that point that father Patrick told his son to go after Nadeau. Jonathan Roy skated towards the opposing netminder and landed a series of punches without any retaliation, then saluted the opposing fans before starting another fight with defenceman Sebastien Rioux.

Chicoutimi won the game 10-1, evening up the best-of-seven series at a game apiece.

Roy, one of three goaltenders used in the game by his father, got a game misconduct. During the second intermission Mikael Audette dressed and he played in the third period. There were 118 total penalty minutes in the game.

Francois Levesque and Nadeau combined to make 26 saves, while Roy, Audette and Kevin Desfosses combined to stop 36 shots.

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[Terry]

If anyone saw the highlights or youtube, Roy was just losing trying to goad Nadeau to fight him. After being held back by the ref, Roy faked the ref into thinking he was going to go back to his craese and then charged Nadeau, who was just standing in his net not doing anything.

I would think Roy and his old man, who is said to have told his kid to go after Nadeau, would get suspensions. However, I also read that the Q hold Patrick Roy in high esteem and look the other way when he's pulling crap like this.

[thedarkangel1975]

I never liked Patty Roy. This is typical officals kissing the ass of a former star player. I hope Roy never sees the light of Day in the NHL ever again. I was glad when Osgood kicked his ass.

[Terry]

QMJHL suspends Patrick, Jonathan Roy

TSN.ca Staff

3/25/2008 6:21:22 PM

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League suspended six players and two coaches today for a total of 28 games in relation to a brawl that took place Saturday night in a playoff game between the Quebec Remparts and the Chicoutimi Sagueneens.

The incident has also drawn the attention of the province and Quebec's director of public prosecutions has launched an investigation.

Remparts goaltender Jonathan Roy, who apologized Monday for flipping the bird to the crowd after engaging in two fights, was hit hardest. He was suspended for seven games and fined $500.

His father, Remparts coach Patrick Roy, was suspended five games.

Patrick Roy apologized to Nadeau and his family, to the Remparts organization and his son.

"I regret not controlling the situation better," Roy said in a brief statement in French at the Pepsi Colisee in Quebec City. "I saw what Jonathan went through in the last few days and it was painful for him.

"If I had controlled things better, he wouldn't have had to go through that."

"The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League finds the events which took place over the course of last weekend's games deplorable and unacceptable," said QMJHL commissioner Gilles Courteau in a statement.

"We are deeply troubled by the incidents. In closing, I'd like to warn organizations that these types of incidents will not be tolerated and that should any more occur, steep fines will be handed out."

Maxime Lacroix of the Remparts was suspended three games, and teammate Marc-Olivier Vallerand got two games.

The Remparts were also fined $4,000.

Chicoutimi's Sebastien Rioux was suspended for six games.

Sagueneens coach Richard Martel received an automatic two game suspension because one of his players left the penalty box to join the melee.

Two other Chicoutimi players were suspended. Charles-Antoine Messier will sit for two games and Antoine Roussel got a one game penalty.

The Sagueneens were also fined $4,000.

The brawl started in the second period with Chicoutimi ahead 7-1. As fights erupted, Roy skated to centre and looked to be challenging Sagueneens' goaltender Bobby Nadeau to a fight. Officals intervened, but when they left Roy to break up other fights, be charged the Chicoutimi net and pummelled Nadeau.

Roy then made rude gestures to the crowd, which prompted Rioux to jump him and start another fight.

Patrick Roy has denied encouraging the brawl.

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[Terry]

Some want Roys suspended longer

The Canadian Press

3/25/2008 7:47:57 PM

MONTREAL - The hockey brawl that saw Patrick Roy's son Jonathan pound an opposing goaltender was widely deplored on Tuesday.

And some felt Jonathan and Patrick Roy got off lightly with seven-game and five-game suspensions respectively.

''It certainly isn't anything we like to see in the game,'' said Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson.''Any time you have a person such as Patrick Roy involved, it always brings that much more attention.

''That's why it's been there in the media for that length of time.''

Nicholson discussed the incident with Canadian Hockey League head Dave Branch, who had talked to Quebec Major Junior Hockey League president Gilles Courteau before the suspensions were issued.

The melee that erupted in the second period of a playoff game between coach Patrick Roy's Quebec Remparts and the Chicoutimi Sagueneens on Saturday, won 10-1 by Chicoutimi, has been replayed repeatedly across the country this week.

It featured Jonathan Roy skating the length of the ice to pummel Chicoutimi's top goaltender Bobby Nadeau, who avoided suspension by refusing to fight back. Video footage shows Roy gesturing to his son before the attack, although the Hall of Fame goalie denied he was involved.

The Quebec justice department has opened a police investigation into the incident.

While he didn't want to discuss the criminal investigation, Quebec Premier Jean Charest said Tuesday that junior hockey must reflect on the amount of violence on the ice.

Charest added his voice to those who have called for the abolition of fighting in junior hockey.

''We expect that the league will reflect, that other leagues (elsewhere in Canada) will do the same and the message sent by Quebecers is that the time has come to put an end to fighting in junior hockey,'' said Charest, in attendance at the Colisee Pepsi in Quebec City for Tuesday night's game.

Don Phelps, coach and general manager of the Junior A Calgary Canucks, said both father and son got off ''very, very light.''

''I think it's embarrassing to most legitimate hockey coaches because that sort of behaviour, it emanates from the bench. And how these players behave is a reflection of the coach.''

Former Canadian Olympic coach Pat Quinn, a tough defenceman in his playing days, deplored the brawling.

''We've seen these things before, but most of us don't like seeing things of that nature in the game,'' said Quinn. ''We know there's fighting, but this seemed a little over the side.''

Some feel that violence in junior leagues may move parents to have their sons to play college hockey instead, but former NHL forward Ray Ferraro disagrees.

''There just aren't as many places available in colleges than in junior,'' said Ferraro, now a hockey analyst on Rogers Sportsnet. ''And to damn all of junior hockey because of one act of stupidity is past the edge of reason.

''When I played in the Western Hockey League, if you got through the warmup without a fight it was good, but times have changed,'' he added.

Ken Moore, a Calgary hockey dad, agreed.

''Our society is changing and doesn't condone that sort of action any more,'' he said. ''That's not sport. That's not hockey.

''That went out with the Broad Street Bullies (the Philadelphia Flyers) in the 1970s. You look at the tape and I think he was egged on by dad. I think five and seven games was way too light. What kind of precedent are we setting?''

''I can't believe five and seven is all they're getting,'' added Hockey Calgary president Perry Cavanagh.

Philadelphia goaltender Martin Biron, a former Rempart who is from Quebec City, stayed up late on Saturday night to see the footage after hearing of the brawl. Even he was somewhat shocked.

''It's a battle and there's lot of emotion out there,'' said Biron. ''And it's young kids.

''Some regrettable things happened. I don't think people were very proud of it. But it happens sometimes.''

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[thedarkangel1975]

Crap like this gives hockey a black eye and people wonder why a hockey's popularity has never growen. An asshole like Roy should have been suspended longer.

[chaytercon1]

Apparently there is a criminal investigation now.

[nick39]

a criminal investigation?? weird. I despise Roy, but an investigation is kinda rediculous imho.

[Terry]

I was thinking there would be a criminal investigation merely because of what J. Roy did.

What's burning me though is the usual knee-jerk responce from isiots like Jean Charest. People like that should just worry about filling the potholes and keeping the economy from tanking.

[Fisherman93]

atleast the Q has the ball to suspend people,unlike the NHL.

[Brae]

Mar 31, 2008 9:05:04 GMT -5 Fisherman93 said:

atleast the Q has the ball to suspend people,unlike the NHL.

That may be true, but like one of the sportstalk shows I was listening to at work (I think it was Fan 590) said, the Q is more lenient then the other 2 junior leagues (that and Patrick Roy was involved, from what I gather the Q tends to look the other way sometimes when he is involved).

I honestly think if that incident happened with another player/coach tandem in that league, it would have been a longer suspension. I also think if it happened in the O or Dub, it might have been even longer.

In the O you often see at least one 15 or 20 game suspension (sometimes more). In the 'Dub' it's apparently close to that as well (anyone here that follows the dub care to confirm or clarify?)

[Fisherman93]

oh im no disputing that it would've been longer had it been anyone else.
but atleast they did something.

[Brae]

Apr 3, 2008 0:24:19 GMT -5 Fisherman93 said:

oh im no disputing that it would've been longer had it been anyone else.
but atleast they did something.

Yea my father really thought the Q was just going to look the other way. "It's Roy & it's the playoffs."

Being on sports media all over the country & into the US also put the pressure on the Q to do something

[vicarious]

I was shocked they did anything too. I figured Roy would have been slapped on the wrist and told bad boy. If this was the NHL, Bettman would have gave him three game "star" treatment.