If you tuned in on Dec. 2, 1995, to watch the Montreal Canadiens face the Detroit Red Wings, you probably had no idea you were about to see one of the NHL’s most dramatic turning points. On paper, it was just another regular-season game. On the ice, it turned into a nightmare.
Detroit was steamrolling Montreal. The score was an ugly 11–1, and Patrick Roy, the Canadiens’ franchise goalie and two-time Stanley Cup champion, was still stuck between the pipes. Goal after goal went past him. Fans in the Forum were stunned, and Roy was furious. By the time head coach Mario Tremblay finally yanked him—after nine goals—it was too late.
Roy skated straight to Canadiens president Ronald Corey, walked past Tremblay without a word, and told Corey he’d just played his last game in Montreal. Four days later, he was gone—traded to the Colorado Avalanche in one of the most infamous deals in hockey history.
The Irony: Scotty Bowman Was Behind Roy’s Meltdown
The twist? The man behind Detroit’s bench that night was none other than Scotty Bowman. Yes, the same Bowman who had led Montreal to five Stanley Cups in the 1970s. The coach who built his reputation at the Forum was now the one on the opposing bench, steering a Red Wings team that humiliated his old franchise and cracked open the door for Roy’s exit.
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Bowman didn’t mean to embarrass Roy—it wasn’t some personal vendetta. But the Red Wings’ relentless attack, mixed with Tremblay’s stubborn refusal to pull his goalie, created the perfect storm. The Canadiens lost more than a game that night. They lost the backbone of their franchise.
Roy’s Exit Led to the Colorado Avalanche’s Jackpot
For the Avalanche, Roy was a gift from the hockey gods. They didn’t just get a great goaltender; they got a legend with a massive chip on his shoulder. He arrived in Denver determined to prove Montreal wrong, and the Avalanche knew instantly they had their missing piece.
That spring, Colorado stormed through the playoffs. Roy was unbeatable when it mattered most, and the Avalanche captured their first Stanley Cup by sweeping the Florida Panthers. Just like that, Roy’s story flipped: he wasn’t finished—only finished with Montreal.
The Full-Circle Moment for Patrick Roy and Scotty Bowman
To win that Stanley Cup, though, Roy had to go through Bowman again. Detroit had just finished one of the best regular seasons in NHL history with 62 wins. They were heavy favorites in the Western Conference Final.
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But Colorado wasn’t intimidated. They stole the first two games in Detroit, with Roy posting a Game 2 shutout, and never looked back. The series is remembered for Claude Lemieux’s crushing hit on Kris Draper in Game 6, which sparked one of hockey’s nastiest rivalries. But at its heart was Roy, outdueling the team that had once buried him in embarrassment.
The Avalanche eliminated the Red Wings in six games, then went on to lift the Cup. For Roy, it was the ultimate payback. For Bowman, it was a bitter pill—at least in that moment.
Montreal’s Lasting Regret
Meanwhile, Montreal was left with the short end of one of the worst trades in league history. Roy and the Canadiens’ captain Mike Keane went to Colorado for Jocelyn Thibault, Martin Rucinsky, and Andrei Kovalenko. None came close to replacing what Roy had meant to the Canadiens.
The franchise hasn’t won a Stanley Cup since his departure. There’ve been flashes of hope, but never the kind of championship magic Roy once delivered. To this day, Canadiens fans still wonder: what if Tremblay had pulled him sooner? What if the front office had mended fences instead of moving him?
A Canadiens’ Legacy Twisted by Irony
Looking back, it feels almost too perfect in its cruelty. Bowman, the coach who built Montreal into a dynasty, was behind the bench the night that dynasty’s last true cornerstone walked away. Roy, the goalie who lifted banners into the rafters at the Forum, went on to lift two more Cups in Colorado. And the team that embarrassed him into leaving? They had to watch him celebrate, just months later, after he outdueled them in the playoffs.
Montreal lost a legend. Colorado gained a dynasty. And Bowman—though stung in 1996—quickly rebounded, winning three more Cups with Detroit in 1997, 1998, and 2002.
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Hockey doesn’t always hand out neat storylines. But this one, full of irony and fallout, remains one of the most unforgettable.
[Note: I’d like to thank Brent Bradford (PhD) for his help co-authoring this post. His profile can be found at www.linkedin.com/in/brent-bradford-phd-3a10022a9]
