Not only do the top four goaltenders in all-time NHL wins come from Canada, they all come from the province of Quebec.
Indeed, Martin Brodeur (691) leads the pack by 124 victories followed by Marc-Andre Fleury (567), Patrick Roy (551) and Roberto Luongo (489). Brodeur and Luongo, in fact, grew up one neighborhood apart in the Montreal suburbs.
My, how times have changed.
Heading into the 4 Nations Face-Off, goaltending is considered the biggest question mark for Canada. The team hierarchy is hoping that one of Jordan Binnington (St. Louis Blues), Adin Hill (Vegas Golden Knights) and Sam Montembeault (Montreal Canadiens).
It’s a far cry from the two-plus decade stretch starting in the mid-1990s when the likes of Roy, Brodeur, Fleury, Luongo, Carey Price and Curtis Joseph were always among the top goalies in the game.
Roy doesn’t know exactly what has happened to the state of Canadian goaltending. At the same time, he isn’t shy to candidly air his disappointment about the situation.
“At this point, it’s sad,” Roy said in a 1-on-1 with NHL.com on Saturday. “I mean that from the standpoint of how our strength in the League was once goaltending. And I mean that at the junior level too.
“Again, it’s sad to see where this is going. But at the same time, I do believe that people will find a solution to help out.”
Roy, the coach of the New York Islanders, began noticing the disturbing trend during his tenure as coach of Quebec of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from 2018-2023.
“Why has this happened? I have no idea. I wish I could tell you,” Roy said. “I don’t know what it is. I guess it’s a trend.
“There was a time when kids here wanted to be goalies. Now they want to be goalies and defensemen. So, it’s hard to explain. Is it a lack of development, in that regard, from minor hockey? I don’t know. And I certainly don’t want to throw a jab at these people. I mean, everyone’s trying hard. Everyone wants to develop the best they can.”
Perhaps one of the issues is: If you are a kid in your early years of minor hockey in Canada, which goalie in the NHL right now do you look to as an idol, a mentor.
“When I was growing up, I would look up to goalies like [Dan] Bouchard, (Rogie Vachon), those guys,” Roy said. “And when I played, some younger guys would look up to me or Marty or Luongo, those guys, and Fleury now.
“It’s hard to understand. I guess it’s up to them to want young players to want to play the position.”
One last question for Roy, the same one jokingly posed to Brodeur last month. That is, any chance he’d come out of retirement to join Team Canada?
To no one’s surprise, his answer was the same as Brodeur’s.
“No way,” the 59-year-old Hall of Famer said with a laugh. “It’s safer behind the bench!”