Five coaches in QMJHL history have reached 500 wins. A sixth will be added shortly: Patrick Roy.
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The Quebec Remparts head coach has won 498 games behind the Red Devils bench and could therefore reach the 500 mark against the Rimouski Océanic on Saturday. He would thus join the select group made up of Richard Martel (589), Guy Chouinard (569), Yanick Jean (553), Mario Durocher (546) and Réal Payment (541).
Speaking to the Quebec media on Tuesday, Roy mentioned that he was unaware of the plateau he was about to cross.
“It definitely makes me realize how fortunate I am to be able to work in what I love, hockey, and that the passion has always been there. It also makes me think about the people who have helped me,” Roy said yesterday morning, specifically citing team president Jacques Tanguay and head of team services Nicole Bouchard.
Aside from the victories, Roy is particularly proud of working with hundreds of young players over the course of his career.
“When I started, my goal was not to be an NHL coach. I wanted to pursue a career in junior hockey. […] What makes me most proud is that I’ve been able to give back to my sport and have enabled certain players to succeed as hockey players but also as citizens. »
dedication
Little did Remparts captain Théo Rochette know that the hockey player would go down in history.
“I’m not surprised,” he said as a colleague summarized the feat within his grasp. He’s been around for a long time and he’s a great coach. Everyone appreciates him in the dressing room and I’m really happy for him to come here. We will try to allow him to reach that plateau this week. »
For Rochette, it is this passion for hockey in particular that has allowed Roy to approach the 500 plateau.
“It seems he has the taste to win. He’s a winner who doesn’t like to lose and that’s the passion. The moment you don’t care about losing, you realize the passion is gone. He, you see, he still has it. »
maturity
The center player, who Roy named Remparts captain at the start of last season, believes he has grown a lot under the 57-year-old head coach.
“He matured me a lot. When I turned 17 I had a lot of gaps in my game and he worked very hard with me. We made a lot of videos together, we watched all my games. I learned a lot from that. Since I’ve been here, I’ve always had a close relationship with him and he’s always given me good advice. He matured me, whether it was in the draft or in the league. I’m really glad I had the opportunity to meet him. »
Roy will have an opportunity to claim his 499th win on Wednesday night when the Baie-Comeau Drakkar visits the Videotron Center.