Marc-André Fleury may have stepped onto the ice at the Bell Center for what may be the last time in his career. At 38, he is entering the final year of his contract and at the end of the season he should draw a line under a brilliant two-decade career.
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His resignation marks the end of an era. That of the young goaltenders from Quebec who wanted to wear the pads while watching the skills of Patrick Roy with the Canadiens and Avalanche. The Sorelois were eight years old when Roy led the Habs to their last Stanley Cup.
Reality hit Monday afternoon when the Wild goaltender said it would be “an honor” if he tied Roy for second place in the column of goalies with the most games won (551) in the NHL. With that easy win on Tuesday night, he only needs six more to achieve it.
There was a time when, thanks to Roy, all young people in Quebec wanted to wear leggings. This popularity, coupled with the arrival of Martin Brodeur, ensured that Quebec’s goalkeepers were in the spotlight. We talked about a real children’s room.
These two great stars paved the way for Fleury, Félix Potvin, Roberto Luongo, Éric Fichaud, José Théodore, Marc Denis, Martin Biron, Jean-Sébastien Giguère, Corey Crawford, Jocelyn Thibault, Patrick Lalime and others Stéphane Fiset, Jonathan Bernier, Mathieu Garon and Pascal Leclaire.
Freefall
In addition, the four masked men who have had the most success in the best league in the world (Broudre, Roy, Fleury and Luongo) belong to this group.
To give you an idea, in 2002-2003, Roy’s final season in the NHL, 14 La Belle Province goaltenders had played at least 20 games on the Bettman circuit, including four of the top five that season. Fifteen of the 30 teams at the time saw at least one pass through their ranks.
This season there will only be three: Fleury, Samuel Montembeault and Devon Levi.
And it won’t get any better. In the last four drafts, only three have heard their name: Quentin Miller (2023), Levi (2020) and Rémi Poirier (2020).
It’s worth asking questions. What happened ?
A few years ago, François Allaire, Roy’s mentor, mentioned in a report published on our pages that the problem with Quebec goalkeepers was that they had been overtaken by the rest of the world. This ice hockey had become international.
This is part of the answer, but there is certainly more. Our specialty is no longer recognized even in the country. Since 2018, only two Quebec goalkeepers have secured a spot on the junior national team. Levi, in 2021, and Olivier Rodrigue, who held the third goalkeeper position last year.
The last hope
Gabriel D’Aigle currently plays for the Victoriaville Tigres. According to observers, he will be the next Quebecer to leave his mark in front of an NHL goal.
Like Fleury, the 1.80 meter tall man, born in 2006, comes from Sorel. In the summer they have the same goalie coach and occasionally share the ice.
He is the last remaining hope of this endangered species. A lineage that survives.