| Was the tenuous relationship between Patrick Roy | | | | accounts of this meeting the squabble was more |
| and Mario Tremblay the real reason for the blowup | | | | childish than professional. It did however mark a mean |
| that happened that fateful night in December 1995 | | | | spirited streak that Tremblay used to his advantage as |
| while hosting the Detroit Red Wings? As we now are | | | | a player, but couldn't control as a coach. Patrick Roy |
| debating the honor of having Patrick Roy's jersey lifted | | | | and Mario Tremblay never did get along as player and |
| to the rafters of the Bell Centre in Montreal, it is clear | | | | coach, and when you don't have the de facto team |
| that Bob Gainey and the Montreal Canadiens | | | | leader on your side, it's tough to coach in any |
| organization have at the very least put the incident | | | | circumstances. |
| behind them, and possibly have now sided with St. | | | | Keep in mind here that Mario Tremblay was replacing |
| Patrick even though his actions that night were | | | | a very popular players' coach in Jacques Demers and |
| deemed immature to most viewers. | | | | the team was only a season and a bit past hoisting |
| Mario Tremblay for his part, was a passionate fiery | | | | the Stanley Cup for the 24th time in franchise history. |
| player himself for the Habs and was actually Patrick | | | | Regean Houle was also a general manager, trying to |
| Roy's first roommate on the road when the young | | | | fill the shoes of Serge Savard and with the team not |
| goalie joined the Canadians the same year Mario | | | | doing so well, the near future of the Habs didn't look so |
| would retire. Tremblay was known to tease Patrick | | | | great even with Patrick Roy in the lineup. This was a |
| during that first season because of Patrick's lack of | | | | very stressful time for Montreal fans AND Mario |
| English, but really, that is what teammates do. It is more | | | | Tremblay. In retrospect, a man of his character and |
| what Tremblay did as coach of the Habs that some | | | | passion could easily let temperament rule the day. |
| could bring his judgment into question here as the | | | | Later in his tenure as coach of the Habs (after Patrick |
| team's new teacher. | | | | Roy's departure), other players like Donald Brashear, |
| That fiery passion often translated into a lack of | | | | Lyle Odelien and Vincent Damphousse found it a |
| leadership for Tremblay, a quality that a coach really | | | | not-so-pleasant atmosphere. The players that the |
| should have and that without, will wear thin on players, | | | | Habs got in return for Patrick Roy were all eventually |
| and over time will surely cause alienation - which is | | | | traded and none of them really worked out as true |
| exactly what happened in Montreal. The day that | | | | assets to the team, making Tremblay's short tenure |
| Mario Tremblay was announced as the Montreal | | | | nearly impossible. With that said, neither party was |
| Canadiens' head coach, he and Patrick got into it during | | | | innocent but the spectacle could have been avoided |
| the very first team meeting that Mario called. By all | | | | altogether in a more favorable time in Montreal. |