Origins of mocking the goalie

[Star Ocean]

 

[Big Phil]

I lost some respect for Roy that night, and honestly I've never gotten it back. I thought he was great prior to that, and, even though I like Colorado in the late-90s, I've never really liked Roy since then.

You're getting paid big bucks to play goal. So, play goal. Don't mock the fact that you're sucking. Especially in the Montreal Forum.

Roy was a polarizing guy, so what he did certainly gave people some opinions. But this was just awful as well by the Montreal faithful. I get the feeling they never thought they would lose Roy and he would be theirs until the end. You have a goalie who is obviously having a rough night in net, a coach who is letting him rot in there out of spite and this same goalie is the only reason your franchise has won a Cup since the 1970s. I say, you give him a break. He's your franchise. But when Roy got pulled and he went straight to Ronald Corey and told him he would never play again then it was at that moment where the mystique of the Montreal Canadiens was gone for good. Roy was traded 3 days later and won a Cup 6 months later and the Forum was gone three months later. Montreal has never recovered from that, to this day.

I have to wonder just what his night in net would be if Jacques Demers was his coach. He seemed to have a better understanding with him. And would Serge Savard not been able to talk him off a cliff at least?

 

[adsfan]

Probably the most famous case of it would be Patrick Roy getting the "Bronx cheer" in 1995........his last game as a Hab.

In Phil Esposito's book he recalls his first game as a Bruin. Milt Schmidt came into the dressing room afterwards and gave them hell for losing. He then looked over at Gerry Cheevers and said (I am paraphrasing) "What's your story?" Cheevers said to him that he felt like a q*eer. Milt got him to explain it. Cheevers said "That's what happens when 15,000 fans call you a c*ck-sucker." Apparently even Milt laughed at that tension easing statement from Cheevers. So that was 1967 and I think it was a Montreal crowd he was talking about.

Jacques Plante when asked once about how it is to be a goalie his response was: "How would you like it if every time you let in a goal a red light goes on and 20,000 boo you?"

So I am not sure if that constitutes "chanting" at the goalie so much but it just shows you that goalies have always been the target from fans. I honestly can't even think of when chanting started. It almost feels like it always has been there. Maybe it made a very fluid transition and no one noticed? I don't know.

The quote that I heard had 14,000 people. Plante finished his career in the WHA with Edmonton in 1974-75. Maple Leaf Gardens seated 15,700 or so and the Montreal Forum seated less than 18,000. The Northlands Coliseum seated 16,839.

 

[adsfan]

I started going to Dayton Gems games in 1964. I remember the "sieve" chant around 1970 or so. Definitely no later than 1975. I assumed that it came from the college ranks.

 

[The Panther]

You have a goalie who is obviously having a rough night in net, a coach who is letting him rot in there out of spite and this same goalie is the only reason your franchise has won a Cup since the 1970s. I say, you give him a break.

I don't disagree, but I wasn't talking about the coach or the fans. I'm talking only about Roy's personal response to his situation. Having your own pity-party on the ice in front of 17,000 isn't cool when you've been around a while, been a champion, and should know how to conduct yourself (not to mention if playing goal is too much pressure for him, he could go and get a real job).

 

[Big Phil]

I don't disagree, but I wasn't talking about the coach or the fans. I'm talking only about Roy's personal response to his situation. Having your own pity-party on the ice in front of 17,000 isn't cool when you've been around a while, been a champion, and should know how to conduct yourself (not to mention if playing goal is too much pressure for him, he could go and get a real job).

I get it, but I think things were stemming long before that. The Habs had missed the playoffs the year before and got off to a shaky start in 1995-'96. They hired a coach he didn't like as well. I can see that sort of stuff starting to boil over in a game that you allow 9 goals. The main thing I didn't like that night with Roy and no one ever seems to notice this is that when he makes that save and then sort of waves back to the fans in mock response he leaves the puck right at the side of the net for his defenseman to get it but Sergei Fedorov comes dangerously close to picking the puck up and it would have been an easy goal with Roy being distracted.