Jaroslav Halak: Great Game, But No Patrick Roy

Jaroslav Halak had one of the best single game performances in Montreal Canadiens history, stopping 53 shots in a 4-1 win over the Washington Capitals in game 6 of their Eastern conference quarterfinals.

What is shocking is not the adulation Hab fans have for Halak at this moment, but that so many of them are mentioning him as the next coming of Patrick Roy.

Patrick Roy won 4 Stanley Cups in his career, and won the Conne Smythe trophy for the most valuable player in the playoffs an NHL record 3 times.  Roy has the NHL record for playoff wins, with 151, and shutouts with 23.

Halak has yet to win a playoff series, and has never had a playoff shutout.

Patrick Roy won 3 Vezina trophies as the leagues best goaltender, and won 551 NHL regular season games, with 66 shutouts.

Jaroslav Halak has won 56 games, and has 9 shutouts.  Granted Halak is only 24 years old, so he has not had the chance yet to amount such numbers as Roy.

However, the fact that so many Hab fans are making such ignorant comparisons after Halak's great performance shows their sometimes near sighted nature when it comes to goaltenders.  They are still waiting for the second coming of St-Patrick. 

A few years ago, they thought they had found it in Jose Theodore after his Vezina/Hart Trophy season.  Then they got swept up in Cristobal Huet fever for a while.  Then came "Jesus Price".  Now it's Halak.

Unfortunately for Hab fans, there will probably not be a goaltender who can equal the feats that Patrick Roy accomplished in their lifetime.  Jaroslav Halak is having the season of his life, and chances are this undersized, technically flawed goaltender, who goes down early, and spills rebounds consistently into the slot, will never even come close to Patrick Roy. 

Comparing Jaroslav Halak to Patrick Roy is a mere dream.  Hab fans can choose to believe this dream if they want, but chances are, they are in for a rude awakening.