Tampa Bay enforcer and ex-Senator Andre Roy is still paying for having that mouth foaming meltdown against Philadelphia earlier in the month.
Roy lost a fight to Flyer Riley Cote which was shown over and over again on the video screen above the ice, inciting the already rabid Philly fans to ridiculous heights of derision. Roy had to be restrained on the bench by coach John Tortorella who looked like he was going to unload a few fists of his own. Roy was then suspended by the team but was brought back in when Vincent Lecavalier and others went to the coach to plead on his behalf.
Even if Roy gets to sit in the locker room, Torts won't play him and that's a shame, says Erik Erlendsson from the Tampa Tribune:
"It's a shame that a guy who stands up for his teammates on the ice - and has his teammates stand up for him off the ice - and is asked to play with an edge can't be forgiven when he crosses that line. It's not like Roy went Chris Simon on anybody and cross-checked an opponent in the mouth or deliberately stomped onsomebody's foot. ...
But Roy, who for the most part this year has stayed on the right side of that edge he has to play on, doesn't deserve to be treated like an outcast. He is a stand-up guy who is asked to play a sometimes-difficult role. Roy is liked and respected in the locker room, and that goes a long way."
Interestingly enough, Bruce Garrioch wrote in his Sunday column that the Senators would be interested if Roy makes it to free-agency this summer. Roy is definitely a better all-around player than Brian McGrattan is but it's important to remember that McGrattan is also a very popular guy in the dressing room. Dany Heatley even gave McGrattan his All-Star jersey to show his appreciation for what McGrattan does.
Unfortunately, neither John Paddock or Bryan Murray seemed to have any interest in playing him.
Now that's the real shame.
1 comment:
Great points.
Roy seems to be one of the few Lightning players who still give a damn this season (along with Lecavalier, Tarnasky, Darche and MacDonald). I was watching the HD Net broadcast, who had Cote miked up. Before the second fight, Cote asked Roy, "Do you want to go?" to which Roy clearly replied, "Not right now". After all, the game was still tied at that point. Cote dropped the gloves anyway. What exactly was Roy supposed to do in that situation? Maybe this made him as angry as anything else, who knows? I know one thing. Roy is one of those players I will like regardless of his team, like Briere, Naslund, St. Louis and Ryan Miller. So if Roy becomes a Senator I guess I'll be watching a lot more Senators games next year.
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