One of the last add-ons to Team Canada's 1994 Olympic team was Jean-Yves Roy, a New York Rangers farmhand who was scoring goals by the bunch in the American Hockey League.
Roy had previously played parts of the previous two seasons with the Canadian national team. The University of Maine graduate with a reputation for scoring goals was welcomed back with open arms.
But he found himself in the middle of a political controversy.
Roy was the only French speaking skater on the Canadian Olympic hockey team, and that offended the separatist Bloc Quebecois political party. They cried foul and asserted the hockey team was discriminating against Quebecers.
"It is totally blown out of proportion," Roy said. "People like controversy and they tend to exaggerate everything."
Accusations of discrimination were typical headline grabbing tactics by the political party. Roy couldn't have disagreed more.
"I don't feel that way at all," said Roy "I have been with the team off and on for two years and I can't complain with the way I've been treated.
Roy would only find the back of the net once in the Olympics but still helped Canada capture the silver medal.
Roy would go onto a brief NHL career, most notably with the Boston Bruins. He spent most of his career playing in Germany.
Jean Yves Roy retired in the Boston area, where he owns his own real estate company and is a referee in the NCAA.
No comments:
Post a Comment