King No More

"The other guys played well enough to win 3-2," Roy shot back.

This deal could work out well for everybody in Colorado, at least once the Avalanche trainers figure out the twitchy Roy's 112 superstitions. (Number 47: Velcro his left suspender to his shoulder pads.) Fans will receive foreign-language instruction—the Rocky Mountain News quoted a French professor from Colorado State in the sports pages—and Roy, an avid golfer, gets a two-club break in Denver's thin air. But he needs new golfing partners. Mario Tremblay took him for $100 last summer, and Roy was looking forward to a chance to win it back.

"I think the Mario incident was minor," Montreal assistant coach Steve Shutt says. "For 10 years Patrick not only had to carry a team, but the province. Now he goes to Colorado, and all he has to do is stop the puck. That's the best thing that's happened to him."