Patrick Roy, the best goaltender in professional hockey the past twenty years, announced his retirement today.

"I've had a blast. It's been unbelievable. I've been so fortunate to have lived a dream and have fun for more than 18 years earning a living by playing a game I love," Roy said, alternately speaking in English and French.

"I will remember the good days and cherish the great moments," he said. "I'm leaving with the feeling that I've done everything I could to be the best."

The 37-year-old Roy owns nearly every major goaltending record. He is a four-time Stanley Cup champion, winning two each with Colorado and Montreal. He is the only three-time winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the playoff MVP, and is the NHL's career leader in victories with 551 and games played with 1,029. He also won the Vezina Trophy, given to the league's best goaltender each year, three times. Both of the goalies currently in the Stanley Cup Finals, Brodeur and Giguere, are French-Canadian, and looked to Roy (pronounced "Wah" for you hockey-ignorant plebeians) as their inspiration for making it in the NHL. With two Cups under his belt already, Brodeur seeks a third, while Giguere hopes to begin his own Cup-winning legacy. Looking at what he's accomplished, one could make the argument that, at least as far as the past twenty years is concerned, what Gretzkey was to forwards, Roy was to goaltenders. His performance dimmed slightly these past few years, overshadowed by Brodeur, Belfour, Turco, and others, but they all look to him as the greatest goalie in the modern NHL. I'm just glad I got to see him play. Au revoir, Patrick. Merci.

Stars' color man Daryl Reaugh has expertly captured what we should hear from the NHL front office. As one of my wife's colleagues put it: "Hockey is the only sport where you can out-play your opponent and still lose." At this point, with three former Cup-winning Stars in the lineup, I'm rooting for the Devils, and Brodeur's 3d Stanley Cup. Down with the team of destiny Disney. (Thanks, Brian!)

My favorite hockey team clinched its series in 6 games, and is now the #1 seed in the playoffs, thanks to Anaheim knocking off the defending Stanley Cup champs. My second favorite team in the NHL trounched Osgood and the Blues 4-1 at the Garage in their Game 7. And my third favorite team, the upstart Wild, have upset the Avs and mighty Patrick Roy, handing Roy his first-ever Game 7 overtime loss. So the Canucks will face the Wild, and Dallas takes on the Ducks. And thanks to my lovely bride, I'll be at the AAC for Game 2 on Saturday! Go Stars!

One day before the NHL's trading deadline, the Stars make some moves to set themselves up for their run for the Stanley Cup. Currently second overall, Dallas traded big Sami Helenius (and "future considerations") to Chicago for playoff-experienced Lyle Odelein. Prospect Mike Ryan and a 2d-round draft pick go to Buffalo in exchange for Stu Barnes. Brian and I agree that the Stu Barnes trade is a good one, and the gritty forward will help fill the gap left by an injured Bill Guerin, as well as add depth to Dallas' lines. We're a little torn over the defensive trade, as we're both big Sami fans. He has a great presence on the ice, and it's unfortunate that the Stars will have to face off against him in the future. On the plus side, there is young John Erskine waiting in the wings. Erskine exhibits very Hatcher-esque qualities, qualities that have made the Stars' captain one of the top defensemen in the league. Erskine has been up from the minors a few times over the past two years, mostly to fill in during injuries to starting defensemen, and has shown he is a force to be reckoned with. So, nothing huge in the way of trades, but that's not surprising when it comes to the Stars. They pretty much have had all the major pieces they need for a playoff run, and just needed to fill in some gaps. Go Stars!

Former Dallas Star Joe Nieuwendyk, currently with the New Jersey Devils, reached the 1,000-point plateau last night with a goal against Magnificent Mario's Pens in a comeback win for the Devils. Many Stars fans, myself included, were sorry to see Nieuwey go, though we understood Stars management's thinking at the time. Congrats, Joe!