TAMPA - He loaded up his gear and headed home. Two games into the playoffs last season and Lightning tough guy Andre Roy thought he was done. Done for the series. Done for the season. Done for his career.
Coach John Tortorella essentially told him to hit the road. He told him to take his undisciplined, selfish, out of control shenanigans and shove off. After taking a stupid penalty that led to a goal that led to a loss, Roy was temporarily kicked off the team, though everyone, including Roy, thought at the time it was permanent.
So imagine the joy Roy felt Thursday when he scored the Lightning's first goal, which also happened to be the winning goal and his first postseason goal, in the Lightning's 3-0 Game 1 victory.
"It's quite better than last year," he said. "At this time last year I was already in my car going home."
Roy walks the fine line of being the Lightning enforcer. His job is to patrol the ice protecting his team's stars and dishing out a little intimidation, while not taking any stupid penalties. But in last year's Game 2 against the Capitals, he crossed that line.
"After what happened, I was kind of like, "I might be done here,' " Roy said. "Obviously, (you think that) when you get undressed and go home. I had so many things going through my mind. I did not know what to expect. I did think I might be done here in Tampa."
But Roy returned to play three games in the series against New Jersey and kept his job.
Thursday night, Roy, who played only seven shifts, came full circle with a goal as pretty as any scored by Martin St. Louis this season. He swiped the puck from Islanders defenseman Eric Cairns, then scored on a breakaway against goalie Rick DiPietro.
The funny thing is, Cairns might have coughed up the puck because he expected Roy to whack him across the legs with his stick. "He might have been expecting a check," Roy said. "I just happened to put my stick out there and it ended up on my stick. I was a little lucky."
A little lucky, and then a little good. And the goal put a smile on the face of Tortorella.
"Andre's a good man," Tortorella said. "I always like his personality. ... He's a man that can play. He will do the things he has to do as far as protecting his teammates, but he can make a play. But it has been a frustrating year."
Roy appeared in only 33 games, partly because of injuries but mostly because he was scratched from the lineup. He scored one goal. But he kept working and earned his way back into the lineup just before the postseason. He had earned the confidence of Tortorella and his teammates.
"New heroes show themselves in the playoffs," said center Tim Taylor. "I look at Andre Roy. He can chip in a big goal here and there."
He chipped in a big one Thursday, then capped his night by showing discipline, skating away from a potential fight. "That's good stuff," Tortorella said.
"You would rather be in a situation like this than sitting in the stands," Roy said. "For me, it's great. I want to be in the lineup. It's a great feeling. And hopefully, I can stay in the lineup."
