USATODAY.com - Brodeur-Roy key duel in Stanley Cup final
05/24/2001 - Updated 10:56 PM ET
Brodeur-Roy key duel in Stanley Cup final
By Kara Yorio, Gannett News Service
WEST ORANGE, N.J.  It's a great story: Man meets boyhood idol in competition for most treasured prize in their profession.
Martin Brodeur grew up in Montreal. In 1986, when Brodeur was 14, Patrick Roy burst onto the scene with the Canadiens. He was a goalie from Quebec, a large man with a ton of talent playing in a hockey-obsessed town.
Brodeur's father Denis was the Canadiens' photographer and young goalie Martin asked for a picture of Roy to put in his room with the other players he admired. At about 16, Brodeur met Roy for the first time. By then he was used to meeting athletes and while he was excited, and he remembers it, he certainly wasn't overwhelmed.
And now here they are  Colorado Avalanche goalie Roy facing New Jersey Devils goalie Brodeur in the Stanley Cup Finals, which begin Saturday night at the Pepsi Center in Denver. It's a best-of-seven series between the top teams in each conference during the regular season. Winner takes home the Stanley Cup.
The truth is, none of the background information is needed for Brodeur/Roy to be an exciting, high-profile battle. It is two of the game's greatest goalies going head-to-head, one as his career winds down, the other in his prime. It is the NHL's winningest goalie in history vs. the man who  barring injury  will no doubt challenge that record seasons from now.
"It reminds me a lot of last year," Devils coach Larry Robinson said Thursday after the Devils practiced at South Mountain Arena. "That's what made last year's Stanley Cup Finals so special. You had two fine goaltenders at their best."
For Brodeur, Roy showed that a French Canadien goalie could come into the league and dominate. His style was a little restricting for Brodeur. Even at 14 or 15, Brodeur knew he wanted to be a puck handler who helps keep the play moving and gives his teammates another skater on the ice. But Roy represented greatness and success and Brodeur wanted that, too.
In the first couple of seasons, he got a special thrill out of those games that had Roy in the opposing net. Now it's not as big of a deal for Brodeur personally, but it's a huge challenge professionally.
"Now I'm playing against one of the best goalies," Brodeur said. "That's how I see it. I'm not playing against the guy I looked up to, he's a great goalie. It's a tough thing to do. They challenge you every time you're out there, whether it's (Dominik) Hasek or (Ed) Belfour or anybody. These are things that stay with you. Against good goalies, they won't give you anything, so you try to match that."
Brodeur and Roy see each other at All-Star games, the Olympics and a couple of times during the regular season.
"We have a great relationship, whenever we see each other we'll talk to each other," Brodeur said. "We'll wave at each other if we can't get to each other."
They are unlikely to do a lot of chatting over the next couple of weeks. But Brodeur will talk to his teammates about Roy. His scouting report is "Keep Roy out of a rhythm." Brodeur does not recommend taking a bunch of shots from the blue line or just firing at random.
"It's important to pick and choose," said Brodeur.
"He's no different than any other goalie," Devils forward Alexander Mogilny said. "It seems like every series we're playing against a great goalie. This is another one."
In Montreal, it's probably not a stretch to say most of the hockey fans are rooting for their hometown son and not their former hero.
"He was a God in Montreal," Brodeur said.
"Was" is the important word there. It was a bitter split between the Canadiens and Roy.
"Whenever it goes bad, it's a little hard for the people who are there playing big bucks to support him," Brodeur said. "It's understandable."
Roy was traded to Colorado on December 6, 1995. That same season, he led the Avalanche to the Stanley Cup. In Denver, where he has a street named after him, he has elevated himself above mortals as well. Now he has a chance to help bring the Avalanche a Cup again, but Brodeur and teammates stand in his way.