5 greatest NHL goalies in the history of hockey

3. Patrick Roy
1984-2003
Canadiens and Avalanche

Patrick Roy is the one goalie on this list who knows what it was like to play in the Wild West that was the 1980s NHL. He led the league in save percentage in 1987-88 with just .900. If you looked at that in the 2022-23 season, that would be good for 61st in the NHL. That just shows what it was like to be a great goalie in the 80s. Games would often end with an 8-5 score. Yet, Roy was still standing out despite the insane offense.

Unlike others on this list, Roy failed to win the Calder Trophy in his rookie year. That's okay, he won the Conn Smythe as Playoff MVP. He helped the Canadiens win another Stanley Cup, adding to their NHL record. He was fantastic in the playoffs, winning 15 games and posting a .923 save percentage. Roy was amazing in the playoffs for the Canadiens, bringing home another Stanley Cup for the franchise in 1993. That's still the last Stanley Cup any Canadian franchise has won. When Roy forced his way out of Montreal, he took the hopes of Canada with him.

He went to Colorado after Mario Tremblay was hired as Canadiens coach. He and Roy did not get along, and Roy eventually refused to play another game for the franchise. It was a very public and ugly exit.

With Colorado, Roy was as great as ever. He immediately made an impact on a team that had Hall of Fame talent in Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg. In his first season in Colorado, he helped them win the franchise's first Stanley Cup. He won another one, a one-on-one duel with Martin Brodeur that went seven games in 2001. Roy is only third on this list because he left on top. While we have incredible longevity from the top two, Roy was done at 37. We just wish we were able to squeeze every drop of greatness out of Roy.