Giguere Still Looks Up to Roy

Mighty Duck goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere was 9 years old and growing up in Canada, already fostering dreams of playing for an NHL team, when he discovered who his idol would be.

Giguere wanted it to be someone from the old Quebec Nordiques, his favorite team as a youth, but they weren’t competitive in the mid-to late-1980s. So he became attached instead to a member of the rival Montreal Canadiens, a hotshot with a quick glove named Patrick Roy.

Giguere, 24, will be across the ice from his idol Friday when the Ducks play Colorado, and although it won’t be for the first time, it still brings back memories of his childhood.

“I still look up to him,” Giguere said. “I was a Quebec fan and I didn’t want Montreal to win, but at the same time, [Roy] was the best. He was special.”

When he was with Calgary in 1998, Giguere defeated Roy and Colorado, but has yet to top him in three tries with the Ducks, going 0-1-2.

“I still think he’s the best goalie in the game, but when I play against him I’ve got to focus on my game, not him,” Giguere said.

*

The injury news continued to be bad for the Ducks.

Defensemen Keith Carney and Oleg Tverdovsky skated lightly in practice Wednesday, but Murray doesn’t expect them back for the Colorado game.

Carney is still recovering from a deep cut on his elbow and Tverdovsky has been slowed by a strained groin.

“It doesn’t look very promising that either one is going to play,” Murray said. “Oleg is skating, but it’s hard for him to really do everything he likes to do.”