The middle finger intended for Patrick Roy and Alexander Radulov

15 years ago, Alexander Radulov lifted the packed collegium with 11 points in a 16-3 Quebec Remarks victory over Rimoski Oceanic. If so, a few hours before, he did not know if he could take part in the match.

The match of March 19, 2006 will stand in the memory of 12,485 spectators, and on a match set by Andre Saward on February 5, 1971, Radulov saw an all-time record of almost 12 points.

But this morning, number 22 was not at its best.

“A minor injury angered me, but I do not remember exactly what it was,” Radulov said in a telephone interview with the Journal. That morning in practice I was in the treatment room and Patrick (Roy) came up to me and asked if I wanted to play or relax. I finally decided to play. ”

Before the game, as had become a habit, Brent Abin went to pick up Radulov at Patrick Roy’s residence in Lock-Beauport. The boarding family of “Radu”, Helen and Albert Pocket, moved there a few months before the sale of their home.

“In the car, Radu reminded me that he was not on his plate. When we got to the arena, he told me he was going to rest in a room at the Colosseum, and told me to come and wake him up 20 minutes before the warm – up, ”recalled the former No. 18 in Ramparts.

At this point, Abin has 56 goals on the clock, 54 against the Russian star. Internally, the Quebec team sees a chance of becoming the number one scorer.

“In the locker room while dressing, I told him jokingly that it was a good thing he was getting injured and that it would allow me to score more goals than him,” Abin adds.

Big mistake!

Dominance

During the 2005-2006 season, O’Connor recovered from the Sydney Crosby exit. Prior to the meeting, Doris Labonte’s team had 10 wins in 69 games and posted a deadly differential of -180.

Encounter begins and is uneven as expected. Shortly afterwards, the Red Devils took a 7-1 lead. Radulov already had two goals and two assists.

“It all worked out,” Radulov recalled. It’s on fire and every time I touch it, it’s working. ”

Middle finger

Despite the dominance, the Rimparts did not step up and Patrick Roy continued to send Radulov on the ice regularly, thus responding to the demand of supporters who would constantly chant his name in the Colosseum. On the other hand, the head coach of Oceanic Doris Labonte is by his side.

Eventually the Rimparts insult their opponents from 16 to 3 and before leaving for the locker room, Labonte sends the middle finger to Roy.

“I’m going to let Andre (Jolicouir) talk to you, otherwise it will overflow. However, all you have to do is go and ask the good lord, and he will explain everything to you, ”Labonte said at the time, refusing to return to the journal with these events.

To this day, Roy denies insulting Oceanic.

“Radu was completely on fire that day and he picked up points quickly. He’s a special player and he deserves special treatment. The Quebec people wanted him on the ice and I had to give them. The last thing you want is to embarrass the opponent, but we have to impress our fans. In addition, we asked our players not to slow down, and if I did, I would not send the right message. “

With his seven goals and four assists, Radulov topped the QMJHL scorers with 152 points from 62 games, 17 more than his nearest rival, Stanislav Laskak of Saguenz de Chikoutimi, who scored 135 out of 64.

He was ahead of Abin for leading scorers for Remparts with 61 for 57 for Quebecs.

“I think I hit him!” Come on, that’s it. When you want to get the best of yourself, you have to break it, ”laughs the man who played for the Roosters of Israel this year in the German first division.

Instant Chemistry

The March 19, 2006 match will, in a way, be decisive for the rest of Remports de Quebec’s journey to win the Memorial Cup. With the reunion of Alexander Radulov and Matthew Melanson in the same trio, Patrick Roy has now created a duo that will threaten the opponent’s defense in the playoffs.

Until then, the two left-handed team are playing on the right wing of the first two lines.

In the final game of the season, after losing 2-1 to their great rivals Saguenz de Chikoutimi, Roy decided to change his ways and put Melanson on Radulov’s left and 16 – year – old center Angelo Esposito. He loved what he saw to repeat the experience in the next part.

“When Patrick put us together, we were talking to each other without talking to each other,” Melanson told the Journal, which collected seven points on March 19. I do not have the talent, but I saw the game as he did. I have the skills to complement each other nicely. It’s really an honor for me to be part of this team and especially to play with him. He’s a special player and definitely the best offensive player I’ve ever had the chance to play for. ”

In the end, Mellonson scored 25 goals in 23 playoff games, while Radulov topped the league scoring with 21 goals and 55 points.

The best in 21 years

By scoring 11 points on March 19, 2006, Alexander Radulov not only broke the all-time record, but also achieved an extraordinary feat for his time.

The only time a QMJHL player has scored 10 points in a game since 2000 was in the 2000-2001 season, when Mark-Andre Thinell and Carl Mallet each reached 10th on the 3rd. November 2000.

From Radulov, Thomas Kubalik (2009) and Samuel Paulin (2019) are the closest players to the Saward record, with eight points in a single game. With this in mind, Sidney Crosby, considered the best player to have played in QMJHL since 2000, did not score more than seven points in a single game.

Continuing record

Although Radulov came close to Andre Saward’s record of 12 points, he still holds the record. On February 5, 1971, Saward Guy scored 10 of 14 Quebec Remarks goals with Laughlor in a 14-1 breakout with National de Rosemont.

Saward finished the game with three goals and nine assists, while Laughlure added four assists and scored seven goals. Ironically, Laughlur’s Seven Goals Journal de Quebec spoke in its February 6 edition.

It was not until the second paragraph of the text that Sword told us that he had “broken a mark from time to time.”

Note that their trio partner Mitchell Brier finished with 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists).