Much of Patrick Roy's image has been forged on his money-game performances.

	Patrick Roy posted nine shutouts in 2001-02, a career single-season high.

He knows the way the game is played, at least off the ice: Hockey men sit around and broach the theoretical questions, and the conversation becomes more heated -- and more honest -- as the bar tab gets higher. In the past decade, when it came down to the issue of which goaltender you'd want in the net if it came down to one game, if livelihoods depended on it, Roy usually would get the majority of the votes.

Sometimes the support came grudgingly, even profanely, because Roy's ego and arrogance -- both of which have been as critical to his success as his work ethic and perfectionism -- have grated on a lot of men in his sport.

But he had it.

The image of last season's climax, though, was of Roy sitting on the Colorado bench in Joe Louis Arena during Game 7 of the Western Conference finals, wearing a towel and a look of resignation -- but not of anger or embarrassment.

The Red Wings so thoroughly dominated the Avalanche in a 7-0 rout, it had the feel of a game that should have ended prematurely by a mercy rule.

Roy, whose Statue of Liberty gaffe in Game 6 in Denver helped swing the momentum in the series back to the Red Wings, looked like a shaky rookie -- and nothing like the impregnable force who had his best regular season ever, posting a 1.94 goals-against average and keeping the Avalanche from complete collapse during a desultory first couple of months.

So as the Avalanche opened camp and the goaltender was within a month of his 37th birthday, the pertinent issue was not whether Roy's "money" image had eroded. It has; that's undeniable. Roy's third Conn Smythe Trophy and the Avalanche's championship of 2001 are archival material. The ignominy of Game 7 in Detroit and even the gaffe of Game 6 are remembered, and it's reasonable to wonder if they have helped plant seeds of self-doubt in the previously self-assured goaltender.

It would be reasonable to wonder that, except for one thing: One critical part of Patrick Roy's greatness has been his ability to slip into denial and avoid self-excoriation. He cares about winning, he is a perfectionist, he works hard at his craft, and if public denial about his infrequent ineptitude helps preserve both the aura and the drive, it's an acceptable adjunct to his greatness.

In other words, ask him about possible lingering effects of the Detroit disaster, and he doesn't take the question personally.

Who, me?

"Obviously, we should have been disappointed, but I don't think as much for Game 7 as Game 6," Roy said. "We were up 3-2 against Detroit, coming into our own building. We should have played a much better game than we did. I think everybody on this team knows that. It was a bit like New Jersey (in the 2001 finals) when we beat them there in Game 6, and it was tough for them to win Game 7. It was tough for us to win another one after Game 6. That was the game we should have won."

	Patrick Roy Goaltender Colorado Avalanche Profile
	2001-2002 SEASON STATISTICS W L T SO SV% GAA 32 23 7 9 .925 1.94

But what of ending his season on the bench after being pulled? (Of course, if Montreal coach Mario Tremblay had paid more attention to that protocol in November 1995, and yanked Roy sooner in another Detroit romp, history might have changed.)

"That doesn't bother me one bit," Roy said of the magnitude of the Game 7 loss -- and his exit. "Obviously, you can make a big deal of it, but it's a loss. A loss is a loss -- 2-1, 7-1, the bottom line is you lost the game and you're disappointed."

Yes, it's possible that if Roy has a substandard season and playoff run and his skills obviously are eroding, we could look back at those two games against the Red Wings as the harbinger. But neither Roy nor anyone around him seem to be considering that possibility.

"We haven't even thought about that sort of criticism," said Joe Sakic. "Patrick was the best player, in our minds, in the league last year. He got us where we were. This year's a new year, and we want to get back to the same spot and give it another shot."

Colorado winger Chris Drury has been in the sporting spotlight since he was the winning pitcher in the 1989 Little League World Series.

"He's mentally the strongest athlete I've ever been around," Drury said of Roy. "I don't think there will be any scars, effects or nightmares. Obviously, he was not too happy with it that night or a few days after, but he's so strong mentally, he's fine in my book."

Defenseman Adam Foote scoffed.

"A pretty small percentage of the goalies in the league have done HALF of what he's done," Foote said. "I know him well, and having him behind us still is a huge bonus for this team."

Colorado coach Bob Hartley said, "We knew who we were facing, and we also know where we did some things wrong. Sometimes you have to learn in either victories or defeat, whether we would have been beat in OT or by a touchdown, at this time there is no effect."

And his goaltender specifically?

"He's been there before," Hartley said, alluding to the Red Wings' 11-1 rout of the Canadiens in December 1995, with Roy in the net. "And look how he bounced back. The goalie? That's the least of my worries."

For his part, Roy appears to be as hungry as ever, given his early camp work and his conditioning.

"This is the 19th time I have participated in a training camp," he said. "It's never boring. There are two ways to look at it. You can be here and say, 'Aw, I don't care' or, 'What can I do to improve my game?' That's the way I like to look at it."

On balance, his tenure in Denver has been successful, with two Stanley Cup championships. But the near-misses have helped add a nagging doubt that perhaps Colorado "should" have won at least one more title. Four times, twice against Detroit and twice against Dallas, the Avalanche lost in the Western Conference finals.

"We certainly know that you're not going to win the Cup every year," Roy said. "But every time you have a great chance, you'd certainly love to take that chance and go all the way. It was only one win and then to the Stanley Cup. And that's the way it's been for us four of the last five times. There has been a lot of success on this team. It is a proud organization.

"We have accomplished a lot through the years, and the goal remains the same. Are we disappointed? Yes, we are. But we all have to turn the page, move on and work hard to make sure we're ready for a new start."

The biggest save Roy could make this season? Saving his money-goalie reputation from further deterioration.

Terry Frei is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. His book, "Horns, Hogs, and Nixon Coming," will be published by Simon and Schuster in December. It can be pre-ordered at Amazon.com or Barnesandnoble.com.