Canadiens compare favorably with 1993 champs entering Stanley Cup Final

Welcome to NHL.com, the official site of the National Hockey LeagueBienvenue à LNH.com , le site officiel de la Ligue nationale de hockeyДобро пожаловать на NHL.com, официальный сайт Национальной хоккейной лигиTervetuloa NHL:n viralliselle nettisivustolle NHL.comiinVälkommen till NHL.com, NHL:s officiella web-sidaVítejte na NHL.com, oficiálních stránkách National Hockey LeagueVitajte na NHL.com, oficiálnych stránkach National Hockey LeagueWillkommen auf NHL.com, der offiziellen Seite der National Hockey LeagueBienvenido a NHL.com, el sitio oficial de la National Hockey LeaguePatrick Roy has said the Montreal Canadiens' 1993 Stanley Cup victory was the reward not for the best team in the NHL, but the one that played the best when it counted the most.Now, with the Canadiens heading to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, their first in 28 years, the legendary goalie's opinion of Montreal's most recent championship in some ways describes the current edition."The Canadiens didn't always have the best team but they always had a team that was willing to work hard and put in the effort to win," Roy told NHL.com in 2018, on the 25th anniversary of the 1993 title. We were not the best team talent-wise but we had a great group of players who were willing to work hard night after night and put the effort in that was required to win."Video: 1993: Canadiens win 10 straight OT gamesIndeed, the Canadiens had solid, even unexpected contributions up and down the roster that 20-game playoff run during the Stanley Cup's historic centennial year, anchored by Roy's brilliant goaltending. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman presents the Stanley Cup to Montreal Canadiens coach Jacques Demers and captain Guy Carbonneau on June 9, 1993, Demers pressing the trophy overhead to the delight of Montreal Forum fans.Jacques Demers, who coached the team, has remembered Game 5 in Quebec as the turning point of the playoffs, Roy forced to the dressing room early in the second period after having taken a hard shot in the shoulder. But we also had fine leaders like Mike Keane and Kirk Muller."Demers has also praised the efforts of then-general manager Serge Savard, who oversaw the trades the previous summer for forwards Vincent Damphousse and Brian Bellows, the two combining for 79 goals in 1992-93, another 17 in the playoffs.Los Angeles Kings' Wayne Gretzky gives Montreal Canadiens coach Jacques Demers his stick following the Canadiens' 1993 Stanley Cup victory.Some might find a bit of a parallel with Price, captain Shea Weber, the leadership of seasoned forwards Corey Perry and Eric Staal, and current GM Marc Bergevin, who built Montreal this seasonwith a strong veteran cast supporting a crop of excellent young players.If Demers has always deflected credit to others, Roy says his coach played a vital role for the team and himself."From the first day of training camp to the very end, Jacques really believed in us," Roy said. You see the video later and you say, 'Holy cow, what just happened there?' "It was the same question many asked about that 1993 playoff run and are asking again today.Twenty-eight years later, Price made a brilliant save off Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone in Game 1 of this season's Stanley Cup Semifinals, then gave the frustrated forward a wink as he skated by.Nearly three decades apart, the Canadiens' most recent champion and the improbable run of its hopeful successor are thus joined by the mischievous gestures of two goalies, playing for two teams seemingly greater than the sum of their parts.Photos: Getty Images/HHoF Images