Roland Melanson

Roland "Rollie the Goalie" Joseph Melanson (born June 28, 1960) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former goaltender in the National Hockey League (NHL). After a lengthy career in the NHL with the New York Islanders, Minnesota North Stars, Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils, and Montreal Canadiens, Melanson began working as a goaltending coach.

Roland Melanson
Melanson with the New York Islanders in 1984
Born	(1960-06-28) June 28, 1960 (age 65) Shediac, New Brunswick, Canada [notes 1]
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight	185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position	Goaltender
Caught	Left
Played for	New York Islanders Minnesota North Stars Los Angeles Kings New Jersey Devils Montreal Canadiens
NHL draft	59th overall, 1979 New York Islanders
Playing career	1977–1994

While playing for the Indianapolis Checkers in 1981, Melanson won the Ken McKenzie Trophy as rookie of the year of the Central Hockey League. Along with Billy Smith, Melanson won the William M. Jennings Trophy in the 1982–83 season, and he was also named to the NHL All-Star Second Team. He also won three consecutive Stanley Cups in 1981, 1982 and 1983.

Early life

Melanson was born on June 28, 1960,^[2] in Shediac, New Brunswick^[1] to parents Alphe and Albertine (née Maillet) Melanson.^[3][4] Although he started skating in Moncton, Melanson only joined an organized hockey team as a goaltender when his family moved to Waltham, Massachusetts.^[5] He spent four years in the United States before his family moved back to New Brunswick.^[1] Due to his success in Waltham, Melanson was able to join a stronger and older hockey team once back in New Brunswick.^[5]

Career

Junior

Melanson played minor ice hockey with the Moncton Century Flyers AAA team during the 1976-77 season. He recorded 11 shutouts during the season to help the Flyers finish with a 33–1 record.^[6] He also posted a shutout in the final game of the 1976 Moncton Invitational Midget Hockey Tournament to help the Flyers beat Fredericton 3–0.^[7] In the same season, he also competed with the Flyers in the 1977 Wrigley Cup midget hockey championships.^[8] While the Flyers finished in fourth place, Melanson was named Wrigley Cup MVP for maintaining a 2.33 goals against average (GAA).^[6] As of 2025, Melanson's 4–1–1 preliminary round record still stands as the best record for a New Brunswick team at the National Midget Championship.^[9] Due to his play during the tournament, Melanson earned the attention of Windsor Spitfires coach Wayne Maxner.^[10] He subsequently signed a contract with the Spitfires to play with them in the Ontario Junior Hockey League.^[11]

Professional

After participating in the Islanders' training camp, Melanson was reassigned to their minor league affiliate, the Indianapolis Checkers, to start the 1980–81 season.^[12] Upon joining the Checkers, Melanson played in their first nine games and led them to a 7–1–1 start while also maintaining a league-leading 2.40 GAA.^[13] After being called up to the NHL on November 4, 1980,^[14] Melanson made his NHL debut the following night against Detroit Red Wings. He stopped 29 of 33 shots to lead the Islanders to a 6–4 win.^[15] He remained unbeaten through his next five games, becoming the first NHL rookie goaltender of the season to maintain an unbeaten streak.^[16] Melanson also received praise from teammates and opposing coaches during this stretch and was repeatedly named the First Star of the Game.^[17] However, he was returned to the CHL on November 16 after veteran goaltender Chico Resch recovered from his injury. As neither of the Islanders veteran goaltenders were eligible to be reassigned to the CHL, the team was forced to return Melanson once they both recovered.^[18]

Personal life

Melanson married Janice LeBlanc in July 1981.^[19] They had two children together before divorcing.^[20]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season										Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	W	L	T	MIN	GA	SO	GAA	SV%		GP	W	L	T	MIN	GA	SO	GAA	SV%
1976–77	Moncton Flyers	NBAHA		70	—	—	—	4198	147	14	2.09	—		6	4	1	1	360	14	0	2.33	—
1977–78	Windsor Spitfires	OMJHL		44	—	—	—	2592	195	1	4.51	—		5	1	2	1	258	13	1	3.02	—
1978–79	Windsor Spitfires	OMJHL		62	—	—	—	3461	254	1	4.40	—		7	—	—	—	392	31	0	4.74	—
1979–80	Windsor Spitfires	OMJHL		22	11	8	0	1099	90	0	4.91	—		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1979–80	Oshawa Generals	OMJHL		38	26	12	0	2240	136	3	3.64	—		7	3	4	0	420	32	0	4.57	—
1980–81	New York Islanders	NHL		11	8	1	1	620	32	0	3.10	.895		3	1	0	—	92	6	0	3.91	.882
1980–81	Indianapolis Checkers	CHL		52	31	16	3	3056	131	2	2.57	—		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1981–82	New York Islanders	NHL		36	22	7	6	2115	114	0	3.23	.896		3	0	1	—	64	5	0	4.69	.828
1982–83	New York Islanders	NHL		44	24	12	5	2460	109	1	2.66	.910		5	2	2	—	238	10	0	2.52	.913
1983–84	New York Islanders	NHL		37	20	11	2	2019	110	0	3.27	.903		6	0	1	—	87	5	0	3.45	.844
1984–85	New York Islanders	NHL		8	3	3	0	425	35	0	4.94	.864		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1984–85	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		20	5	10	3	1142	78	0	4.10	.867		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1985–86	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		6	2	1	2	325	24	0	4.43	.863		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1985–86	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		22	4	16	1	1246	87	0	4.19	.867		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1985–86	New Haven Nighthawks	AHL		3	1	2	0	179	13	0	4.36	.882		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1986–87	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		46	18	21	6	2734	168	1	3.69	.882		5	1	4	—	260	24	0	5.54	.844
1987–88	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		47	17	20	7	2675	195	2	4.37	.860		1	0	1	—	60	9	0	9.00	.820
1988–89	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		4	1	1	0	178	19	0	6.42	.826		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1988–89	New Haven Nighthawks	AHL		29	11	15	3	1734	106	1	3.67	.887		17	9	8	—	1019	74	1	4.36	—
1989–90	Utica Devils	AHL		48	24	19	3	2737	167	1	3.66	.875		5	1	4	—	298	20	0	4.03	—
1990–91	New Jersey Devils	NHL		1	0	0	0	20	2	0	6.00	.714		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1990–91	Utica Devils	AHL		54	23	28	1	3058	208	0	4.08	.868		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1991–92	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		9	5	3	0	492	22	2	2.68	.887		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1992–93	Brantford Smoke	ColHL		14	10	4	0	811	54	1	4.00	—		15	11	3	—	844	50	0	3.55	—
1993–94	Saint John Flames	AHL		7	1	2	0	270	20	0	4.44	.800		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				291	129	106	33	16,450	995	6	3.63	.883		23	4	9	—	801	59	0	4.42	.863

"Melanson's stats". The Goaltender Home Page. Retrieved 2017-09-22.

Notes

1. Although many sources mistakenly list Moncton as his birthplace^[1]