Roland "Rollie the Goalie" Joseph Melanson (born June 28, 1960) is a Canadian

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

coach and former goaltender in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL). After a lengthy career in the NHL with the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...

, Minnesota North Stars,

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...

, and

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

, Melanson began working as a goaltending coach. While playing for the Indianapolis Checkers in 1981, Melanson won the Ken McKenzie Trophy as rookie of the year of the

Central Hockey League The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...

. 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 Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

s in 1981, 1982 and 1983.

Early life

Melanson was born on June 28, 1960, in Shediac, New Brunswick to parents Alphe and Albertine (née Maillet) Melanson. Although he started skating in Moncton, Melanson only joined an organized hockey team as a goaltender when his family moved to

Waltham, Massachusetts Waltham ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the Technological and industrial history of the United States, American Industrial Revoluti ...

. He spent four years in the United States before his family moved back to New Brunswick. Due to his success in Waltham, Melanson was able to join a stronger and older hockey team once back in New Brunswick.

Career

Junior

Melanson played

minor ice hockey Minor ice hockey or minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body c ...

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. 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. In the same season, he also competed with the Flyers in the 1977 Wrigley Cup midget hockey championships. While the Flyers finished in fourth place, Melanson was named Wrigley Cup MVP for maintaining a 2.33 goals against average (GAA). 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. Due to his play during the tournament, Melanson earned the attention of Windsor Spitfires coach Wayne Maxner. He subsequently signed a contract with the Spitfires to play with them in the

Ontario Junior Hockey League The Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) is a Junior A ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada. It is under the supervision of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) and the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). The league dates back to 1954 where i ...

Personal life

Melanson married Janice LeBlanc in July 1981. They had two children together before divorcing.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Melanson, Roland 1960 births Living people Brantford Smoke players Canadian ice hockey coaches Canadian ice hockey goaltenders New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame inductees Indianapolis Checkers (CHL) players Los Angeles Kings players Minnesota North Stars players 20th-century Canadian sportsmen Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Moncton Wildcats coaches Montreal Canadiens coaches Montreal Canadiens players New Haven Nighthawks players New Jersey Devils coaches New Jersey Devils players New York Islanders draft picks New York Islanders players Oshawa Generals players Saint John Flames players Ice hockey people from Moncton Stanley Cup champions Utica Devils players Vancouver Canucks coaches William M. Jennings Trophy winners Windsor Spitfires players