So much has been said and written about the significance of Patrick Roy surpassing Terry Sawchuk as the NHL's all-time winningest goalie. ESPN.com figured Barry Melrose would be a perfect person to put it all in perspective because he's been a player, a coach, a spectator and a broadcaster.

Historical significance
To be the best at something, like Patrick Roy or Mark McGwire, is a special achievement. Roy is one of thousands who have played at the highest level in hockey, and to be the very best ever is mind-boggling. This record is an objective criteria that allows you to judge goaltenders between eras. The only way we have to judge Terry Sawchuk against someone from this era is to look at his numbers compared to the best goalie from this era -- and that's Roy.

Although Sawchuk had a much higher shutout ratio, he took much longer to get the wins. He has more Stanley Cups than Roy and more Vezina Trophies than Roy in a six-team league. But everything is very close.

The ultimate measure for a goaltender is leading your team to wins. Patrick did it more times than anyone else.

Effect on the Avs
From a team point of view, the Avalanche's goal was not to get Patrick Roy the record; it's to win the Stanley Cup. It's very important that this happened early in the year. It gave Colorado a reason to come out of the gate fast and get these wins under its belt. This could have been treacherous if he was nearing the record at the end of the season. You don't want someone scrambling for an individual record when the team needs to be focused on the Stanley Cup.

With Patrick getting this out of the way early, this team is focused on staying healthy and winning. It's been a great start for Colorado: They're undefeated and things have worked out perfectly for Patrick and for coach Bob Hartley.

Personal significance
Every athlete has an ego. You can't be a great athlete if you don't have an ego. Sometimes, thinking you're the best is the only thing that keeps you going when you've played four games in five nights and you're beat and you're hurting. Patrick Roy has a huge ego. He thinks he's the best goaltender in the world and that's part of what makes him special. He wants to prove it. Over his career, Roy has played his best hockey when he felt his place atop the game had been challenged. He uses records like this to motivate himself. He played a long time and paid a big price.

And now, he's recognized as the winningest goaltender in NHL history.

Barry Melrose, a former NHL player and coach, is a hockey analyst for ESPN and ABC.