Roberge: 'I was in the right place at the right time'

MONTREAL - Nearly three weeks have passed since former Canadiens forward Mario Roberge made a split-second decision that saved lives.

It was shortly after 6:00 a.m. on the morning of Monday, January 21 when Roberge was outside of his Montmorency area home warming up his car before heading off to work.
He smelled smoke, looked around and noticed that it was coming from an apartment complex across the street.
Shortly thereafter, the 55-year-old Quebec City native sprung into action and headed over to the nearby building.
"I didn't waste any time," recalled Roberge. "I started running to see what was going on."
Roberge, who works in the refrigeration industry, was met with thick black smoke as he made his way inside to see if anyone needed assistance.

It wasn't long before he came upon two women in distress.
"There was a lot of smoke coming from the upstairs apartment. Two older ladies lived there. They didn't know what to do," explained Roberge. "It was a mother, who was in her 80s, and her daughter in her 60s. When they saw me, they said - "What's going on?" I told them that there was a fire and we needed to get out of there. They were affected by the smoke. They didn't have time to pick up anything. We're talking about seconds."
He quickly escorted the women outside and led them to his home to await medical attention.
"It was pretty cold, but they were able to walk. I took them to my place and my girlfriend took care of them," said Roberge. "I was in the right place at the right time. It's as simple as that."
Roberge estimated that 10 firetrucks arrived on the scene to battle the blaze, but the building was ultimately destroyed by the flames.
"Everything burned," said Roberge. "There was nothing left."
But, lives were saved. That's what matters most.
"I was glad that the fire had just started. Fifteen minutes later, it might have been too late," mentioned Roberge. "Thank God I was there. You don't think, you see something is happening and you react. I had the good reflex to do it. I did what I was supposed to do."

Earlier in the week, Roberge was actually visited by the younger woman he assisted on that fateful day. She had a special delivery in tow.
"They didn't have any socks on their feet when I brought them outside of the building, so we gave them socks. She came to give me the socks back," recounted Roberge with a laugh.
During Saturday night's contest against the Maple Leafs, the Canadiens will recognize Roberge for his efforts. He will be acknowledged as the "Hero of the Game."
It's a well-deserved honor for the 1993 Stanley Cup champion, whose quick-thinking certainly merits big-time praise.