Jonathan Roy asks for absolute discharge

The son of NHL legend Patrick Roy is asking for an absolute discharge after pleading guilty Wednesday to an on-ice assault.

Jonathan Roy appeared in a Saguenay court and said he regrets his behaviour and that he showed a lack of judgment when he attacked a rival goaltender in March 2008.

Roy, 20, wants an absolute discharge because it would allow him to travel to the United States to pursue his new career as a singer.

The Crown says it is not opposed to the request.

Roy, formerly of the Quebec City Remparts, admitted to the assault just as he was to go on trial for the infamous beating. Roy offered a $5,000 cheque to charity.

Patrick Roy was standing behind the bench when his son skated across the rink in a Quebec major-junior game last year to pummel an opposing goalie.

That beating prompted a national debate over violence in hockey, which even Prime Minister Stephen Harper waded into.

Change of heart

Jonathan Roy had tried to persuade a judge to quash the assault charges on the grounds that he was unfairly singled out during the highly-publicized brawl.

But Judge Valmont Beaulieu rejected the request and the trial was scheduled to go ahead on Wednesday.

Television footage showed Roy pummeling an opposing Chicoutimi goalie as his father, who was also his coach, apparently egged him on from the bench.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League suspended father and son for several games, and the incident rekindled the debate about violence in hockey.

- With files from The Canadian Press -