My phone rang at 12:17 this afternoon. It was my dad. From the tone in his voice I immediately knew that something was wrong.
Hesitantly I ask, “How are you?”
“I’m ok, how are you?” He asked, with the emphasis on “you”.
“I’m good” I responded, still unsure what the tone of his voice might mean. Did something happen to someone in the family? Or is it some Avalanche news I’m not going to like?
“Well, you’re not gonna be” is his retort. He would never be that blunt if it was another matter, it was definitely hockey related.
“What did we do?”
“We didn’t do anything. Roy resigned. They’re reading his resignation letter on the radio right now. Hold on.” He pauses as I hear muffled radio sounds in the back. Is this a joke? My dad has done this to be before. When he comes back to the phone, I know it is not. “Sounds like some organizational issues, they aren’t saying much.”
There is silence on both ends, and I don’t really know what to say, so we don’t say much else, and hang up. The entire conversation is one minute.
It’s been hours and I’m still in shock, yea, I guess there could have been clues that this was coming, but even if there had been rumors, I still wouldn’t believe it. With the lackluster team we have been the past two years, Roy was the most entertaining part of the team. His post game conferences were always the best with his curt, but witty remakes in his strong French-Canadian accent. Roy was the best. Roy is the best, and he is gone.
More thankful than ever that I got to meet him last January!
Roy made it clear that the end of the season that there needed to be some major changes, and after missing the playoffs two years in a row, I fully agreed. I was even prepared to part with some of my favorite players because I am tired of having to watch the playoffs with only the hope of teams I despise getting knocked out. However, what have the Avs done in the off-season? Yes, we signed MacKinnon, that was good, and we signed Barrie. However, all in all we pretty much have the same team as the last two years, the same team that missed the playoffs for the last two years.
From what I have gathered, Roy was unhappy with the organization and not given the autonomy that he wanted to build the team that could win. As a mere spectator, I can’t comment on the bureaucracy of team organizations, but it is clear that Roy wanted more control that the old Kronke corporation would not allow him.
Whatever the reasons behind his departure are, it is a sad day for Colorado Avalanche fans to bid adieu to their most beloved player, and coach. We will miss Roy’s conviction, determination and passion both on and off the bench. It’s a travesty to lose a coach who only has the eyes on one thing: being the best.