We’ve survived (barely) two presidential elections, a pandemic, and eight different iPhone models since Partick Roy resigned dramatically as Avalanche head coach on August 11, 2016. Over seven years later, Roy is back in the spotlight behind the NHL bench as the New York Islanders head coach.
Patrick Roy has been making headlines across four decades after being drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 1984. As a Quebec City native, he initially didn’t like the prospect of playing for the rival Canadiens, but his loyalty likely changed quickly once he hoisted his first Stanley Cup in his rookie year at the age of 20. In his 11 years in net for Montreal, he won two Stanley Cups and received the Conn Smythe Trophy, the league’s playoff MVP, both times. However, his time with the Habs ended with the hiring of his former roommate, turned foe, Mario Tremblay. The two hotheads came to blows in the infamous game on December 2, 1995, against the Detroit Red Wings. The Canadiens suffered a historic 11-1 loss, with Roy experiencing a rare off night, allowing nine goals before Tremblay pulled him halfway through the game. Traditionally, coaches will pull their goaltenders when it appears they are obviously off their game, and allowing Roy to stay in the net after giving up nearly double-digit goals only halfway through the game appeared to be a slight Roy wouldn’t accept. He stormed off the ice and confronted the club president, saying, “It's my last game in Montreal.”
The Canadiens suspended Roy the next day, and four days later, they traded him, along with Captain Mike Keane, to the Colorado Avalanche for Thibault, Rucinsky, and Kovalenko. No offense to those three, but who the heck were they? Proving that today, it is still considered one of the most historically one-sided trades. Roy’s emotional exit from Montreal turned out to be a foreshadowing for his later career.
The hockey gods blessed Colorado that day. As we all know, the Avs went on to win the Stanley Cup that year, and his fire ignited a new birth of hockey fans in the Centennial State, including yours truly. From dropping his gloves to fight fellow goaltenders from his pronounced “liberty save,” Roy became a hockey legend and was once again awarded the Conn Smythe trophy for the third time when he won his fourth Stanley Cup in 2001. He is the only player to win the Conn Smythe three times and to do so in three different decades (84,93, 2001). He retired from the NHL in 2003, with his number hanging from the rafters in Montreal and Denver.
After his retirement, Roy returned to Quebec with their minor team, the Quebec Remparts as owner, general manager, and coach. Ten years after skating away from Colorado, Roy reunited with the Avalanche and former teammate, Joe Sakic, as as Vice President of Hockey Operations and head coach in 2013. Making Sakic and Roy essentially sharing the role of GM. In classic Roy fashion, his inaugural game as head coach saw him losing his temper and banging the glass that separated him from opposing coach Bruce Boudreau. Thankfully for the pudgy gopher, the glass stopped Roy from what indeed would have been a one-sided assault. Roy was fined $10,000 for the incident and remained (usually) calmer in his new role. He led the team and rookie Nathan MacKinnon to the playoffs in his first year, winning the Jack Adams Award for best coach.
However, the Avs regressed in the following two years, failing to make the playoffs. In August 2016, Roy stepped down as head coach, claiming he lacked input on personnel decisions. The Avs were only a month out from training camp, with most major coaching contenders already signed by other teams, Roy left the Avs like I left my college job at J.Crew: with no notice. However, finding someone to fold a stack of shirts is slightly easier than a professional hockey coach. Enter Jared Bednar. With little time to spare, Sakic took a risk on Bednar, the coach of minor league team, the Lake Erie Monsters, who won the championship in 2016. Like Roy, he had never coached in the NHL. The Avs had the worst record in the league that year. But it is darkest before dawn, and with their horrific season, they earned a top draft pick and selected Cale Makar. The rest is history. Today, Bednar is the third longest-tenured coach in the league and is looking for his second Stanley Cup with the Avs. Turns out I’m thankful Roy walked out on us.
Roy returned to Quebec Remparts after leaving the Avs, and with his tainted reputation in Colorado, it has taken ten years for him to find his way back to the NHL. With his track record, it would take a team looking to make a statement to hire him. The New York Islanders are lacking in game attendance, lost in the first round of the 2023 playoffs, and currently sit just outside a playoff spot; they need a spark. Lou Lamoriello, general manager of the New York Islanders, hired Roy on January 20 and sees Roy as a strong personality that could help revitalize the franchise.
Wherever Roy goes, he garnishes attention and unboutbly brings passion to the ice. His emotion, fire, and determination are what we all love about him. If Patty’s there, it won’t be dull, but it is clear from his history that his ego has often got the best of him, and in part rightfully so, he is a champion. He knows what it takes to win, but I imagine the past ten years may have humbled the 58-year-old with the realization that he can’t be both manager and coach. He stated that he has zero interest in management this time. So far, he has gone 1-2-1 as the Islanders head coach, and entering midway through the year, he is facing a challenge. Whatever happens, I know what team I’ll support in the east. And with their fisherman jersey, which shows a striking resemblance to the Gordon fishstick man, it never was a choice.
Roy already fits into the Islanders brand
We welcome Patty back to the league and wish him well, and thanks to him, he will always know that negative chatter is hard to hear when you’ve got Stanely Cup rings plugging your ears.