ELMONT, N.Y.— A conversation with a venerable hockey executive who shall remain nameless, held at UBS Arena just an hour in advance of Patrick Roy’s highly anticipated return to an NHL bench as New York Islanders head coach, starts as follows:
“I think this might be a great move,” I say.
“I don’t know. I mean, I’m sure Patrick’s earned this,” he replies, “but I never imagined him with Lou Lamoriello.”
Seeing is believing, and this executive did not see what I did as I rode the train from Boston to Manhattan Sunday morning after canceling plans to follow the Canadiens back home to Montreal.
And I’m not referring to the footage colleagues streamed from a 15-minute skate, which featured Roy being as animated as he’s ever been and, in the process, completely feeding into his image as Patrick the Gregarious. I’m talking about what I saw after that, following along as Roy sat down and faced reporters in person for the first time since Saturday’s announcement flipped the hockey world off its axis.
“He was clean shaven,” I said to the executive.
“Well, that’s really interesting,” he responded.
He was being serious, and yes, Patrick Roy shaving his beard to coach Lou Lamoriello’s team is, in fact, interesting. And not just because of how much the topic has been exhausted as a punchline — even by yours truly — in the immediate aftermath of his hire.
This meaningful gesture of submission confirmed a duality in Roy that apparently none of the other power brokers in the NHL previously believed existed.
Who could blame them?
Last time around, he went out guns blazing, abruptly walking away from the Colorado Avalanche at the end of his contract, citing differences with former teammate and then-general manager Joe Sakic on player personnel and seemingly taking a blowtorch to his NHL future without even realizing it. On top of his history as a player—the famous feud with Canadiens coach Mario Tremblay that ultimately got settled with his trade out of Montreal—you could excuse anyone for thinking nothing had changed between then and last week, when Lamoriello picked up the phone and offered him the job with the Islanders.
For anyone who did see it that way, the thought of an unflinching Roy working for the boss of all bosses in Lamoriello — the man aptly nicknamed “the Godfather” — would be unfathomable.
But only a cynic would ignore what it must’ve felt like for a champion like Roy — a four-time Stanley Cup winner as a player, a Jack Adams-winning coach in the NHL, and a two-time Memorial Cup winner as coach of the QMJHL’s Quebec Ramparts — to exit the league with a respectable 130-92-24 record only to have perception of his character and his behaviour lead to a seven-year blackballing.
“Listen, when I left Colorado, I said to myself the phone would ring, and it didn’t” Roy said.
You could feel his pain as those words escaped him Sunday, and you could sense the humility.
“Absolutely! Absolutely, (it was humbling),” the 58-year-old started. “But it enabled me to have even more respect for the work that goes into being an NHL coach…
“I think that over my first stint, I took a lot for granted and thought it would be easy, and I have a lot of regret about that.”
That Roy is resolute to not repeat the mistake should only help him.
“I’m in a much better position and have a better disposition to do this,” he said. “And yes, I’m a lot humbler as I approach this new adventure.”
That was apparent in him telling Lamoriello, and the world thereafter, he had no interest in management.
“I would say this to you: When I took the job in Colorado, I think I was a bit of a dreamer thinking that I could do both (coach and manage).” Roy said shortly after being announced as coach of the Islanders. “I think I have plenty on my plate just worrying about my relationship with the players…”
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Hours later, he began to lay that foundation in that department, commanding that brief Islanders practice with the passion that had Lamoriello decide not to consider any other candidate to replace Lane Lambert.
Yes, Roy has matured. Yes, he has evolved. But he hasn’t lost himself in the process, and that was at the foundation of this decision and at the heart of Sunday’s win over the Dallas Stars.
Roy spent the entire first period bouncing all over his bench. At times, he was so vocal, his voice carried over a raucous crowd and could be heard all the way across and above him from the press box.
The Islanders used all that as fuel for an inspired, come-from-behind 3-2 overtime win.
“He brings so much energy on the bench, it feels like he’s playing the whole game for us,” said Bo Horvat after potting the winner 41 seconds into the extra frame.
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That’s Roy’s immediate influence.
His tactical influence will take time to take shape, with a jam-packed schedule limiting the Islanders’ practice time this week to practically nil, and with too many bad habits to immediately undo.
“I’m trying to go gradually and trying not to overwhelm or barrage everyone on Day 1,” Roy said before the Islanders gave up 42 shots and forced Ilya Sorokin to be otherworldly on numerous odd-man rushes.
“We’re among the last-placed teams in zone exits, we’re last in time of possession in our own zone, so I want to change that, and that’s what I focused on this morning with the players,” he added.
That wasn’t going to magically change in a span of hours.
Neither will the way the Islanders manage the puck, with Roy noting they gave up 17 shots purely due to giveaways (even if the NHL only credited them with 14 to the Stars).
But he and the players are committed to working at it, and they already appear sympatico.
“He made it clear it’s going to be a partnership between us,” said Matt Martin.
So much for Roy the Dictator. There’s more to the man than what he’s been reputed for since we last saw him at this level.
As unlikely as it seemed, Lamoriello was the one who recognized it and gave Roy this chance, putting him back where he belongs.
Hearing Roy speak with nothing but gratitude and appreciation for that only reinforces my belief he’ll make good on it.
“I love (this),” Roy said. “I might be repeating myself, but I have so much respect for this game. This game has been so good to me, and I’m very thankful and really appreciate this opportunity. I mean, the support that Lou gives me and the involvement that he has, and the coaching staff — I could not ask for any better situation at this period of my life. Yeah, it would be easy to stay home and play golf and enjoy life, but this is what makes me feel I’m alive, and I really enjoy it.”
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