Unbelivable: Former head coach for Avalanche,Patrick Roy, has announced his return to the team
The Colorado Avalanche, led by head coach Patrick Roy, finished 130–92–24. (JOHN WOODS / Press Association)
Patrick Roy abruptly left his position as coach and vice president of hockey operations for the Colorado Avalanche in mid-August, citing internal conflicts.
Roy announced the news through a public relations firm on Thursday, two months ahead of the NHL regular season.
“Throughout the summer, I have given it a lot of thought as to how I could elevate this team to a higher level and provide it with the depth it requires,” Roy stated in a statement. The coach’s and the vice president of hockey operations’ visions must perfectly coincide with the organization’s goals in order to be accomplished. He needs to be involved in decisions that affect how well the team performs. Currently, these requirements are not satisfied.
Along with his former teammate Joe Sakic, executive vice president and general manager, Roy shares authority. He claimed to have completed his work with “vigor, passion, and resolve.”
Sakic claimed that Roy’s decision “definitely caught him off-guard,” to the extent that it took him a few moments to realize he was quitting. Sakic claimed that Roy had been considering the choice for weeks, but Roy had consistently refuted any disagreements or bad blood between them regarding personnel choices.
Sakic stated during a Thursday night conference call that “Patty was always involved.” He really helped me out in the beginning. He was involved all the time. All the decisions we were making were known to him. To be completely honest, I believe you should ask Patrick that question, even though I know we discussed everything.
Roy’s announcement was not acknowledged by the team until ninety minutes after it was made public by Luc Ouellet of National, a PR firm based in Quebec. Before the release of the statement, Sakic claimed that Roy had called him.
In response to a question concerning the discrepancies between his own remarks and Roy’s assertion that the requirements weren’t fulfilled, Sakic said, “I know we were on the same page. We were all in agreement.
The team that Roy, a Hall of Fame goalie, captained to two Stanley Cups during his playing career has had him as coach and vice president of hockey operations for the last three seasons. In Roy’s first season behind the bench, Colorado made the playoffs; the team has missed the last two.
The statement Roy released stated, “Though it saddens me, I have put much thought about this decision in recent weeks and have come to be fully comfortable with it.” Roy also stated that he does not plan to comment on the decision going forward.
Sakic expressed his satisfaction that Roy resigned early rather than waiting until training camp and announced that he and his staff would meet on Friday to start compiling a list of possible coaching candidates.
Under Roy, who was named coach of the year in 2013–14 and received the Jack Adams Award, Colorado finished 130–92–24. Prior to that, he was the head coach of the Major Junior Hockey League’s Quebec Remparts.
Sakic claims that Roy’s decision to leave the Avalanche was influenced by their recent inability to succeed.
“The main thing he mentioned to me today was that he had a difficult year last year and didn’t have much fun, and we always said we would continue doing what we love as long as it’s enjoyable,” Sakic remarked. “He said that over the past three or four weeks, he really thought about leaving and not coaching, and he felt like he made the right choice for himself. He has my utmost respect for that.
During his playing career, Roy won three Vezina Trophies as the league’s best goaltender and three Conn Smythe Trophies as the MVP of the playoffs. He also won four Cups, two with the Montreal Canadiens and two with the Avalanche.
His sudden exit from the Avalanche reminds me of his 1995 departure from Montreal. Roy stormed off and said, “It’s my last game in Montreal,” after team president Ronald Corey had kept him in a match in which he gave up nine goals on 26 shots under coach Mario Tremblay.
Roy stated that he thought he was humiliated while still in the game, suspended, and then traded to the Avalanche.
