via the New York Islanders,
New York Islanders President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Lou Lamoriello announced today that Lane Lambert has been relieved of his coaching responsibilities. Patrick Roy has been named Head Coach of the New York Islanders.
Last season, Roy served as the Head Coach of the Quebec Remparts and won the Memorial Cup Championship and the QMJHL Championship. He had two stints as Head Coach of the Remparts, 2005-06 through 2012-13 and 2018-19 through 2022-23. He also won the Memorial Cup in his first season as Head Coach of Quebec (2005-06). Over the course of 13 seasons with the Remparts, Roy accumulated a Head Coaching record of 524-255-66.
Roy was the Head Coach of the Colorado Avalanche for three seasons (2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16). He finished with a record of 130-92-24 and won the Jack Adams Award in 2013-14 as NHL Coach of the Year.
The Quebec, PQ native began his NHL playing career in 1985-86, when he backstopped the Montreal Canadiens to a Stanley Cup Championship, also winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. Roy was the youngest player in NHL history to ever win the Conn Smythe Trophy. He would also help the Canadiens win the Stanley Cup in 1993 and was once again awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy. In 1995, Roy was traded from Montreal to Colorado and in that same season, he would win his third Stanley Cup. Roy would go on to win a fourth Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2001 and was awarded his third Conn Smythe Trophy, an NHL record. Roy retired from the NHL in 2003 with a career regular season record of 551-315-131 and a career playoff record of 151-94. Roy’s 151 playoff wins record is first all-time and his 551 regular season wins record is third all-time. Roy was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2006 and his jersey number 33 is retired by both Montreal and Colorado. Roy played in eleven All-Star games and won three Vezina Trophies (awarded annually to the NHL's goaltender who is "adjudged to be the best at this position") and five William Jennings Trophies (awarded annually to the goalie(s) on a team with the fewest goals against).
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Patrick and Lou a match made in. . .???
Well... that's... certainly... a choice...
lol lou needs to retire.
Where is Lou, and what have they done with him?!
Watching all 4 games on the just completed road trip - the team is hot and cold...and the coaching was sub-par and blowing late game leads, too many men penalties - and why the HELL is Matt Martin on the ice for 2 shifts in the last 2 mins of play (@NSH) that led to the loss there? Dismissing Lane (who is a good guy!) is not surprising. Patrick Roy? This is either going to be a great or lousy hire. I think he will light a fire under the guys. I imagine having Roy on staff would benefit Ilya Sorokin and Varly (who played for Roy in COL) but the PENALTY KILL is what cost Lambert his job. I am shocked the Isles are not 32nd (Worst) PK - but they are 30th. I am going to UBS tomorrow for the game vs. Dallas. Bad coaching decisions were aplenty - but - it's a shame that the players did very little to save Laner. Getting outclassed last night by the Blackhawks - with all the injuries they have - was the last straw. I think life w Patrick Roy will not be dull. Lots of tickets to sell, with the opening of the outdoor skating rink and the retail village opening next season - the owners will not suffer a DNQ for the playoffs and it makes you think if Lou is pulling a Don Maloney (where he hires his successor when Mike Milbury was named coach) I was surprised that Semyon Varlamov did not get the job ( Inside Islander fan humor ) but Wang is no longer the owner :)I think THU nights NYI @ MTL game will be "Must-See TV"
Hell, I'm surprised DiPietro wasn't given the job. Might as well earn his pay.
It will be different with Roy. He is always entertaining.
Im astounded. Big risk, big gain? This will be interesting to say the least.
Kaz, your turn to chime on in.
Waah, had one good year in Colorado and many good years as the Quebec Remparts coach. This is an interesting move.by Lou for sure but maybe Roy's disciplinary type coaching is what this team needs.
I wonder if He can curb his temper long enough to remain in the league.
This is the same Lane Lambert who was pronounced the next Savior coach a few years ago. It's amazing how quickly times change.
Will be interesting how Roy does in the league. A lot has changed since he coached the Avs. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets himself into trouble.
from Pierre Lebrun of The Athletic,
One of the reasons some NHL teams were reticent to bring Patrick Roy into the fold over the past several years is because of how things ended in Colorado.
His abrupt resignation in August 2016 came over philosophical differences with the Avalanche front office over the direction of the team. The thing is, he had a right to have a voice in that. He wasnt just head coach in Colorado, he also held the title of vice president of hockey operations.
Theres a reason head coaches rarely have that dual role. Coaches live for today while management has to think of both the short and long term in evaluating decisions.
Which is something, over time, that Roy himself realized.
I understand now, better than ever, that you cant be in management and coach a team at the same time, Roy told Dave Stubbs of NHL.com last June. If youre the coach, you coach. If youre GM, thats what you do.
Had he come out and said that years ago, he might have been back before now. But theres no question that in my conversations with NHL front offices over the years, there was concern that bringing Roy into the fold meant the possibility of a headstrong personality butting heads over roster decisions. Thats a GMs nightmare, and thats partly why some teams didnt want to go there.
And so in many ways, Roy has found the perfect home in his NHL return. No one messes with Papa Lou. Theres zero chance of Roy sticking his nose in roster decisions with the iron grip of GM Lou Lamoriello at the helm.
continued ($)
you cant be in management and coach a team at the same time
unless your name is Scotty or Punch
This is a flailing move by a flagging GM supported by an indifferent owner. If I didnt have Sorokin on my fantasy keeper roster Id be laughing.
Oh Dave, I am not very familiar with the ownership of the Red Wings (prior to the Ilitch family) - but may I suggest that Islanders fans have significant expertise in "indifferent owners" Even John Pickett (who owned the team during the dynasty years) was somewhat indifferent - absentee owner but the "Gang of Four", Millstein and to a lesser extent Charles Wang - we KNOW what bad owners are like. Hell- the one who wanted to win the most of the prior owners to Scott Malkin and Jon Ledecky - had an ESPN 30-30 special dedicated to his ownership (John Spano) They treated Season subscribers like S**T. They let the Coli fall into disrepair. The current majority owner (Malkin) has invested a LOT and the other major owner (Jon Ledecky) is the "Mr. Outside" owner who most Isles fans have met on average at least 4 to 5 times - 5 times for me :)
They ain't the problem.
Now Lou being a flagging GM? I am on the fence about that. Some of his moves that I have disagreed with have been more in the term he has given to players (Engvall, Mayfield) and being overly loyal to players who are just about cooked. The Bo Horvat deal was an upper-deck Home Run (pending on how the draft pick pans out) and Lou turned team from a laughingstock to a team that was very close in 20-21 and IMHO is a team that aspires to be a very tough out in Round 1 if they make it.
It's been less than 24 hours since the new coach was announced. In his presser - Roy stated something to the effect that he wanted Isles fans to be proud of the team and he would work very hard for that. I will be keen to see how the "Blue and Orange Army" and other influential fan groups that go to the games will coordinate cheers for Patrick. If Patrick grabbed the PA mike and told the fans - " Rangers suck - Let's Go Islanders" - they will go through walls to support the team. Keep in mind - this is a region with including NJD has 9 professional teams in our market. There is the need to stay releveant within your own region - let alone the NHL. NOW, if the team continues to dive down the standings - at least Lou tried something. But if Roy turns this around....it could increase season ticket renewals.
The fans that I have communicated with are super-excited to have Patrick.
I am too.
Lane had a fair shot here. And I wish him well. The players liked him and I just found his game management to be a bit lacking.
With the highly un-necessary Stadium Series coming up ( I hear ticket sales are so-so) that is a chance for a big win. The issue is roster construction - and with Lou dealing away all the picks to address the present - the Bridgeport AHL team has the second worst record in the AHL. I went to a game in Bridgeport recently - which is a nice venue and you can take a ferry from Port Jefferson, Long Island and when landing in Bridgeport - the Arena is right there. Highly unimpressive team. And while healthy - I think the Isles have the talent to be a playoff team that can make some noise in the playoffs - all teams have injuries - and most teams have more talent that can move up in the lineup and NYI does NOT. Point being - Patrick Roy is going to a team with more downside future than upside. A great coach can help to help a team win with what it has.
Soon enough - we will see where they stand. Time to play the game! I am going tonight and am excited to see what happens.
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