This is like the mid-to-late 90s all over again. After missing the playoffs for the last three seasons, the Avalanche are dominating in the early portion of the National Hockey League schedule after improving to 9-1-0 with a 4-2 victory over the Hurricanes last night at the Pepsi Center.
There is symmetry to the Avalanche’s success now and the mid-to-late 90s, and that involves first-year Avalanche coach Patrick Roy. He was why the Avalanche won couple of Stanley Cups by being a stellar goaltender, and his coaching is why they are off to a great start.
The Avalanche always had the talent to win games, but poor coaching under Joe Sacco set the team back. The team struggled defensively, and quite frankly, the effort was never there. That was why he lost his job.
Roy was hired to change the culture. He would set the standard for accountability and excellent hockey. He would push guys like Matt Duchene, Ryan O’Reilly, Gabriel Landeskog, Paul Stastny, Erik Johnson, Cody McLeod and Semyon Varlamov to succeed.
With the rookie head coach on the bench, there’s no question he would command respect. He knows how to win. He was a competitive guy as a player. These attributes go a long way to the players that grew up watching him.
It’s not surprising the Avalanche would start winning as soon as Roy was hired. The players don’t want to put him down, and they know they ran out of excuses after getting Sacco fired. They know they are at the point of their career that they have to start winning as players.
There is no question Roy would succeed as a head coach. He did well as the coach of the Quebec Remparts by winning the Memorial Cup in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He knew how to develop players. That’s why Joe Sakic did not hesitate in hiring his former teammate as coach in one of his first moves as executive vice president of hockey operations.
It’s easy to tell if a coach has it or not. Roy does. He has the temperament to be a head coach by knowing how to make guys tick and not overdo it. He has created a trust with the players. So far, he has been calm as coach. The only time he lost it was when he screamed at Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau after the game on Opening Night when Ben Lovejoy hit Nathan MacKinnon with the game out of hand.
His coaching experience in the minors had him prepared to coach in the NHL.
Roy was not going to take the Avalanche job just for the sake of trying out. He wanted to be the team’s head coach because he knows he can win the Stanley Cup with this roster. He wasn’t going to waste his time if he did not think that way. That’s why the players play for him.
Last night was a perfect example about Roy’s impact on the team. The Avalanche started off well by scoring the first two goals of the game, and that was something that was lacking under Sacco often.
Another example of Roy’s impact came in the second period. After the Hurricanes were off to a great start in the second period by scoring their first goal of the game, the Avalanche did not let that goal affect their ability to play. The Avalanche head coach let the players play rather than call timeout, and the players responded. With Sacco, there was too much overcoaching when the team was in adversity.
Roy has been hands-on as coach. He has played a role in getting his defensive players to play well defensively, and it was evident last night. MacKinnon led the way in preventing the Hurricanes from not scoring wide open goals or create 2-on-1 opportunities. He also has gotten Varlamov to be focused in the nets, which was something the Avalanche goaltender had trouble with in recent years.
So far, everything has gone right for the Hall of Fame goaltender. The team is winning. The players bring it every night. Varlamov has been excellent in the nets. Most importantly, the Avalanche are watchable.
It’s been a long time since the Avalanche have been exciting. They haven’t been the same once Forsberg, Foote, Roy and Sakic left. They have been trending downward as a franchise.
Now, folks have a reason to believe in this hockey team again. They have a keeper in the head coach, and they have players that are ready to shine in their prime. The Avalanche should be a playoff team this season.
The team’s success has now made everyone wonder how far can the Avs go this year in the playoffs. It’s a great question to think about, and that’s why they are an interesting team to watch.
Roy should win the Jack Adams Award this year for his work as coach, but for him, that award is not why he is coaching the team.
He is coaching for a chance to hoist the Stanley Cup as head coach this season
It’s the only way this season is going to be a success in his mind.
Leslie Monteiro
Leslie is a contributor for Lightning Rod Sports. He covered high school sports in Bergen County out in North Jersey, and has written op-ed columns on sports such as Bleacher Report and NY Sports Digest.
Carolina’s goalie Justin Peters said it best last night…”They came out ready to play,” Peters said. “We knew they were going to come out ready. They have a great atmosphere here and have a great record at home. They had some chances, got some bounces there. They’re real quick. All their guys can skate real well. They’re fast, they’re hungry. They really battle hard on pucks as a team. When you have that skill level and confidence, it goes a long way.”
Thanks for reading and responding, Dave.
Peters played well to start the game, but the Avalanche were just too good for him to keep up. That’s how you can tell you got a talented team. One thing about the Avalanche is they are well-coached, and that’s why I was compelled to write a column on Patrick Roy.