The rumors were already swirling thanks to his younger brother Stephane posting the news on Facebook a few days prior, but on Thursday the news broke officially when it was announced that Patrick Roy will be the new Head Coach and Vice President of Hockey Operations of the Colorado Avalanche.
Roy will be the 6th head coach in Avalanche history and the 14th head coach in franchise history dating back to the Nordiques days. In addition to becoming the new head coach, Roy will work with Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Joe Sakic in all player personnel decisions.
Roy, a legend on the ice in the Mile High city, will now take his talents behind the bench to try and dig the Avalanche out of the grave they’ve been in for years now. Outside the playoff picture for three straight years now, and four of the last five years, Roy will try and revitalize the franchise that hasn’t won a Stanley Cup since he wore #33 for the Burgundy and Blue in 2001.
Roy, who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2006, retired with the most regular season victories in NHL history (551),which is good for second all-time. The four-time Stanley Cup champion is still the winningest goaltender in Stanley Cup Playoff history with 151 postseason wins. Roy is the the only player in NHL history to have won three Conn Smythe Trophies as the MVP of the playoffs (1986, 1993, 2001). (ColoradoAvalanche.com)
Joe Sakic always knew who he wanted behind the bench. “All along Patrick was our top candidate and we are thrilled that he has decided to accept this offer,” said Sakic. “Patrick has a great hockey mind, is a tremendous coach and there is no one more passionate about this game. He will bring that winning attitude to our dressing room to help this young team grow.” (ColoradoAvalanche.com)
Roy will be able to look up and see his #33 jersey in the rafters of every single home game, as his number, alongside Sakic’s #19, Forsberg’s #21, and Borque’s #77, and soon Adam Foote’s #52, are retired.
I really like the hiring. Above all else, it will put butts in the seats. At this stage of where the Avalanche are as a franchise, that’s important. And in terms of on-ice production, I think the hiring will work dividends. Roy’s fiery style, as all Avalanche fans know, could be exactly what this young team needs to get them going in the right direction of becoming a winning franchise again.
Anthony Rodriguez
Anthony is the Founder, Administrator, Editor and Publisher of Lightning Rod Sports. Originally from California, Anthony has been raised in the Rocky Mountains and Denver area for most of his life. Anthony works with the Emmy-winning student-run T.V. newscast at MSU Denver, The Met Report, as the Assistant General Manager, formerly the Sports Producer, as well as Lead Anchor and Production Assistant. He is currently the Play-by-Play Announcer, Color Commentator, and Production Assistant for the Metro State Broadcast Network, and calls games for Metro State soccer, basketball, volleyball, baseball, and softball as a “Voice of the Roadrunners.” In addition to that work with the Metro State Broadcast Network, Anthony also hosts the monthly 30-minute magazine show called "The Roadrunner Review" which airs on Altitude Sports and Entertainment. He hosts the bi-weekly "KMet Sports Show" on KMET Radio at MyMetMedia.com/KMETSportsShow. He is also the Founder, Administrator, Editor, and Columnist for his own Denver Sports website, LightningRodSports.com. Anthony is also part of the Social Media team at Examiner.com, and has worked with the Altitude Radio Network for the Avalanche and Nuggets. Anthony is a former Producer for Mile High Sports Radio, as well as a former Sports-Talk show host on the LightningRod Radio Network.
