There are coaches that stand out when it comes to knowing what to do. One can tell by the body language, noncliche press conferences, natural born leadership, championships and all. Patrick Roy is one of those coaches.
There’s no doubt about Roy’s coaching impact when it comes to the improvement of the Avalanche. He has the players, but Joe Sacco was underwhelming as the coach of this same group for the last few years.
Here’s what stands out about Roy: He has players’ respect, gravitas and tactician skills. When he talks in his press conferences, he explains his method of his coaching madness during a game to the media. He comes out like a teacher when he talks about the game. He has all the answers, and he does not have to come off arrogant to make his point.
The respect came in easy when Roy was hired. He is a Hall of Famer, and he won championships as a player and a coach. He knew how to develop young players when he coached the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He knew how to provide leadership as coach in Quebec, and it was something the Avalanche young stars needed after Sacco could not provide that.
Basically if Roy told the players to jump, they would say how high. They were ready to do the things he was going to tell them as coach. They were happy to do so.
It certainly worked out well. Gabriel Landeskog, Matt Duchene, Ryan O’Reilly, Paul Stastny, Nathan MacKinnon and Tyson Barrie improved as players when it comes to being complete players. It wasn’t doing their thing on offense, but they have to pay the price when it comes to working on defense. They have to focus on making each other better.
Semyon Varlamov was a guy that needed coaching the most. He can be a headcase. If he struggles, he thinks about his mistakes rather than play. He overdoes it. He was more than happy to listen to Roy’s wisdom when it comes to playing the goaltending role, and he has applied it well. It’s hard to come up with a game this season when the Avalanche goaltender had to go through a tough time after giving up a bad goal.
Here’s an example of Roy’s impact on Varlamov: When he gave up two bad goals in the second period of the Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals, he played rather than sulk about his two mistakes. Roy has been telling him to keep playing rather than harp on the mistakes all season. In Thursday’s game, he did and he kept the Avs afloat by making saves after saves in the third period. His play helped set the stage for the Avs to comeback and win in overtime.
Roy tells his goaltender to no do too much. He told his goaltender to trust in his teammates in picking him up when he gives up a bad goal. He cites about how the Avalanche having plethora of scoring talent to tie the game if he struggles. That approach has made his goaltender relaxed all season, and it’s no wonder there are results.
Roy knows what he is doing on the bench. He always trusts his instincts. He knows how to use his lines well. He makes adjustments during the game. He always has his guys focused and have them believe nothing is impossible when it comes to deficit or going up against an elite team like the Blackhawks. That’s the gravitas he brings when he is coaching on the bench.
Roy’s ability to get his guys to focus and play their game showed in the Avalanche’s 5-4 Game 1 comeback playoff victory over the Wild. The guys know that 4-2 deficit in that playoff game is nothing after coming back from deficit to win games this year. That’s the belief that the rookie Avalanche head coach preaches to his players, and they have applied to his teachings with their play and approach during game crisis.
Coaching is more than just being a good tactician. It’s about working on the mind of the players. It’s about getting guys to buy in. Roy seems to hit the right talking points when he preaches to his players.
Roy’s tactician moves work. It’s hard to first-guess or second-guess with his coaching strategies. His success makes it easy for players , fans and media to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Roy’s legend as coach grows even more when his moves panned out. Game 1 was a great example when he took Varlamov out for an extra skater with three minutes to go of the third period. It was risky, but it was something he had to do in putting his team in a position to tie the game at 4. He had to create extra offense by adding an extra skater. It worked when Paul Stastny tied it.
It’s not a surprise the rookie Avalanche head coach is flourishing as a NHL head coach. He had coaching success in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Still, one would think he would have to make an adjustment in making the transition of being a NHL head coach. He made it look easy.
What’s surprising is Roy’s temperament. He does not coach like a hothead. He is so serene when he is coaching, and that’s why the players respond well to him.
Looking at Roy’s success, one can’t help admire what he is doing.
His success makes the Avalanche a great story.
Contact or follow Leslie Monteiro at @LightRodWriter
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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.