Roy’s demeanor and voice were welcomed and it was evident from his first skate.
“Obviously, yesterday was a crazy day. Coming back from the road trip, things have changed, but I think everyone is excited,” defenseman Noah Dobson said. “As we saw this morning, Patrick obviously brings that presence and brings a lot of passion and energy, so that’s a good thing.
“The way we’ve played lately has been a wake-up call, so to speak. A lot of the things that are happening in our game, the habits, the looser details, are unacceptable and we’re now realizing that. We know we need to get better as a group and I’m sure the group itself will respond well.”
Bo Horvat remembers playing against Roy’s Avalanche team when he was a member of the Vancouver Canucks.
“They play with so much passion. They’re the kind of things that are all around you,” Horvat said. “They are tough to play against and I think that’s what he wants us to do. We have to pull. It can’t just be one guy going. Everyone has to contribute. I think that was his main message today.
“I think [the coaching change] This is a testament to (general manager) Lou (Lamoriello) wanting more and it’s up to us to give him more. Of course, this gives us an extra jolt to get where we need to be, but overall, it’s our responsibility to get better as a group, and that starts tonight. ”
Roy is a Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender, with 551 wins in 19 seasons ranking third in NHL history behind Martin Brodeur (691) and Marc-Andre Fleury (552), and 1,029 games behind Brodeur (1,266). ), third behind Roberto Luongo (1,044 wins). ). His 151 wins and 247 games played in the playoffs are both first, and his 23 shutouts are second only to Brodeur (24). His 478 games played, 262 wins, and 37 shutouts are all records for an Avalanche goaltender.
Roy won four Stanley Cups with the Canadiens (1986, 1993) and Avalanche (1996, 2001) and won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goaltender three times (1988-89, 1989). -90, 1991-92) was selected. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 1986, 1993, and 2001, becoming the only player in NHL history to win the award three times.
“I’m very excited,” Roy said. “I love this challenge and I’m really grateful for the opportunity to be here. I mean, I bring my passion to the team, I bring excitement, I love this group of players as a player and maybe as a coach.” I want to use my past experience to help.”