Patrick Roy’s been behind the New York Islanders bench for a year and a half, but could his days be numbered?
The Sick Podcast – The Eye Test: Chris Botta on if there is a future for Patrick Roy with the New York Islanders.
Botta: “Patrick Roy from the moment he started with the Islanders, I believe he had a little bit of a self-campaign to reinvent himself. I think when people would think of Patrick, as a player and also as a coach in Colorado and in Juniors, they saw him as a fiery, sometimes over-the-top guy.
You know he didn’t have a single moment like that. Much to my displeasure. Part of me was, it’s fun. Yeah. I mean, when he got the job, I told the story about how great he was to a, as a player, to a former fellow intern to (inaudible) Patrick Roy was just generous with us. A goalie, to this young goalie, young man named Anthony. So I was rooting for him.
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Anyway, to get back to your question, it was like he was behaving himself. I think, kind of reinventing himself for a long-term position with the Islanders. Maybe staying as (inaudible) head coach.
But in the one moment where he really, he didn’t snap at a reporter. He would stay, after they lost games, that I thought we deserved better. The same stuff I got pretty tiresome, I think, to the fan base. But for whatever reason, after this one game, when it came to Anthony (Duclair), he just said, you know, ‘God, awful.’ It’s critical and, and it was uncharacteristic of the new Patrick Roy.
The next day, it was decided that, or that Anthony was going to take leave of absence from the team, and he hasn’t been heard from since. Was not made available on breakup day. I suspect that Anthony, who’s under contract for three more years, will come back, and perhaps be okay and get his game back. It’ll be with the Islanders. Don’t think that contract is movable.
So there was a bad look for Patrick. It’s, it’s one of six or seven reasons why I don’t think he’ll be back as head coach. And why I think the owners might have done the next GM and the next EVP of hockey operations a favor had they just said goodbye to the coaching staff.
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You know, they can always come back and interview, but you know, the last thing a new GM wants to do is, you know, fire somebody who he’s never worked with. But I just don’t think Patrick is going to be kept. The one chance for Patrick is if he’s able to stay in the organization in some meaningful way, not as a coach but within hockey ops.
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