Patrick Roy and Colorado Avalanche Team Structure
![Jan 18, 2016; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Colorado Avalanche head coach Patrick Roy reacts during the second period against the Winnipeg Jets at MTS Centre. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports Jan 18, 2016; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Colorado Avalanche head coach Patrick Roy reacts during the second period against the Winnipeg Jets at MTS Centre. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/a17e37bc1e6ae7943403a6ae49e0f24fcd861830d52ac700e07074f080606451.jpg)
Power Forwards
Coach Roy likes gritty players. He wants big players who aren’t afraid to get physical — at the right time, of course.
Roy likes to have a power forward on each line — he’s mentioned that more than once. This could be a highly skilled power forward, such as Gabriel Landeskog or Jarome Iginla. This could be a grinder, such as Andreas Martinsen, or an out-and-out energy player, such as Cody McLeod.
In additional to the physicality, he wants these players to make room for puck-possessors. This was his stated rationale for placing Martinsen on a top line one of the several times he’s done that.
A physical player in a physical game also helps provide a spark. Coach Roy is big on sparks — he can’t stand flat play, and he’ll blame that for losses more often than not. Coming out flat is also a quick way to get on Patrick Roy’s bad side. (More on that later.)
Of course, the potential for a spark is also how Nikita Zadorov and Chris Bigras earned their most recent chances on the team.
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