Compete Level
Perhaps the most important tenet of the Gospel According to Patrick Roy has to do with compete level. This should come as no surprise. In his playing days, Patrick Roy was infamous for his own compete level, what some would call pride bordering on arrogance. He wanted to win — and hated losing — more than anything in the world.
The quickest way to find yourself on the outs with Patrick Roy is to drop your compete level.
For example, center Mikhail Grigorenko keeps dancing in and out of the lineup. This isn’t because he’s less-skilled than, say, Andreas Martinsen. Coach Roy said more than once that Grigorenko will get a chance in the lineup until he stops winning his one-on-one battles. Roy seems to see this as a drop in compete level.
Coach Roy praises Cody McLeod for his compete level. When Patrick remarks about needing a spark, quite often he’s referring to compete level — and McLeod has that in spades.
A waning compete level is the reason Patrick Roy gave for waiving and sending down Brandon Gormley. A high compete level is why Jack Skille was able to make the surprising move of making the team on a professional tryout. It’s why Blake Comeau was acquired and gets good minutes in games.
Patrick Roy was a man who played through appendicitis to help his team win playoff games. This is not a man who understands “not feeling it” or whatever else might lead to flat play.
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