Whether you look at record, player performance or just plain showmanship, Patrick Roy coached better than Jared Bednar.
Colorado Avalanche Hall of Famer Patrick Roy resigned as head coach on August 11, 2016.
Many Avs fans turned on the hero because they felt Roy had left the team in a lurch. He’d resigned “right before” the season, leaving GM Joe Sakic with little leeway to find a new coach “so late” in the season. In fact, it was six weeks before training camp — Sakic took two weeks to find his prime candidate. That candidate was Jared Bednar.
Despite the supposed lateness of the resignation, Sakic had some good options for the head coaching position. He actually interviewed two candidates with NHL head coach experience and with experience as assistant coach on Stanley Cup winning teams — Davis Payne (L.A. Kings) and Kevin Dineen (Chicago Blackhawks).
The Avalanche also interviewed other likely candidates. Bob Boughner was considered a finalist — he’d had a long NHL playing career and had served as an assistant coach for both the Columbus Blue Jackets and the San Jose Sharks. (He recently got hired as the head coach of the Florida Panthers.)
Colorado interviewed Lane Lambert, who was an NHL player from 1983 to 2001 and who’s been an NHL assistant coach since 2011 (Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals). They also interviewed Scott Arniel, who was an NHL player from 1981 to 1999 and who is the assistant coach of the New York Rangers. He also coached the Columbus Blue Jackets for 1 1/2 years.
Yet the Colorado Avalanche chose Jared Bednar, who had no NHL experience whatsoever, as head coach. And the Colorado Avalanche went on to a 48-point season, the worst in team history and the worst in the salary cap era.
Patrick Roy would have done better because Patrick Roy was better as a head coach.