Former Colorado Avalanche player and coach Patrick Roy made some serious waves on Sunday. The New York Islanders interrupted Easter celebrations to drop a bombshell. With four games to go in their season, the Isles announced the firing of Patrick Roy.
The move doesn’t really come as a surprise. It’s the timing that’s shocking. Roy had been the subject of speculation for quite some time. Even at the beginning of this season, rumors purported that Roy could be on the way out.
The Islanders confirmed Roy for this season. It seemed that the former Avalanche goalie was on his way to the playoffs with the Isles. But a four-game skid and a 3-7-0 mark in their last 10 games precipitated his dismissal.
The Islanders are hanging on by a thread, and, well, the Islanders are hardly secure in their current playoff spot.
It’s too bad that Roy saw his tenure in Long Island end this way. He took over a mess of a team midway through the 2023-24 season. His tutelage led the Islanders to an unlikely playoff appearance in 2024.
However, last year’s disastrous season put Roy on the hot seat. He had been on a roll this season. But it seems that the team’s inconsistency in the second half was more than enough for the organization to give him the ax.
In his place, the Islanders hired a foe Avalanche fans know all too well: Peter DeBoer. DeBoer was the man behind the bench of the Dallas Stars last season. It was DeBoer’s team that ousted the Avalanche in a tough first-round, seven-game series.
Unless the Islanders and Avalanche meet in the Stanley Cup Final this spring, the Avs will have to wait until next season to face DeBoer behind the Islanders’ bench.
Meanwhile, Roy will be looking for a new opportunity elsewhere. The Hall of Fame goalie may find an opportunity with another club, though it’s unclear whether any openings may come this summer.