Canadiens great Patrick Roy returns to Montreal as Isles coach
Head coach Patrick Roy of the New York Islanders interacts with referee Furman South during the third period against the Vegas Golden Knights at UBS Arena on Tuesday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
MONTREAL — It was a special event at Bell Centre no matter how much Patrick Roy insisted he did not want Thursday night’s Canadiens-Islanders game to be about him. After all, the new Islanders coach is a Hall of Fame alumnus who backstopped Le Blue-blanc-rouge to the franchise’s last two Stanley Cups.
“I know tonight’s not Saturday night, but it will probably feel like a Saturday night,” said Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis, equating Roy’s homecoming with a Hockey Night in Canada match.
Roy, in his third game with the Islanders after replacing the fired Lane Lambert on Saturday, stood on the visitor’s bench at Bell Centre for the first time since Nov. 14, 2015, when his Avalanche beat the Canadiens, 6-1.
“Too long, I don’t remember, but I know how I feel today,” Roy said with the Canadiens’ interview room overflowing for his bilingual pregame news conference. “You might not like my answer, but today is not about me, it’s about our team.”
Roy later was asked why it was so important to him to make it about the Islanders and not him.
“I love these guys,” he said. “So they deserve my respect. These guys are buying into what I’m trying, so my respect is very important to them.”
Roy’s presence, regardless of whether he’s an opposing coach or not, is tough to escape at Bell Centre.
His image features prominently in a nearly three-story “Generations of Greatness” mural unveiled in 2021 that adorns one of the arena’s outside walls. His No. 33 hangs from the rafters.
Inside the Canadiens’ dressing room, a portrait of Roy along with his 2006 year of induction is part of a display of the franchise’s Hall of Famers that ring the room. His picture is right above Tanner Pearson’s locker and below the inspirational words “Nos bras Meurtris vous tendent le flambeau a vous de le tenir bien haut (To you from failing hands we throw the torch, be yours to hold it high).
“He needs that respect and he deserves it,” said Islanders center Jean-Gabriel Pageau, a French-Canadian from Ottawa, Ontario. “He’s earned it. I hope they [the Canadiens fans] just try to enjoy the moment with him. It should be amazing. You should roll the red carpet out for him. He’s famous not only because he’s a winner, but I think he’s a great competitor and gamer and I know that Quebecers love that personality.”
Roy spent his first 10-plus NHL seasons with the Canadiens, leading them to the Cup as a rookie in 1986 and again in 1993 before an in-game falling-out with coach Mario Tremblay led to his trade to the Avalanche. He won two more Cups with Colorado before retiring in 2003.
“I think everybody in Montreal knows how much I love them,” Roy said.
The Canadiens retired his jersey number in 2008.
“It’s always a great atmosphere there,” Anders Lee said. “It’s a great road game to play. It’s always a fun city to go in and play an NHL hockey game against the Canadiens. There’s a Hall of Fame player on their team that is coming back as a coach. It’s exciting for him.”
“We need the two points,” left wing Matt Martin said. “It’s no secret that, probably, it would mean a lot to him as well to go in there and win. But no, I don’t really think, as a group, we’re looking at it like that. I don’t even think he’s looking at it like that. He wants us to build our game.”
The Islanders split their first two games under Roy, beating the visiting Stars, 3-2, in overtime on Sunday and then playing considerably better in a 3-2 loss to defending Cup champion Vegas on Tuesday at UBS Arena.
Roy has said he wants to take “baby steps” in implementing changes to the Islanders’ systematic play.
St. Louis said that has made scouting the Islanders difficult.
“He’s changing a few things,” he said. “As a coach, he’s not coming in changing everything at once. It’s not as easy to pre-scout them because they do certain things differently and, now, are they going to add something again tonight? We know we might have to adjust on a few things.”
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
