When Patrick Roy arrived in Denver shortly before Christmas 1995, Colorado Avalanche fans knew they’d landed an elite goaltender who could validate their relocated team’s contender status. And when Joe Sakic lifted the Stanley Cup a few months later, Roy’s impact was confirmed.
The Hall of Fame goalie officially morphed into a rookie NHL coach on Wednesday night, and the vibe he created has already got people buzzing about Friday’s home-ice encore with Nashville.
With all due respect to Bruce Boudreau, it’s precisely the attitudinal kick-start needed for a franchise that’s not sniffed relevance since Roy last left the ice a decade ago.
Roy’s debut against Boudreau’s visiting Anaheim Ducks ended not only in a 6-1 win for the Avalanche, but also included a verbal dustup between the coaches that saw an enraged Roy deliver a pair of shoves to the glass partition that separated him from a clearly rattled adversary.
Whether or not the on-ice trigger for the skirmish—an apparent knee-on-knee hit to Colorado rookie N ...
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Article written by Lyle Fitzsimmons