Patrick Roy leaves Avs organization

[CarltonTheBear]

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/patrick-roy-statement-589887871.html

DENVER, CO, Aug. 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - Patrick Roy, head coach and vice president of hockey operations for the Colorado Avalanche, has issued the following statement:

"For the past three years, I have carried out my duties as Head Coach and Vice President of Hockey Operations for the Colorado Avalanche with energy, passion and determination.

I have thought long and hard over the course of the summer about how I might improve this team to give it the depth it needs and bring it to a higher level. To achieve this, the vision of the coach and VP-Hockey Operations needs to be perfectly aligned with that of the organization. He must also have a say in the decisions that impact the team's performance. These conditions are not currently met.

Today, I am informing you of my decision to leave the Colorado Avalanche organization. Though it saddens me, I have put much thought about this decision in recent weeks and have come to be fully comfortable with it.

I am grateful to the Colorado Avalanche organization, with which I remain in good terms, for letting me lead this great team. I thank all the players I have had the pleasure of coaching and the fans for their unwavering, unconditional support.

I remain forever loyal to the Avalanche with which I played 478 games, coached another 253, and won two Stanley Cups."

Woah. Shocker. Sounds like he and Sakic must have had some disagreements. I'd guess the whole Barrie thing might have had something to do with it. Someone in the media reported awhile back that Roy feels Barrie is a #5 D, and Sakic gave him a pretty big contract.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

How amazing would this be: Habs struggle out the gate, Therrien and Bergevin are both fired, Roy is hired as GM/coach.

 

[Omallley]

This is definitely something I wasn't expecting. Have to wonder what the differences of opinion were between him and Sakic.

How amazing would this be: Habs struggle out the gate, Therrien and Bergevin are both fired, Roy is hired as GM/coach.

The Leafs drafted Matthews. We can't hope for more, can we? (As in, yes, this would be amazing and I want this to happen).

 

[herman]

Addition by subtraction for the Avs.

Roy tried to stand up to Sakic in a heated meeting wrangling over Barrie's contract, but Brett Hull pulled him aside and said "You are not allowed to speak to Mr. Sakic".

 

[CarltonTheBear]

This is definitely something I wasn't expecting. Have to wonder what the differences of opinion were between him and Sakic.

Aside from the Barrie thing, Roy has publicly called out the teams core group of players and specifically ripped into Duchene for celebrating his 30th goal of the season: http://www.tsn.ca/mondaymustread-roy-puts-avs-core-under-the-microscope-1.464251

?The thing I have a bit of a hard time with is the reaction of Dutchy after he scores,? Roy told the Denver Post. ?It?s a 4-0 goal. Big cheer. Are you kidding me? What is that? I mean, it?s not the reflect we want from our guys.?

Roy then went on to rip the ?core? of the Avalanche, which includes Duchene.

?I think we have some good leadership, but not enough from our core,? Roy told the Post. ?We need more from these guys. These guys need to prove to us that they?re capable of carrying this team.

?When Washington needs a goal, they turn to [Alex] Ovechkin. When Pittsburgh needs a goal, they turn to [Sidney] Crosby. Their core players are the ones. Our core players are having a hard time carrying this team. That?s the bottom line. I?m sorry. But I mean, I can look at myself in the mirror, and we can all look at ourselves in the mirror, but at the end of the day, the core has to be our best players.?

Good chance he wanted change there, and Sakic decided to stick with his players.

 

[herman]

Who do they hire next?

• Ron Wilson: knows how to run and gun out West
• Dallas Eakins: analytically inclined and youth oriented
• Jocelyn Thibault: because

 

[bustaheims]

How amazing would this be: Habs struggle out the gate, Therrien and Bergevin are both fired, Roy is hired as GM/coach.

It's too obvious not to happen.

 

[bustaheims]

Not a huge surprise. Colorado's last couple seasons have not been very good, and there's reason to believe that has a lot to do with Roy's "old school" approach to things.

 

[Boston Leaf]

I think for now Colorado improves no matter who steps in. Roy was really not that great of an NHL coach  IMO

 

[Tigger]

Addition by subtraction for the Avs.

Roy tried to stand up to Sakic in a heated meeting wrangling over Barrie's contract, but Brett Hull pulled him aside and said "You are not allowed to speak to Mr. Sakic".

Roy looked at himself in the mirror and saw Avery, suits, wonder if Shanny nodded?

 

[rdowdall]

If only there was some sort of sign that Roy will pull the chute if things don't go the way he thinks they should go. 

 

[McGarnagle]

If only there was some sort of sign that Roy will pull the chute if things don't go the way he thinks they should go.

Heh, touche.

Timing isn't the greatest. I wonder if Marc Crawford would have gotten a serious interview if he'd been available earlier in the season.

 

[rdowdall]

If only there was some sort of sign that Roy will pull the chute if things don't go the way he thinks they should go.

Heh, touche.

Timing isn't the greatest. I wonder if Marc Crawford would have gotten a serious interview if he'd been available earlier in the season.

I think in Roy's mind, he timed this perfectly.  Apparently Sakic is on vacation.  How would you like that phone call.  "Yeah, have a great time, by the by, I quit.  Good luck finding a new coach."

 

[KW Sluggo]

How amazing would this be: Habs struggle out the gate, Therrien and Bergevin are both fired, Roy is hired as GM/coach.

That was my first thought as well.

 

[hockeyfan1]

Patrick Roy, now ex-coach & V.P. of player operations  and Joe Sakic (current GM), were as different in personalities as night and day, with Ray being temperamental & outspoken, and Sakic being  quiet  & unassuming in his ways.

So, it's safe to say that the two were obviously at loggerheads concerning the direction and status of the team in general,

This may give some insight:

Sakic, the so-called GM, and Roy, the coach who was always suspected of having a major say in personnel moves.

Only this summer rumour has it that Roy was the one making the decisions on which scouts remained in the Avs employ and which ones didn?t.

Did he want Sakic to hold on to Ryan O?Reilly last summer, when Sakic dealt him to Buffalo? Was he against keeping defenceman Tyson Barrie, who finally settled on a contract in Denver last month? Did Roy wish for Matt Duchene to be moved, and Sakic either wouldn?t comply or couldn?t find a satisfactory deal?

What GM would want a coach who demands a weighty say in all personnel issues? And what coach, considering the tepid success Roy has had at the NHL level, would want to divide his own attention that way?


http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/roys-desire-total-control-recipe-failure/

 

[herman]

Sakic on Roy's departure (warning: might be autoplay)
https://soundcloud.com/altitudesports950/avs-gm-joe-sakic-joins-nate-and-nalen

Partial transcription courtesy of /r/hockey and golf4miami

Sakic: "Yeah it was a surprise phone call this morning... he told me the last three or four weeks he was wrestling with this decision and he came to the decision that he wanted to resign."
"I just appreciated that he did it now and gave us time to move forward."

On why Roy said he wanted to leave
"Coaching is an incredible grind and your head and your heart have to be in it and he wasn't there."
"We were friends when we played and we were friends as coach and GM and we will be friends after."

On it being a surprise
"I mean yea we got on the phone and started talking about golf and then he started talking about this..."
Did the players like playing for Roy?
"Yea they totally did. Just a frustrating finish to the year."

Are you relieved he left [now, rather than closer to the start of the season]?
"For us, we hope he wouldn't have come to this decision. But if he wasn't feeling right with his mindset and wasn't ready to do it, then I'm happy he decided now."

Is the organization better off now than when Roy was hired?
"Absolutely. We got credibility back. It was in a tough place three years ago. Obviously we had a great run our first year here. Maybe it gave us a false sense with how that went. But we're still building and our drafts the last couple years have been better.... We're still fairly young, that's not an excuse, we're still going to keep growing and that's going to come."

On who could the next head coach be..
"I have a lot of respect for Bob Hartley, but I'm going to do my due diligence."

 

[Zee]

How amazing would this be: Habs struggle out the gate, Therrien and Bergevin are both fired, Roy is hired as GM/coach.

I definitely expect Roy to be coach of the Habs at some point, not sure about GM role.  I figured after Therrien their list would include (in no particular order)

Roy
Julien
Vigneault
Martin
Boucher