MIDDLE ISLAND, N.Y. -- The New York Islanders are hopeful Patrick Roy’s demand for excellence and accountability will pay dividends this season.
So is one member of their alumni who knows him well.
“He's got the fire,” said Hockey Hall of Fame center Pierre Turgeon, who played with Roy for the Montreal Canadiens in 1995. “He’s emotional. He’s got all of his emotions under him. He wants to win. He was the same as a player. It was all about one thing. He wants to win.”
This will be Roy’s first training camp as Islanders coach after he replaced Lane Lambert on Jan. 20. New York went 20-12-5 in its final 37 games, ending the regular season on a nine-game point streak (8-0-1). The Islanders finished third in the Metropolitan Division before losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in five games in the Eastern Conference First Round.
Roy was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2006 and won the Stanley Cup four times -- twice with the Canadiens (1986, 1993) and twice with the Colorado Avalanche (1996, 2001). He was named to the All-Star Game 11 times over a career than spanned 19 seasons and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP (1986, 1993, 2001) and the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goalie three times (1989, 1990, 1992) each.
He also holds the League’s postseason record for games played (247) and wins (151).
“He's a winner, he's a guy that loves hockey,” said Turgeon, who played for New York from 1991-95. “He's got the passion, and I think he did an incredible job last year. He's not easy. He's going to push you to a place where he wants to make sure you're accountable for what you're doing.”
A strong start to this season will be crucial if the Islanders want to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs; in the past two seasons, they’ve needed the last week to clinch a berth, punching their ticket in 2022-23 in the final game before doing so in Game 81 last season.
Turgeon, who was in New York on Saturday for the 23rd Annual McMahon Family Golf Outing, is optimistic Roy’s methods will help the Islanders find more consistency.
New York begins the 2024-25 season at home against the Utah Hockey Club on Oct. 10.
“It's not going to be something they'll do right away, but I think it's a nice place to be in right now,” Turgeon said. “I think they have a lot of work in front of them. It’s not going to be easy, but Roy is definitely going to help us.
“He knows the owners and he knows the New York market. He is going to give 100 percent and he’s always going to do everything he needs to do to compete.”
