Roy says Avalanche missing playoffs 'unacceptable'

Coach Patrick Roy said Wednesday it was "unacceptable" the Colorado Avalanche did not make the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season and called on players to "want more."
"I think our core needs to show more leadership," Roy told 104.3 The Fan in Denver, as transcribed by Pro Hockey Talk. "It was like this when I played for [the Montreal Canadiens], like this when I played for the [Avalanche]. The core are the ones that have to carry the team. They're the ones where, when you lose a game, it has to hurt from the inside. You should want more."

Roy could have been referring to captain Gabriel Landeskog, Tyson Barrie, Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon, all 25 or younger. Roy mentioned that Jarome Iginla, Blake Comeau and Francois Beauchemin were signed by the Avalanche as veteran leaders, but said it's on the younger players to take responsibility.

"My belief is our mindset needs to change," Roy said. "That's the conversation I have with (Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic) when we're talking about, 'We need to be stronger mentally,' and, 'We need to bring character players inside of this dressing room.' That's what we've been trying to do."
The Avalanche were eliminated from playoff contention when they lost to the Nashville Predators 4-3 on Tuesday. Colorado has missed the playoffs each of the past two seasons after going 52-22-8 and winning the Central Division in Roy's first season as coach in 2013-14.
"I'm very disappointed and very frustrated," Roy said. "It's unacceptable that we didn't make the playoffs."