Patrick Roy wanted attention to be focused on the match. It did. He wanted to concentrate on simply coaching his team. He did it. He wanted victory in what he called a “four-point game.”
That’s the only part that escaped him.
In an evening full of emotions, the Canadian spoiled the return of the darling child to the Bell Center, winning 4-3 over the New York Islanders.
A sign of the greatness of the moment, there were, for a very rare time at the Bell Centre, as many, if not more, journalists around the coach of the visiting team as in the Martin St-Louis conference room. There were a good twenty of them around Roy, according to a count, let’s not be afraid of words, by the looks of it, such was the high population density in this corner of the arena.
That was normal, mind you. How often does the opposing coach receive the first ovation of the evening? This is what happened during theO Canadawhen the giant screen began to scroll through images of Roy with the Canadian, images where he is accompanied by his faithful metallic companion who is also called the Stanley Cup, another of his famous nods to Tomas Sandström and one of the removal of his sweater, evening of the great reconciliation.
“I would like to thank the Canadian organization. It was really a nice gesture. It’s very appreciated,” he said first.
The reaction of the supporters, the same supporters with whom he had fallen out one evening in December 1995, was “extraordinary, as usual. They have always been A1 supporters.
I didn’t know what to expect. I never look at the scoreboard. But I was caught looking and I saw what it was like. I’ve said it all along: it’s not me, it’s the team. I just wanted to make sure I was focused.
Patrick Roy, head coach of the New York Islanders
Roy wanted to coach, and in a sense, this focus during the national anthem, rather than during a commercial break, allowed him to do so. From the last notes of theO Canadahe bumped his fist against that of his assistant Doug Houda, then that of John MacLean, his trusted man, if we rely on the number of times he consults him during a match.
Break time
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
Patrick Roy during the meeting
And he has coached. Quicker than he would have liked, because after 12 minutes, it was 3-0 Canadian. That’s where he asked for a break, after a talk with MacLean, since we’re talking about it.
“He wanted us to show that we are resilient, that we have character,” summarized striker Jean-Gabriel Pageau. We had several events during the season. He was positive during his speech. It was about getting back to basics to work together. That’s why we gave ourselves a chance to come back at the end. »
The cameras caught the downtime, obviously. But there were also all these moments, especially commercial breaks, when Roy took a board and pencil, brought his players together and suggested solutions. His players reacted well – and were helped by the indiscipline of CH – since they came within 132 seconds of going to overtime and at least obtaining a point.
The lightning rod
Roy’s work for this game, however, began well before puck drop.
On Wednesday, in New York, he already announced his colors: the session at the team’s training center would be the only one before the match. No morning exercise in Montreal on Thursday. In doing so, Roy removed his men from what would have been a crowded locker room. He alone confronted the media late Thursday afternoon, three hours before the match.
My focus is much more on the match than anything else. I told the players: “This is not a match that concerns me, it is a match that concerns our team. We are in a battle for the series. It’s a four-point game and we’re focused on the game.”
Patrick Roy, head coach of the New York Islanders
The former number 33 took advantage of his Wednesday evening in the Quebec metropolis to have a first dinner with his assistants. His boss made sure to reserve a box for his family. “That’s what I like about Lou [Lamoriello]. I can focus on one thing: coaching,” Roy said.
This adjustment in the schedule was welcomed by Jean-Gabriel Pageau after the match.
“He’s really a team guy. You can see why he has been so successful in his career, why he is a leader, a gamer. He really brings a great team spirit, he wanted the attention to be on our match, not on everything that was going to happen around it, which is also very deserved. We knew a little about what was going to happen. It was a pretty special moment for us. But the priority was really the match, and he did an excellent job. »
An “excellent job”, but which did not earn the Islanders two points due to numerous mix-ups in the first 12 minutes. Its projects are numerous, the numerical disadvantage, for example.
It remains to be seen whether the Islanders will learn to react better the next time they find themselves the center of attention. This will happen to them more and more often with a star coach in place. We only have to think about the outdoor match that awaits them on February 18, against the Rangers, with all eyes on them. This match was on the schedule long before the change of coach, but the narrative has just changed.
This is the price of glory, the difference between a club managed by Lane Lambert and a club managed by Patrick Roy.