Patrick Roy’s return to the NHL is “deserved”, believes his former general manager Serge Savard, with whom he won his two Stanley Cups in Montreal. “He went back to school in junior hockey, he went on the bus, he won the Memorial Cup. He paid his tithe,” praised Mr. Savard in an interview with NewspaperSATURDAY.
“It would have been a shame if he didn’t get another chance in the National League. [après son départ de l’Avalanche du Colorado, en 2016]. He deserved this chance, added The Senator. I’m very happy for him.”
In the eyes of the legendary defender, the equally legendary goalkeeper has not “skipped any steps” and he will bring “experience”, since he “knows a lot about the game”, and “lots of enthusiasm for the Islanders.”
“Open doors”
The two men did not communicate regularly, said Mr. Savard, but Patrick Roy had notably participated in his golf tournament last summer.
And at that time, the possible return of the former Canadiens and Avalanche behind the bench of an NHL team caused a lot of ink to flow, while his name was mainly associated with the Ottawa Senators.
“I have a lot of confidence. He has a chance, it’s up to him to prove himself. Maybe it could also open doors elsewhere for the future,” Serge Savard also commented.