After another dismal season, the Colorado Avalanche opted to cut ties with head coach Joe Sacco on April 28, leaving a void behind the bench that Joe Sakic, former Avalanche captain and current vice president of hockey operations, said he was in no hurry to fill.
Now, just weeks later, reports are surfacing that NHL Hall of Fame goaltender and former Avalanche great Patrick Roy is all but a lock to fill t
he coaching vacancy.
The Denver Post is reporting that Roy’s younger brother, Stephane Roy, has confirmed that Sakic has been in contact with the elder Roy and that an agreement is in place for Patrick to take over as head coach for the Avalanche.
“They’re discussing the final details of an arrangement. Colorado is going to be very happy. Patrick is looking for a new challenge,” said Stephane Roy.
The news that Roy is in the running for the head coaching position in Colorado should come as no surprise to many. After all, Roy was offered the position in 2009 but turned it down, citing family reasons. Instead, the job went to Sacco, who led the team to the playoffs in his first season as head coach and then failed to qualify for the postseason is the three subsequent seasons.
Roy was named head coach of the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in 2005 and has since coached the team to a 307-128-32 record, including a Memorial Cup championship. Both of his sons, Jonathan and Frederick, previously played under him with the Remparts.
“I felt pretty comfortable moving up, but the family situation is just not quite there for me right now,” Roy told The Denver Post in 2009. “When it comes to family, it’s always easier to make a decision. But don’t get me wrong here, I have the Avalanche at heart. There’s two very special organizations for me — Montreal and Colorado — and it’s never easy. I would have seen it as a great challenge. But the door is not closed, that’s for sure.”
Roy played for the Avalanche from 1995-2003, backstopping the team to two Stanley Cups. He is also a three-time winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy.
