Patrick Roy’s unlikely hope about return to Montreal: ‘I don’t want it to be about me’
MONTREAL The Islanders were on the ice Wednesday so that they could avoid being on the ice Thursday morning, because Patrick Roy knows what awaits him at the Bell Centre.
In this city on the banks of the St. Lawrence, where hockey is as much part of the lifeblood as the French language, the newly installed Islanders coach is something like a folk hero.
His return to the NHL was such a big deal around these parts that rather than wait for the Islanders to come up to Montreal just three games into Roys tenure, a slew of French-Canadian reporters made the trip to Long Island for his debut on Sunday.
Roy knows as well as anyone, he is going to be walking into a madhouse on Thursday night.
We just dont want to have distractions, he said Wednesday. No morning skate in Montreal, the guys are gonna stay at the hotel, theye gonna be focused. And I dont want it to be about me. I want it to be about the Islanders.
Patrick Roy, who had a Hall of Fame career with the Canadiens, said he doesn’t want his return to Montreal “to be about me.” APWere going there to win a hockey game. Were not going there to win for the coach, its for our team. Thats the reason why I dont want us to go to the skate. Theyre gonna ask questions about me, theyre gonna say this and that. I dont need this and the team doesnt need that.
Admirable sentiment.
But the chances of Wednesday not being about Roy are approximately equal to the chances of the Expos winning the 2024 World Series.
Cest la vie.
see also
Islanders’ Patrick Roy embracing analytics in shift from Lane Lambert
Samuel Bolduc, from nearby Laval, is too young to have seen Roy play.
But you can bet hes heard the stories and seen the highlights enough to internalize what Roy means in the city. All he ever had to do was look up in the Bell Centre rafters, where Roys No. 33 hangs.
When the news broke Sunday that he was taking the Islanders job, Bolduc fielded texts from pretty much all my friends and family asking if it was true.
People there, they just love him, Bolduc told The Post. My dad just talked about him so much, how good he was.
There are two points to worry about against a Montreal team that, on paper, the Islanders should beat though theyve lost at the Bell Centre already this season.
The Isles entered Wednesday in a tie with the Devils for fourth in the Metropolitan and two points back of the first wild-card spot.
Roy would love to fast-forward until after the All-Star break, when the craze around his hire will start to subside.
But for now and never more than Thursday hell be coaching amid a circus.
We have to find a way as a group and with our leaders to make sure we step up, Roy said. Were using that goal to make us a better hockey team. We came into the dressing room after the second period of Tuesdays 3-2 loss to Vegas and now have to regroup and talk about it and then were going back to our game. Because there was a point in that game we were starting to fly the zone, we were no longer working as a unit of five to stay in our zone.
These are the things that I honestly think thats the next step. And obviously were gonna start slowly talking about it and hopefully after the All-Star break we can work harder on this and have our structure set and also our mindset.
How many decks are used in poker?
In most popular poker variants, such as Texas Hold'em and Omaha, a standard deck of 52 playing cards is used. Each deck contains four suits (hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades) and consists of 13 ranks (Ace, 2 through 10, and the face cards: Jack, Queen, and King).
What is the bonus code for WPT Global Poker 2023?
The best bonus code for WPT Global is WPT777. By entering the bonus code, players will get a welcome bonus 100% up to $1,200 on the first deposit. The minimum deposit is $20.
What is the best WPT Global bonus code?
Use the WPT Global bonus code WPT777 when registering to get a 100% deposit bonus up to $1200 plus a $100 No Deposit poker bonus.
