Shortly after the Lightning’s 3-1 win over the Sabres, word started matriculating around social media that the New York Islanders were making a coaching change. In just his second year behind the bench, Lane Lambert was relieved of his duties by the president of hockey operations, Lou Lamoriello. After not living up to expectations for two seasons, Lambert was out. The person chosen to replace him was a bit of a surprise though – Patrick Roy.
It will be the second go as a coach for the hall-of-fame netminder. He was the head coach of the Colorado Avalanche for three seasons from 2013 to 2016 and amassed a 130-92-24 record before resigning prior to the 2016-17 season. While he hasn’t won a Stanley Cup as a head coach, the 58-year-old does have something that Jon Cooper doesn’t – a Jack Adams Trophy. Roy has enjoyed plenty of success at the junior level as well, winning the Memorial Cup with the Quebec Remparts twice (2005-06 and 2022-23).
Roy can be described as a bit….passionate.
Should be an interesting ride on the Island.
Other Hockey News
Lightning win on the road [Raw Charge]
A pretty decent defensive game runs the winning streak to five games. On to Detroit!
Coach Cooper’s postgame press meeting [Tampa Bay Lightning]
“Good team defense, take advantage of the turnovers, good goaltending.” That’s a pretty decent recipe for success.
Alex Killorn to undergo knee surgery [Daily FaceOff]
It’s been a tough season injury-wise for Killer. After missing the start of the season with a broken finger, he’s now likely out for four-to-six weeks following knee surgery. So glad he was able to make it back to Tampa before suffering the injury.
BCHL poaches teams from Alberta Junior Hockey League [BCHL]
There is drama in the Canadian junior hockey leagues. The British Columbia Hockey League, who broke ranks with the Canadian Hockey Junior League in 2021 and Hockey Canada last spring, announced that they had agreed to terms with five teams from the Alberta Junior Hockey League to begin play in the BCHL next season. The AJHL responded by promptly suspending the teams effective immediately, claiming that, “no official notice has been provided to the AJHL from the respective teams”.
Five players suffering the sophomore slump [The Hockey News]
No Nick Perbix or Darren Raddysh in this list. It has been a rough year for the Matty Beniers, the reigning Calder Trophy winner.
Predicting the buyers and sellers at the NHL trade deadline [Bleacher Report]
The expected sellers (Ducks, Senators, and Sharks) make the list. If I had to guess right now, I would say the Lightning hold pat or make a small depth move depending on what is available.
Tennessee State has its first player [NHL.com]
While they might not have a coach, uniform, or conference yet, the Tennessee State hockey program has it’s first player as Toronto resident Xavier Abel enrolled and committed to play hockey for them next fall. Inspired by watching Dustin Byfuglien play when he was a kid in Chicago, Abel is looking forward to building the hockey program at the Historically Black College.
Your 2024 NHL All-Star Celebrity Captains:
Needs more Richard Dean Anderson.
