Patrick Roy has been named coach of the New York Islanders, replacing Lane Lambert.

Patrick Roy has been named coach of the New York Islanders, replacing Lane Lambert.

The New York Islanders have named Patrick Roy as their new head coach. He replaces Lane Lambert. Lou Lamoriello is known for keeping a close eye on every change in his team. This is no different as there is no sign that Roy will return to the NHL other than vague speculation about Lambert’s future. Lambert was fired as the Islanders’ head coach after one season. Last year, the team lost in the first round, but led the team to the playoffs with 42 wins, 31 wins and 9 losses. He finished his career with a 19-15-11 record this season, missing two points.

Lambert joined the Islanders as an assistant under Barry Trotz in 2018 when the two signed with the Washington Capitals. The Capitals won their first Stanley Cup under Trotz and Lambert that season.

Patrick Roy remains best known for his Hall of Fame playing career and recently passed Marc-Andre Fleury for the most wins of all time. His NHL coaching career was short but full of memorable moments.

Roy’s first NHL game as a coach was a 6-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks. Although he didn’t play much, his altercation with Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau made headlines. Since then, things haven’t calmed down much. Prior to that, Roy was the head coach of the QMJHL Quebec Remparts for eight seasons, winning the Memorial Cup in 2005-06. That was his experience before he was named head coach of the Colorado Avalanche in 2013. There he was given special authority and the “last word” in hockey matters.

Then-GM Greg Sherman was reduced to a consultant role with the arrival of Joe Sakic. Former teammates Sakic and Roy worked together for at least the 2013-14 season, leading the Avalanche to a 52-22-8 record. They were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Minnesota Wild. The Avalanche regressed the following year and missed the playoffs entirely. At the end of the 2015–16 season, Roy left the team due to a “lack of input” into personnel decisions. His final record as Colorado’s head coach was 130-92-24 with one playoff appearance. He was replaced by current Avalanche coach Jared Bednar.