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Official: Patrick Roy named Head Coach & VP of Hockey Operations in Colorado

Just a few weeks after firing head coach Joe Sacco, the Colorado Avalanche have found his replacement and have reached into their past to do so.

The Avalanche have officially announced the hiring of Patrick Roy as Head Coach and Vice-President of Hockey Operations through the team’s twitter account.

Roy, the Coach, Owner and General Manager of the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL, won 2 Stanley Cups with the Avalanche as a player.  After being traded to the Avalanche in December 1995, Roy played 8 seasons in Colorado.

Roy who played for the Montreal Canadiens from 1984-1995, also won two Stanley Cups with them. He is the only player in NHL history to win three Conn Smythe trophies (1986, 1993, 2001). His trophy case also includes 3 Vezina trophies, and 5 William Jennings Trophies.  When he retired, he held the NHL’s all-time record for wins by a goaltender with 551 (since passed by Martin Brodeur).  He is still the NHL’s all-time leader in playoff wins with 151, and playoff games played by a goalie with 247.  The 247 playoff games is 2nd all time for games played by any player.

The Avalanche and Canadiens have both retired Roy’s #33 and he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2006.  He is widely considered amongst the greatest goalies of all-time, and many consider him to be the greatest.

Roy is a 307-128-32 as coach of the Remparts.  He also led the club to a Memorial Cup Championship in 2006.

It is unclear how much power Roy will be getting in the Avalanche’s front office with his VP of Hockey Operations title, however rumors did previously say that Roy would not accept an NHL Head Coaching position without some control and input on player personnel decisions.  It appears he has gotten that.  Roy was in full control of player transactions with the Remparts, who were highly successful during his run.  According to the team website Roy will be working with Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Joe Sakic in making personnel moves.  Sakic and Roy were teammates for all eight of Roy’s seasons in Colorado.

Joe Sakic released the following statement,

“All along Patrick was our top candidate and we are thrilled that he has decided to accept this offer. Patrick has a great hockey mind, is a tremendous coach and there is no one more passionate about this game. He will bring that winning attitude to our dressing room to help this young team grow.”

Roy, had the following to say,

“This is an unbelievable day for me. It’s a new and exciting challenge that I am really looking forward to. I would like to thank Stan and Josh Kroenke for this opportunity as well as Joe Sakic for the trust they are putting in me. Almost 10 years to the day that I announced my retirement as a player I am back in Denver and hope the fans are as excited as I am.”

The move was the worst kept secret in hockey with Patrick Roy’s brother Stephane having leaked the news days ago on his facebook account.  The Avalanche had denied the reports until today.

The Avalanche finished 29th in the NHL last season.  By virtue of winning the draft lottery, they hold the first overall pick in next month’s NHL Draft.

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photo credit: RicLaf via photopin cc

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