Losers of 4 straight contests, the New York Islanders opted to make a significant change behind the bench on Saturday, firing head coach Lane Lambert, and naming Patrick Roy as his successor.
Roy, who last coached the Quebec Remparts to a Memorial Cup championship, is a former Jack Adams Award winner from his time with the Colorado Avalanche, and brings a very different approach to the game than Lambert. GM Lou Lamoriello made the announcement official during a media availability session this weekend.
“Watching our team play, I felt that the inconsistency that has been going on for some period of time was not going to end,” Lamoriello told reporters. “When I had the opportunity to meet with Patrick recently, I felt that this was the best for our organization to go forward.”
The Islanders currently sport a 19-15-11 record, giving them 49 points through 45 contests, good for 6th place in the tightly packed Metropolitan Division. Lamoriello’s hope is that by changing the voice in the locker room, that his team can regain a playoff spot and make a run at the franchise’s first Stanley Cup in 40 years.
The club currently has a sizeable amount of money tied up in veteran contracts, and believes that it’s closer to competing than their current record indicates. Insiders believe that one of Roy’s first tasks will be to try to turn around goaltender Ilya Sorokin’s recent struggles as the 28 year old is currently sporting a career worst 3.21 GAA and .908 SV%.
Roy, who has a hall of fame goaltending career already under his belt, had been linked to several head coaching positions over the last year. Most recently, reports had surfaced that new Senators owner Michael Andlauer had expressed interest in meeting with the former Avalanche net minder.
The 58 year old has spent nearly a decade away from the NHL ranks, during which many observers note that his temperament has cooled off considerably. Few will forget this famous exchange with then Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau during Roy’s first foray behind an NHL bench:
As for Lambert, his tenure with the Islanders now ends after 127 games, where he posted a 61-46-20 record (.559). Ironically that win percentage ranks him 3rd all time amongst New York bench bosses with at least 100 games experience, trailing only Al Arbour and Barry Trotz in franchise history.
New York is next in action Sunday evening against the Dallas Stars in a 7:30pm ET showdown.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Letartean. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.