NHL Islanders hire Roy as coach after Lambert gets axed
NEW YORK: Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy was hired as coach of the New York Islanders on Saturday after the NHL club fired Lane Lambert following a fourth consecutive loss.
Four-time Stanley Cup champion Roy has not coached in the NHL since guiding the Colorado Avalanche for three seasons from 2013-2016.
The 58-year-old Canadian has spent the past five seasons coaching the Quebec Remparts junior club, guiding them to last year’s Canadian Memorial Cup championship.
Roy won the Stanley Cup twice for the Montreal Canadiens, in 1986 and 1993, and twice more with the Colorado Avalanche in 1996 and 2001.
He was voted the NHL’s top goalie, the Vezina Trophy winner, in 1989, 1990 and 1992 and is the only player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff Most Valuable Player three times, doing so in 1986, 1993 and 2001. Roy is set to make his debut behind the Islanders bench when they play host to Dallas on Sunday. New York will then visit Montreal, where Roy became a legend guarding the crease for the Canadiens, on Thursday.
Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello announced the firing of Lambert, who went 61-46 with 20 overtime losses and a first-round playoff exit last year during a 20-month stint as coach.
Lambert, 59, was axed from his first NHL head coaching job after the Islanders began the 2023-24 campaign 19-15-11. They have dropped six of their past seven starts, including a 4-3 overtime loss at Chicago on Friday in Lambert’s final game.
The Islanders stand sixth in the Metropolitan division, two points behind Detroit for the final Eastern Conference playoff berth.
Lambert became the fifth NHL coach to be fired this season after D.J. Smith of Ottawa, Jay Woodcroft of Edmonton, Dean Evason of Minnesota and Craig Berube of St. Louis.
Roy went 130-92-24 during his stint with the Avalanche, losing his only playoff series. In his first season at Colorado, the team matched its club record with 52 wins and Roy was named the NHL Coach of the Year.